[attr="class","matias"]"very quick."

matias has never been in pacifidlog. the job rarely requires him to travel outside the mainland and even then it's usually only to sootopolis or mossdeep. so he takes a moment after entering the open air tiki-style bar to observe, eyes glancing around the area. he focuses mostly on the bar, on how people seem to be crowding around it to avoid the rain. but they'd likely be drenched anyways.

literally pulled out of his thoughts, he's dragged towards the end of the bar.

he slides into his seat comfortably, water still dripping off his body, staining the wooden floors below. it doesn't look like they particularly care, though. the only care about their orders, which he gladly gives afrer a quick gesture to a bottle on the shelf.

after a few moments, he turns to his partner.

"thanks for the help today, eva. you were great in the water."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

Eva sinks into the stool with a sigh. It feels good to sit down after everything. She too is dripping wet but pays little mind to it. Once she’s in her seat she takes a moment to look around the bar while she runs her fingers through her long blonde hair to smooth it out while it starts to dry. It is your typical island bar with the expected decorations and drinks that come in fancy glasses with umbrellas.

The barkeep tries to hand her a menu but Eva waves it off. She doesn’t drink those sugary things. It seems Matias doesn’t either. He gestures to a bottle and Eva orders whiskey, neat.

A smile graces her lips when he turns towards her, “I should be thanking you for the invite again,” she leans an elbow against the bar while she grins at Matias, “You weren’t too bad yourself,” Eva receives her drink and takes a sip. Her face twists as the horrible whiskey burns down her throat. She smacks her lips together with a shiver, “I guess I shouldn’t expect good whiskey at a tiki bar.”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]his face sours as well after taking a sip of his drink, though not nearly as much as hers. he swallows cheap liquor, feels the more intense than usual burn rush down his throat before spreading. he tilts his head, placing the glass down.

"vodka's shit, too. we're likely just ordering the wrong thing."

he gestures for the barkeep, then points over to a couple on the opposite end of the bar. he's no stranger to bars; he recognizes their drinks as some variation of a frozen margarita, likely mixed in with a fruit. watermelon, maybe? regardless, he orders one for them, then reaches for what remains of his drink.

he raises it towards her.

"in one?"

regardless of her answer, he downs his.

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

Well, it seems this place isn’t known for its liquor. She laughs as Matias’s face sours along with hers. Vodka and whiskey neat are off the menu it seems. Eva takes the opportunity to glance around the bar while Matias points towards the drink a couple down the bar has. Eva frowns, it doesn’t look like anyone has anything but fruity blended drinks. Looks like Eva will be stepping outside of her comfort zone.

She side-eyes Matias with a mischievous smile, “Alright,” the fingers that rest idly on the glass lift it to gently tap against his. Amber liquid burns like fire as it glides down her throat. Eva’s a seasoned professional (what soldier isn’t?) so she stifles the cough. Her fingers curl around the glass tighter as a way of coping as the bottom clinks with the bar’s top, “Whoo!” she sucks in a breath, “That was . . . not good.” Fingers uncurl and casual slide the glass back towards the other side of the bar.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]it stings, burns, but it's familiar, and that's what saves him from coughing. the bottom of the glass meets the bar before being slid away, abandoned for something more fruity to come.

"it's shit."

chuckling, he raises a hand to wipe away stray droplets of water off his jaw. the coldness he feels sitting in a drenched wetsuit is mitigated by the alcohol inside him. he starts to feel warmer, slowly.

"i haven't quite found anything that beats kanto liquor."

he reaches for his chest, unzips, then shrugs the wetsuit half-off, letting it rest off his waist. the barkeep returns just in time with their frozen watermelon margaritas; swirly straw and umbrella included.

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

Eva makes the mistake of licking her lips, a subtle burn on the tongue from a rogue drop of the quickly downed whiskey. She nods her head in agreement. She hasn’t had anything that terrible in a long while.

Her demeanor tightens a bit when he mentions home. It’s a subject she has avoided breaching since she left. The trauma, guilt, and pain that came along with it was something she buried deep and worked hard to keep there. If it was anyone else, she would tell them they had to deal with their feelings – insist on it. It’s unhealthy to keep them caged. But she is a hypocrite. Such things don’t apply to her.

Behind a shadow of nostalgia, maybe a hint of pain, she nods slowly, “Yeah me neither,” a much less cheery tone than usual. She spared a quick glance over as he strips the top of his wetsuit off, but it doesn’t linger long. Large, colorful margaritas with all the touristy fixings are set before them. Just the sight of the monstrosities makes her laugh, “Wow these are quite something,” you can tell she’s apprehensive, but eager to try something new. She lifts one and leans it towards him carefully, “Cheers to these being better than the hard stuff, I guess,” Lips curls around the swirly straw for a taste. Her face doesn’t pucker which is a good sign. She takes another large swig. It’s sweet, but strong. Not her first choice, but drinkable.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]the subtle drop in her tone calls to him, and though he doesn't full reach for it, he does spare a glance that's equally as subtle, and though he doesn't see anything odd, he understands. he wears the same mask, too.

