[attr="class","matias"]"fun for you, too."

boundaries have long been crossed for him to bother second-guessing. his hand squeezes hers, reaffirming that he intends on spending more time together. the move should make things easier, given their busy schedules that never seem to ease.

to her question, he chuckles, shaking his head.

"you'll see soon. we're almost there,"

and sure enough, after another minute of walking, a restaurant comes into sight. the main part of the restaurant sits higher up, off of the beach, but tables and chairs and even a bar have been set up to allow people to dip their feet in sand and to enjoy a more romantic setting. naturally, it's where they gravitate towards, and a hostess soon leads them to their reserved table. it's quieter than usual tonight, which allows them more privacy.

"i have a confession to make,"

he says as menus are laid out in front of them, hostess soon turning to leave with their drink orders.

"i lied. well, half-lied, because this place isn't entirely vegan."

but they do dedicate a whole section of their menu towards it, so surely it can't be that bad.

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

At first, she doesn’t fully comprehend what he means. The realization comes after her squeezes her hands. The grin that slowly pulls are her lips shows that much. A part of her finds what that implies exciting, while the other half still fights, what will ultimately be, a losing battle, “Hm, for me too, huh?” she lets the idea roll around her mind, trying to let it settle comfortably. It doesn’t. There’s still a hidden fear that keeps it from taking root.

Eva remains curious, but patient after he answers her question. It isn’t long until a beautiful little restaurant appears. Matias couldn’t have picked a better spot and her excitement shines through a bright smile that doesn’t fade even after they are seated. She settled comfortably, breaking her attention away from him momentarily to look out towards the nearby water. She listens to his confession and laughs, “A half-lie? Not a great way to start a first date,” her tone is playful, she doesn’t care.

“This is beautiful, Matias,” her gaze turns the opposite direction towards the restaurant and the few other people enjoying a similar experience on the beach, “How’d you find it?”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]it's funny — they've known each other for so long and have done so much together that it hadn't even occured to him that this was their first date. officially, anyways, because they've always danced the line between colleagues, friends, and something more, but they've never once crossed it.

he's glad they're finally crossing it together.

at her jest, he laughs as well, nodding in agreement.

"not great, but it'll get better from here."

he absentmindedly flips through the menu, skimming, but his attention stays mostly on her.

"oh i live about five minutes away. i stumbled across it on a run one evening."

matias runs on the beach barefoot; it's magical, and it's his favorite way to run.

"i've been thinking about bringing you here ever since."

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

He finds her jest amusing, it makes her smile. Honestly, this didn’t feel much like a first date. Which is good. They’ve done this dance before with similar unspoken desires but now the intentions are clear, communicated, and understood. Mostly. She still has some things to figure out for herself before she can go all in.

Eva picks up her own menu and leans back to flip through it between glances at Matias. Five minutes? Perhaps she’d get to see where Matias lived tonight. She probably shouldn’t put out on a first date, but exceptions could be made. Plus, he looked extra handsome tonight. She’d save those thoughts for later, “Running on the beach sounds nice,” she finds her section of the menu and skims, “This place made you think of me?” her eyes narrow in playful suspicion, “How often do you think of me?”

The waitress returns with their drinks. Eva switched it up tonight and ordered a glass of red wine rather than whiskey. Seemed appropriate, “Thank you,” when the waitress lingers she glances towards Matias, “Are you ready to order or. . .?”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]"honestly?"

a pause.

"a lot."

he winks, leaving his answer to her just in time for the waitress to arrive with their drinks. he keeps with his usual order of vodka on ice, though he'd be lying if he says he isn't the least bit tempted to switch it up for something more fruity. if he heard correctly, the table closest to the bar has a frozen banana daiquiri, which sounds delightfully refreshing.

the waitress lingers, eva asks, and matias nods.

medium rare ribeye steak, mac and cheese and a house salad as the side dishes, and red wine sauce to top it all off. he orders one or two appetizers for them to share as well, knowing exactly what eva likes.

soon, the waitress departs, leaving his full attention to eva.

"so, where were we?"

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

A lot. She grins. She’d be lying to herself if she says she doesn’t think about him often. Especially since their night together after Tapu Koko. His scent still lingers on the pillowcase. Although she’s not at home a lot, it still feels a bit empty without him there since he left.

