This had been an event he had actually been really excited for. Unfortunately, his job had a tendency to come at him hard and without warning, and before he knew it, he had stood up 2 of his quick dates.

Needless to say, the man was in a rush to get to the final one. His luck with romance had always been spotty at best- he couldn't just keep letting chances pass him by!

He arrived at the scene in a hurry, a bouquet of flowers on one arm as he pulled back the sleeve of his jacket to look at his watch.

"Am I... Too early?" The man said with a worried look in his face, looking around the area, his scarf feeling a tad too warm. He didn't want to look desperate, arriving too early.

Even if, you know, he kinda was.

He realized he had no idea of what his date looked- and she probably didn't either. Standing about awkwardly with flowers in hand, the blonde glanced around for anyone who might look like they were waiting for someone, unlikely as it was for them to be there so early.

He found one surprisingly swiftly.

"Excuse me, young lady!" He said as he approached, smiling brightly at the woman. "Might you be Michiko?"

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TAG: michiko maeda

Her hands flew up, waving off the compliment frantically. “Oh, no-no-no-no,” Michi cried, “I mean... yes! I am Michiko! But I am not so young...really.” Still, her cheeks took on a pink tinge and she had to hide her face in her scarf for a moment to compose herself. “Then...you are Gwyar?” He was holding a flower bouquet, so he must be there for the charity event! “It is very nice to meet you. Please take care of me!”

Happy that she finally had another person to enter the Fortune Teller’s tent with, Michi clasped her hands together in front of her. “We are early, but... maybe we can start?” she offered, inclining her head towards the gauze-and-silk display. “If it is okay, I want to have my...” She held up a hand, gesturing at the palm, “...Future told! There may be a crystal ball, and special cards... ooh, maybe even Absol!” She knew Absol were the best at predicting future timelines, though they were usually of disasters. That was fine! It was good to know what to avoid!

Ducking forward through the tent flap, waiting for Gwyar Wledig, Michi pushed her way into the tent. “Hello! We are part of the event,” she said happily to the woman draped all in flowing robes and veils, showing the fortune teller her stamp card with 2/3 finished dates on it. She turned to the blonde man, realizing she’d been inconsiderate in her eagerness to dabble in divination. She hardly knew anything about him yet! “Gwyar, is it the first time for you in Fortree City?”  

She was right.

He was doing her a disservice by handwaving away her mature charms. She was a beautiful woman.

"Indeed I am. It is my pleasure to finally meet you as well, Michiko." He said, offering her the bouquet with a smile, bowing slightly. "Of course we can. It is my personal mission to make this a day you'll not forget."

Galarian knightly courtesy demanded he treat his lady with the utmost admiration and respect. He was a bit rusty on it after spending the longer part of a decade out of the dating game, but he was determined to find another to share the gift of life with once again.

He was tired of his daughters' grilling at home.

Turning his gaze to the object of his date's interests, the man's head tilted ever so slightly.

"Hoh! I did not think such mystic arts were practiced this far out of Galar!" He said after a moment, bopping his fist atop his palm as if only now realizing what it was.

"By all means! Shall we?" He said as he approached the veil to push it away for her to go in first-

But the lady was one step ahead and already ducking inside, leaving the knight blinking. He followed soon after.

The man looked around the tent with some curiosity as his date handed the Clairvoyant something, blank confusion on his features. Strange- this looked little like the druids' huts of Galar.

His attention snapped back to Michiko as she spoke to him, drawing a small smile out of his lips.

"Yes. I've not been in Hoenn for long." He said, scratching at his cheek sheepishly. "And I've been reluctant to travel far until recently, what with recent occurrences."

"But I am glad I chose to participate in this event! I ran a little late due to my... carelessness, but I'm glad I made it in time to meet you. I don't often meet women this beautiful!" He said with a cheerful smile.

His line of work had him meeting more thugs than anything else.

"My daughters will be quite excited to hear about this!"

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TAG: michiko maeda

"You were not late, you were early!" Michi said with a laugh, waving him off reassuringly. She was flattered by the constant compliments, though it felt strange having someone other than her husband call her beautiful. He was very charming. There was something familiar about his voice, too-- it was difficult for Michiko to place foreigners' accents, but earlier in the event she'd met a nice young man who'd expressly pointed it out. "Excuse me... maybe it is a mistake, but... are you from Galar?" That had been where Andy was from. 

The fortune teller had nodded approvingly at Michi's stamp card and handed it back to her, fully filled out. "Are you ready to begin?" the woman intoned mystically, removing two silken cloths that had been covering a pair of crystal balls.

"Oh, you have daughters? I also have! There are two, but they are studying in Unova at University!" Michi was chattering. The fortune teller heaved a patient sigh, waving her hand so that the two orbs began to glow with inert light. Michi's attention was diverted immediately.  "Stand beside one another, and place your hand upon the surface of the crystal," the woman intoned.

Michi immediately hurried over to do as she was told, placing one ring-bedazzled hand on top of the sphere. It began to glow, the color shifting subtly as the mystic forces analyzed her aura. That's what she assumed was happening, anyway! "We will now see if you are compatible in the spirit of Love," the fortune teller said, releasing something under the table so that a strange mist filled the tent. Michi seemed startled. "Love? Oh, but--"

Her crystal ball flashed once, then solidified on magenta. It glowed coolly, stable beneath her touch. Almost afraid of what she might see, Michi looked over at Gwyar Wledig 's. Would they be the same color?

PITFCaK6

^{ooc: roll to see how compatible they are! the closer the numbers, the closer the colors match.}

"Oh? Indeed I am! Whatever gave it away?" He said, blinking obliviously at the woman, a ditzy smile on his lips as he spoke. "I suppose a lot of Galarians are blonde but..."

His words cut off as the fortune teller spoke, his attention momentarily moving to the woman before immediately snapping back to his date, the poor mystic going unheard as Michiko revealed that she, too, had children of her own- 2 Daughters as well, as a matter of fact!

The man ignored the signs like only the truly lovesick could.

"Indeed? University! My, they are already out there seeing the world! You must be very proud!" He said with a smile, before crossing his arms, brows furrowing, reaching up to rub at his temples. "Mine are fourteen and fifteen. I love them both dearly, but the eldest hit her rebellious phase as soon as high school started."

The man seemed to deflate at the memory, the proverbial, imaginary, massive anime tears running down his cheeks.

"Haven't heard a single 'love you' since." Hadn't read one, either. The eldest wouldn't even text her old man nicely. "I miss primary school already..."

He would have gone on and on- but the druid, who was honestly too patient with him, seemed to seize the chance to interrupt, instructing them on the next step of the... ritual? Yeah, that seemed about right.

Much like Michiko, the man startled when the word love was so casually thrown in- though his grin suggested he did not disapprove.

What, that big ring on Michiko's finger? Hey, he was a widower, he could understand! He had worn his own ring for a long time after it had happened.

Surely a lady like her had joined this event for a reason, right? Right?

Right, but not the one he thought.

"This is exciting!" He said with a grin, holding out his hand over the crystal ball. Michiko's color was a... Magenta! And his?

His was a...!

---

TAG: michiko maeda

Oh, thank goodness! Michi's marriage was safe yet-- the Galarian man's crystal glowed a brilliant green beneath his hand. The two colors mingled, casting a soft, fluorescent light throughout the mist which had filled the room. "How beautiful!" she exclaimed. She seemed happy, though she was confused why this fortune teller was so different from the ones she'd visited in the past. Where was the Absol and Xatu, or the palm-reading? Was it possible...

"Alas! The spirits have spoken. It seems this date is not to be...yet, I have foreseen," said the fortune teller mystically, "Without hard work, understanding, and absolute honesty, the love between you both will never be realized. If you want to know more, we can help you."

The black-haired woman's eyes narrowed slightly. "We are finished?" she prompted gently, checking to see if her suspicions were correct. "Hm? Oh, yes, that's the Compatibility Fortune. That's all we're offering right now at this popup, unless you want to visit our main location in Fortree City." She slid the pair of them a business card.

"I understand," Michi said, inclining her head. She spoke carefully. "Thank you for all your hard work." Somehow, the Petalburg woman was able to make it sound chiding.

She seemed disappointed as she let Gwyar open the tent flap for her this time and the duo slipped back outside. "It is just an advertisement!" she burst out as soon as it closed, "It is not real future telling. It is only for the festival." She gestured back towards the other festivities, taking a deep breath.

Masking her betrayal at the silly event, she piped up to ask about Gwyar again. "So your daughters, they are high school students! Do you have a picture?" She loved looking at peoples' families. 

The man's excited expression crumbled like a house of cards.

Green. Bright, green.

That is to say, about as far away from Magenta as one could get on the color wheel.

"Oh." He said, blinking at the colors for a moment as their seer went through an spiel about hard work, understanding, blah blah blah...

But no, really, wasn't this shade of green literally mirror opposite from magenta?

So... it would never work. They had only started, and he had already failed.

"It makes sense. I was never a good partner before." He said with a blank face.

He was so distraught, the fact that it was all carnival bogus that didn't even try to resemble traditional druid mysticism flew completely over his head.

Not Michiko's, though, who was quick to point out what a farce it all was as soon as they were out of the tent.

The man managed a small smile for her.

She was much too kind... clearly, she was trying to spare his feelings.

"I don't mind, really." He said, his words rather easy to misconstrue as released a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let his shoulders drop.

And then took in another one, puffed up his chest, and slapped on a well practiced smile.

Regardless of incompatibility, he had still promised Michiko a day she would not soon forget- and he would be dead before being caught a liar.

"Have you had anything to eat yet, Michiko?" He asked pleasantly- or rather, tried, his words falling under her own as his own interest quickly switched to the woman's own.

Showing off his kids? To another parent? Hell yeah.

"Yes, I do!" He said cheerfully as he produced his phone, smiling brightly as he began to quickly look through his gallery. "Their names are Gwynevere and Gwendolyn; Gwyn and Gwen!♥ I took this photo during last year's christmas! This one was on the same day! We were buying presents for the family- oh, that's my brother in the background. Oooh, and this one's from this year's summer! My paid vacations and their school break lined up, so I took them on a trip to Alola! Oh, this one-!"

Yeah, if she left the man go at it, he would be there forever.

---

TAG: michiko maeda

"Yes! I ate earlier today!" Michi said, chipper. "I have already done two matchups! You are my number three matchup," she said, showing him her stamp card proudly. She'd started the day off by drinking more mulled wine than she should have, so it had been essential to fill her stomach with fair foods before showing up for the final event of the night. She'd already embarrassed herself enough with Balder!

The pictures were all adorable and Michi giggled and exclaimed over all of them. She loved that their names were all so similar-- she wondered if it was a Galar thing or just a Gwyar thing! 

She was happy to stand and listen, but her innate sense of competition (just kidding. It was more like the general parent-pride) drove her to pull her phone out as well. She swiped past her Applin lock screen and pulled up her Instagram, scrolling down the hundreds of posts of pictures of cute Pokemon and desserts from local cafes.

"My daughters... oh, it has been almost a year since they went to university, so we have not taken pictures in a long time..." and her husband had left on sabbatical just a few months ago, too. She finally scrolled back far enough to show Gwyar a picture of the four of them standing in front of Nimbasa University. They'd gotten a stranger to take the picture. "Ahh! Here, they are going away to school!" The Michi in the pic was smiling, looking happy, but her husband was clearly crying. Michi and both of their daughters were hugging him.

Michi smiled, feeling nostalgic. "It is little embarrassing, my husband was so sad... but they are happy, and this is the most important thing." She gave a nod to herself. "Staying always in your hometown is no good-- travel is most important. We must see the world before knowing when to come back, I think."

She turned her smile on Gwyar. "Do you think so?"

It was only fair that she showed him hers if he showed her his. And to be perfectly honest, her family was beautiful.

What with it being all complete and not missing a husband and stuff.

'... Wait. Wha- What was I... Dear lord. What the fresh hell was I trying to do back there!?' He thought with wide eyes, internally screaming while attempting to maintain an amiable smile as he stared at the pictures.

He had been hitting on a married, non-widowed woman. This went beyond Galarian courtesy. It was straight up Kalosian courtly love.

Or as civilized nations preferred to call it- adultery.

If his daughters ever learned of it, he would truly never hear the end of it.

"... You have beautiful family, Michiko. You are very fortunate." He said, trying to think how to best properly beg for forgiveness for his forwardness.

She truly possessed the patience of a Saint, what with not having cleaned his clock off. No, she was much too nice for that it seemed- she was even trying to teach him a lesson.

How had she known he had absolutely forbidden his children from leaving Galar without him?

"I..." He uttered, swallowing hard.

It had been a question he had struggled with for a long time. His oldest daughter specially desired to leave Galar and see what the rest of the world had to offer- but he was an officer, licensed to deal with the worst of the worst.

Letting his daughters wander too far from home without him had always terrified him. If he wasn't there to protect them...

Was she the actual mystic all along?

"I do not know. Perhaps."

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TAG: michiko maeda