[PRP] willnamesoon

[Tori Honoo]

Riley offered a smile back, albeit a much more timid one, then nodded, bracing herself for the flight to come in case it was as scary as the previous. The mention of it being the 'scene of the crime' however, drew a somewhat indignant look. "Taking Molly back wasn't a crime..." she said quietly, half laughing soon after. "I guess breaking in, though, was..."

When they finally landed--after a surprisingly much smoother flight than she had expected-- Riley slipped from the Pidgeot's back and looked toward her home, then to Tambrey again. To allow her to leave without a thanks would be unheard of, but her immediate thought was to release the pokemon they had gone to the trouble to save. With a slightly nervous look, the girl lifted the ball and shook her sleeve away from her hand, then released it's contents, her eyes filling with quiet tears as the Leafeon appeared with its back to her, looked afraid, then spotted her and immediately leapt toward her with a clearly relieved cry of happiness.

Riley's arms went about the pokemon's neck as she kneeled, and for a minute, she said nothing, simply allowing herself to soak in the fact that she was back, and safe.  

[Gwennythe]

"Yep. And I'm pretty sure what Lasi did sorta counts as 'theft' even if was just food or whatever..." Tambrey mused, amused; she wasn't too worried about the bat but she'd check in on him later- she really doubted anything could give the pink flyer a stomach ache anymore.

On landing, Tambrey leaned forward to pet Pygi gently and reward her for doing a good job so unexpectedly- especially as they still had to fly back to Ambergris yet...

She lifted her fond gaze from the bird in time to see the reunion, and was pleased to note that Molly was clearly Riley's pokémon; everything was perfectly confirmed and their reunion was very nice.

Pygi ruffled, somewhat confused, but perhaps sensing that something was good and she'd been part of it; ooh, she'd be able to tell her mother about it! She was sure the Pidgeotto would be proud anyway, but it was much nicer when she could get pride in her for something specific.  

[Tori Honoo]

The leafeon licked at the tears on her girl's face, eliciting soft whines as they comforted one another, it's lean body trembling under the release of stress in its freedom. It was clear that it ha been frightened, perhaps neglected, even, since it had been taken from its trainer--or had just been too scared to properly care for itself.

Riley would eventually lean back, surprised at the tears on her own face but smiling nonetheless. He had Molly back, and that was more than enough. Looking to Tabitha, she offered a smile and stood, her fingers still trailing over the shivering leafeon's ears. "Thank you so much... Would you, um... Like to come in for tea? U-Unless you need to go..."  

[Gwennythe]

Tambrey weighed up her options; she -did- need to get back but she probably could delay for a few minutes, and Pygi would appreciate a brief rest before a long flight after the flurry of activity...

Besides, tea would be nice and she was thirsty... And, she supposed, the thought that was still in her head needed to be settled either way.

She slid down from the bird.
"Take a rest, Pygi." She told her, than turned back to Riley as Pygi went back to her ball. "Well... If you really don't mind, I can spare a few minutes. I'm glad you've got Molly back; she's very pretty and you two clearly mean a lot to each other."  

[Tori Honoo]

Riley turned to the Leafeon with a concerned look, kneeling once more as she stroked its head. "Do you want to walk with us...?" she asked it quietly, not liking the somewhat brittle feel of its ears. It certainly wasn't in top shape, and she didn't want to push her...

Molly gave a soft, long whine, and a somewhat abashed look-- of course it wanted to walk with them, as it hadn't seen her in what had felt like forever.

With a nod at the pokemon, and a gentle stroke of its head, Riley stood again, then turned to lead them to her home, giving a sheepish smile to Tambrey. "Thank you... She's pretty much my everything..." she told her, pulling out the band in her hair to weave her braid. "Your pidgeot... it's so strong... that was magnificent..." Really, it had been amazing to see the strength in the bird's wings as it carried them... She was sure it had been through a lot of training to get to the point at which it appeared to be.

Molly, staying close to her trainer as she made to leave, looked around the girl's legs at the unfamiliar woman, her eyes large and curious just as her girl's.  

[Gwennythe]

Tambrey smiled, watching the interaction, then moved to walk at a pace that would match Riley's, and thus let her, or Molly, set the pace.
"I can see. It's good you two can take care of each other." Tambrey noted, cautiously; she didn't want to offend, but Riley seemed to have been as relieved to see her pokémon as the Leafeon had been to see her; when beings cared that much for each other, she had to assume, they both looked out for one another.

She considered how to respond for a moment, before deciding that as well as accepting the compliment, she could afford to elaborate a little bit.
"Thank you. She's, um, actually second generation for me- her mother was my first pokémon (she's at, uh, 'home')- and I've had her since she was an egg... 'S kind of both her own hard work and our, um, 'job' that's gotten her to work so hard. It's easier for her, and for me, if we try and keep ourselves well trained..."  

