rEvolutionary Sapling

     “ I don’t want no apologies. I want honesty. ”

     Simple and straightforward. Plumeria didn’t seem at all troubled by the other woman taking her time to speak; rather than pressure Annette by scrutinizing her, she used the opportunity to work quietly in the kitchen as she listened to the other speak. 

     From one cupboard she pulled a small vintage sugar bowl; from another, a tin of cookies which she opened and set on the island for the professor’s enjoyment if desired. Next came a small carton of cream from the refrigerator. Lastly she retrieved a lemon and a sharp knife from the block on the counter, laying down a neon pink silicone cutting board before slicing the citrus with even, practiced strokes of the blade.

     As she probably should have anticipated, Annette’s talk of her research was very academic. Plumeria’s vocabulary was actually much broader than people often suspected given her accent, but her knowledge of scientific terms largely related to human anatomy and chemistry rather than genetics. By listening intently and focusing on the woman’s speech, she’s able to pick out the words she does know — convergent, competition, isolated… and find the context for terms she doesn’t — genetic drift, allopatry.

     “ You sayin’ Pokémon evolve different here ‘cause Alola so far from the mainland, ” she summarizes. “ Like they gonna select for different traits over time from bein’ on the islands where environment and resources more like specific than they would if they were somewhere they could spread out more. ”

     Yellow eyes flick up to meet Anne’s gaze as the admin gives a little smirk. “ Never understood why school make you use a hundred words when ten works fine. ” If she notices her companion’s embarrassment, she calls no attention to it.

     “ So you found anything groundbreakin’ yet? What you tryna get that grant for? Rowan Sinnoh-based, yeah? You study with him in person? They gotta think you onto somethin’ good if they already set you up in Alola. Or you come here on your own? ”

       Anne seemed utterly shocked by the response she got. Not that she assumed the admin to be daft, far from it actually, but was still surprised that she not only listened intently but was able to fully follow her science filled ramblings. Not a lot of people cared to, even when they asked about her work. A genuine smile spread across her features as she let out a genuine chuckle at the following comment, “Yes, well, after writing a 168 page thesis, its hard to not talk in overly worded detail when it comes to my field. But, yes, that is my field of study in a nutshell.”

       Her nerves were finally calming down with the ice now thoroughly broken, taking the opportunity to partake in one of the offered cookies. She waited for Plumeria to finish her plethora of questions before beginning to answer them. “Yes, Rowan is the lead regional professor of Sinnoh, and I personally studied under him after I graduated from Snowpoint Academy. I learned a lot from him and grateful for the opportunity he gave me. Especially when it came time to write my thesis, because he allowed to travel to any region of my choosing to perform the necessary field studies I needed. I chose to come here to Alola, because I felt the islands would be perfect given my interest in evolutionary genetics. And I wanted the grant upon finishing my thesis because, well, any professor’s assistant wants to become a professor someday. And whats a professor without their own lab?”

Guzma almost couldn’t wait, hearing how she seemed so happy to go and show him the sights. Of course he picked up on that sudden hault, almost asking about it since it was right after mentioning her parents. He decided against it, since whatever it was he might just find out. Or, she might not even want to discuss it. So he refocused on what she was saying.

“Yeah I’m sure I will! Anythin’ with ya is fun.” He said, almost regretting afterward. Yes he typically flirted a lot, but he didn’t wanna see like that kind of guy. “I’m real excited, we’ll have a buncha fun.” Guzma said in hope to derail that last comment.

      Annie was grateful that he seemed to miss her sudden hesitation at the thought of her parents. That was one can of worms she was in no mood to break into right now. That other bit of flirting struck her pretty hard, grateful that he couldn't see how flushed he just made her face with that little comment.

      “I'm glad you're excited to come along. Again, don't worry the winter-wear; I'll be sure to pack you some of the spares I keep for passing trainers. Though be sure to wear something comfortable and warm for the flight; it can get kind of chilly on planes. The flight is one week from today at noon at Hau'oli City Airport, though be sure to be there an hour early so we have plenty of time to get through security. I'll see you then, alright? ...And, Guzma??”

      She hesitated a good three seconds before absolutely forcing herself to speak her mind despite her overwhelming shyness, “I think... I think that you're a lot of fun too.” The red on her cheeks deepened greatly as she managed to mutter that out before quickly hanging up the call. Despite he himself saying it to her, she prayed that wasn't too forward. Regardless of her easily flustered nerves, she had some serious work to get done.

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      The week went by in a flash but at the same time not fast enough. For the young professor, it was filled with finishing off whatever research she had queued up for the month, that way when she returned it wouldn't be a mad dash to make up for lost time. In what little free time she had left over, she spent making plans for the trip, including a few calls to make a particularly special event take place. Despite being last minute, her and her mentor managed to make a miracle happen in schedules and Annie couldn't be more excited. Before she knew it, it was the day of the trip.

Guzma laughed a bit at how happy she seemed, especially knowing that it was his doing. That’s all he ever wanted to do, make the people around him feel better a bit. It seemed to work on Anne, and that’s what he wanted. “Yeah ‘course I’m goin’! If ya ever want company for anythin’ I’m always here. Ain’t leavin’ anytime soon if I can help it.” He said with another laugh.

The thought of climate wasn’t too much of a big deal, but she seemed to want to make sure he would be completely comfortable with how she explained it. He was thankful for that, in the very least. A big part of him was really excited, since he’s never been anywhere but Alola before. Also going with Anne was another plus side. Only one thing negative occurred to him.

That happened to be if he’d be liked. It was something he always worried about, and he sure couldn’t help worrying. This was common for him when he would be meeting new people. Nevertheless, the excitement overrode the singular negative thought. “A week huh? A’ight, ain’t got much to do for prep really, but I’m excited yanno? Can’t wait to see another region an’ all.”

What she had offered was probably the last thing Guzma thought she’d ask. A trip to Sinnoh. Wasn’t that place like.. freezing? Well, anything is freezing compared to sunny Alola. Of course he wouldn’t mind going with her, he would just need about twenty winter jackets. Along with scarves, hats, and gloves. Guzma was painfully weak to cold weather, even though he kinda liked it. If he could handle it better, he’d love it.

Guzma was totally into going with her, but he had to make sure he didn’t seem too excited. “Sinnoh eh? Yo that sounds real fun actually- I mean anythin’ is pretty fun with ya. ‘Cause you’re one of my best friends an’ all. Also uh.. How cold is it there? I ain’t that great in cold weather, so I need to know how many jackets an’ shit I gotta bring. So I don’t freeze to death.” He said, giving a bit of a laugh at the end of that. Even though he was certain he would in fact freeze to death.