[attr="class","littleollie"] he'd been out on a run when Thomas Benoit had texted, surveying the grounds around evergrande as he usually did every morning. however, it was clear from the way that the ex-elite four had texted that this was urgent so he'd put everything aside to make sure that he'd be ready for when the other man arrived.

[break][break] for once, ollie wasn't in the middle of things. his office was actually put together, with enough room for the other man to sit when he entered.

[break][break] "thanks maggie," he said, pressing the button down on his speakerset. "let him in."

[break][break] he awaited for the other to enter and then when he did, he gestured to the open chair right before his desk. for once, the head ranger wore a look of seriousness, brows pinched together with concern.

[break][break] "thomas — give me the status update."

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Thomas Benoit

☉

[attr="class","littleollie"] 'Rocket?' [break][break]

His first thought went to Caleb Harcourt, which made his heart immediately quicken. There was no way, could there be? He remembered the report that the other had filed after the events of the Great Chasm. How Zev Harcourt had been there. How Zev Harcourt had been there to kill them all. [break][break]

Ollie was the kind of person to wear his emotions on his sleeve, but in this moment, he did his best to steel his expression. [break][break]

The DRK Triad admittingly was not something he knew much about, but maybe he'd ask the likes of freya morningstar or Yuina Higashi to see if they knew anything. [break][break]

And as for the last... [break][break]

"There have been an uptick in those swarms," he said with a frown, crossing his arms. Ollie turned around to his desk, shifting around to the pile of papers that annalise henderson had given him weeks ago. "But nothing we could pinpoint to any finite source." [break][break]

When the paperwork the other had was handed to them, his eyes flickered over to the broken idols from Rusturf Tunnel. [break][break]

"We can send a search party over there to see if anyone's spotted anything." [break][break]

He looked up. [break][break]

"Have you told anyone else? How long has it been?"

[attr="class","ooc"] Thomas Benoit

☉

[attr="class","littleollie"] As Thomas Benoit spoke about that moonless night, he recalled past conversation that he'd had with howard slayte and Yuina Higashi. Both accounts that had been confirmed in the various Ranger reports that had reached his desk.

[break][break] Still, Ollie crossed his arms and tilted his head as more names were mentioned. The Head Ranger had his suspicions when PENELOPE LIVY and Eva Morales hadn't responded to his texts, but he'd been veering on the side of hopefulness. But now...

[break][break] "Penny and Eva haven't responded to me either," he said, shaking his head. He'd heard from willow atkins that morning, though, as well as boruta maher when he'd texted them a picture of Tofu shoving his face into a bowl full of cereal. GIDEON GRAVES had responded too, when he'd sent him a cursory good morning text. Strangely, Caleb Harcourt hadn't responded but... things were complicated between them.

[break][break] "I'll send an alert to dahlia goode, if you haven't already. But we shouldn't freak out yet. This is just a suspicion — I'll send out search patrols to see if anyone has heard anything around Evergrande."

[break][break] Stranger things had happened, after all, like when they'd all been sucked into that strange alternate Galar.

[attr="class","ooc"] Thomas Benoit

☉

[attr="class","littleollie"] Despite his general confidence, Ollie admittingly has little about this topic. But he can't let Thomas Benoit know that. He can't let the Rangers know that.

[break][break] If they really are one of the two only men who were somehow safe, they have to work together if they're going to solve things. Not crumble into rubble before they can even get started.

[break][break] "Oh sure. Of course."

[break][break] Ollie blinks with surprise, then reminds himself that people on Hoenn - especially people like Thomas Benoit - have closer connections with the League then he ever had. Well, not until recently that is.

[break][break] The Head Ranger then leans over in to his desk, pulling out a drawer and fashioning out what looks to be a beeper.

[break][break] "This isn't perfect, but it's better phones or radio signals in case things go awry. Those are things that can be hacked into."

[break][break] Ollie felt like a boy again, listening to his father explain the semantics of what could happen if someone broke into their house in Kanto.

[break][break] His adam's apple bobs uncertainly.

[break][break] "If you have time, you and I can head out to Area Zero to see if we can scope out any clues. Maybe by the time we get back, we'll have heard from one of them by now." He lets out a laugh that sounds perhaps a bit too breathless. "Imagine they're orchestrating some sort of surprise party without us, and just don't want us to know."

[break][break] Ollie glances at him, expression light.

[break][break] "You have a birthday coming up, Benoit?"

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Thomas Benoit

☉

[attr="class","littleollie"] "August, actually."

[break][break] Ollie tried to hide the trepidation from his face, expression smoothing over into what he hoped was a believable lie.

[break][break] "Let's hope we make it until then."

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Thomas Benoit

☉