The Heights of Londo [IC 2: Bolted]

[tgva8889]

Finishing with her stretches, Alyssa smiles at Leah as she speaks, adding a few of her own comments in the spaces between. "I like that word, 'rustic'." I think it fits. Especially outside the cities." She catches the tone in Leah's comments about Officer Nepole, laughing despite not really having context for what someone from Kalos might look like. At the her last description, she sort of shrugs."I guess I never really thought much about it. All the knights wear armor, and that's that." As Leah seems to run out of things to say, she smiles and waving her hands as if to clear Leah's concerns from the air. "Oh, that's okay, I was just asking."

Given the chance to speak, she tries to think of a good question, rolling her pencil up and down on the front of her pad. "Um, is there a lot of technology in Kanto? We don't have a lot of that kind of stuff here and Doctor Perry was always super excited about it a lot. You've talked about a lot of that kind of stuff we don't have here. When Doctor Perry talked about it I was always really excited, but I guess I didn't really think about what could happen when it went wrong..." She pulls her knees up into her arms and stares into the flashing lights of the Staryu. "Do you think all the technology stuff makes things better?"

Luna gives the two girls a glance and decides to sticks close to Saura. Once they reach Rana, she gives an excited "Cleffa Cleffa!" to catch her attention, but shakes her head at her question. "Cleffa?"

[Comissar]

Leah nods as Alyssa asks about how commonplace technology is in Kanto. "Yeah, it's pretty all over the place."

She falls quiet as Alyssa reminds her of Macha's injuries, her gaze falling down as she curled her fingers slightly. She stays quiet for a few moments longer, carefully considering Alyssa's question. "... I think so... There's a lot of stuff that can really make life better..." Her gaze shifts to the pool and the silently pulsing Staryu's, "Like if, uh, if Macha's braces hadn't been, umm, tampered with, they could've completely changed her life... And... And there's all sorts of medicines and treatments that are always being developed to help keep people healthy." Leah fidgets with her bag strap as she continues, "And that's not even counting all the stuff that just makes life easier, or more fun. Like, umm, pokégear for staying in touch with people, and lights, and cars... There's just so much... Stuff..." She looks back down at the pebbles in front of her, idly reaching down to moved them about, "I wasn't sure how I was going to manage without it all when I got here, and I still miss a lot of it, especially now we're on the road a lot..." A thought occurs to her, and she looks up at Alyssa with a grin, "But next time we're in Sorland, I'll show you around our house. We bought quite a few things with us, I think you'd find it all really cool."

Saura frowns at the question, extending her vines from beneath her bud. A look of concentration crosses her face as she tries to work out Leah's pokégear. She'd watched her trainer use it before, but had never tried to herself. Muttering "Bulba... Saur...", she experimentally pressed a few different buttons, eventually managing to bring up a weather forecast for Indigo Plateau. She tilted her head, looking up at Rana. "Saur..?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa doesn't interrupt Leah at all, careful to listen to the sound of her thinking as well as her speaking. She responds immediately to Leah's suggestion with a genuine smile. "Yeah, I'd love to see it." After a small pause, she adds "I'm sorry if I brought up something hard. I know Bastille wasn't that long ago. But, um...I just feel like talking about... well, talking about what I've been thinking. With everything that happened, I've had a lot of things in my head and I'm not sure what to think." Sighing, she takes her pad off her lap and sets it in her bag, then leans back onto her hands and swings her legs out in front of her. "It really sounds amazing, everything you say there is. But I wonder if it all hurts people too. And we get along fine here without it, so I wonder how much of it we really need." In the moment of pause, she turns to Leah and smiles. "I trust you, though. And I know it's not all dangerous. I still have my Pokegera after all." She laughs a bit to break some tension and lets her gaze drift back to the flashing red lights in the water.

After a second to let Leah respond, Alyssa looks to her and says, "I know this might be private but, um, what's your mother like? I know you talk to her a lot, but I try not to listen in." She blushes a bit at the last comment.

[Comissar]

Leah shakes her head slowly when Alyssa apologises for talking about Macha. "N-no, it's ok. Umm, I know Macha's really important to you so, uh, so it makes sense that it'd be bugging you." She tilts her head toward Alyssa, giving her a small smile, "And, umm, I want to help where I can and, uh, if that means listening and talking, then I'll listen and talk."

