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Tambrey nodded, understandingly, as she listened; her smile remained, though with a touch of concern and sadness to the corners of her expression. She turned, just slightly, her feet now to the back of the couch and her knees pointing slightly upward; her left elbow lending support from where it rested upon the arm of the couch, back to the corner and her book was now closed and placed upon the seat-cushion just ahead of her stomach.
"Ah... What did your mother do, to be going to conferences so often?" Tam' wondered and found herself asking aloud. She wrinkled her nose, frowning at the idea that pokemon could be 'filthy'. "Well. At least, I suppose, the fact that he made you study medicine has brought you here, if you truly feel that way about the place?" She offered, hoping the words to be found kind.
"I'm not yet sure about the idea of this being a family, but yeah, it's pretty nice for what.. what we do. Any case, y'are certainly needed..."

Palu tilted her head and stood a little as she caught Ampule's signal, then nodded back and let out a loud 'coo' of her own, mangled in sound by the lolly pop that came tumbling from her beak. Only then, she wasn't sure what to do next. She could see the little Totodile latching onto his trainer's head, but somehow, she didn't see that it would be too appreciated if she attacked.
The Pidgeotto warbled and called "Piiidgeeeottoo!" as she flapped into the air, having decided to wheel around and be 'cheerleader' for the little water type; she circled him and his trainer.

Tambrey sat stunned for a good few seconds. The pokemon seem to have gone insane. She stood carefully and bit her lip, trying to work out how to help. Perhaps she could tug the Totodile off, but as she steps forward, Palu swooped, still circling, and presented somewhat of an obstacle.
"Palu! Behave! Stop it!" Tam' snapped off at her bird as she tried to come forward and help. She then addressed Acacia and Ampule. "Er, what should I do? Does he do this a lot? Ampule? Won't you let your trainer's... head.. out of.. your mouth?" She was rather alarmed and quite at a loss of how to dislodge her new friend's pokemon from that same friend's head.

"Palu! It's hardly becoming behaviour, now is it?" Tambrey didn't seem to mind reprimanding her bird and the Pidgeotto did listen, though she complied in a really rather sulky and protesting manner. As though she couldn't believe her trainer had the gaul to tell her off, Palu landed with a bit of a flop upon the couch and made an unhappy cooing for a few moments. Tam' smirked at her and then looked back to Acacia and the Ampule latched onto her head.
"I.. see. Well. No.. I guess telling him off for trying to make you feel better would be kind of... awkward, but ya really ought to stop him if it did bother you. It's no use to worry about their feelings if they're doing something bothersome; looked after properly, they'll forgive discipline soon enough. Palu's grumpy now but she'll be fine in a little while." The other grunt smiles and shook her head. "If it does cheer you up, and you don't mind it, 's no harm unless he does it to someone else. You're not a horrible trainer; the fact he wants to cheer you up should pretty much confirm that."

True to Tam's prediction, Palu had calmed, though remained a little pompously sulky. She hopped down from the couch and then hopped back toward the lolly pop she'd dropped on the floor. A peck shattered the treat and she began to actually eat it. Candy bar remnants from before remained uneaten nearby.

Tambrey watched Palu move off to peck- she knew the sulk wouldn't last at all- and then she looked back to Acacia and her emotive eyes.
She shook her head and tried to turn her smile kindly and disarming.
"Aha. Now, I think I understand that. It can be difficult to reign oneself in, but honestly, it's just a question of thinking about it, and your own personal tastes... Little Ampule may never do something you need to discipline him for anyway, he does seem very sweet; a sharp word though, just one quick, sharp word, is enough to remind a pokemon they're doing something unfriendly." Tam' sat back down, leaning forward to stay keeping eye contact with the girl on the floor while she continued to smile.
"I'm not saying you're a bad trainer or that you ever -will- have to discipline a pokemon, but there are lots of different styles that can work. Palu responds to shaming; it's not cruel, and I'm sure to praise her too when she deserves it, but when she feels ashamed, she wants to make up for her behaviour because she enjoys being proud and proper. She likes to be admired." She paused and seemed to think for a moment. "I guess, what I'm saying is that discipline needn't be violence or shouting. Guilt and shame, in small doses, depending upon the pokemon, can work wonders and better than shouting. For pokemon and trainers." The younger woman looked hopeful that she'd made a good, but not insulting point.

