[attr="class","cian"]a sudden collision catches him off guard — his foot catches his weight, stopping him from outright falling backwards. it's only when he hears her voice that he peers up from his phone, peeling his gaze away, favoring the woman in front of him.

"yes! are you? so sorry."

his lips snake into a grin.

"i was...distracted. i still am, just with something else now."

peering down, he notices books but no drink. he gestures over his shoulder.

"let me buy you a drink to make up for it."

[attr="class","noodles"]siobhan burke

"I'll live, yes." a shame, that. it would be an interesting concept to view Hoenn as a ghost. she had so many things unfinished so Siobhan had no doubt if she was killed by a simple bump-in that she'd be able to come 'back'. she tried to leave the conversation at that so he'd leave her be, but unfortunately he was one of those white knights.

it hadn't been his fault for the collision, yet he was taking it upon himself to make amends. her lips curled into a thin smile. almost admirable for a human being. still, Siobhan was not convinced of his goodness yet. "very well" she says to him at last, having pondered the pros and cons equally. no harm letting someone else buy her a drink... "I'll take one of their summer drinks." she gives a gentle nod to the board above the café.

Oran Berry Smoothies were perhaps a treat for both Pokémon and human. a local favorite she had yet to try.

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","cian"]"good choice."

and with that, he dips to order them their drinks: two oran berry smoothies served in a clear recyclable cup. he returns not long after that, setting the blue-colored drink down in front of her before sliding into the seat opposite.

"it's their oran berry smoothie. they say it helps speed up recovery if you're injured."

he takes a large sip of his, then lowers the cup to rest on his leg.

"i never got your name back there."

[attr="class","noodles"]siobhan burke

"no, you did not" she says, agreeing with that "I never gave it." a light chuckle escapes her lips, amused at the rather casual way of asking for her name. the man would slip into the seat opposite of her, and she would sit as well. how did this happen... people usually let her be if they saw her with a huge stack of books.

"nor did you" the woman points out, accepting the smoothie with a fluid motion. she would take a sip of it before adding more words. though not injured or recovering from anything, she also thought it was a good choice. the taste was a wonderful experience "I'm Siobhan." shi-vawn, pronounced slowly for her own benefit. some called her 'se-oh-bean' which led to her nickname. even in Galar, others got it wrong.

"and you?" she asked, swirling the straw idly as she waited for the man's name.

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","cian"]"siobhan."

her name rolls off his tongue, pronounced almost perfectly, as he flashes a smile.

"cian."

he gestures down at the pile of books between them, curious.

"quite the haul today. any particular favorite?"

[attr="class","noodles"]siobhan burke

"Cian."

she also repeats. his name was also Gaelic in origin, meaning ancient. though if one was to twist it to the Persian alternative, Kian, it meant king, realm. she would wonder which one he preferred with another idle sip of her drink.

"hmm?" she was so absorbed in the name meanings she barely registered his question. a slow blink was earned as she re-stares at the books. "all of them" Siobhan replies easily "each page contains its own particular knowledge."

and therefore, she could not judge a book by its cover until she exposed the contents. his own haul was... meager. baseless. not even there. why was he even here? just for the café? "all of them are witness accounts to the events in Hoenn in the last few years."

just in case he didn't read all of the titles.

[attr="class","cian"]he hasn't read any of the titles, no.

"surely one event must stand out to you."

one does for him: it's one that had set him down this path, unable to veer off without the risk of dying.

"the slateport invasion, for example, stands out to me."

[attr="class","noodles"]siobhan burke

"I suppose the emergence of Avatars is an interesting read" she would reply, gesturing to one of the books. Rocket had such a small witness account on them, with the author of the book in the library deceased "demi-gods in the modern world."

each event seemed to have a new Avatar awakened. she wondered if violence and chaos took awakening a human's powers. "but that spans more than one book - you simply must follow up with the Legendary Pokémon lore to truly understand."

why were some picked. why some weren't. why some died. why did some live. "oh?" Siobhan gazes at CIAN MAHER more closely "were you witness to the event? if so, I should like to hear about it."

[attr="class","cian"]he leans back, shaking his head.

"i was in rustboro but i watched it unfold online. it was...something."

it's not the whole truth but it's enough. he smiles, shrugging.

"kinda surreal, you know?"

[attr="class","noodles"]siobhan burke

disappointing.

"I was not in Hoenn at the time" she would tell Cian, shaking her head "and footage found online diminishes the reality of such events." but that was personal opinion.

it was hard to find honest footage, as a folklorist's opinion after all.

"perhaps I'll visit the scene one day" Siobhan muses. pay her respects, get a read on the situation for her own eyes... that sort of thing "you were lucky not to be there that day."

she adds this, taking a sip of her smoothie.

[attr="class","cian"]"not much of a scene anymore! slateport's doing just fine."

but how long will it stay that way? he wonders over another sip.

"but let me know if you never need a tour guide."

[attr="class","noodles"]siobhan burke

"a tour guide would be welcomed."

Siobhan did not know Slateport as much as she would like. Cian was... acceptable, she supposed. he was easy to talk to, so she did not care if she went along with him on another encounter.

"Hoenn is very resilient, I must say" she adds "whatever event has you all down, it is quite easy to build you all back up" Siobhan was somewhat impressed. "though the technology does help."

a wry smile does appear.

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","cian"]"then i'd be happy to accommodate."

his smile is bright, charming, but almost constructed in a way that feels off.

"i've heard people call us survivors. not too sure how i feel about that."

he shrugs.

"what brings you to hoenn? surely not for a vacation."

[attr="class","noodles"]siobhan burke