She glances down the beach as Alyssa shifts in place, turning her attention back to her as she continues. She finds herself giving an embarrassed grin as her friend declares her trust. Glancing down, she gives a half shrug, "It's, umm, it's tricky to explain. I do think access to technology makes everyones life easier, but it's kind of hard to explain how without a way of showing you."

As the conversation turns to her family, she looks over to Alyssa with a measure of surprise. "My Mum? Umm, she's, uhh..." Leah struggles for a few moments, trying to think of the best way to describe someone she'd known all her life. Eventually, she offered, "She's, umm... She's really smart..? My Mum and Dad work for Silph Co., it's why we came out in the first place. Dad works over at their headquarters, so I don't get to see him so much, but Mum works from home." Leah rubs at the back of her neck as she works out what else to add, "Umm, I know that she worries a lot about me so, uh, so I try and make sure she knows what's going on." A sheepish grin crosses Leah's face as she continues, "I, uh, I don't really know how else to describe her. When we first got here she was eager for me to try and make friends and, umm, I think she'd like you." She feels her ears heat up a little, "Umm, I mean, she knows I'm travelling with people, but I've not really told her anything about you yet."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles, a bit embarrassed at Leah's response. "Thanks. You do help, a lot." She nods, understanding Leah's inability to respond with just words. "There's a lot words can't do. I get that. I wouldn't mind seeing it all later."

When Leah seems to struggle, Alyssa makes sure to listen, looking at Leah and nodding to show she's listening. With a shake of her head, she laughs a bit to break some of the tension at the end. "Oh I don't mind. I can be your secret if you want." She gives a joking wink and lets her laughter fade a bit before she starts again. "I, um, didn't really know my parents exactly. My brother took care of me, well him and other people in the castle. I guess I never really thought about it, but I didn't really have a mother figure much. The court painter, I guess, was nice to me but not in the way I think a mother would be?" Shrugging, she looks out into the sea. "I guess I haven't told my brother much of anything since I was in Bastille. He probably doesn't know I left." She seems a bit embarrassed by that. "I guess maybe I'm not the best sister I could be?"

[Comissar]

"Oh I don't mind. I can be your secret if you want."

For a brief moment, Leah looks worried. Her protest dies on her lips though when Alyssa winks. Laughing a little herself, she shakes her head, "I didn't mean it that way! I swear!"

Once the pair have calmed down again, she shifts her position to pull her knees up in front of herself, hugging them to her chest. She watches Alyssa as she listens to her describe her life in the castle. By the end of her explanation, she looks a little sad. "... Maybe you could send a letter when we get back to the Health Hole..? Or, umm, if he has a pokégear too you could send him a message that way..?" She turned her gaze back out to the sea for a bit, trying to think of a way to lighten the conversation again, "... Growing up in a castle must have been pretty cool, though. It's the kind of thing lots of kids dream of."

[Hazuki]

"Hmm. Not quite! But that's fine!" Rana smiles at the pair of Pokemon at her feet and starts fiddling away from the weather forecast. "How are you two liking Thundercrag?"

Spoiler: Clarification

Show

She's asking Saura and Luna, not Alyssa and Leah

[tgva8889]

Alyssa laughs a bit. "It is? When I was a kid I always wanted to get out. Always felt like a prison or something." She shrugs. "I did mean to send a letter, but I'm not the best with words. I'm not sure I would know what to say. Plus he and I..." Taking a deep breath, Alyssa tries to start speaking but pulls herself into a ball, quivering a bit. "D-do you remember...the Pokemon we ran into? The one...near where we found Athe?" Thinking, she takes another deep breath, then another. "I, um...let me start over. My brother, he was trying to be a trainer. He, um, he wanted to be good at Pokemon and, um, I, um, I was little and,
um, I...I walked in on him training...oh, um, he was trying to, um, be good at, um, one type? Like some trainers are good at all water Pokemon or bugs or something." There's a pause as Alyssa realizes she's gotten completely off track. "I'm sorry, I'm just spouting words." Making herself as small as possible, she tries to breathe as slowly and carefully as possible.

