The loud cawing noise coming from the rest of the armada assembled just beyond the perimeter fence would alert him that they were no longer alone.

He’d already fed Sam and all the other Pikipek, Trumbeak and fellow Toucannon so there was that part of the day done, and so he was now busy trying to get everyone else fed—this included his particularly large army of avianid and not-quite-avianid Pokémon that were either hanging around the outside of the reception building, or perched on the perimeter fence proper, or just. There.

His Archeops in particular would let out a caw of delight the moment he scented the little Archen that Alex’s visitor was carrying in her arms and make clumsy headway towards where the gate was—well, that perimeter gate was only ever opened for deliveries, so for Alex to open it for guests?

“Hey!” he looked up in greeting, waving a gloved hand as the other held a bucket of just-emptied birdseed where most of the silly Flying-type Pokémon were now fighting over the sunflower seeds and whatever else was mixed into said birdseed to peck over.

The Archeops let out a friendly little caw, before immediately fussing over the smaller Archen.

“Aww, look! Cute,” he said while tilting his head towards the Archen and Archeops interaction. He then shook the empty bucket of birdseed and then pointed with his other hand just behind him.

“Yeah, I just finished feeding most of the peanut gallery,” he continued in the same snarky, yet affectionate, tone as some of the avians let out a ‘CAW’ of dismay because… well, some of them were incredibly smart!

“…yeah, they know when I talk shit to their faces,” he added with a bark of laughter once she was inside and he closed the perimeter gate.

“So what brings you out here? Want to feed some of the calmer birds yourself? Or is there something else…”

“I did what I could,” he continued as he slapped a hand to the back of his neck with a reassuring chuckle. “Even if we have Pokémon to help with the injuries, sometimes there’s a point where… where human intervention is best.”

The memories of seeing people with broken arms and legs that time? It would never leave him anymore.

“It’s also why I always carry a first-aid kit on my person wherever I go. Because you never know where you might end up and someone needs help,” he added with a knowing nod.

“It would do you best to do the same, best practice I can share to you as well—which should be standard since you’re also a Ranger, right?” he confirmed.

He continued to watch the peanut gallery while they feasted on their ‘lunch’ before eventually dispersing—leaving the Archen and Archeops not too far away; the larger prehistoric Pokémon trying to teach the smaller one how to fly.

Oh, dear deer. There was this knowing look that flashed across his face.

“You know, your partner and mine are the same, in the worrying part at least,” he hummed.

“Have you tried to take them somewhere private, sit them down, and talk? Like, really talk about what’s on their mind. Communication with your partner is key to a healthy relationship, I’m sure you know this.”

At her remark about being too busy, he would tut in her direction.

“See? That’s what’s going to kill your relationship—not making time for each other. Maybe he’s just waiting for you to reach out.”

However, though, there was something bothering him.

“…how long has he been acting like this, were you able to notice when it started?” he hummed, wondering if there was a timeline he could double-check for her. Poor thing.

Normally, things like this didn’t happen without a specific pattern or turn of events that would cause someone’s partner to become distant over time… hopefully he could catch the pattern in time and help her backtrack the steps so that they could figure out where to start repairing the cracks.

“Have you made time to clear out your schedule, even for a few days, and sit him down so you two can talk? Like, really talk?”

Between the two of them, he was the one who had much more ‘relationship experience’ (even if it was with mostly guys) however he wasn’t dumb to not see the signs.

“…is he the kind of person who likes to keep to himself?” he would ask her from out of nowhere a few moments afterward.

Unlike him and the Frog (who was really open about his affection), the advice he would end up giving her would really depend on how the situation was between the two of them.

“Don’t tell me they’re just like… they’re just like Amor when it comes to processing intense emotions, are they?”

(Minus the extremely-rich and having a personal butler kind of setup.)

“I would advise that you go get him, sit down somewhere quiet, and then talk. Like, really talk.”

If there was one thing he’d easily noticed between the two of them, it was the fact that they… weren’t really open in the ‘communicating’ part of things. And that was bad, because of either one of them let it go on for much longer…

“You know, you two should really talk more often. That’s the given when it comes to being in the middle of a relationship, especially one that’s turning out like this. You’re hiding a lot of things from him. Who knows what things he’s hiding from you. And that’s not healthy at all.”

He would pinch the bridge of his nose (much like the way a certain friend of his would whenever he was about to get exasperated or lose his shit) before taking another deep breath to calm down.

“If you two don’t start communicating now, then who knows how shit would get when you two get into a fight… it’s going to get ugly, that’s for sure.”

Why did it sound like he was speaking from experience…?

“First off, which partner are you asking for,” he would tease her with this mischievous twinkle in his eye, “…and second… yeah. Between the two of us, I’ve got more relationship experience. Although it’s all with guys, so there’s that.”

He would cackle a little bit.

“Well, you know how Guillermo Marceliño is, he’s very vocal about how we want things to be so we at least have that part down pat. He’s the more open one, while I’m the… you’re not going to believe this, but I’m actually the one who made him wait before I gave him my answer to a very specific question of his.”

Because back then, all he needed was time. And now that they had all the time in the world…

He would then turn his attention back to the Archeops, who was now helping the Archen get off the ground and flap their wings to fly.

“Aww, cute.”