Verdanturf was lovely, all grass paths and towering maples, blooming cherry blossoms and quaint cottages, nestled in the crook of the mountain. A sweet wind caresses Cyg’s cheek and she closes her eyes for a moment, enjoying the scent of flowers and grass.
[break][break]
Ana’s voice brings her back to the present.
[break][break]
“That sounds soooo nice and relaxing,” Cyg says, voice and face a smile. She’d not ever been able to afford vacations, growing up-- but she supposed Fortree wasn’t too bad.
[break][break]
She cups her water glass and watches the ice-cubes shift.
[break][break]
“Has it changed at all?”


[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ANA STONE[break]


wearing

what hasn't changed in hoenn?[break][break]

the destruction left in the wake of SILAS BLACKWELL's failed takeover can barely be seen. in fact, as her gaze sweep across various shades of green, she can't see any signs.[break][break]

verdanturf looks normal. peaceful.[break][break]

"it's more beautiful, surprisingly."[break][break]

she looks back at cyg, smiling brightly.[break][break]

"maybe because the company's better."

[attr="class","ooc"]ana fell[break]

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

Cyg hadn’t been in Rocket when Silas’ takeover attempt was carried out, but she had been in Hoenn. Miserable, depressed, and overworked, she’d almost hoped it would stick-- but those darn pesky Leaguers had come out on top.
[break][break]
She jangles the ice-cubes in her water glass thoughtfully. “I remember seeing the news coverage-- the giant hole in the middle of the town.” It hadn’t been pretty, then. “I remember-- I was living in Mauville at the time and I was really worried we’d be next but. Still had to go to work, hah.” The laugh is forced and dry.
[break][break]
Had Mauville always felt like a death-trap?
[break][break]
She can’t help but grin at Ana’s compliment. “Aww, shucks. But, sometimes anything is better than family.” The pained memory of Bothwell-clan Christmases is a pang in her head.
[break][break]
“So, how’s life? For real-for real.”
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ANA STONE [break]


wearing

"i could not imagine what it must've been like."[break][break]

for those in verdanturf and for those in hoenn in general. she'd been blessed enough to had seen the destruction on the news in the comfort of her home in sinnoh rather than on the ground in hoenn. some of her family had not been as blessed.[break][break]

a similar grin mirrors on ana's expression.[break][break]

"life can be painfully boring at times. i both love and hate my work which sounds like a really privileged thing to say, i know."[break][break]

she chuckles softly.[break][break]

"but i'm glad to be back in hoenn, honestly."

[attr="class","ooc"]ana fell[break]

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

They easily breezed through the hard topics: the horror, the pain, the destruction. With Verdanturf healed up, it was easy to repress the memories.
[break][break]
“You sure picked a time to come back. Has Hoenn always been such a cluster?” Meteors and murders abound, Cyg found it hard to see the forest through the trees.
[break][break]
"What are you doing for work?” she asked, unable to contain her curiosity on how the other half lived. “Like, sitting in a board room and talking with a bunch of suits?” It was a joke, mostly. Ana definitely didn't seem the type to act in the stereotypical business role.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ANA STONE [break]


wearing

"it used to be rather peaceful, believe it or not. but maybe i was too young to remember otherwise."[break][break]

ana definitely isn't the type to act in the stereotypical business role, but some situations do call for it. still, she chuckles.[break][break]

"that is pretty much most of what i've been doing at devon. drafting business plans and where to take the company."[break][break]

or what's left of it, anyway.[break][break]

"it's more fun at rotomtv, though! we're really ramping up on marketing so i've been helping brainstorm ideas."[break][break]

which has really helped balance out the staleness of working at devon.[break][break]

"would you like to star in a commercial?"

[attr="class","ooc"]ana fell[break]

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

Maybe her new job had given her the freedom to notice the world at large. Cyg always remembered Hoenn being pretty normal, aside from the occasional Blacephalon explosion or Rocket Uprising. But surely every region had those?
[break][break]
At the mention of RotomTV, Cyg got excited. “Oh, I forgot about that.” It was hard to believe her friend had so many irons in the fire. “Not, like, forgot about Rotom TV. But that you were a bigwig there, too.”
[break][break]
Ana’s next statement caught her off guard. “Wha-- me?” she pointed at herself, plain crop top and frizzled blonde ends. “In-- in a commercial? On TV?”
[break][break]
A commercial for what? Bad taste?

[attr="class","ooc"] ANA STONE [break]


wearing

cyg's reaction is adorable. ana giggles to herself softly before leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table.[break][break]

"yes, you! on tv, on the internet, anywhere we can."[break][break]

she muses, images of various commercials floating into her head as she pictures cyg in a few of them.[break][break]

"you certainly have the looks and personality for it. we'd love to have you in one."

[attr="class","ooc"]ana fell[break]

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

Cyg doesn’t really know what to say, in part because, hell yes, this is her dream. Being on TV? That’s, like, the first step to making her own movies. Images flash before her eyes-- her own Netflix show, a la The Haunting of Hill House, or even her own movie-- but she hides the excitement behind a swig of water.
[break][break]
“I’d-- I’d love to. Holy shit.” She can’t fight the smile that comes to her face. “That’d be awesome. Ahhhhhhhh!” She exhales excitedly, presses her face into her hands, and does a little tap dance of glee. “Sorry. Sorry. I’m embarrassing.”
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ANA STONE [break]


wearing

a similar smile graces ana's features, mirroring the excitement cyg expresses. it's not often she's met with such a reaction so her cheeks flush for a brief moment. she hides it behind her glass, sipping.[break][break]

when it lowers, her smile remains.[break][break]

"don't be sorry! it's cute. you're cute."[break][break]

"is that your dream, then? to be on tv?"

[attr="class","ooc"]ana fell[break]

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

Cyg rubs at the back of her neck, trailing her fingers along the links of the gold-tinted chain she has wrapped around her throat. It’s just nickel, tarnished yellow, fifty-five cents at the thrift store.
[break][break]
“Well,” she says, wondering if she actually wants to say what she’s going to say or if she should back out, now, before Ana thinks she’s a big fucking weirdo. “My dream dream is to write and direct horror movies. Not, like, cheap Eli Roth slasher horror,” she added, lest Ana think she was the aforementioned big fucking weirdo, “but, like. Ghost stories. Monster stories.”
[break][break]
She shifted her glass and watched the ice slip and slide, afraid she’d said too much. Elisa had been relatively understanding when she’d talked about it, but… that was Elisa. Elisa made poison in her basement. She knew a thing or two about weird quirks.
[break][break]
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ANA STONE [break]


wearing

too late to back out now. even if ana doesn't voice as much, she's glad cyg decided to take the plunge.[break][break]

"that sounds fun! i'm not a big fan of horror but i can definitely appreciate."[break][break]

not to mention how rotomtv has produced a number of horror movies and series as well.[break][break]

"what's stopping you?"

[attr="class","ooc"]ana fell[break]

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

“Um,” Cyg said, voice a bit strained. “Poverty?” she offered, trying to be funny. “I wanted to go to school for film but, uh. Trade school was cheaper.” So she became an electrician, and the fall from grace began.
[break][break]
“My parents have never been good with money, so there wasn’t much of a fund for my education.” And I didn’t try hard enough in school for scholarships, she thought, but she left that part out.
[break][break]
[break][break]
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ANA STONE [break]


wearing