The Heights of Londo [IC 4: Turnabout Trainers]

[Hazuki]

"I like foreign people too! They traded me some of their clothes and all their stuff is interesting. I don't think any of them have bad things..." Nika frowns. "What bad things do you know about?"

~

"No...he's a Pokemon." Waye says. "They don't normally answer then I talk to them. He did try to paint the egg, but he paints on everything."

[Comissar]

Leah hesitates, "That's, umm... He, uh, he didn't give any, uh, any indication..?" She shakes her head a little, trying a different approach, "If he, uh, if he paints, maybe it'd be worth asking him to, uh, to paint where it came from..?"

[Hazuki]

"Do you think he would know that?" Waye asks, casting a doubtful gaze sideways. "He might have been sleeping when I was..."

[Comissar]

Leah shrugs, "Well, umm, it's definitely a, uh, a Smeargle egg, so... If, uh, if he doesn't know where it, uh, where it came from, then we can, uh, we can start looking for other people with, uh, with Smeargle's..?"

[Hazuki]

"That seems really hard." Waye says. "How would we do it?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa runs her hand through her hair. "W-when things go w-wrong with their technology, s-sometimes people get r-really hurt." She doesn't continue any further and smiles at Nika. "If y-you like it, then I think you should keep looking into it. B-but, um, everything that can be good can be bad, too, I think. S-so, um, I guess be careful and open."

[Comissar]

Leah rubs behind her neck, "Well, umm, hopefully we, uh, we wouldn't have to..?" She shrugs, "I mean, uh, unless someone is, uh, is looking for a lost Smeargle egg, it, uh, it may as well just be yours..?"

[Hazuki]

Nika furrows her brow at that statement. "Everything that can be good can be bad...? How did you come up with that?"

~

"But...it's not mine." Waye protests. "I just found it in my room. It's got to be someone else's or it doesn't make any sense."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa shrugs. "J-just from what I've seen. It's, um, kinda like Pokemon, and, um, like people. Some are really good and nice and kind, and others are mean and try to hurt others. And some are more in the middle." She looks down a bit, then back at Nika. "I, um, I think th-that technology is more like that th-that. S-some of it can b-be good and some of it can be bad, and, um, you d-don't always know when you look at it."

[Hazuki]

"Hmm...I don't know. I think I have to see it for myself before i can say anything like that." Nika says, scratching her head. "And it's not bad if it's just doing the same stuff differently, right? The Pokeballs do the same thing, just different, so they're not bad."

[Comissar]

Leah finds herself feeling a little exasperated at this point, "Well, uh, maybe, uh, maybe it was left for you..? I mean, I can't, uh, I can't imagine someone accidentally leaving an, uh, an egg in your room while you're asleep..."

[Hazuki]

"Neither can I, that's why I'm confused." Waye says. "And if somebody wanted me to have it, they'd have said so, or left a note or...what do I want with a Smeargle egg? I have a Smeargle."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods. "Y-yeah, that stuff I think is okay. I haven't, um, seen much of their Pokeballs. I guess it depends on how it does it, but most of that stuff is okay. Like, um, I think clothes are fine, and, um, I like the Pokegear, so it's not all bad." She smiles. "I don't mean to say I don't like it, j-just that I don't like all of it."

[Comissar]

Leah gives an uncertain shrug, "Maybe the egg was, uh, was left for you because you have a Smeargle..? Maybe it was a, uh, a Pokémon who thought you'd, uh, you'd be best for caring for it..?"

[Hazuki]

"I guess...that's okay?" Nika says. "I like the clothes too. Hey, you've seen Leah's clothes! Do you think any would look good on me?"

~

"How did it get in?" Waye peers at Leah. "Pokemon can't just walk into my room. We have locks."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa takes a moment to think. After looking Nika up and down she shrugs. "I'm n-not sure which ones would fit you b-best. I, um, d-don't usually t-try to look that good s-since I do a lot of dirty work. Wh-what sorts of clothes do you like?"

[Comissar]

Leah gives another shrug, "Well, umm, maybe I can, uh, can take a look? See if there's a way for a, uh, a pokémon to get in that you missed..?"

[Hazuki]

"Foreign ones!" Nika answers, smiling bright. "But not those things with heels. Or the, kind of, really big shorts that look like a skirt but they're not a skirt? And I saw this one woman from Yoonover who had a dress, but it was just strips pf black across her chest, and her bellybutton. That wouldn't be practical..."

"Okay, if you want." Waye says. "We can go there after your inn."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods, laughing at Waye's descriptions. "Y-yeah, um, maybe the more regular stuff? I d-don't think I like any of the really strange stuff, but the more normal stuff like they wear more everyday. Like, um, I like the really rough blue stuff? They usually wear it as pants or a jacket and it's really tough? I think that's nice."

[Hazuki]

"I know that stuff! It's called jean." Nika bobs her head excitedly. "Maybe Leah has stuff made of jean?"

Just as she says that, the group arrives outside of The Duelist's Rest.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods, smiling. "Yeah, um, I think that's what Doctor Perry said. That sounds right to me at least."

Outside their place, Alyssa looks over at Waye and Leah. "W-well, um, should Waye and I wait out here for you and Nika, or, um, should we go in with you?" She turns to Waye. "Actually, um, wh-where are you staying, Waye?"

[Comissar]

Leah nods her agreement to Waye's suggestion. Once at the inn, she turns to Alyssa at her question. She shrugs in response, one of her hands rising to her bag strap, "Well, uh, I don't mind if, uh, if you want to come as well, though it might, uh, it might get a bit crowded in the room if, uh, if we're all there." She pauses a moment, glancing to the building, "Umm, I, uh, I didn't get as far as, uh, as finding Bibi, though. She, uh, she might still be here..?"

[Hazuki]

"I'm in another inn, further...in." Waye answers. "Why?"

Nika lingers, apparently having no particular insight on what the others do.

[Comissar]

Leah hesitates a moment, then looks back to the inn, "Well, umm, if you want to come, our room is, uh, is down this way."

With that said, she makes her way to the room she and Alyssa were sharing, going slow enough that anyone wanting to follow wouldn't be left behind. Once there, she takes a moment to actually look around the room for the first time before then finding her baggages and turning to Nika, "Umm, was there, uh, was there anything in particular you might, uh, might want..?"

[Hazuki]

Nika follows Leah inside the Duelist's Rest and they soon find the room, which consists of a small room whose free space is roughly equivalent to the size of the double bed that sits at the center. There's just enough area in the bare wooden room to store some bags and move around. Bibi has tucked them up against the far walls, Leah's packs on one side and Alyssa's on the other. The woman herself is not present.

Maggie stays beside Alyssa.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa shrugs to Waye. "Just curious. Wanna come inside?" She heads in behind Leah inside, smiling as Maggie sticks close to her.

Once inside, she sits on her bed and takes out her sketch pad. She gestures to Maggie to join her, and prepares to do some sketching of the others.

[Comissar]

Leah finds her cheeks colouring a little as she notes the single bed in the room, but she quickly turns her attention back to the task at hand as the others file into the room behind her. Moving deeper in to make space, she pulls her bag up to rest on the bed. She starts to empty out the clothing within, separating the piles out into clothes she was willing to part with, and a pile that she'd prefer to keep. Once properly sorted, the pile she's willing to offer up contains a couple of jeans, a few T-shirts, and a single jacket. Straightening up a little, she tucks some hair away from her face and glances up. She offers Alyssa a smile as she sees her sketching, then glances over to Nika, "So, umm, see anything you, uh, you might want..?"

[Hazuki]

Waye stares for a moment, then nods and follows Alyssa, along with the much more enthusiastic Maggie. The Gothorita hops onto the bed beside Alyssa and leans against her, while Waye steps inside and gazes over the ceiling. "Small room."

"I'll, uh, look away in case of delicates." Nika says, when Leah starts to go through her bag, then turns back once the clothes are laid out. Her eyes are filled with excitement. "You have jean things! This is great!" She leans down to pick up a t-shirt and holds it up, barely able to keep still. "I...I want all of it. Can I trade you stuff? I've got some stuff!"

[Comissar]

Leah looks a little surprised at Nika's enthusiasm, giving her a faintly embarrassed grin. "Umm, yeah, they're, uh, they're called jeans." She rubs behind her neck, glancing down at the clothes pile being offered out. It wasn't that she minded giving away the clothes, but it did mean she'd need to get some replacements if they were all going...

"Umm..." She hesitated a moment longer, then nodded slowly, more to herself than Nika, "Yeah, uh, yeah I guess that can work. Umm, what, uh, what were you looking to trade for them..?"

[Hazuki]

Nika freezes for a moment. "I, uh, I have gold, and I can make Pokeballs? If you want some...you can put Pokemon you have in the new ones. The old one stops working, but I can do it. And...uh..." She taps a finger to her chin. "I can cook a bit. I have some clothes, too. Or...head massage?"

[Comissar]

Leah grins at the suggestions, giving a half shrug, "Well, uh, it feels a bit silly saying it but, uh, but clothes would be nice. Umm, I don't mind giving you these but, uh, but if you have some stuff that, uh, that would fit, it'd save me having to go out and buy new stuff." She gives another shrug, "And, uh, and if none of them fit right I guess, uh, I guess we can work something else out..?"

[Hazuki]

"Great! I've got some stuff with me," Nika pats the bag at her side. "There are cloaks for rainy weather and snowy weather, and I've got some breeches, and some tunics - they aren't as cool as these t-shirts, but they're nice, I guess. And I've got wraps! I don't think you need them, but you could accessorize. Maybe around your arms if you want to look tough or...you could wear them as a scarf!"

[Comissar]

Leah again finds herself surprised, this time that Nika would be carrying around a variety of clothes with her about town. She smiles though, "Well, uh, we're, uh, we're planning on going to Vibrost once we leave here," She glances to Alyssa with a smile, "So, uh, so something warm sounds good. Umm, can I, uh, can I take a look..?"

If Nika agrees, Leah moves her clothing to another part of the bed to create space.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods at Waye's comment. "Y-yeah, um, not very big." She catches Leah's small blush and smiles. "Kinda, um, cozy though?"

When Nika and Leah get into clothing negotiations, Alyssa giggles a bit at Nika's enthusiasm, but she's smiling and enjoying herself. As she puts her pencils to her paper, she will every so often lean over to Maggie to show her some of what she's drawn. In this case, she's drawn Nika, excited over the new clothes. Most of her attention is to her sketch pad throughout this, though she looks up every so often to get a sense of Nika's reactions. There's a few drawing of Nika in different poses holding up clothes, excitement in her face.

As the discussion turns to trading clothes, Alyssa looks up, trying to imagine Leah in some of Nika's clothes. She turns her attention back to her sketch pad, starting to draw Leah now in more Londo-style clothing. She smiles at her images, looking up just as Leah starts asking about cold-weather clothes. "Yeah, um, m-maybe a good cloak or something w-would be good. C-can I look at some stuff?" She sits up a bit and moves a bit to give space for Nika's clothes.

