the burst of speed was expected yet not, as in the moment it took for him to realize what had happened, so too was he propelled forward.

the dogs, while fast, could not compare to the speed in which they were now running; the sudden burst leaving them behind before eventually catching up, their jaws unhinged as slavering tongues waved in the wind.

through squinted eyes Sevastian looks to the woman that had led the charge, quiet until they had reached their destination.

once they had come to a stop or at the very least a steady pace once more, he wipes dust that had accumulated onto himself off, ptooing out stray granules of sand from his mouth.

“I have to admit. That was pretty exciting.” while not strained, he himself had not expected to have enjoyed their jaunt. so it was a surprise at what had left his mouth, a smile accompanying at that.

“Do you do this often?” said as he picks at his shirt, prying off the more embedded debris.

Shalin Nariya

in the approach, the storm lessens, Sevastian twisting his umbrella a few times then setting it into the document case he carried.

he gave her the proper time to alleviate herself of him before he moved to dusting off the suit, but with the outfit being made for such occasions, little maintenance was needed for it to look almost identical to how it did sans storm.

a smile followed as he examined the cuff of his jacket, a little impressed by the validity of the product’s claims.

and just as he does, a camera snaps the picturesque view- possibly catching the worse for wear Charlotte in the shot.

the smile fades and he moves to join his crew, slowing only to give a passing comment to the woman he had assisted.

“I wish we could have met under less intense circumstances, but it was a nice little chat we had nonetheless.”

after offering his hand for a gentle handshake, he turns to take his leave; whether she had reciprocated the gesture or not.

“Take care.”

Charlotte Sakuragi  | Sandstorm Spirit (II)

“…” silence is kept as he muses to himself, vision skewed due to looking at her from the side of his eyes.

when her own question was poised he looked to the Mabosstiff at his side, the pokemon trotting alongside happily.

“Sure.” he states with a small smile as he snapped twice in succession, signaling for the dogs to anticipate the change in pace.

Shalin Nariya

she avoided the question, though it was mainly one poised as an ice breaker in the first place. still, he couldn’t help but continue to pry, if only to measure her worth in his own eyes.

“How do you go about it?” getting the hang of the ride came somewhat natural, but he could not tell if it was just because of the connection the Espathra pushed onto him or not. in any case…

“You said you’re a Captain. Are you a Captain of the rangers or is that just a title within the League’s rankings?”

the pace of the dogs slowed as they fell in line with the others behind them, taking up either end of the rally; the Mightyena next to Shalin and the Mabosstiff next to Sevastian.

“I ask because I know that Rangers are more on the side of assisting pokemon while the League are more inclined to just keeping the peace.” - in whatever way best suits them.

Shalin Nariya

attention flitters between two sources, the camera, and Navy, as the elite continues his speech. he can’t help but find himself totally immersed in what he had been emoting for fervently; but needed to ensure his photographs catch the proper feeling- the anticipation, the rush- of what was about to be experienced.

to this end, he only offers a muttered. “Hmm…” as his eyes sharpen into the spotlight, adjusting the lens for a moment as he leered at the small screen that displayed what he had been pointed at. a finger placed itself on the shutter-release as one eye closed and the other moves closer to the eyepiece.

this was their moment, and he needed to capture it with absolute precision.

*click*         *click*            *click*

each, a breathtaking photo of different moments.

the first was of Navy activating the evolution with Hattori taking on a new form in the background. the second was just of the Gerninja, post evolution. and the third, the both of them posed together in their impeccable battle bonded poses.

a smile creeps up Sevastian’s cheeks as he looks through the photos, proud of his work as he tucks the camera away.

“Perfect…” he says with a satiation that permeated the air around him.

making his way over to the two, Sebastian takes a moment to shake both of their hands, a quick nod given as he straightens out his clothes.

“Once more, Thank you both for having me. I’ll be sure to give an fervent interpretation of this interview for our magazine. Please keep a lookout in stores so you can secure yourself a physical copy of your issue.”

its not long after the exchange of pleasantries that he takes his leave, eager to relay his telling's to his editor.

