[FIN] Lets Look at it This Way

[Blood_Goddess]

The following day not only brought about the end of the tournament, but the day that most of the contestants went home.
For a few particular trainers though, they would be stuck on the Kanto city for a couple more days. As a number of their party was still recovering from a recent attack.

Seraphine was still in the hospital, recovering from having surgery that removed a bullet from her shoulder. Rosie, who had received a head injury was asked to remain at the hospital over night to be observed and make sure her concussion did not worsen.

It was later in the morning. when Ray woke up, and started to pack for her own trip back to Sagestone a day early, She would have liked to stay another day, but had a job that she needed to return to back in Kodo. Knowing the kids were in capable hands, or at least she hoped they were, she left her pupil, expecting to see her when she returned to Kodo.

Ray breathed out lightly as she slipped the bag over her shoulder, having finished packing her things into it.
"Alright Impact," She spoke, glancing across the room as the Zubat hung from one of the bed's base boards.
The Zubat opened his wings, flying over to the tall women as she turned her back and grabbed onto the back of her braid instead.

With the door closed behind her, Ray made her way downstairs to the main office so she could check out. and was in the process of signing out paperwork when she got a text on her phone.
Ah, looked like Rosie was let go from the hospital. She would recover okay it seemed.
"Glad to hear you are well enough to leave, kid."
She replied, stepping outside of the hotel where she caught the sight of a familiar red head sitting alone among the lounging aria in front of the hotel.

"Well look who it is." She spoke, lengthening her stride as she bobbed over toward him with an absent grin on her face. "I just got a text from the pink one too. good timing, huh."  

[Suudonym]

Having grown more or less accustomed to achieving a certain amount of sleep nightly, the restless night the evening before the competition had severely lowered Luke's ability to remain awake during the night following the attack. Sleep had not been kind to him, though, and the boy had taken up a place outside the hotel from a time before sunrise, and there he still remained when Ray called to him, his eyes pulled from the message on his gear to acknowledge her. Having expected no company, the expression he wore during that acknowledgement was a genuine one: tired, meek, and dim. In spite of every effort, he found no words to produce a greeting.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Ahhh he looked a mess, and honestly, that couldn't be too surprising to the older women.
Her smile widened a little more, though it was with a more apologetic and regretful look along with her usual mellow nature of smile.
"Ahh, boy you look like s**t." She pointed the obvious out, but with a step she swung her leg over the small wall hugging the flower garden and sat down to join him.
"I can't imagine the the current events have been helpful much to ones thoughts and sleep huh."  

[Suudonym]

Luke frowned lightly; he hadn't really been in front of a mirror recently, but he didn't need to have been to imagine that Ray observed correctly. He shook his head to confirm her assumption.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Ray was pretty much used to the fact that Luke just didn't really talk, since she had met him at the very least, so his wordless reply wasn't really thought twice about nor did it seem to discourage the women from going on.

"Yeeaah. The whole situation pretty much sucks" and Ray had made it very clear already that she was no less happy about it then anyone else. Ray had her own pride to uphold after all. So she didn't bother going into it again with the boy.
She did glance over at him, with a hand flicking out to pat his arm "Well, hey, a few things to feel a bit better about, the pink one just got released. did you get that text?"  

[Suudonym]

A bit of an understatement, that. He nodded in response to the question but failed to look particularly 'better' about it. In fact, he seemed almost to withdraw further.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Ray arched an eyebrow as she noticed the subtle change in his demeanor, taking a moment of paused silence before she learned forward, propping a knee up.
"That was not the reaction I was expecting." Ray said bluntly  

[Suudonym]

He wasn't sure what reaction she had been expecting - well, no, upon further consideration, she was probably expecting something normal like some kind of smile or other expression of relief. Unable to fake such a front, he could only think to offer an apology for his failure to deliver, "Sorry."  

[Blood_Goddess]

"Sorry?" Ray repeated, though in a half laugh, leaning back up and looking around. "Woh now, who exactly are you apologizing to?"  

[Suudonym]

He blinked in a brief confusion before shaking his head dismissively. One more tally mark to 'acting like an idiot.'  

[Blood_Goddess]

"It was obviously not to be, becasue I specifically remember telling you not to apologize to me anymore."
She pointed out, but took the shaking of his head.
"Hey, Look, I know last night was rough, but you've obviously showed your a much tougher kid then i gave you credit for, so what in the hell happened between last night and now?"  

[Suudonym]

He shook his head once more, this time to deny that anything in particular had happened - or that he had ever been tough in any way. Somehow he found his voice, though it was small and immensely reluctant, "It just feels a little useless. Nothing I say or do changes anything."  

[Blood_Goddess]

"Aaaahhh." Ray cooed knowingly, nodding her head "Yeah well, we've all been there kid." she lifted a hand "and I know its probably pointless for me to say anything, since I highly doubt you'll take it to heart, but we've all been there."

Mossy eyes smiled gently, in some form of amusement as she watched Luke, "Kiiiind of Ironic huh."

The tall women lowered her leg back down, placing her gloves hands down on the low wall she was sitting on, and just watched the younger boy for a few seconds.
"What makes you think that way though?"  

[Suudonym]

Luke was under no delusions that his pain was any greater or more unique or special than anyone else's; in fact, his general inclination was usually to belittle his feelings. The inquiry after his reasoning received a long silence in response, a gradual compacting of his posture, and an eventual, hesitant reply, "Wanting someone to be happy, and watching them suffer instead."  

[Blood_Goddess]

The picture was being a little clearer now, Though Ray didn't say anything at first other then a light hum of acknowledgment leaning her head back.
She couldn't relate to that entirely, it was certainly a great deal more sentimental, but she understood where he was coming from.
"I am going to venture a guess here and assume you're talking about someone in particular, as apposed to a larger picture, at least partly."
She pointed a finger at him.
"That would certainly explain why you're not even looking a little relived that she's well enough to leave the hospital."