The Heights of Londo [IC 4: Turnabout Trainers]

[Comissar]

Leah finds herself tensing as Alyssa announces her presence by sitting beside her. A part of her wanted to speak up. To reach out and let her know she wanted to be comforted. At the same time, she had to fight down the urge to stand and move away again. She pulls her knees up tighter, swallowing past the knot in her throat, "I-I-I... U-Umm... I-I-I th-think, u-uhh, S-Sass, uh-uhmm, S-Sass hates m-me..." She takes a juddery breath, "M-Misru d-doesn't, uh-uhmm, doesn't w-want a-anything t-to do with me... R-Rana left b-because sh-she wanted t-to, uh, t-to b-be with b-bandits rather th-than keep going w-with us..."

She closes her eyes, taking another slow breath, "I-I-I... I-I w-want to, u-uhh, t-to go back h-home..."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa doesn't say anything for a moment, letting Leah get her words out. After a second, she lets out a breath. "Me too. It's all...really hard. Not everyone can see the way other people see things, y'know?" She runs a hand through her hair and twirls a strand of it. "Like, I know you care about Sass. You wanna help her. Really you wanna help everyone. And some people, they don't see that." For a moment she considers taking Leah's hand but decides against it. "Some people, though, it's not because they don't want your help or they don't want you. It's because of something else." Turning, she looks at Leah, her own tears coming down. "A lot of people...don't know how to say what they mean. It's why I learned how to paint. Because I couldn't say what I wanted, so I had to make it so everyone could see. And, um, sometimes when people are in a bad space they can't see words, and sometimes no matter what you say you can't make them see what you want."

She takes a moment to wipe her face, which doesn't stop the tears from falling. "I know you just wanna help people. And you helped me a lot! And you helped Sass too. And Sass, I don't really get Sass but I get that she wants to battle, and she wants everyone and everything to be about her battling and winning. And you help with that, but I think she has trouble seeing that that's not all you do, or I do, or anyone else does. And I don't really know Misru very well so I can't say much about her. But I know that when I needed help you were there. And you helped when we were trying to figure out what happened to Macha. And you did help Rana. And when Knotte wanted something...well okay that was different but what I mean is you do help."

She wrings her hands together and jams her clasped hands into her forehead. "Rana...I think she just wanted to be with people who were like her. And, um, as much as we wanted to help her we didn't really get her, and, um, what she could do." Alyssa looks over at Leah. "But we did more than anyone else. You did. To be honest, I, um, I don't know if I would have helped her if you hadn't." She jams her hands into her eyes. "Sorry, not about me. But what I mean is that you do help people, and sometimes they go other ways. And, um, I'm gonna help you with whatever you want. And, um, I guess I have no idea if what I'm saying is helping or not I'm just saying a lot because I care about you."

Athe, who flew off when Alyssa sat down, doubles back to the inn to find Saura and Maggie and inform them of the situation as far as he saw. He'll suggest for them to wait there while he checks in, and goes back off to spy on Alyssa and Leah, watching from far away so as not to disturb them.

[Comissar]

Leah is silent throughout Alyssa's speech, remaining hunched over with her arms around her legs. In contrast to Alyssa's tears, Leah is blank faced. When Alyssa finishes, Leah grips her legs a little tighter, her knuckles whitening. Wordlessly, she leans into Alyssa, remaining next to her quietly for a time before she next speaks, "... I-I-I'd like to, u-uh, to be a-alone for, uh, for a bit... Please..."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa doesn't move when Leah leans in, letting her tears work themselves out for a bit. When Leah finally speaks, Alyssa doesn't respond for a moment. Then she wipes her face, takes a second, and nods. "Okay. I'm gonna, um, go to my therapy, and, um, if you wanna talk call me? I guess." After a moment waiting for a response, Alyssa gets up, dusts herself off, takes a deep breath and sighs, and makes a sharp whistle. "I know you're there, Athe."

A bit sheepish at being discovered, Athe flies down and lands on Alyssa's shoulder, where she ruffles his feathers as she leaves Leah. "I guess we better go find Maggie and make sure she hasn't gotten into any trouble."

[Hazuki]

Fortunately for Alyssa, Maggie and Saura both did as they were instructed and remained within the lobby of the inn. Maggie has taken to sitting on top of the counter, her little legs dangling as she fiddles with a quill. Saura, meanwhile, has just started to nap on the floor in front of the counter, her bulb opening and closing slightly with every breath.

