Carnivorous? Plants? [QUEST/Elinda]

We're painted red
to fit right in

Elinda could not have been happier.

Having set out from Cygni her tour of the Stellara region was already going very well. There were very few Steel types that Elinda had not trained at some point in her life before, and Ferroseed was one of them. Lo and behold, only an hour or two after arrival and she'd managed to acquire one, without battling no less. The new addition was only with her and Beldum until they reached the mountain range to the north, and that was a promise that Elinda intended to keep. She had no idea how the little Pokemon had wound up in the city outskirts but it definitely knew the place by the map and pictures Elinda had shown him. That aside, though, there were other things that she needed to handle first. Ferroseed knew she'd been honest in her intent to keep her word, so he was willing to wait.

Less patient, though, was her client.

It wasn't anything that Elinda hadn't done before. Favors tended to be how you made your way in the world when money wasn't readily available or in short supply... that, or if it wasn't what you cared about. One favor tended to earn another, and before long that acquaintance passed your name to another acquaintance and then it became a friend of a friend of a friend needed something and you happened to be on hand and able. For most people that would've been something of an inconvenience, especially when the favor in question happened to be on the other end of the region from where you were intending to go. Elinda, however, had all the time in the world, and jobs like this were her lifeblood. Pokemon were much like people in that they needed experiences of many different kinds to learn and grow, and if someone was asking her to do something unusual Elinda wasn't going to turn them down. At least within reason. Maybe. Really, more depended on the mood Elinda woke up with that day. More importantly, though, she wouldn't be alone for this job.

"Hope you haven't been waiting too long. Set and ready to go?" Elinda called out, finally reaching the end of the dense jungle path and exiting into a small clearing containing both the client's lab and the other trainer he'd apparently hired. The tropical climate wasn't anything the older blond was unused to - rather, she reveled in it, still clad in her black jeans and shirt with even her crimson coat worn over those, hands casually shoved deep into the coat pockets with Beldum hovering in just behind her shoulder. At a glance, though, the younger trainer was far less comfortable with the environment around them. Sweating and clearly uncomfortable, Elinda had to guess she came from a cooler part of Stellara or maybe even another region entirely. Kanto? Or maybe even Unova? At a glance she certainly looked like what Elinda had come to expect from city trainers, but at the same time there was a certain freshness about her. The girl appeared to be roughly the same age as her own son and daughter... a rookie trainer, perhaps? An odd choice with the warnings that Elinda had been given about the area they were going to and their client's refusal to retrieve the plants himself, but it wasn't the strangest thing the veteran had seen in her life.

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We're painted red
to fit right in

Oho? Not there early? Early enough to find a fair amount of discomfort in a short time, although Elinda wouldn't think to comment on the bit of sweat she saw on the younger woman's arms and forehead. Few people were well accustomed to this kind of heat and humidity unless you'd spent time living in it, and it took long enough to get out to the lab that Elinda would not blame people for that in the slightest. The sticky sheen of some kind of plant sap on the other blond's arm, though, nearly brought a slight smile to the older woman's face. Not here long indeed, but long enough to already have found a bit of trouble in her boredom, perhaps. That was half the fun of it, though - things got boring when they went completely according to plan. There were times for such things, yes, but life was about spontaneity, your ability to adapt. People got dull and quite often complacent without such surprises.

"A pleasure, Elinda Aspen. Beldum as well, although you'll forgive him for being a bit out of it. Not quite the Pokemon he used to be but working his way back up to it." Elinda replied, the smile she'd been suppressing before now freely spreading across her face as she approached the other trainer. She'd noticed the girl's glance to the Steel type floating back over her shoulder, although it was difficult to get much of a read on what was going through their head when they saw it. There was a flash of recognition to be sure, although Elinda couldn't say much more than that. People had always been something of an oddity to her in that regard - Pokemon were far easier to understand and get a read on, which was usually why she worked alone. With the rest of her team still back in Hoenn and helping family friends who needed them more than Elinda herself did, though, that wasn't really an option, at least in the here and now.

"So! Safe to assume that you know- oho!"