[Hazuki]

Maggie pays close attention to Alyssa's drawings, nodding when she's shown them and sometimes pointing to curious pieces that haven't been drawn in yet.

Nika pulls out a long green cloak made of some thick material, with white fur along the hood. It doesn't seem to have much wear. She also retrieves a yellow wool tunic that would go a little way past Leah's hips, a pair of thick stockings, and some tough brown breeches.

[tgva8889]

When Maggie points, Alyssa will nod and try to fill in those parts of her drawing, turning some empty lines into a shirt or pants or something, or finishing up enough of a face to make it clear that it's Leah. She makes a point to try and fill in parts that Maggie is pointing to first, to show her what they are supposed to be.

Alyssa, noticing the cloak, takes a moment to pause in her drawing and talking to Maggie to admire it. "Wow, this is a p-pretty nice cloak. I, um, think it'd be pretty good for cold?" She looks over at Leah to see what she thinks.

[Comissar]

Leah starts with the tunic, holding the neck up to herself and flattening it down against her stomach to try and get an idea of how it would fit. Moving on to the breeches, she similarly holds them against herself, doing her best to get a sense of how they would look on her without having to actually change into them. Leaving the stockings for a moment, she turns her attention to the cloak, picking it up and running the material between her fingers. She finds herself smiling at the softness of it. After a moments pause, and with a glance to Alyssa at her comment, she looks to Nika, "Umm, mind if, uh, if I try it on..?"

If given the go ahead, she does just that. Keeping the hood down, but otherwise pulling the cloak around herself. She grins a little at the strangeness of wearing a cloak, finding she almost felt like she'd taken a step back in time. She grins at Alyssa again, giving the cloak a little swish as she does, "So, uh, what do you think..?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods to Leah, not even really registering that she was asking Nika if it was okay to try on the cloak. She turns a bit red once she realizes, turning back to her sketching for a moment. Now she has drawn Leah in a bunch of the clothes she's actually looking at trying, trying to make her look as good as she can though not trying to make anything too unrealistic.

When Leah puts on the cloak, Alyssa looks up to get an image of her and stops, not looking away for a while. She laughs a bit as she swishes the cloak, nodding at her question. "I, um, I th-think the green is g-good for you." Turning a bit red, she looks back down at her pad and starts trying to draw Leah in the cloak.

[Comissar]

Leah smiles at Alyssa's compliment, her cheeks colouring a little as she turns back to Nika. "Umm, if you're, uh, if you're happy with the trade, then, umm... I think I'm happy with it."

[Hazuki]

Nika squees, her arms going up beside her before just kind of swinging at her sides. "Can I hug you?" She asks, her eyes shining with excitement.

Waye shoots a sideways look at the girl, while Maggie picks up the stockings and stretches them out.

[Comissar]

Leah gives a bit of an embarrassed smile and shrug at Nika's reaction and question, "U-umm, sure..?" She accepts the offered hug a little awkwardly, ready to release it fairly swiftly after it's started.

Once no longer being hugged, she tucks her hair behind her ear as she glances over to Waye, "Umm, right, uh, ready to, uh, to go over to where you're, uh, you're staying..?"

As she asks, she catches sight of Maggie stretching her brand new stockings, "Oh, umm, try not to, uh, to stretch them too much, please..?"

[Hazuki]

Nika's hug is swift and cuddly, but she doesn't linger. "Sorry, it's just, so cool! Hey, do you mind if I get changed into them here? I bet Sass will want to see me in them." She says, as she picks up the t-shirt.

"Yeah." Waye shrugs, then turns towards the door and opens it a sliver. "My friend might be there, but...it's a bigger room. We'll be fine."

Maggie peers up at Leah, then reluctantly puts them down.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa seems a bit annoyed as Leah and Nika hug, though she is mostly able to occupy herself with her sketching and looking at Maggie. When Nika pulls away Alyssa seems to turn back to normal, and she shakes her head. "If, um, y-you wanna change here that's okay with me."

As Waye heads out, Alyssa looks up at her. "D'you, um, want me to come? I d-don't know much about eggs but, um, I might be able to help some if you're looking around?" She prepares to follow, getting up off the bed and closing up her sketch book so she can carry it.

Alyssa pats Maggie as she puts down the stockings. "It's okay. It's just, um, if you do that too much, you can rip them. Or, um, stretch them so much they don't fit." She makes a gesture of pulling something out really wide, smiling.

[Comissar]

Leah shakes her head at Nika's question, "No, uh, I, uh, I don't mind either."

She goes to follow Waye out of the room, giving her a faintly questioning look, "That's, uh, that's your friend with the Minior..?"

[Hazuki]

"You can come if you want." Waye says, stepping outside alongside the girls. Maggie goes with them, nodding at Alyssa's explanation on the nature of stockings as she does.

Various shuffling sounds can be heard from the door to their bedroom, then Nika steps out clad in a pair of t-shirt and jeans that fit her like a normal person's might. "So! What do you th-" She's interrupted by a small Pokemon flitting into the lobby, bumping right into Nika's head, then hovering in front of her. It's a small black, white, and red bird with a long beak and a sack clutched in its teeny talons. "Scroungy!" The girl exclaims, as she takes the bag from the Pokemon. "What did I tell you about over-encumbering yourself?" She asks, and is met with a dismissive tweet. "No, your mom!" She says, then looks to the girls and flashes an embarrassed smile. "This is, uh, Scroungy, my Pikipek."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa laughs at Nika's interactions with her Pikipek. "Nice to meet you, Scroungy! I'm Alyssa and this is Maggie." She gestures to Maggie with one hand. "What'cha got there?" She points to the sack.

[Hazuki]

Maggie tilts her head up at the Pikipek, who lets out a little tweet at her, then regards Alyssa.

"It's Pokeball ingredients! Er, components." Nika jiggles the bag. "It's usually apricorns, wood bark, that kinda stuff. And pretty stones and shells and Pokemon bits - y'know, scales, bits of broken-off horn? Some of it's for making the Pokeballs, some for decoration."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles, moving closer to Scroungy to give it some pets. Turning to Nika, she says, "Cool! Would you, um, mind showing me how you make a Pokeball? I've always b-been curious b-but never asked."

[Comissar]

Leah finds herself not quite sure what to say as Nika comes out, somehow feeling that 'My clothes look good on you' would sound a bit weird. She gives Scroungy a surprised look as the pokémon haphazardly flies in, grinning at Nika's reaction to the Pikipek's chirp. It felt easy to guess where that language had been picked up. As Nika and Alyssa discuss pokéball creation, she quietly moves to lock the door. Glancing to Waye, she asks "Well, uh, ready when you are..? Let's, uh, let's try and get to the bottom of, uh, of your mystery egg."

[Hazuki]

"Yeah, we can do it at Waye's inn if you want?" Nika offers. "I need a flat surface and everyone is going there anyway...so let's do that." Scroungy reluctantly allows Alyssa to pet its headfeathers, but no more!

"What? Yeah." Waye says to Leah. "Let's go do that." She starts to lead the way once they hit Diwyneb's streets, Maggie joining the quartet by Alyssa's side. With how busy the entrance to Diwyneb is, it's a good thing that the girl is wearing a bright pink jacket, or it could be quite easy to lose track. They eventually get to a building that's shaped like a horshoe, wooden and tall with a small outside garden between the wings. Painted in big letters across the building is the name "The Yawn Inn".

Waye heads inside, the group right behind her, and leads the way up a set of stairs and down a nicely-decorated hallway. She pulls a key from her pocket and opens the door to reveal a wide room, nicely decorated, with two single beds spaced apart and a partially-open door at the side. A small pink Pokemon rolls around on the floor, with five white spikes placed equidistant across its body, rolling to apparently build u speed before bouncing off of a surface, then doing it again.

"That's her Minior." Waye says as she steps inside. "It does that." The Pokemon's beady eyes turn to her briefly, then it continues with its rolling.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods in agreement with Nika, following behind the others as they head to Waye's inn. When they get into the more crowded areas she takes Maggie's hand to keep track of her as they walk, trying to stay close to Leah to keep up.

Once they make it inside, Alyssa takes a moment to look around, letting Maggie free of her hand. After a moment of looking she trails behind the group, coming into the room last. She waves to the Minior as it looks at them, smiling. "I don't think I've ever seen one of you before. Hi!" She keeps up her energy as she walks around the room, getting a sense of the layout. "So, um, where did you find your egg?"

[Comissar]

Leah nods at Waye's comment as they enter her room, then offers the Minior a small wave in greeting. Turning her attention back to the room, she takes a short walk around it, checking for ways that a pokémon could've come in to leave an egg. On completing her little tour, she turns her attention over to Waye, "So, uh, you said you were, uh, you were sure nothing could've come in to, uh, to leave the egg..? Umm, is there, uh, is there any chance I could speak to your Smeargle..?"

[Hazuki]

Maggie happily accepts Alyssa's hand to help her through the crowd.

The Minior doesn't seem to take much notice of the girls once it's returned to rolling around. Maggie watches it doing so, her head shifting to follow, while Scroungy seems quite content to stay on Nika's shoulder.

Looking over the room, the girls find a closet hatch on one wall that could be unlatched to see the open air. The only other exit seems to be the door at the side.

"I found it here." Waye says, as she pointed beside one of the beds There's a small table between them. "You can take a look at my Smeargle. Be careful or he'll paint you." She says, as she reaches into her bag and retrieves a perfectly normal Pokeball. There's a shimmer of light, and then it's standing there. A bipedal Pokemon with pale creamy fur, soft brown rings around its arms and legs, and a long tail that it quickly snatches up. Said tail has a brush-like end, covered in pink paint. He takes one long look across the room, then waves its tail at Alyssa, Leah, and Nika.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles and waves back at Waye's Smeargle. "Hi! I've always wanted to be friends with a Smeargle." Remembering Waye's warning, she resists the urge to approach him. When Waye points out where she found the egg, Alyssa takes a look around for anything that might be a clue as to where the egg came from. Once she's done looking, she'll turn to Waye. "Is there, um, anything you notice missing? Or, um, anything that's not supposed to be here?"

[Hazuki]

Alyssa sees a pack tucked under the bed, with a few things beside it, including something that looks like but is not a Pokedex, a small bottle of nail polish, and a glass ball that's been painted in all the colors of the rainbow.

"No." Waye says, as her Smeargle climbs onto the bed to watch Alyssa search. "I mean, you guys weren't here last night. I don't think you put the egg in here, though."

[Comissar]

Leah returns the Smeargle's wave, going over to the bed to join the pokémon. "Hey. So, umm, your trainer told me that, uh, that she found you with, uh, with an egg yesterday..? I was, uh, I was hoping you could, uh, could show me where it came from..?"

I guess a charm roll for that? Never Leah's forté, but hey, maybe it won't be needed :smalltongue:

[roll0]

[Hazuki]

The Smeargle turns its head to face Leah, then swishes his tail on her cheek, leaving a pink streak.

