[u][b][center][h2]Rustboro City[/h2][/center][/b][/u][quote]The attack on Mauville meant a lot of paperwork on Hartwin's desk. His mother had taken to meetings with reporters while his father worked with the Rangers and Mr. Sturm. He'd been up through the night signing displacement claims of employees who lived in Mauville, which was ultimately a responsibility of the Fairfax Corporation. One of the many inconveniences of the business controlling so much within one Region. He just hoped the estimated times for repairs was overestimated by, well, all of it, and for the sake of the employees. Granted, nothing like this had actually happened before.
	"Mr. Fairfax," a woman said, hardly past the door with her eyes tained on a tablet that lit up her face.
	"Please, Natalie. Hartwin is..."
	"Someone riding a gold and green Skarmory has arrived in Rustboro."
	Hartwin immediately perked up. It'd been days since Theo had told Hartwin he'd be in Hoenn. Hartwin was surprised Natalie had even remembered.
	"All right. Let's go," he said, both to his Delcatty napping beside him as well as his secretary.
	"But, sir," she began to protest.
	"It's time for a lunch break," he said with a wink and a smirk.
	He ushered her to gather whatever she needed to leave the building as he did the same. He buttoned his brown suit jacket and then unbuttoned it while fidgeting with items in and out of pockets, unable to decide what to bring and which to do. After buttoning it again, he reached for his matching bowler hat that hung on the corner of his chair. Outside the office, he was never seen without it. A quick glance into a mirror on his way out the door was the last of his preparations. When he made it out of the office, Natalie was standing next to her desk with an unsure look and hugging the tablet she was holding earlier.
	"Sir, are you sure this is a good idea? There's so much we need to do..."
	Hartwin grabbed a cane for show and Delcatty strutted behind him with a yawn. "We've been here for fifteen hours. We need a break," he said matter-of-factly. "I'm taking you out for lunch," he added, explaining to her his alibi."
[center]----------[/center]
	"Good afternoon, Mr. Selvaggio," a voice said from a distance away. "It's been a while. How're your parents?"
	The man was average. He could have been mistaken for someone approaching 40, but was barely 33. His suit was well-tailored, but the color dulled his features, it seemed. The bowler hat provided shade over his eyes, though he still squinted. Theo's once-cello-tutor looked rather ordinary, something Hartwin could never seem to escape despite his elevated birth.
	An Altaria hovered behind a woman off to his side while the Delcatty rubbed her cheek against Hartwin's leg before looking over toward Theo. She chirped when she spotted the Whismur, the two having played together often when the Delcatty was still a Skitty.[/quote]

[u][b][center][h2]Lavaridge Town[/h2][/center][/b][/u][quote]	"Watcher Clerk..."
	"Major -"
	"3 more casualties. Any word from the Hospital?"
	"No room. We have to make due here."
	"We're going to have a housing crisis..."
	"I know, Major. I'm working on it."
	"Yes, ma'am."
	"Lieutenants Green and Fort with you?"
	"No, ma'am. They're administering what emergency care they can. They put up a tent toward 112 South."
	"Get them to the Centre. They lack the skills and experience for this kind of situation. Green and Fort should be able to prevent more casualties."
	"Yes, ma'am."
	"Anyone else good for transport?"
	"Lieutenants Polak and Thompson."
	"Get them to find safe places to set up camps -"
	"Refugee camps?"
	"Yes, Major. And make sure to assign the Students and Area Rangers as sentries.
 We don't need them in the way."
	"Yes, ma'am."
	"Well - dismissed, Major."
	"Watcher -"
[center]----------[/center]
	"Copy that, Grand Watcher Frisk."

[center]____________________[/center]
	Queues filled the town. The Medical Centre, the Torkoal Roast, groupings of citizens with and without camping gear, and whatever stations the Rangers constructed were crowded with the displaced residents of the terrorized Mauville City. At first glance, it was the panicked shuffle during the attack. After a few moments, the Rangers were quite capable in calming most concerns. 
	Dragons flew overhead. A whiteness of Altaria gently alit cargo drops. Flights of Swellow shot back and forth through the air overhead. Colonies of Pelliper carried emergency items from camp to camp. The Air Rangers worked with the local Gale Rangers to make sure all victims of the "incident" wouldn't create more victims in becoming leeches and nuisances to others as people sought shelter and comfort.
	"Good afternoon, Chief Mura, sir," a woman, stoic and proud, greeted the retired Gale Ranger. Her hair was hidden by the light brown cap she wore, immediately informing the man from which branch she came.
	"Lieutenant Amanda Red," she continued, introducing herself with a salute and then a shake of his hand. "I'm here on behalf of Major White and Watcher Clerk who are overseeing the current situation here in Lavaridge."
	She seemed insistent, optimistic he would be impressed by her ability to throw names at him.
	"They are hoping residents and bath owners allow as many victims of the Mauville Incident as they are comfortable housing. Any and all expenses will be covered by the Rangers and Fairfax Corporation. May we add you to our list of temporary hostiles?"
	It would have been entirely unusual for him to have not already allowed some of the victims into his bath for shelter. It would have been even more unusual for him to decline the direct request. Regardless, the Rangers needed these formal processes to take place to keep as much order as possible in a time of such distress.[/quote]

