"Then let's say I just wanted to do it." He said simply, grinning as he shrugged, taking a step back and holding both hands up towards her while making a show of framing her like a picture.

He winked flirtatiously.

"I quite like the look of it myself." He said, staring at her and the utterly oversized coat hanging off her shoulders.

Letting his arms drop back to his sides, he nodded as he swung back his backpack over his shoulder, following her gaze downwards before chuckling, offering his arm to her once more.

"Yes, perhaps its best if we do. Wouldn't want to scare off any other customers, would we?" He said.

---

TAG: Eva Morales

Gwyar would see the small blonde frowning playfully through the frame of his fingers as he winked at her. There was a slightly playful roll of her emerald eyes, “Glad you think so,” she laughed back as he offered his arm to her again. Eva shimmied her arms through the coat to fully put it on. Eva accepted the offer and slipped her arm through his yet again.

The two made their way back outside and towards the bench Gwyar had motioned at earlier, “So tell me something else about yourself, Gwyar,” she began as they sat down, “Like … family! Is all of your family back in Galar? Any siblings?” Eva had mentioned her large family, something she cherished deeply though she hadn’t spoken to them in a long time. It was hard to juggle. Rocket kept a close eye on those left that had family or friend that opposed them that they hadn’t caught yet. The last thing she needed to Rocket threatening her or her family. It was better to just keep her distance and cherish the memories.

Gwyar Wledig

Arm in arm they made their way to the bench, the questions coming almost as soon as they sat.

Gwyar grinned wide; family was one of the topics he was most (unfortunately) open about to strangers, though he froze before launching into his usual excitable dad routine.

Right... He should probably clear something up before he started talking about daughters.

"Ah, no. I was an only child, I'm afraid." He said, leaning back on the seat as he turned his gaze upwards. "Ever the conservative man, my father wished to raise a boy into a knight, to continue the family name and tradition. His very first was a boy, so... he saw no reason to continue. My mother was very displeased."

He brought his brows together, wondering if he should speak of such things- he didn't want to seem like he was bragging about his family's nonexistent status.

He decided to save such things for another time, should Eva prove curious (and for plot consistency's sake.)

"They are both alive and well to this day. Hardy folk, all of us." He said, before shaking his head. "But they aren't really my main focus these days."

He leaned back, before winking at her.

"I've my own children to worry about. Being a single father is rather challenging."

---

TAG: Eva Morales

Eva couldn’t imagine growing up as an only child. It probably wasn’t as lonely as she imagined but she couldn’t help but think that. She wouldn’t have known what to do without having older brothers to bother and stalk around as she grew up. Eva was definitely the kind of sister that wanted to be included in everything, much to their dismay. She was always babied by her father and the older siblings, but the middle children wouldn’t put up with her persistently inserting herself in their lives. It made for conflict, but it also brought them all closer together.

She nodded along as he told his story, happy to hear all were well in Galar, “Oh?” her eyes lit up at the mention of children. It wasn’t something she was expecting. To have children must be the ultimate adventure, truly admirable. Family life was something Eva wrote off for herself a long time ago, “Wow, children,” she echoed, there was a sense of wonder in her voice, “You must miss them a lot,” she would if she was half way across the world, “Do you have any pictures?” She chose to tread carefully around the whole ‘single father’ thing.

Gwyar Wledig

He smiled reflexively when the woman visibly perked up at the mention of children.

A better response than most would hope.

He had chosen his words very carefully. It was important to let Eva know that he was not a married man trying to cheat on his wife.

If she didn't wish to touch on the subject further... that was fine by him. It was not the kind of thing you told someone you had just met, even if you were hitting it off- or rather, perhaps specially if you were hitting it off.

"Every day! I wish I could've brought them with me, but..." He wasn't about to get them involved with something as dangerous as his work. "... Hoenn is a mess."

Not the main reason, but one of them; a convenient half-truth.

"I've learned quite a lot due to the distance, though." He said, flushing slightly as he scratched his cheek. "I, uh... am not terribly techno-savvy."

His very traditional upbringing had a lot of downsides.

"You wouldn't believe the trouble I ran into just trying to get a 'video-call' with them." He said sheepishly. He could handle the smart part of his smart phone these days, but in the beginning? It was rather rough.

And he still had troubles with machinery more often than not.

The man smiled daintily when she asked if he had any pictures, his chest trembling as he barely contained a bark of laughter.

And then his phone all but materialized in the palm of his hand.

