They Stray begins to empty out, late are the wee hours of the morning to a town like Rustboro. More than late enough for the common working man to be making his way home. Or to be ushered out by the bartender to catch the taxi in the bar's speed dial home.

Our latter example is the case that brings Evan to the doorway of the Stray, ushering one of the old fools that makes the tavern their home out and into the parking lot where they will clamber intoa taxi that already knows where to take them.

It is also the example that brings him to find Laurrence Anderson waiting for him, not only on an unusual night to see him at the bar but well after the usual hour as well. "Lars?"

there's a touch of worry in his voice, waiting for the other to confirm or deny whether he should be concerned to see him without notice like this.

Laurence Anderson

The door opens and Evan finds himself face to face with a shower fresh Laurence Anderson.

Very shower fresh.

"Oh."

How nonchalant. He has to be mind you, if he thinks too much about the bare chest just bellow eye level it's going to get to him. Get to him in a way the man has been avoiding for a very long time.

Evan turns around, lacing his fingers together against hi own chest and refusing to look back over his shoulder at lars.

"Did the clothes I gave you... not fit?"

Laurence Anderson

"not as many as you might think, actually." the man chuckles, the smile nearly as sweet as the treats he's feeding to the other man. "I might nto bake often but I manage alright."

Before Lars has a chance to comment further, regardless of the manner in which he might et teased, Evan is springing the true plan and pllot upon him .

The plate that comes from the fridge next is a platter of chilled treats. Tarts, little bars, pecha and leppa and heri berries are aplenty. They have been been used quite judisciously within a geletin dome, the piecs of fruit strewn within it cut to look like falling petals within the dessert.

He sets the platter of samples on the table, standing proudly with his hands onhis hips when he comments again.

"And this is just the chilled treats, wait til you see the warm ones."

Laurence Anderson

Evan doesn't bother timing him because he's busy with something else entirely. The fact the other man has gone so out of his way for him hasn't bee forgotten. The time they've spent around each other as of late does not go unnoticed.

He ignores the touch of heat in his cheeks as he takes care in his little thank you for Laurence, something he'd been thinking on for awhile but hadn't had he heart for just yet. Now's as good a time as any.

When Lars opens the door to the hotel room again he won't find an empty hallway waiting for him, he'll find piercing blue eyes in an oversized sweater. A hand reaching out, waiting for his.

Laurence Anderson

"On the contrary, I'm going for smooth." Evan says with a grin curling about his lips. He leans on the counter, propping himself on his elbow for a moment. His chin finds itself settling in his hand before he speaks again. "The cheesecake is much mroe versatile than people give it credit for."

"Go on, keep going, see if it doesn't grow on you a bit."

He's got all night and a fridge full of goodies to go with it.

Laurence Anderson

His words do nothing to change the smile on Evans face. If anything it gives him more reason to go so, soft and genuine in its apreciation of the offer lars has made to him. Even if the man thinks nothing of it Evan knows how important a gesture it is, what it means to the place in the long run.

"I'll get you a key then, just a moment."

He stands, steadies himself on the table top and then athers the papers he'd been working on earlier in the evening. He wonders off with a nod at lars.

Moments later he'll return with hand empty of everything but a room key. Lars is welcome to reture whenever he pleases.

Laurence Anderson

He's met part way with icecold in his facce and the look that surfaces after he shakes the snow off is both stunned and mildly impressed.

"Fine then." He looks at lars, surprisingly straight faced.

"We'll play it that way."

Without hesitation Evan is closing the gap between the two of them. Without hesitation he Tackles the man into the snow bank behind him. After all, he's fine right? In more ways than one

Laurence Anderson

He sees the look on his face and it prompts him to elaborate a little. "Secrets have a way of getting out, saying you're not going to talk about it is like asking for yourself to end up talking about it."

He leaves it at that. The world he's been has left the idea of secrets tainted.

There is no such thing, not really. Someone always find a way to know what you keep closest to yourself.

Evan looks down at the chimeras and sighs, oddly enough his features relax, the tenseness in his shoulders melt away when his own looks back up at him. "Saw something about that, heard a thing or two." being in the bar all the time has its perks now and again. That was one of them. He was almost always in the know this way. "I can't say I haven anything else to offer, mine's the same way. He's quiet, watches more than anything. Occasionally tackles something." it snorts at him, of all things.

"And he likes to headbutt things he likes." he adds, sighing. Evan finds himself unable to comment about whether or not he thinks poorly of what he's done. It was a stupid idea but he can't say he's against having the creature either. Life is an odd thing, an odd cycle. So instead he's quiet, choosing to look away instead.

Orion Lykos

The huntail have found their quary. The corsala cry out and seem to huddle together instinctively, a few ready to shoot off a water gun or bubble beam in the hopes of scaring off the pokemon that they would fall prey to.

"Well." Evan watches his pokemon, the quagsire slowly making his way to the outer ring of the migration, seeking the pokemon looking to attack. he takes his time, lazy and slow. Evan reaches up to scratch the chin of his vaporeon who is already formin water around them, the aqua ring building and curling around them with ease.

The quagsire sees the huntail and yawns, long and slow and wide. and he yawns again as they grow closer. It does seem like a good time for a nap doesn't it? "We're still alive, aren't we?"

Kaida Adachi

espeon

The man nods, he agrees with her sentiment. The corsala were quite enchanting to watch, more so in the waters around pacifidlog where they played an important part in the very foundation of the towns floating existence above the water. There was much about the pokemn that made them worthy of note but their fragile nature made it almost bittersweet.

She asks for names and he watches her, he'll do his best to remember which is which. "Poisedon, or Poise" he points at the vaporeon on his shoulder who trills at the sound of his name and leans forward to butt his head against the finger in question. Evan points at the water next. "And Barnabus"/b] the sound of the quagsire could be heard over the sound of the corsala from beside the boat.

"Pleasure to meet everyone." he grins, gentle and warm despite how he looks. "You ever dealt with a migration like this before?" he asks, eyes on the water again, narrowing as a soft aze begins to fll the area aroun the boat. He's not sure what prompts it out of his quagsire but he's alert nonetheless.

Kaida Adachi

"Hmmm..." it's hard to say what evan's doing with the beast though, it was all for old tims sake. It was because knowing things is both dangerous and one of the greatest weapons a person can have all at once.

Because he was curious and had a hell of a lot less impulse control than people thought. So maybe they're the same in that regards, it's hard for him to be sure.

"I don't keep secrets, just things you're careful who you talk to about it." dancing, always dancing, too upfront and you commit to things you might not be able to keep true. Its a way of getting in trouble. They're both in the same boat in some regard though. There's no changing that.

Evan looks at the pair of chimeras. "Do you know anything about them?" he hasn't looked, not hard at least.

Orion Lykos

"We'll be quite alright, as long as we keep out whits about us." red-black eyes have been watching her as she paces, his lips curlin into a grin when she speaks. The man has been crouched next to the side of the boat, Poisedon, his vaporeon, curled aroun his feet. The pair watch the waves. Every now and again he dips his hand into the water as if testing it.

He doesn't dive in of ourse, only watches closer as the pokemon come their way. His quagsire, Barnubus, floats about the water surroudng the boat. Occasionally he bumps his head on the side of the vessel but doesn't seem to mind.

Evan stands tapping his shoulder and the vaporeon clambers up him with ease to watch from his perch. "I think we can manage well enough."

ne way or another, right?

"Evan by the way."

Kaida Adachi