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Ruby honestly didn't know what she was doing here. And yet, how could she refuse the request to meet. It wasn't until after the Aurorus Ball some time ago that she truly realized what being a councilman really meant. Considering she had danced with Kim there, it only seemed to make sense that she researched just enough to realize how important he was. To receive an invitation to talk with him, on what she could only assume to be a professional level, it intimidated her a little bit.

Every second she stayed in Slateport just felt foreign to her. Everyone recognized her, especially after her commendation from the League, which was still wild to even think about. Even the receptionist in the office seemed to recognize her, even if they didn't say so outright. Just the look of recognition in people's eyes was enough to make her feel strange. Still, with Darling standing by her side and holding her hand it was a lot easier to handle.

When they finally found the office and walked inside, Ruby almost certainly tried to pretend they hadn't gotten lost for almost five minutes straight just looking at all the doors. "O-oh, uh, not at all! Good to see you again." She spoke softly, betraying her nerves despite trying her best to remain confident. Walking into the room and closing the door behind her, Ruby climbed into a nearby chair by his desk with Darling the Indeedee standing by her side.

"May I er, ask what you wanted to talk about Mr. Cole?"

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Ruby blinked in surprise, and then blinked again. She honestly had no idea what he was talking about. He made it sound like a place, but Ruby's confusion was plainly evident. "Uh... I'm not sure. I don't think so. I grew up living in the woods with my family, so a lot of big city stuff still confuse me." Still confused, Ruby simply reached over to hold Darling's side as she stood dutifully by her side. Even the Indeedee looked confused, staring up at Kim with a curious expression herself.

"Is, er, this what you wanted to talk about? Because I'm afraid I don't know what that is."

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Ruby didn't, and probably physically couldn't understand what he was talking about. Gambling with children? An anthropomorphic Ratata? Something about pirates? She was so lost, her confusion was plainly visible as she stared blankly at him.

However, as he apologized Ruby quickly shook her head. If he was just getting something off his chest she completely understood. Sometimes it was just better to talk to someone who didn't have a clue what you saying than keep it all to yourself. Regardless, she still didn't understand a single second of it.

"Well, not quite. My parents were explorers! They went all around many regions, seeing and discovering many things and grew to love nature! So when they settled down eventually, they had a cabin built about 15 minutes away from Ballonlea." She paused suddenly, reminding herself that not everyone in Hoenn knew the name of all the major cities back in Galar.

"Uh, that is to say, a city within a massive forest, trees so tall that the sun can't reach the ground! So they use these like, glowing mushrooms to keep the town lit. It's really pretty." She explained with a rather wide smile on her face, enjoying talking about home.

And yet, Ruby still didn't quite understand why she was here.

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Seeing that he actually knew what Ballonlea was alone brought a smile to her face. She was so used to people having no clue about anything from the Galar region that seeing someone who not only understood but had gone there, was rather satisfying. After all, how else could he have known about all the Impidimps that harassed the locals? It wasn't easy to just make that stuff up.

However, Ruby seemed to pause as he continued to speak. Get down to business? She had been wondering what was going on, and why she was requested to make her presence, but it seemed perhaps it was more of a business arrangement than something for pleasure. Ruby's eyebrows narrowed in thought as she wondered what just might be going on, glancing down at Darling who looked up at her with an equally curious expression before the two of them returned their attention to Kim.

"... I'm ready. Although, I think I would like to know what's going on first before I agree to do anything." She tilted her head a little bit as she continued. "That said, what could you possibly want with me?"

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A protege. Ruby didn't know how to feel about that, nor the cheerful smile he put on. There was clearly more than met the eye, even she could see that. And yet, her curiosity only grew. Did he see someone in her who could carry his ideals further, or did he already see someone who stood to her own similar ideals? The most important matter was what his ideals truly were.

That said, he was a councilman. One doesn't just become a member of the council by having horrible morals or acting horribly, or at least she didn't assume so. The sheer offer alone sounded like a huge offer, to be taken under the metaphorical wing of someone incredibly important to Hoenn. Once again, Ruby's own internal confusion and debate was likely etched onto her expression as she sat there and thought for a few moments.

Eventually, she managed to look back up at him as she spoke. "I... I don't know much about all this. I never imagined I'd be getting involved with important people, or helping so many people. But it's... just what happened. And, I don't know. I feel like I would be a bit of a fool if I didn't take you seriously."

Darling squeezed Ruby's hand as the girl spoke, clearly being quite motherly to her. "I might be just a little kid, but... I can still do things. Everyone knows what I did in Slateport, and..." She shook her head, not wanting to dwell on it. "Point is, I just want to help people in a way that only I can. So, um, If being your protege and your ideals align with that, then I'm perfectly willing."

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This was almost certainly not what she had been expecting. Fun? Restaurants? Makeovers? A teasing statement of him and Cait smoking some "green?" Cool Uncle? She was half expecting some sort of more... official business of, any kind really. The only thing that seemed to make sense was that he wanted a chance to get to know her, in a more casual setting. Or at least, it was what she chose to believe anyway.

"I uh, don't know if I need help on the gym leader front!" Ruby replied, grinning a little bit at his bright smile. His honest joy was rather infectious, that she had to admit. "In fact, Alexei Ivanov is a good friend of mine! He once rescued me from a sandbar, and the rest is history. I even have his badge!"

She'd be quick to produce her badge case, showing off her badges. "Challenging the gym leaders wasn't my primary focus in exploring Hoenn, but I'm feeling pretty confident about it! I have Cait's badge too, you know!" Ruby grinned ear to ear, excited to have a brief moment to show off her proper skills a bit.

"That said... I am excited! Not entirely sure what we're doing, but I don't think I've had a single idea what I'm doing the entire time I've been in Hoenn, so not much has changed there." She giggled softly, Darling gently squeezing Ruby's hand as the young trainer stood to her feet. "Well, what's first on the list of things to do?

Notes: I have no idea how many badges she had at the start of this thread... but she has 4 now!

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Ruby simply nodded her head as she listened to him speak. It made sense. It seemed like many of the gym leaders were constantly switching out for different ones, as if the League couldn't make up their minds. Or at the very least, the Gym Leaders couldn't stick around for one reason or another. The fact that some had managed to stay for such a long time spoke leagues about their character. Ruby simply smiled, chuckling a small bit.

"I don't exactly know how many you do know. Because the only Gym Leaders that I have badges from, that are still leading their gyms, are Alexei Ivanov , FERNANDO SILPH , and cait alfric . You know Cait, but I can definitely introduce you to Alexei if you haven't already! He's super sweet! But, uh, honestly?" She slowly sat back in her chair a bit as she spoke again. "Fernando didn't even show up to my gym battle with him. I fought the computer. But I doubt that you need introducing to him anyways."

Her eyes slowly scanned Kim up and down as he questioned her about doing something less official. The best places to slack off? That certainly said quite a lot about him, but it did sound appealing. Lately was stressful, why not take a little bit to just relax? A soft smile slowly began to spread across her face as she spoke once more.

"Slacking off sounds just fine by me. Just lead the way! I'm not exactly busy, or anything."

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