[Comissar]

Leah gives a surprised "Ah!" and jerks back, reaching a hand up to her cheek as she does, touching the wet paint without thinking. She pulls her hand away with a bit of a grimace at the wet feeling, looking at her fingers, then back to the Smeargle with a deflated smile, "... Umm... Don't, uh, don't want to say..?"

[Hazuki]

The Smeargle shrugs his shoulders.

"Maybe he doesn't know." Waye says. "I was sleeping at the time and I think he was too." She peers at Leah's cheek. "Want a wet towel?"

Nika, meanwhile, has set herself up at the other bed and has unfurled the sack that Scroungy retrieved for her. Maggie peers over the edge at the collection of titbits before her.

[Comissar]

Leah nods at Waye's question, "If, uh, if you don't mind..."

She turns her attention back to the Smeargle, "..." Pausing as she tried to work out what to ask, she eventually tried, "Have, uh, have you made, uh, made friends with any, uh, any other pokémon since, uh, since you got here..?"

[Hazuki]

The Smeargle considers the question for a moment, then points his tail at the Minior rolling about on the floor.

Waye heads over to the partially open door, then lets out a squeal and stumbles back.

[Comissar]

Leah closes her eyes, sags a little and sighs at the Smeargle's answer. Visions of the same conversation she'd already had with Waye playing out all over again floating in her mind. Waye's squeal snaps her attention over to her, though, and she rises off the bed and moves to join her, concern in her voice as she does so. "What? What's wrong?"

[Hazuki]

A face peers out of the doorway, pale with eyes covered by circular sunglasses and a head of expertly-groomed pink hair.

"Oh, terribly sorry, Waye." The young woman steps out of the room and giggles behind her hand. "I was just leaving the bathroom. If only I'd known you were coming in." She says, as she offers a hand to Waye. She's clad in suit, tailored to fit her form, much like the business-people Leah saw much more often in Kanto.

"Scared me..." Waye mutters, as she takes the other girl's hand and is helped to her feet. "this is Nowa." She says, as she looks back at Leah. "She's my friend."

Nowa curtsys with an imaginary skirt.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa, not noticing anything of any interest in the room itself, moves over to the bed near Maggie and Nika. She splits her attention between watching Leah trying to interact with Waye's Smeargle and watching Nika as she starts to do her work. Enough is happening for her to watch that she doesn't open her sketch pad, instead trying to keep track of both Leah and Nika at the same time. She giggles when Leah has less luck with the Smeargle, getting up to help. "What I think my friend means is, did you meet any Pokemon you really got along with?"

When Waye cries out, Alyssa jumps up, putting a hand to her chest once she realizes nothing bad has happened. She bows her head politely to Nowa when she is introduced. "N-nice to meet you, Nowa. I'm Alyssa."

I think if I'm using Let Me Help With That, Comissar gets to reroll with a +3 on the charm check.

[Comissar]

Leah gives Alyssa a grateful look as she steps in to help her with the Smeargle, then turns her attention over to Nowa, greeting her with a smile and bob of her head, "Umm, I'm, uh, I'm Leah. It's nice to, uh, to meet you." She glances over to Waye, then back to Nowa, "Umm, Waye, uh, Waye asked if we could help her figure out where, uh, where her Smeargle egg came from. Umm, I don't, uh, I don't suppose you have, uh, have any ideas..?"

[Hazuki]

The Smeargle slowly nods its head with Alyssa's explanation, then points at Minior.

"A pleasure." Nowa says to the girls. When she's questioned, she taps her chin. "Why, I don't think I know anything."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa shrugs at Smeargle's response, smiling at Leah. "Y-you, um, look kinda silly with a pink streak on your face."

She doesn't seem surprised by Nowa's response, going back to sitting by Nika and Maggie. "W-well, Waye, I think I'm stumped. D-do you know wh-what you want to do with the egg?"

[Hazuki]

"Oh, let me go and get that..." Waye slips into the other room and returns with a wet, but not dripping towel, that she offers to Leah. She shrugs at the question. "I don't know. Something, probably."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles. "Well, um, I think with eggs you're supposed to keep them with you and if you treat them right they're supposed to hatch." She looks over at Smeargle. "I guess this must be your egg but I dunno where it came from."

Looking over at Nowa, she says, "S-so, um, if you d-don't mind me asking, where did you and your Minior meet?"

[Hazuki]

The Smeargle apparently disregards Alyssa in favor of hopping over to the bed Nika is on. She presents him with what seems to be half of a Pokeball, which he happily starts to paint.

Nowa smiles at Alyssa and tucks her hands into her pockets. "I met Minior during a visit to Alola. It is a terribly humid place; I hoped to learn about some of the regional variations that are particularly popular there. Like the humble Vulpix, I hoped to be carried along the Alolan winds to a form crystalline and beautiful." She flicks her hair to the side, making her bangs bounce. "It was not quite as dramatic a metamorphosis, but I'd hardly say I look worse for the visit."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods. "Oh, cool. I don't think I've ever been to Alola, b-but we did meet someone from there. But s-since you traveled there, I'm guessing you're not from there, s-so, um, where did you travel from?" She smiles, trying to make her voice more friendly and curious.

[Hazuki]

"Sinnoh, of course. Where else could you find a maiden so fair?" Nowa grins.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa laughs a bit, smiling. "I sh-should have known. T-to be honest I haven't met many people from Sinnoh. Nice to meet you." She bows her head respectfully to Nowa. Pointing towards Minior, she asks, "Does it, um, normally bounce around like that? I feel like rolling into the wall over and over again is bad. Is that how it moves around?"

[Comissar]

Leah gratefully accepts the offered towel, giving Alyssa an embarrassed smile as she does. Wiping at her face to try and get the paint off, she looks back to the Smeargle thoughtfully. Seeing him start to paint a pokéball half, she frowns to herself. She looks back to Waye, "Umm, can, uh, can I take another look at the egg..?"

[Hazuki]

"I'm still from Sinnoh." Waye points out.

"Hmm? Why, yes, it is." Nowa says. "It's rather like a bouncy ball. Don't you think that would be fun, if you could do it?"

"What? Uh, yeah." Waye shifts over to Leah and takes the egg out of her pack. It looks much like it did before,

[Comissar]

Leah holds a hand out, hoping to take the egg this time, "Umm, do you, uh, do you mind if I take a closer look at it..?"

[Hazuki]

Waye digs into her pack and hands the whole egg over to Leah. It weights...probably the amount a Pokemon egg is meant to weigh, as far as she can tell.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa laughs a bit at Waye's response, turning a bit red. "Y-yeah, um, I remember. Y-you two would be, um, the first two I've met, I mean." She smiles at the two of them. "D-did you two meet while you were traveling, or, um, do you know each other from before you left home?"

[Hazuki]

"I know her from Sinnoh." Waye answers. "She's always been weird, so I'm used to it."

"Only one of us is wearing Lopunny ears." Nowa points out with a smirk. "You know, she used to hop up to my house and ask to play."

"...she also sucks." Waye adds.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa giggles at Nowa and Waye's banter. "I n-never really had a friend like that, s-so it's nice to see some people like that." Smiling, she points at the ears. "Why, um, are you wearing the ears?"

[Hazuki]

Waye stares at Alyssa. "Because I'm adorable. Duh."

[Comissar]

Leah turns the egg over in her hands a couple of times, then sighs to herself. She'd hoped that it'd turn out to be something painted to look like a Smeargle egg. But the egg in her hands stubbornly continued to be an actual egg. Setting it carefully down out of the way, she ran a hand through her hair and looked over to Waye's Smeargle again, tuning out Alyssa's conversation with the two trainers from Sinnoh for the moment. If it wasn't something that was painted, and it had appeared in a closed room overnight, then it had to have come from somewhere in the room. But the only two pokémon were the Smeargle and the Minoir...

Leah rubbed a hand against her forehead.

The Smeargle is male and Minoir's are genderless, so how..?

She stopped, frowning, then pulled out her pokédex. Holding it up, she tried scanning in first the Smeargle in order to confirm it as male, then the Minoir. Double checking the Smeargle was simply to make sure she wasn't being foolish, but checking the Minoir would let her test a hunch.

[Hazuki]

Leah's Pokedex scans the Smeargle and correctly identifies it as such. When she goes to scan the Minior, it takes a few moments before registering it as Minior's core form.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles at Waye's response, then looks over to notice Leah using her Pokedex. "You got an idea, Leah?" She wanders over to her and looks at the screen. "Minior's core form? What's that mean?"

[Comissar]

Leah feels herself deflate a little at her pokédex's identifications. At hearing her name, she glances up to Alyssa, then back down to the pokédex in her hands, shaking her head with a frown. "... No... It doesn't, uh, it doesn't make sense to me..." She contents herself with answering an easier question instead, turning her attention to the Minior, "Well, uh, the, uh, the core form is what Minior's have under their shell. They, uh, they don't stay in it for, uh, for very long. It can be dangerous for them so, uh, so they'll make a shell, or, uh, or retreat to a pokéball." Her frown deepens as she speaks, watching the Minior apparently quite content in its core form. "... Umm..."

Turning her attention to Nowa, she asks, "Does, uh, does your Minior not like having its, uh, its shell..?"

[Hazuki]

"Uh, no." Nowa says as she leans against the wall. "Prefers to spend their time in their most beautiful form. I think perhaps the other Minior simply have no sense of style."

[Comissar]

Leah keeps her eyes on the Minior as she continues, a faint smile starting to show as she feels like she's solving the mystery, "And, umm, did, uh, did you find it on, uh, on Mount Hokulani..? Was it, uh, was it already in its core form..?" She winces a little at the pronunciation of the mountain name, worried that she may have mangled it a little.

[Hazuki]

"You know...I think that may have been the case." Nowa twirls a lock of pink hair around her finger. "Why ever do you ask?"

[Comissar]

Leah fidgets a little, looking up to Nowa from her sitting position, "Well, uh, I, uh, I might know what's going on..." She rests her hands either side of herself on the bed, "So, uh, the egg must have, uh, must have come from somewhere. And, uh, and your Smeargle's not been around any, uh, any pokémon other than, uh, other than, uh, other than Nowa's Minior," She nods over to Nowa, "Umm, and, uh, Minior's can't, uh, can't stay in their core form too long. Umm, it's, uh, it's really dangerous for them to, uh, to do it." She glances around at the other girls in the room as she explains, "And, well, Ditto's can, uh, can be found in the, uh, the same place as Minior's... So... Umm... I think, uh, I think your Minior might, uh, might actually be a Ditto..?"

[Hazuki]

Waye furrows her brow. Nika looks up from her Pokeball bit-sorting. Maggie turns her head. Smeargle sits there. Minior keeps bouncing around.

