[attr="class","spiral"] It had taken time to grow accustomed to Lilycove. His promotion to Council had been expected but the position had been foreign to him despite his ambitions. But a year in office has long acquainted him with how the inner turmoil that dwells within League Headquarters. It feels like home, chaotic and filled with a rotating roster of housemates, but somewhere he's familiar with to the extent of partitioning it to his routine.

Only kim cole-essam rivals him in seniority. The other Council members are as fleeting as their elections, many dropping out due to external circumstances with the added stress and demanding nature of the job playing a large factor. He has slight hopes for Olivia Abbiati considering her immense ambitions but her tendency to succumb to a need for grandeur proves misguided and disillusioned. The only value he sees in her tenure is her penchant for being tenacious in the face of all odds but keeps an eye on her regardless.

Orion is the newest addition and the one he knows the least about. The man is an enigma until met in person and Fernando finds his case file on him lacking and too impersonal for his taste. It's only natural to stop by and the minor detour toward Orion's office slithers into his schedule after leaving a reminder for Isra Nightingale to handle some personal tasks for him when she comes in.

"My. Lykos," Fernando answers with his hand outstretched for a handshake. "Glad to finally meet you. I see the culture shock has already sunk its fangs into you." Fernando smiles at the small jest, eyeing the stack of papers to help associate his comment to its meaning while noting the man's matching bags. Both of them share the same deep shaded cusps underneath their eyes and Fernando garners his own first impressions of the new councilman.

"Either name works. I'm not a big stickler for formality and even if I was, Kim's long ruined that by now. I hope you haven't fallen victim for his council hazing yet have you?"

[attr="class","spiral"] "Quite the opposite, in fact." Fernando continues the banter to a point but once their customary laughs are had business continues as usual. Fernando reaches for his wallet from his back pocket and picks out a single business card from it. "I hope your acclimation to your new position goes smoothly. Feel free to reach out or let me know if you need any help transitioning."

Fernando offers his business card, a different one than the one he's given kyle lopez, with his supposed personal number and e-mail.

"We have people in and out office due to the stress and unseen toils the position puts on a person but I hope you fit in well. It'll be nice to have someone else who seems... normal."

It's more of a demerit to the other council members than a compliment considering how little Fernando knows about Orion but it comes out well-intentioned. Better to butter him up now and win his trust before the others have a chance to pollute his impression.

[attr="class","spiral"] "Oh, really now?"

There's a hook to that statement that baits Fernando into inquiring further. He has his own perception of the council and their reputation but he's curious as to what image they have in the face of a newcomer and other outsiders. "I can understand myself, supposedly, but Kim and Olivia? I can't imagine either being intimidating much less us as a collective."

Thoughts go back to the Winter Ball and Fernando realizes his whole attire had been for naught. But there are minor victories here as well. The less people remember of that the better. He still has some pictures of the Elite Four and their own onset of holiday costumes.

"Why do you think we come off like that?"

[attr="class","spiral"] Fernando can't help but laugh at Orion's answer if only because the notion that Kim or Olivia as powerful seems so contradictory to their personalities. He can understand the point of view that outsiders may have but having the inside knowledge of how they work as individuals makes the judgement absolutely absurd. kim cole-essam, the clown, scary? Fernando genuinely finds the idea hilarious and consciously tempers his laughter into something mild and acceptable.

He has his own opinion on a scary Olivia Abbiati and smiles inwardly.

If only the public knew. But that's part of his job and his role as their check and balance, one that he hopes Orion will help maintain and draw power back toward something more mundane.

"Understandable. Hopefully, after a few weeks with either of them you'll understand how unfounded that fear truly is. They're both harmless with their own little quirks."

The mention of dahlia goode turns Fernando's mood sour and rightfully so. He frowns at the mention and nods his head lowly, sighing at the inevitable truth. "The whole ordeal with Commissioner Goode has been nothing but unfortunate but thankfully what she's done is relatively unrelated to what we do and have done. But I suppose if I wasn't tangled up in all this I wouldn't be too aware of how the government works either."

Fernando clicks his tongue out of habit and returns to his previous smile. "Well then, Mr. Lykos, I'm glad you've decided to devote yourself to the region despite these trying times and bad publicity."

Fernando's half joking and he doesn't joke often.

[attr="class","spiral"] "You and me both, I suppose. You'd be surprised how much easier it is to run a company than the government. The difference between making bad decisions only effecting yourself versus the whole region is a responsibility I underestimated but here we are."

Fernando's intentions are anything but righteous, muddled with his own selfish agenda, but the end results puts him in perfect alignment with Orion. They share the same goals and while one is crafted on false pretenses, their demeanor, at the surface, reflect what Hoenn needs among their many quirky characters — grounded individuals that interact well among the shifting personalities that fill the region they call home.

"Well, I suppose I've taken up enough of your time unless you had any questions?"