Eva orders a summer vegetable pasta with a side salad. Between that and appetizers, she’d be stuffed. She thanks the waitress with a nod when she collects the menus and disappears to leave them alone. Her grin returns when she glances back over to Matias, “We were talking about how you think about me a lot . . . Good thoughts I hope.”

She delicately takes the wine glass in hand and raises it to cheers him, “Here’s to~” she thinks for a moment, “First dates,” she waits a moment to see if he adds on anything before taking a sip.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]matias believes they are, but he teases:

"depends on your definition of good."

he raises his glass far less delicately than she does but meets it all the same, toasting.

"to first dates,"

a sip,

a pause,

"and to many more."

the taste of vodka settles, warming. unable to shake away urges, he raises a hand, catches their attention, and gestures to the fruity drink from the table from earlier. he chuckles as he turns back to look at eva.

"don't judge. i've...started to like them after pacifidlog. they're quite addictive."

just like she is.

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

“I hope you don’t mean many more first dates,” she laughs, subtly embracing the possibility. It’s not like she’s had many “first dates” anyway. Regardless, she sips, sealing it in with the earthy aromas and the subtle fruitiness of the red wine. It’s quite good.

She lets her eyes follow his hand to motion to the sweeter drink at the other table. She laughs in surprise and raises a hand in defeat, “No judgement here,” her arm settles back on the table as she leans forward after sipping her wine again then places it back on the table, “I believe it,” she smiles, resting her chin in her palm, “That’s why I stay away from them,” The headache afterwards is quite unpleasant.

“So!” she smiles, sitting up and lacing her fingers together, “Tell me something about you I don’t know,” she knows quite a bit, but there’s gotta be something she doesn’t. First dates were meant to get to know someone better, right?

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]"many more dates."

he's quick to correct, laughing with her. he also hasn't had many first dates — this is his first in years, or at least the first real one, whatever that might mean.

"asking the tough questions. i like it."

but it shouldn't be tough, should it? it's a simple enough question; the complexity comes from the fact that they've known each other for so long that it's difficult to find something she doesn't know. he's shared most with her than with anyone else.

"i don't think i've ever spoken about my birth parents."

he knows he hasn't. clearing his throat, he guides the words out.

"they're still alive."

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

Eva smiles, shrugging lightly at his comment. She honestly didn’t know what else to ask. It seemed to be the proper flow of things. She reaches for her wine, sipping it while he thinks about how to respond. It really isn’t an easy question since they’ve been through so much together already. She knows that, so she doesn’t mind it when he puts some genuine thought into it.

He digs deep, like really deep and pulls out something very personal. She pauses at the mention of his birth parents. She obviously knows he’s adopted, but he’s never once mentioned them over the years, “Oh?’ the fact he knows they’re alive suggests he either actively searched for them or they found him. Does she dare pry any further? There’s a moment of silence as she contemplates it. Ultimately, she decides that if he mentioned it, he must be comfortable talking about it or else he would have kept it to himself, “Have you met them? Or . . . thought about meeting them?”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]"i haven't."

he settles, humming in thought as he reaches for his first drink.

"i know their names but not much else. i guess i don't see the point, you know? they didn't raise me."

the silphs raised him — they're his parents, his family, and nothing would ever change that.

"would you, if you were me?"

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

Eva sips her wine, also contemplating. He makes a good point; they didn’t raise him. Although Eva was raised by blood and has a good relationship with her family, blood doesn’t always mean family. There are people she’d consider family that aren’t blood related along with those that she knew that had very little relationship with their blood relatives.

“Hm, hard question,” he turns it back on her. Her face twists while she thinks about it, broken up by the sip of wine she takes as her thoughts settle, “I guess I might not, honestly. Like you said, they didn’t raise you. You know who your parents are,” she taps her chin before continuing, “I guess as long as I’m comfortable with the ‘why’ and there’s nothing I’d regret I don’t see the point either.”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]"yeah, exactly."

he doubts he'd ever want to see them but if he does, he'd have to venture back into kanto.

anyways, the waitress soon returns with a frozen banana daiquiri, little umbrella included, along with their appetizers that are guided onto their table, placed between them. she leaves not long after.

downing the rest of his vodka, he places the glass off to the side, then returns his attention to his date, smiling.

"your turn."

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