aya isn't waiting long before a voice rings out from above her. its boyishness is familiar, and she looks up to find ezra's face. "and here i thought i beat you here for once." a series of cliffs separate them; small enough to jump down, but tall enough to prevent her from climbing them without major effort. it wouldn't be the first time she'd attempted to scale such a cliff, and it wouldn't be her last.

today does not feel like the day to do it when ezra can jump down just as easily. a lower entrance to the cavern sits somewhere along the level she stands on. "hope your day is just fabulous!" the voice is sweet but sarcastic as she continues to look up at ezra.

"now you could come down here or you could watch me struggle my way up there. or i could go -- up to you!" a sanguine smile passes across her expression, her arms never uncrossing and foot never ceasing to tap.

@ezra trash again hah i need to get used to aya but here you go bb

she chuckles and shakes her head at the mockery, eyes not bothering to follow ezra's form down the series of ledges. pushing the underbosses buttons tickles her own fancy every once in a while -- she's proven her loyalty enough times for him to know she does not mean to challenge his authority, or so she seems to think. when he touches down in front of her, they stand almost eye to eye; aya is smiling genuinely now, not having seen ezra in a little while.

"because i'm worth at least a little effort, right ezra?" the words are coated in saccharin but the playful sarcasm sits close beneath the sweet surface. her jest is followed by obedience, her stride falling in with his quickly as they make there way toward meteor falls. "i heard some people in town whispering about a spike in dragon activity in the falls lately. good for us." the words are almost singsong-y and she takes a giddy little skip behind ezra to fall in step with him, eyes peering out over the falls as they make their way inside.

"how are you anyways? busy i bet?" he's always busy, but with slateport coming up, aya is certain ezra has some shit on his plate. for once the question seems entirely sincere as she searches the profile of her superior's visage for some response.

@ezra

her lips curl with coy after his response; she knows the words do not own the excitement that he begins to exude as he acknowledges her. aya's hands clap together a few times, her own excitement materializing in those softs claps. the nature of slateport's broader plans is not clear to her. rather, she has been given her role in the invasion, and it is enough to satiate her. rocket's long term plans do not concern her. ezra's confidence is enough.

"i'm excited! i'm sure you're putting a lot into this." she sets aside her sarcastic edge for another moment of honesty as the two forms pass through the rocky exterior. "...and if it all goes wrong, we can just hide out here. and just...exist as hermits?" the idea tickles her fancy, at least a little. meteor falls maintains a quiet tranquility, blissfully unaware of the havoc aya and the rest of rocket plan to wreak on the world around it.

momentary silence passes between them before aya speaks up again. "look, we have a welcoming committee and everything." a swanna circles the air far above them as a gible stumbles out into the open from seemingly nowhere. like meteor falls, they, too, remain tranquil and unaffected by the visitors.

voltaire appears, scythes spread wide as aya directs him to the sky. his wings flap too quickly for her to really perceive them as moving while he ascends and awaits her orders. "i'm going to need that swanna." the smile remains as she hungrily licks her upper lip.

@ezra