Adventure didn’t take long to find them. In fact, it didn’t even have the decency to wait until they were out of the village. Rosalind hadn’t walked two steps when a voice stopped her. < Hey, you! > Starting, she glanced behind her. Nothing.

< Yeah, you, Miss Fashion Model. Up here. > Sure enough, perched in one of the trees along the sidewalk was a Starly. The bird was staring at her expectantly.

”Oh! Hi there.” “Fashion model”?

Ignoring the greeting entirely, the bird pressed on. < You see a Teddiursa anywhere around here? Round, grumpy, probably covered in cookie crumbs? > Her tone was light, but her feathers looked ruffled, and she was constantly shifting her grip in what seemed like impatience.

Rosalind barely had time to shake her head before Rockruff spoke up. < Well, actually, Teddiursa aren’t native to this part of Inset. You would be better off looking in- >

Starly cut him off with an irritable squawk, stretching out her wings slightly as if she were about to fly away. < I know that, freakazoid. I’m not looking for any old bear. I’m looking for mine. >

Rosalind could hear the dog grumbling about getting interrupted, but she ignored him for the moment, craning her neck to talk to the stranger. ”You lost somebody?”

Heaving a dramatic sigh, Starly slumped her shoulders. < Yeah, dude. I’ve canvased everything this side of Rigel looking for him. Not how I wanted to spend my summer, > she joked. But there was something strained in the attempt at humor. And now that she mentioned it, the bird really did look tired. Her crest was in disarray…and, um, was that blood on her beak? With a hesitant look to Rockruff (who was still sulking), she responded.

”Uh, are you okay? You have a little something…” She gestured at her lip.

A weird expression crossed Starly’s face for a second, almost like she was surprised that Rosalind would notice something like that. But then she laughed it off, shaking her head. < I'm fine. But I’ll be better when I find Saul. You’ve got to look out for family, you know? > Some of the levity (false levity?) drained from the bird’s tone, and it sounded almost like her voice was about to crack on the last word. Rosalind winced in sympathy. She’d been hoping she was done with crying people today, after what happened in the lab. Speaking of feeling tired, Rosalind could have gone for a nap after all those emotions. Part of her wanted to just leave the bird be and get on her way.

But that would defeat the purpose of what she was doing, she supposed. This bird was clearly in some sort of trouble, and Rosalind was meant to be in the help-giving business. So instead of excusing herself, she followed one of Althea’s favorite pieces of advice and asked another question. ”Family? A Teddiursa?” She almost laughed at the idea of a Starly and a Teddiursa being family, but she wasn’t sure the bird would appreciate that. So she kept her tone carefully neutral. But even still, Starly reacted more defensively than she expected, straightening up a little and frowning at her. When she responded, the quaver was still in her voice.

< Family isn’t just the people you share blood with, ya know. Saul’s the only family I have, okay? > As soon as the words were out of her beak, the bird leaned back with wide eyes, like she hadn’t expected to say so much. Feathers poofing in what must have been embarrassment, she sighed again. < But whatever. Sorry for interrupting you guys. I’ve gotta go. >

In the split second she had before the Starly left her life forever, Rosalind made a snap decision. ”Wait!” She held up a hand to stop the bird. Starly paused, her wings already extended to take off. (It looked like she was missing several pinions.) ”Um. Do you want help? Finding him, I mean?”

There was a long moment of silence as the bird appraised her, looking between the human and the Rockruff. (The latter had been keeping wisely silent after being shut down.) Eventually, she folded her wings again. < Man, you’ve got no clue what you’re asking, > she warned. < I think Saul’s in trouble. Mondo trouble. Break-your-legs-and-drop-you-in-the-desert kind of trouble. > She twittered as she said the last bit, but it was a bitter sound. And no-one else was inclined to laugh, either. The blood drained from Rosalind’s cheeks, and Rockruff’s ears shifted back, a “what in Arceus’s name did I just get into” look on his puppy face.

The girl took a second to swallow the dread in her throat, and forced a small smile onto her face. ”Well, we can at least take you to a Pokemon Center. If you need it.” This she said with a cautious look at her bloodstained feathers. Starly hesitated, and then returned the smile.

< Y’know, it’d be nice to lay low for a few days. Regroup. Dodge the black hats after my tail, > she responded with a lilt and a wink.

At this, Rockruff perked up. < What do you mean by black hats? Because technically, that term is used for people who hack- >

Starly cut him off again with a roll of the eyes and a chuckle. < I know what I said, short stuff, and I meant it. Don’t you have a car to chase or something? >

Rosalind covered her mouth with a hand as she snickered. Rockruff, for his part, looked deeply affronted. But Starly was looking more relaxed than she had before, and she counted that a victory. She just really hoped the bird was exaggerating about the amount of trouble she was in. But for the meantime, she rifled through her purse, pulling out a pokeball. "Okay, pretty sure they'll only heal you for free if you're registered to a trainer." She met Starly's eyes, who was looking suddenly uncomfortable. "So..."