Elaria smiled to herself, breathing a sigh of relief. They'd reached Rustboro a little over an hour ago, and a warm bath had been the first thing she'd sought out. Erin, Ai and herself had occupied the women's side of the center while Dominik and Nasir had taken the men's side. They were probably healing up their pokémon as well, considering Nasir had just caught a sneasel not too long ago. He'd named it Joker, which Elaria thought was fitting. He was an interesting character to the group, though. Unlike Ora, who'd been rather calm and mild, Joker seemed a little more restless and energetic.
Wringing out the rest of the water from her hair, Elaria tied it back to keep it out of her face. Once she was properly clothed, she stepped out into the lobby, and frowned just slightly. There was a group of people, composed of mostly women, in a circle around someone. She could hear a few giggles and whispers, causing her to tilt her head. Was there someone famous around?
“What's going on?" she decided to ask one of the bystanders. He looked a little upset, but that was probably because the girl he was with, had joined the group of other girls.
“He's here," was the only reply she received. It wasn't the answer she was looking for, but she wasn't going to pry this man for any more information. He was clearly irritated, and she didn't want to be on the wrong end of that misplaced animosity.
“Ladies—ladies, please. I'm only here as a spectator."
Oh.
Oh, she knew that voice.
Slowly, she backed away, trying her best to not be noticed. She'd entered the lobby without drawing attention; she could certainly leave without doing so.
“Ela!" She mentally, and physically, cringed at the nickname. Slowly, she turned to face him. She wasn't exactly expecting to be pulled into a tight hug at the exact time she turned around, and was facing a head full of cyan colored strands.
"Elaria?" the new voice belonged to Ai, who must have left the bathroom just now as well. "Elaria, is this guy bothering you? Do you need me to call someone?" The way she said call someone made it sound more like punch someone, and it was obvious that she meant the man.
It made a certain amount of sense: from Ai's perspective, Elaria had just been trying to leave, then was called by a familiar name which made her wince, and pulled into a hug that probably looked very unwanted considering all of that.
As much as she was mentally cursing her situation, Elaria managed to free herself from his embrace. She shook her head at Ai, though. It would have been justified if Elaria had actually agreed, but considering who he was, it wouldn't have made much of a difference.
“Call someone? Is there someone I need to speak with!?" he sounded a little alarmed, glancing around while taking an overprotective stance in front of her. Elaria didn't bother hiding the groan that escaped her.
“'Olohe, no there isn't anyone you need to speak with, and Ai, this is Sebastian, my older brother," she stated, trying to clarify the situation. Sebastian, however, seemed pleased with the nickname she'd given him, and smiled affectionately. He really was an idiot.
“Are you a friend of Ela's?" he asked, smiling a little too brightly. Elaria just gave him a flat look. She hated that name, and he knew it.
Ai seemed to relax, tilting her head at Sebastian and then glancing between them. For siblings, they looked almost nothing alike, but she must have been able to see some resemblance, or else just took Elaria's word for it. Humming, she went back to plaiting her still-wet blond hair. "Yeah," she replied easily, smiling in that sunny way she had. "Name's Ai. You must be the coordinator brother."
“She mentioned me?" he stated, looking slightly surprised. For good reason, she supposed. “I knew you loved me," he spoke, going in for another hug. Elaria merely stepped out of the way, and stood next to Ai. “Ahem, but yes. Sebastian Stone, at your service," he stated, giving his signature bow. It was very formal, but she supposed in his line of business, he had to be charming.
“What are you doing here?" she decided to ask. He merely folded his arms against his chest, and leaned back on one leg.
“I'm here spectating contests. As the Top-Coordinator, it's my job to make appearances where new talent might appear," which was his way of saying he was bored, and he wanted to scope out the competition. Elaria just sighed and shook her head.
“Good luck with that," she stated in a flat tone. “If you don't mind, Ai and I have things we need to do, right Ai?" she spoke, though a part of her felt a little bad for putting Ai on the spot like that. She didn't want to be around her brother for longer than she had to. It wasn't that she disliked him. She loved her family a lot, but she was on her own journey, and they had a bad habit of trying to interfere. Intentionally, or not.
