The Heights of Londo [IC 4: Turnabout Trainers]

[tgva8889]

Alyssa is glad to let Leah carry Maggie for a time, chatting with Utha with surprising ease, oohing and aahing at appropriate moments and sharing the story of their morning as they walk.

She waves at Nika as she looks up, smiling. "Hi Nika!" Looking over the table, she examines Nika's work for a moment before pointing at the Pokeball part in her hand. "That looks like a Pokeball, but it looks a bit different?"

[Hazuki]

"It's one of the foreigner type ones!" Nika informs Alyssa with half a grin, as she points the half-shell towards her. "Some of the foreigners doing the challenge come by, they've got broken ones, or spare ones, and I tell them I make Pokeballs and they're like 'here you go'!"

[Comissar]

Leah shifts Maggie a little to a more comfortable position as she moves around to the side of the desk to get a better look at Nika's work, though politely staying out from behind it so as not to get in the way. "Very cool! Yeah, those're promotional pokéballs that, uh, that the mart's sometimes would give out." She grins, a questioning note in her voice, "How're you finding it..? Compared to, uh, to Londo balls, that is."

[Hazuki]

Maggie has spent much of the time in Leah's arm being still, not objecting but clearly not used to a non-Alyssa cuddle situation. The current situation is no different, save for her peering around Leah to watch the nurse tending to Saura.

Nika makes a thoughtful expression at Leah's question. "When it's complete, you know, not all in bits, it's like...zap! Instead of ours, which are more like poof, you know? And there are all these little things that do things that...they're the same, but not? I can figure out what they do, but they're different, like..." She taps the half-ball on the side of her head. "The difference between a boot and a sandal? Laces against straps and slipping in instead of wrapping around, but both shoes."

[Comissar]

Leah nods, "Yeah. It, uh, it took me a while to get used to the way Londo pokéballs work, it seemed so strange given how the, uh, the ones I'm used to work. I, uh, I might be able to introduce you to some people who work at, uh, at Silph Co. at some point if you were, uh, were interested..? Or Devon, too..?" Leah gives a one-shouldered shrug, "Could give you a chance to, uh, to speak with someone in pokéball design?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods along with Nika's description. "I think that makes sense? I'm not really great with technology but it certainly looks like it matches what you said." She observes the design from afar, examining the design of the unique half-ball. "Have you gotten any working already?"

[Hazuki]

"Wait, really?" Nika asks Leah, her green eyes widening. "How does...how would you do that? Are there any around here?" Her gaze flicks to Alyssa. "Well, I mean...I sort of can. I can put the bits together that are in there, but I couldn't make one by myself, not like our ones. They make them with machines, like the things that keep track of all the Pokemon and they're really complicated."

[tgva8889]

"Wow, really?" Alyssa looks at Leah for confirmation. "All of ours don't do that."

[Hazuki]

Nika nods, though she isn't who's being looked to for confirmation.

"You should be perfectly well now," the Nurse informs Saura with a smile. The little green Pokemon lets out a happy cry and immediately begins waddling back over to Leah.

[Comissar]

Leah gives a shrug and shake of her head, "I mean, uh, my parents both work for, uh, for Silph Co., and my Dad's at Whitebeam. Umm, we were gonna be heading there at, uh, at some point so you and, uh, and Sass could come too. And the, uh, the Professor works with Devon and I work for her, so I might be able to, uh, to get in the door with Devon that way..?" She gives another shrug, "It does, uh, it does mean having to move from here though and I know you, uh, you might not want to. It's your call."

She glances over to Alyssa at her question and nods her confirmation, "Yeah, they're made in factories. There's a lot of varieties and a lot of demand so, uh, so there's a lot of resources invested in, uh, in making them."

Leah turns as she hears Saura's check up is done, adjusting Maggie a little so that she can crouch down without overbalancing. Reaching out to scritch Saura's neck she grins at her Bulbasaur, "Glad you're feeling better!"

[Hazuki]

Saura happily leans into the scratches and lets out a determined cry once Leah's finishes with them.

