Cassandra nods, that does make sense. "Do you have like, fences here, or is it more of an open area?" she wonders. It's kind of amazing to think if there might not be - but then again, most pokémon have abilities well within the scope of just ditching a trainer they don't like. For a moment, her fists clench as she thinks about trainers who abandon their pokémon, and pokémon who couldn't abandon their trainers.

She relaxes her fists, turning back to the conversation. She smiles as she sees the bond between Shalin and Serena, her Persian, and laughs a bit as she could almost feel that purr. "She does seem like a very good girl. Hello there," she says, offering her hand for the cat-like pokémon to sniff if she wanted.

"I haven't much yet, but I'll slowly get there," she replies to the travel by pokémon question. "I have a Fletchling, and maybe we'll be pokémon and rider when I've evolved her to a Talonflame." Effie (the Fletchling) knows of that plan, but Cass frankly hasn't ever received a proper reply, so it's really in the air. For now, simply training and evolving should be enough of a task! "I see that you're quite experienced there ... with all kinds of pokémon," they add, a bit cautious and dumbfounded as she sees the bright-red, absolutely buff pokémon with a backpack saddle.

Shalin Nariya

"Nope, it's wide open!" Shalin replied with the reaction time of a fighting-type Pokémon, as though she was anticipating such a question. "It's elevated from the rest of the forest, so it's a more closed ecosystem. You'd have to have the right Pokémon to get up here without going through my house or coming down the mountains." If anything, her menagerie of Pokémon created their own ecosystem found nowhere else in Hoenn. When offered, Serena sniffed Cassandra's hand, expecting to get pampered by the purple-haired guest.

Shalin hummed when her companion mentioned her intention to evolve the small bird to a Talonflame. "Many kinds! Every ride Pokémon is a new adventure!" With a shrill whistle from the Captain, a Talonflame came screeching toward the duo, nailing a perfect landing. "He's my Talonflame, Merton," she gestured toward the saddled firebird. "Figured I'd give you a little preview of what's to come if you wanted it!"

Cassandra nods, quite impressed at the explanation. "Have you ever had pokémon wander off? By will or by accident." It's probably bound to happen, right? She looks around, still amazed, and making maybe a few notes for if she ever gets to do something as grand ... but land is expensive, and her mom wouldn't want her to spend money on that much land, probably, to accomodate pokémon, so she'll make do with pokéballs. ... she really can't wait until she has her own real space, too.

As soon as Serena's expectations regarding petting are clear, Cass doesn't hesitate. She kneels down a bit, scratching and petting the Persian until she finds the spots that Serena enjoys specifically, cooing and blabbering affectionate nonsense in the meanwhile.

She does flinch and interrupt Operation Persian at the sudden shrill whistle, which does sound familiar ... a call that she has researched beforehand, to be prepared whenever Effie evolves fully. Upon the arrival of the Talonflame, Cass stands up, giving another parting pat for Serena, and looks curiously. "Oh, hello there Merton!" He, too, is wearing a saddle, but at Shalin's offer, Cass shakes her head and does a little polite bow. "That's very kind! But I think I'd like to see with Effie first. We might want to get some pointers in the future, however ... I think it's probably not hard to find you?" she laughs quietly, hoping that Shalin doesn't take offense.

But nonetheless, Cass' hand, always on the search of a pokémon to pet, reaches towards Merton, wanting to pet him.

Shalin Nariya

It also happened to be a lot cheaper to get the land when it was in the middle of nowhere. Petalburg Woods was not very close to civilization. Plus, getting a grant from the League for a Pokémon sanctuary was not difficult with the fame that followed her. "I have," the Captain answered. "They look out for each other. If one goes too far, it doesn't take long for a few others to bring them back. It's a nice perk to having so many Pokémon around here!"

Upon being showered with affection, the Persian would treat her to a purr, almost feeling like a massage when they were in contact. If Serena felt Cass liked it, she would purr much more powerfully, forgetting it was Shalin that enjoyed being rattled about, not her guest.

