It seemed the fateful taxi ride between himself and luka chêne and their subsequent conversation was beginning to bear fruit. Already their professional relationship was garnering clients - and not small time ones, either. MATIAS SILPH, League Captain and Elite Four member, was on the docket for this afternoon. A small café had been decided for their meeting, where Barnaby arrived fashionably early to set up for their interview. In the chair beside the journalist, easily missed unless one happened to look over, was an unusually colored EEVEE curled up asleep.

A carafe of black coffee and a pot of Galarian breakfast tea had been ordered for the table. Barnaby had already poured a cup of tea for himself, improved with a few cubes of granulated brown sugar. Additionally, a selection of delectable pastries sat on a porcelain plate, ready to be eaten if desired.

The tinkle of a bell announced Matias’ arrival. “Captain Silph! Hello.” Smiling warmly, Barnaby rose from his seat and offered a polite hand in greeting. “Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today.”

When Matias sat in his cushioned café chair, Barnaby would follow suit, settling in for the beginning of their interview. “I’m sure you’ve been very busy these days. I appreciate you squeezing me in.”

MATIAS SILPH
mission: A STAR IS BORN

☉

while matias would've normally responded with something like 'it's fine' or don't mention', pr training with luka chêne has prepared him for pleasantries which should really have come naturally.[break][break]

"the pleasure is all mine, barnaby."[break][break]

already skipping to a first-name basis, matias accepts the handshake, squeezes, then sits.[break][break]

"no worries at all! when i heard the barnaby finch wants an interview, well, how could i say no?"[break][break]

he reaches for the pot of galarian breakfast tea to pour a refill for barnaby and also a cup for himself. barely able to catch a glimpse of it, he gestures beside barnaby.[break][break]

"that's a cute eevee."

[attr="class","ooc"]BARNABY FINCH[break]

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

"You flatter me, Captain!" Barnaby breathed out a small laugh before his eyes fell to the Pokémon beside him.

"Merci. This little one is Pepin."

Upon hearing his name, the diminutive EEVEE's ears twitched, his tiny toes clenched together then flexed apart, and his dark eyes blinked open. After a big yawn and a languid stretch, he eventually sat upright in his seat; like this he was just tall enough to peek over the edge of the wooden table.

Still shaking off the sleep, it took Pepin a moment to register that there was another human across from them. When he did, though, his eyes lit up and a little squeak of excitement filled the air around the trio. The epitome of adorable.

"He seems to like you." Not unsurprising. Pepin was the friendliest of Barnaby's Pokémon. There was a reason he sometimes had the EEVEE accompany him to meetings like this.

"Now, I'd hate to waste your time on pleasantries. Let's get down to business, hm?"

From within his bag Barnaby plucked both a leather-bound journal and a high-quality ink pen, opening the former and poising his hand to write with the latter.

"I've heard you've had experiences within the recent space-time distortions, as well as dealt with repercussions associated with the phenomena."

MATIAS SILPH
mission: A STAR IS BORN

☉

"little pepin!"[break][break]

adorable. matias gushes over the little one as it wakes up to eventually peer over the table. he leans forward a bit to reach over to hover his hand over its fluffy ears, brushing once, twice, before retracting.[break][break]

"excellent posture, little pepin."[break][break]

but, yes, down to business.[break][break]

with a nod and almost a sad sigh, he shifts his attention back to the interview.[break][break]

"i have! yes. the most recent one was over at mount pyre when samuel carter called for some assistance. would you like to start there, barnaby?"

[attr="class","ooc"]BARNABY FINCH[break]

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

Barnaby studied MATIAS SILPH as he interacted with the adorable EEVEE, somewhat surprised that a hardened military captain carried himself in such a way. Most similar types, from Barnaby's experience, were gruff and tight-lipped... but not this particular soldier, apparently.

Hmm.

There was a faint sound of pen on paper. Meanwhile, Pepin had evidently decided that he'd found his long-lost best friend. The little guy was a glutton for pets, so when he received only two head scritches, that was certainly not enough!

Delicately, he leapt to the floor, leaving their eyesight for a moment before resurfacing in the cushioned chair beside Matias. The EEVEE squeaked again, demanding the attention he rightfully deserved.

The sight goaded a small smile onto Barnaby's lips. "That seems like an excellent place to start. Please," He shifted his hand palm-up, gesturing for the captain to recount his experience.

MATIAS SILPH
mission: A STAR IS BORN

☉

matias is more than happy to continue petting little pepin and to give the eevee all the attention it needs. so, with a gentle smile, matias reaches a hand over to scratch the back of pepin's ears.[break][break]

"i received a call last tuesday from mount pyre's caretaker, samuel carter. he reported disturbances in the area. rough winds, strange pokemon, you know, the usual."[break][break]

if possible, matias would like to lift little pepin onto his lap to continue doting.[break][break]

"so i responded. i was quickly joined by ranger Dominic Grey, and together we fought against what we now know as a kleavor."

[attr="class","ooc"]BARNABY FINCH[break]

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

As Matias described the events surrounding his distortion experience, Barnaby listened and dutifully took note of what was said. The delicate sound of pen on paper acted as an undertone to the man’s retelling, assuring that every detail he cared to give was accounted for. Meanwhile, Pepin was lapping up all the offered attention.