"You know sooo many people!" Nika says, staring at the pair of girls. "Devon and Silph and the Professor... " She scratches her chin, her gaze drifting to the Nurse, who is returning her supplies to their place. "I don't know if I'd be able to go soon...but maybe? The message things, how do they work? I'd like to to be able to message this cute girl I met," she says in a sing-song voice. The Nurse's cheeks turn a little pink.

[tgva8889]

"Oh, that's cool. There's other kinds of Pokeballs? I wonder what they look like..." Alyssa thinks for a moment, then takes out her pad and starts sketching something as she sits next to Nika at the table, leaning her pad against the table as she draws.

After a moment of drawing and trying to follow the conversation, she looks up. "Oh, right. We were kinda looking for Sass, right?"

[Comissar]

Leah gives an embarrassed grin at Nika's awe, then can't help glancing over to the Nurse with a smile as she teases her. Turning her attention back to Nika, she responds "I can show you, they're, uh, they're pretty easy. And yeah, there's no rush. I can, uh, I can give you my contact details too. That way you can hang around longer than, uh, than we do if you want and we can meet up again later."

Glancing to Alyssa, Leah nods, "Ah, yeah, I don't suppose you've, uh, you've seen her recently Nika..?"

[Hazuki]

Nika nods along with Leah's statement, raising no objections at all to Alyssa leaning up against her table, then her expression falls a little when Sass is mentioned.

"Uhhh, yeah, we saw her. She came in for healing, and said that she's going to train real hard all day, then get healed and challenge Lady Diwyneb right away," Nika explains. "Then she stomped off."

[Comissar]

Leah's expression falls in sympathy with Nika's. "She's, uh, she's been headstrong for as long as I've known her... Umm... Sorry if, uh, if I'm presuming but, uh, but are you ok..?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa catches the change in mood, but doesn't intervene for the moment, instead continuing to sketch something, looking over at the Pokeball pieces on the table every so often.

[Hazuki]

"Mmm..." Nika shrugs, idly fiddling with a few parts as she thinks. "I like how passionate she is. But not when it's about something like this. When she's talking about battling Pokemon, it's good, like nothing can stop her. But if you can't stop her being angry at you, it feels bad."

[Comissar]

Leah sighs and nods, "Yeah, uh, I can, uh, I can relate to that. I'm kinda worried that, uh, that she's just gonna blow up at me again but, uh, but I still want to try and smooth things over."

[Hazuki]

"Mmm...I guess you can hang out here until she comes back?" Nika suggests, rolling a small part between her fingers. "She has to get her Pokemon healed and she's not the kind of person who'll leave them here for long."

[Comissar]

Leah nods, "Yeah, ok, that sounds like a plan. If, uh, if that's ok with you two..?" She turns to Alyssa and Utha, "I don't know how long she'll be so, uh, so if you wanted to go do something else I can, uh, I can come find you with Sass if you let me know where you're going..?"

[Hazuki]

Utha, who has politely remained out of the conversation about a stranger, makes a thinking noise as she cradles her Espurr in her uninjured arm. "She sounds like quite an energetic person. Would she stay here long enough for you to find us? I've become quite used to staying in the domains of healers, so a sit down and a conversation wouldn't be unwelcome at all."

[tgva8889]

Not looking up from her pad, Alyssa says "I don't mind waiting here." Then she looks up at Leah. "Though I think it might be good for us to stay together if you're going to look for her. I, uh, don't think looking for her is gonna be good though. If she's still angry she probably won't stop for you."

[Comissar]

Leah lets out a breath and nods, "Yeah, ok, waiting here works." She turns back to Nika, "I, uh, I can try and answer any questions about tech you have while we ait if you want..?"

[Hazuki]

What follows is a series of tech questions that come with questions, and between the answers a couple more questions slip in. Almost all of them are from Nika, who listens diligently, apparently even forgetting the tech parts that sit around her as she does. Utha finds a comfortable spot to sit with her Espurr and chat with Alyssa, while Maggie does her best to get into Alyssa's arms and Saura chills out in the vicinity of the Nurse, who does her job of tending to the trainers and labour Pokemon who come in for minor treatments.

