absolute zero.

STUBBORN AS SHE WAS, EVEN SHE KNOWS WHEN SHE'S BEAT, or at least in this case. Thusly she does as instructed without much hesitation, pursing her lips awkwardly for a second before bringing the hot cocoa to her lips. It's sweet and aromatic, the flavor a warm contrast to the bitter air of the outdoors and the chillingly harsh words that Grusha was about to deliver.

To be fair, she could explain plenty more, but that would involve going into details that she figured would be too confusing and too much information to impart. As if trying to climb a mountain without the guidance of another wasn't already lacking enough sense, try explaining that you're from another world where rotomphones and big cities hardly exist!

'Lose that mentality.' It was hard to do so when reckless martyrdom was so deeply ingrained in her. It was even harder for her to do things for her own sake and not the sake of others. But, however hard it was to stomach their rebuke . . . Mari still managed to stomach it.

Wisely, the rider had kept herself quiet, rightfully shut up, schooled and embarrassed of herself. At least, Mari accepted that she very much should not try that again, especially if she intended to return home to her frightened loved ones eventually.

Little had she realized, that she had just taken one long sip, then parted the drink from her lips and stared into it thoughtfully as she was admonished. So, when Grusha finally recollects themselves, deciding to spare the girl from further tirade, Mari blinks almost absentmindedly.

"—Oh, me?" She looks up from her drink. "I-I'm fine now. Much better." A little beaten down and humiliated, but physically, fine. In fact, it was almost astonishing how quickly Mari rebounded without a pokemon's help. She takes another quiet sip of her drink, still digesting the words that were said to her.

tension within the gym leader's form further alleviates as the kid complies with their not-really-request, mug raising to her lips (repeatedly, even) to take in the drink which offered warmth, sweetness, and perhaps a touch of energizing sustenance. the subtle shift indicates their satisfaction, underscored by the loosening of their shoulders which had initially locked arms in place against their torso. "good."

grusha feels themselves faltering. they often do when interacting with those enrolled in the academy, or otherwise within the same agerange... their isolation had slashed their confidence in communicating with those much younger first & foremost.

"your pokemon fine?" eyes which had remained focused upon the teen's drink drift to the altaria warming up in front of the fire / providing a comforting hum quiet enough to have faded into the background in this short time, "even in their capsules they still have... awareness... of what's going on to some extent, remember."

as if to make a point, the gym leader unfolds his arms before slipping a hand beneath the edge of his parka & taking hold of the luxury ball which sat closest to his body's midline / holds it in an open palm, extended toward the teen. the cetitan within had already been facing the newcomer, ready to stare through the ball's semi-transparent top at the earliest opportunity.

"see?" they curl their fingers slightly and move; despite the ball's rotation on their palm, the cetitan within turns counter to it to remain facing the kid. "they just know, even if they can't see anything 'til you bring them out... 'm sure yours must've been concerned for you when you started to falter."

Some Grusha icons with the disability pride flag, Grusha is canonically disabled, he has a permanent injury

[ no slope ] fine fINE i'll watch the pokemon anime for the first time in over a decade For Them i'm normal

... 60 icons from the grand total of like

(checks notes)

31s grusha is on screen in that ep

the pokemon ? ( --- tsk . )

he nearly stubbornly announces himself as one , but the product of that might have turned into a disaster . needless to say he'd sooner test his own temper against the others' than bow his head and slink away , though throwing himself --- a borrowed body , into danger for particularly petty reasons wasn't at all a pleasant thought either .

' you've got someplace else that can keep out sub-zero degrees , then ? ' yeah , yeah , insolent and demanding and whatever , that was him . at least he had enough sense to know that when you wanted to kick someone out , you should've at least been able to provide another place for them .

a hand lifts & they point, toward the wall behind the stranger / further beyond, elevation signified with the angle of their arm. "pokemon center... it's not just for pokemon to rest up. there's couches and a particularly friendly - and tiny? - darumaka that can sit next to you and provide warmth."

the arm lowers, and they regard him with unreadable neutrality. "i'll escort you, t'make sure you get there unharmed."

