[attr="class","evantalk"]

His body tenses at the sound beneath his layers, hoof beat against the silence of an abnormal snow.

It's instinct that readies him as he turns towards the sound, eyes hard and hand hovering over the wrist strap his pokemon sit on. He does not expect to be interrupted on the mountain side with the sudden snowfall and suspects the worse in an instant. Only madmen (such as himself) would be out in this snow.

She dismounts however, and before long it is a familiar face and voice to go with it. There's is an obvious relief in his stature as he relaxes, hands returning to his side where they can be hidden away in the pockets of his jacket and sleeves of his sweater. The scarf around his neck hides the smile but it seeps into his voice as it always does.

"Oh you'll learn you can find me just about anywhere love." he jests, chuckling and his breath turns to mist in the air in front of him. "I'm surprised to see you up here, I didn't expect anyone else would be willing to venture out this far."

No longer considering the newcomer a threat, he turns back to his musharna and the traveling bird. It seems to have been set free but is fussing at his pokemon about... something. He's not entirely sure what but the psychic type is as mellow as ever. Proving why Evan often jests about him being little more than a pink bowling ball.

cait alfric

[attr="class","evantalk"]

"I see." he wants to inquire more about the nature of the birds and the aid they give to them. It's not his first time hearing of them or even seeing one but this sounds like a recent development and he can only have a growing curiosity about it. He was too tied up in leagal jargon the past year to have delved far into things like this.

He doesn't get the chance to ask, being forced to pull up his scarf against his chin, grateful for the hat he remembered to wear on the way out or else he might have forgotten. He even bothered to put on what he can only refer to as his Snowpoint pants as they are made specifically for warmth in the freezing climate of Sinnoh's snowy region.

Evan's teeth still chatter a little as he speaks, because he has never been made well for the cold. "I had better be, for his sake too something tells me he's going to need just as much help." he gestures to the bird, now trying to return to his own trek despite the musharna's insistence that he wait while the humans talk. The bird seems to not have time to waste on them in the slightest.

His eyes look out over the path, because the truth is they can manage fine if he can make it to a wider part of the trails. He didn't anticipate the snow settling in so fast, perhaps it has been too long since he's visited the snowy mountains and his hard earned memory of the weather has begun to wan.

"I've been through worse." he insists, growing a little louder, because it's true. Technically. A lot of technically. There's a sort of hard determination in his features that speaks volumes. He's done this before, and can easily do it again if he must.

He looks back to her, waiting to see what she intends to do.

cait alfric

[attr="class","evantalk"]

She seems to accept his answer even if she might not be fully convinced. Evan doesn't blame her, many an individual would stare a storm like this in the face and think they can best it but few can truly do so without significant preparation- something he shows little signs of. His own pack is small and the supplies minimal.

Evan nods, following alongside her and her stantler, a top on his wrist returning his musharna to its pokeball as he keeps an eye on the delibird. He can't imagine it'll be able to get much further than them in the storm.

"You're welcome to take the bird with you, it's more important it's cared for." he glances her way, because it's true to an extent. He's nothing in particular (lies). Even if he gets a little lost in this storm it won't be a problem for him to find a reasonable enough shelter to wait it out butt he bird? If it means enough to the region for the league to seek them out and aid them then it's more important she take care of it.

"Really, I can manage." he tries to insist, eyes facing forward again with the determination he's always had about these things. Evan as the wind bites at him he assess his team, who sits on his wrist, the joltik tucked against the small of his back (he insists, and evan reluctantly agrees) and his knowledge of the area.

They can manage. "I don't want you losing him because I'm on foot any more than you want to leave me behind." the snow collects on his boots as he walks through it on the path, and he already knows he'll be chilled to the bone when he gets home but that's alright.

cait alfric

[attr="class","evantalk"]

At first he just laughs into his scarf but it doesn't take long for it to grow well beyond containing. By the time she comments about his age of all things he's throwing his head back into the wind and laughing like a mad man in the snowfall. It's bloody hilarious to him because it's just so very expected you could say? And Evan laughs at most things in the world nowadays so this is no different.

He doesn't even mind her trying to take a jab at him being old? "How old do you even think I am?" he knows she's young and perhaps that makes him more curious. Most are usually surprised, pegging him for being younger than he is but Evan ages like an eldritch horror, slowly and only by gaining more ink and metal in his skin.

"Maybe I'll have a mount next time, probably not. I've done this all my life no use preparing more than I am now." it's not untrue, in his early days he did this with little more than his mimikyu at his side. Now he's acquired much more at his disposal and should things get bad enough he knows how to find a cave or two to weather out the storm in.

Evan has no trouble with keeping up with her, if anything he seems to pick up the pace a bit. Perhaps to prove the point. It wouldn't be the first time someone mistook his features, the tall and slender build, he doesn't come across like a man with much to offer physically. A surely all that ink and metal must be for looks right?

He's built by a life constantly on the move, carved out by rock slides and cliff faces, even the city streets have done little but give him a chance to push himself physically to the limit.

cait alfric

[attr="class","evantalk"]

He tries to hold in the laugh (he's not even really sure why he does that, maybe out of polite reflex?) and it doesn't work. Something like a snort leading into a full belly laugh at her jest follows. "You flatter me dear!" he's grinning ear to ear. "I happen to be nearly 70! Can you believe it. These old bones seem to be made out of rocks still though."

Playing along with her joke seems to make the trek a little easier, much like their chirping bird friend he finds himself with a little more pep in his step. He'd rather joke about his age anyway, he doesn't really like talking about the fact he's managed to be over 30 already? It doesn't feel like it's been that long.

The talk about the weather makes him sigh, something he doesn't do often. "I wish I could say that but it hasn't but I've had to close things down early a couple of nights because of the storm. I'm not about to make the employees travel in this. I'm staying open as well as I can to offer shelter to travelers as they find me at least." or he finds them, as has been the case a couple of times. "I'm more worried about others than me."

He leaves it at that though.

"Has mauville been handling the cold well at least? My understanding of the Hoenn climate makes it out like it's been long enough for the cold to no longer be in anyone's blood around here. It's usually far too tropical for something quite like this." Evan nods at their little friend, quickening his pace to keep up with the creature on the off chance it gets itself into trouble via its own excitement. Something he may know about from experience.

Red black eyes shift to their little friend, eyeing the path ahead in the hopes he'll make it without trouble.

cait alfric

[attr="class","evantalk"]

Evan listens with greater interest that she is probably expecting of him. "On the contrary dear, nothing boring about it. I suppose it's to be expected that most local economies are going to hold out to a certain degree but most of the cross regional trade has probably taken a pretty major blow. That'll take time to settle again when this blows over."

His voice trails off, he almost doesn't finish. "Or until the region can fully adjust for the extreme weather change." something he desperately hopes those in charge across the region are already working on but he knows how this tens to go.

If the storms rage on too long, he wonders how the region will hold up. It's not ready for something like this.

"I hope it doesn't come to that, the economic shift it could cause is a little worrisome in a region that's only recently been making a recovery from the major blow that the invasion was." he can't say he's an expert by any means, but it's obvious he's not off put by the topic either.

"If it makes you feel any better I used to read text books on stuff like this in the libraries while I was traveling. Had to spend about 3 months straight last year on local and regional laws to take over the Stray, especially since my citizen ship is a little... weird. It's interesting enough and I prefer to know it for myself than just rely on someone else's knowledge of this kind of stuff."

Evan is aware he's one of a rare few that finds such dry text compelling in their own way though it does take him longer than it feels like it should to understand some times. He knows it's generally not an easy thing to learn but his own reading and writing skills are shoddy at best.

cait alfric