This chapter is a bunch of time skips to the next tournament. I didn't want to drag it out so it's not as long as usual. We have gone through the Gen 1 storyline so we know how this part goes :)
Sweat rolls down Serena's face as she watches her father move around the ring. One week into training and she's barely getting the hang of it. Her sessions with him have been under the books, considering there's so much else going on and everyone's too busy thinking about the tourney to care.
In the basement of their home, Aaron has gone full coach and gets serious once she steps onto the mat. He's shown her the basic moves of disabling targets bigger and taller than her, and they've been reviewing them as she gets more comfortable with it.
She charges him without warning, managing to catch him off guard and slam a padded fist to his padded face. The hit stuns him, but in no time, he twists out of her range and puts her in a choke hold as if she were a mannequin.
"Good try that time," he huffs before letting go. "We can be done for today."
"O...K..." she pants and wipes off more sweat. "Good thing it's almost lunch time."
"Yeah, yeah," he laughs. "I'm going to be at the league for interviews the rest of the afternoon. Let me know if you want to practice again tonight."
"Sure thing," she nods while grabbing her water bottle from a bench. "Thanks, Dad."
"Of course, Sweetie."
Up the stairs, Serena smells the aroma of her mother's cooking and pauses to admire it. Her stomach growls loud enough to wake the neighborhood, alerting her to take a shower quick to pass the time until the food is ready. Lance will be over soon and she has notes from the day before she wants to go over today if there's time.
So far, he's transitioned well into her tasks. While he's doing his job, he's taken over planning for the tourney with Goodshow which means lots of phone calls and payments made to outside parties he's not used to. Also the online portal to submit applications and send to Elijah looks different than his Elite Four one, where he sends in his own paperwork. Though, he's not too familiar with his own already, and she rides not to focus on that part.
Feeling fresh and clean, Serena plops down at the kitchen island. Her mother slides her a plate of homemade fries, still piping hot, with a smile. The front door creaks open and Lance waltzes in with a tired smile on his face. Serena almost feels guilty but remembers that he won't always have this much work and he deserves to be a little overworked.
"Who did you interview today?" she quizzes as they get their food and settle back down at the island.
He dives into the interviews one by one. All sixteen got reinterviewed for their positions, with the exception of Koga. His daughter Janine interviewed instead and she seems like a promising applicant for the gym to get passed down to. Morty also interviewed instead of his father and she feels the same about him as well.
"Finally, everyone got cleared today," Lance sighs. "This looks to be your new lineup for leaders. Minus the eighth, no one has gone for that."
"Our," she nudges him. "As Fourth, you are in charge of these guys. They have to be comfortable with you if they're going to be asking questions, needing help or anything like that. Start seeing yourselves as on the same side. Even if they're going to be challenging you for your spot."
"Right, right," he nods. "This is our lineup. I like it. Gym remodeling is underway, the leaders were excited to have near free reign of the designs. The train is doing well, it should be done by the end of summer. The G-men won't be wrapping up their investigations for another month or so. But! They plan on making a public show about the new directors and signing with the League. They've also added in contracts with local police stations."
Serena beams at him. "I can't believe it's all coming together!"
"Yeah, I'm a little shocked how smooth everything looks now that I'm here and looking at it," he admits with a laugh. "I just had a couple questions..."
"Is it about the speech you have to give about the upcoming tourney?" she poses with a raised brow. At his meek nod, she laughs. "Give it here. Let's go through and I'll show you how to fluff it so people actually trust you."
OoOoOoO
"As we approach battling season, the league recently announced its plan to open the free for all for the entire tournament this year only! After the mess within their own, I'm sure this is a way to encourage trainers from all over to continue participating in the tournament and to restore trust on both ends. And I don't blame them, recent polls have shown a 30% drop in participating trainers in the past month alone! Seems like folks are still a bit wary about their safety while at the Indigo Plateau..."
Serena turns down the volume with a sharp sigh. The beginning of her birthday month isn't turning out as well as she would have liked. With recent announcements and polls showing a decline in participants, the league is scrambling to get trainer morale up. Lance has been trying to push for a mini competition to get trainers revved but there's no time.
Less than a month, they can't expend more money and resources to a mini tournament when this is their redemption tournament. Elijah is cooling the fires threatening their sanity by doing more public appearances and being as transparent as possible about what happened. So far, there haven't been riots about the G-men or Serena's projects, that's a plus in her book.