~

Meanwhile, Leah is left alone in the shadow of a random wall in a random street. The foot traffic is minimal, and those that do pass her seem too busy to stop. She knows that she's not quite in the central district, but close enough that the crowds of foreigners and market-goers has thinned. The minutes drag on until eventually someone does notice her.

A woman wrapped in a ratty brown traveler's cloak slows her meandering pace and cranes her head to look at Leah. Her face is almost entirely covered by the baggy hood and the wrap that covers her from the eyes down. Her pace slows down even more obviously, until she crouches down beside Leah and gently prods her shoulder.

"You...look like a girl in need of some fortune," she says in a scratchy whisper, looming over Leah despite her crouch and slumped shoulders. "I can read yours, if you like. First one's free."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles as she comes upon Maggie and Saura, though her face is still stained from her earlier tears. "Hey Maggie, hey Saura, how are you doing? Leah said she wanted some time alone, do you mind waiting here? I can let you into our room if you need." She picks up Maggie and heads off towards her room to leave some things behind.

[Hazuki]

Saura wakes up upon being addressed, and stares at Leah for a moment before letting out a soft cry and padding along into the room.

Maggie quite happily lets Alyssa pick her up, wrapping one of her arms around Alyssa's shoulder. She lets out a questioning cry and points at Alyssa, which she can quite easily intuit as a question as to what she's going to do.

[Comissar]

Leah tunes out the people walking by her, her mind entirely focused inward on trying to quash the waves of anxiety. As such, by the time she becomes aware of the woman, she's not sure just how long she's been there for. Her hopes that she might just move on are dashed when she is instead engaged in conversation. She doesn't respond to the question for a time, then finally shrugs, "S-sure... W-what do, uh, w-what d-do you need me to, u-uh, t-to do..?"

[Hazuki]

"You need do nothing but agree," the woman says, as she holds a hand out about a foot from Leah's forehead, fingers splayed as she does so. "You...are far from home. Both of them! You You set off with a goal in mind, a talent to use, but now find that the burden on your shoulders is heavier than you expected. You have an affinity for the earth, the things in it, but are struggling to find grounding..." She takes a long inhale. "Two you have met, Leah; a man split in two, a matron of scorched steel, but you will find a helping hand in...a girl, but not a girl..." She snaps her fingers as though searching for an answer. "A Lady."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles at Maggie. "I gotta go to my therapy. I'll be back for you when I'm done, but, um, I need to be able to focus on getting better so I can't take care of you while I'm there." She walks into the room after Saura, careful not to overtake her to give her space to find a good place. "If you want I can leave Luna or Athe for you to play with?"

Athe, sitting on Alyssa's shoulder opposite Maggie, starts at being mentioned and hoots. He looks over at Maggie and tilts his head.

[Hazuki]

Maggie shrugs at the suggestion as she hops onto Alyssa's bed. Her gaze starts wandering around the room.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles at Maggie, watching for a bit before she claps her hands together. "Okay I'm gonna go. Don't make a mess." She gives a wave and closes the door, making sure to lock it before she heads out her therapy session.

[Comissar]

Leah's expression shifts from one of resigned disinterest to surprised disbelief, "H-How... I-I, uh, I-I didn't tell you my, uh, my name." She shifts to face her a little more head on, "A-are, uh, a-are you a psychic..? I-I, uh, I don't recognise the, uh, the people you're describing..."

[Hazuki]

Alyssa soon finds herself back in Torchwood's office. The woman looks much the same as when she last visited, though her yellow-green dress has been traded for one that's black and white.

"Good afternoon, Alyssa," she greets her, smiling. "How are you feeling, how have you been?"

~

There's the sound of air being exhaled through the nose behind the woman's mask. "Lord Bastille and Lady Thundercrag. You see, a couple is often referred to as one entity, but he lost his wife. Lady Thundercrag is a mother of many children, and has recently earned a reputation for the lightning rods she's installed in Thundercrag. That makes sense, doesn't it?"

[Comissar]

Leah nods slowly, "I-I, uh, yeah, I, uh, I suppose." She frowns, "S-so, uh, s-so another one of the, uh, the Lady's is, uh, is going to help me..?"

