[IC] Journey of a Thousand Miles

[tobiax]

Sycamore laughed a bit, sliding the dish containing packets of sugar in it.
"Some people find the bitterness invigorating," he remarked, "While other people just use the caffeine to stay awake. I figured you'd need that," he then gestured to the sugar and cream, "Put some of this in- a lot of people think it tastes better this way- myself included," he added with a minor chuckle.
The girl's question made Tobias freeze. What had he been so intent on it? Well, it wasn't like he didn't see her Pokemon calling to him right after he left, but-
"I think that's something for you to decide," Sycamore replied, leaving Tobias to his thoughts.

[Mistress Dizzy]

Jin carefully began to open sugar packets and dump them into her coffee, along with a good measure of cream. She took another careful sip, and found it much more palatable. After warming herself from within with the coffee, she spoke carefully. "...maybe it's the city? I mean... I've never really been anywhere else. Lumiose is my home. It's not a very nice home, but..." Her slim shoulders shrugged.

The counter girl brought over the Professor's soy latte, along with two paninis. "The rest will be coming shortly." She departed quickly, but not without batting her eyes at the professor.

[tobiax]

Tobias remained in thought, watching as the grains of sugar fell and disappeared in the black void of the coffee. Sycamore, however, leaned back slightly, in a manner seeming far too casual for a Professor of Pokemon Science.
"Sometimes it's good for people to see other places, meet other people, find other ideas," he remarked, "I've done some traveling in my time. Maybe it would do you well to do the same."
As the soy latte and two of the paninis were brought by the counter girl, Sycamore leaned back slightly, watching as the girl came in. As he took his latte directly from her, he made sure to brush against her hand, carefully bringing the plates to the table on his own.
"Thank you," he said with a smile.
Sliding the plate towards the girl, he smiled at her, taking a sip of his latte slowly.
"You need these more than us," he remarked, breathing the steam of his drink in deeply as he took a smooth sip.

[Mistress Dizzy]

The girl's eyes rounded upon seeing the food. "..." For a moment, it seemed that there were tears in her eyes. Her lower lip wobbled, and without another word, she snatched up one of the sandwiches and started chowing down with wild abandon. It was somehow endearing, to see anyone enjoy a meal so heartily. The girl, after filling her own mouth, tore off a good portion of the sandwich, and held it down for her Pokemon. Luna took it with a yowl of thanks, and started eating too. She seemed to leave a little bit of her portion for little Blaze, who hopped nimbly from his new trainer's lap to eat.

The girl did not speak for a good while, until the first panini was gone and she was licking her fingers free of crumbs. Only then did she look up at the professor, with something like hope in her eyes. "...I've never met anyone like you." Her voice was soft, awed, and confused. "Or you, either." Her gaze held Tobias's for several seconds. Then she went back to the professor. "You were saying... that I should travel? That maybe there are more people like you out there?"

[tobiax]

Tobias watched as she stared at the food, looking like she was almost going to cry. It confused him, as did the look on the professor's face, to which he seemed to know what to expect. As she began to dig in, Tobias felt oddly warmed by this. He then realized how long she must have gone without food- how hungry she must have been. He totally understood why she had tried to steal from him- he almost felt bad about getting his stuff back- almost. He then saw her feed her Pokemon, almost from her own stuffed mouth, and couldn't help but smile as all three shared in the simple sandwich.
They stayed there in relative silence, the only noise in the immediate area was the girl's chewing, and Sycamore sipping his latte. After the first sandwich had been demolished, the girl picked her attentions up again.
"Well, I could almost say the same," the Professor replied.
It seemed like the first time Tobias had seen this girl so... soft, even awestruck, for some reason. She looked him, holding her gaze, and he froze. It was strange, and he didn't know how to respond.
"That's right," Sycamore responded, sounding rather upbeat- especially after such a heavy moment, "And well, that's something you'll have to figure out on your own..."

[Mistress Dizzy]

The girl nodded a bit, but said nothing. She simply started in on the other sandwich.

