[attr="class","littleollie"] Childhood is forever and friendships never end. That's something that Ollie had always fervently believed — as a kid. It was what he'd wanted to believe. He'd never wanted to grow up, never wanted to face the things that seemed difficult or hard or impossible to surpass.

[break][break] Running away from Kanto had been part of that. Diving into the Rangers had been secondary nature to it.

[break][break] It was what made him different from the likes of Eva Morales, who's everlasting hope had once been enough to save this region.

[break][break] 'But would it be enough now?'

[break][break] When annalise henderson approaches his office, she would find things in normal disarray. However, for once, the Head Ranger himself would actually be behind his desk, not running alongside some cliff or diving into the ocean to fix someone else's problem. He was right here. At his desk. Where he was supposed to be.

[break][break] Hearing the familiar voice of his friend (or once friend), he looks up. His expression is a bit frazzled, his hair unkempt like he hasn't slept in a fortnight or two, though the smile he flashes her is genuine.

[break][break] "Anna! Hi."

[break][break] Bandages wrap around his hand from where he was still recovering from mint frost's recent attack at Lilycove.

[break][break] "I thought you might," he said, offering his good hand out for her to either sit or step closer. "Come. Sit. Let's talk."

[break][break] His voice was brisk, risking no room for pause — as much as Ollie wanted to avoid things, he knew - now - that this wasn't the time for it.

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] annalise henderson

☉

[attr="class","littleollie"] "You're right. We should."

[break][break] He considered such thinks when wren rourke left the rangers, and even more so later when Neffatari Nzingha gave her parting words. But these days, it seemed that they were never short on things to do so he'd put those tasks aside in favor of other things.

[break][break] But with his own recent injury in addition to the reports from the EXCURSIONS and the TOXIC CHAINS, there is probably no avoiding it now.

[break][break] "Do you want to lead it?"

[break][break] There is no one else in the Rangers that he trusts more, save for perhaps Caleb Harcourt. But their relationship is a different one than the one that he shares with annalise henderson. The blond is someone who - despite her age - helped him reintegrate back into Hoenn when he'd first stepped onto Slateport's beaches, and the first who's thought to believe in him when he'd gotten his position in Evergrande.

[break][break] "I have a meeting later with Pax later today. I'll bring it up."

[break][break] His arms fold.

[break][break] "We're going to need to prepare for anything in case Rocket attacks the city." He hates thinking about it. He hates being serious. But there is no time for anything but seriousness:

[break][break] "And Councilwoman freya morningstar. I'm sure she already had some plans in mind."

[break][break] He bellows out a sigh.

[break][break] "We can't just shift everything to go onto defense. We need offense too." He thinks briefly of the way that GABRIEL BLACK's son had judged him once — there were a plethora of people within Hoenn who thought that Rangers didn't know how to fight.

[break][break] "Maybe we can loop in Mels too."

[break][break] Melody Miro, former elite four turned champion.

[break][break] She'd never been shy about lending a hand to the Rangers before but with time so short, who knew if she'd have the time for it now?

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] annalise henderson

☉

[attr="class","littleollie"] Maybe he'd regret it later.

[break][break] His honesty and loyalty were both the best parts about him, and also his greatest weakness.

[break][break] It was the kind of thing that people like PENELOPE LIVY undoubtedly struggled with.

[break][break] "Anything's possible, Anna."

[break][break] The last few weeks had taken it's tole on the Head Ranger. Part of him wanted to keep his head in the sand and pretend that things weren't getting as bad as they were, but after everything that had happened near Dewford and then later, during Area Zero, he knew that there was only so much that they could avoid.

[break][break] And it was better to be prepared now, then caught off guard.

[break][break] Instinctively, he brought his hand to his chest, fiddling with the bandages.

[break][break] "what do we do if they get evergrande?"

[break][break] "I - "

[break][break] The honest truth was that he didn't know. But he didn't want to tell her that. He was supposed to be the person that she looked to for support, not the other way around.

[break][break] "They're not going to get Evergrande," he said instead, firmly. "Because we'll make sure they won't."

[break][break] After all, in all the years that the war had been going on, they hadn't been breached. Right? So why would any of that change now?

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] annalise henderson

☉

[attr="class","littleollie"] He'd heard about the evacuation prep that some of the Gym Leaders were doing in their cities, courtesy of both Josh Devlin and lam logan. As the heart of the League, Evergrande had no shortage of that.

[break][break] Still, as Anna continued on, Ollie couldn't help but think of the words that she said. Anytime soon. How much hoped that to be true. But then he thought of the likes of Cillian Quinn and THEO BECKETT when he'd faced them in battle, and somehow, he wondered how true that could really be when Rocket and League always seemed to be so willing to bite at each other's necks the second they were able.

