As soon as the hand met his mouth, he seemed stunned. Had he said something wrong? Right, right, some celebrities appreciated privacy to any and all degrees. At her request, he gave a quick nod. As soon as Melody pulled her hand away, he was quick to wipe his mouth and breathe out a breath he didn't realize he'd held onto. But his first jump surprisingly didn't seem to be ecstatic about Melody's fame, but rather the Zoroark bodyguard she chose to have accompany her. His grin went from ear to ear as he eyed the perfectly disguised guard, none the wiser to its true nature.

"Hey, that's an impressive trick you've got there, buddy!" he beamed.

After he offered that to the bodyguard, he turned back to Melody and took a deep breath in. As promised, he didn't shout again. Instead, he kept his voice at a normal volume and addressed the pink haired idol accordingly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to almost blow your cover. I just noticed you dropped that and felt it was only right to give it back," Sven spoke as he nodded, mostly to himself. "I've dabbled in music so I get how important demos and stuff can be."

In a sense, it's not like he wanted to draw attention to his own dabblings. And that seemed obvious the way he quickly held his hands up in a defensive fashion and stuttered about for something to say. While he wasn't shy to be in her presence, he was a little nervous to be talking about himself so carefree. Maybe it was due to the fact she was so high up in the league and he was just beginning to dip his toes into league affairs to some degree. As he spoke, he offered a gesture where he spun his fingers counter clockwise of one another as if a motion to signify a rewind.

"Sorry, sorry, let's rewind that. I'm Sven, pleased to meet you!"

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Melody Miro

"Oh, I couldn't impose--"

And like that, his stomach betrayed him with a low growl. Seemed his banana hadn't been enough. A look of exasperation painted itself upon his countenance and forced him to admit defeat. Seemed things would be going the pinkette's way, but at the very least he could keep his order minimalist. Well, best to move along. While he was happy to let Melody take the lead, he figured the least he could do was lead the conversation a bit more.

"Oh, I don't think anything of it. I know if I dropped something, I'd hope someone could be honest and return it, y'know?" Sven extrapolated. "I'll be honest, I didn't even realize it was you until you turned around, not that it really changes the outcome."

He supposed he only mentioned that bit to further prove that the way the two crossed paths had been pure happenstance. The music that had been playing in the singular earbud he had in was just white noise to him at this point, so it was only natural he pulled it out and placed it in its case. Sven momentarily turned to speak to the bodyguard before his words died in his throat at the stern expression the Zoroark wore. Seemed he wasn't much of a conversationalist.

That meant the rest of the walk fell a little quiet on his part, but once they reached the cafe, he could feel relief come off of his shoulders in waves. As he looked up towards the cafe, he noticed someone coming out with their hands full and quickly got the door for them. Likely some poor intern stuck on a coffee run. Despite how awful the region could be, he figured every little bit of kindness he put out to the world helped, even if it was in small gestures like that. Since he already held the door, he motioned for Melody and her Zoroark to go ahead in.

"So I'm thinking I might get an iced matcha latte and a blueberry muffin if that's cool," he stated. "Anything you might recommend? I'll admit, I don't frequent cafes much."

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Melody Miro

While he wanted to speak, he immediately found himself sidetracked by the Corsola. The blue color to it was what caught his attention, and he felt a sense of excitement bubble in his chest. It was cute how clingy the creature seemed! Without thinking, he opted to let his Ditto out to play. While it seemed to want to stick by Sven's side, he encouraged the creature to slide on forward and socialize a bit. The only thing that caught his attention was the way Melody had questioned what he did. A sheepish smile found its way to his expression as he began to speak a bit freely about himself.

"Well see, I've travelled across the world, just trying to find a place that I could really call home," he began. "While I do have a love for music and do a couple self-released things, my main interest lies in research. I want to know just what is so special about Hoenn, what brings all these varied beasts of legend here of all places?"

As he spoke, it was obvious his excitement had bubbled to a boiling point. His eyes sparkled in pure delight as his hands gripped firm against the edge of the tabletop. A goofy grin found its way to his features to truly accentuate how thrilled he was to discuss the topic. And it didn't take him long to elaborate further on his own thoughts so his newfound acquaintance could get a better idea of what he wanted to learn from his experience here.

"More importantly, what makes for an appropriate avatar? I know these legendary creatures all have their own preferences, but just what draws them to certain people, and how does that symbiotic relationship work? I imagine it's very taxing on the human body, but I just want to know if there's a way people can bond with these legends without extinguishing their own humanity in the meantime."

As he spoke, he felt himself nearly push himself out of his seat into a standing position. It seemed more than obvious it was a topic he was passionate about. Once he realized that his excitement got the better of him, he let out a breath and took his seat once more. His excitement turned into a twinge of embarrassment as his smile tipped into a more awkward one.

"Sorry, I tend to ramble a bit, but well... I guess I got my point across? But I don't want it to be a completely one-sided conversation. I know a bit about your music endeavors, but what made you decide to take the route of a member of the elite four? It seems like such a heavy burden matched with being an idol."

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Melody Miro

Ah, he hadn't meant to hit a nerve with the idol upon the statement of avatars. While he himself didn't seem too focused on the idea that a pokemon of legend might recognize him as worthy or not didn't seem to bother him all that much. All that mattered to him is that his own team of pokemon and the friends he made along the way viewed him as worthy. His hand rested on the table before Melody, palm upturned so if she felt so inclined, the two could hold hands for a brief moment while he spoke his peace -- Sven always felt a little bit of physical contact helped take the edge off of frank words. But then again, he didn't really register personal space all too often.