She takes a sip of tea and glances down at her travel book. She has yet to tell Clair or Lance about her plans to leave at the end of the year, simply because she's still in the early stages of planning it out. At least that's what she keeps telling herself while eyeing all the annotations in the book and sticky notes jutting out the pages.
"I'll get to it," she muses to herself, picking up her pen to circle certain towns she wants to check out. "It's so far away anyway."
OoOoOoO
"Karen and Will are the last two in the final rounds of interviews," Lance explains while munching on a sandwich. "They're promising and powerful."
"I remember them!" Serena beams. "I was hoping they would make it."
He grins. "I thought you might have picked them. Elijah seems to agree with your choice. They'll be coming in time for the tournament to see if they like how we run things."
"I hope you're not going to be giving Karen a private tour," she eyes him.
For a moment she wonders if it's too early to make those jokes, but then he grins. "Only if she wants one."
"Lance!"
"I'm kidding," he laughs. But eyes her again. "Or am I?"
"Whatever," she tosses a chip at him. "What else is new?"
"Agatha has reported seeing more trainers coming through to the makeshift gym in Viridian," he shows her the graph. "With new ads out and more rewards for participation, I think we'll see a good uptick in the numbers for the tournament."
"Good!" she cheers and takes the graph to examine it. "Is Koga going to be in the new Elite Four?"
"Yes," he leans back. "So far Koga Bruno and I are in the lineup. It's between Karen and Will for the first position."
"What if the new champion doesn't want his position?" she poses and he frowns.
"Who goes to the Plateau and refuses the most prestigious position?" he retorts. "No one. Someone will become champion."
"If you say so," she shrugs.
The two finish up their lunch and Serena goes over new data with Lance. He has caught on quickly, and she's amazed at how much he's able to tackle and get done with her guidance. It almost makes her bitter those nights she spent fixing up his work and presenting it to Elijah. But she wouldn't trade the experience for anything. In her eyes, all her work then is what makes this transition go smoothly and the thought makes her content.
OoOoOoO
"And Kingdra goes down against Lance's Dragonite! There you have it folks, Lance is the Dragon Master. It was a great battle by Clair, Blackthorn City's Gym Leader, but it wasn't enough!"
Serena stares at the screen with a faint smile. She remembers Clair proposing a league challenge just a few days ago. In her defense, she wanted to boost morale by encouraging trainers to train hard and be prepared for the upcoming tourney just two weeks away. Serena knows it was also a test to make sure Lance is still training his pokemon in between meetings.
If he can still beat me, then he really is ready to handle all this responsibility, Clair had stated at a sleepover one night.
Her best friend was so sure she would catch him off his game, Serena could see the victory in her eyes. On the screen, Clair shakes Lance's hand with a fake smile as they feign a friendly familial relationship. Serena can practically see the death grip through Clair's glove, knowing she's squeezing as hard as possible out of anger than vengeance.
"A great battle between two great trainers! Looks like Lance's fanbase will have another great season to look forward to in the upcoming tournament. Many are proud he has stepped up to the plate in the wake of the Silph Disaster. His dedication to getting the magnet train done as well as the new remodeling of gyms mirrors Serena's!" one of the announcers comments.
Another one nods enthusiastically. "If I'm remembering correctly, Lance has always wanted to be a champion. For the past couple of years, we've seen him rise to fame, working hard and setting a great example for future trainers. Then he moved to the background after a few scandals, where Serena popped up to cover him. It's nice to see him getting back to his old self and understanding what it means to be an Elite Trainer again. Do you think he'll be Champion this season?"
"That's up to the trainers at home," the first announcer replies with a grin. "The first trainer to beat Elijah is the new champion and must defend their title until the end of the tournament. I don't imagine anyone turning down that position, so it'll be a tough year. But, to answer your question, I really hope so. He looks the part, he's been acting the part, if he wins I'm cheering for him."
"It's also up to Elijah," the second one points out. "There's been only one time in history a Champion lost his position because of the previous one not liking the way he treated his pokemon. With Elijah at the top, he can call the shots so I hope he makes a good choice with the successor."
Serena turns down the volume then and looks at the sheet before her. While everyone assumes no one will turn the position down, she has started her nomination form. Elijah gave it to her after a meeting with the elites in the hopes of picking her brain as to who she deems worthy.