[break][break] "You're right," he said with a sigh, running his hand through his hair. "I... I have thought about it. Honestly, Anna, I was postphoning it."

[break][break] Sending messages out as Head Ranger were all good and fine, spearheading projects like POKEMON HOME with Melody Miro or SAPPHIRE with paxton concordas was easy. But an official meeting would cement all the things that he'd been avoiding — would place him right at the heart of leadership, a fact that he'd been dismissive at best of until now.

[break][break] He flashes a wry smile.

[break][break] "It'd be my first one alone since becoming Head Ranger."

[break][break] Sure, there had been smaller meetings with the local Ranger Captain populace, and meetings that he'd personally organized with important League officials, such as the ascension of Remiel Calcifet into AQUA. But somehow, more than anything, this felt different.

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] annalise henderson

☉

[attr="class","littleollie"] He sighs.

[break][break] "You're right."

[break][break] But lord knew that some of the other Ranger meetings hadn't been great. And without the support of Laurence Anderson and Raziel Beckett by his side, it was understandable that he felt a little less than stellar about leading one on his own, especially when times were so strife.

[break][break] "Huh?" he blinks. "Oh. Yeah."

[break][break] He lifts his hand, showing it to her.

[break][break] "Gideon's helped me take care of it," he said, with a slight chuckle. "Cause Arceus knows I'm not great at minding after myself sometimes."

[break][break] Because of the reports, Ollie knew also that annalise henderson had been there. Remiel Calcifet too.

[break][break] But they hadn't talked about it. In fact, these days, it was like he and Anna couldn't talk about anything.

[break][break] "You saw him at Evergrande too, right?"

[break][break] Something uncertain swims through his gaze.

[break][break] "I... I didn't know him. But something's not right with him."

[break][breka] He thinks about what Isaac Merlo had told him, once upon a time. How Rockets were just part of a system. That they needed to be saved.

[break][break] But that was before one had stabbed him.

[break][break] His good hand closes into a fist.

[break][break] "There must be something we can do to stop them."

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] annalise henderson

☉

[attr="class","littleollie"] 'ollie.'

[break][break] she was younger than him, but ollie would recognize that scolding tone anywhere. it was the same tone that willow atkins and Eva Morales used on him when they found out that he'd escaped the hospital after mt. pyre.

[break][break] "what!" he huffed. "i've been busy. you know that."

[break][break] but really, it wasn't that bad. plus, it gave him an excuse to go over and see GIDEON GRAVES anyway... the museum director may not have been a medical doctor, but he was still better at woundcare than ollie. or at least, that was what he would pretend.

[break][break] "plus, i like visiting gids when i can."

[break][break] his cheeks dust a light pink, eager to wave off the topic at hand and delve into something else. even if that something else is a much darker task indeed.

[break][break] he bit his lip.

[break][break] "kill them?" he echoed.

[break][break] he shook his head.

[break][break] "i don't know about all that," he said, suddenly imagining the eyes of pained ocean blue staring back at him. needing him. "but you're right - we can't just be complacent anymore."

[break][break] "we need - " he swallowed. "if we're going into an all-out war, we're going to need stronger people on our side too."

[break][break] he glanced over the papers that she had offered him, thinking about all the chaos that was going on, and how much he wished he could dig his head into the sand.

[break][break] "we need to protect one another."

[break][break] "whatever that means."

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] annalise henderson

☉

[attr="class","littleollie"] "either you kill them or they'll kill you."

[break][break] he flinches.

[break][break] ollie morales thinks of the bloodlust that was in Cillian Quinn eyes when they met, in the way that he'd ressurrected his mangled yamper back to life only to ruthlessly kill him.

[break][break] but he also thinks of the pitiful gaze of Ashley Shepard when he'd turned to him, begging for release.

[break][break] and then there was that rocket they'd both faced... neon, his name was.

[break][break] ollie swallowed.

[break][break] he's glad for the change in conversation.

[break][break] hearing the ranger phrase parroted back at him, one that belonged to another timeline, ollie can't help but feel nostalgic towards it. towards her. even as different as they are these days, he'll never forget those letters that they exchanged. it was what brought him back to hoenn, after all, among other things.

[break][break] "it's what we do," he affirmed, reaching for the reports that she'd given him. "i'll look over the paperwork like you said, anna. and i'll come up with something for the meeting too."

[break][break] "you're right. i can't keep hiding anymore."

[break][break] "none of us can."

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] annalise henderson

☉