It was understandable that Cass wanted to learn with Effie first; after all, trust between Pokémon and trainer was easier to harness than even the most well-behaved, but unfamiliar, Pokémon. "Of course I'd be down to teach you some pointers," Shalin cheerfully responded. "Mauville City's Gym Leader is a far better teacher than I. If you want to learn the art of the saddle, there's no one better in Hoenn than him. I do have to warn you, though: Talonflame are incredibly fast. They're not the easiest flying Pokémon to learn with."

Cassandra nods, and a faint smile appears on her face as she thinks about it. "Pokémon are quite wonderful creatures, hm?" she says, almost more to herself than the ranger, while never stopping petting Serena. She laughs as the purr seems to grow powerful, almost like one of those massage things that she could never get behind. "You've got one powerful purr, hmm, m'lady?" she grins. At some point, Cass does have to retreat her hand, having to resort to short contact petting, "But maybe one nudge lower on that setting?" she laughs.

She looks at the majestic Talonflame Merton and would also reach out to pet if he wanted - she'd never pass upon an opportunity for that. However, he'd not be her ride for the day. "Thank you!" she smiles, and then her expression has a hard time containing itself. She slips for a solid few seconds, before nodding with a smile which veers on "yeah, mh-hm" and "oh no" as she thinks about her mother's warning to maybe not get close to the Mauville Gym Leader. Even if, frankly, such warnings also act as instructions to do the very opposite, frankly. It's truly a coin flip what she might decide to do.

"Yeah, and Effie's really fast. She and my Emolga, Saude, are an incredible duo," she says, with a smile. But true, she has not considered the speed of her when she'd be riding her ... "But she has a very ... mentor-like nature, so I think we'll be fine." If she was more hot-headed, Cass would be more worried, but as things stand, she's one of the more reasonable pokémon. Almost too reasonable at times, frankly - she hopes they grow together so Effie feels comfortable letting loose, too.

Her gaze has wandered up to the sky now, which - "Oh, damn, how late is it?" she asks, suddenly worried, and takes out her phone. A look on the display, and she's relieved. Not that late, gladly. However, she should really get going if she doesn't want to get scloded. "Uhm, I'm terribly sorry to ask for another favour, but could you maybe bring me back to Petalburg?"

Shalin Nariya

Serena ceased her purring at Cass' request, proud of her power. She had the speed to back it up, too; an excellent hunter, she routinely brought food back to the plateau. Shalin's Pokémon really were self-sufficient, weren't they? "That does help," Shalin nodded. "Pokémon that have a hot-headed nature are usually faster, but they can be hard to control. There's not a single Pokémon on land I can think of that can outrun a Talonflame."

Wow, had their romp been this long? Had this much time passed? Time sure flew when one was having fun. "Sure, I can take you back to Petalburg!" With another shrill whistle, this one a little different, a Swanna soared toward the duo, her feathers dripping water from having gone for a relaxing swim. She stretched her wings wide, her elongated neck curving toward Cass. "Bruna here will give you a lift back to Petalburg. Don't be afraid to hop on!" Provided there were no objections. she would hop on Merton's back, and the two would fly toward Petalburg in a trail of fire and water bubbles.

Cass smiles, continuing to pet Serena while she also is thinking about Effie, and subsequently also Saude (the Emolga). The Fletchinder and Emolga have only known each other for a little while, but already it's hard to imagine one without the other, and she's quite happy about that, too. "I'm looking forward to when she evolves, for sure!"

Before going to greet the Swanna, Cass gives Serena few last pets. This also gives the Swanna a bit time to dry, but Cass wouldn't really mind either. "Well, hello there," she cooes, petting Bruna if allowed. "Thanks for giving me a ride," she says as she hops on, and it's directed mostly at Bruna - before she also turns to Shalin in the last moment.

(Did she really favour pokémon more? Is it also blatantly obvious? Yeah.)

"Thanks for taking care of me today and showing me around," Cass would also thank Shalin, however, as they eventually land and she waves the ranger and her pokémon good-bye. She'd watch until they become little dots in the sky, before going inside her house.

Shalin Nariya