Mentally replaying what had happened on the beach, Matilda held Taika in her arms and paid very little attention to the events around her. Dziban held onto her shoulder, occasionally patting her cheek or nuzzling her comfortingly. [break][break]

The crash of breaking glass near her made Tilly jump and pulled her attention from her random musings to the escalating situation nearby. She starts wandering closer to the commotion with the growing crowd, trying to see what had happened, when she feels Taika tap her arm. Tilly holds the small fairy closer, eyes still scanning the area to try and see what was going on. "It's alright, I got you," she reassures Taika, but Taika lets out a small squeak and pats her more urgently. Matilda looks down in confusion, but as soon as Taika points to her shoulder, she realizes Dziban isn't there anymore.[break][break]

Heart pounding in panic, she immediately begins pushing through the crowd back in the direction she'd come. She calls out for him every few steps, but with all the noise she honestly isn't sure if he'd be able to hear her even if he was close.[break][break]

From the shadows of a nearby building, a small Dreepy darts out from the darkness directly into the face of the young redhead. He hovers there, staring into the boy's gold eyes, his head slowly tilting to the left.

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Asher Baran

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

Whirling around and doing her best to not panic, Matilda called out for Dziban and searched every inch of the area where she'd last seen him on her shoulder. A red feather drifts down a few feet in front of her, and despite her fear she couldn't help but notice how very odd that was. Her eyes flick up to the roof of the nearest building, and sure enough a Fletchinder was perched on the gutter, watching her. A Fletchinder...in a port town? The bird trilled at her and flew a few yards before turning and watching her again.[break][break]

It's a short trip to the scene the Fletchinder leads her to, three teenage boys and so much tension it was palpable. "Hey, uh...everything okay?" She asks the redheaded one - if it came to a fight he'd be the outnumbered party, and the Fletchinder was clearly his.



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The woman watches with wide eyes as Asher handles the situation seamlessly. Her expression shifts to thoughtful at his question, and she looks Asher over before responding. "I don't really have much money," she tells him, "definitely not enough to properly thank you for saving Dziban." The Dreepy, back on her shoulder, nuzzles her cheek and then snaps his head over to Asher. Matilda smiles and glances at the small dragon, quickly focusing back on Asher. "Maybe there's something else I could offer?" She asks, setting down Taika and sliding her bag off her shoulder, beginning to dig through it.[break][break]

Taika's attention is split between the bag being rummaged through and the teenage boy; Dziban, however, is still only staring uncomfortably at Asher.


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Asher Baran

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

Matilda looks up at him just as he turns to walk away, and she opens her mouth to stop him but doesn't know what exactly to say. Taika tugs at her pant leg, and her attention shifts to the small Togepi. "Toge-togepi, toge!" she urges Matilda, tapping her shell while pointing to the boy. "Oh - oh!" Mattie realizes, lifting Taika and closing the distance between her and the young boy quickly. "Hey, Taika has something for you!"[break][break]

The Togepi closes her eyes and takes a slow, deep breath. Moments later she reaches into her shell and pulls out a sand-dollar sized piece of broken shell; but unlike what surrounds the small creature, this piece of shell almost seemed to glow, and what looked like thin swirls of transparent pink mist seemed to emanate from it. Matilda smiles, holding out Taika so the Pokemon could hand over the gift herself as she liked to see people's faces when they received their gifts.



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Asher Baran

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

"Oh that would be wonderful!" Matilda exclaims. This kid clearly knew how to handle himself and she had absolutely no idea where she was, let alone how to get to where she needed to be. Adjusting Taika into one arm she slings her bag over her shoulder with the other. "I just got here, so I'm very lost. Maybe you could lead me to a hotel?" Taking in his outfit, she adds, "I'm pretty sure I have enough money to get each of us a room for the night. Warm showers, clean beds, and free breakfast in the morning," she lists, excited by the prospect of all that herself - after traveling and camping for weeks on end, it seemed like heaven to her. "Does that sound alright as payment for saving both Dziban and me?" Mattie asks with a questioning smile.


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Asher Baran

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

Matilda nods enthusiastically when he says he needs to grab a few things. His small hops of excitement cause her to bite back a smile; he seemed like a really great kid. Why in the world was he on his own!?[break][break]

The odd Marowak he releases piques Matilda's interest, but she keeps a comfortable distance for the Pokemon's sake. She knows the more protective ones prefer to not be touched until they've gotten a good feel for someone, and she certainly didn't want to make this kid or his companions uncomfortable. The green fire it held was fascinating though...[break][break]

Matilda makes sure to focus on the boy's comments as they walk. She isn't exactly ecstatic about his situation, but she is impressed with how scrappy and determined the kid was. She isn't terribly happy for the two of them to split up, but she trusts his advice and intuition and stays where he tells her to, watching him jump the fence and disappear out of sight.[break][break]

She turns her full attention to the Marowak once he's gone. She takes a seat, crossing her legs and lacing her hands in her lap so he knows she isn't a threat, and she talks to the Marowak as they wait for the redhead to return. "That fire is beautiful," she compliments the Pokemon. "I bet the two of you have been through a lot together, huh?" She asks the masked Pokemon, a sad tinge to her tone knowing full well how they acquire their armor. She looks around, Dziban nestling comfortably at her shoulder and Taika sitting contentedly in her lap. "You're both very brave, and very strong," she informs the boy's two Pokemon, perhaps using them to talk about what she knew she could never tell the boy himself. He was very brave, and very strong, but also very strong-willed - he knew how badass he was, and if he didn't, some random words from a stranger he'd known for less than an hour wasn't gonna influence him. It made her feel better being able to say it out loud though, even if it was to a couple Pokemon who may or may not understand her.[break][break]

She pulls out a notebook and draws some rough sketches of the Fletchinder and the Marowak, adding a few notes on their behavior for good measure. The group is only bothered twice, but as soon as the would-be thugs take a look at that Marowak, they turn on their heels and walk away quickly. Mattie is sure to make note of that as well.[break][break]

After some time the boy reappears. She quickly finishes her writings and puts away her notebook and pen, ready to follow him. She nods in response to his question. She was ready for the next step of their journey, to a comfortable hotel; but she wasn't quite sure if she was ready to part ways with the young boy. Matilda didn't feel responsible for him, but rather she found herself caring for him and his safety. Anyone who could get close to a Marowak of that power and garner a gift from a Togepi was not someone to easily write off.[break][break]

Contemplating her options, Matilda gestures for the boy to lead the way.

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Asher Baran

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Asher!" Matilda says with a smile as the boy turns back around, having given her a proper Alolan greeting. "I'm Matilda, but a lot of my friends call me Mattie. Bones and Fletcher are both wonderful Pokemon and they seem to love you very much," she states as a compliment to Asher more than a revelation; if she had to guess, he was probably closer with these Pokemon than any person in his life, he knew they cared for him. Matilda had seen a lot of Trainers refer to themselves as the Owner or Master of their Pokemon, and she couldn't put it into words but that had always made her a little uncomfortable. This kid didn't strike her as that kind of person - she liked that about him.[break][break]

"I'm actually from Kanto, that's why I'm so lost!" she tells him as they walk. "I just got into Hoenn and this is the first town I've come across so far. Unfortunately my team isn't as experienced as yours - I've just got a big ol' bunch of babies," she teases, but her voice takes on a playful tone as she tickles Taika and plants a kiss right on Dziban's forehead. "I'd love to meet your Silky sometime!"


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Asher Baran

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky