The Heights of Londo [IC 4: Turnabout Trainers]

[Comissar]

Putting her bun in her mouth for a moment, and holding it with her teeth, Leah leans forward to rifle through her bag and recover her pokégear. Double checking the time on it, she finishes her bite and chews thoughtfully a moment. "Soonish, I think. Umm, I'm sure she won't mind me getting, uh, getting some breakfast first but, uh, but I don't want to keep her waiting too too long." A memory of the previous night resurfacing, she checks on the progress of the photo upload to her mother. "Do, uh, do you know what you're gonna do..?"

[Hazuki]

Leah finds that the photo has, in fact, been sent and probably arrived sometime while she was sleeping. A couple of seconds pass before her Pokegear makes a noise, alerting her to a message. Maggie uses the back of the bench to help her to her feet and peers over at the device.

Spoiler: Message From Mom

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What an adorable picture! What are the two of you up to?

[Comissar]

Leah smiles to herself at the sight of the message, feeling a brief pang of homesickness as she reads it. She takes a few moments to think of how to reply, before tapping back, We're in Diwyneb at the moment, going to be helping Sass out. She's doing really well in her challenge, wants to take on the Lady here.

She smiles softly at her device for a few moments before hitting send, then glances up at Alyssa, "Umm, my, uh, my mum likes the picture from last night."

[Hazuki]

Maggie starts trying to push at some of the buttons on Leah's Pokegear.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa shrugs, watching Maggie and Luna. "Not sure. I might go on a walk or something. It's so hot out though, I dunno. I feel pretty tired and it's still early." Finally taking a moment to enjoy her pastry, she sighs in contentment. After a moment of thinking, she turns back to Leah. "If you two were gonna go find Pokemon, though, I'd wanna come."

Luna tries to follow Maggie. She has a bit more trouble getting up to look at Leah's Pokegear due to her small stature and small limbs, but tries her very best to be involved.

At about this point Alyssa smiles at Leah's comment on the picture. "I liked it too, so I'm happy she liked it." She leans a bit into Leah. "You telling her about all the stuff we've done?"

[Hazuki]

Maggie spots Luna doing her best to peer too, so she leans down and offers both hands to Luna to help hoist her onto the bench.

[Comissar]

Leah lifts her pokégear up a little as Maggie tries to push at the buttons on it, "Hey hey... You can look but, uh, but don't hit the buttons."

She glances over to Alyssa as she starts to speak, her pokégear dropping back into her lap, "Yeah, uh, I think the, uh, the plan is to go looking for, uh, for pokémon." She grins, "I'm sure she'd be, uh, be happy to have you along too."

As Alyssa calls attention back to her pokégear, Leah glances down at her lap, "I've only said a little. She, uh, she asked what we were up to, though."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa shakes her head at Leah's assessment of Sass. "I, um, don't know if Sass likes me that much." She fans herself and looks out into the distance. "I, um, don't think I ever did anything she really liked."

Luna graciously accepts Maggie's assistance in getting up onto the bench, cheering happily once she's in place. She's still short, so not much peering over people, but she does wander over to Alyssa's lap and sits on it, eliciting a smile from Alyssa.

Alyssa looks at the Pokegear in Leah's lap. "What did you tell her about? If, um, it's okay for me to ask."

[Comissar]

Leah tilts her head a little, a twinge of guilt in her chest, "Well, uh... I'm, uh, I'm sure she'll be friendlier once, uh, once she's gotten to know you better." She glances back down at her pokégear again, "A-and, uh, I really, uh, really haven't said that much... Umm... Just that, uh, that we were gonna help Sass with her challenge..."

[Hazuki]

Leah's Pokegear goes off again and Maggie peers over at it once more.

Spoiler: Message From Mum

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Diwyneb? My, how far you've traveled. It's lovely to hear about Sass, but I meant what were you doing in that picture. Something arty?

[tgva8889]

Alyssa shakes her head and smiles apolegetically. "It's not your fault. I, um, haven't really spent much time with Sass and I don't really know that much about Pokemon, which seems to be a big thing with her." She shrugs. "S'okay. I'm used to not getting along with everyone."

She nods as Leah talks about her message to her mom, smiling. "I hope we can help!"

Luna also peers over at the Pokegear, though Alyssa doesn't to give Leah some privacy in her messages. She takes a moment to enjoy her breakfast pastry.

[Comissar]

Leah gives Alyssa a bit of a sad look at her comment, then leans over to kiss her cheek, "Well... Umm... I'd like it if, uh, if you came along..."

As her pokégear pings again, she looks back to it, a smile returning to her face. She tilts the pokégear a little so that Alyssa can look if she wants, "My mum's asking what, uh, what we were doing in the picture."

Alyssa and I were painting some blank clothes to wear. Trying to make custom designs. She's a really good artist.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles as Leah kisses her cheek. "Thanks." She beams at her.

Her attention shifts when the Pokegear pings again, and she leans over a bit to see what Leah's mom has written. She tilts her head a bit as Leah puts in her response. She smiles at Leah's last words, pulling back to sit more upright. After a second, she says, "I, um, I guess you did see that one painting of mine but not much of my other stuff, right?"

[Comissar]

Leah shrugs at Alyssa's question, "I mean, uh, I've seen you sketch plenty of stuff. If, uh, if you mean finished stuff? No, I've not seen that much. Just, uh..." She reddens a little, an embarrassed smile forming, "Just the, uh, the painting you made of me..."

[Hazuki]

Leah's phone beeps with another message.

