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Ah, recreation.

A place to find a couch and, in Tam's case, take some time out of her uniform and boots, away from 'Grunt Work', to enjoy one of well-worn titles.
Today is a day for Jules Verne, she has decided, and 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth' (yes, with 'centre' spelled just like that embossed to the spine and cover) had taken its place resting against her knees.

She sat, glasses slid a tiny bit down her nose, eyes devouring each word.
Her legs were drawn up onto the couch as she sat with her back to the armrest, bare toes touching to the middle cushion as her sandals remained upon the floor nearby. She licked a finger to ease the page turning, while she clearly enjoyed the familiar story.


Palu was here too, of course! And disdainfully pecked at a candy bar that her trainer had purchased from a machine, unwrapped, and discarded for the Pidgeotto. Clearly the bird was hungry but seemed rather insulted by having the candy bar to eat... and from the floor too, no doubt. The scarf-clad bird -was- eating it though, with little coos of complaint.

"It's all I've got f' ya right now, eat it or someone else will." Tam' commented, eyes never leaving her story.

OOC sad edited for my terrible habit of present tensing)

Peck, peck, peck. The Pidgeotto reduced the bar to little crumbs, scooping them up and swallowing, still with that little attitude of annoyance. It was no fine cuisine, but the bird knew that her trainer was speaking the truth about having no plans to relinquish anything else in the near future.
Not that Palu looked underfed at all, indeed she looked rather healthy, perhaps even a tad plump, though of course such a thing was probably also somewhat due to her feathery coat.

The bird pokemon stopped eating to tilt her head and listen as she heard the conversation happening just outside. Very curious. She even let out a little warble of interest as she recognized the word 'university'. This one little word is enough to prompt her to stare, hopping back a little to avoid human legs, at Acacia as she entered.
"Pidge! Pidgeotto!" The bird both greeted the new human and announced her presence to Tambrey.

Tam', meanwhile, had also been hearing the one-side of the phone call; she pushed her glasses up and rubbed under the bridge of her nose when she first heard the other woman's voice. The word university did not get a positive response from her; indeed, there was a kind of almost-silenced hiss of breath intake accompanying an involuntary little shift into sinking lower on the couch. Her colour scheme seemed to be blue today- a dark blue cotton top and comfortable jeans too.

Her first response was to her pokemon; "Palu. I see her. She's right there on the couch." She confirmed for her bird as she drew her feet up a little way at the sitting down of the other Rocket, just in case they were about to be sat on.
Her greeting to Acacia consisted of "Heh. Welcome t' Team Rocket. 'S the usual reason for ending up here, I think."
She didn't know if the other woman was new, of course, but thought it a good enough greeting either way. Only after she said it did she peer over the top of the book.

Tambrey raised her eyebrows, peering over the book at the medic, smirking.
"Well, you are welcome f'r the welcome. I'm Tambrey, by the way; Tam' if ya like." She then blinked and lowered the book at other woman's teasing, her own smirk turning sheepish. "Aha. Yep. I just really, uh, like to read." She shrugs. "Here there's a couch, snacks and the odd bit o' company. I like to read in here. Y' hear such interesting things..." Her turn to tease now, never losing that little smirk.
She eyed the Totodile as it appeared from the ball, her mouth splitting into a grin, though she reigned in her impulse to say 'aaw' at it. A mental 'aaw' was pretty visible anyway from her expression.
"Ampule? Unusual name for a Tot', cute little guy though." Tam' complimented, watching the little blue pokemon.

Palu was absolutely delighted to be greeted and be told how nice it was to meet her. The bird -strutted- and held her head up high, showing off her plumage and her scarf of course.
And then out came Ampule. If Pidgeotto could say 'Ooh', that's almost certainly what Palu would have said, confronted by the intense cute of the pajama-clad Totodile. She hopped toward Acacia and Ampule, cooing with interest, her pompousness forgotten as she clearly wanted to meet the water type.

Tambrey nodded along as Acacia explained what an ampule was. She didn't look surprised or enlightened, thus hinting she may have already known, but neither did she interrupt, listening to the explanation rather politely. Her finger marked the page where she had stopped reading while her eyes remained focused past the book at Acacia and her Totodile.
"Aha. So you'll be who I come t' see f'r painkillers." Tam' noted, not that she had much of any sign of severe injury, but surely, around here, it was just a matter of time really. "Naming themes are pretty fun."
The book-bearing grunt watched Ampule start his climb down, then answered Acacia's query for her Pigeotto's name.
"She's Palu. She's not as sweet as she looks, and, thanks," Tambrey complained, though clearly light-heartedly and with no real complaint "She's already certain she's the prettiest thing around, now she's goin' to be puffed up and showing off all night." An explanation of the name seemed warranted. "She's a pidgeon pokemon, y'see, so I pilferred part o' the binomial for wood pidgeon."
There really isn't a proper complaint in that first part at all; Tam was even still smiling as she said it, then carried on, though rolled her eyes at her bird's behaviour for the compliment.

Palu watched the Totodile climbing down, hopping a little as he approached and then stared at the cute thing curiously, before throwing her head back and greeting him. "Pidgeeeot-to!"
Then, Ampule's human was complimenting her! Ooh! The bird puffed herself up proudly, holding her beak up in what she imagined to be a noble pose, causing her scarf to dangle and dance a little...
She watched as Acacia held out the treats to the Totodile and tilted her head. Colourful things that she remembered to be sweet... She looked back at her discarded candy bar. That was sweet too, but these, at least, seemed colourful. She eyed her trainer, just in case she was about to object.