[Comissar]

Leah's look of interest quickly turns to one of concern as Alyssa starts to shrink into herself. Feeling worry worm its way through her chest, she reaches across to Alyssa, hesitating a moment then placing a hand gently on her shoulder. She fidgets in place, uncertain of what to do, as she tries to remember how Saura calmed her down whenever she was feeling unhappy. The Bulbasaur always seemed to just be there as a comforting presence, usually sitting or lying next to her... Leah hesitated, feeling her ears heat up. After a moment of deliberation, she removes her hand from Alyssa's shoulder and just shuffles closer. "Umm, it's ok, we, uh, we don't have to talk about it..."

Saura, meanwhile, has a thoughtful expression on her face as she tries to decide how to answer Rana. She turns and points to the waterfall with her vines, giving a cheerful "Bulba bulb!", then turns to look at the sea, and pulls a face. Finally, she mimes sleeping and shivering. Hoping that was enough to get her point across, she looks back up at Rana and tilts her head.

[tgva8889]

Luna looks up at Rana at her question, smiling and cheering "Cleffa! Cleffa!" She does a little dance to show her happiness, twirling a bit and almost falling over but steadying herself at the last moment. Noting Saura's response, Luna cuddles up to Saura and gives a small "Cleff" as she tries to share some warmth.

Alyssa immediately shoots her head up at Leah's words. "No! No, no, I want you to know, I want to tell you. But, um, it's really hard. T-to talk about it, I mean. I mean, it's hard to think about, even. It scares me. No, that's not right. It doesn't scare me. It terrifies me. Is that the right word? I think it might be worse than that." She opens her mouth to say something else and then forces it closed to take a deep breath. Then her mind catches up to the situation and she blushes at Leah's closeness, hiding her face in her knees. "It's okay, right? I'm not alone. I have Luna and you here." Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath in and holds it for a moment before letting it go. Then, again, breath in, holds it, and breath out. Opening her eyes, she looks to Leah for help. "W-where should I start?"

[Comissar]

Leah nods slowly, her look of worry failing to leave her face, "O-ok, if you're sure..." She pulls one of her knees up, letting her other leg stretch out in front of her, "Umm, back in the forest you, uh, you started to talk about it too... Umm, you, uh, you mentioned your, uh..." She reaches up to her own face, touching where Alyssa's scar would be if it were on her instead, "And, umm, you said you interrupted him then, too..?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa puts her hand to her face, running her fingers along the scar. "Right. He was, um, training. He wanted to be...really good at Pokemon, you know, and he wanted to be good with one type. Like those famous people from your region, right? And he was really good, really good. I wanted him to be good, too. I was, um, looking for him one day and...um, I found out he was training, with a Pokemon he'd just got so they weren't really close. And I walked in on him...and, um, um, I startled his Pokemon. I think. I don't think he told it to, but I don't remember, he could have...no, he wouldn't have." She reaches out and grabs for Leah, holding onto her for support. "I was so small, and it was so big, I couldn't see anything else. And it was so angry, so so angry. And loud. And I couldn't, I couldn't do anything, just stand there...and my brother... Tears come quickly now, running down her face as she tries to finish speaking, sobs gutting her sentences. "He didn't know what to do. He tried to get help, tried to stop it but he was too slow...I think he had to use another Pokemon, I remember I used to like that one but I couldn't go near it, I couldn't go near him, not after that, not after that..." She pulls Leah into a hug, crying on her shoulder as she tries to force more words out, but they end up sounding like nothing.

[Comissar]

Leah feels her heart sink as Alyssa continues her story. As she's pulled into the awkward sitting hug, she returns it as best she can. She held Alyssa in silence for a few moments, letting herself simply be used as a support while she tried to figure out what to say. "I-it's ok, I'm... I'm right here." She gives Alyssa a gentle squeeze, "I-it's like you said, you're not alone..."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa doesn't say anything at first, just crying, but after a moment she seems to stop shaking as she sits with Leah. She seems to relax her grip a bit and just lets herself sit with her for a little while. After some crying she slowly says "S-sorry to drop that on you," not moving from her hug.

[Comissar]

Leah shook her head slightly, doing her best to avoid getting hair in her face as she did, "N-no, it's, uh, it's ok."

She starts to try and release her hug, but quickly realises Alyssa isn't doing the same. She hesitates, about to say something, then decides against it, instead going back to returning the hug for as long as Alyssa needed her to.

