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It seemed as though it was going to be another aggravatingly uneventful day. It was clear out, but the thermometer was reading a slight warm front on the air currents outside the laboratory walls. Beta wasn't going to be experiencing that sort of thing herself, however, so she only took note to understand what she was likely to be able to spot. It was a game likened much to a child trying to find the one Volkswagen among a highway so they could punch their traveling companion in the shoulder. Beta would have gleefully punched something to save her from this boredom if almost everything in the room didn't have the potential to crack and explode on impact. Psh, electronics; they did not make good traveling companions.

So here she sat at the main computer, flipping through the security cameras one by one. Her head leaned heavily against an non-preoccupied hand at the surface of the console. It was winter, so the regular insects that may have otherwise flitted past any of the screens would not be making their appearance. Most of the birds would have flown south for the winter as well, but Beta was always hopeful to be able to maybe see one of the smaller breeds still picking apart the surroundings for misplaced berries and nuts. At least there wasn't any frost, or today would have most definitively monotonous.

There didn't seem to be any birds scouring the area facing south, inland across the rocky beach. Despite the remote, salt-ridden area, there were a few shrubs decorating the grounds immediately outside the walls. The bleak-numbered, northern-facing security cameras rarely caught a thing but the crashing of waves, and Beta usually only really took to glancing at them should she be predicting approaching inclement weather. She was hopeful to catch sight of something more exotic, maybe a tentacool, but never once caught a glimpse; she'd just have to settle for the picture books she had around her workroom.

Sometimes a stray animal, a squirrel or bird, would find it's way through the lower levels of the tower system. Beta usually didn't pay them any mind, for they tended to easily find their way back out again, but sometimes wished something would get stuck further inside. Most of the lower levels were hastily abandoned, but not much seemed to have been left behind. It looked as though it were owned by someone of more nautical profession, but had become overrun by blown in sand, the ghosts of old spider webs, and dusty surfaces. While Beta was apt to keep the upper laboratory settings spotless, she was less eager to venture down there to do the same. What would be the point? It was so drafty that, as soon as she would have finished cleaning one side of the room, the other side would revert back to its disheveled look. Maybe if she could get better doors, but...

The upper levels seemed to be impossible to traverse to. The stairwell upward was broken beyond repair, twisted metal and shattered granite almost guaranteeing safe haven up above. The lack of windows in the upper floors, despite the tower looking almost like a lighthouse, kept anything from entering through aerial means. There were doors that Beta herself could use, but how often would a levitation-capable pokémon with opposable thumbs and knowledge to where the hidden entrances were come up? There was only one.

She paused in her camera-sifting on the lower floor, taking another long look at the mounted captain's wheel on the main part of the lower wall. It seemed more and more brittle every day, resembling the driftwood that the mewtwo would sometimes find floated to shore and scorched in the sun. It was sad, really, considering it was one of the very few points of interest on the entire lower level. Nobody really came looking to pilfer anything anymore, unless there was someone out there that had a really big fondness for rebar? It could be possible...

Beta tapped a blunted digit on the console, the sound droning into the back of her head. She was beginning to nod off with the lack of anything moving on the camera screens. There didn't even seem to be a slight breeze today, so not even the leaves were giving off a distracting, if miniscule, wave. As she was drifting off, she began daydreaming that something eventful might occur. Maybe a scientist was coming back, or a squirrel tripped an alarm... heck, even a tumbleweed would have been exciting!

Her head slid off of its perch on her non-drumming hand, snapping the lab pokémon out of her daze. She shook her head, finding it odd that she could still hear the quieted alarms from her short nap around her. Nothing ever came around, so she had turned down the volume on them; she would be at the terminal anyway if they tried, but... -Wait a minute...- she examined the lower-level camera screen, eyes squinting at the dim display, -Is something... moving up the stairs?-

Well, even if there was nothing there, this was enough reason as any to get out of the laboratory and investigate. She switched the alarm system off for now before powering down the grid. There was a hatch that dropped directly into the lower levels from the storeroom in the back, but without the ability to levitate, most pokémon -- and humans -- would merely see it as a booby trap of sorts. Leaping into the dark tunnel, she let gravity gain the upper hand until it spat her out the bottom, where she caught herself with her innate telekinetic abilities. The laboratory pet was still closer to the ceiling as she floated slowly toward the broken stone staircase, evaluating what she had seen on the screens earlier.

