Y'know, when volunteering to help the League out, babysitting a drill was sort of refreshing! Lucia had thought she could cover some of her past and earn some kind of karma, though her nerves were on high alert. What if they found out about her parents? Would they hate her for it?

So many problems...

For now, she could just watch the drill go on and on and on...

Fast forward to an hour later and she was bored. Lucia often had her Dunsparce in hand, trying to work on training him save for trying to go picking fights. Hero wasn't one to really instigate one, but Lucia knew he could definitely finish one. The child eventually perked up upon hearing her partner's plan as she felt conflicted.

"I, u-um..." She looked back at the Wrydeer by the drill and then back to Saskia for a moment. It did sound fun, more fun than watching a robot do automated work for who knows how much longer. And she wanted to seem good to the League too! But this was torture...

"Okay. Let's go."

Her answer came in the form of the smaller girl bobbing her head up and down with a determined expression. She got up from her spot and hurried towards Saskia, her oversized coat covering most of her body. The sleeves swallowed all but the tips of her fingers as she scouted in front of her.

saskia volosenkova

☉

sasky isn't really good with ages, but lucia is definitely, like, a child. and she doesn't really think a whole lot on that until she looks at her all doe-eyed and says yes. and then sasky things, oh wait, no!

but kirin is here. and she has the rest of her pokemon on her belt if something does go wrong. aaaaand they're within a safe perimeter so what's the worst that could happen?

"i think i heard there's a waterfall or something near here," she crows and bounces from foot to foot with a grin. kirin's ears twitch as she snuffles the grass. she watches her trainer depart and then straightens, shaking out her mane, and keeps an eye on the drone. 

"so how'd you get down here anyway?"

Lucia Aldrete

☉

Off they were to adventure. Lucia's footsteps shadowed Saskia's own, filled to the brim with the elation and excitement of youth. She hops along from foot to foot, her own Pokemon team at the ready while Hero the Dunsparce was slithering behind them. He dutifully kept check around them before curling back up around his trainer.

Then came a relatively sensible question from Saskia, one that Lucia had been expecting to be asked. How somebody her age had ended up in likely the worst possible area to be scouting about in. But thankfully, she had been fully prepared this time! No more stalling for an answer when she had rehearsed it so many times!

Lucia put her hands on her hips with a prideful expression.

"I'm looking for Pokemon to use in the gym challenge and people said this place was dangerous, so I knew I had to come. There's got to be one that can help me."

She said this as if it were a matter of fact. Like it wasn't a glaring red alarm that a child had snuck into this place.

"What about you? What are you doing here?"

saskia volosenkova

☉

sasky blinks owlishly at her and then breaks out a huge grin, eyes light and cheery. well, dang! she's got more gusto than sasky's ever seen in a girl her age (twelve? seven? who knows?). maybe more, even, than sasky had when she was younger. 

"yeah, i've heard that too. i think i saw a couple earlier with these," she says and points to the binoculars hanging from her neck. 

"the gym challenge, though! have you gotten any badges yet?"

Lucia Aldrete

☉

For a moment, Lucia was worried that Saskia was going to just start nagging her about her dangerous move coming here alone like this, but the smirk that came over her face let her know that she was in no danger of such. It was nice to have a kindred spirit around Hoenn!

"Not yet. I've just been trying top get strong Pokemon...and failing." Lucia said with a pout. "I have a few Pokemon that aren't listening to me no matter how hard I try to help them."

She did blank for a moment before her mood did improve as she recalled beating a gym leader in the tournament.

"I did beat CIAN MAHER in the Tournament, but didn't take a gym badge from him. I wanna earn it far and square in the gym, just like a trainer!"

saskia volosenkova

☉

"oh, man," she says and reaches out to ruffle lucia's hair. boundaries? saskia has none. "i can relate to that. maugrim, my lycanroc. well, he doesn't respect me one bit. gosh knows i've tried everything to get him to listen to me."

kirin, on the other hand, is such a doll. strong and smart and patient and, well, basically everything sasky lacks. maugrim's too much like her...

she grins down at lucia. "i totally get that. hey, maybe we could do a bit of battling practice one day? get our babies to listen to us?"