"That's...a bold suggestion!" Nowa taps a finger to her lips. "But, have you any way to prove it's true?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles as she sees Leah putting her skills to use, listening carefully to understand the situation. She nods to Leah's final explanation, then looks at the others as she finishes to see their reactions. As they discuss the plan, Alyssa shrugs. "W-well, um, we could try just asking." Walking over to the Minior, Alyssa puts on her happy face. "Hi, Minior! Or, um, are you Ditto?" She puts cheer in her voice. "I heard you could change into other Pokemon and I think that's really cool! D'you think you could change into Smeargle? I think Smeargle are really neat."

I would guess maybe a Charm check?

[roll0]

[Hazuki]

The Minior wobbles to a halt in front of Alyssa when she goes to grab its attention. Its beady eyes flick across the denizens of the room, and it wobbles a little more on the spot. Alyssa gets the sense that it's listening to her, but she'll need a little push to win the Pokemon over.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa tilts her head a bit, still smiling. "Hey, um, I know y-you're maybe a but nervous. I totally get that. I'm n-nervous when I show off what I can do too. W-would it help if we looked away while you did it? Or, um, can we get you anything to help?" She looks over at Leah, not really sure what to give a Pokemon she has never heard of before.

[Comissar]

Leah hesitates at Nowa's question, not sure how to prove her thoughts. Alyssa's simple strategy of 'why not ask' brings her a little relief, she hadn't considered being so direct. Her relief fades a little as the Minior simply doesn't transform. Seeing Alyssa look to her for advice, she moves over to join her, resting her hands on her knees as she drops into a crouch beside the pokémon. "Umm, we can, uh, we can get you a treat if, uh, if you do..?" She felt her ears begin to heat as she started worrying about how she'd look if she were wrong, "Umm, I'd, uh, I'd quite like to see it too..?"

Charm roll of my own, won't stand up to Alyssa's sadly, but hopefully the bribery will help :smalltongue:

[roll0]

[Hazuki]

The Minior turns on one of it spikes to gaze at Leah. Her words don't seem to have had much of an effect on it.

From behind them, Maggie walks over and gently nudges Leah out of the way as she stands in front of the Minior. She lets out a few soft cries, her hands on her hips, and the Minior retorts with a few wobbles on its spikes. The conversation finally ends with Maggie crossing her arms. A few seconds pass, and then the Minior's body seems to shift in place. First its spikes retract, its body grows, and grows, various limbs extending from its form until what stands before the group is another Smeargle...that's cast entirely in shades of pink.

"Goodness!" Nowa exclaims. "My baby!"

[Comissar]

Leah glances at Maggie a little confused as she's nudged out of the way. She follows the conversation between the two pokémon with a measure of confusion, her sense of concern growing as she watched. As the Minior begins to shift and change, she gives out a sigh and a smile, glancing up at Waye from her position on the floor. "Well, uh, now you, uh, you know where your egg, uh, egg came from."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa moves a bit to give Maggie some more space, looking at her and Minior as they talk. She tries to follow their conversation but doesn't have much of a grasp on what's happening. Her faith in Maggie seems to pay off, though, as the "Minior" transforms. She gasps as it changes shape completely, clapping when it's done. "W-wow! That's really cool! Thank you, Minior. I, um, I mean Ditto." She smiles and offers to pat it out of appreciation.

Turning to Maggie, she smiles and gives her some pats too. "Thanks for your help, Maggie. Um, w-what did you say to it?"

Looking up at Leah, she asks, "Um, what do you mean? Is it a female Ditto?"

[Comissar]

Leah hesitates at Alyssa's question, rubbing behind her neck as she turns to face her, "W-well, uh, Ditto's can, uh, can change themselves into, uh, into anything. Umm, male or, uh, or female."

[Hazuki]

"...that's so weird." Waye says.

Maggie happily accepts Alyssa's head-pats.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods in understanding at Leah's explanation. "Oh, okay. So I guess those two probably made it." She looks between the pink Smeargle and the regular Smeargle. "Wow, Ditto is a cool Pokemon."

[Hazuki]

"Well...what now?" Waye asks. "I don't want it and I don't think Dude or Minior want it." She gives her Smeargle the side-eye. "You're not getting any treats. For not telling me. Jerk."

"And nor am I particularly pleased." Nowa shakes her head as she strides up to beside the former-Minior. "But...I endeavor to make my demeanor as fair as my appearance, so, I forgive you." She reaches down and pets the Pokemon's head. It makes a little happy burbling noise.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles at Nowa. "Well, Ditto can ch-change its appearance to anything, so it can still be beautiful with you."

As Waye talks about what to do with the egg, Alyssa looks at it, then at Leah, then at Waye. "Um, if you d-don't want it...can I have it? I r-really do want a Smeargle, and, um, you have one you don't want." After a second, she puts up her hands and says "I promise I'll take care of it!"

[Hazuki]

Waye looks at Alyssa, then at the egg. "But you said you don't know what to do with eggs."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa shrugs. "I know the basics. Take care of it and it'll hatch. And, um, I have Leah and Maggie to help me." She looks at the other two as she mentions them, then turns back to Waye. "I, um, plan on being in town for a while, s-so I can spend some time at the library and, um, make sure I know h-how to do it right."

[Comissar]

Leah looks a bit surprised at the reactions of Waye and Nowa at the Ditto's reveal, then gives Alyssa an equally surprised look as she offers to take the egg. She smiles and nods at Alyssa's assertion that she and Maggie could help, though. "Yeah, umm, I'm happy to, uh, to help you out."

[Hazuki]

Maggie looks at Alyssa as she's mentioned, blinking rapidly.

"I...guess?" Waye says. "But it's kinda Nowa's too."

"Oh, though it pains me to depart with such a thing, I've no time to raise a baby Pokemon. I've still got to learn how to take care of this shapeshifting little minx." Nowa says, as she wags a finger at the former-Minior.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles. "E-either way, if, um, y-you don't want it, I'd like to help you f-find someone to take care of it, and, um, I'd like to volunteer to be included." She looks down at her feet, running a hand through her hair. After looking between Nowa and Waye, she smiles. "A-and, um, I'd like to h-help you if I can." She turns to Leah then, turning a bit red as she says, "I, um, w-want it to grow up with friends and people who can take care of it well."

[Hazuki]

"Well...okay." Waye says. "But you'll have to get your own bag to carry it."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods. "I, um, I think I can find something."

[Comissar]

Leah finds herself giving an embarrassed grin back to Alyssa as she sees her blush, then lays a hand on her own bag at the talk of transporting the egg, "Well, uh, we can, uh, we can just, uh, just use mine for now..? Umm, I can, uh, I can wrap it in, uh, in my hat or, uh, or something to protect it..?"

[Hazuki]

Waye gently rests the egg on her bed until Alyssa is ready to take it, then stands up and yawns. "This is exhausting."

"...you're on my bed." Nowa suddenly points out, as she turns to face Nika with a hand on her hip. The Minior-Turned-Ditto, starts to tumble about the room like an acrobat and Maggie watches with a tilted haed.

"Yep, sorry. I can get off if you want, but I'm almost done with this Pokeball!" Nika holds up a very wooden-looking Pokeball. "...the outside, I mean, the shell, but it's cool, right? There's a little foldable hook here and if you flick it, it springs open!" She demonstrates, and it does indeed do just that, twisting open much like other Londo Pokeballs.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa, who has been paying some attention to Nika, smiles when the ball flips open. "Cool!" Looking over at Nowa, she then points to the stuff laid out on the bed. "We, um, sh-should probably give them some space, though. M-maybe some time to think about what happened and discuss it with their Pokemon?" She gestures to the now-tumbling Ditto. Back to Nika, she says, "We c-can find somewhere else for you to work?"

[Comissar]

Leah rocks back onto her heels, then stands as Waye expresses her tiredness. Straightening herself out, she glances over to Nika, "Umm, we could, uh, we could head back to, uh, to the library..? Or, uh, or our room..?" She glances to Alyssa at her second suggestion, "Umm, either way it'd let Waye and, uh, and Nowa get some rest..?"

[Hazuki]

"Yeah, no problem!" Nika goes about gathering up her things, including tucking the shell into her pack, and slips off of the bed.

It turns out that Maggie has to put some serious effort into avoiding the tumbling Ditto-Smeargle, as a four foot humanoid requires much more effort to avoid.

"Oh, I'm not sleeping." Nowa points out. "I was simply observing. My bed is welcome to any," She pauses. "People can sit where they like. But if you're set on departing, farewell." She once more curtseys to the group, then grabs the tumbling Ditto-Smeargle by the tail. "Turn back this instant!" She says, and it makes a gurgling sound before turning back into its Minior form, which sits quite comfortably in her hand. "Now wave goodbye to our lovely guests." A hand suddenly extends from the Minior, which waves to the group.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa stands as Nika picks up her things, herself collecting her sketch pad. Walking over to the egg turns into a bit of an adventure as she dodges both Ditto-Smeargle and Maggie who herself is dodging. Once there she turns to Leah. "Um, can I b-borrow your bag, Leah?" She gingerly picks up the egg and puts it into the bag, testing the weight a bit before she slowly slings it over her shoulder.

Once they are ready to go, she bows politely to Nowa, careful not to let the weight or size of the egg disrupt her balance. "It's been nice to m-meet you both! If, um, y-you want any help with anything let us know. We'll be in t-town for a little while." She waves back at Ditto, smiling. As they head out, she gestures to Maggie, pointing out the door. "You ready to go?" She leaves last, waving behind her as she goes.

[Comissar]

Leah nods, unslinging her bag from her shoulder and offering it out, "Yeah, sure."

As she makes her way out, she gives a bob of her head to Nowa and Waye. She breaks into a grin at the Ditto's wave to, returning it with one of her own. "Umm, it was, uh, it was nice to meet you all. Umm, hope to, uh, hope to see you around town..."

Once out of the room, she turns to Alyssa and Nika, "So, umm, I think we do, uh, do need to find Bibi. Umm, I was thinking we could, uh, we could go back to our room and, uh, and ask where she went..?"

[Hazuki]

"Who's Bibi?" Nika asks as she joins the girls outside the horseshoe-shaped building. Maggie, meanwhile, watches the egg Alyssa's carrying.

[Comissar]

Leah turns to Nika, "Oh, she's, uh, she's our, uh, our guide. Umm, we, uh, we need to let her know we're, uh, we're going to be staying a while."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods. "Oh, y-yeah, right. Um, I guess we can go back now, then look for her? We sh-should also probably go into market and find a bag for this egg." She looks over at Maggie as she's watching the egg, smiling at the Gothorita.

[Hazuki]

The girls make their way back to The Duelist's Rest, where they soon find Bayla behind the desk.

"Hello, girls!" Greets the sleeveless woman, then waits for their purpose. "Ah, Bibi? Said she was off to visit the Pokecenters in the foreign quarter."

[Comissar]

Leah waves a greeting to Bayla and, on getting an answer on Bibi's current whereabouts, gives her a grateful nod and "Thankyou."

