When you spent your days wandering all around the region, familiar faces were hard to come by. It's why Isaac made a point of committing the ones he did recognize to memory.

Not that recognition was always easy at the Rocket HQ, of course. Sure, some Rockets were out and about, proud of who they were, but many had the good sense to keep a healthy work-life balance. Being a Rocket worth recognition put a target on one's back, after all. Isaac was in the latter company, his face safely masked and his build hidden beneath his leather jacket. All he had to do after was muss his hair up in a slightly different fashion from usual and, boom. Nobody'd put 2 and 2 together!

That said, Isaac would have recognized that white hair and eyepatch anywhere.

As a fellow freelance does-whatever-she-wants-er, Lethe and Isaac crossed paths quite a bit in recent memory. There were only so many cities in Hoenn, and only so many odd jobs, dares, and challenges out there to do. However, he certainly didn't expect to see her here of all places. In his mind, he'd been the only one to give up on that lifestyle. In a way, it was nice to know he wasn't alone.

He put his tray down at Lethe's table, casually sitting across from her. "The gig economy's been going downhill for you too, eh?" he asked, the slightest hint of a teasing smirk on his face.

Waiting, waiting, and suddenly… they spotted someone. Or rather, they had been spotted by a familiar face — one they hadn’t necessarily expected to see here, but whom they couldn’t be too surprised at the presence of. Isaac, someone they’d met a few times before while on jobs or seeking them.

Another person-for-hire, being in Rocket… sure, it made enough sense. After all, Lethe’s own loyalties had strayed here quickly enough.

“Ah, you,” they greeted him. Then hesitated for a moment at his question, and chose to ignore the smirk.

“That’s one way of putting things, I suppose,” they answered. Things had been slightly rougher in recent times, jobs getting a bit rarer, and Lethe wasn’t one to give up an opportunity where they saw one. And Rocket had offered.

“That’s why you’re here, then?”

They’re curious, they’ll admit, as to what his motivation for being here is. They may be new, but Rocket didn’t exactly seem like something people joined for fun. As far as they knew, it was brutal; a risk they didn’t see people taking lightly, if they knew what was good for them.

…Though, honestly, they weren’t sure if Isaac knew what was good for him; they hardly knew the younger man, but in their personal experience, not knowing those things and running jobs would often go together.

---

Isaac Merlo