[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/HCi8r3c.png[/img]
[b]Interactions:[/b] Himaru Tamaki* ([@LostDestiny]), Caspian du Thane ([@Double])[hr][/center]

[color=a187be]“You are new here, you know nothing about who any of us actually are."[/color]

That wasn't a mere exaggeration; it was a bold-faced lie. Even with those few seconds she spent out there, Shaakira could gauge a lot from everyone that was around her at that time. True, it was in the midst of battle, where push would more often than not come to shove, but she still had plenty to go on nonetheless. From her experience, people would rarely, if ever, change from their ways that from which they'd been set. It was just a matter of figuring out what those ways were right from the start.

[color=91ffc6]"You can tell a lot from one's first impression, y'know,"[/color] Shaakira tried to tell the woman before she left.

Come to think of it, Shaakira's [i]own[/i] first impression left a little to be desired as well. Here she was, thinking she'd done the right thing all along, but yet somehow she made two enemies out of her actions. That alone was enough to temper her faith.

Shaakira looked back towards the Alpha Persian's corpse for a moment. Something was off about that whole battle, she was sure of it. Surely that Pokemon had to know it was being overwhelmed, and it had to have had some form of self-preservation. So why did it keep attacking, and leave its fate to those who would fell it? Shaakira would have to get another perspective from someone else that participated in the fight. But not now; it was still too soon. Shaakira turned back to face Akeeta.

[color=91ffc6]"Let's just go back inside,"[/color] she told it.

...

Sure enough, morning struck. Shaakira opted to skip breakfast this time around. She had too much on her mind to be in the mood to cook anything, and she didn't want to spend money if she could help it. She considered opening shop but, knowing her product, it was a little early to be expecting customers to show up. So instead, she browsed the marketplace to see what Saffron Village had to offer.

Shaakira found herself at a coffee shop. It didn't seem all that out of the ordinary in its own right, but then Shaakira noted the man behind the counter... and seemingly recognized his face. He was one of the rightful passengers to the ship that Shaakira boarded to get to the Kanto region, and wound up stowing away on all that time. But that had to have been more than a couple years ago by this point in time, and Shaakira was a child back then. [i]Surely[/i] this man was unlikely to remember seeing her in return... right?

Deciding against hedging her bets, Shaakira instead chose to greet the man like she would any other shopkeeper.

[color=91ffc6]"Hi there. Can I have a cup of the house blend, please?"[/color] she asked.