[attr="class","illieicon"]

[attr="class","illie b"]realistically, she shouldn't be out here. her legs ache, blisters are already forming at her ankles, and she's more winded than she should be. ah, but nugget's too excited for her to just tell the little dinosaur that they need to turn around. and so, she's climbing higher and higher, struggling to keep up with the bundle of excitement before her.

as if sensing her lack of exuberance, nugget stills and turns back toward her with curious eyes. a coo follows and she's forcing a smile onto her lips despite her lungs screaming to breathe, not grin. "i'm coming," she murmurs and it's a little too haggard for her liking. "don't worry, nuggie." he doesn't. instead, he accepts her words with an excited noise and returns his attention to the task at hand.

really, how is it that he's so small and yet, he moves so quickly?

and then, he's letting out another noise, one she has come to understand as curious and seeking, before darting out of her line of sight. a mild wave of panic washes over her and it's all she needs to get her ass into gear. her lungs burn and she feels like her lungs are filling with ash with every inhale but she makes it, somehow, to where he had just been. "nugget?" she calls, legs finally able to rest. god, she feels like she's gonna collapse. and in the end, she does, barely making it to a nearby rock to sit before the muscles of her legs give out.

a loud coo echoes against her surroundings and she's heaving out a sigh, lingering in her seat for a mere moment more before slowly, agonizingly, pushing herself to get up. he's close, that much is certain, but what is she going to find? oh god, please don't be poking at a predator? it's late, with stars shining overhead, and while she isn't fully aware of what dangers lurk in this part of hoenn, she's certain some of them hunt in the shadows when the sun dips below the horizon and the moon comes out to play.

except, it isn't a predator that her curious little shieldon has stumbled upon. no, instead it's a man and his pokemon, both of which seem occupied by their own interests. while the metallic little pokemon happily munches on a rock, the man is glancing around as if searching for something she doesn't understand and she's more curious than she should be. perhaps it's the odd looking slime that coats part of the ground or the way the man seems so focused that has illeana stepping closer, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear as nugget rushes back to her side. the shieldon darts around her feet, as if his excitement alone is enough for her to interrupt the man. and really, it kind of is.

"hello," she murmurs, a hand raising for a small wave. "i didn't think anyone else was out here at this hour." an awkward laugh filters through her lips and she's flashing a soft smile, suddenly anxious for reasons she can't grasp. meanwhile, nugget is anything but. the fossil pokemon takes it upon himself to enter their space, bouncing happily toward the aron with a coo. part of her wonders if he's more interested in the rocks than making friends but she can't bring herself to reign him in. no, instead she finds herself following his lead and stepping closer, careful of the slime.

[attr="class","illieicon"]

[attr="class","illie b"]her head dips, appreciative of the small gratitude he ushers toward her. the pause doesn't bother her, lending itself to her own thoughts. just what is this slime? where'd it come from? and why is he burning holes into it with his eyes? peculiar. the familiar thrum of curiosity surges and with it comes the need to pry, to investigate, to dissect until it's all making sense. instead of giving in, her lips part for words. "you're welcome," she's murmuring, returning the ghost of a smile he flashes, and then, it's unbearable to not ask. "may i ask what this slime is?"

she knows she's a stranger meddling in whatever affairs he has but really, who can blame her?

nugget finds himself shrinking away from the aron, a nervous flutter to his eyes. they dart between the steel type and his trainer, uncertain and suddenly wondering if he should just scamper back to the safety of her legs. he doesn't, however. no, why would he when a different rock catches his eye and he's bouncing away, nervousness falling away to excitement. it's a pretty rock, nice and rounded with slightly jutting curves. perfect to shine his face with and so, without any hesitation, he's rubbing against the rock like a cat would their owner's legs. shiny, shiny, shiny, must be shiny. polished and pristine, glittering like a gemstone.

illeana's hand lingers by her side in a brief moment of hesitation before rising to take the one he's offering. a soft smile rises and curls at her lips, pleasant and polite and even a little friendly despite her winded appearance. "illeana reyes," the smile widens when she adds, "it's a pleasure to meet you, atlan." and then, the assumption has her flushing, the skin of her cheeks pooling with the color of rubies. the wide smile turns sheepish and her free hand is waving the notion away. a light giggle escapes, awkward and embarrassed and it almost makes her skin crawl. there's no need for her to feel so uncomfortable and yet, the thought of having to explain that she's chasing her shieldon in a feeble attempt to get her ass into shape is mortifying. "oh, no no," she's getting out in a rush of wind and the words come out jumbled. a breath is sucked in an attempt to calm herself before she continues. "definitely not a ranger. i'm -- well, um, i was on a jog." the color of her cheeks deepens, eyes darting away from his while the admittance lingers in the air.

"i'm actually a researcher," she mumbles and her mind is trying to wave away excess bits of embarrassment. in its endeavor, it becomes stuck on a previous sentence. a detective. and then, pieces click together and she's slowly comprehending a little bit more of the situation. "are you investigating slime?" comes tumbling out before she can stop it, then, and she's all too curious now to regret it.

[attr="class","illieicon"]

[attr="class","illie b"]it seems embarrassment is not done with her just yet. just as mortification passes, it comes back in smaller waves, heating the skin of her cheeks until she looks a shade brighter. her eyes drift toward nugget as atlan comments on her choice of a jogging path. really, it hadn't exactly been her idea... the shieldon, who's currently very enamored with his rock, has preferences that she can't ignore. she's a sucker for puppy dog eyes and nugget happens to have the best.

