The brightly dressed girl known as Rakaya hummed an upbeat and cheerful tune as she wandered down the sidewalks of Saffron City. Her destination was nearby grocery market. Among her new, small, streetbound family she was the only one with any knowledge of how to cook, so apparently this meant she was the one who was to do the shopping as well. Kaya wasn’t personally convinced it made much sense but she wasn’t about to argue it, she was happy to do it after all. This week had been a rough one however and her pocket felt even lighter than usual, she wasn’t sure she would be able to get much of anything at all from the market but, perhaps she’d get lucky with a sale today. Feeling hopeful she smiled and nodded to herself before adjusting her hat and picking up her pace a bit.
The market was only about a block away now but Kaya came to a slow stop as she came upon a set of vending machines outside of some sort of convenience store. She addressed the garishly designed machines with a low hum of thought, she could remember more than one occasion in her past where she dropped a coin and it rolled under the machine or the lucky times when someone forgot their change in the little coin dropper. Taking a quick glance up and down the sidewalk Rakaya knelt down and poked her finger into the little compartment and felt around for the cold sensation of any abandoned coinage. Nothing. She heaved a sigh as neither of the machines yielded a result. After a few more moments of internal debate she sighed and set her bag down before getting down on the ground herself to try and peek under the machines. It looked dirty and the lack of light made seeing much of anything quite difficult, Rakaya however was a determined girl and so she stuck her hand under and began to pat around all the while hoping no one would walk by and question her actions. The last thing she wanted was any attention from the Officer Jenny person.
Victoria had no real leads to go on. All she knew is that there were three homeless children trying to scrape by. With a soft sigh as she exited the alleyways, not spotting anyone through the path she had taken, she asked her Kecleon rhetorically, "What would I be doing if I were homeless in Saffron City?" His ears perked up from his half-sleepy state, only to shrug and climb up around her shoulders. There were plenty of places to rob, but how far could a kid get, exactly? All sorts of possible scenarios went through her mind, but what really was occuring took her by surprise. She spotted a girl in bright, though somewhat dirty, clothing with a rather large hat. She was fiddling around with a vending machine, at first checking the coin return slot for any remnants, then searching the ground at near face level after coming up with nothing. The woman raised an eyebrow at this sight, stepping forth to confront this child. It was highly possible that she was one of the three that Yonah mentioned.
It was rather quiet in the area around them, but she still managed to approach with her light footwear and rather diminutive stature. The sound that would alert the hatted girl to Victoria's presence, however, was the dropping of a few coins into the machine. "Go on. Pick what you like, child. You must be really thirsty to be dirtying your clothes in search of coins." An act of generosity would hopefully get her attention. It's not like she was committing a crime like Yonah was, so there was no real need to assert any kind of force. And besides, she would really only need a minute of her time to figure out if she was one of the children she sought after.
Rakaya sighed as retrieved her hand from under the machine, in the end all she was able to find was some dirt. She began to rub her hand off on her pants when the sound of coins being inserted into the machine near her caused the girl to startle and quickly move up to her feet. With her back to the cold glass she blinked as she looked to the woman who had materialized behind her. Kaya’s mind churned slowly as she searched for an answer, her parents and even her friends here in Saffron had told her to be wary of strangers. In an attempt to buy some time she adjusted her hat some, taking the moment to glance around, there was still no one in sight. She fidgeted slightly as she mentally despaired, why couldn’t someone be walking by now, someone she could pretend to be meeting or something.
It was only after her bit of mental panic and startling subsiding that she had really registered what the woman said to her. She took a quick glance over her shoulder at the contents in the machine, in truth she had never intended to purchase anything from it but, if she was going to get something for free she wasn’t going to complain. Taking quick stock of the options available she finally turned her attention back to the woman and spoke, ”Um, just, this water here would be fine, thank you ma’am.” She jabbed her finger in a point towards the largest, cheapest bottle of water available. It certainly didn’t much compare to the other treats in the machine but it would certainly be of the most help to her little group. She took a few steps away from the machine so that she was no longer blocking it, she kept quiet after that though. To Rakaya adults were dangerous and talking to them longer than absolutely necessary was something to be avoided, she had been away from home this long she wasn’t about to be sent back by some big-mouthed adult.