The words that had started to leave Elinda's mouth had been sociable enough, at least in the context of assuming that the other trainer knew why they were there and what they would be doing. All of that was abruptly cut off, however, as the other trainer took the opportunity to release one of their own Pokemon, and one that immediately claimed Elinda's immediate and undivided attention. Pokemon in general had been her lifeblood since she was a child, but even back then the blond had always held a rather distinct affinity and fondness for Steel types. Both of her starters had been, and the vast majority of her other Pokemon had been as well. One of which had been a Skarmory just as Honoka's was. A young adult from the look of it and obviously uncomfortable with the humidity, and Elinda could immediately see why. Most Skarmory people encountered tended to be battle hardened, experienced, and it showed - Steel types had a habit of picking up dings, dents and scratches all over their armored bodies as time went by. Elinda's own Aggron honestly looked a mess because of it. But not this one. Its feathers - for lack of a better word - were gleaming, immaculate. Either it didn't battle, or far more likely it had recently been through its annual molt, shedding its damaged steel plumage for a fresh coat within the last few days or weeks. At a glance Elinda could immediately tell that it hadn't fought since then, nor had it done anything else that might mar its new reflective silver coloration.

"Hey, there. Who's a pretty bird?" Elinda said, taking just enough steps to place herself within half a meter of the Flying type, close enough to get a good look at it but without violating it or its trainer's space as the older blond squatted down to place herself at eye level with the Skarmory.

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We're painted red
to fit right in

"Aha, friendly one, aren't you? Can't reach back here, though?" Elinda continued, very much pleased by Skarmory's reaction as the bird closed the remaining distance between them. Given the Steel type's willingness to approach and apparent good mood the blond didn't hesitate to reach out, hand brushing over the horn atop Skarmory's head before slipping back to scratch under the lower ridge behind it. Not a place that they were normally able to reach while preening and cleaning themselves, and something she'd found them to enjoy in the past. Skarmory, for its part, seemed more than pleased by the greeting and attention, metal beak beginning to lightly fuss around with Elinda's hair. All things considered it was a very successful greeting and first impression, and it was good feeling to know that she hadn't lost her touch with Pokemon of her favored type.

"Oh, of course she's well behaved. She's a good bird, can tell she cleans up and everything. Humidity's not that bad, either, just need a bit of oil polish for that water, takes care of those nasty, unwanted scratches too. Isn't that right?" Elinda responded, completely unfazed by the attention Skarmory was giving her hair as she briefly directed her attention to the younger trainer before the last sentence was directed back at Skarmory again. Given her own experience with such Pokemon it only seemed right to share a bit of what Elinda herself had learned over the years in that regard, and if nothing else it would be a gift of sorts for the rare privilege of seeing a Skarmory with unblemished wings. And fresh molt or not, it took just as much effort on the trainer's part to keep them that way. While Elinda had never been particularly interested in Hoenn's regional Contests before she had lived in Lilycove, and had been quite friendly with a number of people who did bother to put in the time and effort needed for those. While her own attention was always going to be focused on her Pokemon's health and keeping them fit, keeping them happy was up there on the list of priorities, too. If the Pokemon in question liked to keep itself clean and proper, who was she to argue with that? Most of her own Pokemon couldn't care less as they'd come to love the rough and tumble of battling much as she had, but Elinda could see that this Skarmory at least cared enough to bother, and such information was a small price to pay for such a welcome.

What Honoka said next, though, immediately brought Elinda's attention back to the younger blond, red eyes settling on the young woman while one hand continued to rub and scratch at the back of Skarmory's head.

People were never a thing that Elinda had been able to read particularly well, she knew this and accepted it, but the words spoken by Honoka well and truly caught her off guard. That didn't mean, however, that Elinda wasn't intelligent enough to immediately gather several things from what was said. First and foremost... this Skarmory was a new capture, only recently acquired from the wild? With how well behaved it was she never would have assumed that, her own affinity for Steel types aside. Even the Ferroseed that she was helping get to the northern mountains and back home was rather wary of her. Not distrustful, exactly, but Elinda could only imagine what it would be like around other humans considering she'd spent hours trying to earn its trust. At the same time, though, the metal feathers on Skarmory tended to acquire scratches and dents rather quickly just through the act of flying and moving around unless attended to by both Pokemon and trainer to an almost religious degree. The fact that she'd had the Pokemon for any amount of time and had managed to prevent that kind of short term deterioration spoke very highly of Honoka as a trainer... no, those skills were more what one expected from a breeder, something Elinda knew well from her childhood. Given how much Skarmory seemed to appreciate this small amount of attention she was getting from Elinda the older trainer would've assumed the bird would be all over Honoka as well, especially if she had found it while injured and nursed it back to health as the second sentence implied.