[b][u][center][h2]Outside Petalburg City[/h2][/center][/u][/b][quote]	The heavy and tentative footsteps from the kitchen indicated his father and Mr. Kurin had come in for lunch. Jerrek finished the set of dumbbell flies so he could shower off and join them. He only put on his shorts before going upstairs when he'd be coming back down to finish his routine. 
	Ro and Ellie were finishing up setting the table by the time he'd made it up to the kitchen. Jeanne popped open Double Hoppips for Rai and Forrest to have with their meals. Ellie poured some Moomilk for herself and her siblings while Jeanne made herself a glass of wine to follow up the one she drank while preparing the lunch. She'd hadn't quite gotten over the stress of the Mauville Attack and the state in which her husband still suffered.
	Bouffalant steak and Moocheese hoagies were made for the men while the children voted for macaroni and Moocheese with Tamato soup and grilled Moocheese. Jeanne elected to have a salad, loaded with all kinds of vegetables from their garden, a sprinkling of Moocheese, and a whole Blaziken breast hidden in there somewhere.
	"[color=forestgreen]So,[/color]" Forrest started after sipping at his beer and still having a full mouth, "[color=forestgreen]Rai, here, is from Olivine. Made me think we should vacation there sometime this summer. Visit some of my family and stuff...[/color]"
	Jeanne voicelessly agreed. Shelly almost shouted "[color=ec008c]Auntie Vee![/color]" with the brightest excitement. Forrest chuckled and Jerrek agreed, though he was more fond of Uncle Caleb. "[color=forestgreen]Most of my extended family is in Johto,[/color]" Forrest clarified.
	Forrest offered seconds to Rai when he got up to get himself another hoagie. He also brought over two more beers for them, though, without asking. All the children, save Shelynn, Also had seconds. By now, Jeanne was starting to do the dishes with the help of Forrest's Masquerain and Shiftry.
	"[color=forestgreen]You finished your workout?[/color]" Forrest asked Jerrek as he laid back in his chair.
	"[color=firebrick]Almost,[/color]" the boy said as he drank the rest of the Tamato soup directly from the bowl. "[color=firebrick]Hey, Dad, could you spot me for my squats?[/color]"
	"[color=forestgreen]Sure thing, bud.[/color]"
	"[color=firebrick]Could I practice with Kangooroom, after?[/color]"
	"[color=forestgreen]If he's up for it.[/color]"
	"[color=firebrick]Awesome,[/color]" Jerrek said with a wry smile.
	"[color=forestgreen]Why don't you come down with us? There are some exercises and stretches I could show you if you think you're up for it.[/color]"
[center]----------[/center]
	The cement stairs went down to the basement farther than one might expect. The ceiling was ten feet high, two feet higher than the other two floors of the house. The stairs cut the room in half and followed the back wall to the left. 
	This side was the personal gym, though looked like a small public one. Barbells, dumbbells, and other free-weight systems filled racks and were placed in stacks against the walls covered in charts and diagrams. On the side wall, between Jerrek's and Elizabeth's charts for routines and progress were diagrams explaining certain basic exercises and describing various alternatives. Forrest's was on the front wall where the passage to the other half of the room was and easily twice the size of the children's. Similar diagrams filled up most of the rest of the wall on either side of it.
	Forrest walked through some easy exercises and stretches for Rai while Jerrek set up a barbell for his squats. Forrest spotted him while directing and assessing Rai. He'd done plenty of work as both a physical trainer and a physical therapist, and it showed.
	Jerrek forsook showering again since he was going to go outside to "play" with Breloom. Forrest just knew he'd return covered in dirt and some blood (if he did it right). 
	Once Rai was finished the exercises, Forrest took him into the other side of the room, which was cleared, save four yoga mats. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors covered the side wall and four shower heads came out of the back wall. This explained the reason for the ventilation system in the ceiling as well as the rubber mat floor from wall to wall. There were two drains in the floor and some hooks on the wall that made up the stairs. Forrest offered Rai to shower off after, not really taking into account that there were no dividers or curtains.
	But while Rai worked on his poses and stances, Forrest set himself up for 300 lbs dead lifts. Despite being 100 lbs less than usual, he still struggled through the spasms and cramps in his left bicep and right trapezius and obliques. He then joined Rai in yoga, though doing stretches and poses relavant to himself, and then went back to do barbell curls, shoulder presses, and sit-up variants. He ended with pull-ups and then showered off to rest for the day.
	Forrest invited Rai onto the front porch to relax in the shade. He filled a cooler with ice and stuck several beers into it and making them stick up. That, with a box of cigars with a lighter and cutter, he headed for the porch.
	To his delight, Jeanne was in a rocking chair with knitting needles between her fingers, working on a sweater for Rowan. Forrest stepped next to her and kissed the top of her head with a deep inhale. She paused briefly in acceptance but just continued on with her knitting. He went toward the other end of the porch and sat on the bench he'd made before Jerrek was born so there'd be enough room for the cooler and cigar box on the side table next to him. He cut a cigar and offered it to Rai before preparing one for himself. He then opened a beer, offered, and then opened one for himself. He puffed and sipped and sat in silence as Jeanne focused on her knitting in silence.
	The slight breeze was constant and cool. The humidity was tolerable and the clouds skated across the sky, moving into constantly-changing shapes, ambiguous and natural. The faint yelps and screams of delight echoed around the house and against the trees. Otherwise, the silence of nature filled all their sense. It was a time of meditation and reflection. It was clear why someone would spend the time and resources to live out here. The Petildale Forest was tranquil yet wild, peaceful yet chaotic, as only nature could be.
	"[color=forestgreen]I'll take you into Petalburg tomorrow so you can get some new clothes,[/color]" Forrest said without the courtesy of offering. "[color=forestgreen]Looks like it's been a while since you've gone shopping for 'em. I'll stock you up with traveling gear so you're ready when your body's ready,[/color]" he continued in a soft jest.
	Jeanne gave an unapproving eye toward them, knowing full well what they were planning but submitting to the fact she held little authority over his stubbornness. However, she knew they both held a stubbornness the other couldn't tame. It certainly made for some interesting times, and still did.[/quote]