the alien pokemon doesn't care much for the dead. or for their remains. he sticks his hands into the ground by an unmarked grave in a psuedo-prayer after watching a mother and her child do the same. as tears slipped down their faces, they looked upon her and her pokemon with such contempt that sasky didn't even try to explain. 

she chided him as she dragged him away, swinging her sponge bucket around with her. 

"you have to be more sensitive than that," she says. the colors on his face light up in a pattern of i don't understand and sasky sighs. 

"it's not respectful to mimic people." more confused dancing lights. he flaps his arms uselessly. (but you make fun of your dad, sasky!) he can't say that, of course, so the two stare at each other, annoyed, until he gives in with a shrug.

when she comes upon someone almost...singing? to one of the gravestones, she pokes her head around. oleg totters right up to him and emits a series of harmonic beeps, matching the man's cadence.

"are you here to help tend the grounds too?"

memphis evren

☉

the moment a small alien flies up and starts beeping at him in harmony, memphis finds himself as confused as he is enthralled. he continues his singing, different each time, to see if the pokémon will keep up with his harmonies. he's all too pleased when the pokémon does, but then almost immediately embarrassed into an early grave when somebody speaks to him; the pokémon's trainer.

"o-oh," his stammering shows more in his shaking hands that he laces in front of him than in the way he stammers in his words. both are evidence of his nerves. "um, what?"

it's that kind of what that people ask when their brains are catching up to what somebody said; rhetorical, which is proven in how he immediately rambles to answer.

"yeah, i mean, yes. yes that's what we're here for today, tending graves. i've got a few more on my list. this was just number six. four more to go for today." the rambling makes him feel even more awkward, if that was even possible.

"you?"

[attr="class","membot"]saskia volosenkova

oh, now he's never going to stop mimicking people. still, she hides her smile behind her hand while she watches the man and her pokemon go tit for tat with their music. oleg is absolutely overjoyed at the response he's getting and she can only imagine the endorphins are going to override previous five minute conversation. 

aw, he's shy. well she is absolutely not shy. she's much like the spunky elgyem in that way. 

"yeah!" she says enthusiastically and drops down into a squat beside them so she can be at eye level with him. she pats oleg's head affectionately and the alien beeps a couple more times. 

"we haven't even started ours. oleg keeps getting distracted. and then i get distracted. and besides, this place is so cool."

memphis evren

☉

"it's different than i thought it would be," memphis admits with a small smile. "but like, in a good way. i thought it would be really creepy. but so far, mink and i have managed to clean six headstones and we haven't seen a single ghost type sighting yet."

mink gave him a small tug on his shirt as if to scold him, but then she climbed around him in a small scurry to get near his shoulder and head. her eyes were on the alien, which she wasn't used to seeing.

"...yeah hopefully i didn't just, y'know, jynx us." he could see the ice/psychic type sticking a pair of lush lips out as if to give a kiss of gratitude. "that would suck."

[attr="class","membot"]saskia volosenkova

she decides right then and there, right when he smiles, that she is going to make this one her friend. he'd seemed kind of shy when she first walked over. or maybe mortified is a better word. but now that they're chatting and sasky's looking at him bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, he seems happy to talk. 

so partners in crime they'll become, even if he doesn't know it yet. 

she laughs. "ghosts aren't so scary, you know. no scarier than aliens." oleg beeps in agreeance. 

she holds up her bucket. "can i help you then? i work faster with company."

memphis evren

☉

this woman has a point. a point that has memphis' shoulders relaxing. he was taught his whole life that ghosts were a result of the faithless in arceus being cursed and sent back to the earth to roam in a sort of purgatory, tormenting the living out of anger and spite.

but what if instead they're just, ghosts? no different than aliens from another world?

"please do. i think if you help me, i won't be nearly as worried about ghosts lurching out to eat me as i am right now." memphis gives a soft laugh, mostly at himself, before holding out his hand to her.

"my name is memphis by the way. this is mink," his minccino holds her paw up in a happy greeting to the alien. "thanks for keeping us company today."

[attr="class","membot"]saskia volosenkova

she brightens at his acceptance of her proposal. she would have given him his space if he asked for it, of course. she's not a monster. but now she has something to look forward to than just dusting old graves by herself. and oleg's easier to manage when he has someone to analyze anyway. 

"aw, she's so cute," saskia drolls as oleg returns the paw with a swing of his little arms. a series of beeps mimics the rhythm of saskia's exclamation. 

"don't worry, memphis. i'll protect you. but i don't think you got anything to worry about. ghosts are just pokemon." she blinks and fiddles with her supplies. "and i'm sasky.

"who's next?"

memphis evren

☉

oh, joy! mrs. darling is third on her list. she has a trickling suspicion that the way these lists are doled out is to encourage discussion with her fellow volunteers. not that she really ever needs help in that department. but still. 

but first is someone named greg evrart. there's a crudely drawn map of the cemetery for them to follow so she starts leading them away. oleg totters at her heels, arms outstretched so he can mill in circles while he follows. 

"you're not a ranger too, are you? i don't see a badge." her own is neatly clipped to her ranger-issued jacket, shiny and proclaiming her a protector of oldale. 

memphis evren

☉

an archavist? that sounds so interesting. his inner thoughts are correct: she immediately opens her mouth to ask him a million and one questions about it, but he starts to beat her to the punch. well, not really. 'investigating a grave,' only gives her more questions. 

"can i investigate with you?" she asks, ever happy to invite herself along to something. 

"we'll have these headstones done in no time! oleg can do a whole lot when he sets his mind to it. can't you, buddy?" he beeps enthusiastically in response. 

memphis evren

☉