For a moment, she was tempted to nominate herself, if only for a laugh. After considering it, she thought about Clair, but that would be destructive and too much trouble would come from that. She'd hate to send either Will or Karen home, so she's considering getting to know them and battling them to test their strength. She may not be as strong as Lance, but by no means has she been lax on her training regimen with her pokemon.
Then she started to consider other people. She looks up at the screen as Lance converses with a reporter to talk about current events. His smile is charming as he answers each question earnestly, his pearly whites gleaming in the sunlight. He really has taken to the job, it only took the threat of losing it to remind him where he wants to go.
She glances down at the paper and sets it aside to continue later and moves to her computer. She'll have to do more research, unbiased, if she wants to have a serious say for the next champion.
XxXxXxX
Serena fixes her hair and adjusts her clothes as she and Lance wait in the lobby for Will and Karen to arrive. It's one of her first days back and she feels strange getting back into things with the tournament just a day away. The league, the original building, is not yet done with its renovations; the tournament will have to be in Silver Town, in a smaller stadium this year.
"They've enjoyed the sights of Johto and Kanto so far," Lance fills the silence to ease her anxiety. "They're pretty excited to see how the tournament goes this year with all the trouble we've been through."
"You like them?" Serena asks, brow raised in question.
He shrugs back. "I do. I've spent more time with Karen than I have Will, he's a little young."
"Just a couple years," she replies with a chuckle. His words hit and she groans. "Spending time with Karen? Please don't tell me-"
"Don't worry about it," Lance pats her shoulder. "I would never do that to a potential co-worker."
She catches the smile on his face and rolls her eyes. "You're lying."
"Maybe."
She opens her mouth to say something again but the doors open and the two candidates step in, conversing with one another. Serena smiles at their friendliness despite the competition for the same position, they look like old friends joking with each other.
Will interrupts himself and glances at Serena, his eyes a light blue through his mask. A peculiar choice in fashion, but Serena feels a slight jolt of electricity climb her spine. If she didn't already know it, this moment would confirm his specialty type; Psychic. He's dressed formally, dress pants, shoes and a jacket with a white neckerchief. His light purple hair looks neatly brushed with long bangs in front and shorter in the back.
He's not much taller than her, and he's got that youthful look as he crosses the small space between them. She watches as a grin spreads on his lips and he moves forward, holding out his hand, to greet her.
"Serena," he beams, when they touch there's a rush of energy between them and they flinch. "Sorry. I forget myself sometimes."
"It's okay," Serena shakes off the jolt from her hand. "It's nice to finally meet you. You too, Karen."
The light haired woman grins from her spot beside Lance at the brunette. "Likewise, we've heard a lot about you."
"Hopefully, good things," Serena chuckles, shaking her hand.
Karen is beautiful with silvery-blue hair falling down to her waist matching her mysterious eyes. Her pale skin oddly looks good against her yellow crop top and white capris. In heels, she stands taller than Serena, near Lance's height. She holds an air of confidence around her as if every exchange is a way for her to learn the little details about you.
Serena finds herself adjusting her posture to be straighter under the woman's gaze.
"Of course," Karen smiles, it's a warm smile. "We are happy to be here and it's thanks to you."
This relaxes Serena and gives her the voice she needs to introduce them to the League and take them on a tour. She explains the layout of the tournament and the changes for this year and how it would be for next year. The plans for the new league building have been submitted, the only thing left are the rooms of the Elite Four, something the Association wanted to go all out on. Bruno and Lance's rooms are in the drawing stage, while Koga's room is still being discussed.
Serena glosses over those facts, unsure which of the two will be taking the first Elite position and which will have to go home. She avoids it to, also, put off thinking about the future champion as that room was left to her to design.
Now, it just needs someone to represent it.
"So, tomorrow," Serena turns to them at the end of the tour and walking interview. "You're welcome to join us in the main office to watch it to meet the current team."
The two share a look before Karen speaks up. "We'd like to sit in the stadium. Watch with the crowd to see how it looks from the outside, if that's alright."
The suggestion surprises Serena, but she appreciates it nonetheless. "Of course."
Serena and Lance walk them back to the entrance, bidding them farewell for the moment before he turns to her with hands on his hips.
"What was that?" he gestures to their retreating backs.
"What?" she frowns.
"You and Will, did he hurt you?" he mirrors her frown.
"Oh, no," she chuckles. "He's psychic."
"Sabrina doesn't hurt you," he points out.
