he watches her, clear amusement present by the small twist of a smile on his face. only when she asks for help, does he approach.

"it's a bit trickier than people think," he lifts a seed, inspecting it with a careful eye, before turning it down onto the soil beneath. "for these, you need fertile ground. just deep enough to make sure it doesn't accidently get dug up, or drowned by any rainfall."
[break][break]
greyson doesn't use a tool, instead, pressing his finger into the soil, twisting, and turning, and carving a path. when she's satisfied, he plops one down, then seals it up. ellie floats just above the site, taking in the scene with appropriately cute 'oo's and 'awe's
[break][break]
"these take a few months, but..."
[break][break]
he let the words die, as this was a unique experience. he was out of his depths from here on out.

[attr="class","ooc"]illeana reyes[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-comfey"]

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]he's... probably her saving grace, maybe even in more context than simply showing her how to garden.

her smile is bright, warm, sunny when he explains. the demonstration is helpful, as is darling little ellie adding supportive coos into the mix.

"have you gardened before?" her head tilts at the thought. and then she's joining his side with the brush of a shoulder, lowering herself until she's in the dirt. a face of concentration settles in the form of a scrunched nose and her tongue poking out.

she follows his instructions with slow movements, glancing over toward him in case he corrects her movements. fertile soil, check. deep but not overly so, check.

"and then cover it?" do they water it now, too? wait, did they even bring a watering pail?

things take weeks to grow but these seeds feel different. they're unique. somehow, they remind her of floaroma town back home...

Greyson Connors
seed thread I

"i have," he says, giving her a soft smile as she squats next to him, "with my mother. then, when she couldn't, i would go out in her stead." felt like a lifetime ago now. odd how fast things changed.
[break][break]
"then cover it," he confirms, padding the dirt closer together, sealing the hole. the flower — or was it an illie? — had an alluring, calming scent to it. not distracting himself, he gives her his seed, "you're turn."
[break][break]
and, while she works, he releases one of his pokemon — a milotic. "dawn, when she's done, can you give us a life dew?" she trills in agreement, and wraps her long tail in a semi-circle around them. he pats her appreciatively, watching the glowing water sink into the soil.

[attr="class","ooc"]illeana reyes[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-milotic"]

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]she coos softly at the brief look into his past, offering nothing further than an affectionate smile. a man who helps his mother garden is a good man, that much she understands. and while she's never had a good relationship with her family, just hearing him talk of his own makes her yearn for one.

perhaps in another timeline, another lifetime... things could have been different.

he hands a seed over and she flushes in mild spotlight.

his movements and instructions are followed with her own, burying the seed and then patting soil back down over until it's covered fully.

"like that?" she murmurs for validation that she didn't manage to fuck it up somehow.

when his milotic joins their group, she rocks back onto her heels, hovering over the dirt. life dew begins to breathe life into the soil with trickles of glimmering water. it's almost mesmerizing to watch and yet, her eyes drift over to watch him instead. the affectionate smile grows a little wider as he proudly pats his milotic.

silence surrounds them as his milotic works. and eventually, she breaks it with a soft admittance carried along the coming spring breeze.

"you know, i missed this." him.

Greyson Connors
seed thread I

"hm," things had been hectic the past few months, but nothing too bad. at least, on his end. then again, he hadn't gone on some super secret mission.
[break][break]
"i guess it has." he tries to give her a reassuring smile, before it drops a moment. "you alright?"

[attr="class","ooc"]illeana reyes[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-milotic"]

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]what... is a good question.

she's silent. gears churn into thoughts and thoughts become words lodged in her throat.

and the best explanation is this: there's a list of things she's missed.

1. having a friend
2. trusting people
3. not having to watch her back
4. her skin has finally stopped crawling.
5. him.

simple, trivial things that she's taken for granted. and where she's only felt at ease with clay automatons guarding every inch of her back, that same sensation is found here.