On heading back outside, she hesitates a moment, looking left and right before pointing at a direction and giving Nika a questioning look, "Umm, the, uh, the foreign quarter is, uh, is this way, right..?"

On getting an answer, she follows the other girl's directions, turning to her again as they walk, "Umm, have, uh, have you had much of a chance to look around the, uh, the foreign quarter..?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa politely bows to Bayla when they see her again, nodding at her directions. "Th-thanks!" She follows behind Leah as she heads out, making sure to check that Maggie is still with them.

When Leah asks, Alyssa also takes a moment to try to remember the path. Pointing, she says, "Um, is it that way? I, um, haven't really g-gone anywhere here yet." She'll probably follow Nika's directions, guessing she would know the way to the foreign quarter.

She spends a lot of her attention keeping an eye on Maggie, making sure she doesn't bump the egg into anything, and trying to keep up with Leah and Nika while doing both. Overall she doesn't have too hard a time carrying things, but with split attention plus her state of mind she is not paying as much attention to their conversation.

[Hazuki]

"Yeah! There are signs and stuff." Nika says, as she points through the crowd to one such sign. As before, Maggie sticks close to Alyssa as they make their way through. They have to walk all the way through the market district, through to the center of Diwyneb Town, then take a right to get to the Foreign Quarter.

There's a distinct change in their environment as they come up on the Foreign Quarter, as a sea of prefabricated buildings fill their view from where they stand, right up to the walls. They're all cast in vibrant colors, but boxy, and they fill the streets in an easy pattern. There's even a small sign right by where they enter, a map of the facilities, with all of the conveniences, including a Pokecenter, in the closest part, and most residences nearest to the walls, though there are apparently a few stations for Knights scattered throughout - and slightly visible, by the banners hoisted above them. The ground, though not paved, has clearly been flattened down and maintained by some means. There aren't a great deal of people hanging around here, although they do spot some groups chatting here and there, most on their way to the section marked as Foreign Culture.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa looks around and takes her time to observe the buildings and people as they enter the Foreign Quarter. The map catches her eye, and she wanders over to it to get a sense of the area. With her finger she runs through the map, tracing a path to the Pokemon Center from where they are. She turns to Leah without moving her finger from the map. Still pointing to the Pokemon Center, she says, "This is the right place, right? W-we, um, take this route to get there?" For Leah's view she retraces the path she made.

[Comissar]

Leah finds herself a little surprised at the lower density of people around this part of the town, though her attention is fairly quickly grabbed by a sign pointing to the 'foreign culture' section. Smiling to herself, she idly wondered what might be on display. Her musings are interrupted as Alyssa calls her attention to the map. Walking over, she gives a nod then glances up to the street in the direction they need to go. "Looks like it." She gives the other two a smile, "Did, uh, did you guys want to take a look around once we've found her? There, uh, there might be some cool stuff round here..?"

[Hazuki]

"Yeah, I wanna look!" Nika grins. "I mean, I've checked it out already, but I wanna look again! The nurses at the Pokecenter are so cute. This one there showed me all the nurse outfits from other Regions and everyone dyes their hair pink. It's so cool."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods to Leah, smiling at Nika's enthusiasm. "I, um, w-would be okay looking around after. I, um, do need to find a bag for you."

[Comissar]

Leah grins at the mention of the pokécenter's, thinking back to Kanto and the nurses staffing the medical centres there. She nods along with Nika's enthusiasm at the idea, "Y-yeah, umm, that's definitely a thing in, uh, in Kanto. Umm, I didn't know for sure if, uh, if it's something you see outside of, uh, of Kanto."

She takes a moment to idly take in the buildings around her again as they head to the pokécentre, then gives Alyssa an embarrassed smile, "Umm, thanks. I, uh, I do kinda wonder what sort of things get sold here. It, uh, it must be quite a mix..?"

[Hazuki]

"I heard that it's not all foreign." Nika says, as they walk. "That this used to be the slums too and Lady Diwyneb is using foreigner funds to rebuild it for people to live better, who were poor and stuff like that."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods at Nika's explanation, though she keeps her eyes on the path to make sure they don't get lost. "Th-that, um, seems like a good idea. I'm s-sure the, um, people from Kanto would be, um, glad to help." She glances over at Leah as she walks, then turns back to the path.

[Comissar]

Leah looks a little surprised at Nika's comment, "Oh! Oh wow that's, uh, that's a really nice thing to do..!" She feels herself redden a bit at Alyssa's comment, rubbing behind her neck as she continued, "Well, umm, it's not just, uh, not just Silph that, uh, that came over. Umm, Devon also has, uh, has a big presence in Londo now..."

[Hazuki]

"Who's Devon?" Nika asks innocently. "Is she nice?"

[Comissar]

Leah blinks, then gives an embarrassed smile at Nika's question, "Oh, umm, no, Devon is, uh, is a big tech company from, uh, from Hoenn. Umm, they, uh, they're funding Professor Hawthorne's lab."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles at Nika's comment, looking over at Leah when she explains. "Wh-what's, um, the main difference? I know they're from, um, different places but, um, what do they do that's different?"

[Comissar]

Leah rubs at her arm as she marshals her thoughts, "Well... Umm... Silph Co. are, uh, are this big manufacturing company. They, umm, they make a lot of household appliances but, uh, but they also have a big R and D department. Umm, I think, uh, I think they even made a pokéball that could, uh, could catch anything. Without fail." She glances to Nika as she mentions that, giving her a grin as she did. Turning her attention forward again, she continues, "Devon is, uh, is kinda similar..? I think, uh, I think they got their start as a mining company, or something... But when they got big, they switched into manufacturing as well. They, uh, they're more focused on pokémon products than Silph. Umm, they've got this huge range of pokéballs that are better for certain environments." Feeling a bit of a need to stick up for the Kantoan company, she quickly adds, "But, uh, but they aren't 100% guarantee's like the one Silph made."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa takes some of her attention from the path and turns it towards Leah, listening to her talk and trying to process everything she says. She notices Leah rub her arm and moves a bit closer to her, not taking her hand but trying to give the sense that she's supporting her.

She nods a bit once Leah finishes her explanation, thinking. "I, um, d-didn't really know all that. Are there a lot of companies that, um, are making lots of technology? Or, um, is it mostly just those two?"

[Comissar]

Leah relaxes a little more without even realising as Alyssa moves closer to her. She looks to her with a smile and shrug, "Well, uh, there's a bunch of other tech companies that exist, but most of them are a lot smaller. Silph and Devon are probably the two biggest ones."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa listens to Leah's explanation, nodding once she's done. "So, um, wh-what is your favorite thing Silph made? And, um, Devon? I d-don't have a lot of things from either of them." She takes out her Pokegear. "B-basically just this."

[Comissar]

Leah tilts her head to one side at Alyssa's question, "Well... There's, uh, there's a lot of stuff to choose from!" After a few moments more consideration, she comments, "Well, umm, Silp have made some really cool things. Umm, the Master Ball, the Silph scope, umm, a few other things. But, uh, but Devon made something that can bring fossil pokémon back to life." She grins, "So, uh, so I think they win."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa looks over at Leah as she thinks out her answer, smiling when she finally decides. "Wow. S-so, um, you c-could actually bring back the Pokemon that was that f-fossil that you have?" She looks out into the distance. "T-that's pretty cool." Back to Leah, she asks, "Wh-what would a fossil Pokemon even look like?"

[Comissar]

Leah nods with a grin at Alyssa's query, "Mhm!"

She gives an uncertain shrug as Alyssa asks what fossil pokémon look like, "Well... It really depends on the fossil..? If I'm right with, uh, with what mine is, it's a four-legged pokémon with a really long neck. Umm, an ice and rock type."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa traces what Leah describes in the air with her left hand. Despite just a verbal description, she actually does a decent job getting the basic shape. "Cool. I, um, I hope I get to meet the Pokemon you bring back." She looks over at Leah with a smile.

[Comissar]

Leah returns the smile with an embarrassed grin, rubbing behind her neck, "Well, uh, that's assuming, uh, assuming we find somewhere that'd, uh, that'd be able to, uh, to bring it back. Umm, and assuming, uh, assuming they'd even, uh, even want to."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa looks at Leah with confusion. "What place with a thing that can make a fossil Pokemon come to life wouldn't want to use it? What's even the point of making something like that if you aren't going to use it for what it's made for?"

[Comissar]

Leah blinks, then breaks into a giggle at Alyssa's indignation, "I just meant they might be too busy with their own projects. They might not have the time to even see me, and there's no guarantee my fossil is even good enough quality to work."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa looks at Leah with some surprise. "Oh. Um, th-that makes sense." She giggles along with her, smiling. "I g-guess it might be the same if we, um, found someone to look at this egg." She points with her thumb over her shoulder.

[Comissar]

Leah nods, reaching up to move some stray hair from her face as she does, "Yeah. Umm, I'm pretty sure a lab would be willing to do it, but that doesn't mean they'd necessarily be able to."

She reddens a little as she realises she'd been monopolising the conversation with Alyssa. Turning to Nika, she asks, "Umm, I, uh, I don't suppose you, uh, you know if there's any labs apart from, uh, apart from Professor Hawthorne's around..?"

[Hazuki]

"What's a lab?" Nika asks, smiling innocently.

[Comissar]

Leah looks a little surprised, then apologetic as she replies, "O-oh! Umm, a, uh, a place where people carry, uh, carry out research. Or, umm, or study things. Usually, uh, usually Pokémon..? Like, uh, like Professor Hawthorne does, uh, does a lot on Pokémon psychology..?"

[Hazuki]

"Oh. I don't know." Nika shrugs. "Maybe they'll know at the center?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa shrugs. "We should ask, I guess."

[Hazuki]

"Let's go!" Nika says, and Maggie peers at the older girl for a moment. "...what?" She asks, and the Pokemon shrugs her shoulders. They stare at one another for a moment, then Scroungy pecks the girl's head. "Ow! You b-...bird."

The group soon finds themselves in front of what's clearly a Pokecenter, at least to Leah. It's made of white panels on the outside, with a red ceiling and a white Pokeball symbol at the top - with a love heart in the center. There are a handful of people just leaving, each equipped with belts and Pokeballs, although there's no consistent age among the group of obvious non-natives. They quickly disappear into the background noise, with people either heading to stalls covered in various forieng goods, or sitting at one of the benches at the center of the plaza, which surrounds a tower that bears one Knight standing sentinel on the top. Many of them seem to have snacks, few of which Alyssa recognizes.

The interior of the center greets them with cool air, and a similarly pristine environment. The amber accents lend it a comfortable air, with one corner dedicated to comfortable seating and one wall bearing a counter with shelf upon shelf of Pokemon medicine, along with some small plush toys and Pokeballs. But dominating the room is a counter, behind which sit various machines, plus one snoozing Lilligant and a nurse. She seems quite young, with pale skin and pink hair tied up in circular pigtails. She wears a white tunic, with a pink shawl hanging off of her shoulders, and a bright smile.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa giggles at Maggie and Nika's short interaction, laughing when Scroungy takes matters into its own beak. Once they finally reach their destination, she takes a moment to appreciate the Pokemon Center from the outside before she heads in after the others. She has enough time to glance at the stalls as she heads in, but not much time to appreciate them.