Serena sighs. "Lance, he's like... a battery, among other things. He works through physical contact, it amplifies your power."
"You're going to be okay?" his eyes roam her face.
"It wasn't long enough contact," she replies with a smile, her eyes wandering towards the entrance to see Karen glancing back over her shoulder. The woman smiles back before exiting the building. "I'll be fine... So, you and Karen?"
"Ugh, not this again," Lance grunts.
"I'm just commenting as a friend," she responds. "She's beautiful."
Which is mostly the truth. As his friend, she wants to know who he's involved with and such like that. It's the other half that wants to know if Karen is still going to be interested in the job when she realizes he's not the dating type. To lose a potential employee, one with a great standing and has passed interviews up to this point, would be devastating at this point.
Serena's not sure she'd forgive him for this.
"Yeah," Lance grins and it feels like an icy jab at Serena's heart.
He's never been one to comment on his conquest's beauty and if she is staying long term, Serena's chest aches at the thought of them becoming a couple. The pain forces her to take a calming breath and box it away, realizing she hasn't done anything to act on her feelings for him. Including thinking if her feelings are real or just an effect from their long standing friendship and their one night stand.
No matter how sweet he was in the act, she dreads the thought of falling into a trap if he treats everyone else the same.
She presses a bit further to see where it's heading. "So?"
"Rena, leave it," he sighs. Irritation spikes when he sees her staring at him. "Stop, I have it under control."
At his snap, she tries to play it off to diffuse the situation for now by holding up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. Let's go get stuff ready for tomorrow, I'm not so sure it will be okay."
OoOoOoO
"It'll be fine," Elijah soothes Serena as she paces the office.
It's tournament day three. They've forgone tradition with the elimination rounds and just invited trainers to come into the league and take on the Elite Four. The first day and yesterday there were plenty of challengers, none of them made it to Lance, but all of them got a certificate congratulating them on how far they did get. Today there have been more, but the numbers have petered out as early evening approaches. Serena has been putting out calls for any other trainers, but so few answered already.
It's a strange year, but they're making due with what they've been thrown.
"I don't know," she sighs in response.
On the TV overhead, a battle between that boy, Blue, and Bruno takes place and it's not looking so good. She barely recalls him from the Silph building months ago; he was abrupt and quick to leave once he saw Red was safe and fine on his own. He's a powerful trainer which is unsurprising given who his rival is, Sererna doubts Red goes easy on his friend, if that's what their relationship can be called. She does notice he can be a little harsh on his pokemon, but not enough to cause her worry.
Her main problem is he's so young!
"He can't be champion," she points at the screen. "I mean he can't do the administrative part. It's too much for a kid that young."
"Lance can always do that for him," Elijah shrugs.
"Now you're willing to trust Lance?" she raises a brow.
He smiles. "He's been doing really well, wouldn't you say? I'm by no means overlooking his history, but everyone deserves a second chance, right?"
She stares at her mentor with a mixture of sadness and content. At the end of this month, he'll be officially retired and will leave for a vacation home somewhere in Hoenn. They're no step closer to finding a stand in champion for Serena's 'in case a trainer turns it down' situation and everyone is super lax about it but her. She feels on the edge of a breakdown wondering who she will be working with once he leaves and, looking at Blue now, she hopes it isn't him.
"And that folks marks the end of the match!"
The announcer's voice makes their heads snap towards the tv to see Blue being hailed the victor and given time to heal up before his battle with Lance next. Serena rushes out the door before Elijah can stop her, she dashes down the hall to Lance's room catching him on his way out.
"Please beat him," she urges him, running into him. "He's too young."
"Whoa, whoa," he catches her and holds her shoulders. "Is that what has you riled up?"
"Yes," she sighs. "He's... abrasive."
"I get it," he laughs. "We still have the rest of the day for challengers, even if he wins, he has until 9pm to hold the spot."
"He's strong, Lance," she retorts.
"So am I," he replies. A bell dings overhead and he steps away. "I have to go now, I'll do my best."
He leaves with his usual smirk and she watches him go with a frown, it's turning out to be a strange year indeed for the tournament.
She returns to the office to find Elijah talking with Bruno, the two greet her with kind smiles and settle in to watch the last member take his stand. Agatha and Lorelei enter with some food and all squish onto the couch. It's a scene she has grown to love over the past few years, their little family banding together this time of year to watch each other battle their hearts out and test other trainers. With three of the five leaving, Serena already misses this feeling and wonders who will be sitting here next.
