"oh, no" she states, seeing the Rowlet trip over a rock. Alice is quick to bend down as the Pokemon's trainer comes to the rescue. she resists extending her hands because the young man has that covered. instead, she watches from her crouched position "is it okay?" she asks. sure, Rowlet were cute, but she couldn't justify training them.

she was more into water and ice types. but it didn't stop her from capturing a Shiny Dratini in the Safari. hm. that was strange. speaking of her dragon, it was wrapped around her neck like a scarf. a little baby without a family in the Safari Zone. now it had lots of friends and family to play with, and a land beyond the zone to look to.

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she would clap her hands together, more or less tenting them in front of her with a relieved sigh. "good, I'm glad." all Pokémon were adorable and important to her, even if she didn't train them as a specialist. she rose to her feet, straightening her shirt. the Rowlet didn't seem to want to be picked from the ground, but she could tell the young man was amused by this.

even endeared. "a 'walk' is a bit loose" Alice smiles sheepishly "she seems to really like my neck" and the human was doing all the walking for the two of them "I got her at the Safari. poor thing probably lost her family due to all the people catching Dratini." but she couldn't talk could she? she had even captured the Dratini. but... she felt bad for it.

it wasn't a very selfish act, but one that could be perceived as selfish. "ah, I'm Alice" she adds to his introduction "I live outside of Lilycove actually" so why was she here? ah, that's right. "sometimes I come to Mt. Pyre to see a friend."

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"I hope she does" Alice remarks fondly, raising a hand to rub the Dratini on her head "but she'll be at a disadvantage a lot. especially since I train ice-types. the water-types will like her, they do already, but she's a bit shy around the icy Pokémon." which was understandable. two humans chatting about their Pokémon was... interesting.  she never got to do this.

she smiles thinly. "well, I guess you can say friends" she admits softly to the young man "my mentor and his Pokémon are, um, buried here" Alice turns on the spot, pointing to a location further up the mountain "but I also help the sexton sometimes. I was going to see if he needed to eat..." but she didn't know what Sam liked, else she would have made it for him.

but seeing as Sam wasn't around, Alice would guess he was either too busy to think about food or hadn't realized she was here. and she was not going to bother the man. 

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she pulled a thoughtful look, giving a tilt of her head. "I'll try that" Alice concedes "thank you. I... haven't really trained any other type but water and ice. this little girl will be a challenge." the Dratini coos, as if offended it was a 'challenge' to her new trainer. Alice grins, giggling.

Giona would go back to the subject of mourning. she recalled her conversation with Sam, that he proclaimed she still wasn't over the death of her Ranger friend. Alice smiled forlornly. "he was a good friend" she says to the young man in front of her "the only reason I came to Hoenn in the first place."

she glances away as if ashamed she had no real goals. "when I was young I got lost in the mountains. spent a few years with Pokémon there. they took care of me, raised me... but he found me. brought me back to my family. he was a Ranger; he died in the Lilycove war" not that long ago but still "I was going to be a Ranger until that happened. now I really just want to focus on myself. maybe it's selfish of me."

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she knew some people would scoff. the fact that when the going got tough, she chickened out... well, they would have a lot to say. Giona didn't scoff. he just agreed with her evaluation on herself. "I was trained to be a Ranger" Alice murmurs "or rather, an assistant to a Ranger or two" her mentor taught her so much "it's not that I won't do the work; maybe I should. maybe it'll bring in more money. maybe I'd be able to move on quicker, knowing what my friend did for me I could do for others."

she smiles almost thinly, glancing at the ground. "maybe I just don't care about Rocket or the League" Alice admits softly "each side will have their own reasons, justifications... and they all seem good. they are good, I bet" she chuckles as she meets Giona's eyes again "but maybe I don't really have a reason to fight. if I was a Ranger in another region, without war, I'd be fine. I can't justify taking a life - be it human or Pokémon."  for the sake of what? she was sure Rocket and League had their reasons.

and she was sure it was wrapped up in a neat little bow. Alice jumps lightly, her cheeks flustering a deep red. "s-sorry. that's... I shouldn't have dumped that all on you, Giona. you're just a good listener, I guess."

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it felt weird to have someone listen. for too long she kept it inside, ashamed of her thoughts. ashamed that all the hard work people did for the region would turn sour if she blurted out her feelings. there was no questioning that League and Rocket had affected Hoenn. be it good or bad, they were here. thriving. planning. Giona didn't take what she said with a grain of salt though. he actually did listen to her, gave his opinion... it didn't feel awkward like when she blurted out at Sam either.

felt almost nice. "ha, thanks" Alice dips her head, staring at the ground between them "I guess some people just forget civilians exist, that we have opinions about this sort of thing..." even if they weren't the same as her own "when I start talking, I sorta see I can be jaded. losing my friend to the war. having nobody in Hoenn I really connect with" but a grave keeper... how sad is that? "I don't think I should be in charge of big ideas or planning things until I sort myself out."

who could trust her to make war-winning ideas or do things for the League when she was an emotional mess? "fighting for your friends is noble" Alice adds, glancing back up awkwardly "I hope they know they can count on you." and how lucky they were.

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I want everyone to be able to count on me. Alice blinks at that. Giona would hold up his phone and she stalled, confused and not understanding his intentions. didn't she scare him off? it didn't seem so. her jaded viewpoints had been a brief thing, but enough that it freaked a few others out. enough that she put up a wall, self-conscious. putting the act on that everything was fine.

but it wasn't.

he was giving her an olive branch, but would she take it? she smiles; this time it reaches her eyes. "you're a kind person, Giona" well, it had to be said. her Dratini coos softly, agreeing with a quick nod of its head. Alice breaks from her stupor enough so she can pull out her own phone and take a picture of his screen. fumbling with the keypad would be too awkward.

"I hope that doesn't change." the world needed more compassion, sympathetic and kind people.

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