[PRP] Something in common

[TawnyAngel]

Understaffing was a problem. It wasn't a big, headline making problem but it did mean that Dith and many of his colleagues were working extra shifts to cover the shortfall. This meant that free time was a rare and elusive beast but, today, he had managed to capture it. He'd started the day with a trip to the gym and put in some time with the weights, cross-trainer, and rowing machine. After that coffee and cake - a balanced breakfast, so long as you held the cup in one hand and the plate in the other - and then home to change into jeans and a t-shirt with the tri-force emblazoned across it before some much needed grocery shopping.

With all of that behind him Dith entered the Trainer Centre, planning to get in some exercise and battle practice for his team. As he entered the lobby however he was waylaid by his dex; the unique chirpy ringtone announced that it was his sister and so, naturally, he answered in his first language. Given he assumed nobody around him would understand he didn't bother to keep his voice down; normal speaking tones would do fine! //Valentina, hi!... Yes, I'm good, you?.... Good, good.... Well yes I thought you probably wanted something, you never phone me, you skype me.... Val, can't you use Wikipedia to sort out your geek debates?.... Ahaha! Well maybe you should increase your data limit then, eh? Maybe I won't help you.... Yes, I know you know I will. It's Hartnell, Troughton, Pertwee, Baker, Davison, Baker - a different Baker, Colin not Tom, McCoy, then I suppose Hurt would go in there - don't get me started on that storyline - then Eccleston, Tennant, and Smith. Capaldi is the next one...... You had me on speaker. Val your friends don't speak Russian.... Good point the names are the same, but they didn't understand the extra information, it's important!.... Well you'd better tell them!... Ahaha, yes, yes I know.... Yes, okay, I should be getting on too, I'm trying to get some training done with my team today.... Okay, love you too! Bye!//

Shaking his head Dith hit 'end call' and stuck the dex back in his pocket. //Sisters, right?// he grinned to Viktor, who was sitting patiently by his feet. The spotted golden Espeon flicked his ears in a gesture that Dith recognised as a shrug. //Well anyway, let's go then,// he continued, //maybe we can even find somebody else looking for a battle rather than pitting you lot against one another again. Humm. Maybe we should stop for something to eat first though, that cake was a long time ago.//  

[Venti Mico]

The Trainer Center was a new thing for Aija; she'd never gone to one back home. Between finishing school early and her job at the daycare, she didn't have a whole lot of free time. Exploring was always fun, but she'd never formally taken Tints training. The dark grey Zorua was already well behaved and trained fairly well since she'd raised him from hatching, but the chance to train him in battles didn't come up often.

Walking inside the center with Tints trotting along next to her, Aija whistled softly in admiration. "Wow, Tints! This is so different from home, is it not?" She asked quietly, stepping off to the side to let herself take in the building. The pokemon daycare she'd worked at had been much older than this place, it was amazing! And there was even someone speaking Russian nearby! ...Aija blinked in confusion, then hurriedly looked around. The man was easy to spot- was being that tall really necessary? Jeez! Aija decided to be offended by his height at a later date; instead, she waited until he was off the phone to walk over.

"Ah- um, excuse me, sir!" She started, in English, as she stepped up to him. He was a lot taller when you were close..! Aija refused to let herself feel intimidated and continued, "I was not listening in on you or anything, but um... was it Russian that you were speaking just now?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Tiny!

Also, hair!

Dith couldn't help but grin, it wasn't often he felt so thoroughly outdone in the hair department but the small girl had definitely trumped him... and that was not the accent of a native English speaker. "Well I wasn't exactly whispering," he replied cheerfully, his own accent rolling thickly through the English words. "And yes, it was! My little sister had a geeky question she needed answered and so, naturally, she phoned me." More information than had been requested, sure, but Dith had never had any problem with being open with people - even people he'd just met.  