With a start, she realized both that she was not incorrect in what she had observed, but also that this lost little pokémon was in danger of harming itself should it keep rising the steps at the pace it was going. Zipping closer, she telepathically barked at the piplup, -Stop! Do not move any further!- Beta herself kept moving forward, in the off-chance she would need to catch the strange penguin-like pokémon on the other side of the stairs. She didn't want the little thing to get hurt!

Beta sighed, glad the piplup had halted in her steps as the mewtwo had instructed. Well, at least tried to, considering it looked like she was wobbling a little bit in the effort; the important part was that the water type wasn't in danger of pitching off the stairs anymore. Regardless, Beta decided to make extra certain that the pokémon was safe, floating over to where Holly had frozen and gingerly picking the piplup up by the sides of her small body. Carrying the pokémon down toward ground level, Beta's tone of... mental voice seemed to be marked with very little humor on the subject. -You had almost fallen, those stairs are not safe,- she explained with a glance down at the piplup under the cover of darkness. Her lime tail swayed a bit as she propelled herself carefully through the air, -No I am not a ghost type. There is no need to be scared about that.- The mewtwo sounded very matter-of-fact on the subject, but didn't delve deeper into the subject.

Placing the penguin-like pokémon on the floor, Beta followed suit and landed herself down as well. -Your presence here is quite unusual. How did you get in here?- she asked. Were the cameras not functioning properly? She stared at the small pokémon, amazed that one had made its way into the building. Very rarely would any other of the pokémon world stumble upon this place; Beta was so used to seeing pests of the world instead! Amending onto her question, she added with a poke at the air, -You are no crab, or squirrel...-

Beta had the sneaking suspicion that the piplup would be fidgety with the mewtwo's lack of warning before snatching her up, but held on carefully to keep from accidentally dropping the poor little pokémon. She smiled at the blue penguin, though the action was hardly visible in the dark. -Indeed. It is a safety precaution, but it does not seem as though it was very well-thought-out,- she agreed before indicating herself, -Unfortunately, this pokémon was not the one to damage it, and cannot fix it.- She seemed a bit irritated about that fact, and there was even a touch of sadness about it. Nothing had been harmed by falling off of the broken stair case yet, but there was no telling if that statistic would hold out.

The laboratory pokémon was a bit confused to the piplup's reply, -There is a hole? Where is it? That is not good...- While she didn't mind the piplup being able to sneak in -- especially if she did so with no ill intent, as it seemed -- she was sure the scientists that had long since abandoned the facility wouldn't agree. Besides, if she thought about technical implications, air currents could carry damaging material with it and affect the electronics high above, even if such an event was extremely unlikely. She peered at the hole as it was shown to her, noting that it was almost invisible at most angles due to the depth of the stone. -Interesting. It shall have to be patched up, somehow,- she tallied in her head.

She left the piplup next to the hole in the wall as the tall pokémon made her way over to the large, wooden front door. Pushing it open was a bit of a task, but it surely would have been impossible to accomplish for such a tiny pokémon such as Holly without the proper weight distribution. This allowed light to flood into the bottom floor, and Beta tsked at the sight, -This floor is always so dusty, look at all the sand that has found its way in here...- The mewtwo didn't appreciate having to clean the lower levels so frequently because of this, so often shirked the duty unless she was especially bored. She pointed to the archway for the door, -This is the way out, and usually the way in as well. You can leave if you want, and you really should be kicked out as soon as possible, but... honestly, there is no harm if you want to stick around for a little bit.- She stated it so nonchalant, it wasn't even apparent that she was kind of embarrassed to admit something like that. With a twitch of her tail she explained, -It was an attempt to make a joke. It is usually hermit crabs or squirrels that find themselves lost in here, not piplups.- Did she even know how to laugh? It was hard to say...

Beta nodded in response to Holly's question before she noticed that the piplup did not understand what she meant by that. Glancing at them, it was then that the mewtwo realized why she didn't understand, -Oh, they are not a safety precaution for those that wander in. Rather, they are, um...- Oh, darn, she wasn't suppose to be giving this much information away so freely. Quickly, she readjusted the words that she spoke to tell of a slightly different answer, but one that was nevertheless still true, -The humans who live higher up instructed their pokémon to house-sit. If there was no indication that one could go higher, then they would be less prone to robbery.- In a way, it was true... but it was then that she began to fret for the worst. Was that really logically sound? Sure, from the outside it sounded rational, but then... how were the scientists going to make it back up when they returned? This didn't seem to register to Beta until she was discussing it with someone who didn't understand... She began fidgeting her weight slightly, unsure.

