[color=D1D0CE]This couldn’t be happening. Sora’s expression said it all. He recognized her. Out of all places, out of all times of day, it just had to be [i]today[/i] and at [i]this hour[/i]. If it had been any other week, any other day, any other hour, then maybe they could have avoided each other. But no, it just had to be this way. Lumi’s eyes were locked on the wooden floor. Cash’s commands blurred into the background, and before she knew it, she was being ushered to a small meeting room with several other unfamiliar Pokemon. Rieka blabbered something excitedly, but even that didn’t register. The Poochyena stared at her, probably expecting her to say something, anything, especially about the very obvious Quilava that was to accompany them– but she didn’t say a word until they reached the meeting spot. 

The room was decently sized. Unlike the main hall, it was rectangular, with a large window that provided them with a view of Sunspear’s mountains and plenty of natural light. Lumi’s eyes drifted from the window and back to the main portion of the room. There were maps pinned to  the wall, and plants topped cabinets filled with drawers. She wondered what was in them. Her mind ping-ponged between possibilities. Failed expeditions? Lost expedition members? Maybe what happened in Ember Cave?

A shudder passed through her spine, and she felt Rieka’s fur brush against hers, but she shrugged her off and trotted towards the desk in the middle of the room. Leaping onto one of the wooden chairs, she glanced across a map of the local regions around them. A hum left her maw, and she raised her gaze to Sora. Her orangey eyes held no sisterly love towards him; she didn’t want the Pokemon around them to know that they knew each other. Their questions would undoubtedly lead into others, and then into others… and then…

[color=CD7F32][b]”So, what’s the mission?”[/b][/color] she asked with an uninterested flick of her ear. 

Rieka wagged her tail and flashed her fangs in a crooked grin. [b]”Ooo, is it gonna be an exciting one?! Are we traveling the depths of a cave, or maybe a forest, or maybe back towards the coast–”[/b]

Enya fluttered down onto the table in front of them before she delivered a slap to the back of Rieka’s head. The Poochyena yelped dramatically, sending a glare back at Enya, only to see her peering down at the map with an interested eye as if she hadn’t just thwacked her friend. Marlow quietly sat upon a chair next to Lumi and said nothing as his red eyes scanned the crowd in front of them.[/color]