Spoiler: Message From Mom

Show

Custom clothes designs? Is she running a business already?

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles at Leah. "Yeah, w-well, the sketches aren't really finished, so those don't really count. The painting does, though." She turns a bit red remembering that moment, but it fades into her smile. "I haven't really finished that many pieces. The shirts when they're done will probably be some of the few I actually do for myself. Though some of them aren't for me so I dunno?" She shrugs.

She looks over as Leah's Pokegear beeps and points at it, still fanning herself with her other hand. "What'd she say?"

[Comissar]

Leah shrugs, "I, uh, I don't know. Sketches are, uh, are a pretty good insight into how someone thinks I think. Umm, it's like looking at a train of thought, all laid out at once."

She glances back down at the pokégear, abruptly smiling at her mother's comments, "Heh, uh, she's asking if, uh, if you're starting up a business." She starts to tap back

No, haha. Just something that she can wear, and for a friend too.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles at Leah. "I've never heard that phrase before. What's your, um, 'train of thought' look like?"

Alyssa laughs at the message. "I guess, um, technically it is my business, since my business is doing art, but I'm not planning to sell any of the shirts so they're not really that. But, um, maybe I should?" She thinks about it for a moment, then shrugs. "It's not really what I wanna do, though."

[Comissar]

Leah blinks, then giggles, "Umm, it's just, uh, just a figure of speech. It, uh, it means the direction your thoughts go in. Umm, like, uh, like thought patterns."

She gives a light shrug as Alyssa debates with herself about selling shirts, "There probably is a, uh, a business there if you tried it. At worst, could make for a good fallback plan..?" She glances back to her pokégear, noting the time. "... I think we should probably go find Sass, she might be wondering where we are if, uh, if we're much longer."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa looks over at Leah’s pokegear and nods. ”Yeah, I think you’re right. Don’t want her to think we forgot her.” Still fanning herself, she picks herself up, packing up what few of the pastries remain and then turns to Maggie and Luna. “Okay, I can only carry one of you, who should it be.”

Luna, who has mostly been lounging around, sits up when Alyssa does and looks over at Maggie, tilting her head a bit.

[Hazuki]

Maggie looks between Luna and Alyssa, then turns to Leah with her arms stretched upwards. Meanwhile, Luna unsteadily gets to her feet and stretches her legs out on the dusty ground, ready for wherever they're headed next.

[tgva8889]

Luna happily cries for Alyssa, who picks her up with a smile. To Leah, she says, "You okay carrying Maggie?" before looking over at Saura getting ready to move.

[Comissar]

Leah rolls her shoulders as she stands, then smiles down at Maggie, crouching a little as she reaches down to pick the pokémon up. Straightening back up, she smiles over to Alyssa, "Yeah, of course." She shifts her gaze down to Saura and then to Maggie, still smiling as she begins to walk to their meeting point, "You two ready to help Sass out with her training and preparation?"

[Hazuki]

Saura nods once, determined, as she pads beside Leah and Maggie replies with little more than a shrug. The Diwyneb morning is a little milder now, but a little more crowded, too, as people make their way out of their homes and to their daily duties.

They find Sass already well awake and clad in a similar outfit to the day before, though she's just taking off the helmet part she keeps on her head and is tucking it into her bag as the girls arrive. Yraellle is at her side, doing little hops from side to side as if amping itself up, its ribbons shining in the sun. Neither of them have noticed the girls approaching.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa, upon noticing Sass and Yraellle, turns to Leah for her to lead, then shifts back to Sass and back to Leah. She turns a bit and grips Luna a bit tighter. Luna waves happily towards Sass and Yraelle once their attention has turned towards them.

[Comissar]

Leah takes her time as she walks, unaccustomed to carrying the weight of a pokémon in her arms while travelling. As Sass and Yraelle come into view, a smile forms and she shifts Maggie slightly so that she can more easily wave with her free hand. "Hey Sass!" she calls out as they draw closer.

Glancing to Alyssa, she catches her body language and, looking back to Sass, adds "I told Alyssa that she could come too, she's, uh, she's been looking forward to it."

[Hazuki]

Sass' head snaps to the group as her name is called out, Yraelle's following just a second later in a way that makes his ribbons flutter. Her face is caught between two expressions before it settles on a mild, lopsided smile as she gives a single, short wave to the group. Saura aids Leah in the greeting with one of her vines and ambles over to Yraelle, who is greeted with a couple of happy cries.

"Hey. So, that's okay," Sass says. "Are your legs all stretched and stuff?" She stretches her toned arms above her head as she asks, her fingers locked together.

Alyssa feels the faint touch of Maggie's psychic energy and a little bit of calm along with it.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa feels something wash over her and smiles at Sass. "Hi!" Everything about her loosens. She looks down at her legs as Sass asks and tilts her head. "I guess not. We were mostly sitting a while ago. Better get ready, I guess!" Not really knowing what she's doing, Alyssa starts trying to stretch. After a little bit she puts Luna down to give her arms freedom.

Luna joins Alyssa in stretching a bit, though given her proportions she has a bit of trouble doing anything but stretching tiny arms into the sky.

[Comissar]

Leah hesitates at Sass' question, "I... Haven't stretched..." She admits, "I thought we were, uh, just gonna be walking..?"

[Hazuki]

Yraelle watches Luna's stretching with a tilted head.

"Huh?" Sass glances up at Leah. "There's swamp stuff and logs and stuff. You could pull a muscle if you're not careful," she says, then pauses. "Not that I'm being bossy or anything."