Sloane Jackson & Dylan Thomas
Neutral, Affected & Task Force, Affected
Route 203 (towards Jubilife)
Affected RP'ers: None

The sun crept high in the sky above the two trainers walking slowly towards the looming city before them. One, a young man, was leading along the other, a young woman. The young woman was shorter than he but also seemed to have trouble walking, requiring help when it came to jumping the higher ledges. Several hours before the two had landed in Hearthome City following a long flight from Ecruteak City in Johto. They would have landed in Jubilife but for so reason or another that didn't work out so the two were forced to walk instead.

"Let's rest! Just for a little bit, please." Dylan Thomas squeezed his girlfriend's hand as she breathed hard. It was extremely hot out right now and the long walk filled with climbing and hills had not been kind to her bad knee. He knew she was hiding how much pain this was really giving her so he didn't dare disagree to rest. Dylan guided the young woman over to a nearby bench on Route 203 underneath one of the trees. Sitting down next to her, he wrapped his arm around her and gazed out over the pond nearby. It was a pretty sight in the natural sense. It was one of the things Dylan had always enjoyed about Sinnoh. He loved how Sinnoh didn't shape the land, but rather shaped with it. Sure, the other regions had this to some extent, but with cities like Goldenrod and Saffron, it was undeniable that Sinnoh was just different.

“How are you holding up? We’re almost there.” Sloane Jackson lifted her head from Dylan’s shoulder to look up into the young man’s eyes. He smiled at her warmly, triggering a similar response from her. It didn’t seem like that long ago they were camping out to catch a Spiritomb which ultimately caused this journey. Sloane didn’t really mind it, she enjoyed Dylan’s company. Sloane just wished it could possibly be under different circumstances. She knew Dylan was extremely busy due to the recent events that had plagued Sinnoh, and she had just made it worse by trapping them in a rift.

“I’m all right, I guess. My leg hurts but that’s not entirely unusual. That’s what you’re here for, and the stick.” Sloane waved her walking stick in the air for emphasis. “How much further?”

“Jubilife is just at the end of this route. Then we can take a break, get something to eat, whatever you want.” Sloane’s smile wavered as she caught on to what Dylan was trying to do. Sure, he was a gentleman, but he was also a very focused man when it came to his work. Under normal circumstances it would have been straight to the office without detours. He was either hiding something, or feared something. Sloane’s first conclusion was he was hiding something, but she had come to learn that Dylan was not one to hide things. She could tell, underneath his comforting exterior, Dylan was really nervous to head back to work, especially with Sloane along. If she had to guess, it was because he was not sure what was going to happen to either of them once they returned. For all they knew, they would be taken away and experimented on.

“Dylan… I get you’re nervous, but you don’t have to hide that from me.” Dylan’s smile dropped and he glanced away, knowing he had been busted. “I’m not opposed with getting something to eat and sightseeing a little, but we should head to the office as quickly as possible. It’s pointless to delay the inevitable.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Dylan said with a long sigh. He stood up and stretched, Sloane right behind him. It was not a long walk before the two entered Jubilife and began to search for somewhere to eat.