When the cool air hits them, Alyssa shivers a bit, but her cold blood makes her comfortable quickly and she heads up to the counter. "H-hi! We were, um, looking for a friend of ours named Bibi. She's pretty strong and, um, has a floating bluish Pokemon with tentacles that blinks and floats around her." Alyssa gesture a bit with her hands to try to make the picture of Bibi and Ibib more clear.

[Comissar]

Leah feels a pang of homesickness on seeing the pokécenter, the familiar sight of it reminding her of both Sorland and Saffron. She nevertheless finds herself feeling upbeat as they head in, the clinical look inside helping her feel at home. She joins Alyssa in heading over to speak to the nurse, nodding at the description then adding, "Umm, she's also got a, uh, a lot of scars..?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa looks over at Leah when she comes over, and adds, "I, um, I think her Pokemon maybe sits on her head mostly?" She looks back at Leah. "Ibib is a Psychic Pokemon, right?"

[Hazuki]

"Hello!" The nurse bows her head to the two girls as they approach, then listens through their questions with an impassive expression. "I think I did see that woman in here, yes. What would you like to know?" She asks, as Nika starts leaning over the counter.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa looks back to the attendant when she answers. Smiling, she asks, "Um, d'you know where she went?"

[Comissar]

"She's, uh, she's our guide." Leah adds, "We, uh, we just needed to, uh, to speak to her."

[Hazuki]

"She didn't talk very much, but I think she left with the woman who runs the...maid cafe, I think it's called?" Nurse Joy smiled. "Where the boys and girls dress up as maids to serve tea and things."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa bows respectfully to the Nurse Joy and smiles. "Th-thank you, um, miss!" Realizing, she bows again and says, "I'm, um, sorry f-for being rude. My name is Alyssa and this is Leah and, um, Nika. She gestures over to each of her friends in turn as she says their names. "Um, w-where would we go to get there?"

[Hazuki]

"Nurse Joy." The nurse beams. "You can take one right, past the next turn, then a left."

[Comissar]

Leah bobs her head in greeting as Alyssa introduces her. She nods again at the directions, then adds, "Umm, I've, uh, I've got a question as well if you, uh, if you don't mind..?" She glances briefly to Nika, then back to Nurse Joy, "Umm, I was wondering if you, uh, you might know about any fossil labs..? Not, uh, not necessarily around here, just, uh, just in Londo..?"

[Hazuki]

Nika seems to have achieved whatever it was as she stops leaning over the counter.

"A fossil...yes, I know there's one in Whitebeam City," Nurse Joy says. "And I think I heard about a ship carrying a laboratory, too."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa bows her head to Nurse Joy. "Th-thank you." She looks over at Leah as she speaks, looking back at Nurse Joy for her response. She jumps up a bit at the news, and grabs Leah's hand. "W-we wanted to go to W-Whitebeam, right? M-maybe we can head there first, instead of going to Vibrost?" She leaves the option open, smiling at her friend.

[Comissar]

Leah can't help but grin at Alyssa's abrupt display of excitement, squeezing her hand a bit and giving an embarrassed giggle, "Umm, yeah. That sounds good to me! If, uh, if you're sure you don't mind delaying Vibrost..?"

[Hazuki]

"So...do you like Pokeballs?" Nika asks Nurse Joy.

"I suppose I do, yes." The Nurse smiles back at her.

"I make 'em." Nika grins.

"Oh, how wonderful! And so young, too."

"Yeah." Nika scratches the back of her head. "I'm pretty good. That's not bragging, is it?"

"Not at all. It's good to have pride in your work."

"Do you want to see some of my Pokeballs?"

"Oh, I'm quite busy at the moment. I haven't been on my shift for long."

"Darn." Nika frowns, but it is fleeting. "Oh, I have one with me!" She says, as she brings out the shell she'd made in Waye's room.

"How pretty! May I?" Nurse Joy holds out her hands and Nika hesitates for a moment, then places it in her grip. The Nurse flicks the switch and it twists open, earning a gasp. "I love how these Londo Pokeballs open. They're so much prettier than the floppy ones."

"I think so too! The designs are cool, but they could be much prettier. I'm gonna fix that - or try to!"

"You have a good start, Miss..." Nurse Joy pauses. "I'm afraid I didn't get your name! I'm so sorry!"

"No, it's fine. I'm Nika." Nika beams. "I should have introduced myself."

"You did seem busy..." Nurse Joy looks down at the counter for a moment. "I did wonder what you were trying to accomplish."

"Oh." Nika laughs nervously. "I was looking at your shoes. I like foreign clothes." She tugs on her recently-traded t-shirt.

Nurse Joy giggles. "What a silly thing to do. You could have asked! We spend so much time getting this outfit just right, but nobody ever sees us below the waist!"

"No way! It's so cute, though!" Nika gasps. "They should install a glass counter instead."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Nurse Joy smiles conspiratorially. "This way, I can read books, keep snacks under the counter, with the guests none-the-wiser."

"That's sneaky," Nika says. "But I'd probably do it too. I can't just sit in one place, even when I'm making Pokeballs. When I was in Lancer Town, I'd go to the beach, the plains, the top of a building..."

"I know some good places around here. You wouldn't think of a swamp as beautiful, but there really are some lovely places!" Nurse Joy smiles. "Maybe I could show you some?"

"That would be so great! Thank you!" Nika rapidly nods her head.

"It's settled, then. Why don't you come back here at about six?"

"I will!"

"And...bring snacks." Nurse Joy adds.

"Su- Wait! You'd better not just be trying to get a food delivery service, here." Nika warns, good-humoredly.

"Me?" Nurse Joy flutters her eyelashes.

"Hng. Too cute...to get mad at..." Nika groans, then laughs with the Nurse.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa shakes her head at Leah, smiling. "N-not at all." She squeezes Leah's hand, then turns back to Nika only to catch her charming Nurse Joy. More interested in learning than actually leaving, she watches them talk with interest. Her eyes get a bit wide when Joy asks Nika to come back, giggling a bit and turning to Leah when they near completion. "Sh-should we go find Bibi, then? We wanna make sure Nika makes it back on time." She winks at Nika and gives her a thumbs up beneath the counter.

[Comissar]

Leah finds herself not quite sure what she ought to be doing as Nika and Nurse Joy converse, not wanting to intrude on their conversation, but also not wanting to simply up and leave Nika while she was talking. Fortunately, neither the Nurse nor Nika seem to be aiming to make any demands of her, leaving her free to nod and smile at Alyssa's suggestion of finding Bibi. Gently pulling her hand free of Alyssa's, she clasps them both in front of her as she gives the Nurse a brief bow of her head. "Umm, thankyou for your help. It was, uh, it was nice meeting you!"

Farewell given, she turned to head for the exit once the other two were ready, looking to find the maid cafe.

[Hazuki]

Nika notices Alyssa's thumbs-up and wink, though her reaction is little more than a tilt of her head.

"You're welcome! We hope to see you again!" Nurse Joy says, with a brief glance at the sleeping Lilligant.

With that, the group departs through the chatty streets, with Maggie having a little more freedom to reign with their relative lack of crowdedness. It isn't long until they spot the cafe, which has been painted with softer creams and pinks compared to its surroundings. It bears a sign that reads "Super Cute Maids From All Over! Can You Handle The Kawaii? The Adorability? The Sheer Sweetness?!.

Once inside, they're greeted by the scent of sweet treats and warm brews, along with an impeccably-polished black-and-white tile floor accompanied by the same soft tones as the exterior. Warm lighting compliments the whole place, which is filled with tables and chairs of pale wood. But the most eye-catching thing are the people moving between them, the feminine beauties clad in maid attires of all varieties, from the steroetypical Kalosian ones, reserved Galar affairs, to the simpler but no less elegant serving kimonos of Johto. All of them are young and beautiful, and look to be from different regions, including Londo locals, and some seem almost clumsy as they serve, while others are as graceful as anything, and yet others borderline on the cold.

Bibi is easy to spot in contrast to the sweetness all around her, as she sits at one table to the side, with one scarred hand being held by a young woman dressed in a longcoat and pants, her black hair cut close to her head and a warm smile on her lips.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa seems utterly overwhelmed by the maid cafe, trying to take everything in and not interrupt or interact with any of the maids at first, but she doesn't seem like she ever gets over that and instead sticks very close to Leah. "W-what, um, what is this place?" She watches each maid who passes in front of her, absorbing her style and mannerisms, but she's quiet and contained and doesn't try to interact with them. She spots Bibi and points her out to the others, but doesn't go up to her until Leah starts to head there. "D'you, um, th-think we should wait for them to be d-done?"

[Comissar]

Leah hadn't been to maid cafe's herself back in Kanto, but she had seen them about. The inside, then, was less of a culture shock for her, but the level of cutseyness on display was still somewhat of a surprise for her. She glances to Alyssa as she realises how close her friend was staying by her. Hoping to steady her, she reaches to take her hand and gives a gentle squeeze. "Well, uh, maid cafe's are, uh, are a kind of, uh, kind of themed cafe." She pauses in her explanation, making space for one of the waitresses to bustle past, "And, uh, and a lot of people like the, uh, the cuteness of a maid cafe."

As Alyssa points to Bibi, she nods at her question, "Y-yeah, umm, it looks like she's, uh, she's busy. Umm..." She gives the others a questioning look, "I guess, uh, I guess we could grab a table while, uh, while we wait..?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods tentatively to Leah, then turns her attention back to the crowd, waiting until it looks like one of the maids might be able to help them. When she sees someone who looks available, she composes herself a bit and asks, "Um, m-my friends and I were wondering if we could get a t-table?" She holds Leah's hand for comfort, squeezing back to show she's doing okay.

[Hazuki]

The group flags a maid in a typical black and white affair, with her to match and barely a color on her. "If that's what you want." She says coolly, then guides the trio (And Maggie) over to a table with some menus already there. "I'll be back in a minute." She says, before departing. Nika is staring after all of the maids, clearly quite enraptured by their outfits.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods and follows the maid through the crowd, keeping hold of Leah's hand but watching out for Maggie to make sure she doesn't get lost or knock into anything. Once they're at the table she pads for Maggie to sit next to her, letting go of Leah's hand out of necessity. She nudges Nika once they've sat down. She keeps her voice low, but the excitement creeps in. "It's r-really a lot, isn't it? I've never seen this many girls this dressed up." She looks around

[Hazuki]

Maggie seems able to maneuver quite easily through the relatively calm cafe, with most of the activity coming from the paths of the handful of maids moving around. She hops up beside alyssa when invited, while Nika slots herself into the opposite side.