[Venti Mico]

Aija laughed at the man's explanation, grinning right back at him. "I was thinking so! I do not know what a Capaldi is, though. Sounds like... card game? Heh!" Aija decided immediately that she liked this guy, he was nice, his hair was cool, and so was his eye patch. She was curious about it, but thought it better not to ask. "So, um... you are Russian, then? I know, many places speak Russian- but your Russian was not, um...with accent?" Aija waved her hands in front of her for a second, trying to figure out the right wording, "You sound native! That is what I mean, I do not mean to pry- I am Russian! Half Russian, I mean, it is why I am curious."  

[TawnyAngel]

"An actor," Dith explained with a short laugh, "she wanted to know who all of the actors who have played Doctor Who are, in order. You're right though, I am!" he nodded for emphasis, "I actually left when I was eighteen, but the accent has always lingered. Still, it makes me easy to identify, right? What's your other half, if you don't mind me asking? It's not often I meet somebody who I share some heritage with, especially all the way out here." There was Nadja but he hadn't seen her in a long time now, busy with her work no doubt and he couldn't begrudge her that being the same himself.  

[Venti Mico]

"Oh, actor. Huh! Would not have guessed, funny name!" She said with a laugh as well. "Wow, eighteen? So you have been here long while! Not to say you are old, um... but older than me! I am half Latvian, ah, maybe you know of Latvia? Have not really met people who know of it so far, but it is where I grew up." It was disheartening to tell people where she was from sometimes, most hadn't even heard of it. Sure, it was a small country, but disappointing nonetheless when people said they hadn't even heard of it.

"You have been away from Russia for long time, does this mean you live here now? I have met a lot of people who are not from here that live here now!" She asked excitedly. Aija hadn't been in Kodo long at all, her luck was looking up.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Let's be fair, I'm kind of old," Dith responded with a self deprecating grin and chuckle. "I know where Latvia is, though I can't say I've ever been." During his youth it had of course been Sovieticised, gaining its independence only after he had left Russia for the UK. At one point in his twenties he had thought that he might go and visit some of the territories that had become independent after the collapse of the USSR but he'd never actually got around to it and didn't really feel the inclination now.

"I am living here now though, yes, here in the city actually," Dith went on with another confirming nod. "I moved here a couple of years ago now, I was living in England before that.... Mmmh, you're right though; it does seem a popular place for people to move to! A lot of my friends have come here from elsewhere. Pretty much all of them in fact, come to think of it. Are you living here, can I ask, or just visiting?"  

[Venti Mico]

"Weeell... yes, a little bit. Is not bad thing though!" Aija agreed, smiling up at him sheepishly. Her face brightened up at Dith's reply. "Not many people even know the name of it! I like Jurmala, if you ever go, that is place to be in summer! Ah- but, er... can be difficult for Russian people in some places, but not all places!" Whenever they went on day trips, her family had an unspoken rule of speaking only Latvian. "But for most part, very nice place."

"Wow! You have been to a lot of places! This is my first time leaving home. I have not been here for long time, but it is nice. People are nice, buildings are nice, everything is nice. Cannot blame people for wanting to live here! I am visiting, but... hm, well, do not plan on going to home. Visiting for indefinite amount of time, I think that is what it would be called!" She planned on staying in Kodo for a while, maybe trying to get a job. She did like it in Kodo, so she really hadn't made many plans for leaving.  

[TawnyAngel]

"I can imagine," Dith replied with a raise of his brows and a bit of a grimace, people could hardly be blamed for thinking like that. "If I go, if I ever have time, I'll speak English," he resolved with a shrug.

"I suppose I have, I've travelled to most of the league regions too - that was before I came here...." Indefinite visiting? Hu. Odd. "Do you have a decent place to stay while you're here? I know even hostels can get expensive or are you league registered, staying in here?" It was free to stay in the trainer centre, right? Or just cheap? Having never needed the service he didn't actually recall.  

[Venti Mico]

"Probably a smart choice," Aija nodded, feeling a little embarrassed at admitting it. She'd rather not lie about it, especially not to someone who knew something of the situation between the two countries.

