[FIN] Freeze

[Tori Honoo]

Late into the evening, or perhaps very late into the morning after the group had left Yuri to rest, Dove made her way back into the hotel lobby, bringing with her the icy wind from outside. In her haste to deliver Jace to his parents, she had forgotten how the temperature in the treetop city changed from night to day, and had been fully unprepared, her sweater and yoga pants having little effect in protecting her from the wintery mix. As the Redfern's hotel hadn't been far away, she had opted to go with the boy, her pokemon left behind in her hotel suite.

The meeting had been far worse than she had expected, and she hadn't expected it to be a happy parting. While Mr and Mrs Redfern had been polite, it nearly killed her to watch them take their boy away in such haste and with such relief; the guilt was absolutely crushing. She had assured them he would be safe with her and Yuri and Henrietta... It was just a pokemon journey, she hadn't known what would befall them. To make matters worse, the boy's hero had been killed by Team Rocket, further plunging him into an unstable situation. To see him break down completely in his mother's arms had been nothing short of heart wrenching.

The cold sapped away at her strength as she made her way back to the hotel, forcing all pleasant thought from her mind, and by the time she arrived in the lobby, she was shaking, not only from the cold but also exhaustion and an onslaught of emotion crashing down on her all at once. So many things still had to be done and said... So many things were so far out of her control.  

[BlackPidgeot]

As Dove walked into the Lobby, so did Flynn from the hallway. Though the appearance of the might be a little surprising as he was wet and dressed in just a pair if swimming trunks with a towel draped around his neck.

When he had learned of the hotels indoor pool he had purchased a pair of swimming trunks on clearance and swam at least once a day the entire time they'd been there to exercise and clear his mind. But since he had broken his arm he was now limited to soaking in the hot tub. Still it was therapeutic. Though he hadn't expected Dove to be out in the lobby this early in the morning on his way to pick up some complimentary coffee.

Thus Flynn paused as he beheld her and her rather distressed looking state. "Miss Dove," he then called out with some concern. "Is everything all right?"  

[Tori Honoo]

The call of her name, though completely harmless, would cause her to jump and give a panicked look in the direction from which it came, her eyes wide as she looked for and finally spotted Flynn.

Both ashamed for him to see her in such a state of emotional chaos and confused at his lack of clothing-- though at another point in time, she might find herself admiring it; for now, it was freezing, and she knew it all too well-- as he voiced his concern. Knowing it would do no good to shake him off and hide away, she stopped, dropping a teary gaze to the ground, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she fought to stop shivering.

There was nothing she could really find to say to him. She was an open book, and Flynn was smart. To deny any problem would be foolish. Instead, she only shook her head, looking around the rest of the lobby to make sure there weren't many people to see her in such a state. At least she could trust Flynn.  

[BlackPidgeot]

At the shake of her head Flynn sighed softly. "Hold on a moment," he told her before walking to the other end of the lobby. He then came back a couple minutes later with two steaming cups, one carefully held by the hand poking out of his sling and the other in his good hand. The latter he offered to Dove before relieving his bad arm. Despite the broken arm he was learning to cope.

"It's not the best coffee," he admitted, "but it's something."

He took a sip of his before looking around the lobby thoughtfully. This didn't seem like a good place so he motioned her to follow him.  

[Tori Honoo]

His sigh, though visual, felt like a stab in the chest; this was one of the reasons she hated being publicly upset. It was only an inconvenience to everyone who noticed, including herself.

She did as she was told, then accepted the cup with a trembling hand and a timid 'thank you'. Coffee wasn't her favorite, but the thought barely crossed her mind. It was a kind gesture, one that she imagined had been incredibly difficult, given the state of his arm, and she was thankful for the warmth thawing out her fingers.

When he motioned for her to follow him, she went obediently, trying to force her thoughts into coherent strings of words for when she had to explain herself.  

[BlackPidgeot]

His sigh wasn't because he was inconvenienced but rather he didn't like seeing so many unhappy people. Yuri was miserable, Jace and Henrietta were upset and Dove's mental state had also not escaped his notice. Flynn wasn't in the best of shape himself but he wasn't struggling like they were thus the responsibility to hold things together fell on him. Not that he minded, he was glad to help, but it was taxing.

Leading her down the hall he came to his room where he swiped the key card and allowed them entrance. The man motioning for her to go in first.  

[Tori Honoo]

She followed him in silence, pausing hesitantly just outside his door. She didn't want to intrude upon his private space, but when he motioned her in, she stepped through the doorway carefully, making her way inside and then standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, unsure of what to make of anything or where to go from there.

Knowing she must be a horrid inconvenience, despite his beliefs, she shook her head, her eyes on the coffee still held in both her hands. "I-I'm sorry..."  

[BlackPidgeot]

The room was clean, the bed even made. The only currently visible sign that someone stayed there was the shut suitcase nearby.

"It's fine, really" he assured her gently.

Opening the closet where a few shirts hung neatly, he took one out. After removing his sling he carefully slipped it on in an effort to make things less awkward.

"Please sit down," he then told her as she continued to just stand there.  

[Tori Honoo]

She kept her gaze low as he slipped into a shirt, grateful for his chivalry, even in such a subtle display. His assurance was only half accepted, though she didn't question it. When he asked her to sit, she rewrapped her arms around herself more tightly unsure of where, exactly, he meant. Though not soaked through, her clothes were damp from the weather, and not wanting to upset such a tidy room, she opted for the edge of the single chair in the room for now, still shivering, despite the coffee and the interior heating.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Flynn paused as he noticed she was still cold. And reaching into the closet again he withdrew his coat with one hand and strode across the room to hand it to her.

"Here, you can use this, unless you would rather go change into some dry clothes." What had she been doing outside dressed like that anyway?  

[Tori Honoo]

His offer was met with a quiet look before she nodded and accepted it. "Thank you..."

Setting aside her coffee, she wrapped his coat around her shoulders, holding it closed with one hand as she reclaimed the cup and brought it to her lips. After a short sip of the bitter stuff, she looked over to the blonde again. "I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to intrude. Things are just..." A long pause. "Jace's parents just showed up to take him home. They're staying in a smaller inn n-not to far away for...for the night..."  

[BlackPidgeot]

Flynn laughed lightly and shook his head as he sat himself on the edge of the bed. "You're not intruding. I invited you," he reminded her.

He then continued to listen as he put the sling back on his arm.

"That's good isn't it? I'm sure his parents will be able to comfort him better than we can."  

[Tori Honoo]

She looked up at his laugh, but to the floor again at the reminder, keeping them there even as he reasoned through her first worry. A minute of silence passed. "They shouldn't have had to come and get him. I promised them he would be safe with us, and..." She closed her eyes. It was obvious that this wasn't the only thing on her mind, but it was a start. "They didn't outright a-accuse me of failing, but you could see it... they didn't say much when they took him...b-but...arceus... "  

[BlackPidgeot]

Flynn watched her quietly as she spoke. It didn't take a genius to see how troubled she was, and that there was probably more to it. A lot had happened recently though so it wasn't unexpected.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You didn't fail. The circumstances were out of your control and you did the best you could. And parents worry, it's what they do."  

[Tori Honoo]

She nearly laughed at the irony in the last of his comments. Instead of laughter, however, came a shaky sigh, and a shake of her head. "He didn't need to see Yuri like that, when we found him. I-I should have had Aurora keep him away, a-and Henrietta too." A pause, and a small sniffle. "I upset him when Yuri and I fought, too, and that...that never should have happened, e-especially not in front of them."