"cheers to that."

the drinks prove to be an effective mood booster. as does the alcohol within them. he coughs after taking a hefty sip, succumbing to its unexpected strength.

"surprisingly better. i don't think i've ever had..." he glances over to the wooden board of a menu behind the barkeep. "tiki-taka's famous watermelon margaritas."

he returns for another sip, though not as hefty as the last. again, he coughs, but quickly shrugs it off. after a moment, he says:

"you know you don't have to wait for an invite to tag along."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

There’s no awful burn to this drink. Strong, yes, but it’s blended with just the right amount of sweetness to tame a poor reaction. The coolness of the ice is soothing after such an unpleasant shot of whiskey. The doctor welcomes the surprisingly enjoyable drink and its heavy amount of booze. She lets it fill the empty parts of her like cement, trapping the feelings back down where they belong.

She pulls away with a smile, laughing at the name Matias reads off the menu, “I guess I can see why they’re famous. I normally don’t like stuff like this but . . . This is quite delicious,” she takes a quick look around before leaning a bit closer to Matias, “But don’t tell anyone I said that,” she has a reputation to uphold. She’s joking, of course. Kind of.

With a frown, Eva shakes her head, “Nah, if I made my own schedule I’d never get the stuff done that needs doin’. I’d be out here all the time,” which wouldn’t be a bad thing, necessarily. However, her research was important, very important. Thinking about it now brought a little sting of guilt for being here instead of there to the forefront of her mind. Nothing another sip of margarita couldn’t wash away.

It did.

“Think you’ll go diving again soon?” she asks curiously with a sly smile, teasing, “You seemed to do just fine. I don’t think you need me to hold your hand again.”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]"it's safe with me."

he's not used to the sweetness of the drink. it feels gross, overpowering in his throat as he takes another sip. the liquor helps but it's a constant battle, and it's one he knows the outcome of. he'll have to go back to shitty liquor after this.

at her question, he chuckles.

"i rather liked holding your hand."

after a look and a pause, he shakes his head.

"i'm not a big fan of the ocean. but who knows? i might. depending on who asks."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

For a moment there’s a flash of red that tints her cheeks that accompanies a small, maybe nervous, laughter. She walked right into that one, didn’t she? She washes it down with sugar and booze.

“I love the ocean,” she continues even though not asked, “There’s so much to learn from it. It’s different every time you jump in,” Dangerous too, but she leaves that to be assumed rather than said.

Liquor loosens her lips and brings the courage to ask a question she thinks she already knows the answer to, but asks anyway, “Why’d you come to Hoenn, Matias?”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]he doesn't expect the question, at least not this early into the night. his expression remains still, unchanged, as his mind reflects on a time once hoped to be forgotten.

"rocket's here, aren't they?"

but it's more than that. there's this feeling that survives everything he's ever thrown at it, and he knows it'll linger until the day he finally passes.

"i don't know what else i'd do."

because all he can do is fight.

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

They’re similar, too similar in some ways. Of course, that’s what happens when you live the same trauma and take the same path. Eva understands on a deep level. It’s all she knows how to do too: service to the people, the preservation of good, protecting those that can’t protect themselves. The foundation of her desires isn’t fighting, but if inevitably became a part of it. A healer shouldn’t want to fight, but Rocket seemed to bring it out in her.

“I tried to do something else when I first got here,” She reaches back and tugs at the zipper of her wetsuit as it trails down her back, “I joined the Rangers, met a nice guy, settled down a bit,” Shaking her head, she peels the wetsuit off her arms and let it settle around her waist, “Obviously it didn’t stick,” she lets out a small chuckle of amusement at her feeble effort, “I guess I really didn’t try that hard. But there was always something missing,” She tried to replace the something with cheap thrills and danger. It worked in the moment when the risk excited her but afterwards there was always a sense emptiness. The cheap adrenaline high didn’t mean anything.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]thunder cracks behind him, reminding him of the approaching storm. he doesn't pay it any mind, instead he focuses on her words, nodding at every interval. there's one in particular that stands out to him, but he reaches for his drink, patient as he sips. the frozen margarita starts to dwindle.

"i never took you for the settling down type."

there's a part of him that wants to someday, but it's a part that barely exists anymore. he'd have to dig deep, past several layers before he even attempts to drag it out. he spares a quick glance over as she peels the wetsuit off, then continues.

"that something's still missing now, isn't it?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales