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"It's me," Mei assured softly, slipping inside the room.[break][break]
Circling the bed, she made her way to Yumi's side. Deft fingers deposited two cherry-red pills and a steaming mug of herbal tea on the bedside table, then she sat down next to the other woman, who seemed so uncharacteristically diminished as she lay curled into her covers. The mattress groaned slightly as Mei gently leaned over Yumi, delicately removed the stray hairs plastered to her roommate's sweat-soaked forehead so that she could rest her palm against the hot skin there.[break][break]
"You're still burning up," she declared. "I've brought you some painkillers, for the aches - they should help reduce the fever, too."[break][break]
Her brow furrowed with obvious concern, and she moved her hand to the back of Yumi's head, to stroke her hair in a comforting manner. Her roommate was an ambitious woman, always pushing for greater heights, and Mei wondered if a lack of rest had lead to this particular illness.[break][break]
"Is there anything else you need, Yumi?"
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Mei pocketed her phone, sighing with disappointment. She had been looking forward to accompanying Yumi to the Lilycove flower festival, but the other woman had run into some kind of issue at the casino and would need to stay later than expected. Because her own work schedule was so erratic - and entirely within her control - Mei often forgot that most folks had to juggle a myriad of external factors related to their careers.[break][break]
Luckily for Yumi, there would be plenty of opportunities to view flowers in the coming month. Mei was already in Lilycove, however, and didn't have a client scheduled until much later that evening - so she might as well enjoy herself. Shrugging off the initial let-down, the escort headed off down the busy street in search of the park where the main flower viewings were supposed to be taking place.[break][break]
It was easy enough to find the epicenter of the festivities: families, tourists, and couples were flocking to it. Mei followed after a particularly lovey-dovey pair of teenagers, smiling to herself as she watched their young love blossom alongside the flowers they stopped every so often to admire. She enjoyed people watching: the way body language could often reveal more than spoken words was of particular interest to her. She'd learned to read people over the years merely by observing the ways they moved.[break][break]
As she rounded a corner, her keen gaze fell upon a familiar man. The sight of him caused Mei's breath to catch, and she stopped, both surprised and thrilled to find him sitting alone on a park bench.[break][break]
"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite Kalosian ambassador," she purred, sidling up to him, the radiant smile spreading across her lips a sincere sign of her obvious delight.
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He had a nice smile. So nice, she almost accepted the ride.[break][break]
"I'll be fine," she assured him. "Thank you for the offer."[break][break]
She turned to go, whistling for Deimos to join her. The Glaceon yawned wide, stretched, then padded to Mei's side. As he passed by Greyson Connors, he gave the man a scrutinizing once-over. It was about as friendly as he ever was with strangers.[break][break]
She paused, looking back over her shoulder at him.[break][break]
"I've dealt with a lot of bullshit in this chasm, but running into you was a pleasant surprise." Fortuitous, even. Hadn't Yumi said the year of the dragon was lucky or something?[break][break]
"Look me up if you're ever lonely in Slateport."[break][break]
She winked, then continued on her way.[break][break]

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Good information? She would have assumed the Elite Four were a tight-knit, coordinated strike team. But his surprise was genuine: he hadn't known Melody was here.[break][break]
That was good information, too. She filed it away. It was something she could ask freya morningstar about later, if the opportunity arose.[break][break]
"I have," she sighed, allowing some of her fatigue to creep its way into her voice. "Hopefully I'll never have a reason to come back."[break][break]
Somehow, she doubted it.[break][break]
She decided she liked Greyson Connors. He had an edge to him - but it hadn't always been that way. Something had been chipping away at him over the years, like a sculptor slowly revealing the statue within a pretty slab of granite.[break][break]
"You don't look entirely unscathed yourself," she noted, unsure why she didn't just walk away, sensing he would let her.[break][break]

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Sleazes offered toothy leers, gentleman offered handshakes.[break][break]
Appreciating the gesture, she took his hand, eyes widening slightly as she noticed the Comfey. Lingering seconds longer than was probably necessary, Mei blinked down at the colorful creature, lips quirking into an amused grin. It was endearing, the way he wore it like a bracelet.[break][break]
"Conners," she guessed, finally placing his face. Elite Four. She almost laughed.[break][break]
"Your pop star coworker's down in the caves," she pointed backwards, the way she'd come. "Government must think this place awfully special to send you folks into its depths."[break][break]
If Melody Miro could handle a horde of rampaging paradoxes without batting so much as an eyelash, Mei wondered what this man was capable of.[break][break]
"I'm Mei."[break][break]

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She sidled up to him, wordlessly accepting his invitation. Deimos shuffled ahead, then curled up in a shady spot beneath two large trees, closing his eyes. Mei knew he was only resting them; the Glaceon would never sleep so long as Mei was addressing an unfamiliar man.[break][break]
"What brought you down here?" She asked casually, eyeing the stranger.[break][break]
He was a handsome fellow, probably not much older than she was, and clearly capable enough to confidently traverse this chasm alone. He didn't exude entrepreneur vibes - as nikkari hect had - but he wasn't a rough-cut gem like KING WAYLAND, either. No uniform, so he wasn't military. She thought, perhaps, he seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place why.[break][break]
Whoever he was, there was a dark cast to his gaze, the sort of weariness she recognized as the aftermath of anger.[break][break]

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She was so very tired of this place. The sweltering heat, the thick humidity, the twisted creatures that seemed to manifest out of thin air in their single-minded feral hunger. She wanted nothing more than to return to Nameless, pour herself a shot of something strong, and forget this place even existed.[break][break]
She'd come here out of curiosity ( - no, that's not quite it - ) and had found enough trouble to last a lifetime.[break][break]
She'd nearly reached the place where she'd originally descended, sighing in relief - but then she noticed the man leaning against a rock just ahead of her. Deimos sniffed, ears flattening against his skull in warning.[break][break]
"Looking for the way out?" She asked, keeping her tone light. Playful. Masking exhaustion.[break][break]

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Mei regarded THEO BECKETT with a curious gaze. Here was the man who had likely approved her transfer so many years ago, when she had left Kanto for Hoenn. She doubted he remembered every grunt he'd had some hand in recruiting, but somehow they had ended up here on this mission - had he requested her specifically or had fate brought them together once more?[break][break]
One thing was for certain: he was not to be underestimated.[break][break]
"What do you make of this place?" She asked smoothly, running manicured fingertips over a particularly bright Tera Crystal growing out of the wall. "Do you think there's something down here worth excavating? Besides all these shiny rocks and the monsters that are drawn to them..."[break][break]
To them or from them? She supposed that's what the scientists were trying to discern.[break][break]

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