For Caria, the cave within the mountain was vastly different than the small icy cave she grew up in. 
Whereas the little crack within the mountain that she called her abode was lit by ice crystals reflecting 
sunlight, there were no such crystals within this particular cave. The only thing lighting her way was a 
makeshift torch from a branch from right outside the entrance, which the Kirlia pointed at any new 
object that reflected its light. Spying eyes in the blackness of the cave seemed to wear on her nerves 
with each step she took.

By the time she had lost vision of any ray of light from the entrance behind her through the bending 
corridors, Caria took a moment to collect her thoughts. She didn't know what foe she was up against, 
where they might be, or how strong they were. Perhaps she was in over her head in taking on a task that 
she wasn't equipped to handle. Though she couldn't just leave those that needed help behind, if it 
would mean she'd get introduced back into society. With her abilities not fully brought out thanks to her 
upbringing and stunted from her experiences, fighting was a low priority. Yet thanks to her heart, she's 
now expecting to fight. The least she could do, then, is to prepare mentally for it.

Becoming more inspired by her thoughts with each step, Caria didn't notice that she was out in the light 
again until she was standing right in it. She had walked into a circular room, the ceiling of which seemed 
to have caved in, leaving the sun to brighten up some of the innards of the mountain's cave. Curious and 
rather awestruck by the unique sight, the Kirlia walked towards the center of the room and looked up 
and around at the rocky walls that gave way to the sky above.

That is, until something whizzed past her, exploding on the ground behind Caria with a small flash. She 
yelped and took a defensive position, alerted by the attack, and looked around for its source.
Upon a ledge, opposite of the entrance she had entered through, a figure from the shadows held out an 
appendage, looking like a giant mouth. Smoke poured from it, and it lowered after a few moments. A 
figure behind it took a step forward, the light from the hole above now able to reach the body, clad in 
black and with a bag around its shoulder that seemed to clash with their clothes.

"You...t-that's no way to welcome someone, you know!" Caria exclaimed, knees wobbling visibly. The 
figure, now fully in the light, was a Mawile about the same stature as the Kirlia herself. It stared down at 
Caria menacingly for a few moments, still as stone, as if waiting for one or the other to make a move.

"...Why are you here?" The Mawile spoke with a rugged voice. Caria, still unsure of the motives of the 
figure for attacking her, and more so if they were to attack again, held her position.

"To...to retrieve something." Caria answered, trying to be unspecific - the Mawile could be an honest-
to-goodness traveler, after all. She didn't want to attack if she didn't know they were the thief.

"I see..." The Mawile muttered. "...then, I can't let you leave here alive."

"What!? You're..." Before Caria could question further, the Mawile fired off another fireball towards her, 
barely ducking away to the left to dodge. As she got back up, the deceiver mon jumped down to the 
ground, quickly getting right into a stance with one hand in front of it and another holding its maw. Caria 
readied psychic auras around her hands, staring down her foe intently. She had to fight, after all...