The moon shines brightly against the backdrop of the Hoenn branch of the Pokemon League. Most of the employees have gone home, but the occasional window still burns with artificial light. One of these offices occasionally sends forth echoes of laughter and talking.
A different office, though, remains silent. The lights are on, of course, but the occupant seems entirely too busy with her work to bother with speaking or laughing. Reading glasses slid into place on her nose, Dr. Lenore Stone scribbles on the 234th form in her now dwindling stack of medical paperwork.
"This'll teach me to get behind," she sighs, "I shouldn't have let this foolish relationship stuff get in the way of what's really important." Dotting a final 'I' and crossing the last 'T' on the sheet before her, Lenore actually lays down her pen and rolls her chair back a touch. She then leans back in a stretch and yawns softly.
"Unfortunately, I think I'm going to fall asleep if I keep this up," she murmurs and turns to look out her office window thoughtfully. Placing her fingers near her chin, she tilts her head and blinks at the night sky.
"Maybe I should take a break," she says out loud to no one in particular, "Or at least find someone to talk to for a bit. Perhaps I'll make some tea, too, and then get right back to this. Yes. That's just what I'll do." Though she didn't like to admit that even she has her limits, Lenore has been told multiple times, by multiple people, not to stay up all night doing paperwork. Granted, she seldom listened to most of these people, but one particular pair stands out from the rest.
Dr. Joy…
…And Dr. Kazuhiko Kazuma.
She liked admitting that she respected Kazuhiko's opinion even less than she liked admitting her own weakness, but she knows he's right. Dr. Joy said the same thing, after all.
"All of that stress and lack of sleep is going to give you a nervous breakdown!" cries the voice in Lenore's memory.
Shaking the voices from her mind, Lenore rises to her feet and heads out of the door that leads into and out of her office. As she walks, she realizes that she doesn't really know where she's going. Pausing only briefly, the memory of Kazuhiko brings a soft smile to her face. Yes. Her childhood friend will surely bring a smile or two to her face. He always manages to make her laugh even in the bleakest of times. Her course now set, she strides purposefully toward her old office which now acts as Kazuhiko's new office. Once she gets there, she lifts a hand to knock at the door, but she stops a few inches short when she hears voices.
A male voice, which clearly belongs to Kazuhiko…
…And a female voice that Lenore has never heard before.
Lowering her hand, she notices that the door is slightly ajar and, against her better judgment, she leans over to peer into the room.