Lucia Aldrete

☉

Lucia smiled up at Saskia, though her eyes fell on top of the hand quickly approaching her head. Before she could open her mouth against it, the weight of a hand fell on top of her black locks of hair as the child tensed up. Flashes that dreaded stinging sensation ripping across her temples came back all at once, in that same

"I'm sor-!"

Lucia flinched and took a hurried step back from Saskia, her heart beating as fast as it could allow. Her eyes widened in shock and locked onto Saskia while panting. Her form shook for only a few seconds until reality settled back into the child. It was only a brief touch, enough to allow her to calm down just as fast. Once Lucia could function after a second or two, she exhaled and allowed her body to begin to recover.

"S-Sorry." she frowned, avoiding eye contact while Lucia had done her best to try and calm herself completely. The offer hadn't gone completely over her head. "A battle sometime would be nice. Like not...right now."

Her voice was rushed as her cheeks flared red.

saskia volosenkova

☉

and cue saskia dying inside. 

she's a touchy person. it's how she shows affection. she forgets, way too often than she should, that maybe not everyone is okay with that. she startles and her eyes water instantaneously, but she looks away just as quickly because she doesn't want to make lucia feel bad. 

"yeah," she says and pretends to sneeze so she can hastily scrub at her eyes and hide her embarrassment. 

"yeah, no, that sounds fun. if you wanna, let's do it. later. maybe - let's get back to the drone?"

Lucia Aldrete

☉

"Yeah...Let's head back."

She could tell. It was clear as day, this was all her fault. Lucia wanted to just jump up and fly away back home, to forget this trip even happened. Why was she like this? Why couldn't she be like everybody else? And it was all because of her family that things were this way.

But seeing Saskia look hurt as well made something in her wince. It was a knife embedded inside of her chest that dug even deeper at the prospect of making another person cry. While it was gut renching, it was enough for the girl to forget about herself and walk back to the other woman.

"W-Wait, please. I didn't mean it. I just..."

She hesitated, raising an arm up and coiling back in response. Arceus, this was going to be tough. But Lucia would have to do it for Saskia. She slowly picked up her hand and...

Put it on top of her head again.

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault, b-but I'll try...for you."

It was every feeling on sensation she had ever known at once. Bugs crawling across the skin, familiar fingers rapping against the side of her cheek, just pure discomfort on top of her head. Lucia hated it, but put her own hands on top of Saskia's. It didn't matter in that moment, only the other woman's feelings were what forced her to go through the pain.

"We should go back..."

saskia volosenkova

☉

sasky is all sunshine and rainbows. until she's not. she feels awful and even more so, because she makes lucia feel awful. it's so clear, by her motions, that she's doing this to appease her, and her heart gives a little anxious stir. 

she was lucky, by most accounts. her parents' pasts were complicated, and still are complicated, but she's never doubted for a moment that they love her. she always had a roof over her head. food on the table. and the comfort of her papa's arms when life brought her down. 

"it's not your fault," she says gently. not a finger twitches in lucia's hair, even as she kneels to get on her level. her bright green eyes are like emeralds, as warm as the earth, as she looks at her. 

"i'm sorry. my papa always tells me i gotta pay more attention to people, but i'm real bad at it. i'll be better next time, 'kay?" she promises. 

Lucia Aldrete

☉

It wasn't her fault? That was easy to say, all things considering. If she hadn't had freaked out, this whole awkward moment wouldn't have happened! Saskia did make her feel a tad butter though. Maybe she did have a point...

Blue irises meet Saskia's own emerald ones with a glimmer of uncertainty on display for the older woman. She apologized herself for the little boundary break with her that the child fumbled with the words in her head but then just nodded her head up and down to get the moment to pass.

"Okay." Lucia put shortly, "Can we still do that battle from before? I think I could learn a lot from you..."

saskia volosenkova

☉

"learn from me?" she says dubiously and laughs. now, isn't that hilarious. regardless, she's happy she didn't completely ruin her brand new friendship. 

by the time they return, the drone has finished its work. kirin looks sasky over as though assessing for damages and, when finding none, goes to grazing again on the grass. 

"job well done! let's hurry and get these samples to the league."

Lucia Aldrete

☉