The screen changes to Lance's side of the field as he steps up and talks with Blue. It's tense watching Lance put on his professional tone and face while Blue just smirks at him. Serena has no doubt Lance is tempted to smack it off his face.
"Hey, where are the new hires?" Agatha taps Serena's leg with her cane.
"They got a tour the other day and opted to watch from the crowd to get a more nuanced view of the battles," Serena responds with a sigh.
That is another issue she hates to think about for too long. Both are likeable and Serena would hate to send one home, she's been trying different lineups for the Elite Four, maybe wondering where they could go. The eighth gym position is still open, she was wondering if either would be okay getting that spot instead...
"Amazing, Gyarados goes down fast!"
Serena pulls away from her thoughts to see Tempest crash into the water in the middle of the field. She swallows her fear and continues to watch as Blue takes down Varia and Kai as well. Elijah leaves once Lance gets to his fifth pokemon, Nova.
She watches Elijah go with growing worry.
"It'll be okay," Bruno pats her back. "He'll grow up once he realizes what it means to be here. I'll be here to support you."
She leans on the older man with a sigh. "I know. It's just I can't imagine him being easy to work with."
The others laugh. Agatha raises a brow. "And Lance is?"
"That's different," Serena responds with a snort.
"I can't believe it folks! Dragonite is down for the count!" the announcer states making everyone turn to the screen. "Lance has lost for the first time since his hiring! Blue is going to face the champion next!"
The elites settle down once more, Lorelei leans back against the couch, Agatha straightens her back and Bruno leans forward on his knees. Serena gets up and moves to meet Lance at his room, no doubt he's not in a good mood after that, but she feels she has to go. When she gets to the door, a staff member opens it and steps inside.
"There is a challenger waiting," he states. "I told him the champion battle is commencing so he will have to wait until it is an hour in before he can start. We put out a final call for trainers a few minutes ago, no one else appeared in the lobby."
"Thank you," Agatha nods at the member. "We will prepare and gather our teams appropriately. Considering this will be our fifth match of the day, I'd say it's safe to cut off challengers after this last one."
"Right away, ma'am," the member nods and slips out of the room.
Serena sighs with relief, following the staff member until she gets to Lance's room. Each member gets a small office to prepare in before their match. Not as extravagant as their prep rooms in the old building, but better than nothing. It's where they can change, pep talk themselves or even talk with a pokemon or two.
As she approaches, she notices the door open ajar, a signal from Lance for her to enter. She does so, closing it behind her and taking a deep breath.
"Hey."
He turns to her, his eyes clouded with frustration. "I lost."
"I know," she nods. "You did great, though."
"I guess," he sighs and plops down on his chair. "It just sucks after everything I've been doing. I felt like I was on a winning streak."
"You have been doing well," she muses, leaning a hip on the desk and watches him carefully. "There's another challenger. You have a couple hours to prepare, it's the last one."
"Do you think it's that kid?" he wonders, lolling his head to the side to face her.
"Red?" she proposes, at his nod she grins. "I hope so. I've seen that guy's battle records, I think he's strong enough to take on Elijah."
"So you would be okay with him but not his rival?" Lance points out. Trying not to think hard about how she hopes for Red to surpass him, as if he would let that happen easily.
"Red would be easier to work with," she shrugs. "Wanna come watch the match?"
"No, I'm going to go take care of my pokemon," he shakes his head with a sigh. "How are the numbers looking?"
"This is probably the least amount we've had for a few years," she runs a hand through her hair. "But the amount of viewers has increased. So I'm thinking next year will go way better."
"At least there's a silver lining."
OoO
Serena feels her world spin watching Blue take down the last of Elijah's pokemon while Red beats Agatha without a sweat. Bruno has already left the room to prepare for his fight while Lance is still down in the center with his pokemon. She gathers the tablet for the Hall of Fame and heads to the main field where the two wait.
There's a murmur throughout the building as she makes her way over, many wondering what this could mean for the future of the league, others shocked a kid could be so strong. Let alone two.
"Ah, Serena, good timing," Elijah beams as she walks across the field towards them. "Blue, meet Serena, my trusted assistant."
"I remember you," he peers at her with wide eyes. He still looks ready for more with his wind swept hair and racing chest. "You were with Red in Saffron!"