[tgva8889]

It takes a bit of time, but Alyssa does eventually let go. The sobs have stopped, but there's still a few tears. She wipes them away and laughs to hide her feelings. "I'm a mess. Sorry for all that. It's...hard. Really hard." Her gaze falls back to the flashing lights of the Staryu. "I'm glad I met you, Leah. Even if it wasn't at the greatest time." She doesn't look back at Leah, but she does smile, despite the stains on her cheeks and the redness of her eyes.

[Comissar]

Leah continues to watch Alyssa for a few moments after the hug is released, and only starts to relax again when she sees her smile. She follows Alyssa's gaze down into the pool, "Yeah, me too..."

She sits in silence a few moments, acutely aware of Alyssa's presence right next to her. Feeling she ought to say something, she breaks the quiet, "Umm, I, uh, I can't remember if I ever said... When I first moved here, I, uh, I really wasn't in a good place." She smiles wryly at the memories, feeling an unpleasant twist in her chest as she recalls the feelings, "None of my friends were here, and, uh, and I was stuck in Sorland with nothing to do. All I wanted was to go back to Kanto. It, uh, it got so bad that I barely even left the house, felt like going outside was just pointless..." She looks over to Saura, watching the Bulbasaur miming something to Rana, "In the end, Saura shook me out of it." Leah gives a brief laugh, "She, uh, she ran off one time when we were outside, made me chase her. Eventually I caught up with her sitting with another person. I tried to get her to come back, but she just sat there." Leah looks back to the pool, an amused grin on her face, "I got really angry with her, thought she was just trying to annoy me, but she just kept sitting there. Eventually I gave up and sat down too. The, uh, the person she was next to started talking to me after that and, uh, and it was just a little gesture, but, uh, but I stayed and talked for what felt like a whole day. It felt good to just... Have someone other than Saura to talk to, someone who talked back..." She gives a half-shrug, "I started to go out a little more often after that, began talking to more and more people, and, uh, and eventually I got to working with the Professor..." She gives Alyssa an uncertain smile, "And, uh, and that eventually took me to here. It's, uh, it's not really the same... I mean, I was never in danger or anything but, uh... But I'm glad I didn't go back."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa turns as Leah starts to speak. She listens with attention, forgetting for a moment her own tears and feeling instead the knots that Leah seems to feel. Her heart tugs her, but she holds herself back, uncertain if she should move closer or stay where she is. As she sees the feelings turn, though, Alyssa lets a smile creep onto her face. When Leah starts to finish, Alyssa seems still. She lets the moment last a little bit before she responds. "No, but I totally get it. I wasn't the best at making friends, either. Even Luna and I didn't always get along." She gives the Cleffa a glance, catching her in the middle of her dance. "It's hard to meet new people, especially after you're so used to the people you knew." She wipes her face off and smiles brightly. "But, um, I'm glad you didn't go back. I'm glad you met knew people. You and I have come a long way from where we started. And, um, I like the you I know now, I think. And I'm glad to see a little bit of where you came from." Looking into Leah's eyes, she smiles genuinely.

After a moment, Alyssa turns her attention to her shoes, trying to pull them off as efficiently as she can before moving on to her stockings. "Well, I wanted to put my feet in the water so I'm gonna." She wiggles her toes a bit, then pokes one in the pool as far as she can get from the Staryu.

[Comissar]

"And, um, I like the you I know now, I think. And I'm glad to see a little bit of where you came from."

Leah only holds Alyssa's gaze for a second, giving an embarrassed smile and glancing away. She turns her attention down to the pool when Alyssa moves to dip her foot in. She doesn't remember Staryu being a particular menace, but all the same she says "Just, uh, just go slow, just to make sure they're not startled." She glances back over to Rana and their two pokémon, hoping they weren't getting bored while they sat and talked.

[Hazuki]

Rana nods at the impressions of both Pokemon and clasps her hands together. "Do either of you do much battling?"

The Staryu in the pool seem...well, it's very difficult to tell, given the nature of Staryu. But, they're not attacking, which is always a good sign.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa follows Leah's advice, slowly moving her foot in until all her toes are submerged. Then she starts with the other foot, being extremely careful. She smiles back at Leah. "You should try it!"

Luna shakes her head at Rana's question, making a bit of a dramatic scene of being frightened by some scary Pokemon. She does smile back at Rana once she's done, though.

