"It's nice to meet you," Michael said.
"It is, isn't it?. You take good care of Niccia, you hear? I will lift you up by your ears and throw you in the sea if you hurt her."
"Okay," Michael replied. "I will keep that in mind." A smile broke through. "It's good to see Niccia has such a good friend." He turned to Niccia. "Right?"

Benny nodded to Li, turning his face to the shadows. Right now he didn't spot anything, but he believed Li had seen something. Maybe it was worth keeping an eye on. With everything that had happened so far, it was better to be safe than sorry.

[hr]

"I see," Andy said. "Sound like family. Or colleagues at work. There are always some you like to hang out with, others you'd prefer to ignore. And there are those you only see once a year." He looked at Varina as she poked her head out of the keystone. "Have you been in contact with Niccia or Gavin lately? My nephew crossed their path and now they're travelling together." He had a smile on his face. "I guess enjoying the company of a legendary Pokémon in human form runs in the family, but I'm certain I met the prettier one."

Kim returned the smile when she saw Varina, but looked at Andy when she heard his final sentence and sighed.