Something whispered through the mists, tugging at Solalon's attention as it passed, subtly different from the wind. With it came a scent of familiarity he couldn't quite place - like the memory of a good friend not seen for years surfacing moments before an unexpected reunion, nothing tangible, but somehow unmistakable.
The second whisper's a kiss of clarity. ~Sol.~ It's no a stray syllable, torn from its context - it's a greeting. Not far beneath the ruins he's perched on, a sleek shadow can just barely be made out through the fog, staring up at him with alien eyes. The lady from the crater's bowl, detached, surreal - and yet compelling as always. A thing to guard his mind against.
It's then that something else catches his attention, a slightly brighter fleck in the landscape beside her, a little more reluctant to take shape. …she's brought a human with her? The realisation sparks an inevitable spike of alarm and concern - if someone's managed, against all odds, to tame her, then nothing was sacred and he had to assume her at odds. If that's what he's witnessing, it's a dark day for his kind, indeed.
The whispered greeting pulls at Solalon's attention, dragging his gaze along the ground until it finds the piercing, alien gaze staring back at him, barely visible in the fog but undoubtedly there. ~Psynateh,~ he replies, a note of pleasant surprise in the mental reply, the faint glow emanating from the cream-colored Legendary's scales growing a bit brighter and warmer. A moment later, he spots the shape next to her, and a wire of tense concern spikes through him as he recognizes it as a human. Why would she have brought a human here?
The worst case scenario - unlikely as it may be - is that she'd been captured and tamed by this human. It was difficult to imagine, but then again, it was difficult to imagine circumstances that would lead to Psynateh bringing a human to Vereheq. If that were the case… He couldn't stomach the thought of battling her, but it might end up being necessary.
Eyes dart back and forth between the two figures in the fog, ultimately settling on his fellow Legendary. ~What brings you here? And who is this?~ he asks, gesturing with his muzzle towards the human. The tone is still friendly, but edged with concerned tension.
The human's attention is chiefly on the ground. After an unfortunate run-in with a small rock earlier, his right ankle was still aching a little bit, but it hadn't bent far enough to require serious rest. The rest of him was another matter. For some inexplicable reason he was wholly reluctant to express his discontent to a Legendary quite too loudly. It's right about now that he's had enough of his subservience in the matter. “I'm stopping, I need a rest and a drink,” he exhales softly and numbly, dragging the fleshy base of his left hand's thumb against one eyebrow to knead out the traces of a headache.
He's almost shrugged his bag off his shoulder when his de-facto captor barks into his psyche: ~Not now.~
His motion halts, all reluctance disappearing in favour of a shallow tinge of anticipation and unease. “…why?” he asks, softly. A moment later, slender raptorian claws have slid through his hair, grasping at the back of his skull, tilting his head up and forward. There's a glow above and ahead of them. For a long moment, the human forgets to close his mouth.
Psynateh's ignoring him, her focus on Solalon. ~I bring you someone you may desire to speak to. This one has settled in the cathedral on the rim. He believes himself the owner of it as a territory; he will be welcoming the humans that come there to battle.~
A gym leader - of all humans to bring to Vereheq, why would it have to be one of those poisoning human culture with their scorn and cruelty? And yet… he wasn't making a particularly aggressive impression. Maybe the effect simply stemmed from that he was evidently a young one, barely more than a fledgeling, no doubt awed by the sight of a Legendary and perhaps uncertain about 'his' capabilities to subdue one. Or maybe there was a genuine reverence somewhere in that dumb expression, a sliver of true respect… something about it was chipping away at Solalon's inherent unease, gently suggesting that trust may be an acceptable emotion, at the very least in small doses.
Psynateh, however, is not done. ~And yet, I… am unconvinced this is a human.~ There's a hesitance in her statement, incredulity entwined with something less tangible… is she spooked or thrilled by the prospect?
Solalon's features settle into a scornful grimace as his gaze focuses on the human Psynateh's brought him. A gym leader. The most dangerous variety of human, and the only ones for whom his opinions and those of some of his more militant fellow Legendaries agree. They're a poison to the human culture of the island, the greatest source of encouragement to the continued violent subjugation of pokémon. What on earth could he possibly have to speak to him about?
At the very least, this self-proclaimed gym leader doesn't seem to be initiating any aggression yet – though Solalon is still prepared to deal with a sudden change in tone.
Psynateh's second comment causes Solalon's features to wrinkle in confusion. She thinks he might not be human? ~What exactly makes you say that?~ he replies, taking a few cautious steps closer. ~What else would he be?~ he adds a moment later.
There's a sudden hesitance to her demeanour, as if there were something awkward about his question, and her muzzle gives a light avian bob. For a moment, there's a hint of fragility to her that he's never seen before, that crushing presence softened into something almost allowing purchase for empathy's grappling… then it's gone as she rights herself again and affixes her gaze upon him once more, evidently having decided on how to express her opinion. ~I am uncertain what else he can be, but his soul is too rich to fit a single human lifetime and absent of the telltale flavours of any recognisable tribe I have ever interacted with.~ Her gaze wanders to the human - who, left out of the psychic conversation, spawns a subtly nervous expression, willing himself to be still. ~Though he does believe himself to be human,~ Psynateh adds, as if afterthought, then drops her curious glare and anchors her gaze back toward Solalon, posture respectful.
✘ ABANDONED