core enforcer

     a dire tragedy——     they needn’t hear more than that,     such a concept alone snaps them out of their self-made stupor,     to direct their gaze towards the absol instead of the plush they’d eagerly been dressing up;     a gift for emery,     a handmade stuffed animal that resembled her beloved sponch.     they’re aware of this specific species of pokémon     &͟.     their ability to foretell natural disasters,     to be able to see environmental changes ‘fore anyone else possibly could so they waste no time in heeding the words seriously.     a tragedy     …     ?     in what sense?     an earthquake that would kill hundreds?     a tsunami?     a fire that rampages through many a forest?     he’s too vague but it seems serious,     that unblinking stare spells out urgency.     should they warn their sisters?     their friends?     their boyfriend?     everyone that held some type of importance to them?     they’re not selfish enough to run away without thinking about the people they’ve become close to,     if nothing else they’d rather warn them than save themselves.     they return that stare,     silent,     the frantic beating of their heart audible in their ears.     they don’t move,     not a centimeter,     subconsciously hold their breath whilst they await some explanation,     some form of details     &͟.     specifics,     the wigglytuff plush still within the grasp of cupped palms.     silence,     more silence,     even more. every passing second feels like a century,     multiple even     &͟.     then,     finally,     he speaks.

     oh.

     the tension that had been residing within their shoulders dissipates,     just like that,     all the fear     &͟.     worry fleeing their system.     understanding pokémon has caused them far more grief than they’d ever expected,     who knew the mature     &͟.     ominous looking ones were the most unserious of them all?     (     it seems to be a pattern.     )

     ❝     really?     you scared me for that?     i’m not giving you extra food.     ❞

❛  here, you look like you need this more than me right now.  ❜ @nihilighted

Weren't  it  for  the  keeper  of  natural  balance  at  this  girl's  side,  his  reaction  would've  been  far  less  docile.  But  for  Zygarde  to  take  someone's  side  held  deep  meaning,  doubly  so  in  a  visible  state  of  such  reduced  power.  The  nightmare  bringer's  gaze  wandered  between  the  purple-streaked  brunette  and  nearly-unassuming  legend,  wrestling  with  some  hesitation  despite  all  the  internal  rationalizing.

( though, emery has to admit that zygarde's unblinking, unwavering stare may not be the most reassuring thing to have at her side... perhaps they ought to talk and consider how to best approach this kind of situations. )

Her patience is rewarded, at least, and Emery smiles despite herself. It's not trust, it's necessity, she's aware, but being allowed at all is a relief she can't quite put into words. "Thank you— I'll be quick, promise!" And true to her word, she is quick to act, avoiding touch as best as she can in an effort to avoid undue stress, keeping to the wounded area of his arm. All she does is treat the wound, put the used potion away and wait, observing with the same care she's seen many nurses hold before. He doesn't seem to be hiding any other wounds, at least, and the faux canine still calmly sitting by her doesn't seem to be concerned either, however...

"My lips are sealed. I think Volk would ask for a separate room if we were subjected to that so often.." That's gotta be heavy on the body, to put it lightly. "If you need me to make extra portions so you have something to come back to, I got you covered, at least."

He's already up on his feet when she expresses she's ready to go now, with Gordito hopping off of him to join the trip—of course, it's food-related, only Volkner asking him for some battles would convince him to leave, unsurprisingly. "Take me to every one that's open, if any of them have flank steak, I can probably just make a homemade marinade if we hit up a proper market afterwards. I didn't think there'd be so many berry vendors across town, though.. so this should be pretty easy to put together!" Ah, he's excited to have a break from the local cuisine, isn't he?

And then she lists off the 'mons perfect for the various tasks—he opens his mouth to ask why a Gardevoir is skilled with knives, but it's something to ask later. The shared despair is mutual, he just needs to make sure they have as many ingredients as possible. Just about everything could be handmade, at least, having learned long ago. "We gotta see what Lumiose even has first, I don't want to send your team off on a totally fruitless adventure at least. Sinnoh's pretty good about having raw ingredients locally and all. Plus Oreburgh and Canalave attracted more folks outside from the region than just Dad, after all!"

"Have I ever told you you're my favorite cousin?" Well, that was a very quick and easy to earn title, now, wasn't it? She's practically bouncing on her feet now, nodding along, her energy fully renewed and ready for their new mission and raring to go— and then she looks over the railing and down to the relatively far away roofs and streets. Well, Chilaquile is pretty good at catching her, but... "... How about we just... play it safe. Hold on, hold on—" and she rummages through her bag, a noise of approval finding the pokeball with the nice holo wing stickers— there he is, Cheese Tart in all of his cuddly, friendly, oversized alpha glory, staring at them both with his silly, dopey smile, ready to assist. "We can at least make the hitting up shops faster." She's really determined to get her carne asada. But first.

"Chile, can you pull up the map, please? Show Roark the open butcher shops?" And with a happy trill, the rotom agrees, phone flying towards him and showing the highlighted locations. "I've taken a few notes. Just a few." Just a few, she says, as if she hasn't jotted down every spot that offers stuff as close to what she's had back home as possible, cuts, prices and all. "To be fair, I did plan to do some stuff myself before... well, everything? Sort of happened? Maybe not carne asada, I wasn't really expecting to find a hotel that would accommodate that, but—" wait, she's rambling again, this is not the time.