Cold Hands Warm Heart

"The fuck ya lookin' at, four-eyes?

His eyes flicked to the graffiti the other man had painted upon the wall. This art however was something he could appreciate, though mostly through the rose-colored glasses of his youth. The Virbank Gym that he so often frequented back then was littered in all those vibrant colors after all. He harbored no talent for creating such works himself though, but he always believed one doesn't need to be an artist to appreciate art.

"There is only so much I can do. He is a grown man with autonomy."

There was another pause.

...

The reaction to the praise – and observation was noted and he had to; quietly smile inwards at it. Seeing someone outside of Unova and its messy politics still hold fast to the faith and belief that there was a world out there where pokémon could live happily alongside humans… it did more of a morale boost than Damian realised. N also appreciated that despite the awkwardness regarding the informality; he continued to address him as an equal. He preferred that.

Equality.

“… I’m not keen on it myself, personally. The redevelopment with Quasartico Inc..” N said after a moment of time, his gaze sliding to the skyline. “It feels a bit too odd for them to reach out considering our goals are distinctively different, and the timing feels… off.” He couldn’t explain it beyond a gut instinct. Something N started to listen to more and more as of late given the situations that were precarious.

N didn’t want to lean too much into asking Damian for help, but his feelings seemed to mirror his own. “I’m a bit worried it’s a wrong move, but we’ll see when the meeting happens, I guess.” He wasn’t keen on the idea personally. Too many variables in play, too many pieces on a board – a game starting up in a way he didn’t like.

He crossed his arms before giving a light nod, actions that are also immediately copied by his shoulder companion. "It is about all anyone can do right now. However... if there is fowl play involved I certainly will not just stand idly by." Perhaps he's seen it happen one too many times at this point, and he's tired of having the wool pulled over his eyes time and time again. This time he won't run away--he'll do everything in his power to protect what pokemon he can, no matter what. He let out a light breath, calming his nerves. He needed to save this rage for when the time was right, when it might be best utilized in his pursuits.

He did blink then, as he wasn't quite expecting the offer right now. That was even better honestly. He knew immediately that he absolutely must reign in his eagerness at this opportunity, as the last thing he wanted to do was overwhelm N of all people. "I greatly appreciate it. For now, if you could... I'd just like to hear what Louis has on his mind lately. I may have follow-up questions, once I've observed." He reached into his lab coat to pull out a small notepad and a pencil before turning his head slightly towards his scraggy. "Louis, do you have anything you'd like to talk about? I'd love to hear anything you might have to say."

Their shape seemed shockingly similar to Damian's, but given how both their scent and their demeanor was so dissimilar, this couldn't have been him. Perhaps an illusion, or, given that this place doubled as a daycare, perhaps a ditto...?

Her suspicions were indeed confirmed when the door opened and the real Damian revealed himself.

"No need to apologize! I see this little gentleman takes the Hans-on approach to socializing, I can appreciate that!" She couldn't hold back a laugh at her own stupid joke before lifting the cloth off her basket and holding it up for Hans to get a better look at. "I picked some berries before coming here, why don't you pick one you'd like, Hans?"

With that out of the way she would follow Damian gladly.

He gave a small breath in response to her joke, likely as close as he'd get to an actual laugh at the moment. "Indeed, they are quite a bit more energetic than I am but they're also headstrong and an invaluable partner in this entire project." He blinked as she lifted the cloth on her basket, revealing a bunch of freshly picked berries. This was an incredibly kind gesture, considering the accusatory nature in which his invitation to her was originally given.

Hans themself gave a small gasp at seeing the array of berries in the basket. She said they could take one... They liked her! Hans reached a hand into the basket and pulled out a plump aspear berry before taking a bite of it. They seemed absolutely chuffed, and displayed their appreciation by lightly patting Sanctus on the head before turning to head back towards the daycare yard. And.. well, jumping the fence again.

"Daycare? That does sound like fun. Good to know my team will be in safe hands any time I've got business in Kalos. Did I tell you I've been chosen by a skitty recently? The thing's a little menace, but she's cute so she's above laws and gods alike."

Not a mad scientist's lab?

Of course he wouldn't drop this. At least he knew Lester hasn't changed any in all this time. "Sketchy activity isn't a requirement. You know that's the kind of thing I got ostracized for after college right? I'm trying not to be as radical as I was back then. Plus, now I have a business and a reputation to uphold. I can't indulge in any more wild theories and experiments."

Hah.

N couldn’t blame him, though they wouldn’t have gone after Damian – what was one follower in comparison to the sages? N himself? He leaned forward and gripped the fence a bit to keep himself from falling over; breathing carefully so that the other human didn’t feel as though he had to keep an eye on him. He could get throught his.

And even if he couldn’t – he must. He owed Damian that much.

“I like it.” a genuine compliment, “I can see you have adequate room for the types you look after, and though I haven’t seen the inside; you seem to have a fundamental grasp on ensuring the comfort of those around you.” N would’ve given it a passing grade on that alone, but it wasn’t his – call, really. On paper and in the public eye, he was the one who had founded the Plasma Organisation following his – Ghetsis’ capture and subsequent imprisonment. The Shadow Triad were still being rooted out, but he left that in Emi’s hands.

This visit hadn’t been intended.

He realised he hadn’t said anything in a minute, and recollected himself.

"Ah, well, thank you L--.. N. Your words mean more to me than you know." It honestly felt a little strange addressing N so informally, since he held so much respect for him. But if it was what the other man wanted, then he would do his best to oblige.

As N fell a bit silent, Louis got done with his little bag of snacks and began climbing Damian like a tree until he hung onto his shoulder. Damian seemed used to this behavior, hardly moving as the pokemon climbed him haphazardly and even reaching up to pet him on the head. The scraggy enjoyed the attention and even started making little humming noises.

At that revelation, Damian seemed a tad surprised. "They reached out to you.. Hm.. That is interesting. I think it would be a good idea to keep a bit of distance before delving into a position like that. Sometimes, people's hearts may be in the right place but the execution may still be flawed. I'm here out of my own interest, and as an outside observer. However, I also won't be afraid to root out foul play if I happen to see it, and I think a project as grand as this one could stand to be scrutinized closely."

Sanctus' time spent in or around labs was always interesting, though it was her understanding that this was far more of a pokemon daycare than much else--no metal slab time for her. Probably. Maybe not until after dinner, if the man had any etiquette at all.

She knocked on the door, waiting patiently with a basket hanging from one arm. Beneath the cloth laid over top it were wild-picked berries of all sorts; she hoped any other pokemon present would find them to their liking!

Meanwhile, Damian has been carefully preparing for his guest's arrival, making sure his home is clean and getting all the food ready. He's decided on a pretty sizable dinner, all vegetarian of course along with an appropriate flavored tea. Once he heard the knock at the door, he quickly wiped his hands and went to go answer it. But once he opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of 'himself' shaking poor Sanctus' hand more vigorously than one would normally.

His brows furrowed. "Hans, please leave her be," he said sternly. He wasn't upset, he just didn't want Sanctus to get startled because Hans got a little excited. And he'd rather not her get the wrong idea. "I'm sorry about them. That's my ditto, Hans. I know they've been eager to meet you but I hope they didn't startle you."

When Damian scolded them, Hans quickly let go of Sanctus' hands to put their own behind their back. "Ditto.." they muttered pitifully. Damian gave a light sigh before patting Hans on the head, which looked every bit as comical as it sounds.