Ai seemed to take the hint though, finishing her braid off with an elastic and nodding like it was the most natural thing in the world. "We'd love to chat," she said, smiling apologetically, "but unfortunately we have an appointment to keep, and we've got to go pick up our pokémon if we're going to make it in time. It was nice to meet you, Sebastian." Glancing at Elaria, she nodded, making a gesture as if to invite her to lead the way.
“I'll come with!"
Elaria gave Sebastian a flat look. “Compromise." That was the only word she had to say. Sebastian pursed his lips together, but sighed heavily. “When the contests begin, I'll come see you. The chart at the front of the center said it wouldn't start until Wednesday; that gives us three days. In the mean time, you go and do what you have to do to prepare for it. And when we get ready to leave Rustboro, I'll come say goodbye, alright?" It was a generous deal, or at least to Elaria it was.
“Deal. It was nice meeting you, Ai. Make sure she stays out of trouble!" he accepted, before waving the two of them off. Elaria sighed heavily with relief.
“I'm sorry about that, Ai. Ian is... lively," it was the only word she could use to describe her brother. “I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that," she continued. Ai didn't seem to have taken it too bad, but Lia still wanted to apologize.
"Pff." Ai scoffed, waving a hand in a dismissive gesture. "That was nothing. Don't worry about it." She really did head for the counter, though, retrieving her single pokéball and attaching it to her belt. "It'll be interesting to watch the contests with an expert hanging around, too, actually."
She handed Elaria's pokéballs to her as well, smiling and thanking Nurse Joy for looking after them. "Anyway, now that you've kinda committed us to three days here at least, what do you wanna do in the meantime? I don't know what's around here except the Gym and the contest hall." She paused a moment, then pursed her lips. "Well... assuming you still want to hang out, that is. I guess you guys did get me as far as you said you would, so..."
Lia hooked her pokéballs to her belt before contemplating what Ai had said. “I'd still like to, yes," she stated. “But, oh, don't... if you guys leave before Wednesday, I could... I could always catch up. You all shouldn't have to stay because of what I did," she stated, realizing a little belatedly, what Ai had mentioned. She felt worse, now. She hadn't meant to commit any of them to her compromise. They were free to leave without her. It was nice traveling with them, Elaria would admit that.
But if they wanted to leave without her...
“I don't know what's around here, either. Rustboro is pretty large, and the contest hall and Gym are the only things I know of, too," she replied, glancing down at the floor. She had seen a few flyers on the center's door that had spoken of other contests, but she wasn't entirely sure what those were for. She knew the Coordinators flyer only because of how flashy it was. She almost suspected Ian had a hand in its design.
“Um, perhaps we could go to the Malasada shop next door? I hear they're really good replicas of Alola's," she stated. Besides, her mother made really good ones, and she was currently hungry for something a little sweet.
Ai seemed to contemplate that for a moment. "Huh. I kinda assumed you were with them on a more permanent basis than I was." Shrugging, she hummed and continued. "I mean, I doubt they'll care if you want to stay for that long, but we'll ask them when we see them, I guess. If they don't want to wait, we'll figure things out then. Also: what's a malasada?" Her pronunciation was oddly perfect, like she knew Alolan, but clearly she had no idea what the word meant, so maybe she didn't.
Lia felt her eyes light up. “They're almost like doughnuts, though they're usually made about eight at a time, and they don't have the holes. They're about the size of eggs. Traditionally, they don't have fillings or anything of that sort, but since they've become really popular over time, people have tried experimenting with them," she explained. Food and pokémon she could always talk about. It was easy, and she didn't feel so... awkward? That seemed like the right word.
“And I suppose you're right. We'll see what they say about it. Besides, I think Dominik is challenging Lee, as well. He... I don't know if he plans on doing it right away, or if he plans on training a bit beforehand. I want to see the battle between him and Lee," she admitted softly, feeling a little embarrassed. Pokémon battles were also a good way of researching pokémon and to get a good idea of how they are being raised. As a future breeder... she wanted to learn as much as she could not only from her own pokémon, but how others raised theirs.
Ai looked a little amused by something, a glint entering her robin's egg blue eyes, but she didn't say anything about what caused it, instead nodding a bit. "Well, then we'll do that. But first, malasada. Because those sound delicious and I want one. Or three." With the casual ease born of confidence, Ai looped her arm through Elaria's and smiled up at her. "This is okay, right?" She gestured with their linked elbows.
