[attr="class","witness"]Seeing Katherine wasn't ... well it wasn't something he had expected. She wasn't super young, as in the twelve year olds he was used to teaching, but she wasn't exactly old either, like all the other teachers there.

In a sense she was a sight for sore eyes and he was also a bit sour that they'd never made it past date two. He had been busy and she had been... er, well, she texted a lot and that made him wonder if she was gonna get clingy.

With no really great excuse at his disposal, he simply decided to acknowledge she existed and pretended not to notice she was likely pretending herself, not to really remember him.

"Asher." He corrected her with a calm and collected smile, one that held the same amount of charm it always did. "Asher Leivern, Professor of Religion in Rustboro City's Pokemon Academy."

With a smile so smug it could sink the S. S. Anne, Asher simply took a seat on his desk and propped his hands on his leg.

"What can I help you with, miss Fairburne?"

Katherine Fairburne

[attr="class","witness"]She was being oddly... sweet. The first time they had met, she was all huff and puff until he flirted with her, then sweet, to a point. She'd put her foot down and tell him that she could take care of herself. Yet now she wanted to glean as much information out of him as possible about the Spear Pillar atop Mount Coronet in Sinnoh... how interesting.

Well, he could always say she was never boring.

"The best place for hot chocolate in Snowpoint City is a little stall just outside the Snowpoint Temple, called Mable's. It's a very lively young woman who has a few swinub by her feet at all times. Though, admittedly, they may be pilloswine or bigger by this point."

Asher feigns rubbing his head in thought about the swinubs, really he's deciding where to start with the myth. Better yet, he'd be wise to let her start for him.

"As far as Arceusism goes, I don't mind elaborating on the beginning point and all that, but."

Pausing a moment, he smiled at her with as much charm as usual.

"Let's begin with what you know, and I'll elaborate from there."

There was a double meaning there, yes. It was better to get her side of whatever story before giving his own. Mostly because he could better confront problems if he knew the details.

Katherine Fairburne

[attr="class","witness"]"So each can be responsible for something or whatever."

Asher almost visibly cringed. He didn't though, so good for him! But he had come so close. There was so much theologically wrong with that statement, namely that whatever bit at the end. It was why he had such a passion for the religions that he did. Because people simply weren't educated these days.

Or, and probably in her case, they didn't care to be. Knowledge was a means to an end, he figured.

By the end of her account of what she knew, Asher understood now why she was there. To learn, and in that case, he decided why not educate her further?

"So to start off, the religion you're referring to is Arceusism. It is the largest recorded religion in the regions. Within this belief, there are three different branches. Lanthrism, the belief that Arceus is the supreme being of all, humans and pokemon alike. Next comes Orthism, the belief that only the legendary pokemon should be worshiped and then there are the Pseudoistic believers, who have the belief that we humans are descendants of pokemon and not, in fact, our own breed of being."

He paused if only to make sure she was jotting this all down, and to give her room for questions.

Katherine Fairburne

[attr="class","witness"]"They have very little proof, which is why it's third, and not first."

In a way, the branches all had standings based on the amount of people that followed them. Being that Pseudoism was the least believable, it obviously had the least numbers and was therefore listed last. Not that he'd mentioned that, but, eh.

"There are recordings of pokemon being able to speak as we humans do. Such records are not, technically recorded, and are more hearsay and 'old wives tales.' As good to us in the realm of proof as myths, really."

In other words, theories. But wasn't that the joy of religion? Theories and myths? Legends and lore? Belief, or facts? Faith and fiction?

Katherine Fairburne

[attr="class","witness"]"I'm assuming you mean Giratina, the supposed and claimed god of death, ruler of hell, and the one who controls antimatter."

Asher shook his head with a deep sigh, thoughts of this particular pokemon not much more than the rest of the legendaries. This one didn't strike a nerve in him, while others struck more 'home' with him. Like the titans.

"There are many different myths surrounding Giratina. Supposed sightings. Etchings in Sinnoh show that somebody saw it, or was clever enough to make it all up."

Kudoes to that guy, really.

"It is said that while it can travel between dimension at will in one form, if it enters our realm, the gravity will cause it to shift into the form that cannot travel at will, which is why we only see a shadow of it over graveyards."

Spooky stuff, but Asher enjoyed showing off his knowledge.

Katherine Fairburne

[attr="class","witness"]"As far as those ancient etchings go, yes, you would have to travel to Sinnoh yourself and ask the reigning professor there."

With a ridiculously lax shrug, Asher continued.

"In theory and myth, his Distortion World is considered a hell, because it lacks space and time. Because of its lack of space and time, it's theorized that it's where anybody goes in death, since death is a lack of being in space and a lack of having time. The theory is, when we die, we become apart of this Distortion World, or hell, in an attempt to survive after we've been robbed of space and time."

He was having far more fun flaunting his knowledge than he should have, moving his arms respectively. Which was, in fact, a new side to him. Rarely did he use his hands or arms to speak unless he was getting riled up. And when it came to the creation trio, he definitely got himself riled up, in a good way.

Katherine Fairburne

[attr="class","witness"]Asher beams as she offers to catch him up after her trip. Whatever findings she had, he was sure to believe them... most of them. Well, what reason did he have not to believe all of them? He's just a skeptic, that's all. Never one hundred percent believing in anything unless he sees it with his very own eyes.

"Avoid getting frost bitten, wear warm clothes, believe scientists only as far as you could throw them, and stay in touch."

With that, Asher stands up off of his desk he'd been relaxed on and turns toward her. His full attention on her one hundred percent, charming smile landing on her, and with a hand tucked to his stomach, he gives her just as charming a bow.

"I wish you the best of luck on your venture, and I look forward to going over your findings."

Katherine Fairburne