every grave on their list is cleaned and there's satisfaction in completing the task, but saskia could honestly care less about that. she's so pleasantly surprised to have found such nice company. memphis also seems super content to slap the friendship label on their newfound comradery and she's buzzing with excitement over that. 

and they're on their way to a new adventure!

"aw, but you took all these pics yourself?" she says, scrolling through cute landscape shots. memphis is missing out of most of them and she immediately seeks to remedy that. she finishes following herself from his account and then pulls up his camera, flipping it to selfie mode, and then grabs him by the shoulder. 

"say cheeeeeese," she says and grins widely, smushing their cheeks together. 

quick to flit from one thing to the next, she tosses him his phone back and bounces forward. "okay, so where's this cool cave or whatever you were telling me about?"

memphis evren

☉

cave? no, crypt. she stares forlornly down at the stone stairs, feeling the hair on the back of her neck raise. the little adventurer wilts, just a little, because she would never, ever admit that she'd let something as silly as fear stop her from exploring. 

"oh, well, better to ask forgiveness than permission, i think," she says and puts on her brave face. oleg looks up at her and then back down at the stairs, and then back up at her, and then back down, and then all at once he gives a whirr that sounds like breeee-wooo-dooo-dooo and he runs down the steps, leaving a balking saskia behind. 

"oleg, waitcomebackitcouldbedangerous," she bleats in a rush and starts chasing after him. 

memphis evren

☉

underfoot isn't exactly treacherous but it's damn well close. oleg is barely touching the ground, but that's not fair. he has the advantage of being able to teleport if he starts to fall. meanwhile sasky has to make sure she doesn't trip and fall head over heels down the stone steps. 

memphis calls out behind her and, exasperated, she calls for oleg one more time. one threat of not giving him a treat for a week has him teleporting instantly next to her. he looks up at her, beeps angrily, and then kicks a rock. 

"oh, hush. it could be dangerous! i'm just looking out for you." he beeps again. "do not use that tone with me."

but with that settled and the pokemon successfully wrangled, she lopes the flight back up to memphis. her jaw drops and she reaches out to touch the worn mural. 

"aww, are those hisuaian arcanine?" she says, squinting. 

memphis evren

☉

she has very little concept of personal space so she peeks curiously over his shoulder to look at his pokedex. her eyes flicker to and from the mural, comparing both, and she decides that yes, it must be a hisuaian arcanine and also now she wants a hisuaian arcanine. they're not as fluffy as the ones native to this region, but gosh if they're not cute. 

"do you know a lot about stuff like that? art and things?"

memphis evren

☉

reading, organizing, and categorizing. three things that sound so very boring to saskia. she had been a nearly straight-a student in school, but that had been so much work on her part. she'd always been envious of those who just kind of got school. it never clicked for her like that. 

and focusing on reading a textbook? well, she's just happy she's graduated and made it to being a ranger. 

"that's so cool that you just kinda know stuff though. and can recognize things like this." it would have been just another painting to saskia. heck, there's a chance she wouldn't have even noticed it. (but she could at least blame oleg for that.)

"well, you know a lot more than me and probably a lot more than other people." she shrugs and then points down the stairs. oleg beeps excitedly. "think there will be a mummy down there?"

memphis evren

☉