"They say the things you want only come when you're not focused on them," he started off. "You don't need a legendary pokemon to recognize you to feel that you're worthy as a trainer or even as a person. Cobalion may warm up to you one day, but understand the Swords of Justice are very wary of humans. I don't think it's anything with you, I simply think Cobalion just needs to learn to trust."

He hoped the words had been enough to offer some clarity to the idol. If not, he felt no regret for speaking his peace. His hand slipped back over to his own side and soon enough, their drinks and Sven's muffin had arrived. Bit by bit, he pulled at the treat and gave an 'mmm!' of approval. It was nice and warm with the faintest taste of butter that lingered mixed in with the fresh blueberries. As much as he enjoyed the treat however, his motions fell short as the question posed itself about Team Rocket. For a moment, he seemed to contemplate on this. But as his brows bunched together, it was obvious his opinion didn't feel welcomed to the idea.

"Can I be honest? They pose too much of a threat. Even the ones that have begun to funnel out still pose a threat, in my opinion. I feel they joined Rocket for a reason, and them leaving is just a way for us to let our guards down. I don't think anyone should have to die, but..."

It was hard for him to finish the thought. To openly say he felt that any threat should be eradicated made him feel as though he wasn't any better than Team Rocket itself. His gaze fell upon the table as he let out a sharp exhale. His hands, despite how they rested on his lap, gripped into fists as he dug into the fabric of his pants as he tried to put his further thoughts into words.

"I don't understand the reason behind Team Rocket, and maybe that's why I'm so frustrated with them. They're just a bunch of pawns in a game of attrition, operating under someone's ego trip. What benefits do they have for doing wrong? Sure, the League has done some questionable things, but they do it for the better. They want to save Hoenn by any means necessary, and I think it's noble that they're fighting to save the region we've all decided to call home."

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Melody Miro

As Melody reasoned her own view on Team Rocket, Sven took the opportunity to have a sip of his latte. Ice rattled around as he placed the drink back down and took the opportunity to absorb her own views. It seemed they shared a similar train of thought; she was right to say that Team Rocket was selfish. Though he didn't allow her surprise to his prior words go without saying. Sven folded his hands carefully before himself and spoke at an even tone to reassure her of his own research.

"I try to keep my ears to the ground when it comes to legendary pokemon, the Swords of Justice are no exception. I wouldn't say I'm interested in them particularly, but I am interested in the potential they have," he rambled. "So please don't think you have any competition in regards to garnering Cobalion's favor. But if I may be so bold, I'd like to do what I can to help you achieve that goal of reaching out to it."

Sven flashed a polite smile. If there posed any opportunity to learn more about Hoenn's draw for calamity and bigger draw for legendaries outside of its own region, he'd remain tenacious in his approach. Despite the polite approach, a sense of determination sparkled in his eyes. He hardly knew anything about Melody past her name, but here he figured that a loose partnership would be beneficial for the both of them -- as an elite four member, it was safe to assume she knew plenty about the strange occurences that surrounded Hoenn. As for him, he didn't offer much but an eagerness to help someone else achieve their goals.

"I don't expect an answer right out the gate but think about it at least, yeah? This poses an opportunity for research on my part, and offers you a plus one for your search into what I can only assume will be a dangerous journey. I know we don't know each other well enough to really jump into something so carelessly, but I have a good feeling about this, and I like to run with my instincts."

Instinct was quite strong with Sven. When he had a gut feeling, he went for it. Maybe he was just hyped up to see what the future had in store, but he was getting ahead of himself here. With that realization, Sven settled down in his seat a bit and took another piece of his blueberry muffin.

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Melody Miro

The compliment came at an inopportune moment as he took another sip of his drink. So the moment she made the remark he was interesting, Sven was quick to sputter around a bit as he reached for a napkin to wipe away the excess matcha that threatened to spew out of his nose from the way he practically choked on the drink. Once he got his bearings, the scientist waved a dismissive hand to show he was fine, but as well as to counter Melody's words.

"I wouldn't say interesting, just curious," he spoke frankly. "I feel exposure to a powerful, untamed force will be more beneficial for research purposes. We can understand what it is that allows a legendary beast to choose whom it partners with -- what qualities do they look for? Naturally they'll all be different, but to witness it would offer us one step closer to discovering what their motivations are with Hoenn, and perhaps the world, as a whole."

His monologue probably made no sense to an outsider, or came off as uninteresting, but he wanted to try and help Melody understand where he was coming from in terms of offering his help. Little did he realize how he'd simply assumed that he could and would be there to witness the bond. A breath out at that realization came with a shudder of his shoulders and apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I think the better question would be: would you mind the company of a stranger in such an," he paused and moved his hands in an attempt to grasp for the word he wanted. "Intimate matter? I know the bond a pokemon and trainer share is one thing, but a bond to form avatarship must be something completely beyond comprehension. I'd like to witness it from the outside."

Sven himself had no motivation to intertwine his own fate with that of a legendary creature. This fell in the fashion that he didn't understand the ramifications that would come with it. What dangers would come to whisk away a creature of creation or a creature of ruin. It was best not to personally interfere with the matter of gods.

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Melody Miro