He didn't know why he had been stuck babysitting when he could help relief efforts too. Holland grumbled to himself, hands in his coat pockets as he watched the woman named Kaida scramble around. He wore a bored expression on his otherwise handsome features. Like a half-interested dog, he followed his designated 'master' among the rubble.

He also didn't know why she was bitching to him about it. Holly rolled his shoulders once at her address. He may be stuck watching her, but she wasn't a baby. He wasn't anything to her. They didn't know each other. Even though he would rush over if she fell, administrating first aid as possible, he'd probably still berate her. "I'm just doing my job" he says to her now, quietly.

Golden eyes focus on the obviously pained woman. He says nothing else, watching and walking behind her. Giving her space to roam and search where she wanted. Holly is lucky - that is what he tells himself. If he had been a month earlier, he would be caught in the war. The man escaped it thankfully and was able-bodied enough to help the others.

As much as he bitched and groaned and rolled his eyes, he really did care. If the Pokemon Kaida looked for were hurt, he'd insist on helping them.

Kaida Adachi

Hm. He could help but he didn't know what Pokemon she owned. Only when the woman would say 'anything like an Ekans' did he close his eyes with a soft huff. A snake could squeeze into any nook and cranny. There was a lot of rubble here too, perfect to hide in. Holland wasn't hired to help Kaida find her Pokemon. He was tasked with watching her, administrating first aid if possible.

If she wasn't going to stay in her hospital bed, there was little he could do. She knew her Pokemon better than him. He doubted they'd approach a human they didn't know. All he had to keep doing was stay close and hope she didn't keel over from exhaustion. "How many did you lose?" he asks her, choosing to focus on that instead of his annoyance. Why didn't people listen to doctors...

He couldn't quite place it but he also felt like he was being watched.

Kaida Adachi

Shit hit the fan pretty fast. He half expected it in the face of this disaster zone anyway. Holland stood his ground as the Pokemon leered at him, their sudden appearance doing little to spook the ranger. He scowled openly, not going for his Pokeballs right away. Kaida's frantic cries were drowned out by him staring the croc down.

Laurel could easily take this one. She had an advantage but... would violence solve anything? Kaida called out again for him to introduce himself. "I'm not going to hurt her" he states quietly, not being the one to inflict damage on the woman. He is still staring at the croc, the more aggressive one in the bunch. "my name is Holland Atwood. Ranger."

He worries that being worked up might open some of Kaida's sealed wounds. "If you get her riled up, she's far from the hospital" he tells the Pokemon now, gesturing with a tanned hand to the woman "and I can only do so much with what limited supplies I have." If they truly worried about her, they wouldn't make her all hot and bothered.

So he waited to see what their move would be. If they failed to let him near his 'patient'... Holland would have to force his way.

Kaida Adachi

"Mm."

Playing nice wasn't really his forte. He expects the Feraligator to start shit, and he prepares himself mentally to go back at it. Laurel's Pokeball is in his hand, behind his back. He is ready to release the Serperior and let her do her damage. But Kaida tells them to stand down. It's clear half of them aren't her Pokemon. They're just here for the ride. She even apologizes - like there was anything to apologize for.

She finds her partner, an Ekans who is too big for his britches. Holly is somewhat amused at that. "Do they know where the others are?" he asks briskly, also prepared to release his Dragonite. It could find them by air rather easily, considering he didn't know how many Pokemon Kaida had lost. Nor if she had any means of air travel. "before we go further" he pauses, having noticed her stumble earlier...

"I will check your wounds." But he does not make it a question. If Kaida wants his help, she'd let him check to see if she hasn't opened anything. He could reapply bandages and give her disinfectant before moving on. Holly hasn't read her cart. He doesn't know how badly she is damaged. He's only asked to "fix her" if she falls.

Kaida Adachi

He was somewhat happy she complied. Usually people did not, and he had to go on a rant (and waste of time) about the dangers of infected wounds. Holland would mentally check the woman over before doing what needed to be done. It didn't look like anything was re-opened...

Good.

With no bloody bandages, he was free to continue to watch her without nagging Kaida to go back to the hospital. It seemed the wounds she suffered were just bothering her with the movement she expressed. "Hm" a 'little outside' these parts were pretty far. She insisted it was nothing dangerous. He'd be the judge of that. "don't move so erratically - you'll open up your wounds." 

It was all the good advice he could stand to give someone. "If you need to climb down, I'll help you." Which wasn't a pass at her either. Holly didn't mix business and pleasure. Kaida was at risk of infection and/or re-opening stitches if she exerted herself. Sweat could get into a fresh wound, clog. Dirt from the debris tainted a healing wound. Why the other rangers let her move around so soon was beyond him.

"Go on" Holland states now, leaning back and away from the woman. He was giving her the 'all clear' to continue on.

Kaida Adachi

Holly fell silent as the woman spoke to her Pokemon over him. He didn't blame her for that; he often wanted to speak only to his own and not human beings. Kaida did thank him, causing him to softly grunt in response. He gave a curt nod as well as she continued to speak with her Pokemon.

"You're only human" he would say at last, lifting his eyes away from her face to glance around them. Humans did this though. Or aliens. Whatever. Humanoid beings in the end. "there are limits to what the body can endure - even if it doesn't catch up to you right away." If Kaida was not hurt badly last time... well, there were many reasons for that.

The battle, for once, was not as intense as this one. "Just rest when you can. Only you know what's good for you." He could bitch and moan and tell her to relax, but she was concerned for her team. He could understand that. The sooner she found them, the sooner she'd get back to the hospital.

Kaida Adachi

If he knew she was struggling and wished to be carried, he would have offered. There was nothing untoward about it - Holly begrudgingly accepted helping others but he did care. In his own small and stupid way - he cared. There was a wall there to never let others see. A much kinder young man who'd give you the shirt off his back...

But those types of people got screwed over lots of times. He was wary of that. Though when Kaida would discover the remnants of her team, Holly blinked once and frowned. Family, huh... He could understand that. His Pokemon were his only family here. All the way from Unova. His parents were still alive but mailboxes didn't exist en route. He had to go into town scarcely to deliver his letters.

The perks - sarcasm here - of being totally one with nature.

"I think you found them more than I could" he remarks, rolling his shoulders "you know your family more than I do" He could have brought home a wild Pokemon, or someone else's Pokemon... It would be a disaster, he was sure. "I'm... glad you did. Though." Holly added awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

Kaida Adachi