.「 Truth 」 / 「 Ideals 」.

Placing them on his hips instead, he looked like a model disgruntled parent. Ready at any moment to catch the kid if he started to run and simultaneously being too worried to take his eyes off him.

He thought he'd gotten past this stage entirely back when his daughter was a kid-- life had a funny way of proving you wrong!

"Stay put, okay?" Just as a reminder, not entirely sure if the child could understand him. Unova had many languages of its own and even more people visiting from foreign regions. Just to emphasize his point, though, a thing that came naturally to him: he signed with his hands a gesture for "don't leave this spot."

But, from behind that little boy came the curious mutterings of Pokémon. Talking to each other, unable to understand each other well but conveying the same sort of confusion at this strange-smelling human. Why, he smelled like a wild Pokémon!

"I'm good!!" They're beaming so incredibly bright right now. Being back home in Alola did them some good, it seems, amongst some other happenings in their life.

"How have you been? You seem happier." Was that rude to say? Honestly, they were both more relaxed this time around, and it was a nice change of pace. Hau grins as they listen in to the gossiping birds, trying to see if there was any news interesting to them.

"Celeb life is treating me alright! It's a little tough trying to go out in public, but hey, it would've been similar if I walked around with wings and didn't say anything, you know?" People would stare and ask questions either way. Speaking of wings, they've notably grown a bit since they last saw each other.

For some reason N didn’t feel – bitter, about that. In fact, he seemed… content with this knowledge. That his… friend? Has reached a point where they could be themselves without feeling – wrong. Ill suited for the body they have.

   ( Were they friends? N liked to think so. Pack and Friend were two separate, distinct pieces. Separate ‘folders’ – but, he was getting off track. )

“I have been mandated vacation time,” he sounded the same, monotone, lacking a few pieces of inflection that made N human. Yet he was still open, and warm – mostly. “Though I suppose I am doing… well. The time away has been… helpful.”