Soon enough, all the sandwiches were delivered and eaten, the girl had downed one cup of coffee and several cups of water. She was more full than she'd ever been in her memory. To her embarrassment, she felt her eyes starting to well up with tears. Tears of pure joy, and gratitude. "Thank you.. sir." She'd obviously never used such a lofty title for a person, but the Professor had earned her undying respect. "You did more for me in one afternoon than anyone has in my whole life." She wiped the back of her hand across her eyes. "...I think I may take your advice. Travel Kalos a bit, and see what the world is really like outside the city."

[tobiax]

Tobias waited in relative silence, even as the rest of the sandwiches were delivered, accompanied by more close behaviors towards the counter girl from Professor Sycamore. The boy had only a single glass of water, and took his time eating the hot sandwich, relishing in the savory flavor of the filling, noting an unexpected tangy sweetness along with it. Harvey stared for a while at the sandwich, not so much out of hunger, but interest. Tobias caught a drop of the filling, which seemed to be a type of cheese blend over the meat and tomatoes, and held it out towards the Pokemon. Harvey smiled, then scooped the warm mass into his own hand before eating it, returning a smile in the boy's direction.
When all was done, and the girl spoke her gratitude, Sycamore turned to her intently, but gently. This was obviously something that was new to her, and it warmed his heart in a bittersweet way.
"I do think that would be a good idea," he remarked, "For you and your Pokemon."

[Mistress Dizzy]

The girl nodded, smiling weakly. The very expression seemed to make her younger, more gentle. "...I... I don't have anything to repay you with. I'm not even sure I'd have anything you need, anyway." Then she turned to Tobias, her smile flickering softly. "...hey, ah... I'm sorry about how we met. I mean... it wasn't anything personal. I just... I do what I know." She shrugged, then looked down at Harvey. "Hey, nuthead." She grinned at him and gently rubbed his soft spikes. "You take good care of your trainer, okay? Don't let any other mean people rob him."

[tobiax]

Sycamore raised his hand, facing his palm to the girl.
"There's no need," he replied, "Helping a stranger is reward enough," he replied, placing a hand to his heart, "Plus I know that you'll pay back your Pokemon."

Tobias gave her an odd look. It was more considering than anything, but partially confused.
"It's fine," he replied, looking down now, "If... If I'd have know you'd have needed it for food..."
He paused then taking a breath and letting out a sigh. Harvey, at being called 'nuthead', turned to the girl, and gave an indignant look. However, as she rubbed his quills, he smiled, his expression softening as he closed his eyes, giving a nod with a determined look and a defensive stance in response.
Tobias then stood, having finished his early lunch, and picked up Harvey in his arms, the Pokeballs in his backpack rattling about slightly.
"Well, Professor... I mean... I guess if it's all the same, I'll be going now," Tobias started, trailing off significantly.
Sycamore nodded, holding arms out, "I'm not going to stop you. You have everything you need," he replied.
Pushing his chair back into place and tossing the napkins he had used into a nearby trash can, Tobias lowered his head, scooting slightly away before raising it again.
"Goodbye..."
And with that, a shaky, hesitant goodbye, he turned, making his way out of the cafe, and into the streets of Lumiose, peering across the way for a gate that lead out of the city.

[Mistress Dizzy]

The girl watched Tobias go, and she smiled faintly. Then she turned back to the Professor. "I think... I think I'll go, too." She looked nervous as she got up, and the Liepard who had been contently dozing beneath her chair rose as well. "I don't know what I'll do. But now I've got a chance to do something else. I hope I don't mess it up." Blaze yawned and trotted to the girl's side. She picked up her new Pokemon and gently stroked his ears. "...thank you again, sir. I... I won't waste this." She headed out the door before she could start crying, flanked by her Liepard. The city was before her, and for some reason she was noticing how dirty it was, beneath the metallic shine of the buildings, and the neon lights from billboards and shops.

"...maybe he's right. Maybe we... should try something else?" She looked down at Luna, who yowled in return. "I take that as a yes." Luckily, she knew just where she was going. She'd seen the bright gate with the large 5 over it for years, but never had gone near enough to leave. Today, that would change. She headed toward the gate with a full belly, a growing hope, and a smile on her face.