As he was lifted into Matias’ lap, the little EEVEE mewed his delight. Once plopped down, he leaned into the captain’s stomach in an appreciative way, looking up at him with those infatuated eyes. Pepin then twirled in his newfound seat - one spin, two spin, a pause to assess, then a third spin - before deciding to curl up and settle in.

The usual. The wording struck Barnaby as slightly melancholic. To think that events such as these were becoming part of the norm. “Describe your encounter with Kleavor, please. What did it look like? It’s size, shape, color? Was it like any Pokemon on record? How did you and Dominic Grey fare against it?”

MATIAS SILPH
mission: A STAR IS BORN

☉

matias does his best to recount the events all the way down to the minute details that he would've otherwise overlooked.[break][break]

"it was tall, six-four, maybe, and lanky apart from its axe-like appendages that were made out of heavy black rock. it reminded me of a scyther especially in the way it moved."[break][break]

his hand lays atop the little eevee, big enough that it covers a good portion of its furry body.[break][break]

"we fared well. the trickiest part was having to fend it off while ensuring the many tombstones go unharmed. we ended up leading it outside before i froze it."[break][break]

oh! matias slowly pulls out his phone, careful not to disturb the eevee on his lap. he places it on the table, rotating it towards barnaby.[break][break]

"here's a picture of it encased in ice."

[attr="class","ooc"]BARNABY FINCH[break]

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

Nodding along as Matias spoke, Barnaby continued to document his guest's lived experience. It was quite the tale he told, too, of a monster wholly unlike any that had been discovered to date.

"I'm glad to hear that the cemetery was left mostly unscathed," He mused before looking up from his journal, prompted by the image on the Captain's phone. He leaned over the table to get a better look at it.

"Remarkable..." There, plain as day, was a KLEAVOR trapped in ice, it's face forever frozen in unquenched rage. "If you don't mind, could you send me a copy of this for the article?"

Leaning back into his seat, the journalist took another sip of his tea before asking his next question.

"Do you know what happened to it's body once it was defeated?" Barnaby figured it would have been carted off for scientific study, but wanted to confirm with Matias nonetheless.

MATIAS SILPH
mission: A STAR IS BORN

☉

"sure."[break][break]

but after tapping his phone a few times, he realizes he doesn't have reporter barnaby's number. luka chêne likely does, but to send it to her to send to him seems inconvenient. so he pulls up the phone app and slides it over.[break][break]

"we transported it to dr. morales' lab in ever grande. she's been doing great work on the distortions and these strange occurrences. i can schedule a time with her for you, if you'd like."[break][break]

call it a favor.

[attr="class","ooc"]BARNABY FINCH[break]

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

Fingertips quickly slid over the screen of Matias' phone, inputting Barnaby's business number and e-mail address for easy reference in the future. With that done he'd set the device back down onto the table with a quiet, "Thank you."

To the Captain's offer of meeting Eva Morales Barnaby gave an appreciative smile and nodded his head in assent. "That would be wonderful, actually. I'm sure she could reveal more of the science behind these phenomena." Of which Barnaby would whittle down in a way his audience could hopefully understand.

A groggy mewl from Pepin followed a natural pause in the conversation. The tiny EEVEE had fallen asleep again, cozily nestled in MATIAS SILPH's lap.

"I think I almost have everything I need from you. Just one or two more questions, if you don't mind."

Barnaby's gaze slid upwards from his journal, holding Matias' own.

"I'm curious - how are you feeling about the state of Hoenn as of late?" This could be in reference to so many different occurrences, not just the space-time distortions. "Being a Captain, perhaps you have a more militaristic view of things. Are you hopeful for the future? Concerned?"

Finally, he ended with something more open-ended.

"Is there anything you'd like to tell the public?"

MATIAS SILPH
mission: A STAR IS BORN

☉

matias lays a hand atop the sleeping eevee, not wanting to wake it with any bit of movement. he feels the soft purring of its breathing, feels how it slumps into his lap.[break][break]

adorable.[break][break]

"not at all."[break][break]

ah. so this is the reason behind hours of pr training with luka chêne. matias evaluates his responses, filtering some out before ending with one.[break][break]

"i'm both concerned and hopeful. there's no denying the terrors that plague the region but hoenn has persevered time and time again. i never knew why until i arrived."[break][break]

he smiles.[break][break]

"people give me hope. hoenn has an abundance of capable trainers, some of the strongest i've ever met, in fact. just look at the rest of the elite four."

[attr="class","ooc"]BARNABY FINCH[break]

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

Every word spoken by MATIAS SILPH was committed to paper with quick pen strokes. The small monologue was more earnest than Barnaby would have pegged the Captain to be, but it held an optimism that he knew his readers would appreciate.

Was it the truth, though? Would the strength of Hoenn's citizenry be enough to push back the terrors of the region?

Time would tell.

"I agree. Hoenn is certainly fortunate to have such skilled trainers."

After a wayward glance at his watch, Barnaby's eyebrows suddenly arched upwards.

"Look at the time! I've held you longer than we agreed to. My apologies, Captain Silph." He said, closing his journal but not immediately making to gather the rest of his things. "I should get going if I want to get back to Mauville before dark. Unless you have any questions for me before I head out?"

MATIAS SILPH
mission: A STAR IS BORN

☉