Elise would not be the only one on the job today - although, to say that this was a 'job' was probably not the exact word one might use for someone like Ettie and what she did. Given her nomadic and freespirited nature, Ettie didn't usually stick in one place for long enough to actually be employed (let alone the fact she was probably a bit young for it!) But, if there was one thing that Ettie enjoyed, it was lending a hand to those close to her.

Thus, whenever her wandering looped back around to Mauville so that she could visit Josh, it wasn't unusual for her to volunteer at the gym while she was in the area. This mainly consisted of her working with Josh's land beasts and helping care for them - feeding and watering them, grooming them, and - most notably - giving them exercise.

This lattermost task was what Elise would soon bear witness to - as a number of Josh's beasts would be seen mixed amongst some of Ettie's own canids, engaged in one huge game of tag! They were chasing eachother around the fields within viewing distance of the office building - the title of 'It' often changing hands (or paws) faster than one could blink! And all the whilst, the sounds of excited barks, playful growls, and cheery laughter filled the air - Ettie astride Anne, as the two barely manage to duck away from Saber's attempts to catch and tag them.

The game would begin straying close to the building - not concerningly so, especially given that a number of the pokemon present had the minds to make sure things didn't get out of hand. But, it was enough for Ettie to notice that there was another employee here - a woman that she didn't recognize, and her mismagius.

Curiosity piqued, Ettie would end up directing Anne away from the general mass of the playing beasts - trusting the rest of her pack to help keep everyone occupied. The dusk lycanroc initially gave her a puzzled look, at least until she noticed the woman as well. This person was clearly new - newer than the other employees that Ettie had since familiarized herself with, at least. Who were those two, they wondered?

With a light encouraging nudge from Ettie, the duo would approach - the horse-sized wolf and the wildchild astride her. And as they neared, Ettie hopped down from Anne's back and waved widely - greeting "Friend! Hello!" She smiled brightly, her friendly demeanor plain to see, even as she spoke in an odd broken English. "Ettie not-meet before! Is-new? Who-is?"

Anne, meanwhile, glanced to Mana - dipping her head and chuffing in a polite greeting towards the ghost. Though, it was clear to see she was paying Elise close attention as the little wildchild approached the princess. After all, Elise was a stranger - and you could never know how human strangers were going to act.

Elise Calcifet

Ettie blinked initially at some of the terms that Elise used. Embassy, ambassadors, royal family... Though context and her gleaning the important bits did help to fill in some of the gaps, a quizzical hue was still in her expression for a few moments. But, with Elise's introduction, Ettie would smile and nod. "Happy-meet!" She responded, her expression quickly turning warm and bright. "Is-cleaning? Ettie help!"

Not even waiting for an answer, the wildchild would take to gathering up pieces of trash - humming happily as she did.

Anne, meanwhile, was content to let Mana work once initial greetings were out of the way - the wolf following after Ettie and watching her hard at work. Occasionally, she'd cast a glance back at Elise - watching, gauging - before turning her attentions back to Ettie, though the lycanroc's ears were still swiveled in the princess' direction. Though her gaze wasn't solely on Elise, she was still listening to the other's movements all the same.

Ettie, either oblivious or not acknowledging Anne's protective behavior, would instead approach Elise once more to deposit a couple handfuls of trash into her bag. A thought seemed to occur to her then though, as her smiling expression turned inquisitive. "Ga-lar-i-an... Elise-friend know, uhm... Galar-i-an canids? Blue-red?" Namely, the ones that the girl had seen during a certain otome route, with a certain Dahlia Goode...

She was curious about Zacian and Zamazenta - even if she did not know them by name - and wanted to learn more about them. It may have been an odd question for Ettie to drop out of the blue - but the wildchild was curious! Could you blame her for that?

Elise Calcifet

"Za-ci-an... Za-ma-zen-ta..." Ettie would slowly sound out the names to herself - as if she were familiarizing herself with the feel of the names on her tongue. But all the while, she slowly nodded - thinking back to the otome. So they were real? She knew that Julia had said that what happens in the otomes was fiction - that it isn't what's actually happening - and yet... Having this confirmed to her, it made the wildchild wonder if the two legendary canines really were out there somewhere.

The mention of stories, however, was curious. Glancing up to Elise as she continued to help, Ettie questioned "What stories? Josh tell-Ettie Legendary Pokemon... Ettie want-know more!" She knew that they were strong, from what Josh had mentioned before - very strong. That, and that there was usually one of them... And yet, it seemed as though Zacian and Zamazenta were a duo. "Zacian-Zamazenta... Is packmates?" They were canids like lycanroc, after all - were they a pack, even if a tiny one?

Elise Calcifet

The explanation Elise gave would be met with clear curiosity, although for a moment, concern crossed her expression. "Ne-croz-ma..." She murmured thoughtfully. "Why... cause Darkest Day?" She'd ask, tilting her head a little bit. Even when pokemon decided to hurt other pokemon (without the influence of humans,) it was usually with reason. It was to hunt, to claim territory, or to protect one's pack or cubs.

But with how powerful legendary pokemon sounded, was there really any reason for one to cause an event that sounded to have caused so much hurt? Hunting, protecting, those sorts of things would be easy for such a strong pokemon, even on its own, right?

The mention of the Darkest Day itself was also curious, though. "What-is Darkest Day?" Ettie asked next - was it something to do with maybe... The sun? Glancing upwards - squinting and lifting a hand to shade her sensitive eyes from the sunlight - Ettie could suppose that it'd get really dark indeed, if the sun went missing. It'd be even darker, if the stars and moon disappeared, too! And though Ettie liked to think she could see pretty decently in the dark, well...

... That was too dark for anyone to see, she was pretty sure!