"yeah," she chuckles after a moment, running a hand through her hair. with a sudden quickness, she's gathering the slightly sweat dampened locks into her signature ponytail and prying them away from the back of her neck. the cool air of the night around them feels refreshing against her skin and she's letting out a soft sigh of relaxation before glancing back toward him. "my shieldon has this thing for rocks so i humored him a bit." another chuckle follows and then illeana's unzipping the jacket she had pulled on before leaving the house earlier. it had been a poor judgement call on her part, really. how was she supposed to know her body would feel like it was both on fire and dying all at once? is that supposed to be how working out feels? god, never again.

another wave of cold air hits her and she's shedding the layer without a second thought. the jacket is tied tightly around her waist and she's fidgeting with the hem of her tank top, a small smile rising to her lips. "really?" she chirps out a moment later, excitement quickly rising to replace exhaustion. "what did you specialize in?" and then, she's flushing slightly, fingers tugging at the fabric in her grasp. "if you don't mind me asking, that is."

her eyes drift toward the slime in question when he heaves out a sigh and turns toward it. beneath the glow of the moon, it almost seems to sparkle somehow. the translucent appearance lends itself to the surroundings and she's scrunching her nose at it. a look of contemplation forms on her features and before she can stop it, she's muttering half toward him and half herself. "hm, reminds me of the trail a shellos would leave," but that doesn't fully sound right. the shellos she has briefly seen in sinnoh left behind more violet trails than this... "or maybe a goomy." and yet again, the educated guess sounds slightly off. her eyes dart back toward atlan with a slightly serious look. "it wouldn't make sense for either of those pokemon to be in this climate, though," a mild frown overtakes her features then and she's letting out a little sigh. "i'm sorry, this slime is just so curious."

illeana returns his playful smile with a shy one of her own. "yeah," and then she's laughing, turning sheepish once more. "or, well, trying to!" she had already drank most of her water within the first ten minutes of jogging but he doesn't need to know that, right? her planning skills seem to be lacking today. "i hadn't calculated how hot it gets once you start working out into my jogging plan," she admits after a small bout of silence and the tips of her ears are reddening beneath the weight of her honesty.

[attr="class","illieicon"]

[attr="class","illie b"]she's hanging on every word, every syllable, of his explanation. it makes her mind wander just a bit, clicking pieces together until she has a full picture at her disposal. electromagnetism, the study of currents and charged particles. she briefly remembers the subject from a now dust covered book on one of the bookshelves in her house. it's one of the four fundamental laws of nature, up on par with gravitation. difficult stuff, she muses. even with her level of intelligence, it's something she doesn't grasp. best left to the specialists like him, perhaps.

"that's impressive," she chirps. "does it still play a part in what you do now?" although, based on the facts he has already given her, she could supply the answer to her own question. he had, after all, said himself that he's no longer a researcher. perhaps those personal reasons had something to do with it? best to not pry... it could be a sore subject. she fidgets slightly beneath that concept and then her fingers still as nugget lets out a loud coo. his rock is producing the desired results, leaving his face nice and gleaming in the moonlight. adorable as usual.

her flush deepens beneath his stare. it lasts for a mere moment and then the exchange is gone and she's left wondering if she had imagined it. she had, after all, been in the process of turning back so perhaps it was merely a trick of the light. a cough follows and she's creasing her brows mildly with concern. is he sick? another cough never follows, however, and she's torn away from any beginning of worry by ideas of his own. hm, it seems they had the same thought process after all. "it's curious," she muses. her gaze drifts from the slime beneath them to the vial in his hand. "it could be the result of something driving those pokemon out of their preferred climates and into the mountain but i don't know what could do that besides an actual person. they -- they wouldn't survive up here long..." that has her shuffling closer, drifting closer to him. if someone had, in fact, relocated either shellos or goomy to mt chimney, they wouldn't make it to the morning. mild panic rises and before she can stop herself, she's offering her services. "i could help you look if you'd like."

nugget abandons his rock, then, to shuffle back toward illeana with unbridled excitement. squeals escape the shieldon as he goes and he's more than content to crash into her legs. she catches him before he does, however, with a quick bending motion. her shieldon is scooped up and nestled against her chest as if it's second nature. nugget coos, snuggling closer. he had wanted to show her how pretty his face looks now but... snuggles are more important.

"yeah," she giggles, glancing back toward atlan. "it's a little embarrassing to not be fully prepared but these things happen, i suppose." is it poor planning or changing circumstances? perhaps both or neither at all. realistically, she should have brought more than one water bottle given her lack of fitness but she hadn't exactly wanted to lug around a full cooler of water up a mountain. part of her wonders if that decision had a part in this meeting, if her lack of preparation had been one of many catalysts for coming into his company. the world works in mysterious ways, sometimes.

the expression of concern deepens the flush of her cheeks even further. her ears change in color too and she's glancing away, almost shy. "it's okay," she murmurs. while nugget can be an unstoppable force when he wants to be, she tends to think of the worst possible outcome when leaving the house now. after being caught without the means to protect those closest to her, she had learned a thing or two about having strength at your disposal. one of her hands drifts away from nugget's belly to pat fondly at the pokeballs of her belt. "i have my team in case anything happens!" her eyes travel back to his. a reassuring smile forms a moment later, morphing her features. "besides, i'm kind of interested in seeing what this slime is now."