Some might consider it intrusion, but the girl's panicked thoughts were hard not to hear. She even detected a familiar presence within her thoughts. One that she recognized as the young girl she had met earlier, Yonah. The woman smile, looking into the eyes of the girl that were just an inch below hers. "You're welcome." Was all she said at first as she watched the girl pick an item from the machine. Just a cheap bottle of water. That made Victoria raise her eyebrow once again. If she were a homeless poor child, she might have chosen the more expensive drink. A tasty one at that. Had she not... "accidentally" stumbled across the thought that it was for her friends, she would have mulled that over for a while, wondering why that was so.
"You seem very mature for someone of your age." She spoke again as her Kecleon decided it was time to climb around back onto her chest. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that he climbed back onto his pillows... Regardless, she held him there like the child he acted like. "A bit more so than your friend Yonah..." Her voice had a touch of amusement to it, though given her tired-looking, dark demeanor, it may or may not have come off as ill intent. "I caught her vandalizing someone's property a moment ago. I sent her on her way, though. She really is an excitable girl, isn't she?" She sighed softly, as if recalling a fond memory from years ago rather than something that happened but minutes before then. "Sorry if that was out of place, child. Your friend just happened to catch my interest. I probably seem like a real creep." The fact that Rakaya was already looking like she was going to make a break for it seemed to confirm that she wasn't trusted.
Some coins fell into the change slot with soft clitter-clattering noises. She slowly held up a slender, pale hand and motioned for her to take it. "Take the change. From what I hear, you need it." Before waiting for Rakaya to do anything, she spoke again. "I know you don't trust me... I understand that. It's fine. But if you are willing to lend me a minute of your time, I promise to make it worthwhile. If not, well... Yonah is bound to tell you anyway."
Brown eyes wandered over the woman’s figure as she pressed the buttons on the machine to select the bottle of water Kaya had pointed out moments ago. The woman’s appearance was a bit curious to the girl, something about her was familiar though she couldn’t quite place her finger on it. Her clothing was… ‘Unique’ and her skin pale, all in all it gave her beauty that was slightly eerie. The pokeballs around her waist and the Kecleon that lazed upon her shoulders clearly indicated that she was a pokemon trainer of some sort. Kaya felt a tinge of envy at the sight, trainers received free housing and food, something her and her friends needed dearly, and got to travel the land with their pokemon companions. It was exactly the sort of thing she had always wanted to try.
Her little reverie however was cut short as the woman finally spoke up once more. Her eyes glanced up from the comfy looking pillows the Kecleon now rested on and to the woman’s face. Kaya’s head inclined to side at her words, she wasn’t sure what to make of them so she uttered a simple ”Thank you ma’am.”. The words that followed however gave the poor girl yet another start. How did this woman know Yonah? And did she know they were friends. The suspicion the girl felt towards the woman only boiled up and grew as her expression became more serious and her eyes more focused. ‘Caught her’ ‘Sent her on her way’? What did that mean? The worst of scenarios immediately popped into her mind as she took a step back, ”You got that right.”
Kaya’s eyes darted at the change slot for a moment as the woman gestured towards it. She wasn’t about to step up to machine until this woman had left. She wasn’t sure what this woman wanted with her or her friends but she had so far been given nothing but bad feelings from the woman. Her words gave the impression that Yonah was fine and this was a slight relief but still, Kaya stood her ground, waiting for the woman to continue or to leave.
