i'll chase the light of that distant star

"Ah!" Talia exclaimed, the sea spray falling over her like a sparkling curtain of mist. She laughed from atop her Dragonair, grinning widely, as she yelled back, "Two can play that game!"

Talia didn't know the man surfing on the waves in the slightest, but she felt that she'd more than earned a little friendly competition. With a low whistle, she directed Lyra to dive down closer to the water, skimming the surface as she splashed Beau Fontaine and his Marshtomp in kind.

"Now we're even," she said, pleased at the sight of her now-drenched companion as she pulled by his side. "My name is Talia. Who are you?"

Beau Fontaine ● flying/water/dragon dw ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Hm. Was it really so simple?

Talia frowned, her inner conflict reflected plainly on her face. For better or worse, she entirely lacked the ability to bluff.

"To be honest, I don't think we are ready, either. It worries me." She looked up at MATIAS SILPH, saying candidly, "Johto had many talented trainers, but the casualties were great. Kanto, too, had many capable trainers, but... I don't think it's enough, to work hard. You have to work intelligently."

Was it belligerent to say so? It was honest, at least. Talia had no publicist to tell her to mince her words, or public image to concern herself with. The fact that the man across from her had both these things to consider hadn't even crossed her mind, so removed was it from her own life experience.

Talia bit her lip, mulling her thoughts over a moment more, before concluding: "Where would be the best place to find that guidance?"

MATIAS SILPH ● social ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

This seminar was one of many that Talia had slotted into her schedule as part of her efforts to better integrate into the defensive efforts of the League.

She and her Dragonair, Lyra, were no stranger to hard work. Dance had been a physically demanding background as well; battling, however, channeled that energy in a new way. Faintly flushed from the exertion of the exercise, Talia smiled at her Pokemon at the completion of their task. "We're getting better, aren't we?" she said quietly to the blue dragon, pleased for them both.

What made this seminar different, however, was the man running it: MATIAS SILPH. She mulled over the wisdom of bothering him, given his rank in the Elite Four and experience in warfare. To her surprise, however, the class ended with him being willing to entertain questions.

A certain timidity presented itself as Talia stepped forward, before she decidedly pushed it aside. This was no time for modesty or manners, but for receiving valid, essential information.

"I did have a question, actually," Talia voiced at last, steeling herself. "In your experience, if Hoenn were to experience an invasion like Johto or Kanto, then..." She inhaled, then exhaled, focusing herself as she finished the question: "Do you think the region would be ready? And if not, what do you think we need to do to be ready?"

Talia didn't feel ready herself, not in the slightest. This was the question that had haunted her in each seminar, however, and during every training exercise: are we doing enough? Her heart said no.

MATIAS SILPH ● social ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

The sight of @symon lit up Talia with sunshine, the girl waving cheerily as she called out, "Oh, hello! I am Talia, and this little one is called Amaris. It's so nice to meet you!"

The young woman almost skipped over to where he stood, lifting the heavy fabric of her dance robes to aid in her haste. By Entei's breath, he's athletic, she thought admiringly as she got close. Talia wondered what theater he danced at, to have such an impressive physique. Something demanding, undoubtedly. Maybe gymnastics, even?

"Yes! I am a dancer," she replied in earnest. "I was trained at the Ecruteak Dance Theater in Johto before moving to Hoenn. Moving here was a shift from traditional to modern techniques, of course, but dance is dance in some ways, no? No matter the medium." She beamed, unaware of just how true that was for herself and her new partner.

The routines had been certainly different for Talia in Hoenn, mostly theatrical and focused on entertainment value. She'd often found more work as a harpist, playing music for weddings and other fancy gatherings. Her exotic clothes had been a popular talking point there, though Talia didn't let on that they were the only sets of clothes she had brought from Johto as a refugee, and it seemed a waste to spend her money on more.

