Josh was carrying a glass of lemonade back to his nearby table, which just happened to be at the other side of the aisle from where Ceres was at, when the lady about his age bumped into him. Though he lost part of his beverage and a couple ice cubes, the black-haired Champion didn't seem to mind. "It's okay," he reassured the stranger. "Better that than food, considering they've got free refills on most non-alcoholic drinks here."

Josh waved toward the blue-haired ARAVAN ESCHER, who seemed to be minding his own business on the opposite side of the bar. "Didn't expect to run into a coworker out here. Mauville isn't as big as everyone says it is, huh?"

Though still, relatively, new to the region... It'd be stupid for Ceres not to familiarize herself with those in opposition to Rocket. Of course, it'd be just her luck to run into the champion-ranked trainer. Fear sobered her quicker than any cold water could, as her body tensed, an uncomfortable amount of hostility bristling internally.

Quickly, Ceres smothers her discomfort though, perhaps quicker than even the fastest man in Hoenn himself. Her smile only grows. "That's a relief." She lets out an incredulous huff soon after, however. "Say's who? I recently came from Sinnoh, and Mauville is..." Ceres lifts her hands, gesturing all around her. "Huge. Confusing. Scary!" She laughs.

Josh Devlin

Perhaps the remark was unintentionally condescending? "It is different from other large cities in that geography prohibits us from expanding outward... so instead, we've built the city up. I don't know of any other city that has three entire layers of streets built on top of one another. That can certainly make it confusing." They were, of course, subject to frequent and rigorous inspections. A crack in a road could not only lead to injuries and deaths of those above it, but those below it, as well. With many buildings spanning all three levels of Mauville, any structural issues needed to be located and addressed as quickly as possible.

At the mention of Sinnoh, Josh recalled his vacation with Andrea Vaneau ... back when she could still fly using her Sygna Suit. With Chomper gone, that was... no longer possible. "I went to Sinnoh earlier this year, and Veilstone can be just as confusing. I definitely got lost downtown looking for the hotel I stayed at." Flipping through the menu as he sipped on his lemonade, Josh asked Ceres, "You getting lunch, too?"

"I don't, either. Confusing, but interesting." Ceres agrees. In her, slightly drunken, state, his words blurred together more than she would've liked for them to. But, she paid attention to them well enough.

Some part of her felt uncomfortable exposed in her somewhat intoxicated state, even more so given who this man was. But, another part of her predatory mind saw an opportunity.

"Veilstone is nice. Though it definitely feels a bit less... grand," she enunciates with her hands, "than this. I'm not complaining though, it's a nice change of pace." Ceres laughs once more. "I wasn't, but... if you join me, I think I could be convinced to." She offers him a hopeful smile.


Josh Devlin

Josh had done enough chase-downs for Law Enforcement that he knew the signs of intoxication well. Slurred speech, a certain odor, and the like. There was nothing criminal about being intoxicated, as long as one wasn't behind the wheel or in the saddle of a Pokémon while above the legal limit. "Mauville can be difficult to get used to after it modernized," Josh admitted, "just because there's no other city I know of that has had to build up instead of out like this. Castelia's the closest I know of, but even then, they don't have entire networks of roads stacked on top of one another." It was truly a marvel of modern engineering that multiple urban layers could be built on top of one another. The bottom two levels were almost like a gigantic parking garage, only the top level exposed to the elements.

With the offer accepted, Josh would take a seat at a table next to the bar. "You'll enjoy it. It's some of the best Unovan cuisine in Hoenn. Not exactly cheap, but the price is very reasonable for the quality you get." No matter where one went in Hoenn, one couldn't go wrong with bar food.

That, Ceres could agree with. It was impressive, even if she felt incredibly overwhelmed by it all the same. Even the vastness of Saffron seemed to pale in contrast to it, even if she still preferred the former. "I've never been to Unova before." A truth amidst a tangle of lies escapes as she nods, offering a thin smile, "let's see how well it holds up to Sinnohian grub."

"Oh, I'm Valerie, by the way. Nice to meet you— and thanks for the company."

Josh Devlin