“Hm, it is," she replied, nodding her head, and smiling just a little more. Whatever unease she currently felt, it was gone. For now, she was going to go get a malasada with a friend. And that... sounded really nice.
Wringing out the rest of the water from her hair, Elaria tied it back to keep it out of her face. Once she was properly clothed, she stepped out into the lobby, and frowned just slightly. There was a group of people, composed of mostly women, in a circle around someone. She could hear a few giggles and whispers, causing her to tilt her head. Was there someone famous around?
“What's going on?" she decided to ask one of the bystanders. He looked a little upset, but that was probably because the girl he was with, had joined the group of other girls.
“He's here," was the only reply she received. It wasn't the answer she was looking for, but she wasn't going to pry this man for any more information. He was clearly irritated, and she didn't want to be on the wrong end of that misplaced animosity.
“Ladies—ladies, please. I'm only here as a spectator."
Oh.
Oh, she knew that voice.
Slowly, she backed away, trying her best to not be noticed. She'd entered the lobby without drawing attention; she could certainly leave without doing so.
“Ela!" She mentally, and physically, cringed at the nickname. Slowly, she turned to face him. She wasn't exactly expecting to be pulled into a tight hug at the exact time she turned around, and was facing a head full of cyan colored strands.
"Elaria?" the new voice belonged to Ai, who must have left the bathroom just now as well. "Elaria, is this guy bothering you? Do you need me to call someone?" The way she said call someone made it sound more like punch someone, and it was obvious that she meant the man.
It made a certain amount of sense: from Ai's perspective, Elaria had just been trying to leave, then was called by a familiar name which made her wince, and pulled into a hug that probably looked very unwanted considering all of that.
As much as she was mentally cursing her situation, Elaria managed to free herself from his embrace. She shook her head at Ai, though. It would have been justified if Elaria had actually agreed, but considering who he was, it wouldn't have made much of a difference.
“Call someone? Is there someone I need to speak with!?" he sounded a little alarmed, glancing around while taking an overprotective stance in front of her. Elaria didn't bother hiding the groan that escaped her.
“'Olohe, no there isn't anyone you need to speak with, and Ai, this is Sebastian, my older brother," she stated, trying to clarify the situation. Sebastian, however, seemed pleased with the nickname she'd given him, and smiled affectionately. He really was an idiot.
“Are you a friend of Ela's?" he asked, smiling a little too brightly. Elaria just gave him a flat look. She hated that name, and he knew it.
Ai seemed to relax, tilting her head at Sebastian and then glancing between them. For siblings, they looked almost nothing alike, but she must have been able to see some resemblance, or else just took Elaria's word for it. Humming, she went back to plaiting her still-wet blond hair. "Yeah," she replied easily, smiling in that sunny way she had. "Name's Ai. You must be the coordinator brother."
“She mentioned me?" he stated, looking slightly surprised. For good reason, she supposed. “I knew you loved me," he spoke, going in for another hug. Elaria merely stepped out of the way, and stood next to Ai. “Ahem, but yes. Sebastian Stone, at your service," he stated, giving his signature bow. It was very formal, but she supposed in his line of business, he had to be charming.
“What are you doing here?" she decided to ask. He merely folded his arms against his chest, and leaned back on one leg.
“I'm here spectating contests. As the Top-Coordinator, it's my job to make appearances where new talent might appear," which was his way of saying he was bored, and he wanted to scope out the competition. Elaria just sighed and shook her head.
“Good luck with that," she stated in a flat tone. “If you don't mind, Ai and I have things we need to do, right Ai?" she spoke, though a part of her felt a little bad for putting Ai on the spot like that. She didn't want to be around her brother for longer than she had to. It wasn't that she disliked him. She loved her family a lot, but she was on her own journey, and they had a bad habit of trying to interfere. Intentionally, or not.
Ai seemed to take the hint though, finishing her braid off with an elastic and nodding like it was the most natural thing in the world. "We'd love to chat," she said, smiling apologetically, "but unfortunately we have an appointment to keep, and we've got to go pick up our pokémon if we're going to make it in time. It was nice to meet you, Sebastian." Glancing at Elaria, she nodded, making a gesture as if to invite her to lead the way.