"hanging out like this," is what she settles on for the explanation of everything else is tiring and insignificant. no one cares of her misfortunes, her trials and tribulations.

and beneath his gaze, her head turns away to watch glistening water trickle down into the earth.

"it's been a while since things have been normal."

nothing's ever been normal but she'd go back if she could.

Greyson Connors
seed thread I

"hm," things had been hectic the past few months, but nothing too bad. at least, on his end. then again, he hadn't gone on some super secret mission.
[break][break]
"i guess it has." he tries to give her a reassuring smile, before it drops a moment. "you alright?"

[attr="class","ooc"]illeana reyes[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-milotic"]

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]the reassuring smile is warm enough to keep her settled even after it drops.

and she tries to keep her own upright, curled into her cheeks without faltering.

"mostly," she murmurs. the smile twitches but holds firm. she swaps subjects in an attempt to deflect, to hide.

"how's the gym treating you? make any challengers cry yet?" light laughter makes her shoulders tremble in amusement at the thought.

Greyson Connors
seed thread I

she's not good at hiding her deflection, yet, he doesn't push. his head turns, to stare up at the sky, teeth playing thoughtfully with his bottom lip. he thinks of the challenge with Melody Miro.
[break][break]
"once or twice," he muses with a small grin, "but all in good fun. i think people are really understanding the effect a legendary has on the region."

[attr="class","ooc"]illeana reyes[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-milotic"]

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]a soft laugh escapes at the thought. it quickly dies out as he continues.

the effect a legendary has on the region... they've witnessed the terrifying power of a god before. and maybe it's good his gym specializes in this sort of thing. maybe they'll be prepared, then.

"good," she murmurs. "they'll be more prepared when it happens again."

her mind drifts back to the meteor, to the threats hoenn faces. and somewhere in that line of thinking, sea hoenn makes a sudden appearance. her back crawls slightly beneath the memories.

she buries the sensation with a proud smile in his direction.

"you're doing a great job of ensuring people understand the threats they could face."

Greyson Connors
seed thread I

her compliment spawns a small laugh from the gym-leader, physically waving it off. "you'd think so, but to be honest, i think people just really want to see how real the legendaries are in the challenge." not that he could blame them, of course. to test yourself against a myth — even an imaginary one — had excited even him.
[break][break]
"you should stop by," he says after a moment, considering, "would do some good to see one of the league's own head scientists putting in the effort." she wasn't the type to sit still, he knew, but whatever she'd gone through recently had shaken her. that much was clear. maybe to break her out of this spell she'd just have to stare down a god.

[attr="class","ooc"]illeana reyes[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-milotic"]

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]it's solid reasoning. to test yourself against a legendary is, without a doubt, the highlight of a trainer's career. it's not surprising to see people flock to his gym for that sole purpose.

he's preparing trainers, whether people realize it or not. handing them the tools necessary to hold their own in the face of danger. it's admirable, incredible, even.

and maybe that's why she smiles a little wider, a little prouder.

it falters at his suggestion.

"oh, um," she flushes through the slight stammer. "i'm not really a fighter."

her skills lie elsewhere... in a lab or even a bed.

"although, it could be fun," she hums. there's things she needs to prepare herself for, after all... a face just like hers flashes in her mind's eye but it's wrong, watery, deadly. she shivers as it passes, rolling off scarred shoulders and fading from existence.

Greyson Connors
seed thread I

her confession doesn't phase him. in-fact, his smile seems to soften more and become more understanding. "that's alright, not everyone is," not everyone's strengths were in fighting. some preferred to play more of a support type role, or maybe even something more defensive.
[break][break]
"i try to tailor the challenge to the individual, you know? not entirely of course — people need to be pushed out of their comfort zone — but i want someone's strengths to shine through." he was a bit of an oddity himself. the vast majority of his strategies were based around support, but he was ready at all times to go toe-to-mothefuckin-toe.
[break][break]
"but, no feel like you need too. MATIAS SILPH and Kazimir Wynter have already signed up, so we're not lacking for big names."

[attr="class","ooc"]illeana reyes[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-milotic"]