Chapter 1: The Tower on the Cliff

Vess hiked her bag further up onto her shoulder as she walked up the cliff face to the lighthouse, her rough sweater flapping quietly in the wind. There was a distinct lack of a pokemon at her side, but she hadn't wanted to risk Citadel rolling himself right off the cliff and into the ocean, so he was currently safe, if not grumpy, inside his pokeball.

As she reached the lighthouse at the very top, she read the note posted on the door and narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. Great, other people.

Not particularly wanting to deal with being social at this exact moment, Vess turned away from the front door and wandered her way to the edge of cliff, standing perhaps closer than she should have, staring out at the ocean with a blank stare, her short black hair whipping to and fro in the wind.

Just the stupidity of her meeting the region's resident professor nearly caused her to turn around and head down the path, but... Well, her leads had dried up, and she was always particularly bad at doing absolutely nothing. So, when she received the invite, why the hell not, right?

At least the town was nice. The wind, the rain, the smell of the sea, it was all like home, but so much better. She stared out blankly into the wind, losing herself in thought as she enjoyed the misery of the day.

Benji walks happily up the hill, his eyes on the lighthouse on its top. Although the storm had quieted down and the rain had stopped, the winds are blowing strong and the air is humid and cold. He has been enjoying the weather for the last two days, despite most people around not being very excited about it. Even his yungoos didn't quite like the rain, hiding in its pokéball at the first signs of water. Right now, it sleeps cozily on Benji's hood, having refused to walk on the still-wet dirt.

None of it mattered, though. Benji understands not everyone feels the same about the weather, and he probably only likes it much because of his upbringing, but still. It's hard not to beam when his feet splash the mud puddles, until he remembers he has to enter the building and curses to himself, walking to a patch of grass to try and clean off his shoes. That's when he sees the girl by the cliff.

He takes a moment to watch her enjoying the wind before moving on. She didn't seem to be in need of help and it would be weird to just disturb her and her thoughts, so he just walks to the door and raises a hand to knock when he notices the note. He reads it quickly and frowns. He was not expecting more people, but he doesn't know the professor either, so it doesn't change much, right? He'll just have to try and be normal to everyone. That's cool.

He opens the door and enters confidently, hands in pockets and a smile on his face. Alas, as soon he sees the girls he immediately sputters: "I'm one of the invitees." He doesn't exactly yell, but the voice is loud enough that his pokémon wakes up with a small jump. The yungoos peeks around his dreadlocks and stays still, but Benji is already moving towards a couch to sit on and tries not to look as embarrassed as he feels, maintaining the grin that now just looks awkward.

Robin swings his feet down as he looks at the two newcomers - a unique pair, to say the least. Least I can get a good sense of 'em, he thinks - he isn't a mind reader by any stretch, but one doesn't last long in his line of "work" without being able to read people. Having such distinctive tones and appearances just makes things easier.

Still, it does raise the question of exactly why the four of them had been invited, as he could already tell they had little in common. Still, it was possible they had some idea and, if they didn't, it'd still be a good idea to learn what he could about these people.

Of course, he could just ask them directly, but where would be the fun in that?

Robin stands up, putting on a level, intellectual and slightly more male tone. "Ah, very pleased to meet you. I hope you won't think me rude, but may I ask what your areas of expertise are? I assume I am here for my knowledge of integrated circuitry - I certainly hope so, else I'm getting a refund for that degree - but I'm curious why he asked you here.

Benji listens to the first girl, unsure if he should smile at the joke when she suddenly introduces herself. Orianne, her name was, and she sounds... pleasant? Before he can give his own name, the other person speaks up. Benji thought it was a girl at first, but now listening to her-- his-- their voice, he isn't sure anymore. It's a little discomforting not being able to tell.

And whatever he was talking about, it was almost a different language. But just as he's about to blab his thoughts out loud, the door opens and the girl from outside joins them. He follows the newcomer with his eyes, his mouth still hanging open from almost talking, and watches as she sits down and basically ignores the group. It takes a few seconds for him to regain his composure, shaking his head and turning back to the girl-- guy?

"I have no idea what you just said," he says even after thinking about not telling them that. "I thought the professor just figured I was looking for him and invited me first. I'm Benji. And you haven't told us your name yet?" he asks, hoping it would help.

Robin sighs, her voice returned to her normal, androgynous tone. "You don't know why we're all here either, huh? Ah well, figured it was worth a try. And yeah, you caught me - I couldn't tell a circuitboard from a cereal box," she admits with a slightly affected shrug - she didn't think they had caught onto her deception yet, but it'd make them feel more secure to think she did. "I just figured there's gotta be some reason he wanted to see all of us and, well, he is a Professor and all, so some of you might have had something like that. Anyway, hey there," she gives a cheerful wave. "Robin Romano, pleased to meetcha!"

She turns to the newcomer. "How about you? You got a name or should we just call you "The Silent One"?"

