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Visiting Mauville City was a mistake.[break][break]
Well, perhaps not a mistake but she can feel that that familiar feeling of remorse fester at the very pit of her stomach. Visiting Mauville had been on Syviis' bucket list ever since she had read about it in a little pamphlet curiously named 'Hoenn About You Visit!' It tickled her curiosity, that darn clever pun. That and of course the very idea that an inhabitable indoor city crafted by possibly the world's greatest scientists and engineers. That's a selling point too, she supposed. The population didn't sound too bad either, she used to live in Nimbasa and at some point even Castelia. It wouldn't have been too much out of her way to visit Mauville/. In fact, it didn't sound too unreasonable to move out here once the chaotic circumstances about her very abrupt move to Hoenn settled down. [break][break]
So yes, eventually would she have found herself here one way or another. Her situation is a bit different from what she had imagined it to be back then as she isn't rubbing shoulders with any of said engineers but this is close enough? Sort of? She takes a quick cursory glance at her bag pressed heavy against her side, just the smallest bit of the box's brown corner visible from inside. "Not as much as I thought." She's lucky that she found someone that sold the stuff and was willing to sell it for the price it did. She had just been hoping... He made it sound like it'd be... Ugh, it's barely a pound but it'd have to do. "It'll have to be a minor upgrade instead." She takes a deep breath though it does nothing to console her with so many people near by. The shoving, the constant chattering, the annoying buzz of the automatic lit that lit up intersections. [break][break]
This place is no where near as big as Nimbasa, probably half the size of Castelia and yet it still finds a way to steal her breath. Is this what they called casteliphobia? No... No claustrophobia. She's definitely feeling claustrophobic.[break][break]
She pauses by the umpteenth intersection that looks suspiciously similar to the one she passed before. In fact, she's pretty sure that she had passed this shop as well. Where was that elevator that led you to the top floor? Was she supposed to take another right here or had she done that already? She grips tighter on her back, her expression still never changing. It isn't like her to get lost. It's even more rare for her to get this flustered. Is it because there's no open sky? How do people deal with waking up in the morning, get a cup of coffee and peer up at the glass roof ceiling? Did they not feel trapped?[break][break]
She takes another unhelpful breathe before she begins her trek into the heavy crowds again. She'd find her way out eventually, easy. She just needed to find that one Pokemon Center that she remembered passing on the way. God, she wished she had at least brought J.T with her.

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Somehow she had heard his question loud and clear beyond the cacophony that was the ever lively denizens of Mauville City.[break]
Syviis couldn't have dodged the guy even if she had tried. The throng of people that filled the sidewalk made it impossible for her to see him coming. He appeared out of nowhere with a face she'd only imagine someone would reserve for someone they idolize. "E-Excuse me?" Why? What compelled him to ask that? As a functioning human being that managed to recognize her, Syviis has no choice but to assume that there is a brain somewhere in that skull of his. A brain that would have surely must have told him that there was nothing appropriate about his choice of words in this given moment in public. But here he is, looking up as though she was some super hero that had saved his life. [break][break]

How had he spotted her? The crowds of Mauville City were so dense that anonymity was surely a given once one melded into its flow of people. She was almost impressed that he had caught her, almost. But now surely would be the appropriate time to deny that she was ever a part of that group. She had came all the way out to Hoenn so this very situation wouldn't happen. Go figure. Go fucking figure that the moment she finally decides to enter one of the larger cities that someone would recognize her. What gave her the grand idea that she'd have a moment's peace just because she skipped countries? "That's what you remember us for? The drug dealing?" Oh, it looks like she's not going to deny her association with the NCS. In the middle of a busy crowd. [break][break]

Her voice adopted a monotonic drawl that only seems to happen when that portion of her past was mentioned. It wouldn't be a surprise if he hadn't heard her and for the most part she kind of hope he hadn't. It'd give her a chance to start over and completely deny her associat-- "And if I was?" Please deny your association with the NCS before a crowd starts to form. A few people had already turned their head and at least one had slowed down at the mention of the long disbanded troop. But she was curious. This was the first time someone had asked her about her past with that expression. Her fists clenched, frown deepening as she realized that she was annoyed. His excitement was somehow more irksome than the people who asked her out of spite.