"Yes, that was me," she smiles at him. "Ready to be in the Hall of Fame?"
"Of course, I've been prepping for this day for forever!" he clenches his fist.
"We must be quick, there's another challenger approaching," she comments, handing the tablet over to Elijah as they make their way to the back exit of the field.
"It's Red," Blue nods, there's an edge to his smile. "He's my rival and now's my chance to show him how strong I've become."
"It'll be interesting indeed," Elijah beams and walks onwards to the machine designed to record Blue's pokemon, their stats and his information.
Serena stays at the door, and once they've finished up she walks with them to the pokemon center. The now former champion, speaks in detail of Blue's new responsibilities should he wish to take on the full time job. It's required he explains it, otherwise Blue can take legal action and secure his place as Champion whether or not Elijah or Serena agree with it.
In the lobby, reporters swarm around the three with flashing cameras and fat mics shoved towards their faces. Aaron, Wesley and a couple other guards push against the surging group, urging them to wait until Blue has finished the day out to ensure he still has his spot. The boy wastes no time in waving to the cameras and promising to give plenty of interviews once he's beaten the last challenger.
Elijah and Serena share an uncertain look. Red is already halfway through Bruno's team and looks to be on his a-game.
While Blue gets his pokemon looked at, Lance comes out from the back and seems to be in a much better mood. It makes Serena smile to see him looking more confident as he approaches.
"Red looks tough," he comments. "I moped with my pokemon and now we are looking to fight again. Win or lose."
"Proud of you," she smiles at him. "I'll be cheering for you."
"Thanks," he pinches her chin between his thumb and forefinger.
The reporters go wild at the sight, cameras clicking like crazy as he disappears down the hall and she stands beside Elijah.
"Serena! Serena!" one cries out. "Are you and Lance dating?!"
A frown crosses her face. "No." Aaron and Wesley hide their laughs with a cough and she rolls her eyes at them. "We're best friends. Not dating."
She ignores any other questions as Blue returns and demands to watch the battle between Lance and Red. Leaving the lobby behind, Serena clears her mind of anything to do with the media and thinks about the paperwork she will have to get together for Blue once they're in the office.
What a day it's turning out to be.
OoOoO
"It's unbelievable! Never before have we seen anything like this, two champions in one day!"
Serena stares at the screen in shock, Blue's Pidgeot hits the ground while Red's Charizard blasts flames from its mouth to celebrate the victory. The battle was as fierce as it can be between rivals, but she never expected Red to be so strong. He kept his cool and managed to turn around the toughest of turns the battle took.
The news outlet filters through the battle while Elijah walks onto the field to fill in for the usual speech, considering Blue doesn't know it. This gets her to her feet to rush to the field with the tablet in hand, part way there, Lance joins her looking less downtrodden than he had when he got beat a second time. He offers her a smile as they come up to the field.
"Crazy, right?" he scoffs.
They walk across the destroyed field to the three, all smiles and professionalism when a voice rings out.
"Wait!"
Both turn to see an old man in a lab coat running up with glee glowing on his face. Serena's eyes widen and she beams at the man; Professor Oak. A long time fan, she holds back a squeal as he slows to a walk and regards her and Lance.
"If you don't mind, I would like to do the honors," he asks and, being a professor, Serena cannot turn him down.
"S-sure," she stammers and passes it to him.
"Thank you, my dear," he beams and walks up to the kids. "Red! So, you won! Congratulations..."
Elijah leaves the two to Professor Oak and walks up to his two trainers. "What a day it has been, huh?"
"I'll say," Serena heaves a heavy sigh. "So much paperwork... But! I got to see Professor Oak!"
"You've never met?" he responds with a raised brow. "I've been a terrible mentor."
"You know him!?" she demands.
He laughs. "Of course, I help him with the pokemon he keeps at the lab and also the starters he gives to trainers!"
"Elijah, you're the worst," she groans.
"He's here now, talk to him when they finish," Lance nudges her. "I'm sure he'd love to talk with you."
"You think so?" she perks up.
"Of course," he smiles at her.
Elijah looks between the two before clapping his hands to get their attention. "We need to draw up paperwork for Red. Lance, will you show him to his temporary room here and make sure he has formal wear for the party later?"
"For sure," the redhead nods and jogs ahead to join the three at the machine.
"If he refuses?" she questions, walking with Elijah back to his office.
"We will come up with something," he shrugs. "But, again, who is going to refuse?"