[Tori Honoo]

Riley continued to walk toward a smaller home at the edge of a smaller neighborhood. Though the house in question seemed to be more of a large hut than anything--surely no more than two or three small rooms total, if even that-- it was quaint, a little rundown, but livable... for now. Unlike most of the other homes around them, the sun peeked through multiple branches, showering it in broken rays of light here and there, perfect for the grassype at the owner's side.

The girl continued to brush her fingertips along the leafeon's head as it weakly leaned against her as they walked, its leafy ears raised toward the sun along with its tail. "She's wonderful... she actually finds most of the food I need through the week, since...well, photosynthesis for her. It's a lot cheaper to eat what grows around here, too..." The leafeon certainly wasn't a fighter, but definitely kept them sustained.

Opening the door, the girl led Tabitha inside, switching on a few small lights throughout the single room. A bed could be seen just beyond a door across from a tiny living area and kitchenette, another door next to it closed, presumably a bath of sorts. A loveseat was tucked against a wall, across it a few older blankets and pillows, clearly well loved and worn down from their years of happy use, patches sewn here and there across their faces. Molly, finally deciding to separate from her girl, stepped over to a stray ray of light and laid down, sighing in relief as she soaked up the sunlight and as the girl moved to set a cup of water down for her.

"You raised her from an egg? That's wonderful," the girl speculated, smiling, though it wavered a small bit at the reminder of the woman's work. Tucking her hair back, she decided to comment anyway. "I'm sure it's pretty... stressful... I guess I'd want to be in good shape, too..." she admitted, moving to shift a few piles of handscrawl covered papers on her little coffee table to make room before moving to the kitchen to prepare the tea. Turning around again, the girl motioned a little to the room, then tucked her hair back again, her hand stilling at the back of her neck. "Um... It's not much, but...please, make yourself at home..."  

[Gwennythe]

Tambrey was silent for a few moments, taking everything in and listening to Riley describe how she and Molly lived together.
She nodded a little, understandingly, as Riley explained the food situation, and smiled at the compliment for Pygi.
"Well, she was actually really easy to raise, especially with her mother's help." She explained, before using a hand gesture to reply to the comment on their 'work'.
"It's a little bit. It's money and a life though... Not very much money, but then near every essential is provided anyway..." She took a glance around the room as Riley moved to ready the tea.
"Don't worry, believe me, I have stayed for much longer in worse places..." That would be a long story. "This is, uh, homely; what you have made of it."

She smiled as she watched Molly lay down, then plucked a ball from her own belt; it wouldn't hurt for Treestar to meet another species, another friend, maybe...

The Bayleef was confused for a moment at the new surroundings, then beamed happily as he caught sight of another grass type.
<>  

[Tori Honoo]

'With her mother's help.' The phrase struck a chord deeper within her than Riley was willing to admit, though she spoke nothing of it and instead only nodded.

Upon the woman's brief description of her job, Riley's head tilted and she looked over her shoulder. This woman, a criminal, was provided for on her own? That allowed further speculation that she wasn't just some petty thief, and whatever she did was at least a little organized. "It's something more elaborate, then...?" she ventured timidly, hoping she wasn't overstepping her bounds. "Oh, and...thank you... It's... good enough to live in, I guess." A little hot in summers, a little cold in the winter... but it was shelter.

Molly kept her eyes closed until the subtle scent of the water and the clink of the small dish was put in her reach. With a soft sound, she leaned forward to drink a bit, instantly feeling much better and emptying the cup quickly. As the tea was set, Riley moved to refill the dish from her own glass of water.

Treestar's appearance, though, caused the girl to jump a bit in alarm, though she calmed a little--just a little-- when it appeared to be friendly.

Molly's reaction was close to her owner's, though while startled, she blinked widely at the other pokemon's greeting, then tipped her head heavily to the side, curious. <> she replied, her voice young and calm.  

[Gwennythe]

Tambrey might have regretted the wording if she'd thought about it, but her focus for the moment, were given to examining how Riley reacted to the clues she'd dropped.
'Elaborate'...
Well, yes, she supposed it was a bit.
"Good enough to live in if you -want- to live in it..." Tambrey ventured, looking around; she wasn't meaning to be rude, and her tone was more curious; she really hoped it didn't sound insulting...
"Technically," She ventured again "I'm a scientist. That's my... Uh. That's what I really do but my 'job' comes with a few other duties." She paused, again, to see what happened next.

Treestar waggled his leaf as he received a 'hello' back. He trotted over, carefully- he knew he was rather bigger than he used to be by now- and introduced himself politely.
<> He sounded delighted to meet another pokémon.  

[Tori Honoo]

The remark did come across as somewhat pressing, though the girl understood it's basis. Not many people would want to live in such conditions, but given her circumstances, this was the best she could hope for. She nodded, then brought the tea over to the table, along with two cups.

What the woman had to say next, however, caught her attention even more, and she looked up at her, her expression slightly perplexed. "A scientist? What do you do?" The immediate image that came to mind didn't seem to fit this woman at all; she really didn't look like an evil mad scientist, but then, she supposed, that was exaggerating a bit. "What... What sort of experiments do you conduct, for them to be... disapproved...of...?" she asked further, realizing a bit too late that her interest and prying was probably poorly allowed. What else did they make her do...?