-It was dark, the door probably looked like another wall to one at your eye level, correct?- she agreed, in a roundabout sort of manner. It made sense when unraveled through words, and interaction was how she liked to discover newer knowledge, even if it was trivial. Beta watched as the piplup played with the sand, but shook her head as a way to push back the subject of evicting intruders from the lighthouse. -They ordered it to be the course of action to take,- she stated simply, convinced that that was really all she needed to say. She didn't know that her predicament was strange for a pokémon, even for a pokémon with an actual trainer, despite not actually having one. Beta's head tilted to Holly's upward indication, frantically trying to come up with a decent enough excuse for what to call the laboratory above -- nobody's actual house was ever located inside a lighthouse. -Sensitive research,- she blurted out, twitching at how close to truth that actually sounded, -Um... lighthouses can store a lot of information. Geological shifts, study on the ocean currents, weather patterns...- ...at least, scattered throughout the more overwhelming genetic and pokémon-centric information... -...the owner of the tower did not want to leave that work out in the open. You know how scientists can be.- Another crack at an unfunny joke, it seemed, despite the failure of her first, -Was that one a better joke?- Beta was unaware she might actually be making the situation more awkward with her try at being a comedian to cheer the frightened piplup up. The mewtwo entered further inside and away from the door, stopping short of a pile of sand. A home? She... supposed she could call it that, even if it was more like a prison to her. -In a way, you could call it a home,- she decided before her tail began swaying with greater activity, -A cave? What is it like being in one?- Now it was Beta's turn to be curious!

Seemed the little piplup was as perceptive about Beta's point of worry as the mewtwo herself was at the moment, but the towering pokémon didn't show any further outward hesitation on the matter. After all, it was very possible they planned to even use the psychic-type as a lift to get back up when they returned; she was a vessel for their own convenience as much as she was a guinea pig, after all. Still... the lingering worry was gnawing enough to leave for some anxiety. Confusedly, she watched as the piplup began searching for some sort of hidden mechanism. Did she really think that the stairs would magically fix themselves if she pushed in a brick, or that there was a hidden stairwell that wasn't even apparent from the outside? While she could find plenty of flaws in the small pokémon's train of thought, Beta couldn't bring herself to ruin the fun the piplup was having with trying to solve the unsolvable. It was harmless anyway. Turning her eyes to the stone surface the piplup had indicated, Beta pressed her hand on the section, moving in a way that indicated that she was putting force on the surface, -Do you mean like this? Do you have some combination in mind?- There was also no harm in playing along.

Ahh, she had thought such. While the door was nothing like the wall, not even being of the same material or painted a similar color, in pitch darkness it would have been nigh impossible to tell, especially since Holly hadn't made it a point to touch any of it to feel the grain of the door. However, Beta seemed confused that the small piplup had no idea what the simplest of research was. Beta may have been exceedingly capable of seeing things through another's perspective, this particular one caught her more off guard. After all, the mewtwo had grown up always surrounded by research and technology; how was one suppose to explain what they lived and breathed every day to someone who had never experienced it? She gave it a try nonetheless, -Well... basically, they turn information that they gather about nature, about this particular area, into numbers. If something qualitative is turned into something quantitative, or as close as it can become, it can be measured and...- She stopped, frowning, -This is probably not making any sense, is it?- Beta doubted a feral pokémon would see the point in raw data... She nodded at the piplup's confused answer, offering to throw her some metaphorical rope, -That they are, very secretive.- At least the ones that used to be here were.

Glancing down at the offered shell, Beta was perplexed, -Merry Christmas? What is that?- She didn't have any data on what a 'Merry Christmas' was suppose to be... was that what the shell was called? She crouched down to get a better look at it, unsure if the piplup wanted her to take it or just look at it, -It is very pretty.- Her lime green tail was making slow twitches along the stony floor, like a content cat, -That would make your cave feel rather... homey? It sounds like it is a very nice place to live. So you like warmer climates, yes?- She wondered what a hot spring was like, but figured it best not to bombard the piplup with hard to answer questions... such as what naturally-heated water was like.