[Hazuki]

The woman nods a few times.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa shrugs. "To be honest, not great. My girlfriend just had a fight with a close friend and she's going through a lot and I don't know how to help, or even if I can." She looks around the room for a seat and sits down. "I didn't expect my morning to be this busy. But I still feel like I'm ready for what I have to do here?"

[Hazuki]

Torchwood smiles as Alyssa explains her mood, folding her hands together in her lap. "I'm glad that you feel comfortable enough to do what you need to do here without letting those other things get in the way. You're prepared, and focused, and that's good. We can discuss those other things once we're finished with what I had planned for this session, if you're comfortable with that."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa takes a deep breath, breathes out slowly, and nods. "I think I'd be okay with that."

[Hazuki]

Torchwood nods once. "Have you had any encounters with Dark Pokemon since our last meeting, had cause to use any of the techniques we discussed? Or else finished any of the research I recommended into them?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa shakes her head. "Um, I haven't seen any Dark Pokemon since yesterday, and, um, I was gonna go to the library but then I ran into Nika and we ended up doing some painting?" She puts a hand to her chin, trying to remember exactly what she did yesterday. "I, um, I mean to as Leah about it but we've had a lot of other things happening." She looks down, shrinking a bit.

[Comissar]

Leah's expression shifts, taking on a more frustrated countenance. "I-I don't see how she will, though... A-and... A-and how can you, uh, how can you even know she'll, uh, she'll want to..? Wh-why would I matter to a Lady..?"

[Hazuki]

"That's nothing to worry about; it has been only a day, and progressing at your own pace is the best way to achieve most things," Torchwood assures Alyssa. "Why don't you tell me about your painting with Nika?"

~

"Oh...I don't know." The woman shrugs. "Look at you, you're great. In the prime of your life. You can probably do all sorts of things. Handstands, perhaps. I once knew a girl who did a cartwheel up a tree, very impressive."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods, takes a moment to collect her thoughts, and starts. "Yeah, okay. Um, we were trying to make our own clothes, so we got a bunch of white t-shirts and got paints to put on fabric. And we were trying to make different designs, because Nika likes the clothes from Kanto?" She pauses a bit, putting a finger to her mouth and tapping a few times. "Oh, um, we did that for a while then went to get food. I, um, had some food from Kanto that I hadn't had before and Leah and I ran into Utha who I knew back when I was studying art. She's nice, but I think I maybe messed something up with her or something? She wanted to see me today but then said not to find her later so I dunno." Alyssa leans back a bit.

[Comissar]

Leah feels her mood begin to sour, "... I-I'm not, uh, not really in the mood for, uh, for being made fun of... I-I'm not a-a gymnast."

[Hazuki]

"That sounds like a lovely time. I don't think it bears much, not much at all, relevance to what you first came to me for...but I'm willing to help you with any concerns regarding Utha, if that is what you wish?" Torchwood asks.

~

"Well...I could leave you to your sitting," the woman offers. "I expect to get a second telling out of most folks, but if you've soured enough to dislike whimsy, I think my pockets are going to stay as light as they are." She pats her hip.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa shakes her head, but smiles back at Torchwood. "That's okay. I think it's something I gotta figure out myself. But thanks." Noticing her own slouching, she sits up a bit. "I, um, I don't wanna ask too much about other people you help, but, um, how was your day yesterday?"

[Comissar]

Leah raises a hand to her face, closing her eyes as she does, "I-I'm sorry, I, uh, I just... I-I'm not a-at my best right now..." She looks over to the woman again, "What, uh, what would a-a second reading be on..? You, uh, you've already told me what to, uh, to expect to come."

[Hazuki]

"My day was perfectly normal, which suits me perfectly. I had some lovely freshly-baked bread for breakfast, with some of my favorite berry jam, spoke with my clients for most of the day, and enjoyed an evening with my beloved. Thank you for asking," Torchwood replies. "I'm certain it sounds dull to someone who travels as much as you, but simple things are plenty enjoyable too, don't you think?"

~

"No trouble, and plenty! There's more than just your general fortunes to sort out, aren't there? Love life. Ways to make money. Al sorts. If there's a subject, there's a fortune, or misfortune, but I do what I can to guide folks away from the latter."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa finds herself nodding at Torchwood. "Yeah, um, actually that does sound nice. I don't mind traveling but I wouldn't mind having a good day with my girlfriend and, um, enjoying something simple like nice bread and jam." She smiles at the thought. "A normal day might be better than an exciting day sometimes."