[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]she takes a moment to right herself, to steady the rush of anxiety as it comes in.

the headdress is readjusted even as the woman smiles. no harm done... right?

perhaps.

"yeah, uh, i'm alright. sorry again, i was a bit distracted."

if the ornate piece on her head had fallen, it might've been a different response but for now, she's settling enough in a state of acceptable feeling. a small smile mirrors the masked woman's after a moment.

and her mouth opens to speak once more... only for her misdreavus to silence words from bubbling out of the throat.

the ghost leans in and stares. the motion widens her smile, softens the eyes, eases comfort into her bones.

"oh, it's okay!"

a free hand reaches tenatively toward the ghost type, as if she wants to pet its head without permission.

"you're quite cute, you know."

her usual golurk companion would have loved this...

Elisabeth Fiorelli

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]is it concerning? no... it's more insignificant the longer she thinks of it.

her smile turns slightly awkward, as if she doesn't quite know how to deflect away from the inner workings of the mind. in the end, she settles on half truths and lofty concepts in a half-hearted hope that part of the conversation will die away.

"no, no, definitely not concerning."

the smile widens slightly to become more believable.

"it was more fiddling with my costume than anything."

and then, the expression becomes more tangible than feigned. fondness seeps through for a twirling ghost type and she can't quite stop herself from moving to pet the misdreavus further.

"she's wonderful."

truly, she means it.

"you know, it never quite made sense to me how ghosts could be deemed terrifying creatures."

if anything, people are the true culprits behind everything horrible in the world, aren't they?

Elisabeth Fiorelli

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]despite herself, cheeks radiate the soft warmth of a compliment hitting its mark.

and she tries to not readjust the ornate piece of the umpteenth time but... her free hand strays anyway if only to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. the crisp fall breeze blows it back out of place and there it stays, tickling the side of her left cheek.

"thank you, that's very kind of you."

kindness in strangers is a virtue she doesn't understand, truthfully.

"your costume is stunning as well," she offers. a smile stretches the lips. "the blue really compliments you."

the misdreavus dips its toes in the art of playing a game, phasing in and out of place as her hand reaches to continue petting. and with amusement, her nose crinkles as the smile stretches itself wider. she allows her hand to linger in place before wiggling her fingers back toward the ghost type.

"they are," she pauses and her eyes stray from the ghost to find the masked woman's. they're understanding, existing in a realm of awareness that's a staple of the scientist. "but it's foolish to be fearful at the expense of blameless creatures."

they didn't ask to be what they are. they're not so different from any other creature. besides, she's found memories haunt in fear more than ghosts ever do.

"oh, no i live in lilycove, actually."

she mirrors the introductory smile, friendly warmth offering a slight variant in the expressions.

"i'm illeana. it's a pleasure to meet you, elisabeth."

Elisabeth Fiorelli

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]her expression brightens with a thought.

"if you wanted to continue tailoring, i think you'd flourish."

it's, perhaps, a little too forward but it's genuine. her costume is impeccable craftsmanship and it shows. if she wanted to expand her talent into another business, she'd make a killing.

another tinkering laugh escapes as elisabeth's misdreavus dissolves further into its antics. each change of expression, each mask plucked off and replaced earns another giggle.

"that's true. sometimes, i wish people wouldn't give into it as much as they tend to."

but... that would make her a hypocrite. she's given too much of herself into fear to really say that with her entire soul. it's not right to rip off pieces of herself to escape the heavy shackles of fear, of a watery doppelganger, of herself but she does it anyway.

and it never seems to make her feel any better.

"yes. halloween's my favorite holiday so i can never miss an event like this."

it's a self-indulgent escape from reality, as well, with the chance to transform herself into someone else for a single night but that's neither here nor there.

"do you typically attend these sort of things?"

Elisabeth Fiorelli

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]her smile warms like halloween candy left out too long in the sun.

"if you do, i'd happily be your first customer."

her misdreavus floats off suddenly and illeana's eyes follow curiously, not much thought behind the trail besides a small interest in what the ghost has found. a lantern winks at them around lavender's specterlike body.

"oh, is it really?"

the curiosity quickly derails from lavender's pursuit to focus entirely on elisabeth. and despite herself, she pries with greedy little fingers. knowledge is her trade, regardless of having a lab coat on or not.

"is this your first one or have you been to others recently?"

though... for the life of her, she cannot remember the last event that showed on her radar.

she understands, in a way, the allure of a busy place to call home. lilycove is similar to her in the way petalburg is to elisabeth: vastly different from home.

it's with this in mind that her expression dips into something a little more fond as her voice returns.

"i know the feeling... it's definitely different from back home. the busy atmosphere is nice. well, sometimes, anyway."

Elisabeth Fiorelli

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]elisabeth is on to something, she believes.

in busier atmospheres, it's easier to lose yourself. to become someone or something else. to simply... exist for a while. no pressure, no expectations, no self.

she craves such a thing throughout the day, growing increasingly tired of her own skin.

despite herself, she flashes a warmly fond smile when the misdreavus grows tired of what the lantern provides. there's a lack of animation to it and she's certain it's a ghost thing to grow bored of the uninteresting.

"a wagon ride sounds nice, honestly."

relaxing in a way she wouldn't mind in the slightest.

and when curiosity greets her in elisabeth's expression, she flushes a slight pink.

is it that obvious?

"absolutely."

a light, tinkering laugh follows.

"hoenn's been so busy ever since i got here. i'm afraid it might never slow down but sometimes, i wish it would."

in a way, it makes her miss the stillness of snowpoint.

Elisabeth Fiorelli