[attr="class","light"]duplicitous orbs shifted haphazardly. the memory brought up by his longtime friend did not exactly make it any better. he was on high-alert. his body stiff as ever. he couldn't afford to make even the slightest mistake.

his attire? a bundled mess that screamed criminal activity. a beige trench coat covered the entirety of his body; followed by shades, a hat, and a false stash. to answer kyle lopez's question? mateo needed no verbal reassurance, because his clothing made it all the more memorable. yes, he remembered.

if you knew him? no you didn't.

mateo did his best to stand straight. unequivocally did he hold no memory of this day, none...whatsoever. massaging his stash with a single finger, he'd look off to the side when asked how long it had been, "too long." that's for sure. "but that's why i have you!" he responded again, "i don't exactly know how to get anyone a present. why can't i just send her some training weights?"

he was a hundred percent serious on sending her such gifts. "isn't it all about the thought?" his reason for bringing kyle along for the ride was more valid than ever. this was important, it was the woman who gave him life after all.

[attr="class","light"]his attention had been drawn to the rayquaza figurine. mateo stared for a short duration. it was then a smile formed across his face. "you know this figurine would actually work," he responded. "ever since she was introduced to anime she couldn't exactly stop talking about it. it actually worried the shrie maidens with how addicted she became." he wondered who he had to blame for that.

"but this figurine of rayquaza," he'd carefully pick it up. "this would definitely make her happy." it would remind her of both him and his late father. "i think it'll even make her cry." turning to kyle, he'd ask, "you know, you don't talk about your parents much now that i think about it." were they even human?

kyle lopez

[attr="class","light"]he made it sound as if they weren't as close compared to mateo and his mom. if anything he wished she'd lay off the constant bombardment of calls. he understood as to why she did it though, and he was okay with that. it was nice having her check-in every now and then.

"why not buy something for her, too?"

another souvenir from a close-friend would make her even more ecstatic. "it's not like you're a stranger to her, if anything you're like a second son to her with how much i talk to her about you." he was apart of his family. with noelle, chance, and everyone else gone. the estate felt empty, but that wasn't something mateo would admit.

"well, you have a second family in johto. so now you also have to get her a gift!" and that figurine of rayquaza was going to be mateo's. "you should try reaching out to your family sometime though."

kyle lopez

[attr="class","light"]"haha, that's fair!"

gathering the amount needed to pay. he'd listen as kyle spoke about what to send his mother, "dude, she's your mom." though, when you thought about it, he wondered what sort of parents he had. "you should know enough on what to send her, haha!" he couldn't help but laugh at his question. "then again i'm not really surprised, this is kind of right on the nose. you wouldn't be you if you did know what to say i guess?"

it was kind of adorable to see him in a pickle on the matter. "just let her know you're thinking of them. even though you all barely talk, i bet it'll warm her heart t'know her own son thinks of her every once in awhile." mateo's mind then wandered off to fernando, "i wonder if that guy has parents. 'nando seems like the type to immediately put his parents into a nursing home at the age of 40." mateo would release a bellowing laughter at the thought, unaware that fernando's parents were deceased.

kyle lopez

[attr="class","light"]"ooh, have you met them?"

fernando came from a rich background. it would be no surprise if his parents were famous politicians or movie stars. "they must be pretty well-known to have a son that stiff," mateo thought aloud. it was then he heard kyle's latest statement. "he must have a pretty bad relationship with them if that's the case, poor 'nando." but it felt right for a guy of his stature.

"i met his sister, yui. the story i have to tell you about her, totally different from 'nando." as he finished paying for the items. he'd hand a bag over to kyle. "seriously, you won't believe how different they are. i got a video of her battling, it's mad hilarious!" he'd let out a sharp cackle upon remembering her "threatening" words in trying to get him to delete it.

kyle lopez