Guinevere Auclair

greyson smiles bashfully, his other hand rubbing the back of his head. he wasn't used to being called sweet. by anyone.

"hm."

his eyes flick to the left, and then to the right.

"let's try this way," he points, pulling her slightly. it was the prehistoric exhibit. the beginning of most lifeforms.

it would be a nice place for their beginning.

Guinevere Auclair

as they enter, they lay their eyes upon the massive, sprawling exhibit. since it starts from the beginning, it goes into details, including fossils and pictures, of the evolution of life. some creatures existed without the powers the pokemon of today possessed.

they were hunted quickly.

greyson points at a three-horned creature. "a triceratops. i like how they work together to protect their young from predators." not that it helped with their extinction. still, they were just awesome.

"look at this though." greyson leads her by hand to a massive skeleton that stands upright. a tyrantrum.

"arceus they're massive."

Guinevere Auclair

greyson follows gwen as she wanders from exhibit to exhibit, the tips of their fingers refusing to part.

his eyes follow the skeletal remains of the aurorus, dropping them shortly back down to gwen.

"i actually have one of these, if you'd like to meet her. she's a total sweetheart." greyson offers.

"later, of course." he adds after a moment. it couldn't exactly be released here.

Guinevere Auclair

when the scarlet rises in her cheeks, his smile widens even more. the bones, stories, and texts are interesting. but she is captivating.

arceus she was beautiful.

"you'd really like her. i know she'd love you."

the giant dinosaur was a true loaf. she loved eating leaves from the tallest trees and, greyson found, most of his team was comfortable against her large belly during their naps.

the idea of introducing her to the rest of his team only excites him further. he pulls on her hand, just enough to get her attention.

"this way. i think i saw a wailord skeleteon!"

Guinevere Auclair

he brings her along with every step he takes; every discovery. there wasn't a moment during their entire trip that he wasn't smiling. that he wasn't filled with glee and mushiness.

arceus he was a sap.

"i can cook for you, if that's okay?" he asks, hesistant. "you know, just cook. nothing else. at all." greyson quickly adds, ensuring there isn't any confusion. his eyes were wide and words stumbling.

he thanks the creator that he had the forethought to clean. though, he did leave a number of his team out and about in the house. he wished upon a jirachi that they didn't make a mess.

"do you like steak?"

Guinevere Auclair

he almost releases a visible sigh of relief as she doesn't seem to notice the awkward blunder. an employee approaches to ensure they stay behind the clearly marked line, then begins to do a series of physical motions towards the approaching train. routine stuff that he barely even clocks.

"good. i make a really mean steak."

when it finally pulls to station, he slips aside to allow gwen to pass, joining her a moment later.

"my apartment is in lilycove," he whispers, checking his spatial awareness. he did his best to remain cognizant of those around him. "should only take about ten or so minutes."

and it does.

in no time at all, and a number of small talk conversational points later, he stands before a decently sized building. it wasn't rich by any means, but it also didn't speak to poverty.

a barking houndour echoes somewhere down the block.

"well, this is it." why was he just standing there? move! "let's head inside."

with the elevator broken, they take the stairs. luckily for them, he only lives on the third floor. as he approaches his door he stops and places an ear against it.

"it seems calm...."

with a practiced, snail-like pace, he places the key in the lock of the door, then pauses, listening for anything. seeing it safe, he opens the door full swing and-

a boltund immediately runs right into him, nearly bowling him over. he looks up, breathe coming in waves far more apart than he'd like, and spots ellie floating on a nearby flower.

"hey ellie. riley."

after greeting their trainer, the duo look to gwen in anticipation, curiosity and for.. snacks?

"please, come in. i'll get these two settled."

Guinevere Auclair

greyson 'oofs' at the elbow, chuckling himself.

"i didn't know elbows could be mean,"

he teases back, jokingly rubbing his side as he boards.

it comes back to haunt him (slightly) when riley very nearly knocks him to the ground outside of his place. he doesn't say so, though. last thing he needed was for her to become self conscious of her jokes. luckily, but barely, he manages to reign in the electric hound before he gets too wild.

his only regret? it causes him to release her hand.

with all the skill of a practiced dog owner, greyson pushes the dog back. ellie, the comfey, clings to a flower pot just inside the doorway now. her eyes are big and wide on a small body, taking gwen in with genuine interest and child-like curiosity.

"this is riley," he starts, pointing at the boltund. "that's ellie." a nod towards the comfey. "andddddd-" he puts all of his weight on one foot, leaning to look out a sliding glass window onto a small balcony."-that's autumn." a delphox levitates in a meditative position overlooking the street, eyes closed and surrounded in a magenta hue.

he gives her a playful smile, a bit of nerves mixed in.

she was in his house. he panicked a bit. filling the silence with whatever came to mind.

"feel free to let any of your pokemon out, too! riley can be kind of a butt head, but she means well."

he stops, blinking.

"oh and have a seat anywhere! i can get started on dinner!"