Her voice shifted a little, becoming more serious as Talia continued, "To be honest, however, I recently quit music to work for the League. I could use the extra money, though, so I thought I'd answer your ad. I hope that's okay?" If he preferred a full-time dancer, Talia would understand; she didn't want to trick him at all. Especially since @symon seemed nice enough.

@symon ● coordinator choreography ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

"Klaus Anchoret," Talia repeated, as if testing the melody of the name when spoken aloud, and finding it musical indeed. "It is very nice to properly meet you!"

At the question about if she had been long in Hoenn, Talia offered a self-conscious smile, laughing bashfully herself. "Ah, um, in a sense," she admitted, giving her Cleffa a little cuddle. "I've only been here a few years or so. Since the Johto invasion." A pause inserted itself, somewhat awkwardly as the topic became heavy, before she continued quickly, "I lived in Ecruteak City before that. I worked with my mother in the Dance Theater, where we performed in honour of Legendary Pokemon. That's what, um, these clothes are from."

She stood up and did a slow little twirl, the splashy fabric rippling about her pleasantly with the movement. "I didn't bring many other clothes with me when I moved," she admitted. "It hasn't felt urgent. Maybe when I earn more money working for the League, I'll be able to fit in a bit better?" Though part of Talia just liked the familiarity in having this one thing that felt hers, in a region that in so many ways still felt unfamiliar and strange.

She plopped herself onto the bench once more, tilting her head at Klaus inquisitively as she scooted close. "How about you? Have you always lived in Hoenn?" she asked.

klaus anchoret ● I Relicanth Thank You Enough ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Talia stepped cautiously into the contest hall, peering about herself as she glanced at the empty, beautiful ballroom.

The turquoise-haired girl had been told not long ago, this place was decked out in gorgeous array, with tables of sweet Kalosian desserts and teas as some of the biggest names in Hoenn mingled and met for Palentine's Day. Weeks later, no one was present here but her, and yet the location was no less impressive for its sparse decor.

Talia caught sight of herself in a large mirror against the wall, her slight figure robed in the long robes of the Ecruteak Dance Theater. Their colours were almost exotic in their glaring contrast against the more muted pastels of the room. It was strange to see herself like this, in a place so much more luxurious than Talia had ever known.

"Hello?" she called, timid. The Cleffa on her shoulder likewise squeaked, awaiting a reply. The ad had asked for those with dance experience to arrive with help coordinating a routine for a Pokemon Contest. Talia knew nothing about contests, but dance had been her entire life, once upon a time.

Now, however, she was beginning to doubt if coming was the right decision.

"This is Talia. Talia Celes?" Talia called out, walking the room anxiously. Perhaps she was in the wrong section of the contest hall? Perhaps she was early? "I'm here to, um, answer an ad?" One of her roommates had failed to make enough to cover rent again, and it was on her to find a way to make up the remainder. The League, unfortunately, didn't pay as well as you'd hope.

"Maybe we read it wrong, Amaris," she whispered to her Cleffa, lowering her head with a sigh. Just as she was prepared to go, however, something caught her attention.

@symon ● coordinator choreography ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Talia eagerly took the headphones in hand, placing them atop her head and pressing play. As the music came on, an easy smile of unfettered joy blossomed on her lips, her own hands tapping to a rhythm as her body fell into a familiar sway -- once a dancer, always a dancer.

"I haven't heard this one before," she said to klaus anchoret as if sharing a great secret before removing the headphones to give them back to him. "You have excellent taste."

It was then that she saw her little Cleffa wonderingly admiring herself, where she had been rendered in miniature upon the tablet. "Amaris!" Talia exclaimed, picking up the star-shaped Pokemon gleefully. "Look at how well he drew you. Did you remember to say thank you?"

The Cleffa blushed before turning her bright eyes to Klaus and squeaking something that sounded like a belated attempt at doing just that. Pleased, Talia lowered the Cleffa back to the bench, and leaned over to give the art a closer look.