he scoffs . his brows furrow with frustration . ' --- yeah , and it's all great and suuuuper comfortable , so what exactly's the problem ? '

ugh , fine , he'll sit himself up at least ! but that's only half any ousting endeavor ; the stubborn plant of his feet makes it clear he's still not keen on leaving . ' if there's nobody going to be around for a while , then that's just perfect . let me stay here just until then . what , are you the cleaner or something ? '

"being comfortable is the point, 'cause people get here after traversing glaseado... they need someplace warm after gettin' lost and nearly freezing t'death." obstinate pain in the --

"if nobody's going to be here for a while, that means the gym is closed. in other words, no visitors... just pokemon." the cleaner of all things! "i just happen to leave last and hold the key to the door. the pokemon within don't take kindly to strangers loitering after-hours. trust me, the glalie has a nasty temper."

silence .

his eyes are still shut .

then , muffled , the sound of his exhausted , not-all-too-pleased-to-be-suddenly-perturbed voice .

' --- what's a gym . '

( seriously? arceus be damned, apparently... )

"the arguably cozy place you're in right now. that fireplace providing warmth? gym. the plush gushions you're on? gym." they know it's appealing, but at the same time... no. they want to go home for the night.

Rika joins them this time ^__^

Well, that comment about her language got a snort out of her. So he did have a sense of humor, and Rika got it out of him. Good, that was one very tiny step forward.

"Not everyone may black out, but that doesn't mean other things haven't happened with the other Gym Leaders. I'm not in the habit of airing out that dirty laundry and I am pretty sure you of all people appreciate that."

And yes, she would sit down as she talked. It was a lot warmer outside and Rika did not bring her hat. Her hood was blown off repeatedly in the wind so she was a bit frosty.

"Exactly: you didn't intend to make trouble. That's what's important. You and the anxiety you have are two separate things: just because you have it, doesn't make it your entire you. We were aghast because you were having a medical episode and we didn't have all the tools to help. Trust me, Geeta was panicking about it after the fact for weeks. I appreciate the apology, you're forgiven for things outside your control. We're here to help you."

She was not going to talk about how close to smacking her boss upside the head she came. She was not going to talk about the amount of times that she got that close.

Rika puts her jacket next the fire - a very welcome heat compared to outside. She stretches out, ignoring the few bones that pop quietly in her back, and take off her League uniform gloves. As for the Pokemon invited in, well...

Sorry Grusha, hopefully your building is tall enough for her fifteen foot tall Rhyperior to sit in. Truckstop made a great snowplow but he did not like the cold. The massive sentient drill mountain gives Grusha a look, and a half wave before very slowly laying down on the floor. Taking up... a lot of space.

The woman looks towards him with a half smile. "I know you ain't much of a socializer, so I won't try and keep you long. Just let it be known so long as you want to stay with the League, I'm here to make sure your job is secure. You can keep trying to tell me otherwise, but I can out-stubborn you."

despite rika's words, there's a substantial doubt that exists within grusha's mind that anyone displayed the same level of ill ease with their assessment that they had. they all seemed to have something going for them, beyond being a gym leader… that's likely the source of comfort, by comparison. his mouth curves downward behind their scarf… they don't let it reach their eyes, and instead swallow any retort that had begun to form down like a pill taken without adequate water. they remain staring at the table, receiving her words without a single one uttered otherwise. the only response that comes from their side of the table is the occasional movement of eyebrows, or silent blink.

… until a rhyperior is released within the confines of reception.

eyebrows lift drastically, and they even lean away from the sudden appearance of the large pokemon only due to surprise. it wears off after a moment, their familiarity with towering monsters able to take place of the fact he hadn't expected such within his gym's lobby. certainly, they stand next to cetitan all the time. but usually the environment -- i.e. not here -- was more fitting to receive a behemoth.

even so, the space was sufficiently adequate to accompany the giant; grusha offers it a small nod before it takes its place on the ground, warming in flame's radiant heat.

"… bein' assessed yearly makes me feel like it's kinda not," the admission's mumbled, and though they return to their standard lean, eyes don't leave the rhyperior on the ground. "everyone else has something they do as well as being a gym leader… i don't. so if they flop in their assessment, they'll have that to devote themselves to."

hands curl into fists within their pockets, and with a sigh grusha's gaze falls to the table between them. "this is all i have. don't know what i'd do if i lost it."