There was certainly a lot for Victoria to pick up on this time. The most interesting thought being that she was envious of her Pokémon training... She would be lying if she siad she didn't feel a touch of pride at this. Perhaps... that was a possible answer. Though she would need a little more thorough study of these kids to even consider that. "I see you're not quick to trust even those who show you some kindness..." She spoke somewhat somberly. "I do not know what the world has done to someone so young as you or your friends, but I'm sorry for it." She knew her apology had no real meaning. It was more of a courtesy than a direct apology. Taking the Kecleon off of her chest, she set him down and nudged him to walk to Rakaya. The lazy Pokémon made some slow steps closer to her, but stopped to fall right on his rear end and look up to the hatted girl, giving a wave. "But life goes on and things do get better. I promise you that." She was sure that this girl had no interest in hearing a lecture, and to be fair, she didn't want to give one. But she just spoke as words came to her. An unfortunate side effect of being so into this.
"I wanted to buy Yonah some food. She spray painted a man's wall because he wouldn't give her table scraps. I told her to meet me outside of the Pokémon center at sunset. I'm going to buy her dinner. But she really seemed interested in making sure her two friends ate as well." She stepped closer, just close enough to pick the lizard back up. "So of course the offer extends to you. This is my hometown and I, too, went without a home for a while. I don't like seeing kids suffer." She took a step back to assure Rakaya that she was aware of her distrust. "Ultimately, the choice is yours. It is smart not to trust a stranger, yes? But if you're interested in having a warm meal tonight- a real meal, not one from the trash- then arrive with Yonah. Even if only for a night, I'd like for you and your friends to just... take a break. Get off the streets for a few hours." Nodding, she steps back again. "And I won't take any more of your time. Unless you've anything you want to ask, that is. I won't ask for any more."
The strange woman continued on. The longer their interaction went on the more Rakaya got the feeling the woman had no ill-intent, at least at the moment, but her mentioning Yonah still made the young girl uneasy and more than a little bit creeped out. Rakaya however had nothing to say in reply to the woman’s words, she simply watching silently as she set the lizard onto the ground. The lazy thing barely made a quarter of the way before sitting and waving in Kaya’s direction. A brow arched up as she looked at the thing, it was cute in its own sort of way and Rakaya’s expression softened slightly at the gesture from the little pokemon.
Her gaze raises back up to the woman as she finally speaks in reply, ”I know that, that’s why I’m still out here and trying my best.” She gave a nod after she spoke as she returned a small wave to the little green thing before it was scooped up once more by the woman. Kaya could only sigh at the news that Yonah had been found while vandalizing some shop, she wasn’t even sure where she could have gotten the spray paint for such a thing but regardless, she was going to get a bit of a talking to once they were all back home. She tried her best to keep her stomach from rumbling as the woman detailed her plan to offer the three of them a warm meal, the thought of such a thing was perhaps the most tantalizing thing she’d heard in ages.
”Well...” She shifted a bit as she straightened her posture some and addressed the woman, ”If Yonah is going I don’t have much of a choice either way, and it would be an absolute lie if I said I didn’t want a meal like that so...” She steps up to the machine to retrieve the bottle of water and the bit of change left over. She stuffs the change in her pocket and the bottle into her backpack before adjusting her hat and looking back to the pale woman. ”I will be there, tonight. But, if this is some kind of trick… I hope you know, none of us will ever forgive you.” She gives a quick glance at her watch before taking a step away, ”I hope you turn out to be a good lady, I really do. Thank you again for the water and have a good day ma’am.” With that, she waves in farewell and begins to jog down the road towards the market.
She nodded and gave a wave to the girl who walked away. She had made some kind of breakthrough with her at the very least. They all can't be as easy to talk with as Yonah was, after all. Taking the Kecleon under its arms, she raised him up into the air and looked at him with a playful expression. "I'm not a bad lady, am I, Ginta?" The Kecleon replied with a yawn and shook his head slowly. Victoria just chuckled and returned him back to where he wanted to be. "Well, they'll all see tonight. For now, I suppose we should go looking for the boy. It's a shame I forgot to ask about his whereabouts again... I'm so forgetful." She decided another look around the alleyways couldn't hurt as she turned back around and entered the alley she had exited out of before. Unfortunately, neither of them had disclosed his name in their thoughts, so finding him would certainly prove to be a little more difficult. Then again, maybe the universe would deliver him unto her like it had done with Rakaya. For now, she just let pure instinct guide her as she moved throughout the system of back alleys in search of the final homeless child.
