[Ford hasn't seen someone down whiskey like that since Fiddleford. For a whole couple of seconds he allows himself to feel wistful, before he shakes that off and chases it away with a maybe too-long sip from his own drink. He's made a home here and he's made more friends than he ever thought he was possibly capable of having, but part of him is always going to miss his best friend.

But it's fine! He's fine. Really. He's gotten very good at focusing on what's in front of him instead of what's behind.

Luckily he's saved the awkwardness of explaining the Thoughtful expression his face just did for the past couple of seconds when the television behind the bar starts in on a recap of the growing Aurora League and its current roster of Champions-turned-Gym-Leaders. It's been months and it's still weird to see his face up there with Cecil and Sion and Ryner. What a weird crew they are: three beautiful anime men, two punky young adults, and grandpa. It segues into speculation about what type of gyms the latter three might open, since there's been no official word on any of them, only rumors.]

Ah, see? I think it speaks a lot to how welcoming this world is to non-native that they allow us into one of their most venerated social positions.