iseult waited patiently as he decided on a word. it was cute. helm, she thought. what her father called the post she would occupy one day.

”it’s a wheel,” she agreed.

it seemed it was already decided which of their options they were taking, and she didn’t argue, simply following after him.

”i’ve never driven a boat before. is that legal?”

JAMES BAKER

the morning breeze carried the scent of a wisteria, climbing slowly but surely as it propped itself against the schoolhouse in bright petals. inside, an empty classroom had been left in disarray. everyone was in the yard, admiring the pokemon that had been brought for show-and-tell by various volunteers.

iseult was one of them.

“fire can be powerful in many ways.”

beside her, rapidash’s smokeless flames flickered, hypnotizing to young eyes.

”it can be beautiful; it can save lives, but it can also be dangerous, and destructive—which is why we must always be respectful.”

she looked up into the deep square pupil over her shoulder.

”with respect, we can build trust.”

as though to prove her point, her hand went to run through the flames of the rapidash’s mane, eliciting a few gasps from students expecting her to pull back hurt.

”once you befriend a rapidash, their flames no longer burn you.” 

a little violet-haired boy on the edge of his seat quickly raised his hand, speaking ahead of himself anyways.

”how long did it take you to be seurat’s friend?”

iseult smiled, ”not too long—but it did take some patience—”

“oh. that makes sense. my mum said sometimes friendships take time to grow.”

charmed, iseult nodded, ”yes, i suppose she's right.”

her gaze lingered on the boy a second longer, before she looked over the rest of the small faces still glued to her very interesting companion.

”any more questions, before i turn you over to your next guest?”

Elinor Anderson
mission: pokemon pedagogy

was remiel smiling back? an odd surprise, but not an unwelcome change—just one she wasn’t quite sure she trusted. the babineaux and calcifet blood feud had been a long one, etched deeply into both their histories and minds from the very beginning.

kept in the dark when it came to her father’s business with team rocket, iseult was still equally unaware of the new, fickle alliance the families had made, and their plans for the future. her well-practiced smile wavered with the smallest touch of confusion, but she held out a well-manicured hand regardless.

”that is certainly fair.” hoenn had seen more than its share of shock and tragedy in the three years she’d been in the region.

when they parted, she nodded politely to the bowing teacup, before her lavender eyes returned to the prince who, at one time, did not smile at her. 

”very well, thank you. i’m here in grad school; i’ve also recently become the assistant to councilman black, so i’ve been especially busy—though i have no complaints.” her own smile swelled again, despite not bearing the easiest job. ”and you, remiel? how have you weathered these chaotic years?”

Remiel Calcifet

she nodded in agreement, and then shook her head, ”i can’t either; and he certainly hasn’t shared any stories about it with me. in fact, he hasn’t spoken to me much at all.” this would change, though, surely, with patience and dedication—same as all things.

when they neared the dock, she considered the options. she didn’t mind the ferry, but the idea of their own boat did sound a little more appealing, granted they could cut their time that way.

”hm... how fast do you think the boats go?”

JAMES BAKER

she eyed the heavy door handle in brief consideration of suggesting otherwise, before she turned it to reveal the mess on the other side. she had to will herself not to gawk at it. it was as though a bomb had set off from his desk.

close the door. a request she had expected about as much as the initial cause of this scenario. she obliged anyways, quietly shutting the door behind her.

she didn’t enter much further into the room, watching him with a soft stare and hands clasped low in front of her.

”very well. i enjoy my time working in the offices, and you have a lovely home.” she did wish that he’d been more approachable, but predicated that enough patience and grace would pay off in the long-run.

GABRIEL BLACK

this was hardly her first time here. today, she’d been visiting with a kalosian diplomat; a family friend, primarily of her father’s whom she’d not seen since childhood. among topics were the hilarity of parties past, crystablooms, and kalosian outsourcing of energy from hoenn. when their conversation had finally concluded, she found herself out in the halls again. she took a seat along a wall to peruse her phone, having plenty of time before her next obligation.

her name caused her look up, catching the sight of yet another familiar face. it had truly been a week of reunions.

”remiel calcifet.” she smiled brightly. strands of blonde hair blew over her shoulder as she rose to her feet. ”i knew i would run into you here eventually; i did not think it would take three years.”

Remiel Calcifet

she didn’t catch him jump, eyes already on the screen.

”here in kalos? really?” there was a touch of genuine surprise on her face. ”and i thought i kept up well enough.”

her eyes shifted over towards him again with a smile at his introduction. it was polite, warm. it didn’t seem to notice the odd pause, but she had. perhaps he was deciding if he recognized her or not. it was a look she saw often enough.

a fan? ”you could say that.” it had been forced down her throat until she’d learned to have an appetite for it. training was not a hobby; it was an expectation. ”i’ve been going to tournaments since i was a child.”

”iseult—and you didn’t disturb me.” smile curling a little more, kindly mannered, she leaned in his direction an inch to add in lower tone, ”although i do hope things get better.”

after a moment, recognition crossed her own face.

”you’re captain sullivan.” she was sure of it. ”i watched you in the star tournament last year, in hoenn. very impressive. congratulations.”

John Sullivan

his blonde hair was indeed a shock, even the second time seeing it. barnaby had always been a particularly beautiful person. while his look had been switched up, and he had grown older, this had not changed.

she pulled back again from him, smile warm and bright.

”sounds lovely. let’s go, then.”

she turned, leading the way out of the delicious-smelling cafe and into the cool air of the aquarium. smells of chemicals and salt, metal—but oddly pleasant in a nostalgic way.

”you know, this place reminds me of an aquarium my father took me to in lumiose city when i was younger. i can't recall the name, but i have the most distinct memory of a beautiful milotic swimming right over my head.”

BARNABY FINCH

she gave a nod to the side with her chin. not much to be done but work through it, it seemed.

”definitely professional. i wouldn’t say tense, really.” what was he? there was some sort of coolness to him. almost cold, despite the polite smiles he’d returned in the breakroom.

and of GABRIEL BLACK ?

she looked over, lavender eyes filled with plenty of an answer without the need to elaborate.

”councilman black... does not seem to be a very happy man. at least, not recently.”

JAMES BAKER

this eruption was still unseen, only heard. now fallen silent. it became instantly clear to her, before he even said it. perhaps he wasn’t quite used to having her around yet. was this something the rest of his staff was accustomed to? they seemed to be rather skittish around him.

”yes, sir.” there was a moment of quiet on her side of the door, before she continued, ”would you prefer to be alone?” it would be understandable. clearly, he had not yet recovered. she could scarcely imagine the loss.

GABRIEL BLACK

she found herself, briefly, more intrigued in the moment of silence. her gaze didn’t waver either. then, at his request, she nodded, memorizing. 

”of course.” another moment, and her smile swelled to a politely conclusive degree. ”well, i’ll leave you to it. have a good afternoon, mr. silph.”

she took her leave, returning towards her desk down the hall, a phone in hand to quickly enter in the details of his message into her sprawling list of reminders for the day.

the next afternoon, around this time, there would a bag waiting for him in the fridge from where he’d retrieved his meal replacement before. the folded over white paper showed the stamp of a stylish, well-reviewed kalosian bakery, recently opened in evergrande. written beneath it was mr. silph; within was a sandwich poulet crudités, and a note in utterly flawless penmanship:

it was nice meeting you, again. hope you enjoy. – iseult babineaux

FERNANDO SILPH