"I've changed my mind about making Pokeballs. I want to own one of these." Nika replies.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa giggles at Nika's reply. "M-maybe you can do both? A Pokeball maid cafe?"

[Comissar]

Leah gives Alyssa's hand a final squeeze before letting it go as they sit at the table. Once seated, she picks up a menu, scanning through it for a moment before catching Alyssa's question. Glancing up, she looked around the café. Though busy, it didn't seem overwhelming to her, instead reminding her once again of the café's back in Saffron during lunch rushes. She gives Alyssa a grin and small shrug, "I guess it can be, uh, be a bit much at first."

She gives a small giggle as Nika professes her desire to change career paths, nodding at Alyssa's suggestion, "You could, uh, you could just add some red to the uniform. You know, there are battle café's in some parts of the world. You can, uh, you can choose to duel the staff between courses. Maybe you could do something like that..?"

[Hazuki]

"Wouldn't I have to train them?" Nika asks. "I'd have to train and dress them up and find them, too!"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods at Nika, though in looking around she muses "I, um, th-think you'd have to train people to work at one of these, too." She points out a few of the different maids, adding, "Th-those two are different than th-that one, and, um, th-they all act a certain but different way."

[Comissar]

Leah nods, "It does seem odd that, uh, that they're all serving people differently. I, uh, I wonder if that's deliberate..?"

[Hazuki]

"Maybe we can ask?" Nika suggests.

[Comissar]

Leah hesitates at the thought, giving an embarrassed grin "Might, uh, might be best not to if, uh, if we get the same person who bought us to, uh, to this table..?"

[Hazuki]

"Well...I can't answer you and I don't think Alyssa can," Nika says.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa shrugs. She smiles at Leah, noticing her nerves. "I, um, I guess probably? Is this different from the places like it back home?"

[Comissar]

Leah gives an embarrassed laugh, "I-I just can't, uh, can't think of a way to ask that's not, uh, not really rude!" She folds her arms on the table in front of her, giving a shrug as she does, "I, uh, I never really went into a maid café back in Kanto. I just knew of them."

[Hazuki]

It's at this point that the maid returns.

"Hey, Miss!" Nika says. "How come you're acting different from all the other maids?"

"Different maids appeal to different customers." The maid explains, with perfect pronunciation. "If you would prefer another, you need only ask, although you should be aware there is a flat fee to be tended to by your preferred server."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa looks at Leah and Nika across the table to gauge her thoughts. "If you t-two are okay with it, I'm okay with what we have." She smiles at the maid who is serving them, giving a small nod of her head.

[Hazuki]

"You needn't spare my feelings." The maid comments, impassive.

"Can i buy your outfit?" Nika asks.

"You can not."

"Oh..." Nika frowns. "Please? Leah let me buy some of her clothes."

The flicker of the maid's eyes is just barely perceptible. "That's not a service we offer."

[Comissar]

Leah's eyes widen in alarm as Nika asks the maid about her behaviour, attention flicking over to the maid with a worried expression. An expression that turns to relief as the maid takes the question in her stride. She gives a small smile to the maid and shakes her head, "I've, uh, I've not got a, uh, a problem being served by, uh, by you."

[Hazuki]

The maid nods. "What would you like to drink?"

At the other table, it seems like Bibi is in for the long haul. It will be some time before she's without company.

[Comissar]

Leah throws a brief glance over to Bibi and, seeing her still looking fully engaged with whoever she was seated with, turns her attention back to the menu. "Umm... Could, uh, could I have a tea..? Umm, black, please..?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa looks down the menu. "U-um, what w-would you recommend?"

[Hazuki]

TIME PASSES.

All three girls get to enjoy a warm or cold beverage of their choice, along with some sweet or savory snack, and it's all of excellent quality served by a maid to whom elegance is a second nature. Nika spends much of the time watching the maids in their outfits, while Maggie enjoys the remnants of whatever food the girls don't want to finish, and Scroungy crawls into Nika's pack to rest.

Fortunately, by the time they're done, Bibi is standing up to leave the maid cafe.

[tgva8889]

Noticing Bibi getting up, Alyssa looks to Leah and points toward her, then gets up without a word and heads over to Bibi.

As politely as she can, she stammers "U-um, Bibi?" hoping the woman will turn around. When she does she bows her head slightly and says, "L-Leah and I, um, wanted to find you t-to tell you...um, I w-wanted to, um, get s-some help. For my f-fears. So I'm s-seeing some of the h-healers here to b-better control it. W-which may take s-some time off o-our journey." She bows again, though partially to hide her face which has turned quite red.

[Hazuki]

"Okay," Bibi says, turning as she's addressed. "Will the healers investigate your stutter?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa laughs, tension leaving her body. "I'll ask."

[Hazuki]

Bibi nods, apparently content with the contents of that conversation.

Nika and Maggie have both followed Alyssa over. Maggie gives a little wave to the woman, who nods at her, while Nika stares.

[Comissar]

Leah follows Alyssa over to Bibi, letting her take the lead on talking once she starts. As Alyssa starts to struggle, she gently lays a hand on her arm to offer silent support. When Alyssa and Bibi's exchange appears to be over, Leah adds, "Umm, the, uh, the treatment Alyssa's going to get isn't something that'll, uh, that'll be done in a few days. If, uh, if you didn't want to hang around here until she finishes it, we would understand." She gives an embarrassed rub behind her neck, "But, uh, but if you've not got anywhere else to be, it'd be nice to still, uh, still have you as our guide when we're, uh, we're ready to leave..?"

[Hazuki]

"I can take jobs in the area," Bibi says. "It's fine."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles at Bibi. She speaks slowly, which helps her avoid stuttering. "Thanks, Bibi. I, um, I really appreciate it." Turning to Leah, she smiles, small but considerate.

[Comissar]

Leah lets out a relieved sigh, giving Bibi a grateful nod and smile, "Thanks, Bibi... I don't know if, uh, if we'd even be able to find someone as helpful as you..." She finds herself not quite sure what to say next, glancing between the other three for a moment before settling on Alyssa and Nika, "I guess, uh, I guess if you guys wanted to, uh, to look around the market part of, uh, of the quarter we could do that now..?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods at Leah's suggestion. "Yeah, um, that'd be fun." She shifts Leah's bag into a more comfortable position and looks at Nika. "D'you wanna come with us?"

[Hazuki]

Bibi nods at Leah's statement.

"Hm?" Nika blinks. "Oh, yeah! I can buy some stuff. Probably. Are you guys looking for anything?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa points over her shoulder with her thumb. "I gotta find a bag for this egg, or a bag for Leah." She smiles at Leah as she mentions her. "But, um, I wouldn't mind looking for some other stuff."

[Comissar]

Leah gives an uncertain shrug, "It'd be, uh, it'd be interesting to see what kind of tech is, uh, is on sale but, umm, but other than that I think just bags." She gives a faintly embarrassed grin, "And, uh, and maybe some new t-shirts in case the clothes you swapped with me don't fit quite right. But, uh, but we'll be here a while. I can just window shop this time round."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles at Leah. "Oh! You want help finding some clothes?" She looks over at Bibi. "Th-thanks. Um, I mean, thanks again." Bowing her head, she takes Leah's hand and heads for the door, though she doesn't do so with much haste to give everyone time to walk with them.

[Comissar]

Leah reddens a bit at Alyssa's question, giving a smile and nod, "Yeah, umm, if you don't mind. I, uh, I liked the stuff you picked out last time we went looking for, uh, for clothes." She then offers Bibi a quick bob of her head as well before heading out the door after Alyssa. Once outside, she glances around to re-orient herself before heading toward the market.

[Hazuki]

The girls and Maggie go visit the market and find that it rather resembles the kind of thing Leah's used to, with clearly-marked buildings separated with signs advertising what they're selling, whether it's clothes or food or even gaming things. There are smaller stalls set out, rather like an open market, where visiting foreigners are obviously selling their wares, and it sits just outside a larger prefab building that advertises more of them inside - and higher quality, as well. It's reasonably active, with most of the customers obviously being foreigners, although there are a handful of locals working, carrying boxes or else cleaning up stands or helping people with their purchases.

[tgva8889]

Once they arrive, Alyssa takes some time to wander around the market, not stopping at any stalls but standing far away and looking at them from a distance. She keeps an eye out for anything that might be interesting to her or Leah, as well as for a bag to carry her new egg.

[Comissar]

Leah finds herself grinning as she looks around the stalls, gaze flitting between various bits of technology, familiar clothing, and the odd food vendor. Finding herself drawn to one of the more technology oriented stalls, her smile unexpectedly falters a little as she looks over the various pokéballs and pokégear accessories on display, her mind casting back to the times she'd go through Saffron's malls with her friends. Giving Alyssa's hand a gentle squeeze in response to the faint sinking in her chest, she glances up at the big building behind the stall. Turning her attention to Alyssa, she points to the busy prefab building, "I think there's more stuff inside, mind if, uh, if we go take a look..?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa looks over at Leah when she speaks, then follows her pointing to the building. Nodding, she turns back. "Yeah, let's go see what's in there." Looking at Leah, her smile fades a bit She takes her other hand so she's holding both of Leah's hands and turns her head a bit to the side. "You doing okay?"

[Comissar]

Leah nods, glancing down then back up, "Y-yeah, just, uh, just a bit homesick." She gives an embarrassed smile, "I, uh, I used to go to places like this a lot with, uh, with my friends. It just, uh, it just makes me miss them a bit. But I'm ok."

She gives Alyssa's hands a grateful squeeze, then releases one of them so that they can head inside.

[Hazuki]

The interior of the larger building greets the girls with controlled temperature and a considerably more organized shopping space, with a circle of stalls at the center and an array of storefronts to either side. There are some brands that Leah recognizes, even, although their prices are increased to go along with it. There's a collection of Unovan model wear, with advertisements featuring the ultra-slender Elesa herself. A small shop that seemed to make customizable Pokeballs, which Nika gives the side-eye as they walk past. And one in particular is marked with the sign "Bargains From Beyond The Sea", which currently seems to have a surplus of Team Flare-themed gear, with crimson suits and sunglasses, tracksuits, skirts, all finely made and no doubt cheap thanks to the group's forced disbandment in Kalos.

When it comes to bags, Alyssa spots one at the Bargains from Beyond the Sea storefront, which has purses and courier bags either red with a white flame symbol or white with a red flame symbol. There's a selection of cute Pokemon-themed bags especially for carrying eggs, with special heating components, in the image of Pokemon such as Slugma and Miltank. And there's one that seems to be selling replicas of bags carried by renowned trainers, including Champions like Cynthia and Regional Heroes like Leaf.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods to Leah and smiles. "Okay."

Once they make it inside, Alyssa takes a moment to absorb her surroundings before she moves forward. She takes things slow, looking at products from afar and trying not to look too interested until she decides that she might want it. The host of goods and advertising makes her nervous at first, but when she gets to the bags she gets a bit closer and looks more in detail. Looking over at Leah, she points to the egg-holding bags. "How much d'you think this helps?"

