* SORROW / HEAVEN.

spider lilies with baby’s breath for anonymous

Just by Clair’s expression alone, it was easy to tell that she hardly wanted anything to do with this place. With her brows furrowed, a scowl on her lips, she was already regretting the decision she’d made — out of her own rashness, anyway; why was she always one run her own mouth without a filter whenever her mind went blank?

In any case, all she’d wanted to do was impress this girl — a girl much like herself: a Dragon Master. But that’s about where their similarities ended. Clair only had a few ideas of what attracted her to Zinnia, and in many ways, they came about because it only came to showcase how different Zinnia’s clan treated her. Treated women. Zinnia was a soldier, not traditionally pretty, with a messy bowl cut and an attitude that was anything but genteel. She was loud, brazen, and absolutely had every right to do so, and it was for these reasons that Clair just… loved her.

She was allowed to be everything Clair wished she was, without backlash from her elders above criticizing her for daring to wield a sword and shield. She was unabashedly badass, and my god, why did Clair invite her to a place like this?

A place where Zinnia’s born-and-raised talent was shunned? Where she’d be subject to discrimination of old bigoted men as if they had any right to judge Zinnia’s upbringing. Her stomach was in knots the entire time, freezing involuntarily as she made her way to the entrance arch of Blackthorn City.

If it had just been Clair herself, this would have been fine, but it wasn’t even the fear of what they’d do to Zinnia that froze her in her tracks. It was that Zinnia would see how backwards and abhorrent her clan was and… want nothing to do with Clair as a result.

Zinnia’s question jumped Clair out of her skin before she could think too far ahead. “Well… they’re already gonna hate you by default, so you probably can’t do anything right in their mind. Just… be yourself, okay? Be polite when nobody’s coming at you, but if they do, like… feel free to be an asshole right back.” She shrugged, folding her arms. “I don’t really know what to say; I’ve never… never…” and she found herself mumbling, “never brought anyone here before.”

          THE FACT THAT THE ELDERS ARE GOING TO HATE ZINNIA makes her want to antagonize them even more.

          She can’t imagine the bigotry in the Clan – namely, as the Draconids never enforced such rigid binary rules. Men and women and others – any could choose their path and switch between the classes freely, so long as they brought honor to their village. Honor – meaning that as long as you were great at what you did overall, you never had to worry about a single thing. (Which was a double edged blade, in its own right, but…)

          And how could they not like Zinnia?           Personality aside, of course.

          She was the Lorekeeper (by default), which held an additional, more ceremonial meaning among the Draconids and to an extension, the other tribes. She was practically the chosen one; it was woven into her destiny that she would save the world. She DID save the world, to an extent. (No telling if Brendan could have stopped the meteor without her know how, right?) They should be at her feet, hanging onto every single word –

          It’s just this one time where Zinnia wants her title to mean something.           Anything to make those elders eat craw.           It had boiled her blood to discover how they treated Clair –

          Amazing,                    powerful,                            thoughtful Clair –

Anyway, she’s going to have fun with this.

A great power?  She had a great power within her?  It seemed too good to be true.  Leaf wasn’t powerful, per say, but she would’ve never considered herself weak.  Maybe she had some untapped potential.  Maybe she’d been selling herself short all these years.  Was she not doing enough for herself?  Was she holding herself back?  Maybe she should’ve been accomplishing more in her time…

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          Well… some money was better than no money.

          And it wasn’t as if she was putting forth money to create this entire charade, anyway. In fact, her fishing for these props had been totally free – courtesy of the town’s local donation center. The way Zinnia saw it, she could only make more money now.

          Unless she gets arrested for fraud – but Zinnia isn’t too worried about that.           She’s fast on the ground.           And Gemino’s faster in the air.

          3,000 Poke could buy her… what? A few meals? Maybe a hotel room for the night?           Beats sleeping in trees.

          “Alright, just for you – I’ll give you a discount. We’ll do everything for the price you just mentioned. But there are only… specifics I can give to you about your future. Are you curious to see what your future love life will be like? How your future battles will go? Or perhaps… where you should go next?”

Norman is surprised by the strength of her grip, but he refrains himself from wincing from it. “Zinnia of the Draconids…” he repeats, carefully lowering his arm to his side. The title tugged at the back of his mind, like he knew about this information before. He just need to recall where and when he heard the title of Draconids. “If you don’t mind, I would prefer to call you Zinnia. We’re both stuck in this cave until the storm passes.” A chuckle. “I personally don’t think formalities are needed in here.”

