[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]she had been staring up at the clouds when he approaches, distracted and half there.

her cheeks flush a soft pink when her eyes return to the ground. they focus on him, a small smile rising.

"yeah, that's me," she murmurs.

a hand stretches out toward him, warm and welcoming.

"nice to meet you, ollie!"

she can already tell... his help today will be beyond appreciated.

ollie morales

[attr="class","header"]VALOR: HELPING HAND

a grip catches hers — firm and warm. "you work with my sis, right? hopefully she didn't tell you any bad things about me." he smirks before lifting up his camera. "also - i was told to take pics today. it'll be good for league morale, or something like that."

[break][break] his emerald green gaze twinkles with mirth.

[break][break] "you're not camera shy, right?"

[break][break]

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

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]oh... it makes sense now that he says he's Eva Morales's brother. she can tell by the warm personality and the wild grin alone.

"i do," she flashes a wider smile. "nothing too bad, don't worry."

her cheeks heat slightly as the camera rises. he's gonna take them of her? oof.

"no," she replies without missing a beat. it'll be fine, right? "snap away, hotshot."

maybe a camera op will help her get back into the commissioner's good graces. she doubts it but might as well try.

"should we get started?"

has set up even finished, yet?

ollie morales

[attr="class","header"]VALOR: HELPING HAND

hot shot, huh?

[break][break] "yeah, let's go!" ollie hooks an arm with the head scientist, dragging them towards the tables that are set up inside. there are a few volunteers already there, but he's sure that illeana reyes is going to be the one to watch.

[break][break] she is head scientist, after all.

[break][break] there are a few empty tables with tasks that look like they need to be done. a pyramid of cans sit on one, left to be put into boxes. "so, you ever done anything like this before? you big into volunteering?"

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

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]her, one to watch? yeah, if you were tryna gauge her mental stability for dahlia, maybe...

she shifts over to the tables and only once they're within reach of a task does she retract her arm from his.

a small smile rises at the question.

"not as much as i'd like to be," she supplies. while she talks, she begins to grab some cans from the stack and place them into the nearby box. "my schedule is a little too busy to volunteer a lot."

her hands still and her eyes dart up to observe him for a moment.

"do you volunteer at all?"

if he's anything like his lovely sister, she could guess what the answer will be.

ollie morales

[attr="class","header"]VALOR: HELPING HAND

"any time i can!"

[break][break] he beams, looking like a golden retriever who's just gotten his biscuit. it's true — pa always told he and Eva Morales to help wherever they could; it's part of why he became a ranger and part of why (he suspects) his sister devoted her life to her craft.

[break][break] "i bet you're too busy to volunteer though," he says amicably, putting the cans away in their boxes. "i bet you could do donations, if you want. i'm sure people would look great in your clothes."

[break][break]

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

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]like brother, like sister... she's certain now that if she looked into their dna, she'd find the genetic structure to be full of sunshine and butterflies.

the concept brings with it a sense of comfort, of fondness.

"with the meteor approaching... a bit."

and yet, she willingly signed up for this. she even rearranged a meeting or two to ensure she was present. it's the least she could do after making a mess of her duties and placing the region second to her greed.

"it's nice to help out like this, though. a change of scenery and knowing i can be of use to the people of hoenn is definitely better than a lab majority of the time."

although, maybe she should look into donating clothes... lord knows she has too many.

ollie morales

[attr="class","header"]VALOR: HELPING HAND

ollie organizes a pile of rage candy bars into a tiny little pyramid on the table — hopefully it'll look fun enough and not completely topple over. as long as they don't grab from the bottom!

[break][break] "oh yeah. the meteor."

[break][break] ollie tries so hard to be optimistic that he often misses what's in front of him. of course the head scientist would be smarter than that.

[break][break] "you're always helping out the people of hoenn," he says, with a mild gasp. so much for her being smarter than him! "you're a head scientist, aren't 'cha illie?" he flashes a grin. "though, i'm sure the public likes to see your pretty face around outside too."

[break][break] he steps back from the table, this time lifting the camera.

[break][break] "alright, photo op time. say cheese!"

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

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]she shrugs.

"sometimes."

truthfully, she should do more. and even then, would it be enough?

after the primal crystal incidents, there's been a knot of guilt beneath the skin that doesn't seem to fade no matter how much good she does. and maybe, at some point, she's accepted it'll always be there, festering, waiting to swallow her whole.

"i am! it's, uh, a busy job most of the time but it's nice to get out and do something other than stare at test results."

she flushes beneath the compliment. a pretty face... perhaps the public still sees her as a pretty scientist, not the greed filled monster she's becoming.

he lifts the camera, then, and she freezes. a moment later, a smile rises. it's warm but guarded in a way, as if muted into a lesser shine.

"cheese!"

hey, isn't that a cute name for a cat?

ollie morales