Devi Ravi is sitting on the PokéCenter's platform in Togi's treetops, looking down at the shadow-obscured, muddy paths below, elbows rested on her thighs, hands dangling limply from her wrists, slouch marring her usual energetic air. There's a light drizzle playing over the leaves right now, providing a soothing swell to the background noise of foliage in the light breeze.
She'd been to the PokéCenter often, of course, but the cause for today's visit was, of course, unique, and the change made her uneasy and restless, though neither emotion had much chance of wrestling to the forefront of her mind. Instead, she sat there, thinking about Dejan, putting off heading home in favour of raw existence. But it's still home, even here, Togi, that tiny blip on Sehto's map, and the ache isn't greatly reduced just because she's outside her house. Time was supposed to heal all wounds - when was she going to start feeling that effect, exactly?
A young man, perhaps a few years older than Devi, rounds the corner of the PokéCenter, the gentle sound of boots on wooden planks the only warning of his arrival. He's about halfway to the door before he notices Devi, sitting near the platform's edge, gazing down at the ground below. His footsteps slow to a stop a short distance from the door.
He hesitates.
A couple weeks ago, he would've passed by such an odd sight, content to go about his daily business, his concern for others not quite strong enough to overcome his shyness. But then again, a couple weeks ago, his best friend, and that girl's brother, was still alive. A very significant part of him still wants to walk on into the PokéCenter, take care of Jakuth's injuries, and go on with his day as if he'd not seen her here. That part of him wages an inner battle against his concern for her well-being that lasts for almost a minute before finally, barely losing out.
A few moments later, Batsen Reshigah has found a place to sit next to Devi. “Hey,” he offers her in greeting, minimalistic and open-ended. The conversation ball is in her court now; what she does with it is up to her.
For a moment, it seems like she might not have noticed him, staring down at the forest floor a bit longer - the with considerable lag brings her head up to glance at him with casually disaffected air. That's all there is for a further moment, before she nods a greeting, then chains a verbal response onto that: “Hi, Batsen.” The inside of her lower lip finds itself trapped between her teeth, distorting her expression subtly - then it pops free and, perhaps driven by an instinct that didn't want to be confronted with a question like 'How are you holding up?' nor bother the other with the same, she says: “Have you ever…. dreamt of travelling before?” Her tone is casual, but her underlying grief is apparent in her body language, answering the more socially obvious question implicitly: She's not holding up that well.
Batsen's hands fish into his jacket pockets during the awkward moment of silence after her greeting, right hand tightly gripping Jakuth's pokéball in attempt to dispel some tension. Should he say something? Should he ask how she's doing, or would that just make things worse? Should he just stay quiet, or would that just seem callous?
Thankfully, it seems Devi's made the decision for him. The question catches him by surprise, and it takes a few moments for him to fully process it. “…Aside from visits to Kethi and Njoty?” he asks; a moment later, he renders the question rhetorical with a light shrug. “I guess it might be nice to travel around Sehto. Maybe even visit other islands.” Another long pause, but he decides to break this one first: “…are you thinking about taking a trip somewhere?”
For a moment, she's looking at him as if a part of her were lost with the train of thought she herself started, then her gaze drops again, loitering on the ground so many feet below. “Maybe the gym circuit,” she offers, albeit not entirely with conviction, simply as the most obvious form of travel, complete with checkpoints and scenery. Of course, though, that's not the core of the issue. Her fingers start to knead into each other idly. “I think I need some time away,” she reasons. “From all… this,” she adds, gesturing with her right hand at the treetop settlement, a hint of hollowness in her voice. “Before I go insane.” The reason might be unstated, but it could hardly be any more obvious if she'd spoken it aloud. If he's reading the subtext right, she's asking him to come along, at least for a while, perhaps not comfortable with the idea of travelling alone.
Batsen briefly adopts a sceptical expression. She's considering doing the gym circuit? That strikes him as a bit reckless, even for Devi. Gym battles were serious business, given the rumors he's heard - nothing like the occasional friendly duel he and Dejan used to have. That thought brings with it a pang of sharp sorrow that he can't quite manage to disperse - he'd never get the chance to have another pokébattle with his best friend.