“I'll come with!"
Elaria gave Sebastian a flat look. “Compromise." That was the only word she had to say. Sebastian pursed his lips together, but sighed heavily. “When the contests begin, I'll come see you. The chart at the front of the center said it wouldn't start until Wednesday; that gives us three days. In the mean time, you go and do what you have to do to prepare for it. And when we get ready to leave Rustboro, I'll come say goodbye, alright?" It was a generous deal, or at least to Elaria it was.
“Deal. It was nice meeting you, Ai. Make sure she stays out of trouble!" he accepted, before waving the two of them off. Elaria sighed heavily with relief.
“I'm sorry about that, Ai. Ian is... lively," it was the only word she could use to describe her brother. “I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that," she continued. Ai didn't seem to have taken it too bad, but Lia still wanted to apologize.
"Pff." Ai scoffed, waving a hand in a dismissive gesture. "That was nothing. Don't worry about it." She really did head for the counter, though, retrieving her single pokéball and attaching it to her belt. "It'll be interesting to watch the contests with an expert hanging around, too, actually."
She handed Elaria's pokéballs to her as well, smiling and thanking Nurse Joy for looking after them. "Anyway, now that you've kinda committed us to three days here at least, what do you wanna do in the meantime? I don't know what's around here except the Gym and the contest hall." She paused a moment, then pursed her lips. "Well... assuming you still want to hang out, that is. I guess you guys did get me as far as you said you would, so..."
Lia hooked her pokéballs to her belt before contemplating what Ai had said. “I'd still like to, yes," she stated. “But, oh, don't... if you guys leave before Wednesday, I could... I could always catch up. You all shouldn't have to stay because of what I did," she stated, realizing a little belatedly, what Ai had mentioned. She felt worse, now. She hadn't meant to commit any of them to her compromise. They were free to leave without her. It was nice traveling with them, Elaria would admit that.
But if they wanted to leave without her...
“I don't know what's around here, either. Rustboro is pretty large, and the contest hall and Gym are the only things I know of, too," she replied, glancing down at the floor. She had seen a few flyers on the center's door that had spoken of other contests, but she wasn't entirely sure what those were for. She knew the Coordinators flyer only because of how flashy it was. She almost suspected Ian had a hand in its design.
“Um, perhaps we could go to the Malasada shop next door? I hear they're really good replicas of Alola's," she stated. Besides, her mother made really good ones, and she was currently hungry for something a little sweet.
Ai seemed to contemplate that for a moment. "Huh. I kinda assumed you were with them on a more permanent basis than I was." Shrugging, she hummed and continued. "I mean, I doubt they'll care if you want to stay for that long, but we'll ask them when we see them, I guess. If they don't want to wait, we'll figure things out then. Also: what's a malasada?" Her pronunciation was oddly perfect, like she knew Alolan, but clearly she had no idea what the word meant, so maybe she didn't.
Lia felt her eyes light up. “They're almost like doughnuts, though they're usually made about eight at a time, and they don't have the holes. They're about the size of eggs. Traditionally, they don't have fillings or anything of that sort, but since they've become really popular over time, people have tried experimenting with them," she explained. Food and pokémon she could always talk about. It was easy, and she didn't feel so... awkward? That seemed like the right word.
“And I suppose you're right. We'll see what they say about it. Besides, I think Dominik is challenging Lee, as well. He... I don't know if he plans on doing it right away, or if he plans on training a bit beforehand. I want to see the battle between him and Lee," she admitted softly, feeling a little embarrassed. Pokémon battles were also a good way of researching pokémon and to get a good idea of how they are being raised. As a future breeder... she wanted to learn as much as she could not only from her own pokémon, but how others raised theirs.
Ai looked a little amused by something, a glint entering her robin's egg blue eyes, but she didn't say anything about what caused it, instead nodding a bit. "Well, then we'll do that. But first, malasada. Because those sound delicious and I want one. Or three." With the casual ease born of confidence, Ai looped her arm through Elaria's and smiled up at her. "This is okay, right?" She gestured with their linked elbows.
“Hm, it is," she replied, nodding her head, and smiling just a little more. Whatever unease she currently felt, it was gone. For now, she was going to go get a malasada with a friend. And that... sounded really nice.