Vess glances over at Citadel, and seeing him land spikes out sighs slightly. Now she had to apologize for that. She lightly taps his metal shell. "Hey, spikes in when we're not on dirt, we talked about this." The ferroseed immediately pulls the spikes in when he's told, but the damage has already been done. Great.

She then turns to look at the only one who addressed her, fixing them in her ever present blank stare. "I tend not to say anything unless I actually have something to say." The comment is definitely a little bit pointed, but not overtly hostile.

Vess then turns her gaze to the newest one to enter, Jean-Marie. Awkward, enthusiastic, doesn't look painfully rich... she fit into the 'Not Annoying category'. 50% wasn't bad, Vess supposed. "Vess. We were all just introducing ourselves, so you weren't interrupting."

Jean-Marie brightens at the warm reception, relieved to have a friendly interaction. "Ah, thank you! My little sister made it for me. It is still very warm despite my overuse. You are more than welcome to touch it!" She says, standing up and unfurling one end and extending it to Ori.

She turns back to Vess and Citadel, smiling at the grumpy thorn-boy. "I have a troublemaker of my own, although she dislikes being indoors. Your friend looks very sturdy!"

She looks around, noting the relatively unassuming surroundings. "Do any of you know where the Professor is? I do not mean to rush, I am very anxious to meet them."

Fortunately for Jean-Marie's anxiety, it is at this moment that a door at the back of the room opens up, and a young woman, around early twenties at your best guess, dressed in a heavy lab coat, steps through, awkwardly holding up a hand in greeting. "Ah, you're all here. My apologies for the wait, an experiment took a bit longer than expected and we needed to clean it all up properly. If you all would please follow me, the professor is ready to meet you all." 

She moves to lead you further into the house, before seemingly remembering something. "Oh, my name is Jasmine. I'm one of the professor's assistant." She motions for the five of you to follow, before leading you through a narrow hallway, with 3 doors on the left side, and a couple of windows looking out over the ocean on the right, to a door at the end of the hallway, which, from the rough idea of the dimensions of the building you all have, connects to the lighthouse.

The room she leads you in is full, with the left and back wall lined with bookcases, stuffed with books, gadgets, crystals, and a variety of  curiosities; the right wall has a single large window near the front of the room, a simple table with some odds and ends on it below it, the back half of the wall is blank, although a large, movable chalkboard is set in front of it, somewhat obscured due to its positioning, scribbled full with unclear writing. At the back of the room, roughly level with the chalkboard, stands a large, old fashioned desk, papers and materials neatly ordered. A comfortable desk chair stands behind the desk, and two simpler chairs in front of it. In the front of the room,  on your left hand, a small sitting corner is set up, with a couple of old-fashioned, large comfortable chairs and a matching couch. The centre of the room is conspicuously empty, barring a carpet laid out on the floor.

Behind the desk sits an old man, dressed in an old-fashioned dress shirt and slacks, looking at you intently as you enter the room. As you step further into the room, he rises from his seat, giving each of you an intense stare, seeming to look right through you as he goes over each one of you. As he finishes observing the last of you to enter, Robin, he nods once, as if mentally confirming something, before brightening considerably, the harsh lines of his face softening visibly, making him seem less like a principal you had displeased and more like a warm, if somewhat distant, grandfather. 

"My apologies for making you wait, and for having you trudge up here in this storm, though I'm glad all five of you decided to accept my invitation. I trust you have taken the time waiting to make each others' acquaintance, so no need to repeat any introductions from your part. My name, as I'm sure most of you are aware, is Aloysius Elder. I have invited you five here to make you an offer, a recommendation, and a request." He falls silent for a few moments, gauging your response, before walking out from behind his desk, heading towards the table underneath the window. "I'm the premier Pokémon Professor in this region, which comes with a variety of perks in regards to grants, access to research facilities and all such things. However, one of the more interesting perks is that it allows me to hand out trainer licenses to people without the usual costs and paperwork required to acquire one yourself." He grabs a cardboard box, and slowly walks over to your group. "Which leads me to my offer..." One by one, he goes by you five, handing each of you a simple plastic card, with your name, age, your ID photograph, and... "I have officially licensed each of you as a Trainer, with all the perks that that entails. Free lodging and unlimited healing at Pokécentres, ease of access to certain areas, major discounts on Pokéballs and instant medicine, and ease of access to Leagues in other regions." He sets the box back on the table and moves back behind his desk, awaiting your responses.

The professor blinks a few times in surprise, apparently taken aback by the sudden shift in topic, before chuckling softly. "I am aware, yes. Miss Wispwood's personal research focuses heavily on psionics, and as a result both she and myself regularly come in contact with a variety of psychic abilities. It's nothing to be concerned about, I assure you. That's a remarkable talent you have, mister Samsara. Not many are able to pick up on such things." His face turns serious, and he adds, in a cautionary tone: "Though in the future, it might be best to not immediately let on that you can sense such things. People less... knowledgeable than myself might not take to it so well."