[attr="class","icon"]

lars is not ringed in. rather, the commissioner greets him herself, blonde locks emerging through the widening gap between the door and door frame.[break][break]

"come in!" she says. "good to see you, laurence."[break][break]

the commissioner holds the door open to a quaint yet distinguished office swathed in neutral browns and taupe. a brocade sofa looks over a small coffee table graced by a small bowl of fruit.[break][break]

she beckons for him to take a seat as he enters.[break][break]

"to what do i owe the pleasure of this visit today?"

[attr="class","icon"]

dahlia allows the silence to pass. there is not much to say, not much to offer, save for a saccharine frown and a nod of knowing; to be unaware of elinor's whereabouts would be folly, especially when treading through the fluid tides of war.[break][break]

"utilizing the resources of the aqua initiative?" she asks. "for articuno, yes?"

[attr="class","icon"]

"learning from others who have healthy bonds with their patrons would be a start, laurence." the commissioner takes a seat too, legs crossed, hands folded neatly over her lap. "that is partially the reason why you're in the initiative after all."[break][break]

she cultivates a purposeful pause—unless the man before her disrupts it.[break][break]

"have you learned from any other avatar in aqua?"

[attr="class","icon"]

"we have offered a plethora of resources to use, laurence anderson. wisdom, knowledge, people, facilities and resources." [break][break]

the commissioner crosses her arms as if to hold herself together lest the disbelief burst from her breast.[break][break]

"if you only made the effort to contact a single figure, then have you really thought about your options?"

[attr="class","icon"]

"the issue is that you are approaching this with a scientific lens." [break][break]

the commissioner shakes her head, a golden curl falling to grace her cheek.[break][break]

"but this is a dilemma of relationships. the relationships between you and your colleagues and the relationship between you and articuno."[break][break]

she leans forward and presses her elbows against her knees. blue eyes stare straight at the former head ranger, locking him in so that her message flies true.[break][break]

"to be frank, you are difficult to work with. you are grumpy. you have a temper. you are secretive and keep things to yourself." the commissioner says. "you have not learned from your colleagues and you have not learned from articuno."[break][break]

dahlia straightens herself. folds her hands on her lap as if to anchor herself too.[break][break]

"if you do not work on your relationships with your colleagues, how can you possibly work on your relationship with articuno?"

[attr="class","icon"]

"you can not use the poison of your past to ruin your fruitful future." the commissioner says. "at some point in our lives, we need to learn how to use our struggles, not as excuses, but as ways to grow."[break][break]

he's close. like shoal cave, perhaps the tide must recede for him to advance for him to progress.[break][break]

"communication comes in many different ways, laurence," she knows this and speaks in a tailored channel even now, "for each individual pokemon and each individual human."[break][break]

the commissioner allows the purposeful pauses; she hopes they provide reflective spaces as clear as ice.[break][break]

"your trust issues are the league's issues. your colleague's issues. if you do not exercise trust and camaraderie, how can you expect your peers to do the same for you?"

[attr="class","icon"]

the commissioner allows the silence again. in case laurence had more to say, more to clarify.[break][break]

for the first time, she believes, laurence exercises the composure his legendary patron represents.[break][break]

"i don't want trying." dahlia says. "i want doing. and you can do it, lars. you can." [break][break]

she stands from her seat. [break][break]

"you've always been able to. be careful and do report back."