The bird seemed to be enjoying the treat, even though she had to peck and eat the crumbs and pieces from the floor. She looked up, looking less sad or sulky already as the Totodile approached her. Despite her lack of lips, she seemed to do an okay job of something that looked kind and gave the impression of a smile at her new water type friend. "Pi'o!" Perhaps trying to reassure she was okay- after all, Ampule didn't look very old, he may not have met with discipline much yet; she hoped he understood it wasn't harmful or too hurtful to her. She didn't even seem too unhappy at her trainer already, after all.

Tam' watched other woman thinking about her words and smiled. It seemed to have gone rather well and she was certainly pleased that her attempts at advice seemed to have been appreciated rather than found insulting or anything unintended. She placed her hands on her lap as she sat back a little, her own bare soles still planted on the ground next to her sandals.
She grinned at the 'disgruntled' description of other grunts.
"Hey, you're welcome. Yeah, the higher-ups can be intimidating, and a lot of the others seem to come here from sucky situations I think. There are some nicer faces around, but well, I know they can be few between. Tell truth, this is a criminal organization, and so y' gotta expect the rougher types alongside the nice or the complicated. Huh." She smirked and thinks that over. "That last one would probably cover just about all, actually; the complicated."
Tambrey was well aware she'd never be the nicest person in the place, but she knew she remained a fairly amiable individual in comparison to some of her comrades, and for the position she had found herself in.
"Ah, anyway. Even us criminals need some friendly company from time to time; we're only human really after all."

Palu seemed to enjoy the hugs from the young pokemon. She looked almost motherly as she leant into the hug and went to nudge to the Totodile affectionately with her beak. Clearly happy to be friends Ampule.
She was rather confused, however, by his reaction to her previous meal.
The large bird tilted her head and warbled at the other pokemon curiously.
"Oh-tooh?"

The feathery pokemon watched as her smaller friend stepped away from her and tilted her head back the other way, a little bemused as he approached her abandoned chocolate bar. She'd be happy to share it with him, of course, but from the reaction the little Totodile seemed to be having toward the partially eaten, pecked to crumbs, treat, Palu didn't think that mentioning so would help calm the water type very much.
The Pidgeotto hopped along after Ampule, stopping to watch him circle and point at the chocolate on the floor and listen, still bemused, at his little rant on the evils of the thing. She wasn't even too fond of chocolate, and especially from the floor, but that's what Tambrey had given her for a snack while the human read, so that's what she'd been eating.
"Oooh Pi-oottoo Pidgeoot-toh." Palu explained, still seeming more amused or curious of Ampule's actions than alarmed or ashamed. She dipped her head than inclined it again at her trainer. Not that she wouldn't get fed properly later, the Pidgeotto tried to explain in her warbling tone, but this was what her trainer had decided would be a snack. "Pidgeeooh tooh pi'ooh."

Tam' glanced toward the pokemon as Acacia addressed Ampule, smirking at the scene of her bird looking rather bemused while the little blue croc' seemed to be telling her off about the candy bar on the floor. She nodded her agreement, smirk becoming soft smile.
"It's certainly nice t' see Palu taking so quickly to another pokemon too; she's a little pompous and proud. It can sometimes make getting along with others a bit tricky- not impossible at all, but sometimes tricky." The sofa-occupying grunt admitted then thought a little about the question.
"Aside from books? I like to draw badly?" She smirked "Hm. Well, I like to cook a bit, but that depends on my mood. Computer games, TV, pokemon stuff," She nodded toward Palu "Like learning about them, or... well, a guilty secret of mine, perhaps not so secret with Palu wearing that scarf... I kind of like the accessories; the idea of contests. I'd never enter one, but y'know, I really like to watch them and stuff like that..." The other woman blushed a little at the admission and shrugged. "My real love are the sciences and history, bu-ut... yeah, I do like to see a contest now and then."