"By the three Legendary wings, you're talented," Talia said breathlessly, her own gaze wholly engrossed in the sketch. "That's lovely of you to do something like that for Maris, though." The mention of her Pokemon's name, however, prompted Talia's manners in sharing her own. "Oh! I'm Talia. Talia Celes." She smiled again, radiant as she asked curiously, "And what's your name?"

klaus anchoret ● I Relicanth Thank You Enough ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

The brief, quizzical look on Locke Jamison's face resulted in Talia biting her lower lip, her eyebrows furrowing together in self-reproach. This isn't Johto. Lugia doesn't mean the same thing here. Your myths are just stories, Talia. They're not real.

The turquoise-haired woman smoothed out her brow with an exhale, however, choosing to focus on happier matters. Which proved easy, given the way the other trainer's Pokemon playfully splashed them both with water. Talia giggled, belatedly covering her mouth with her sleeve, before looking at Lyra with an eyebrow raised as if to ask, 'Why aren't you playing with me?' Alas, the Dragonair was far too dignified to be so distracted from her single-minded task, and Talia pouted at her teasingly. "You're no fun, Lyra," she whispered, and the dragon dutifully ignored her young mistress's complaint.

As Locke spoke about his work, however, Talia's attention was wholly drawn away from her regal Dragonair, the girl's eyes bright with clear interest. "Delivery route?" she repeated. "What do you deliver, then, if not usually Corsola?" It fascinated her, how many roles people had to play in Hoenn. The more work she did with the League, the more Talia felt she got to understand the civilians she was protecting. This felt just as important, to her at least.

"The Sevii Islands!" Talia exclaimed as her partner talked about his family. "Oh, I have never been, but the photography I have seen is lovely. What a truly wonderful memory to have. Do you miss it there?" So sincere was her curiosity that only a moment too late did it occur to her that such a question might be tactless -- Kanto was not a topic that would be considered pleasant conversation for most.

"If you don't mind talking about it, that is," she added hurriedly, a hot flush reddening her cheeks.

Locke Jamison ● corsola conservation ●

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Pitch black darkness rolled before her in waves, tumultuous and strange. In the velvety expanse, two orbs of liquid gold stared at her before the waves parted -- torn asunder before a sudden immense pressure that slammed against her chest like a pile of stones.

Blots of light flickered into existence like scattered stardust, slowly coalescing into the figure of a towering man that loomed overhead. He grinned as Talia met his gaze, her throat burning like fire as she coughed and sputtered, gasping for air.

"Welcome back to the land of the living."

All attempts at thinking and speaking seemed futile as the young woman attempted to focus on the strange man, her own eyelids heavy with exhaustion. The land of the living. Had she been pulled back from the brink of death, then? For a moment before, when lightning smote the Dragonair from the heavens, it had felt as if the entire world had stopped, and Talia had ceased existing with it.

That single thought dangled in Talia's mind, like a nagging string, until her emerald eyes widened in slow realisation. Oh, no. Lyra.

Her pale hand grasped the nearby sand for purchase, struggling to raise herself at the waist -- only for the effort to result in a burst of pain that radiated forth from the centre of her chest. The sheer agony of the movement pushed her back towards the ground, rendered immobile by her own body.

"Wh... Is Ly..." Where is Lyra. Each word was sandpaper, scratched and strangled in the bitter aftertaste of saltwater. Where her speech failed her, Talia's expressive eyes pleaded instead, looking in vain for the sight of her fainted Pokemon.

Rolling over on her side, Talia at last caught the glimpse of the serpentine creature, coiled in the deep slumber of recovery. Such a sight was the most beautiful thing Talia could have seen in the entire world, and as this darkest fear fled her mind, sobs of relief wracked her body in its stead.

They were alive. Both of them were alive.

Finally regaining a shred of composure, the young girl attempted to crane her neck up towards the mysterious saviour who had brought them both to shore. In this barely conscious state, she could only somewhat make out the image of his windswept brown hair, the focused bronze hue of his eyes, and the way he looked upon her now -- a kind way, Talia felt.

Two shuddering words, at last, left her frozen lips: "Thank you."

@bronze ● deserted island ●