The market was only about a block away now but Kaya came to a slow stop as she came upon a set of vending machines outside of some sort of convenience store. She addressed the garishly designed machines with a low hum of thought, she could remember more than one occasion in her past where she dropped a coin and it rolled under the machine or the lucky times when someone forgot their change in the little coin dropper. Taking a quick glance up and down the sidewalk Rakaya knelt down and poked her finger into the little compartment and felt around for the cold sensation of any abandoned coinage. Nothing. She heaved a sigh as neither of the machines yielded a result. After a few more moments of internal debate she sighed and set her bag down before getting down on the ground herself to try and peek under the machines. It looked dirty and the lack of light made seeing much of anything quite difficult, Rakaya however was a determined girl and so she stuck her hand under and began to pat around all the while hoping no one would walk by and question her actions. The last thing she wanted was any attention from the Officer Jenny person.
Victoria had no real leads to go on. All she knew is that there were three homeless children trying to scrape by. With a soft sigh as she exited the alleyways, not spotting anyone through the path she had taken, she asked her Kecleon rhetorically, "What would I be doing if I were homeless in Saffron City?" His ears perked up from his half-sleepy state, only to shrug and climb up around her shoulders. There were plenty of places to rob, but how far could a kid get, exactly? All sorts of possible scenarios went through her mind, but what really was occuring took her by surprise. She spotted a girl in bright, though somewhat dirty, clothing with a rather large hat. She was fiddling around with a vending machine, at first checking the coin return slot for any remnants, then searching the ground at near face level after coming up with nothing. The woman raised an eyebrow at this sight, stepping forth to confront this child. It was highly possible that she was one of the three that Yonah mentioned.
It was rather quiet in the area around them, but she still managed to approach with her light footwear and rather diminutive stature. The sound that would alert the hatted girl to Victoria's presence, however, was the dropping of a few coins into the machine. "Go on. Pick what you like, child. You must be really thirsty to be dirtying your clothes in search of coins." An act of generosity would hopefully get her attention. It's not like she was committing a crime like Yonah was, so there was no real need to assert any kind of force. And besides, she would really only need a minute of her time to figure out if she was one of the children she sought after.
Rakaya sighed as retrieved her hand from under the machine, in the end all she was able to find was some dirt. She began to rub her hand off on her pants when the sound of coins being inserted into the machine near her caused the girl to startle and quickly move up to her feet. With her back to the cold glass she blinked as she looked to the woman who had materialized behind her. Kaya’s mind churned slowly as she searched for an answer, her parents and even her friends here in Saffron had told her to be wary of strangers. In an attempt to buy some time she adjusted her hat some, taking the moment to glance around, there was still no one in sight. She fidgeted slightly as she mentally despaired, why couldn’t someone be walking by now, someone she could pretend to be meeting or something.
It was only after her bit of mental panic and startling subsiding that she had really registered what the woman said to her. She took a quick glance over her shoulder at the contents in the machine, in truth she had never intended to purchase anything from it but, if she was going to get something for free she wasn’t going to complain. Taking quick stock of the options available she finally turned her attention back to the woman and spoke, ”Um, just, this water here would be fine, thank you ma’am.” She jabbed her finger in a point towards the largest, cheapest bottle of water available. It certainly didn’t much compare to the other treats in the machine but it would certainly be of the most help to her little group. She took a few steps away from the machine so that she was no longer blocking it, she kept quiet after that though. To Rakaya adults were dangerous and talking to them longer than absolutely necessary was something to be avoided, she had been away from home this long she wasn’t about to be sent back by some big-mouthed adult.