If Tam' had noticed Acacia's bad habits, then she hadn't mentioned them. Perhaps she had noticed and it was politeness, perhaps, more likely, she didn't consider the habits to be particularly bad, nor minded how others might assuage their nerves or did with their unconscious thoughts.
Certainly, so far, Acacia hadn't done anything like... picking her nose, in front of the bookish grunt. And besides, she, herself, had that nervous tapping thing.

Tambrey remained blushing right up until Acacia mentioned catching the end of a contest herself. At this, still a little rosey-cheeked, Tambrey leaned forward to nod with agreement, perhaps a little too eagerly.
"Didn't they though? It's always like that! I'd love to actuallly see one... I mean, not on TV, but it's a little difficult what with... Well. You know! And, well, it's not something everyone gets. Think y'need to be all pink-and fairy-girly or a high end snob to like that sort of thing..." At least, that's the impression Tam' seems to have gotten; and she frowns a little after saying it. "The friends I've made in the past wouldn't have understood it."
She then frowned a little more and shook her head.
"Physical training and medical stuff sound like me with textbooks or training around here. Sure I enjoy them, but they're not my hobbies; they're what I do. Now, cooking... I'd call it a hobby; what sort of things do you cook?"

Palu meanwhile, seemed to remain pleasantly amused by her new friends antics. She was glad that he seemed to have moved on from his tirade on the evils of chocolate, but she was also somewhat concerned as the little water type seemed to become... alarmed or upset... Agitated anyway. She looked from Ampule to Acacia as she was pulled along with the little croc' and seemed to understand; not offering any sort of resistance to the pulling and following along easily.
As Ampule moved to hug his trainer, the bird coo'd softly, hopped back and tried to offer her beak-ish 'smile' to the pair of them; Acacia and Ampule. Then she looked at her own trainer and warbled at her, with a tilt of her head.

Tambrey remained seated for the moment, the question having left her mouth as Ampule and Palu had marched their way over for the hugging. She looked back at the, apparently, demanding bird quizzically.
"What?"

Such a statement, of course, only encouraged the fellow Grunt to be blushing even more and she bit her lip a little before responding.
"Er... Well. Thankyou." Tam's smile was sheepish now. "I can honestly say that's the first time I've been told that..." She even seemed genuinely pleased if a little shy to recieve such a comment.
Her eyes practically lit up though as the pale woman continued and talked of even potentially competing in a contest.
"Oh, little Amp's could win a cute division within the first few seconds!" She agreed without hesitation "And I think Palu could be a contender for the smart division; she's a prideful bird but she's not boasting in knowing that she's pretty bright. It's why she's got that scarf; 'nother bit of a guilty pleasure are those books." Tambrey admitted and then seemed to grow even more excited.
"I've never had someone who might actually want to go with me to a contest before... Certainly never heard someone I'd consider a friend to talk of competing too... Oh." She paused suddenly "It is alright to be thinking of you as such I hope? I know we've only just met, really, but I think we get along well already, and those two clearly wouldn't forgive us if we weren't." It's then that she catches and answers Acacia's question too.
"I think Palu was thinking that Ampule wanted us all to hug. She's smart but she can take things really literally sometimes." Bad social graces; those she might well get from her bookish trainer.

"Oh, and that's awesome that you cook by the way. If you ever need or want a guinea pig, I'll eat your food happily enough, though you have to let me cook something in return. It wouldn't be as exotic or fancy as the things you've mentioned, but I can make a pretty mean pasta dish or a stuffed pepper." Tambrey grinned a cheeky mirror of the one Acacia had used earlier and took quick advantage of the reversed positions to compliment back. "Y'know, you're pretty cute when you blush, too. Though I think your talent's a little less embarrassing than my hobby."

Palu was nodding as her trainer spoke, moving in to offer a hug against her new little friend, and consequently his trainer, purposely. The bird knew that humans sometimes 'group-hugged' and had decided that Ampule was probably a pokemon who would appreciate it. No matter if her trainer wasn't going to, the Pidgeotto wasn't too proud to show affection after being so effectively won over by the young pokemon.