"I- uh. That's a generous offer. Are you sure about that? Given enough time you could probably get along with her just as well, I've admittedly spent most of my life around Steel types so I've just got a bit of a leg up on that point." Elinda said, an awkward cough interrupting the first word. Elinda was no stranger to trades, but to simply be handed a Pokemon was something she'd come across very, very rarely in the past. In nearly all of those situations it had been a case of the trainer being unable to continue their journey for one reason or another - medical problems, simply too old or having grown out of it - but with Pokemon who would've been very ill suited to a sedentary lifestyle. Pokemon who still craved the thrill of battle much as Elinda herself did, and more often than not it had been a good match. Neither of those were the case here, though. Honoka was still young and able, and evidently very willing to be in the field and traveling as she was here right now. And Skarmory... well, the plumage spoke for itself. You didn't keep that kind of shine getting involved in fights, and from the sound of it the bird had a bit of history in that regard already. It was entirely possible that it wouldn't want to return to that kind of experience, something which Elinda and her partners lived for.

"And what about you, hm? What are your thoughts on all this?" Elinda continued, attention shifting back to the Skarmory, head pulling back from its beak to get a good look at the Pokemon's face. While most trainers often had the final say in trades, Elinda had never liked the idea of agreeing to such things without getting the input of the Pokemon in question first. It was one of those things that she simply didn't understand about the usual trainer mindset - they claimed their Pokemon were their partners more often than not, yet many were often willing to simply trade them away for a replacement without even consulting the beings in question. Living things that could think and were just as aware as their human partners were.

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We're painted red
to fit right in

That confirmed at least one of Elinda's suspicions, at least. Skarmory was indeed a new Pokemon for the younger trainer, although as Honoka nodded and began to detail the circumstances of their encounter it began to explain a great many other things in the process. She wasn't a city girl by any means as Elinda had originally believed, but rather it sounded like she'd come from much the same kind of family Elinda herself had. It was a story identical to her own in that regard, and although the older trainer had left home a goo deal earlier than Honoka had it was something that she could very much empathize with. Granted, it left Elinda equally curious as to why the younger blond had done so. Was it a craving for adventure, a life filled with spontaneity much as Elinda's own impulse had been? A belief that such a journey would make her stronger or her knowledge of both the world and the Pokemon she worked with more complete, with the intent to eventually return to the ranch she spoke of? Or some other means of transitioning to a different career path or life altogether? These weren't questions that Elinda had asked about people in a very, very long time, and even as she realized that the veteran trainer immediately killed the impulse to ask those questions.

That part of her life was behind her, and the less she meddled in someone else's affairs without them explicitly asking her to the better. Skarmory's response - an affirmative nod and what Elinda could only describe as a solid confirmation of Honoka's words - thankfully gave the trainer something else to focus on again.

"Rescues... I know what you mean, my own parents had a ranch, too. With how well you've done with this girl you may want to consider a career with the Rangers, though, you've obvious talent for fixing Pokemon up and it employs many of the same skills." Elinda murmured, placing a comforting hand atop the flat portion of Skarmory's head as she stood up again, clearly in thought. It wasn't a bad offer, and Honoka was indeed correct in her assumption that Elinda was well versed in the care of Steel types. They'd been a fair portion of her life, after all, and despite the friendly words spoken earlier it hadn't been a lie to say that the Flying type was indeed a good Pokemon. Well behaved, well cared for and honestly far better suited to a beginner trainer who needed all the help they could get - it was rare to find a Pokemon willing to go along with someone else's decisions without reservation or disagreement right after being captured, and it was one of the many reasons Pokemon received through trades were so hard for newer trainers to work with. At the same time, though, the Skarmory's own desires were crystal clear in this regard and there wasn't a reason to say "no" that wouldn't both be rude and made in Honoka's interest rather than that of the Pokemon this concerned.