And then! The door of the center opens. Sass is already walking in, a bruised but confident Yrael stalking alongside her. She's all of two steps in when she sees not just Nika and the Nurse, but Leah, Alyssa, and their Pokemon all standing there. Her steps slow as a scowl comes to her face, but don't stop even when she reaches the Nurse and places her Pokeballs on the table. Silently.

[Comissar]

Leah does her best to answer Nika's questions, leaning toward honesty when she doesn't have an answer or is uncertain on the details, but overall happy to engage with her. She ends up losing track of time within the conversation, the arrival of Sass bringing her back to the room. She feels an unexpectedly strong twist of emotion in her chest as Sass breaks into a scowl. Her plan to simply offer Utha's help suddenly felt half-baked. She closes her eyes for a moment and forces herself to turn and face Sass as the young girl approaches the Nurse, doing her best to recall the advice the fortuneteller gave her as she did.

"Sass..." Leah found her words failing her in the face of her own welling emotions and Sass' clear irritation at finding everyone at the pokécenter. Clenching her fist, she forces the words out, "I... I-I want to see you win, Sass. I want to help you get to, uh, to get to your goal. Alyssa has, uh, has a friend who's offered to help train you." She hesitates, words catching a moment, then continues, "I-If you, uh... I-If you don't want the help, that's fine. I... I just don't want you to keep hating me."

[Hazuki]

Leah feels Saura sitting right next to her, the little green Pokemon's head butting comfortingly against her calf.

When Leah starts speaking, Sass' eyes latch on to her. They stay there even when Utha is mentioned, hard as steel. But when she says the final thing, there's a moment where they break, shooting to the floor, to Yrael, then back to Leah with a softened scowl and a purse to her lips.

"I don't..." Her scratchy voice falters for a second as the Nurse pointedly goes about healing her Pokemon. "Hate you. You're just...it's..." Her hand clenches into a fist. "It's annoying. The stuff. With my brother and then you and Alyssa and then Nika and that girl! Everyone keeps going to do that stuff, the kissing stuff." Her voice isn't angry, but frustratated.

[Comissar]

Leah's expression falls as she finds herself unsure of what to say to Sass. Saura's encouraging presence helps her to try anyway, "I... I'm not, uh, not going to leave you unless you want me to. I, uh, I also don't want to, uh, to leave Alyssa, though." She rubs behind her neck, glancing over at Nika, then back to Sass, "I, uh, I don't want to choose between supporting you and, uh, and travelling with Alyssa. I... I don't want to, uh, to speak for Nika, but, uh, but I don't think she wants to choose either."

[Hazuki]

Nika shakes her head in agreement with Leah, slipping off of the table she'd been perched on. "I think you're great! And you're only gonna get better!"

"I-I think so, too," the Nurse adds quietly. "I don't know you well, but Nika says how amazing you are. And Yrael..." Her head, straining under the pressure of eye contact, drifts to the Sylveon by Sass' feet, ears perked . "Yrael proves it. It takes love to raise a Sylveon. A-And that love hasn't stopped you from wanting to keep your friends..."

The stubborn set of Sass' jaw softens as her gaze flicks between the girls gathered before her. She makes a noise halfway between a grunt and a thinking noise. "If you still want to spend time with and support me and stuff, how do I know that? You might just be saying it!"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa doesn't let Maggie into her arms for a bit, as she's busy drawing various designs for Pokeballs, some of which are completely unrealistic but a few of the simpler ones look nice (though she of course has no idea how to make any of them). After a bit she lets Maggie climb into her arms, figuring out how to sketch around her for a bit.

"We wouldn't be here waiting for you if we didn't want to support you." Alyssa sets her pad down on the table and, putting her arms around Maggie so she doesn't fall, stands and looks Sass in the eyes. "There's a lot of other things we could be doing. But we wanted to be here, for you. We just want to help you."

[Hazuki]

Sass goes through a fully-body pause that seems to stretch to the whole room.


"You can't just...say that," she mutters as she crouches down just enough to pet Yrael between the ears. "I don't believe it unless you promise it's true. You have to promise."