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          “That’s just who I am!” Zinnia pipes. “No surname -- they just call me Zinnia of the Draconid Clan.”

          She brushes a lock of dark hair from her face, tucks it behind her ear.           Her eyes have not left Norman’s face once during their encounter.           And so she manages another smile.

          Again, her knowledge on Norman himself was… limited, to say the least. She knew of his more personal credentials still but had never bothered to scope into his personality. Yeah, sure… he lived in Johto. Once. But in her experience, no one ever bothered to research into her Draconid clan. Nobody ever gave a shit about indigenous folks, after all.

          In fact, hearing the word “Draconid” out of someone’s mouth was… a pleasant surprise.

          So, she leans in.

          “Soooo… what have you heard? 

Curtis was, for lack of a better word, horrified that the Salamence and Powder were acting so jovial towards one-another. Powder seemed to only enjoy the other Pokemon’s company, his ears fluttering upon being licked, taking the large dragon’s growling and purrs as signs of happiness as well. He moved to kiss the Salamence on the cheek, tooting at him.

However, the lick the Salamence gave, the purrs and growls, the gnash of its teeth only sent shivers up Curtis’s spine. Normally, he would encourage such behaviors of his Phanpy, further reinforcing the little guy to get along with others, and teach him politeness and good manners; but there was something about this woman that kept him on-edge. 

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              Zinnia bellows out another laugh-snort as she witnesses Powder – brave, naive Powder – touch her Keystone. She had been trying to seem… intimidating all the while, yet the phanpy had not been deterred. The Lorekeeper decides at this moment, that she likes this phanpy. He has guts – moxie.

              His partner, on the other hand…               She eyes him up and down.

              “Nah, don’t worry your sweet little boy head about your… Powder. He ain’t botherin’ no one. He’s just a curious little baby. But you, on the other hand…”

              Zinnia strokes her chin. Well, he offered. And it would be rude to refuse him, but she doesn’t know what she’d want from him…

              Until a few seconds later.               Her grin alights, and she snaps her fingers.

              “Since you seem to be so-o-o-o-o-o lost and so unknowledgeable about Hoenn… I bet you’re pretty ignorant about this city too! In that case, you’ve got yourself the best tour guide on this side of the region. Yup, they call me Tour Guide Zinnia. Uh-huh. No doubt about that. I’d be happy to show you and your adorable lil’ buddy around!”

@mortalshore

Hano Beach is, objectively, an excellent spot to relax— so long as one watches where they step.

Moon, personally, has never understood the tourists’ fuss. But then again, she isn’t wholly unbiased, either. She’s always liked pyukumukus, spikes and slime and all. Enough to catch one for herself, even, and designate it a member of her team for a fairly significant portion of her own pokémon journey. Alkes was never meant to be a battle partner— more, just a travel buddy, small enough that Moon would give it rides on her shoulder after Polaris evolved into dartrix and became too big to be held, and when Pyxis, still a pikachu, was taking respite in its pokéball. Moon never minded that her shirt would become sticky with secretion; it only meant that her shoulders would be very well moisturised.

Besides, there were always bigger, more attention-demanding problems to contend with.

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            Hano Beach reminds her of the beach just south of Slateport – there are similarities in its upkeep, the fantastical view of the spread ocean that spans past her peripheral. The sand is soft, the tide feels cool. If she closes her eyes, the warmth from the sun heats her skin in the same way. The tang from the salt breeze feels nostalgic.

              In some ways, Alola is just like home.               But in many ways, Alola is nothing like home.

She tried her hardest not to stare.  She really did try. 

There was just… something about this psychic that drew her in.  

Leaf had traversed this markets tens, if not hundreds of times.  It was one of her staples when she was back home in Kanto.  She knew when something new was there, and this psychic was definitely new.  The bright colors immediately drew her eyes, and she couldn’t look away. 

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          Zinnia tilts her head to the side, her lips part and her eyebrows knit together. What… was this girl talking about? Item? Psychic energy? What? (Although she’d take the perfume bottle if handed it; perhaps she could pawn it for a decent coin later.) What was she on about? Before Zinnia can interrupt, the words bubbling from Leaf’s mouth come to an abrupt halt.

          And the nonsense stops. On Leaf’s end, at least.

          She draws a breath of relief. Thank goodness.

                    ❝ None of that will be necessary, ❞ she says in that faux voice of hers.   ❝ All I require is your undivided attention and a few moments of your precious time. And your money, of course… heh heh. ❞