"As a matter of fact~." He said singsongly as he flicked through his phone's screen and menu- he didn't even need to get to the gallery, really. Right there, on his background, was an image of himself and two girls.

"These are them." He said warmly as he swiped to get what few apps he had out of the way. "Ponytail is Gwynevere, rosy cheeks is Gwendolyn. Gwyn and Gwen."

He let her take in the sight of them before flicking into the Gallery, where a single folder named 'Family' stood out from the mess of whatsapp group images and random amateur pictures the man took of Hoennian landscapes.

"This one is from the same day as my background." He said as he opened one up, smiling wide. "Gwyn is so stubborn and self-concious at times... I couldn't let this moment pass me by. She rarely holds her baby sister's hand."

A flick of the finger. Bam. Sunlight and bathing suits.

"This one was a courtesy picture from a hotel photographer in Alola." He said, chuckling. "I took a break from work on the Summer and tried to get the girl's away from the cold of Galar- expand their horizons a bit."

---

TAG: Eva Morales

The only technology Eva really had a handle for was lab equipment, the rest she didn’t really care for. She wasn’t on social media and didn’t care to be. Video calling was something she was familiar with only because she had done some telemedicine here and there. Eva nodded in understanding, “Yeeaaahhh, I probably wouldn’t wanna bring kids here too . . . it’s definitely a mess,” Hopefully it wouldn’t be that way for long, though, and they’d be able to get this whole Rocket thing under control . . . then maybe it might stay reasonably quiet for a while.

Of course he had pictures, that was a stupid question. Every dad had plenty of them to show off on cue. Gwyar did not disappoint, the lock screen on his phone show two lovely blonde girls, “Aww they’re beautiful!” she smiled, scooting a bit closer to get at better look at his screen.

Gwyn, Gwen, Gwyar . . . she was sensing a theme.

“How old are they?” she asked, looking back up at Gwyar.

Gwyar Wledig

"Thank you! They are, aren't they?" The man responded immediately with a bright smile, happiness practically radiating off him in waves. "They are the light of my life."

Nothing buttered up a (good) parent more than hearing their biases regarding their children confirmed.

"Gwynevere is 15. Gwendolyn is 14. They are practically young ladies already." The man said warmly, turning his gaze back towards the image of the two girls, his thumb gently running over the surface to swipe to another picture, and another, and another, and yet again another...!

The girls had gone from wearing casual, stylish clothes to armor in a style much like Gwyar's own. A black haired man made his presence known again and again, dead eyed and stern.

"... No, I suppose Lady is not the right word. They are young, beautiful Dames." He said with a sigh. Dame- a female knight. "These photos were taken during their Knighting ceremonies, last year."

His gaze shifted towards the black haired man.

"That's my father." He said. For a man presumably in his late 50s early 60s, he looked extremely well preserved. The sternness of his face, however, certainly fit the old, overly-traditional knight image Gwyar had painted of him.

The old man's relationship with his grand-daughter's was... interesting. He had never let it be known to them, but to Gwyar, it had been made rather clear:

Their prestigious line of knights could not move forward without a man to take the inherit it... or so the old man believed. Though the old knight thought them both talented and well deserving of their knighthood, having been the one to knight them himself, he considered Gwyar to have failed to deliver on what the family needed. Specially, given the fact his wife died in the process.

But that wasn't something Eva needed to know; it wasn't a subject he was ready to broach with someone whom he had just met, know matter how well they had meshed so far.

And on a less serious note, it would be a terrible mood killer.

"He's stern, but fair... mostly."

---

TAG: Eva Morales

Gwyar’s happiness was contagious. Eva could feel herself getting excited as he scrolled through even more pictures of his daughters. They really were quite stunning and the resemblance to Gwyar was very obvious. As they grew older in the pictures and their clothes were replaced with more traditional armor, they suddenly transformed from children into young women. Dames, as Gwyar put it, “Oohh,” Eva peered at the picture. It didn’t even occur to her that women were knights as well in Galar. It was a silly thing to assume only the men could be knights, especially for a woman like herself who busted through glass ceilings quite frequently, “Well, they certainly take after you,” she didn’t see much of a resemblance to the grand-father. His dark hair and stern look contrasted their beautiful blonde curls and brilliant blue eyes.

Gwyar Wledig

Gwyar's expression brightened even further at that.

"Hopefully only in the good ways!" He said with a delighted laugh, his warm gaze set on the image on his phone's screen. They were far more beautiful than anything a man like him could have possibly conceived, in his eyes. "They have a lot of their mother in them as well."

