#apocryphall

She could've walked away, but it was that need to conform to social expectation that kept her, wasn't it? The 'pros' outweigh the 'cons'; being spoken to for a time would be better than losing face and ruminating later... as far as she knew.

And the old man found that very interesting. He was weary now and found it hard to move in his age, but at least his mind persisted to entertain him. Other people, too.

So she took the bait-- or rather, was simply polite and indulged him-- and he ran with it.

"I was one of the head architects here, and partial founder. Despite that, I've never been able to set foot inside until now."

His face showed no sign of deceit, and what was there to believe otherwise? He certainly looked eccentric enough to have aided in the making of the academy, but then again...

His one peering red eye was daunting, only made more so by the time-worn pale skin around it. If everything else about him was falling to time, whatever spirit was behind his eyes refused to.

Yes, it was cloistering. Especially so when he slowly turned to angle her body towards Alysa. What should've been a welcoming gesture, inviting further conversation, would only make the kid feel more put on the spot.

"I'm glad to hear you're enjoying your enrollment so far..." He pauses for a moment, tilts his head, gets an idea that amuses him, and continues: "My name is Galt. You'll have to excuse me if I can't shake your hand, I don't have the easiest time standing." He gestures with the cane in his hand to his eye. It feels as though the tension has eased.

Of course, she's still impossible to mistake for anyone else. Her fashion sense and even general aura give off a sense of style that would make anyone stop and look twice, but being instantly recognizable does nothing to stop her from being a figure draped in mystery regardless. But... that's not such a bad thing. In Corbeau's business, things that are unpredictable are dangerous, yet they're also the most interesting by far.

And things that are interesting... can sometimes be fun. He can't deny that Valerie is an intriguing figure, and one who's skills are useful at that - so while he's never taken as much of an interest in her as he does in those living in Lumiose City, while she is here, her presence was never going to escape his attention.

"Ah... you're just on time." he says, coolly, though it's not an unwelcoming tone either. And she came on her own, at that - clearly, she's confident enough to be here without support.

"Well, I've gotta say I wasn't expecting a visit from you of all people today. Philippe only informed me this morning, but... where are my manners? You can take a seat over there."

it takes decent self-control within the moment to not blanch at her suggestion they were equals at all: she was older & vastly more experienced than them, in so many aspects. it demands formality. there's much that can be learned from her -- navigating life, certainly… but in particular, being a gym leader & everything such responsibility entailed. but her words against theirs in the moment prevent them from protesting her declaration, and instead a momentary bow of their head comes in silence, accepting the statement as it's issued. perhaps there's a part of them that had yet to fully realize they were a gym leader, now… or at the very least, comprehend such in a manner that allows them to look at the woman across as an equal before being reminded of such.

"they definitely made a difference," agreement comes in a hastened nod. a moment's focus is given to ryme's own menu, and is followed the lift of eyebrows & gaze alike, "thinking about it, i'd probably still be getting things where they belong even now if i hadn't had all that help. i also wouldn't have realized the laundry chute exists -" at least not on that day, "- without it being pointed out to me." hands lift finally, one falling against the tabletop whilst the other rises far enough to scratch lightly at their own cheek. "the house is nice, too… i'm grateful you and geeta knew of its existence and availability."

the hand which had lifted to their cheek lowers, folding overtop its pair. "i think i'm going to take advantage of the fact the hearth is open to the living area and actually functional for heating both floors." as opposed to for purely decorative purposes, "i have two larvesta… i think they'll be able to work together to heat the home easily enough. two of my house-pokemon have been accompanying me to and from the gym each day. i think we've established a routine already: toboe melts snow in the path, waka-ush works to re-freeze it on the sides so the ground is safe to walk on. that usually keeps it for the day unless the snowfall is heavier than not."

from what they've seen, it can become very heavy, very quickly.

"… toboe is a flareon, and waka-ush is a glaceon. people in snowpoint acknowledge fire-types as necessary for survival, much like the ease having ice-types bring them. it's not uncommon for people to own at least one of each." in case the 'why does an ice specialist have fire-types, too?' question came up...

@apocryphall - unprompted ( always accepting! )

Giacomo definitely has a range of music genres that he likes to produce, especially since he's still relatively new to the hobby as a whole and exploring the various genres. i think his Team Star battle themes definitely do a good job of highlighting a portion of that range. he still has his own favorite genres to work on though.

at first it's mostly edm music, specifically tracks in the techno/trap house and DnB sub-genres ( as well as others ). really Giacomo just likes exploring unique sounds in his songs, whether it's voice, acoustic instrumental, or new/interesting tech sounds. 

that being said, i think he really does enjoy the rap genre, because he likes the beats and percussion rhythms of edm more than anything, and rap tends to drive the song through rhythmic lyrics more than through melodies. for this i think he finds it works well for mixing with edm music genres. AND based on what we talked about in DMs, i think if Giacomo did an internship with Ryme, he would also gain a deeper appreciation for the rap music genre. so after time spent with Ryme, his music would likely start to reflect this and we'd see him mixing his two favorite genres together.

this is not to say Giacomo is incapable of making music in other genres. he also generally likes to make music that his friends generally like, so he pays attention to this. he pays attention to which artists they listen to, and depending, he may take inspiration or make a remix that he can play at his next show for them.

anyway, not sure how clear this was. music genres are so extensive and ever-evolving. it's hard to pinpoint an exact style he likes to produce. but if you are curious about the range i think he would either most enjoy listening to and/or dabbling in style-wise for his own producing, here's a playlist for him that i continue to add to as i find or learn new songs and subgenres. ( i only recently started exploring the DnB rap subgenre so i'll be adding some of that too as i find ones that i think click. )

"Good, good."

She... worries about Drayton, really. Iris remembers how she was at his age, and just thinking of it makes her heart hurt.

"Is that, like a "Good enough" or a real "Good", Drayton. Sometimes it just feels like too much effort to get proper food in ya, you know. I got issues with that too."

Iris pads over to stand besides the boy, in a attempt to maybe come across less... distant, voice soft, free of her usual sharpness.

"Meal planning helps, for me at least. I can bring you down some stuff outta my freezer if you want something from home."

A hand settles into her skirt pocket, clicking the lid on her lipstain on and off absentmindedly as she talks, keeping up careful smalltalk for a little.

"Yeah, I'm down. I don't got anything else to do today, I got done with Professor whatshisname half an hour ago."

A beat, before she speaks again -

...ah. A Wild Raichu. Odd, he rarely sees them around.