"Alright. Can't say no when it's put like that, but I'll make a point to return the favor, even if it's just through advice. As for you, I just hope you know what you're getting into. We do a fair amount of battling - all I've ever really done since I was a kid - so it's only really fair you get warning in advance." Elinda finally said, the initial words directed at Honoka with the last sentence aimed at Skarmory, Elinda offering a few final scratches for the top of the Pokemon's head before returning the hand to her coat pocket. As Beldum dropped to inspect Skarmory up close from where his trainer's hand had been, a single blood red eye looking his fellow Steel type over, Elinda would return her attention once again to Honoka.

"Well, like I'd been saying earlier. Assume we both know what we're doing here? We'd better get moving, don't have all day to get this done and I expect it'll take a bit of time to do it right. The doctor wouldn't have hired either of us if it was going to be easy." Elinda continued, picking up on the original thought she'd first had when speaking to Honoka before. Whatever thoughtfulness there had been in her tone before was gone, however, and replaced with something very nearly approaching a note of excitement as the last few words were spoken. Casually continuing past Honoka, Elinda would begin to push her way into the dense bush of the rainforest beyond the clearing, Beldum quickly abandoning his inspection of Skarmory to catch up to his trainer.

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We're painted red
to fit right in

Honoka's response, frankly, was one that Elinda wasn't really sure how to respond to. It wasn't that she was unfamiliar with the idea of family obligations nor their expectations and the pressure that could place on a person. Quite the opposite, in fact, but the main difference there was that it had all come later on in her life. As a child and a teenager Elinda hadn't really had that, and the first instance someone really ever bothered telling her what she couldn't do was really the moment she stopped listening. Even then it was more a case of being told to wait until she was older and supposedly more capable, but Elinda's own life story was hardly a compelling case for someone who thought they should be listening to family. Granted, Elinda didn't believe it should be. People were only defined by themselves. Their decisions, their actions, their values, and self determination was always something that the older trainer would advocate. To suddenly define yourself by the needs and belief of another was to give up control of your own life, and that was an idea that Elinda honestly found nothing short of abhorrent.

All of that was kept to herself, though, as Honoka had merely made the comment in passing. With Beldum, Skarmory and Honoka all in tow the older trainer would continue to push through the dense underbrush. Casually pulling out her Nav and flipping to the map function as the younger blond directly addressed her with a question, Elinda wouldn't bat an eye as it was one of the few that she felt perfectly comfortable answering about herself.

"Oh, you know how it goes. Friend of a friend of a friend of a friend and I happened to be in the area. Well, sort of. Was admittedly heading north but I had time on my hands and it seemed like a good distraction." Elinda answered, voice light and casual again as she replied. The funny thing was that her explanation wasn't really all that off, either, nor was it an exaggeration. The only thing that Elinda failed to mention was that her favors usually came with a string attached in the sense that the trainer expected such generosity to eventually be returned in kind. It wasn't often that Elinda actually called on others in such a manner, but when she did it was usually because she needed it. Eyes still on the Nav, the trainer was watching the mark denoting the electronic's location slowly close in on the point she'd marked earlier, supposedly the place where their employer normally went to gather the herbs he needed.

"So, goes both ways. This seems like an odd job for you to take on between taking care of Skarmory and those earlier family obligations. Leaving home is one thing, taking on work like this is another." Elinda continued, and although there wasn't a spoken question in her statements it was certainly an implied one.

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We're painted red
to fit right in

So not nearly as bad as her own family, although Elinda could still relate in so far as resenting the idea of authority went. Something of an odd contrast, though. All her family had told her to do was wait a couple of more years until she was the same age her brothers had been when they'd left home as trainers, and her response had been to steal an egg and a Pokemon when she took off from the ranch without telling anyone and then leaving the region before they could figure out what happened. Honoka's family was, by contrast, far more controlling but her response had been.... well.... relatively tame by comparison. At least barring thefts and arguments that the younger trainer hadn't elaborated upon, but then again she seemed to have left home at nearly twice the age Elinda had and she supposed that came with a certain degree of additional maturity. Then again, different circumstances aside they were simply different people. Elinda was well aware that she wasn't what most would refer to as "normal", and while she was perfectly happy with that the woman also recognized that her view of the world and what was acceptable tended to be a bit warped when compared to that of others. Still, all of it amounted to little more than idle musings - it was Honoka's next comment that brought Elinda's focus back to the present.