"Excuse me!" Came a somewhat familiar voice from a bit afar. It was the young waitress from earlier, balancing two large platters carrying their food on each hand with practiced ease as she came closer.

They had been picture watching and chatting for a while now- so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that time had flown and their food was ready.

---

TAG: Eva Morales

Eva’s smile softened at mention of their mother. It was really subject she didn’t want to broach this early. Obviously, she wasn’t really around anymore if he was a ‘single father’. Whatever that implied was probably not good. Fortunately, the waitress had arrived with their food to distract from that topic.

“Oh! Thank you!” Eva smiled, turning towards the girl and standing up to help her out. That was much faster than she expected. Eva began helping the young girl unload the platter, handing some of it to Gwyar in the process for him to set down, “Wow! This all looks so good!” she smiled to the waitress. The last thing she grabbed were the two beers, “It’s on him tonight,” she grinned as she sat down, nodding over towards Gwyar as the girl pulled out the check folded neatly. He called it earlier so she wouldn’t deny him the opportunity. . . this time. If they should ever do something like this again, it would be her turn. Eva glanced over to him with a small smile, she hoped this wouldn’t be the last meal they shared. She had come to enjoy his company and was certainly intrigued.

Gwyar Wledig

His mind had been a bit in the clouds, between thoughts of his daughters, his family, and Eva... he had been too slow to offer assistance to the girl himself. How embarrassing.

"Thank you." He said as he took the food, blushing lightly. Still, he matched her smile as he stood and pulled out his wallet, fishing for the money as the check was shown. "And it is indeed."

Once that was done, he plopped right back down besides Eva, before scooting up closer yet, pressing their thighs against one another and further ruining their clothes.

"It's cold." He said simply.

For her. Maybe. He grinned teasingly.

Comfortable silence settled between as their attention was turned to their meals, the beers set aside nearby... at least Gwyar's was.

"Was there any reason you studied medicine, Eva?" He asked suddenly after a moment, blowing over his noodles for cooling as he glanced at her curiously. "It's a far different calling from farming."

He was the son of a knight- so he had become a knight, and an enforcer of the law. There hadn't been much choice on the matter, but he had never questioned it growing up, so it hadn't mattered. He couldn't help but wonder what could bring an apple so far away from the tree.

---

TAG: Eva Morales

Eva sank back into the bench and started sorting food and beer for them to enjoy. A suspicious smile crept across her lips when he took the opportunity to sit closer. Smooth moves. She didn’t protest. His body radiated a pleasant warmth that she could even feel through the large coat she wore, “It is a bit chilly,” she agreed, a smile warm enough to make it apparent she didn’t mind the close contact.

Grabbing her bowl of noodles, she set it on her lap and mixed it with a few rotations on her wrist, “That’s a good question,” she began, slurping up a few noodles while she thought for a moment. She had been asked that question countless time but it had been a while since she had to answer it, “I just always felt like I could do more. Growing up I had a dream to change the world. Ambitious, yes, I know,” she laughed, mixing her noodles again, “I always enjoyed science and I had a natural talent for it. It seemed like a good start to changing the world. I may not actually be changing the world but Pokemon are some people’s world. So . . . I figured medicine would be the closest thing to that,” her shoulders shrugged casually. The whole Rocket-fighting-army-thing came later after she took her Veterinarian’s Oath. She took another bite of noodles before glancing up at him to see if the answer was satisfying.

Gwyar Wledig

"Change the world..." Gwyar echoed, staring at her with a smile. "You become more amazing the more I learn. Few people would have stuck fast to such a lofty goal."

He turned his gaze up to the sky, leaning against her slightly, the warmth of her body ironically reminding him of the cold of his home.

"I wonder if I ever had any such aspirations." He said, placing his bowl between his thighs. He considered it for a moment, brows furrowing... before shaking his head. "No. If I cannot recall it, then I did not."

Despite the lofty duties and values of a knight, he had never once thought about changing the world, or even one person's life, for the better.

"Is that bad?" He asked after a moment, though whether it was to Eva or to himself was not quite clear.

His brow furrowed deep, going as far back into his memory as he could remember.

His oldest memory...

Knee deep in snow, wearing a suit of cold, padded armor, swinging a sword for what felt the thousandth time. Cold, lonely, resentful.

"I must have hated my father, then. But I never once considered being anything else." He said, before unceremoniously pulling a large amount of noodles out of his bowls and slurping them right up, humming. "Some things are just meant to be, I guess."

Or he had been too scared of his father to even think of anything else. Didn't matter much now.

---

TAG: Eva Morales