Out of all the places one would expect to find the Tycoon, Sinnohโs Underground was probably the last place that would come to mind. A maze of subterranean tunnels and caverns, a labyrinth which one could easily get lost in, with nothing but flickering lights strung along the walls to illuminate certain stretchesโฆ
But this close to the surface - and with this entrance to the tunnels being so far north, so rarely trafficked - there were no lights along the walls. Not for another few hundred metres. Any soul taking this entrance into the caves had to pack in their own light source.
Through the first few drops and bends of the tunnel, the ambient light that reflected from the caveโs mouth gave just enough light for Palmer to see without his flashlight. It doesnโt hurt to save batteries where he can.
( The air is humid, getting more dank the further in one goes. One could easily say that that the earth is alive, and that beneath the surface, it breathes. )ย
What had brought Palmer to the tunnels - who knew? Something had brought him down here, though. The fingertips of his left hand dragged against the wall to help steady himself, lest he slip on wet rock beneath his feetโฆ
The poor guy nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the shadow of a man in the corner of his vision, nearly stumbling over, but managing to keep his balance as he braced against the wall. Wide eyes peered back up to the individual silhouetted against the brighter ambient light. His voice told Palmer that this man was certainly more youthful than himself, and that he was indeed friendly, prompting a sigh of relief from the Frontier Brain.
โNearly gave me a heart attack there!โ Palmer replied. โI didnโt expect to run into anyone else in here eitherโฆโ
Though, part of him did wonder why this person was here, and what he was doing in the caves. This entrance was so out of the way, that most people who wanted to explore the tunnels casually would have found another entrance. He couldnโt think of a reason why someone else would be here, let alone so close behind him. โNot sure what youโre doing down here, butโฆโ
Well, he could think of one reason.
โTwo-hundred bucks says that this is the part where you turn out to be a serial killer and Iโm about to be horrifically murdered, yeah?โ Palmer laughed - he couldnโt help but try and joke about the situation he had found himself in, no?
( โฆ Er, he was only half-joking about that. )
ย ย ย ย The casual initiation made Green somewhat SPEECHLESS. How long had it been since heโs partaken in a normal conversation with the apparent AVERAGE CITIZEN? For too long has his sight been nothing but insignias plastered upon uniforms and frigid stares. Years of being kept within confined spaces and only having high windows to MOCK and TAUNT him of an outside world that is just out of his reach. Before his senses are to REMIND HIM of a particular incident, Green jolts out of his thoughts as his eyes adapt within the darkness; he only went upon the PRICKLING along his skin to measure the distance between him and the man.
ย ย ย ย Wrapping his arms around himself to gather warmth to combat the chills traveling up his spine from the weather outside, the young man STRUGGLED to think of a reply. Heโs clueless on what has happened among the social crowd over these last few years. Had things changed dramatically? What was acceptable or frowned upon?
ย ย ย ย ย Despite himself, Green felt a tugging at his lips, allowing it to be a lazy grin yet his tone is INDESCRIBABLE. โDrop it down to free, and Iโll say it is~.โ Silence fell between the men before that grin dropped and the man IMMEDIATELY brought his hands up in a surrendering motion.
ย ย ย ย โS-Sorry! Kidding! Iโm just kidding! That wasnโt really...right to say, huh? Iโm not gonna hurt you!โ In fact, when his voice had been STEADILY RISING, Green lurched forward from a sudden coughing fit. It lasted for only a minute, the young man taking a moment to compose himself with a congested sniff. He wiped away the budding tears due to how forceful the fit was.
ย ย ย ย โA-Again, sorry...โ Green continued with his voice slightly crackling. โI uh... Itโs been a while since Iโve been...out and about, I guess you can say. Iโm new to this region and...and....โ He made vague gestures with his hands to find a SPECIFIC reply to use them for before giving up, crossing his arms with a sigh. โ...And yeah,โ Green finished without fanfare.