Tam was watching, but certainly didn't seem to be objecting. She did, however, offer a small warning of caution.
"She'll eat that but she's not a huge fan of sweetmeats. Non-sugar, right?" The other Rocket checked, unable to quite tell from where she was. "I mean, I'd guess so if you're offering them t' pokemon, but I thought I'd warn you; Palu gets a little hyperactive with too much of the stuff."

"Ah, thankyou," The dark-haired grunt replied agreeably to Acacia's compliment. "She's pretty adorable, sure, but the problem is that she's convinced of it. And she's convinced she's everything else too." Tam' shrugged and moved back to the question and the painkillers. "Ah, don't worry about the painkillers, I know, but if my arm -is- ever hangin' off, higher ups or not I'll probably be willing t' kill for them." She points toward the tv. "You go ahead, by the way; I kinda like the background noise t' be honest. Can read in silence or noise; doesn't usually matter to me. I bet you, though," She weightened her words slightly, though still sounded light-hearted enough "That there is -nothing- good to be found playing."

Palu found herself confronted by too colourful obects and a Totodile who seemed determined, let alone willing, to share one with her.
The bird coo'd happily, then lowered her beak to peck at the grape flavoured lolly. She tilted her head at the grin, attempting a similar expression in return, however she was somewhat limited in having a beak. She still managed to look happy though, though letting out a little coo of surprise at finding herself being hugged by the little water type.
"Piii Piidgeeotto!" She warbled, attempting to hug back with her feathery wings. Seemed like she really rather liked little Ampule.

Palu warbled happily as Ampule placed the grapey treat into her beak and then tilted her head curiously as she watched the little Totodile take the wrappers to the bin. She hopped, the scarf wobbling and the lolly stick sliding from one side of her beak to the other. The bird's wings twitched and puffed happily as the friendly little water type made his way back over to her.
Amused eyes watched the Totodile take up her scarf and wear it along with the Pidgeotto herself. She even let out a warbling chuckle and matched Ampule's pose proudly, cooing at the humans to ensure they looked.

"Aaw. Kinda wish I had a camera." Tam' commented, looking over at the pokemon, book sliding down in her lap; she'd memorised her page and the place she'd read to. She glanced to the other woman and then the TV, interested to see what had been chosen to be on. "You don't have to keep it quiet for my benefit. Chances are I can read through it, or I'll start watching it, myself anyway." She shrugs a little, grinning. "Always had some weakness for cartoons as well- though they're different to what y' see on now."

Tambrey read while the cartoon played; a glance to Acacia once, to see that she was still watching before a glance to where the pokemon were playing around and then she'd go back to her book. Her eyes roved from side to side as she read each familiar line almost in a skim-read, yet taking in each well-read word as though it was the first time she'd read the book. The slight creases to the spine and wear on the page edges of the otherwise pristine volume spoke of otherwise of the book being new, however.
She re-emerged from the pages just as the commercial started to show, looking over as Acacia re-orientated herself, and was able to respond with a smile in kind.

"Hum. Sounds like you had... forgive me if this is out o' line, but... pretty ol' style parents. Still your Mum sounds nice- certainly seems, uh, invested in you, if that phonecall was anything to go by. Were business trips often?" The bookish grunt grinned though. "I guess you'll have to take my word on the cartoons but, honestly, they don't seem as fun as the one's they used t' make. TV was never really a problem for my family- long as I did my homework at the same time as I watched."

Palu didn't really seem able to suck her treat and it had been sliding around her beak, stick poking from side to side, comically since Ampule had given it to her. She was too proud, and perhaps also being mindful of how Ampule was eating his, to place it down and peck, though, so it continued to slide with each tilt and move the bird made. She watched the little Totadile's expression and body-language and replied with a chuckle-like 'cooing', bobbing her head and hopping slightly as his arms flailed. She seemed to understand and agree.

Tambrey watched the slimmer woman fiddling with the carpet, biting her lip slightly as she worried she may have hit upon something Acacia might not want to talk about, but she tilted her head, curious again as the medic replied to her.

"Not often enough? For you or for him?" She probed at the statement, obviously somewhat concerned, though knowing all talked of had been in the past. "Ah. Well. That's a pretty good way to do it if you can keep it up. My mother's not clear on me right now. I don't even know what she thinks I'm doing or where I am, but she knows I'm alive and well at least. I've been sure of that. She wouldn't have the money to send even if she wanted to, I'm sure."
She bit her lip again, dwelling on her family life for a few moments before she spoke once more. "We did have a pretty good home life," She admitted "And I do miss my family a little sometimes, but it's not like I'm totally cut off from them or anything. They just wouldn't get... well, this."
Tambrey shrugged, one finger lightly tapped the page in a nervous habit.
"How'd you get here anyway? Not that medics aren't gold dust and we're all certainly appreciative that there's another to make sure we don't bleed out, I'm sure, but also.. You went to med school. So, why here, if you don't mind me asking?" A curious, if nervous smile followed.

Palu is many things, but stealthy, she is not...
She tried though, crouching, wings spread a little as she traipsed, head and body low, behind Ampule. Of course, this position had the effect of sticking her tail into the air. The lolly pop continued to roll and slide back and forth within her beak, adding yet more comedy to her terrible attempt at mimicking the slightly more stealthy Ampule.
The bird didn't make any vocal noises, but the lolly against her beak made a little noise of it's own.