"Oh, they're here. We might not see 'em but they see us. They're as much a part of the forest as the plants are, keeping hidden isn't too difficult for them." Elinda replied, although she did have to take note of how quiet it was now that Honoka had pointed it out. It wasn't silent and there were definite signs of life aside from what the older trainer could instinctively pick up on, but the younger blond was correct in that it should have been quite a bit noisier - they should've been surrounded by the chaos of life this far in. Given what they were here to do and what the Nav told her, though, Elinda's conclusion was a fairly simple one. They were getting close to their goal, and depending on the kind of Pokemon that was at their destination it'd make sense that the rest of the forest's inhabitants might want to avoid attracting the attention of whatever that was. Slowing her pace, Elinda finally came to a pause as a particularly thick layer of brush prevented immediate passage forward. Raising a hand and motioning for Skarmory and Honoka to come to a halt as Beldum looked over the barrier of vegetation, Elinda would lower her stance and creep forward with as little noise as possible.

Hand reaching for the barrier, the older trainer made no attempt to push through it but rather shifted just a few leaves to the side - just enough to create an opening to see through without revealing herself in an obvious fashion. What lay beyond it was a clearing, massive in size and clearly a deliberate creation with a single large tree in the center, filtered sunlight streaming through the leaves above to paint the area with an array of gold and shaded green. In the center was their goal, the very plants they'd been sent there to find and clustered around the base of the massive tree... along with the thing they needed to get past. Resting right next to the plants and under the denser shade was a massive Pokemon, purple in color and covered in dented and scarred natural armor plating. The last time Elinda had seen a Drapion was back in Sinnoh when she'd first started out her career - few trainers had them and fewer still were able to control them. Not something they could fight head on or easily outrun on foot, and while the beast appeared to be asleep it'd be foolish to make any sort of assumptions.

_{"So, how do you feel about bugs?"} Elinda whispered, glancing back towards Honoka but always keeping one eye on the Pokemon beyond their cover.

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We're painted red
to fit right in

Times like this made Elinda thankful that she was careful about who she worked with. There were plenty of trainers in the past who would've either ignored her warning or decided to stroll right out and fight whatever it was anyways, and there was good reason that most of them weren't trainers anymore. Assuming they didn't wind up in the hospital, at any rate. And honestly, if they tried to actually fight here that was likely right where they were going.

"Drapion. Big, mean, very strong in the physical sense and they can take a beating. Poison and Dark typing despite appearances." Elinda replied, answering Honoka's question as succinctly and to the point as possible. The more she knew here the better - while Elinda had years of experience to call upon and had an idea of what they were dealing with it was a dangerous mistake to assume the same of her partner. That was only one part of the problem, though. The other was the Pokemon in the middle of that clearing. Connecting with a Pokemon that aggressive wasn't going to happen, and fighting it wasn't an option. Elinda didn't know exactly how strong it was, but Skorupi didn't evolve until roughly the same point that Metang did and that made it strong enough.

Any attempt at a head on attack was likely to end with all of their Pokemon knocked out - likely in one hit, maybe two if they were lucky - and them in the hospital if the Pokemon was feeling generous. Given how physically strong Drapion was all it would take is a single moment of anger or carelessness on its part to give them serious injuries. Fighting it also would risk damaging or destroying the plants they were there to collect, too, yet baiting it away was likely to be just as difficult with how fast Drapion tended to be. Between Skarmory and Beldum they had something of a flight advantage, but as Elinda went over potential scenarios in her head...

... no. It wasn't enough. Close, but not quite.

"Do you have any other Pokemon aside from Skarmory? What moves do they have?" Elinda continued, a pause filling the silence before she spoke again and glancing back to Honoka again as she did. They only needed that one thing, the one additional factor needed to push mobility into their favor without getting too close to the Drapion for it to attack directly. They'd get probably one solid shot on Drapion before things got nasty. Ranged attacks could be avoided easily enough if they used the rainforest for cover, but if the Poison type got too close there would be no dodging it. Although... as a thought occurred to Elinda, the woman paused again as she considered the additional idea. Honoka had been the one to point it out earlier, they shouldn't be the only ones in this section of the forest. Hooking a finger to Beldum, the Iron Ball Pokemon would blink before dropping down directly in front of his trainer before catching on to her idea, more through intuition and their mutual connection than spoken word. Popping upwards, the Steel type would quickly disappear into the dense leaves.

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