today is pretty much what the perfect day for alia song looks like. she had enjoyed a slow morning caffeinated by a solid matcha latte, followed by a one-hour run with a few of her pokemon, and now she was taking a quick trip to the local art gallery. the young woman has been trying to go to as many exhibitions as she can lately, an attempt at rejuvenating her own creative juices. due to the spontaneity of the trip, however, alia had no idea what she was walking into and the political undertones of this exhibit mildly surprised her. all proceeds go to the kanto refugee trust, she reads silently. [break][break]

hailing from the tiny twinleaf town of the sinnoh region, the dark-haired woman was rather sheltered from the political conflict that had shadowed kanto and hoenn over the last few years. she was never an incredibly political person (she was lucky that she didn't have to be), but alia figures that as a recent hoenn transplant, it was time to inform herself about the issue. thus, instead of briefly glazing over the pieces, she takes her time with each one. studies each work intently for both their artistic technicalities and political backgrounds. [break][break]

around a quarter through the exhibit, alia nears the grey-haired man but keeps an appropriate distance from him as she focuses on the painting. she vaguely catches his remark, intrigued by the less-than-positive tinge in his words. hesitantly, she takes another step closer to him, choosing her words carefully. she wasn't necessarily the type of person that always initiated conversations with random strangers, but her curiosity always did get the best of her. "you must know," alia glances briefly at the plaque, "vermillion city well to say that. are you from there?" she smiles lightly, hoping it was enough to show her lack of ill intentions. 

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+ Kouji Matsubara  

alia wonders briefly if she's accidentally hit a sore spot, her blue gaze studying the stranger in front of her as he spoke. she thought she detected a hint of contempt in his voice, but it was so subtle she convinces herself that she imagined it. she clears her throat instead, ready to ask him yet another generic question about vermillion city if not to break any awkward tension she may or may not have started. [break][break]

he beats her to it, and his own inquiry stops alia in her tracks. she hesitates, although probably not for the reason he was expecting. could she really even say that she was an artist? she's barely picked up her supplies or camera in the last couple of years, let alone actually creating anything substantial. "yeah, i try to make art when i can," alia settles for a partial truth instead, unable to declare herself as an artist in the end. [break][break]

the latter half of his question doesn't escape her despite her momentary inner conflict. she quirks an eyebrow at it, taken aback by the tinge of hostility in his words. "i just moved to hoenn recently, so i'm still getting familiar with team rocket." this seems like a safe answer, so alia leaves it at that. she decides to evade the man before she offends him any further, until he degrades the exhibit again. [break][break] 

woah. alia stares at him, a million gears turning in her head as she processes what he said. she may not know much about rocket, but his comment still felt incredibly rude and unnecessary. sure, her knowledge on the organization may only be based off of the last quarter of the exhibit, but they didn't exactly seem like the good guys here. if anything, the exhibit was the one trying to do good, raising money for refugees. [break][break]

the merest hint of a frown escapes her as she debates whether she should engage. alia really had no means getting herself into a political conflict of any level, with no knowledge backing herself up. but god, was he rude. "what makes you say that?" alia says at last, taking a safer approach to the conversation once again. confrontation has never been her strong suit, after all. 

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+ Kouji Matsubara  

nothing would have prepared alia for what came next. she had listened to the stranger's hostile words with a rather open mind, if she did say so herself. she had no right in declaring whether he was right or wrong, really, as someone that hasn't a victim of the region's conflicts. she couldn't imagine how painful and frustrating it had been for hoenn's citizens, especially if what he said about the league had even an ounce of truth. [break][break]

that didn't mean what the silver-haired man was doing was right, though. alia watches in horror as he releases his sableye to destroy the paintings that adorned the walls. he was really forcing her to dive headfirst into conflict, was he? as much as she hated being confrontational, she couldn't simply stand by and watch him commit a clear crime, especially as a ranger. even if she didn't have a professional duty to do so, it was heartbreaking watching him destroy the precious artworks that the artists put so much effort in. most of these artists were probably just commissioned to do a job. they didn't deserve this.  [break][break]

"even if what you said was true," alia says, reaching for her own pokeball to release her noibat. "it doesn't justify what you're doing now. how does destroying these artworks help your cause at all? there has to be a better way to fight for what you believe in." she's aware that she's probably being incredibly irritating, preaching on what was the moral thing to do. she swallows, a prick of guilt stabbing her for what she was going to do next. this stranger may be committing a crime, but it was also clear to alia that he was a simply a hurt individual tired of being discarded by the system. she could empathize with that. [break][break]

"i'm sorry, but i can't just let you do this." she tells him before nodding at her pokemon. "be careful. try not to damage any of the paintings more than they already are." she adds softly, which the noibat lets out a shrill cry in acknowledgment to. the small bat dives towards the sableye, incisors gleaming a fiery amber as she attempts to sink a superfang with the strength of a fighting type. 
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+ Kouji Matsubara         [break]