oh, this sucks. she knows she can't go around as heidi hemlock all the time, but it's so much easier to do these things when she can hide behind a mask. unfortunately, her camera isn't working, and she's still waiting on a replacement. thank cassie for that, with the tinkaton having gotten even more excitable and violent since evolving. since her camera isn't working, there's no point in putting on her persona, but...

she flinches at ana's compliment. "th-thanks," she mumbles, reaching up to fiddle with a lock of colored hair. this is going to be so embarrassing... "i'm julian, yep. hi." she makes herself seem as small as possible, which isn't that difficult considering how short she is. "i'm, uh... er... nice to meet you." julian cringes.

nothing else to do but to get right to it. she releases her pokemon, letting them out into the field. all four of them stretch and look around expectantly, waiting for something to happen.

[ ana fell ]

julian puts her hands up and shakes her head rapidly. "n-no! julian is fine!" she can't help being embarrassed to be addressed so directly, right!? isn't it normal to feel weird about having your name used to your face?

still embarrassed, they try to recover themself by gladly shifting the focus to their pokemon. "this is andromeda, delphinus, cassiopeia, and draco," they explain as they point at each one. "th-they've been with me for a while, but i haven't, um... gotten around to the actual gym challenge yet." she stares at the ground. it's one thing to put on a mask and say you'll be a gym leader one day, and it's an entirely different thing to chase after that dream for yourself. maybe this little outing will get her more mentally prepared to take that risk.

at least their pokemon are in good shape, and it's clear to any trained eye they're well taken care of. bright-eyed, with clean and shiny coats, they look around their surroundings, eager for what comes next.

[ ana fell ]