[Comissar]

Seeing the other two taking their time walking around, Leah also takes a slower pace. Her gaze doesn't linger on the higher end products as she automatically dismisses them as being outside her price range. Instead, she takes an interest in the more mundane items of clothing. The cheapness of the Team Flare clothing in particular caught her by surprise. While in Kanto she'd been vaguely aware of their existence, and Officer Nepole had spoken a little about them from time to time, but she hadn't quite realised they were a big enough group to warrant their own fashion designs. Nor that they were apparently as infamous as Team Rocket to require enforced disbanding.

As Alyssa draws her attention to the egg carriers, she smiles, "I hear they're pretty good. I'm pretty sure at least one of the gym leader's back home used one to, uh, to raise a Togepi." She gently frees her hand from Alyssa's, moving over to the stall to pick up one of the Slugma-emblazoned bags. Turning it over in her hands, she noted the heating elements carefully woven inside. Glancing up to Alyssa, she adds, "You, uh, you don't really have to worry about wind chill or cold days with them. So it's, uh, it's not just useful for keeping your hands free."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa looks up in surprise as Leah frees herself, following near her so she can look at the same bag she's looking at. She nods at Leah's explanation, leaning over the girl's shoulder and pointing a bit at the inside of the bag. "So, um, that part would keep the egg warm even if it's cold out? That's cool." Settling back down, she smiles. "D'you think I should get one? I, um, don't know a lot about eggs but I would guess it needs to be warm."

[Comissar]

Leah finds herself smiling a little as Alyssa leans over her shoulder, giving a confirmatory nod at her question, "Yeah. Umm, even Ice type eggs need a little bit of warmth."

She turns the bag in her hands over to look at the design again, glances to the table, then to Alyssa with a grin, "Up to you which design you want though."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa looks over the designs again, trying to look for something she finds familiar. After sifting through a few she looks at Leah. "I don't know what to pick! I, um, don't think I know most of these Pokemon." She points at a few of the designs, then points at some of the other ones. "So, um, I guess one of these?" She picks up one of the Miltank ones and shrugs. "I'm not good at making choices like this." Sticking her tongue out, she laughs a bit and smiles at Leah. "How do you pick something like this?"

[Comissar]

Leah stifles a giggle as Alyssa admits her difficulties in choosing. "I mean, if, uh, if you're wanting my opinion on it..?" She looks over the options available, scanning the various designs for a few moments before picking up a baby Kangaskhan patterned holder, "This one's cute. And the egg even goes where the pokémon's pouch would be!" She demonstrates, opening the front pouch slightly.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods at Leah's suggestion. She slings the bag holding the egg off her shoulders and gingerly places it on the table, then shifts the egg out and carefully fits it into the bag slot. With it safely in place, she smiles. "I think it works well!" With one hand on the egg to keep it in place on the table, Alyssa looks to find the person she needs to pay for the bag.

[Hazuki]

Fortunately for Alyssa, the woman to pay is not far away. She's a lean woman, clad in a pleather jacket over a plaid shirt, with her hair tied up behind her head.

"'Ello." She looks over Alyssa with piercing eyes, tempered only slightly by a smile. "Twenty gold for the bag. You a first time egger?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods her head at the woman, digging in her pouch for the proper amount of gold. "Y-yeah, um, it kinda happened by surprise." She counts out the money onto the table, then scoops it up and hands it over to the woman. "But I kinda feel like it was meant to be, y'know?" Turning to Leah, she smiles. "Did you ever feel that way about something?"

[Comissar]

Leah reddens a bit as Alyssa turns to her, rubbing behind her neck as she grins back, "I guess, uh, I guess sometimes..?" She gives a small shrug, "I'm, uh, I'm not usually the biggest believer in fate." She turns to the vendor, bobbing her head in gratitude once the payment was made before asking, "Umm, do you, uh, do you have any advice on what we should and, uh, and shouldn't do..?"

[Hazuki]

"Easy enough to take care of, basically indestructible, but if you want it to go quickly, always keep it warm, and make sure you've always got an eye on it, especially when it starts to rattle," the vendor says. "Don't carry more than one, just for convenience, and don't keep it around Pokemon of the same kind that's not its parent, or they might decide it's theirs."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods and takes mental note as the vendor goes into their advice, bowing slightly when she's done. "Thank you! I'll make sure to do that, thanks." She smiles, carefully shifting the egg back onto her back with the egg safely inside. Turning to Leah, she smiles. "What do you think?"

[Comissar]

Leah grins and nods at Alyssa's question, "Looks good though, uh, though I thought it was one of those ones you wear round your front." She reaches out to Alyssa's shoulder, gently turning her so that she could see the egg on her back, "I was wondering if we ought to cover it over but, uh, but it looks pretty secure in there."

[Hazuki]

"No, it sucks! They're not real Pokeballs!" Nika's voice suddenly cuts through the crowd and the girls can see that she's standing just beside the storefront airbrushing Pokeballs.

"What are you talking about?" The woman behind the counter has her hands on her hips and her voice is a little more level, but just as loud. "They're standard Pokeballs, rigth out of the factory. They work as well as any other."

"There's no art to them!" Nika says. "It's just pictures painted by a machine. I can make better Pokeballs than this with my feet!"

"Wh... Young lady, you're making a scene!"

"You're making bad Pokeballs! Shame on you!" Nika points an accusing finger at the woman, her volume not at all reduced, which has drawn quite a few eyes from the other customers. "Shame!"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa blushes when Leah mentions that she should wear it on the front, and pulls the bag off her shoulders to put it on the other way. "Um, like this?"

She doesn't wait for an answer before Nika's voice carries over the crowd. Meeting eyes with Leah, she sighs but puts on her smile. "Um, we better go over there before it gets too bad." Heading to where Nika is pointing at the woman, Alyssa puts a hand on Nika's outstretched arm to lower it. "What's going on?"

[Hazuki]

"Alyssa!" Nika lets her arm be lowered, but she doesn't take her eyes off of the vendor for a second. "This woman is just copying things onto Pokeballs! With a machine!"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa looks at the store front and to where Nika is looking, then turns her gaze back to her. "I, um, get that." She takes out one of her own Pokeballs, looking at the rather bland outside. "Is that, um, bad?"

[Comissar]

Leah grins as Alyssa fixes the bag's position, then turns in surprise at Nika's raised voice. Giving the bag vevndor a final, hurried bob of her head, she follows after Alyssa. A quick glance at the pokéball vendor's stall clues her in to Nika's objection. "Umm, Nika..? It's, uh, it's really common to do that. It's quicker than, uh, than hand painting. With, uh, with how many pokéballs get used, it's kinda important that there's a way to, uh, to mass produce them..."

[Hazuki]

"But then why do they have to act like they're giving a service by painting them?" Nika asks Leah, turning to her with a frown. "It's not a service. They're just letting a machine throw paint at it. That's not art."

[Comissar]

Leah rubs behind her neck, "Well... It is a service, though... Umm, the kind of pokéballs found, uh, found outside of Londo are basically all just red and, uh, and white." She gives a shrug, "Not everyone's good enough to paint their own pokéballs. Umm, and, uh, and not everyone can afford a, uh, a bespoke service..."

[Hazuki]

"So they should use regular ones!" Nika says. "If people want special ones, they should get real artists to do it. Not machines."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa shrugs. "Not everyone can get people like you and me to do good work on these kinds of things." She smiles. "You and I are special like that I guess." She shifts the Pokeball in her hand and then puts it away. "I think there's a place for less special ones like these. Like, something between what you make and just regular Pokeballs."

[Hazuki]

"I don't know..." Nika shoots a glare at the machine. "It feels like the machines will just get better and then I won't be able to do it any more."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa shakes her head. "I don't think machines will ever be as good as you and I am at what we do." She smiles at Nika, trying to assuage her. "The machine will never have our special spark."

[Comissar]

Leah gives the vendor a brief look mixed with worry and embarrassment as both Nika and Alyssa disparage the machine printed designs, before glancing back to Nika, "I think it's, uh, it's just a different market. There's always going to, uh, going to be a market for, uh, for bespoke things."

[Hazuki]

"But what if they make a machine Nika?" Nika tugs at the neck of her shirt. "Then there won't be a need for me!"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa giggles and hugs Nika. "No machine will replace you."

[Hazuki]

Nika is a bit of a saggy hug-reciprocator at first, but she manages to hug back within a couple of seconds. Maggie also hops in on the hug train.

[Comissar]

Leah gives a soft laugh at the impromptu group hug, reaching up to tuck a few stray strands of hair away from her face as she turns to the vendor. Clasping her hands in front of herself, she offers the vendor a bow. "Umm, sorry we, uh, we made a scene. I hope, uh, I hope your day goes well."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa pulls away from the rather awkward hug given the egg in the way, though she's all smiles. She pats Maggie and looks at Nika. "You doing okay? Sorry for the, um, big egg here." Turning to the vendor, she bows. "Sorry as well!" She is a bit red as she returns to upright position, though she smiles at Leah.

Turning back to Nika, she points down the hall. "D'you wanna look at some more foreign clothes and things? There's a lot of stuff here that looks pretty cool."

[Hazuki]

"Fine. Just get her out of my hair." The vendor says, with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Nika is quite happy to be led away from that small area and the burgeoning crowd seems to have died down.

At Alyssa's words, Nika frowns. "I'm not sure... Leah, do they make bespoke foreign clothes? I want to buy those if I can, or I'll be a hypocrite."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa, thinking, says, "What if you got some plain one and we bespoked them? I can do some drawing and painting."

[Comissar]

Leah follows after the other two, giving a complicated shrug at Nika's question, "You can get bespoke clothes, but they tend to be really expensive. Fashion tends to, uh, to be mass produced for more general sizes." She grins at Alyssa's suggestion, "That sounds like it could be fun, you'd want to, uh, to make sure you got fabric paint though. Just so, uh, just so it doesn't wash out."

[Hazuki]

"You know foreign styles?" Nika asks Alyssa, her eyes wide. "Like what they put on clothes?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa shakes her head at Nika's question. "Not really. I've seen some stuff but, um, I don't know a lot about it. But we can look or ask around here for things that inspire us." She points to a few clothes that she sees. "We can take something more, um, mass-produced and use it as a starting point?" Shrugging, she smiles at Nika. "What do you think?"

Nodding at Leah's suggestion, Alyssa puts a hand to her chin. "We can probably find some good paint for clothes if we look. Maybe something from around here, to be more, um, foreign." She smiles at Leah. "Maybe we can, um, get your thoughts on some things? I know fashion isn't a big interest of yours but you know more about Kanto than we do."

[Comissar]

Leah nods, "Yeah, sure. I'm, uh, I'm not sure how much help I'll be..?" She gives a grin, "But, umm, but I don't mind being fashion adviser."

[Hazuki]

"Will they have any blank ones?" Nika asks, as she adjusts her pack. "If... I don't want to copy someone else's design from the start."