Some might consider it intrusion, but the girl's panicked thoughts were hard not to hear. She even detected a familiar presence within her thoughts. One that she recognized as the young girl she had met earlier, Yonah. The woman smile, looking into the eyes of the girl that were just an inch below hers. "You're welcome." Was all she said at first as she watched the girl pick an item from the machine. Just a cheap bottle of water. That made Victoria raise her eyebrow once again. If she were a homeless poor child, she might have chosen the more expensive drink. A tasty one at that. Had she not... "accidentally" stumbled across the thought that it was for her friends, she would have mulled that over for a while, wondering why that was so.
"You seem very mature for someone of your age." She spoke again as her Kecleon decided it was time to climb around back onto her chest. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that he climbed back onto his pillows... Regardless, she held him there like the child he acted like. "A bit more so than your friend Yonah..." Her voice had a touch of amusement to it, though given her tired-looking, dark demeanor, it may or may not have come off as ill intent. "I caught her vandalizing someone's property a moment ago. I sent her on her way, though. She really is an excitable girl, isn't she?" She sighed softly, as if recalling a fond memory from years ago rather than something that happened but minutes before then. "Sorry if that was out of place, child. Your friend just happened to catch my interest. I probably seem like a real creep." The fact that Rakaya was already looking like she was going to make a break for it seemed to confirm that she wasn't trusted.
Some coins fell into the change slot with soft clitter-clattering noises. She slowly held up a slender, pale hand and motioned for her to take it. "Take the change. From what I hear, you need it." Before waiting for Rakaya to do anything, she spoke again. "I know you don't trust me... I understand that. It's fine. But if you are willing to lend me a minute of your time, I promise to make it worthwhile. If not, well... Yonah is bound to tell you anyway."
Brown eyes wandered over the woman’s figure as she pressed the buttons on the machine to select the bottle of water Kaya had pointed out moments ago. The woman’s appearance was a bit curious to the girl, something about her was familiar though she couldn’t quite place her finger on it. Her clothing was… ‘Unique’ and her skin pale, all in all it gave her beauty that was slightly eerie. The pokeballs around her waist and the Kecleon that lazed upon her shoulders clearly indicated that she was a pokemon trainer of some sort. Kaya felt a tinge of envy at the sight, trainers received free housing and food, something her and her friends needed dearly, and got to travel the land with their pokemon companions. It was exactly the sort of thing she had always wanted to try.
Her little reverie however was cut short as the woman finally spoke up once more. Her eyes glanced up from the comfy looking pillows the Kecleon now rested on and to the woman’s face. Kaya’s head inclined to side at her words, she wasn’t sure what to make of them so she uttered a simple ”Thank you ma’am.”. The words that followed however gave the poor girl yet another start. How did this woman know Yonah? And did she know they were friends. The suspicion the girl felt towards the woman only boiled up and grew as her expression became more serious and her eyes more focused. ‘Caught her’ ‘Sent her on her way’? What did that mean? The worst of scenarios immediately popped into her mind as she took a step back, ”You got that right.”
Kaya’s eyes darted at the change slot for a moment as the woman gestured towards it. She wasn’t about to step up to machine until this woman had left. She wasn’t sure what this woman wanted with her or her friends but she had so far been given nothing but bad feelings from the woman. Her words gave the impression that Yonah was fine and this was a slight relief but still, Kaya stood her ground, waiting for the woman to continue or to leave.
There was certainly a lot for Victoria to pick up on this time. The most interesting thought being that she was envious of her Pokémon training... She would be lying if she siad she didn't feel a touch of pride at this. Perhaps... that was a possible answer. Though she would need a little more thorough study of these kids to even consider that. "I see you're not quick to trust even those who show you some kindness..." She spoke somewhat somberly. "I do not know what the world has done to someone so young as you or your friends, but I'm sorry for it." She knew her apology had no real meaning. It was more of a courtesy than a direct apology. Taking the Kecleon off of her chest, she set him down and nudged him to walk to Rakaya. The lazy Pokémon made some slow steps closer to her, but stopped to fall right on his rear end and look up to the hatted girl, giving a wave. "But life goes on and things do get better. I promise you that." She was sure that this girl had no interest in hearing a lecture, and to be fair, she didn't want to give one. But she just spoke as words came to her. An unfortunate side effect of being so into this.
