But truthfully? Nothing could have possibly prepared him to see Serena on that stage as Giselle tonight. It was one thing to have seen her in her position as Champion, or her strength in battle through recordings of some of her matches - it was another entirely to see the raw strength and physicality it took to exercise her true passion.

He had been enthralled, there was no other possible way to put it. He had no shame in admitting he had cried throughout the second half, even knowing what was to come and that the story did not have an entirely tragic ending. He had cried so much his throat was still faintly sore and his eyes were ringed red.

But, he was certain, that was what she would want. She would want to move him - for him to see the depths of her art and the vision she poured into her performance.

And he had. He had seen more than that, in fact, as it had crystalised in his head where he had seen her before. Her off-hand comment about feeling as if she had met him before was more accurate than she could have possibly imagined.

Or him, for that matter. He still did not know how he would possibly explain it.

Adam kept an eye on the side-door she had told him to wait outside, and just as she had said the day prior the crowds had filtered away. He could not so much as spy a single camera or reporter who would try and ambush her tonight, or tail them.

Finally, there was movement from the corner of his eye. There she was, stepping out into the fading light. Even through the tint and at the distance, he could see her faint exhaustion. It was no wonder, too. As fit as she was, he did not know anyone who would not be dead on their feet after that.

He leant over and popped the passenger side door open for her, flashing her an incredibly bright smile.

"I have no words for how incredible you were on that stage, Serena-Aurelia Yvonne Letova." He laughs softly as she grows closer, within earshot of just her. "Truly. I-- I cannot explain it. I have never seen such a beautiful, heartfelt performance. I do not think I stopped crying from the moment you collapsed dead."

There is a hint of embarrassment as he turned his head to the side, looking slightly ticked. Not because she understood the meaning, but because the meaning was off from what he had meant in offering.

"Tsk! I should have waited for the white ones, after all."

Johto and Sinnoh shared many cultural similarities, but he had always found the slightly more northern region to be quite rigid and a little too set in certain ways. Macabre and morose were the best words he could come up with in his mind when recalling how the more old fashioned locals could be from his distant childhood memories.

In Johto there was no distinction of colour, but in Sinnoh there was.

Spider lilies were linked to death, yes, but in Johto it was so much more than that...

"...where I am from, they're much more than just flowers of death. Spider lilies are the symbol of rebirth, of life and death. And most importantly...it is a symbol of hope for the future."

He nodded slightly to Serena in respect, hands settling into his pockets as he took on a more relaxed stance. Willing himself to seem not at all threatening.

If only that were true. But while she scoffs at the thought, and even though it'd be all too easy to hate her, Griselle knows that that wouldn't be fair. After all, all Serena did was what was necessary. Lysandre is the one who ruined Team Flare, and that means that all the hatred and scorn that's been directed at her and Grisham ever since that day five years ago; all the jeers and rejection and cold-as-ice eyes... he's the one responsible for all of them.

It's just hard to feel that way, sometimes. The name of Team Flare has been forever tarnished in the eyes of the world, now. No-one cares about what it was supposed to be, or the people who made it up. According to that world, Griselle should despise Lysandre and reject everything he stood for... and the thing is, she does! But somehow, just not enough to satisfy them. In her darkest hours, she's sometimes sat in the back of a boarded-up cafe, dust thick enough in the air to make her choke, and wondered... how wrong was he, really? Yet never once has she let those thoughts win.

...So no, Griselle doesn't hate Serena. Griselle is nothing like that fool Lysandre, and despite everything, she still loves Lumiose... the same Lumiose that Serena herself had protected. She's grateful. But she's only human, too. If she looks at Serena and thinks, "that should've been me"... is that really such a crime?

"Can I get you anything?" Griselle asks when they meet for the first time, well-practiced smile on her face that's almost, but not quite perfect. ...It's too late, though - she knows Serena must've caught the way she was looking at her across the street. And that look on her face...

"...Is what I would say, but actually - I don't think you're here to make an order. Are you?"

"I see." Hau takes a moment to sip from the straw sticking out of his drink, the sweet taste of lemonade hitting their tastebuds as they ponder what to say next.

"I believe in them."

It was hard not to. Their eyes follow something-- a wisp of sorts-- possibly only visible to them. They had been growing clearer; louder. Opinionated even. Some were starting to say things, and these things were starting to make sense.

"...I think I can see them. Their forms. Hear their words, ever so softly." A hand traces the scars on their chest through their hoodie: the places where Tapu Fini and Tapu Koko had left their marks.

Fini was relatively recent, and the powers were still forming, but... it made some sense, with Tapu Fini being so closely connected to the afterlife.

floette has been known to take a nap in the brim of serena's hat !! it's the perfect size to hold her and she knows she's safe with serena, so she's always quite comfortable there !!

i think if there were anyone floette would seek out following the events of legends za, it would be serena. she loves the hotel crew, but serena understands what it is to be truly immortal, and floette loathes the idea of being alone again. so if she were to pick another trainer, she'd be happy enough to follow serena around.

silva held the holocaster she was calling from close as she listened to the call, to serena's voice. giving a little nod, she looked around where she was standing now--not far from the nearest nouveau cafe. she had been wanting to meet up with gris, at least; but the opportunity to meet with serena first sounded like a better idea. two birds one stone, she guessed!!

" uuhh...ukay! we can meet there, i'm nut very far frum there- i'll meet yu there! "

she didn't respond to the having eaten question. food was so weird now, she wasn't even sure if she needed to eat, her body was a mess. hopefully being back home, with people that actually understood how she worked would help figure that out faster. she didn't want to worry serena with that, though.

" i'm gunna be helping ut at the nouveau cafes when i get settled in, su...! that wurks great. navi'll be happy tu see yu, tu. murder and her came back with me. they're buth still adjusting after the train ride. "