Beta watched as Holly kept searching for anything that could give the slightest indication of opening up a secret route to the top, amused though she hardly let on to it. When Holly tried equating what Beta had said into simpler terms, the mewtwo had to think a moment before she nodded, -Yes, that is along the correct lines. See, it is then turned into data, such as how many fish are in this bay area. Something physical has then been turned into a number.- The piplup seemed a lot brighter than she initially let on to, and was a quick study! Beta then proceeded to be quick about following directions, but was slowed in her ability to carry out the instructions while simultaneously listening to them become increasingly bizarre. She hesitated after a couple of maneuvers, but attempted it nonetheless. After the spinning, Beta was a tad disoriented, but landed an elbow on where she was to tap next. -One, two, three, four, five. Was anything missed?- she asked, peering around as though she were expecting it to work. It didn't even occur to the mewtwo that maybe Holly literally meant to say the words aloud. Either way, Beta found the little piplup to be such a strange and imaginative pokémon! Trying to play further along, she asked, -Maybe that stone over there needs to be shifted forty-five degrees to the right?- And maybe that was a mite too technical...

At Holly's surprise when Beta admitted she had not heard of Christmas, the mewtwo peered intently as the young pokémon explained. Her descriptions seemed so jumbled, and hopped around almost as much as the sentence bled together. Was there any central theme? Well, she did manage to make at least one thing out in all the strange traditions that Holly was describing, -So it is a celebration? Like a festival?- A strange one at that. She considered asking about any of the rest of it, but it was difficult to figure out where to even start. At least Holly had the mind to demonstrate her favorite part of the holiday, and Beta offered a stubby-digited hand to delicately take the offered shell, -Well... thank you for that. Hmm... ah, Beta is not sure she has anything to give in return...- In the disappointment she had in this turn of events, she had momentarily lapsed on the careful monitoring of her speech. Her tail lowered at the realization of that, mentally cursing herself for putting her guard down in such a manner. Beta frowned as Holly recounted the events that led up to her stay in the warmer cave, -A blizzard? You did not have to walk too far, did you? Perhaps you will be able to go back, if that is what you desired.- She smiled as Holly explained how the cave came with a new friend, glad that she had stumbled into a cave that wasn't inhabited by some grouchy dragon-type.

The mewtwo pondered the question that Holly had proposed, trying to see if she could remember, -Last time the numbers were adjusted, there were approximately thirty-nine types of fish that came within a mile radius of this tower. That number is probably in need of alteration now, though. Population-wise, there were approximately one fish for every five cubic meters of water. That is not to say that you will find one after so much distance, however, since many of the fish travel in schools.- When were those numbers last run? Beta had absolutely no idea, to be honest, as it wasn't one of the top priorities for the scientists to keep track of at the time. She thought about saying the words out loud, unsure if she had the means to do so. Honestly... the scientists wanted her to hone her psychic skills to such an extent that they had practically banned her from speaking aloud, but she wasn't positive she was ever able to in the first place. Regardless, Holly went on with her search of a secret passageway, so Beta didn't need to try to discover such a skill at the moment. -Oh, pardon,- she apologized for the precision in her previous playful response, holding a hand up so that it pointed straight up and down vertically, -Say something is sitting like this on the ground,- she then proceeded to hold another hand, the base of her palm touching the base of the other, but crooked at an angle away from it, -Moving it in this position from its previous would constitute as being forty-five degrees from the initial position. Does that... make sense?- She wasn't used to explaining all of this, but it was... actually kind of fun to teach it to someone, especially one so bright.

She smiled at the piplup's exuberance on the subject of Christmas, and despite the contradictions that she was exhibiting on the matter, Beta was fairly certain she understood what the water-type was getting at, -So most people only celebrate it the one day, but you like to celebrate it every day? Is that correct?- Holly was on a mission to celebrate every unbirthday, wasn't she? -Well then Merry Christmas to you as well,- the green-hued mewtwo returned the sentiment. She flinched a bit when Holly asked if Beta was her name, the tip of her tail twitching at the irritation with the word but to a lesser extent than she would have otherwise felt, considering Holly's proper manners on the introduction. -It... is. Beta's name is not something she... really likes, though,- she admitted with a bit of a frown, -But she does like Holly's name, it is very pretty. Like the shell!- Beta smiled again, examining the gift with a careful grip as it was indicated. -Ah, an avalanche! Beta heard those were very dangerous,- she exclaimed, no longer paying mind to how she spoke. Beta would have been happy to perhaps help the little piplup get her things out of the buried cave, but the notion of having to stay put in this solitary building clung tight, -There is no risk for an avalanche where you currently reside anymore, yes?- At least the little one was safe now.