Michael Navidson  // end

“Oh, Kitakami?” briefly looking down to the woman as forward showed no markers of where they were headed, he gives a smile as warm as the atmosphere. “I’ve always wanted to visit~ Is it as homely as it’s presented?”

holding eye contact with the woman for a few seconds, his brows furrow slightly. her voice coming through, speaking of hope that they are moving in the right direction, gave him a strange sense of deja-vu.

the face… the voice… they seem familiar, but from where? it’s hard to place.

his attention is quickly pulled from her as ash and soot once more filled the air, strong winds accompanying. quickly his hands move to catch her, the arm once holding the umbrella swapping hands as he places his supporting arm behind her shoulders and the umbrella before them; protecting, at the very least, their eyes from the ensuring storm.

“You okay?” said over the rushing winds as he helps her back to her feet.

“The trail isn’t as forgiving on the ankles, as it usually is, during a sootstorm.” he says with a chuckle.

Charlotte Sakuragi  | Sandstorm Spirit (II)

while Psychic types were not his specialty, he was aware of the keen mental links they could form with others. where the Espathra assisted, he allowed, assuming it knew better than himself, especially where it concerned how she was to be ridden.

“Interesting.” he says quietly, overshadowed by the thumping of claw and paw; but then he speaks louder, more pronounced.

“So you’ve decided to take it upon yourself to quell these pokemon? How many have you satiated up to this point? And as a follow up, how many of them have you caught?”

settling into the psychic type, he mouthed a, “Thank you.” as it righted him before he had the chance to do it himself.

Shalin Nariya

his wrist twists as he gently pulls at the fabric that covers his watch, eyeing the time for a few seconds before shaking his head.

“I’ve got somewhere to be after this so unfortunately I’ll have to pass.” truly unfortunate since Princess loves anything with spice added to it. she’ll have to settle for a late dinner he supposes.

his fingers continue to write after the pause, the questions posed small anecdotes to fill the page, or maybe just an opener to introduce the star to be. in either case, as much personality as he can fit into the few paragraphs that will adorn the page, the better.

as he finishes he reads over his notes, speaking as he eyed the rough lines of what would be.

“One final question for you: Do you mind striking a pose for the camera?”

said as he pushes the notepad into his jacket and promptly presents a high quality camera, beginning to adjust its settings as to better fit the lighting of the room.

Michael Navidson

holding out a hand, he allows the Espathra to lower its head to his own height before he got onto the pokemon.

“I was planning on just letting my girls stretch their legs.” nodding his head down to the Mabosstiff and Mightyena, they look up patiently, waiting for the walk to begin.

“I’d like to keep asking you questions if you don’t mind.”

as they start, he allows the Espathra to keep pace, the two dogs easily keeping up with whatever speed is set.

speaking over the gallops and allowing himself to properly move with the flow of the bumps, Sevastian begins to inquire into Shalin.

“How did you come across your abnormally large Skuntank? Usually the average height for them is around three feet tall. Yours is I’d say… five foot ten?”

Shalin Nariya

a chuckle follows at the notion, Sevastian more assured of himself now more than ever thanks to her open doubts.

“It doesn’t happen too often.” he assures. “But when it does there are usually markers that lead back to safety.”

as he squints to look around for said markers, the assurance he had built up slowly began to diminish, his head calmly turning left, then right as he looked to the ground for the highlighted poles. but he could spot none.

“... I was going to help lead people that got lost in the storm back to town but… it looks like I strayed a little too far off course to meet you.“

cues of his worries are hidden: its a subtle bite at the inside of his lip and a scratch at his thumbnail with an index. but, he keeps his composure, eying the ground for signs of where he had previously stepped and sure to go uphill rather than down.

though… he could just as easily be leading them up to Mt. Chimney and not Lavaridge.

“Are you a tourist?” he asks to break the tension. “You asked if this happens often so I assume you wouldn’t know the proper precautions for handling it.”

Charlotte Sakuragi  | Sandstorm Spirit (II)