Molly's head stayed tipped to the side, almost dramatically, until the other pokemon approached. The leafeon showed no further alarm, and instead turned her head up to face him politely, though she remained laying as she was, still not feeling up to par just yet. <> she offered calmly, her ears perked in friendly interest. <> How curious, this new pokemon being so friendly and curious about her... It was delightful!  

[Gwennythe]

Tambrey sighed a little.
She took the cup, murmured a 'thank you', and sipped, before she attempted to answer.

"I can't be very specific, obviously; I'm fairly certain I'm breaking a lot of rules so far already unless I offer to recruit you, not that anyone would know, so we... won't worry about that." Tambrey smiled, hopefully reassuringly and then tried to explain further without blatantly stating her affiliation.
"My work usually involves genetics- pokémon genetics... Sometimes I aid in the creation, or the enhancement, of certain pokémon. I'm not the most important scientist in my... workplace, but I like to think I'm experienced, now, thanks to the work I've been able to do... The thing is," She paused, considered her wording for a moment and then went ahead anyway "We do things without restriction. The university doesn't set a specific syllabus, the League doesn't say 'hey, no changing that gene'... I'm restricted by limit of my access to equipment, my imagination, or the, uh, 'company policies', which don't really cover 'don't do this science' as much as they refer to, um, more 'operational procedure' as a whole..." She hoped that made some sense without being too... blatant.

<> The Bayleef just seemed pleased about everything so far.  

[Tori Honoo]

Recruit...

The word was intimidating, but as Tabitha continued, there was absolutely no doubt in the world that the girl's interest was irrevocably piqued. "Pokemon Genetics. And they allow you to explore any possibility you want?" she asked almost hastily, not sure if she believed it. No restrictions from the league, no syllabi... "What equipment? You don't... hurt the pokemon, do you?" The questions pressing at her tongue were barely restrained, and again, she found herself realizing far too late that she had likely crossed a line or two. Criminals... but what did they use the information for, she wondered? So far it just sounded like science, nothing dastardly. Her eyes stayed curious, as if she had fallen through a trap door into a forbidden wonderland, her attention rapt.

Molly smiled, then lapped a bit more at the water before offering a little to the Bayleef. Though she needed it, she was unsure of how long the other grass type had been cooped up, and she knew first hand how horrid life was without access to the liquid. <> she smiled, shifting a little in her place to allow him room to join her if he so desired. He didn't seem to be someone wishing her or her human harm... That was okay, right? <> the thought made her tail and ears--still somewhat parched-- droop heavily and she looked to her girl, longing to be laid across her lap, but fully aware of her need to be in the sun for now. Besides, her girl looked... oddly busy with whatever the other lady was saying....  

[Gwennythe]

Tambrey caught the interest, but smiled cautiously.
"Well. Within reason. We're not limited by other bodies, obviously, but we're... limited to our clearance, our ability and our equipment." The sounded right... Truthful, but she -still- hadn't blatantly mentioned Team Rocket's name.
Tambrey wasn't entirely sure what her motivation was- she supposed she saw something of herself in Riley's situation, and Rocket had, she supposed, been good for her, in general- but she found herself revealing more little by little, as though advertising the place.
"I don't think it would be a good idea to discuss our equipment in detail but I will say that our work usually requires some rather advanced, out of the ordinary, uh, stuff... Bit 'sci-fi'." The grunt took another sip of her tea, considering how to address the next question.
"Personally, I never have. I mean, yes, I've obviously used needles to take blood samples or genetic material but the other processes I've been directly involved in have not been painful for pokémon as far as I'm aware. A lot of my research involves my own pokémon and I would never want to harm them..." She smiled and found herself glancing to Treestar.

Treestar beamed and took a small gulp of water, leaving plenty behind; it was nice to drink but apparently he didn't need much at the moment.
He then settled down in the sunlight alongside the Leafeon, twitching his leaf until he felt enough warmth across it.
<>  

[Tori Honoo]

Riley seemed absolutely stunned by the information, though she relaxed a little at the mention of clearance. She looked a bit confused at the idea of 'sci-fi' equipment, but otherwise didn't question it. "That still sounds... So much better than what they told us we were to do at the university..." They hadn't been prepared to allow her to do anything outside of the general studies that they assigned to them. Even her own research had been looked at as casual scribbles.
The answer to the next question received a small nod. "Oh, well that's... reassuring. Would they... whoever your boss is... make you hurt a pokemon? Or do you get to choose your studies and experiments?" If they involved her own pokemon, surely that meant she was able to choose. A brief look at treestar made her all the more curious. "Was your bayleef part of a project...?"

Molly smiled at the other pokemon, then watched as his leaf adjusted. <> she offered sincerely, feeling better already with the sunlight, water, and now the pleasant company. <>