"That is a lot of travelling, wow... someday I hope to try that too. Oh, yes! I have been staying in small hostel for now, I did not pack much so I can travel easier! ...You can stay here? I did not know that. I am registered though. Huh... If I were to stay here, we could do much more training, yes, Tints?" Aija knelt down and patted the top of her Zorua's head, who was sitting patiently at her feet and staring up at the tall man curiously. "I thought perhaps I would get a job here too, maybe at a pokemon daycare because I have worked in one for long time."  

[TawnyAngel]

"Uh, yeah," Dith nodded, mildly uncertain of himself. "I think it's meant to just be for a couple of nights? But you can. You could always swap out nights here and in a hotel I guess?" He shrugged, it was the best information he could offer.

"Oh!" That was a point. "I'm Dima by the way; Dimitry Konstantinovich Vladamirin. Heh, it's nice to meet somebody I don't feel I am going to totally concuss with that name." The patronymic was still a mouthful, but at least she would know what it was.  

[Venti Mico]

"Is true! Will have to research this." Aija said with a definite nod. Maybe poking around the league she could find some help getting a job, too.

Aija perked up and grinned, "Ah! Your name, it has character! Good Russian names do, this is what my papa says. Western names you know, so short! ...My name is not so long though. Aija Dzintara, it is very nice to meet you Dima! Or, Dimitry Vladamirin? Is that too formal?" She asked, looking at him sheepishly.  

[TawnyAngel]

Dith beamed and shrugged; "Dima is good, but you can go with Dimitry Vladamirin if you would prefer to. Pleased to meet you either way, Aija Dzintara.... Humm, say, would you like to get something to eat?" Dith gestured towards the sign for the cafeteria downstairs. "I was planning to eat, and then to get in some training with my team; we are - well we are going to be - joining the volunteers division for KSO. We need to register to take the physical fitness test, I just have not had time since it was started up."

Well actually that wasn't entirely true, the truth was that he hadn't had time since he had become confident of his ability to pass the test with only one eye. He was used to it now, more or less; lacking half of the normal field of vision and not having the same depth perception as those who still possessed binocular vision.... It was hardly ideal but it could have been worse. It could have been a lot worse, and it was important to remember that and be grateful for it.  

[Venti Mico]

"Dima it is!" Aija said, happy to have the choice of calling him that. She hated having to call everyone older than her formally; it was too strict! Even if it was polite to call someone older than her by their full name, Aija was much happier being on more friendly terms. "Ah, yes, I would love that! I am always happy for food. Oh- KSO..?" Aija repeated slowly. "I do not know what this is. It sounds very official, what kind of things will you do?"

Volunteering for the League, Aija wasn't sure what the work would entail exactly, but it did sound interesting. Glancing at his eye patch, she wondered how hard it was for him to train; if he had had it all his life, she figured it wouldn't be hard at all, but if it was recent, that'd certainly require adapting. "Perhaps I could train with you later, also? Or maybe just watch... you look like you have strong team; we are better at performing, not so much battling!"  

[TawnyAngel]

"Well, this way then," Dith nodded, gesturing to the stairs and setting off at an easy walk; he didn't want to make his small companion have to jog to keep up!

"KSO stands for Kodo Special Ops," he explained, "it was created mainly to combat the threat to Team Rocket that has been plaguing this region for years now. You can join KSO as a full officer, but that is a full time job and I already have one of those! There is also the Volunteer Department which is what I am looking to join, the volunteer department is sort of 'on-call' to deal with threats as they might arise. Honestly," Dith shrugged his huge shoulders, "my friends and I have been doing that for several years now anyway. I think it's good that something official has come in though, that the league has finally taken some serious action. This trainer centre was built as a part of the whole effort in fact, well that I think was part of the reason. Given the increased league interest and activity in the region they wanted to provide services such as those that are found in regions that are big enough to hold a league gym circuit.

"Heh, and if I have not bored you to death, I would love to train with you!" Dith grinned, raising a hand to scratch lightly at the pale scars littering the right side of his face. "Perhaps we can pit your ah - was it Tint? - and some of mine against some of my others? And, performing you say? You mean like in contests? I don't really know much about that scene I must admit."