A quick smirk steals over her face. "You imagine right. Today, at least, it's ghosts in the dark."

"And..." She tilts her head thoughtfully. "At a guess you could tell me a thing or several I don't know about the metals in those pretty little space rocks."

She nods sharply. 

"Quite, though I'm not sure it's too interesting. Iron and nickel, mostly, with a handful of heavier elements. The more... arcane analysis is a bit beyond me, though it does seem like it's a little like moon stones, somehow? Might have seen something like another set of the traces before, but I can't recall too well, and Concurrance doesn't recall anything that matches while they've been a Metang, at least. The... asteroid itself I believe ends up with a certain collectableness, at least, and perhaps power, but I've not yet heard what use, if any, those people have for it." 

"Huh."

Score another point for affinities matching starters, at least.

"Wild stab in the dark, almost all those collectors aren't gonna do jack shit with their asteroids. Feel like there's got to be something to learn from those patterns, though. Just no clue what, yet."

"Quite... " 

She hums. 

"I suppose it was never going to be that easy. Still, there's certain possibilities a metagross can eliminate that a metang cannot, which is justification enough in my eyes to keep up my journey." 

She pauses for a moment, and takes the time to properly lock their eyes on hers. 

"Is there something specific in the shadows that you are looking for yourself, if you don't mind me asking?" 

She stares off at the trees for a time.

The shadows inside her coat almost seem to turn to faintly rippling liquid for the barest moment.

"Freedom. Respect, maybe. Or enough of an ace up my sleeve to keep me and Neo safe."

They take a deep breath in. 

"For me... I suppose it's about pride, perhaps, or simply... taking what's given, being grateful for what I have. The hospitality and kindness I've experienced is... flattering, to say the least, and It's still sometimes a little hard to believe that I can just... wander, like this. Or maybe it's about finding some - trick or secret or title to call mine, that I can show others, to make a home in 'the clever metal one', if not something more... permanent." 

She nods.

"Certainly better hospitality than 'home'," she mutters.

A slow exhale, centering herself.

"A trick or title would be nice, for sure. I'll believe in something permanent if it happens, though."

They... nod, a bit still and awkward, eyes not really... looking anywhere in particular, beyond 'not quite at her'. 

After a moment, she says, "Hailey."

A faint quirk of her lips up, to if not a smile, something more... relaxed. 

"Iron." 

They extend out a hand to shake. 

"A pleasure to meet you."

She reaches out and shakes their hand. "Likewise."

A misdreavus pokes her head out of the shadows of Hailey's jacket, pink-tipped tendrils drifting slightly on an absent breeze.

She smiles curiously.

"And this is Neo."

"A pleasure to meet you as well." 

They step aside a little, and Concordance comes forth, their oversized eyes alert and aware. 

"And this is Concordance. They're quiet interested in you both." 

"Interesting." She hums. "Wonder why."

She gives Concordance a thoughtful look and tilts her head. It's not like she's done anything interesting, yet.

Is it about her being ghost-type? Or about Neo living in her shadow full-time?

"Well, I'm a bit curious about you and your trainer as well, Concordance."

A glance down, a glance back up. 

"Concordance has some expertise in intuitive psychic perception. Your bond is interesting, and... humans aren't the only ones who can get a good impression of one's character from a simple 'feeling out', especially given psychic assistance. As for your other question..." 

"Met... Tang, Me." 

There's a sort of... coarse impression to their words, that could be discerned given time, and a certain - ease, of reaching out to grasp them, perhaps? It's not the most simple thing but... 

There's a simple inquisitiveness, a light - blankness, a proper deliberate pause, and a little pulse of the all-too-familiar drive common amongst pokemon. 

"They're wondering what sort of question that you'd like an answer for, and beyond that, if you'd appreciate a battle to get more familiar in place of words." 

Neo drifts out of Hailey's jacket and floats back and forth, her smile widening.

"We'd certainly enjoy a battle," she replies with an eager little smile. "Don't really have a clear question so much as just... wanting to know what you two are like."

"Ourselves." 

They duck their head. 

"Or at least... we endeavor to be. There's certain... visionaries, or at least - exceptionally intelligent and well-spoken people who... have a certain distinctness to their character that makes them - obviously disparate from the dross." 

"As for our story... The story of my life I feel is... somewhat self-explanatory? I grew up around here, and I'm back after a bit of a - training tour, you might say. Concordance's bonded self was my starter, after a bit of cajoling. Beldum like... simple things, straightforwardly pushing towards their goals, and trainers with a certain talent in their affinities, and I managed those things well enough without being a poor fit for their future. I worked to help them grow to something... a little more, in time, and I'm glad that I've been able to do something to reward the faith they've put in me. Beyond that... I've done some catching, too - though nothing more then relaying balls to the professor on assignment, so far, and some reading on the sciences. That's... been my life, since I set out, more or less in full." 

Arceus. They're cute. Oh no.

"Yeah, that particular kinda unfakeable spark some people have. Pretty cool goal. S'neat to learn about the thinking of a pokémon that different."

She smiles interestedly.

She nods gently. 

"So..." 

"So."

A flurry of barely perceptible shifts and flickers dance through Hailey and Neo's shadows, in the improvised language they've worked out.

<What do you think of them?>