[attr="class","angelotag"] Naomi Sato

[attr="class","angelomain"]One last sweep of the Dewford sea after weeks of combing through the waters, and it could officially be declared as picked clean. Wrecks of the Rocket cargo ships that Nautica had sunk during the clash in the Ultra Deep salvaged and plundered. By their hands, naturally.

It was only polite to clean up (and keep for themselves) the mess they’d created.

Angelo had spent the day observing from the air for anything they’d missed and once he was satisfied, he’d landed his trusty seaplane back in the small island town. He’d have stayed close to the dock, waiting for refuelling to be complete, had he not been called to.

Not by phone, mind you.

Ever since the mission at the Ancient Tomb, connections he hadn’t realised he’d forged flare without prompting when they were close by. He was still getting used to controlling these abilities, much less when they were strong.

Like he’s being lead by a string, he’s guided to Granite Cave.

He grimaces. Past events led Angelo to not feel at peace within cramped spaces but fuelled by curiosity he wanders into the dark, reluctantly trading his sky for one of rock.

At his side, his illumina Dragapult keeps close company. X-Ray’s glow and his phantom force capabilities a soothing comfort.

After picking his way through the tunnels, Angelo finds the end of the line. Lead to a pink haired woman, with millions of hauntingly large eyes staring at him in the reflection of the crystals she examines. The pilot is too intrigued by the strange thought of strawberries popping into his head and a sense of nostalgia for their scenery, to let the Unown’s unblinking reflections phase him.

"Well, it doesn't look like any moonstone cluster I've ever seen," he responds to a curious little whisper. "I'm going to go with 'yes'."

[attr="class","angelopoke"]

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr="class","angelotag"] Naomi Sato

[attr="class","angelomain"]Something between them twanged, as if the cord he’d followed from the dock had been plucked like a guitar string in an uneasy wobble. Uncertainty radiated from the woman. Angelo could sense it.

She turns around, eyes bright in the bioluminescent glow that warmed their quiet nook. Soft pink hair. Small. Yet she was kitted out in gear that hinted she knew what she was doing and that she was already deep into the cave, he could easily assume this wasn’t her first rodeo.

Angelo gives her a crooked smile, feet remaining trenched some respectable two or three paces away. Motivated by some feeling of unexplained care to not agitate the tether further. “Huh. If they are, then I'm impressed they're still here. You must be the early bird.”

Gradually, he feels the tension begin to ease.

“I have an exploration company. Kinda my job to stick my nose into Hoenn’s weird and wonderful locales.”

He holds out his hand towards her then, just as X-ray lifts the tip of a glowing tail to curiously nudge the tip of the Unown-N’s ‘appendage’.

“Angelo Vestri,” he introduces, words tasting strangely of Déjà vu. Its combated by a roguish tilt, mischief flavouring his words. “And you? You a rock licker?”

He’d frequented the Lilycove and Slateport museum halls enough to pick up on geologist jabs.

[attr="class","angelopoke"]

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr="class","angelotag"] Naomi Sato

[attr="class","angelomain"]Then Nomi it is, he thinks to say, as if its the most natural response in the world. Only he doesn’t. Keeping fond familiarities of hazy origin locked behind the bars of a smile.

Knowing someone he can’t remember knowing is really fucking weird.

“Harsh. Rock lickers are scientists, too.” He smiles, taking a step forward as Nomi appears to relax. His back meets the cool cavern wall, leaning as he observes the newly introduced scientist work on the crystals.

“You picked a good time to get into Terastallization, with all these new cave systems appearing.” A nod towards the clump of ore she inspects.

Terastallization was no doubt a hot topic, what with it being so new to the Hoenn region having only recently fallen into their laps. Almost literally. Angelo had been there to see if happen, had plummeted from the meteor alongside it. No doubt something she might take interest in, had he any desire to share.

“Anything. Everywhere. New an' old. Until I’m too ancient to explore any more, I suppose.” Or when an adventure becomes his last... “Don’t think this world will ever stop spitting out something to discover. Sure you can relate.”

Angelo grins, arms folding loosely over his torso as if privy to a shared secret between the pair of them. Scientists were sort of like explorers.

Losing interest in the unown, X-Ray takes to a different cluster of rocks where the glow of his lounging, lizard body bounces off the sharp edges. Tiny flecks of light shiver in a multitude of colours upon the walls.

[attr="class","angelopoke"]

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr="class","credit"]