happy to be of help, elijah made the subsequent room for leon to stand, careful to help if needed. coming to a mutual decision on food, they walked. for a time, it was quiet, but the silence didn't make elijah uncomfortable. he had known leon just long enough to consider him a friend, so pressure was off to fill the void or impress him in some way. "the day has really gotten away from us.. i didn't realize i was so hungry." he finally let out, chuckling a bit. what what was he in the mood for? nothing healthy.. that was certain.

leon's outburst forced the the trainer to turn, only to have his leg completely taken out from him¹. a sharp pain erupted from his right leg, just behind the knee. "AH-" he managed to yell out, turning around and coming nearly face to face with a small fighting-type, undoubtedly responsible for the attack on his person. he barely had time to roll away before the machop's hand came crashing down². quickly and with all the grace of an awkward teenager learning how to please a woman, he retrieved alice's ball and tossed it. "a-alice!" pointedly, his finger traced the path to his attacker. smirking³, the cat set he sights on the wild pokemon.

with cold precision, she struck. canines sharpened from hundreds of years of evolution came crashing around and onto the tricep of the fighting-type.⁴ it's yell filled with spit and surprise. centering his body, the machop turned on it's heel and tossed the cat off. to no ones surprise alice landed on her feet as soft as a feather. she didn't give him time to recuperate. once more she was off again, zigging and zagging until she was on the machop. fearing the worst he spun and lowered his leg to trip⁴ alice, but found no home. instead claws raked his back⁵ as she bounded over him like a durant hill. despite the steel in his eyes, he ran off swearing vengeance; pride gone, but still there to fight another day.

seeing the battles end, elijah spread out on the floor for a second. "man.. what is up with today?" he sighed outwards.

without even looking up his voice rang out. "hey you good over there?"

fuck that hurt.

1-karate chop, 2-karate chop, 3-bite, 4-low kick, 5-slash/victory
Leon Harte

elijah stifled the noise that wanted to come out of his mouth. he wasn't sure if it was a groan of pain, or a laugh at leons' reaction, but he didn't exactly want to find out. "yeah, i'm alright. just an over-zealous fighting type, i suspect." standing, he brushed off the leg of his pants and thanks the stars he wasn't wearing his coat. "should we do like.. a back-to-back scenario to make sure we're not jumped?" that made him laugh. "i saw a place on the way out earlier where can eat. should be just up ahead."

the duo walked, blue eyes shifty and slightly paranoid for any more wild pokemon — luckily, there were none. the restaurant was small; a hole in the wall, if there ever was one. but the pricing was decent and, luckily for them, relatively empty. "i hope indians alright," elijah said as they walked in. promptly, they were escorted to a small booth towards the back. the waitress was attractive, but seemed absent-minded; a trait elijah didn't mind, nor ever really judge people on. after a few moments shifting through the menu he set it down and waited for leon to finish. no better place for conversation, really.

"so what's the dream, leon?"

was that too vague a question?

Leon Harte

Elijah leaned into the comforts of the booth as he let the question linger. It was a question many thought about, yet seldom had any real idea of. Elijah found many simply let their dreams be just that - fantasies. The professor was committed to not being one of those casualties of adult hood.

Listening, the answer wasn't what eli had expected. Leon appeared to be completely riding a wave that was his future. It was unpredictable, wild, and.. If eli was being honest.. a bit tempting. But the professor ejected the thoughts from his mind.

"Me?" He asked rhetorically, pondering the moment. "A few goals i guess. First and foremost: johto region champion." He smiled as he said it, soft and kind, though his eyes only read sadness. "Then I'm going to publish a book... or a study. Not sure yet. I have a lot more writing left to do and many more encounters. It's why I was so interested in your eevee." Elijah finished and allowed Leon to soak up the information.

Luckily the server arrived. "Water, please." He looked at Leon, eyes questioning. "Are you ready too, or?"

Leon Harte

the professor's skin flushed at the turn of events. he probably should've asked what he was going to get, or some other small talk indicator. "sorry, my fault." he said towards the waitress, a meek, goofy smile lingering on his lips. "can we get this?" his finger pointed down to one of the 'meal deals'. three garlic cheese naans with two sides of curry, rice, and a small salad. cheap and filling; elijah's favorite combination. "oh and two waters please," he looked to leon to confirm and continued with the order. once the waitress had left, he half sunk into the booth.

"i know it's weird," eli said finally as if reading his mind. he leaned forward again, rolling one of his shoulders as he did so — what was with this weird kink? was it from the fight? shrugging it off — literally, apparently — he focused on leon. his expression softened, and eyes turned misty, but elijah did his best to quell the rising emotions. "it was my.. best friend's dream," he started, nearly wincing at his words. 'not technically a lie,' eli reminded himself, 'but not really the truth, i guess.' the professor continued. "she wanted to be champion, but she passed and now i have to do it in her stead. she wouldn't forgive me otherwise." he smiled at the thought of her scolding him. what an odd, backwards relationship they had.

"i don't mean to be all sad or anything," laughing awkwardly, he waved it off. "just needed the context i guess? i'dunno." luckily, the drink's arrived to give him an excuse to shut his mouth. patiently, he sipped his water.

Leon Harte

mental relief flooded elijah. while not expressing everything he let in.. it was good to release something. admittedly, it was probably unfair to let something like that on leon. he slightly winced not realizing what he was doing before he said it. "thanks," he said, a small smile forming. of course, he was far from an incredibly person. if knew leon what he did.. he'd agree. elijah had no doubt.

"it's good to have a friend," once more he leaned into the cushion of the booth. he too of course considered leon to be a friend, even if they had only met today. his gust told him that leon was a good person. he went to speak but was stifled by the arrival of their waitress. "look's like that's for us," his attention shifting between the two. hands quickly made the room for the hot plate and it's contents.

his stomach quickly told him how much he needed to eat. "this stuff really is delicious," elijah said to the man in front of him before breaking apart one of the naans and dipped it in the curry. "but if you don't like it, don't worry." a small laugh escaped and he took a bite.

Leon Harte

^{small post is small}