[tobiax]

Tobias took a deep breath, and stepped through the cement and brick gate. The inside was rather nice, oddly clean and sporting several padded benches and what looked like a reception desk. He had never left the city before, so he hadn't seen one before. He made the time to take note of its layout as Harvey stared in wonder.
Curious now, he approached the counter where a woman was seated, "Excuse me, miss? Where does this go?" he asked politely.
"Oh," the woman replied, "It goes out to Route Five. That goes out to Camphrire Town, and from there you can go to Ambrette or Cyllage City," she explained with a gentle drawl in her voice, "Parfum Palace is out that way too if you're sight-seeing," she noted.
After thanking her quietly, Tobias wandered to the edge of the gate, looking out into the bright sun light. Harvey stood there as well, basking in the warm sunlight, as his trainer was silently thinking. He began to wonder where that girl went. He realized just then, he didn't even know her name.

[Mistress Dizzy]

The girl inhaled the clean, cold air of the gate, looking around hesitantly. It was so... well kept here, so orderly that she had trouble accepting it as part of the city. There were signs on the wall, ones that were impossible for her to read. She saw some woman in a uniform, and stepped over. "Hey. Where does this go?"

The woman picked her head up, and her eyes took in the girl's appearance, seeing the dirt, the tattered clothes, the tired eyes. This wasn't the first time the girl had been looked at like she was less than a bug Pokemon. It was getting old. "It goes to Route 5 and elsewhere." The woman said in a curt tone. Her eyes were cold. "I must remind you, miss/, that we have the Kalos regional police on watch 24-7 for potential thieves."

The girl felt her fists curling, and she fought back a wave of emotion. A thousand things were coming to mind, and she tried to beat them back before she said something nasty. "I'm not a thief." Anymore.

"All the same, soliciting tourists for money is not allowed, and-"

The girl felt her patience snap. "Listen up, you bitch! All I want to do is get out of this city, and you're going to tell me where I'm going next!"

[tobiax]

Tobias let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. As he took that first step, he thought he could still hear her voice. It was strange, was he still thinking about her? He paused for a moment. No, he was actually there, in the same gate as him. He heard her tone rise, and turned around. He could see that she was about to get into a fierce argument, and thus moved quickly, putting himself between her and the girl at the desk.
"Hey, calm down," he said, holding out his hands and trying to be as even-keel as possible.
He let out a short sigh, then moved closer to her. Not wanting to make too much of a big deal, he placed a hand on her shoulder and took her aside where no one would hear.
"You shouldn't push yourself, okay? I mean...whatever almost happened... you should take it easy for a while," he cautioned in hushed tones.
Just then, a large, imposing silhouette came into the gate from the city. It was rather stocky and short, and seemed to be scanning the area. It moved forth slowly, revealing an object in a rather short hand. Tobias was intimidated at first, as it was strangely noticeable, and oddly large. However, as the figure stepped into the light, Tobias's face brightened considerably.
"Slowbro?" he asked in slight surprise.
Without even thinking, he rushed over, as the pink Pokemon slowly raised its empty hand to greet the boy. Tobias looked at the red device in the Pokemon's hand curiously.
"What'cha got there buddy?" he asked.
Slowly, the large Pokemon, turned its head, looking at the device in its hand with confusion.
"Slow?" he chirped, not remembering how the device had come to his hand, or why he brought it.
In a patient, relaxed motion, he raised his hand, straightening his head at the same time, until the device was within Tobias's reach. The boy took it and began inspecting the object, which seemed to be retracted in some way.

[Mistress Dizzy]

The girl was about to really tear into the gate receptionist, when to her absolute surprise, the boy from earlier stepped between them. A response died on her lips as he gently took her aside. As he told her to take it easy, she was ready to respond that she was fine and that it was none of his business. Something stopped her from speaking, though, and she wasn't entirely sure what it was. Her brain was working better than it had in weeks, thanks to having some food to fuel it. That alone was giving her enough time to stop and think about what was going on instead of having an immediate reaction.

He could have just left her alone. He could have simply ignored the situation like everyone else in the small gate station. He hadn't, though, and he'd been more concerned about her than he had been about the woman in uniform.