"I wanted to buy Yonah some food. She spray painted a man's wall because he wouldn't give her table scraps. I told her to meet me outside of the Pokémon center at sunset. I'm going to buy her dinner. But she really seemed interested in making sure her two friends ate as well." She stepped closer, just close enough to pick the lizard back up. "So of course the offer extends to you. This is my hometown and I, too, went without a home for a while. I don't like seeing kids suffer." She took a step back to assure Rakaya that she was aware of her distrust. "Ultimately, the choice is yours. It is smart not to trust a stranger, yes? But if you're interested in having a warm meal tonight- a real meal, not one from the trash- then arrive with Yonah. Even if only for a night, I'd like for you and your friends to just... take a break. Get off the streets for a few hours." Nodding, she steps back again. "And I won't take any more of your time. Unless you've anything you want to ask, that is. I won't ask for any more."
The strange woman continued on. The longer their interaction went on the more Rakaya got the feeling the woman had no ill-intent, at least at the moment, but her mentioning Yonah still made the young girl uneasy and more than a little bit creeped out. Rakaya however had nothing to say in reply to the woman’s words, she simply watching silently as she set the lizard onto the ground. The lazy thing barely made a quarter of the way before sitting and waving in Kaya’s direction. A brow arched up as she looked at the thing, it was cute in its own sort of way and Rakaya’s expression softened slightly at the gesture from the little pokemon.
Her gaze raises back up to the woman as she finally speaks in reply, ”I know that, that’s why I’m still out here and trying my best.” She gave a nod after she spoke as she returned a small wave to the little green thing before it was scooped up once more by the woman. Kaya could only sigh at the news that Yonah had been found while vandalizing some shop, she wasn’t even sure where she could have gotten the spray paint for such a thing but regardless, she was going to get a bit of a talking to once they were all back home. She tried her best to keep her stomach from rumbling as the woman detailed her plan to offer the three of them a warm meal, the thought of such a thing was perhaps the most tantalizing thing she’d heard in ages.
”Well...” She shifted a bit as she straightened her posture some and addressed the woman, ”If Yonah is going I don’t have much of a choice either way, and it would be an absolute lie if I said I didn’t want a meal like that so...” She steps up to the machine to retrieve the bottle of water and the bit of change left over. She stuffs the change in her pocket and the bottle into her backpack before adjusting her hat and looking back to the pale woman. ”I will be there, tonight. But, if this is some kind of trick… I hope you know, none of us will ever forgive you.” She gives a quick glance at her watch before taking a step away, ”I hope you turn out to be a good lady, I really do. Thank you again for the water and have a good day ma’am.” With that, she waves in farewell and begins to jog down the road towards the market.
She nodded and gave a wave to the girl who walked away. She had made some kind of breakthrough with her at the very least. They all can't be as easy to talk with as Yonah was, after all. Taking the Kecleon under its arms, she raised him up into the air and looked at him with a playful expression. "I'm not a bad lady, am I, Ginta?" The Kecleon replied with a yawn and shook his head slowly. Victoria just chuckled and returned him back to where he wanted to be. "Well, they'll all see tonight. For now, I suppose we should go looking for the boy. It's a shame I forgot to ask about his whereabouts again... I'm so forgetful." She decided another look around the alleyways couldn't hurt as she turned back around and entered the alley she had exited out of before. Unfortunately, neither of them had disclosed his name in their thoughts, so finding him would certainly prove to be a little more difficult. Then again, maybe the universe would deliver him unto her like it had done with Rakaya. For now, she just let pure instinct guide her as she moved throughout the system of back alleys in search of the final homeless child.