Batsen turns his eyes back to Devi as her words filter through to his consciousness, unaware that his gaze had drifted floorwards. His lips pull taut, teeth pressed against the lower lip, an empathic sadness lingering in those pale blue eyes before he turns his gaze away, holding himself back from tears. “I certainly understand.” …If there's a layer of subtext where she's asking him to come along, either he's ignoring it or, more likely, he's simply not picked up on it.
For a long, awkward moment, she's silent, gaze deliberately elsewhere. Then she exhales thinly but audibly, pressing her lips to a thin line for a moment, only to glance up at him with the barest hint of a plea in her eyes. “Just somewhere else for a while,” she says, hint of a shrug touching her shoulders. “The gym circuit has the benefit of being fairly self-sufficient for travel, I think,” she reasons, though it's half-hearted. The real reason it's starting to grow on her is simply for the degree of focus she'd need for it - the more she had something to focus on, the less space was left in her head for grief. “Or make friends in Ehqaj and chart Roaring Hollow,” she adds idly, indirectly revealing her unspoken thoughts. Then, a pensive pause later, she's raised her gaze back up to Batsen, looking at him as if he were the only authority on the matter. “If I went… just travelled in some form… would you… come along? For a while?” She doesn't sound like she thinks he'll be jumping at the opportunity, but it's still clearly a heartfelt request.
The question drags Batsen's gaze back to Devi's face, and another bout of tension floods into his fingers. She wants him to come with her? He's not really sure how he feels about that prospect. On the one hand, he likes it here in Togi, and he's resistant enough to change that he's tempted to refuse. On the other… she's asking for company, and given everything she's been through lately, he certainly doesn't want to deprive her of that. And maybe travel would be a good idea - help dispel this grief and the surreal emptiness that's suddenly gripped his life. “…if you want me to, I'd be happy to,” he finally replies. “When were you planning on going?”
The way her gut wanted to respond, sitting here on her own, irked by the idea of heading home to greet her parents, was 'right now', but that was regrettably implausible, with neither of them having packed even the lightest bags for travel. That she was considering that phrase - 'right now' - at all outright worried apart of her, since it was certainly a level of desperation someone called Devi Ravi shouldn't be experiencing.
Cautiously, she straightens her spine from its slouch, sliding her hands up to rest on her thighs near her knees. “Whenever I've packed,” she offers, smiling in an attempt at humour, but the intended emotion lost given the bit of strain necessary to invoke it. A different part of her offers 'Whenever you're ready; I don't want to travel on my own,' but her consciousness baulks at the last part of the statement. She's not exactly famous for needing company.
A chuckle escapes her. “I make it sound like some grand adventure,” she dismisses. “Maybe I'll just spend a few days in Njoty and come back down.” It's slightly self-deprecatingly spoken. “I don't know,” she concludes, then glances back up at him with a hint of a plea in her otherwise curious expression.
A bit of Batsen's tension dissipates. At least now she sounds a bit more like Devi than she did moments ago. “…give me a few days to get some things packed?” he offers. “I'd like to be prepared just in case it does turn into some grand adventure,” he adds a moment later, trying to inject what humor he can into the situation.
“It's not a grand adventure if you can prepare for it,” she counters with a fake gravity to her voice, glad for the tinge of humour to anchor to, glad for the opportunity to expand it, however fleetingly.
An unfortunately weak but sincere smile creases her lips. The pause that lingers communicates the conclusion for her: 'Take all the time you need,' bridging the to her next spoken statement: “Thank you.” There's humility in her tone, though the framework it's set into assures it's the only sign of it that he's likely to see for a while.
Her hands fold against each other tightly, product of her tension - and then a slightly awkward silence descends, albeit filled with a mutual understanding. The obvious way to disperse the silence was to ask 'What do you think your family is going to say about this reckless and foolhardy plan?', but the answer was obvious: They would be to equal parts displeased and encouraging, former because of the safety of family, latter because insanity was Togi's calling card and this was a great if ironic way to prove they well and truly belonged into this group of settlers. Formally, it hardly mattered.