Why?

She didn't get it, and no matter how hard she thought about it, it didn't make any sense. She turned to look for him after he'd stepped away for a bit, and found him talking with a pink Pokemon with a dopey face, one she didn't recognize. With a faint sigh, she went over toward him, looking curious. "Who's this big fella?"

[tobiax]

Tobias almost did a double-take as the girl approached. Now having the red device in his hand, he patted the Pokemon's shoulder, who was still staring in wonder at his little claw, at the device being no longer there. Tobias smiled, patting the pink otter like creature on the shoulder lightly.
"Go back home buddy," he replied.
He then turned to the girl as she asked who this was, by which time he had not yet registered to start moving.
"Oh, that's my mom's Slowbro," he replied, "She must have seen that I didn't have a map, and sent him after me. It was probably a few seconds after I left though," he noted, "He's not really fast."
As if to punctuate this, the Pokemon had only just begun shuffling his feet in order to turn around. Tobias couldn't help but laugh, patting the creature on the back as he turned.

[Mistress Dizzy]

The girl chuckled faintly at the slow pink Pokemon- 'not really fast' was a dire understatement. As the Pokemon turned away at a snail's pace, she looked to Tobias with curiosity. "Why did you... why did you do that, just now? With the bitch in the uniform?" She angled her head slightly, to get a peek at the woman out of the corner of her eye. "Why'd you... step in?" She didn't sound irritated, but rather, was confused. "Why'd you help me? Most people would have helped her and called security on me in a heartbeat." Her dark eyes were searching his face, as if the answers were written there. "What's with you?"

Luna the Liepard wound it's way around Tobias's knees, purring faintly. Despite the confusion of her trainer, she liked this human. He had a kind energy.

[tobiax]

Tobias shrugged a moment, avoiding eye contact a bit.
"I don't know..." he replied, a soft confusion rather than dismissal in his voice, "She wasn't being fair to you. I mean, just cause you were a little dirty..."
He dropped the subject. For a moment, he was quiet. He wasn't really paying attention to anything, untill a tug on his jeans brought him back to alertness. Harvey, who had been pensively staring at the large Pokemon as it had come and left, now looked up at him, worried as he had been so quiet. Then, as the Liepard began to approach, Harvey suddenly took a step back, swiping at the air as he fell softly.

[Mistress Dizzy]

"Oops!" The girl crouched down and gently picked up Harvey, brushing him off gently before patting him on the head. "There y'go, little guy." Then she looked at him, steadily and searchingly. "...she wasn't being... fair?" She blinked several times, seeming unfamiliar with the concept. "...most people treat me like that. I'm used to it. What I'm not used to is anyone acting like something wrong is happening." Her gaze flickered down, finally, as she twisted the edges of her dirty shirt in her hands. "...what's with you, huh? I don't get... you."

[tobiax]

Tobias smiled, seeing the girl help Harvey up and dust him off. He couldn't help but start laughing, but he caught it with his nose and his finger up against it. Then, he breathed out, calming down as she continued.
"Yeah," he replied.
He then heard her say that she was used to it. His heart sunk, the change visible on his face. How does someone not know when they're being treated unfairly? It almost brought a tear to his eye.
"Well, they're wrong," he added, trying to keep his voice level.
As she claimed to not get him, he simply shrugged. Reaching down, he lifted Harvey up unto his arms. The little Chespin struggled a bit at being held by his sides, but he quickly settled down.
"I just remembered... I don't even know your name," he remarked.

[Mistress Dizzy]

The girl blinked, unsure, as Tobias said that people were wrong. She really didn't know what to say to that. Everyone treated her that way. Everyone except the Professor from today- and Tobias. Were they just the ones that were weird? Or was it the city that was wrong?

Her dark, confused gaze picked back up to him. "My name? Oh." She stalled, as if having to pull it up from her memory. Honestly, the only one she had to talk to was Luna. Since Luna had never had occasion to say her name, it was something she had to think to remember. "...It's Jinayah." The name sounded strange coming out of her own mouth. "You can call me Jin, if you feel like."