Jessie glared at her partner. "What are you doing?" she said irritably.
James fumbled through his pockets. "Trying to find my wallet." he explained briefly. He waved a hand at the road ahead of them. "I wanna buy something from that old lady."
Jessie peered at the figure, standing at the side of the road. "From her?" she asked incredulously. "Do you know her or something?"
"Aha!" James pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. "No. I just want to do her a favor, I guess."
Jessie sighed. "James, think for a minute! We don't even have a dime to call our own, let alone to give to some strange beggar woman."
"Yeah, put ya wallet away!" Meowth cried, walking at the two's heels.
Peering into the wallet, James sighed. "Oh yeah." Sadly, he stuffed the empty billfold back into his pocket.
"Pardon me." The voice was warm and friendly. They had reached the woman.
Jessie scoffed. "Sorry, but we're just as broke as you." She continued down the road.
The old woman was unfazed. "But I don't have anything to sell." she explained patiently.
"Then why are you wasting our time?"
The old woman dipped a hand into a large pocket. "I have a gift for you." She smiled again.
Jessie crossed her arms. "Oh, please! Like I'd believe a complete stranger would give something away to another compete stranger, just like that. Let's go, James. We've got better things to do." She started off again.
After a few steps, she realized that her partner wasn't following her. Whirling around, she found James staring at her beseechingly, still standing next to the woman.
"Come on, James!"
The young man looked down unhappily. "Please, Jessie." he murmured. Looking at the beggar woman almost yearningly, he lightly touched the pendant that she was holding out. "Can't we take it?"
The young woman sighed. Storming up to the other woman, she snatched the necklace from her hand. "What is this thing?" she cried, peering at the amulet. It was ivory, hanging on a blood red, silken cord. The girl squinted at the carvings on the stone. "I can't even tell what it is!" Scoffing, she handed it back to the woman.
The woman shook her head gravely. "Don't be so quick to speak. You may regret it in the future." She nodded at the pendant. "Look closer."
Jessie was not one to take orders willingly, but something about the mysterious stranger compelled her to obey. She looked at the stone again, sighing under her breath.
"It's not going to make it any--" She trailed off as the design began to work itself out. "Oh my. . ."
"Huh? Lemme see!" Meowth leapt onto her shoulder. Putting his face down next to Jessie's, he stared intently at the amulet. Jessie was too intent on the carvings to be annoyed.
The cat's eyes widened as he studied the stone. Suddenly he gave a strangled yelp and tumbled from the girl's shoulder. "Meee-ugh!" he cried. "It's a Persian!" Hissing to himself, he started off down the road angrily, without waiting for the two humans.
The spell was broken. Jessie straightened up. Making a small noise of indignation, she thrust the pendant into her pocket. Without a word to the woman, she hurried after the Pokémon. "Meowth, get back here!" she cried, leaving her partner and the beggar behind.
James stared after the two disappearing members of his team. "Wait. . ." he whispered pitifully. He turned back to the woman. "I don't suppose. . ."
The woman shook her head sadly. "No, that's all the gifts I have for you. But fear not, young one." She grasped his hands kindly. "You shall receive your own, from another, before the night is done." She smiled mysteriously, and then, to James' surpise, winked conspiratorially.
James blinked, confused. "I don't understand."
"Oh, you will, I believe." The woman smiled once more, in a way that appeared to James to be almost fond. "Now, go after your friends." She pointed in the direction Meowth and Jessie had gone.
"My friends?" The concept was startlingly foreign to James. He looked down the road. "Yeah." he finally said. "Yeah, they are my friends." He turned back to the woman. "Thank--"
She was gone.
For a very odd reason, it didn't alarm him at all. "Thank you." he murmured, positive the woman could hear.
The young man started off down the road.
