Drew Abbes
Natural Order Rally, Hau’oli City
Affected RP’ers: Possibly @Winter, Fellow rally attendees

It had been a while since Drew had been back to Hau’oli. They didn’t avoid the city despite having grown up there; they avoided it because they’d grown up there. It wasn’t exactly the worst place in Alola to be, but there were a lot of bad memories attached. Drew knew it was improbable, but every time they came here they worried that their parents would catch sight of them.

They ran a hand through their hair, where they knew that a purple streak cut through the black. They probably wouldn’t even recognize me, Drew thought. It wasn’t the nicest thought, but it was reassuring.

Besides, no one would be able to pick them out in the massive crowd that this rally had drawn. They’d had a hard enough time flagging down a flier with their ride pager, and squeezing through the crowd now wasn’t much fun either. Having Ikika with them complicated things, too - they held hands, and getting separated wasn’t too much of a risk given Ikika’s telepathy, but she was effectively another person that had to fit through the press of bodies.

Drew just hoped that no one would give them any trouble where Ikika was concerned. If anyone gave them trouble for having her out, they weren’t above claiming she was a service Pokemon - Psychic-types were known to be good for seizures, which was Drew’s usual claim - but they didn’t have the documentation to back it up.

The boy was so subtle they almost missed him, but unlike with Drew, the purple beneath his hat seemed to be in all of his hair, which was a little less than inconspicuous. More interesting, though, was the hourglass pin stuck in the hat. He looked like he was looking for something - there was purpose in his gaze.

<Ikika,> Drew thought, <You see the boy I’m looking at?>

The Hypno turned minutely even as Drew looked away, turning their gaze back to the mass of people. It was rude, and suspicious, to stare. <I see him. Hourglass pin, right? You want me to make sure that he’s legitimate?>

<Please.>

There was a brief pause, no more than a few seconds. Unless she had a very, very good reason, Ikika was never terribly thorough with her mind-reading. She and Drew both agreed that it was an invasion of privacy that should only be reserved for emergencies. Then she spoke. <I think he is okay,> said Ikika. <Searching, suspicious, a little disgusted. Here for a purpose, a reason. He has distaste for the Natural Order and he is looking for others like him. Approaching him would not be dangerous.>

Drew shook their head on instinct, then realized what they were doing and hoped no one had seen them shake their head at nothing like a doofus. <Not yet,> they said. <I want to hear the Natural Order make their case first. Just because he disagrees with them doesn’t make him right. And if he’s looking for people, he’s not going anywhere. We can talk with him afterward if need be.> Drew looked around at the NO uniforms scattered through the crowd, trying their best to keep thing organized. <When the speech starts, can you tell me if they’re lying?>

<It’s not always that simple,> said Ikika, <but I’ll do my best.>

<That’s all I can ask.> Drew stood, making sure to keep the hourglass boy visible in the corner of their eye. <Let’s hope this doesn’t all blow up in our faces.>