[Comissar]

Leah looks doubtfully at Alyssa for a moment. She does slowly move to take her shoes off, however, placing them down beside her. Pulling off her socks, she stuffed them inside her shoes for safe keeping, before moving on to roll the legs of her jeans up so that they wouldn't get wet. Shuffling closer to the water, she slowly dipped her feet into the pool, fighting against the urge to pull a face at the cold of the water.

Saura gives a proud "Saur!" and waves her vines through the air, making whooshing sounds with them as she did.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa notes Leah putting her feet in and smiles. "It's, uh, a little cold, huh?" She laughs a bit and sighs. "I just like the feeling of being able to do what I want, you know?" Turning to Leah, she says "How did you and Saura meet?"

[Comissar]

Leah grins and nods, "Uh, yeah, just a bit." She looks down at the pool, "I'll get used to it soon, though."

She glances over her shoulder back at Saura, "Oh, uh, it's not that exciting, really." She shifts her gaze back to Alyssa, "In Kanto there's a starter pokémon give away for new trainers who've turned ten, to help them get on their feet as a trainer. Umm, we get given three options, a Bulbasaur, a Charmander, or a Squirtle. I picked out Saura as mine." She tucks some stray hair away from her face, "Umm, the Professor and I started up a similar thing in Sorland, we started giving away Eevee's for new trainers. Umm, that's where Sass and Alea got their Eevee's from, as well as quite a few other people."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa looks at Leah while she explains, nodding along at the right points in the conversation. "That seems like not a bad idea. I guess that explains why there's so many Eevees everywhere." Smiling at the thought, she runs her fingers absently through the water near her feet. "Where do they all come from? Like, I mean, I guess Pokemon have babies or something like that, but where do all the Pokemon they can just give out come from?"

[Comissar]

Leah rubs at her neck, idly letting her feet swing back and forth in the pool as she does so. "In Kanto there's, uh, there's special breeding grounds for the starters. They keep the locations secret, for the pokémon's safety." She gives a small shrug, turning to look at Alyssa, "I guess there's not really that kind of set up here, yet. The, uh, the professor works for Devon, so I think the starter's might have been shipped here by them..? But I'm not sure."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa puts a hand to her chin. "Huh. I guess it makes sense to do things that way. Pokemon can be a real help, especially if you're traveling everywhere." Looking over at the Pokemon, she smiles. "I'm glad Luna and Saura get along. It's nice to know we don't have to keep our friends away from each other." She laughs and looks back into the pool. "I'm surprisingly tired. It's not even that late."

[Comissar]

Leah can't help but giggle at Alyssa's comment, "It's still morning! I guess we really do need a day or two to relax from the travel if you're still tired." She smiles as she looks back over at Luna and Saura, "Yeah... I don't think I've seen Saura ever not get on with anyone, she's really easy going."

She leans back a little, propping herself up with her arms behind her back, a relaxed smile on her face, "I know it's not quite the day at the beach you had in mind, but, uh, but thanks for talking me into it. This is nice."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa gives a laugh and a smile. "Maybe so! I thought I could handle all the traveling but maybe not." Following the second line, she adds, "Luna doesn't mind much. She's better at making friends than I am."

As Leah comments on the day, Alyssa shrugs. "I don't really know what I expected." She looks at her companion as she leans back and decides to get more comfortable, leaning back on her own arms. "This is almost perfect, though." She takes a moment to look at Leah. In all they'd just talked about and all they'd experienced, she hadn't really seen her at ease, happy in an idle sort of way. It was nice to see what she was like when she didn't have anything to worry about. The thought makes Alyssa smile and blush a bit, though she doesn't really hide it at all. Instead she puts her mind towards enjoying the moment, closing her eyes to listen to the waves and feel whatever wind there might be.

[Comissar]

Leah grins, "She must be really good at making friends, then."

She becomes aware of Alyssa looking at her as the pair sat together. She felt her cheeks start to colour at the attention, and she focuses her attention on the pool even as she feels a tugging in her chest. Feeling she ought to say something to bridge the silence, she turned her head toward Alyssa. Seeing she had her eyes closed, though, she smiled to herself and looked back down toward her feet, gently swooshing the water in the pool as she enjoyed the tranquil beach.