[attr="class","matias"]it's a lot of food for him, too, but he's sure they could handle it. he starts on his food as well but is slower than usual, pausing every now and then to talk.

"i was the first to be adopted. cece — cecilia, came after me. she has always been smart and tough and capable so it didn't surprise me when she cleared the sinnoh circuit."

then,

"next came alexander silph. quiet, reserved, but we got on well enough. he's a decent trainer; he was even a gym leader here once, if i remember correctly."

finally,

"i wasn't around much when Stormy Silph, evelyn silph, and Yui Fujin Silph were adopted. i've tried to reconnect since but it's difficult, at times."

curiously, he doesn't name FERNANDO SILPH.

"and that's all of them."

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

Eva politely crunches her lettuce while listening. She’s familiar with some of the Silphs. Obviously, she knows who Stormy Silph although their interactions have been limited and far between. Mostly in a professional manner within the league. The others she’s not familiar with, even Yui Fujin Silph.

When she hears “Silph” it’s hard not to think of FERNANDO SILPH, if only in a professional sense. Eva’s never really interacted with him outside of the League. However, she does notice Matias doesn’t mention him. Interesting. There’s an itch to dig, ask why, but she goes against the urge an doesn’t pry.

The waitress returns with Eva’ banana daiquiri. She nods a thank you and takes a sip with a smile. Tastes just like his, “Big family,” she can relate, obviously, “Yeah I can see how it’s hard to reconnect,” she can understand that too, she doubts any of her brothers would want anything to do with her after the way she left, “Keep trying, I’m sure it’ll work out,” if given the chance, she’d be relentless.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]"i've come to learn that it's a two-way street. but i'll keep trying."

he offers a smile, smaller than usual this time, before retreating to sip on his drink. he should start pacing himself, too, because he remembers how bad he felt the day after their pacifidlog encounter.

to be fair, that could've been the freefall.

after a moment, he asks:

"you ever think about going back to visit them?"

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

He’s right, it is a two way street. There’s only so much one person can do without pushing the other even further away.

Eva tenses at his question, pausing to set down one of the last bites of her salad to look at him, “I think about it all the time,” she admits, “I would love to go home I’m just . . . afraid,” Afraid of what they might think, afraid of what Rocket might do to them, and afraid she won’t come back. Eva should have just left it as a “yes” but the truth slips out too easily with Matias.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]afraid — he understands all too well, even as much as he'd like to admit otherwise.

he tenses as well, unsure if he should pry. the frozen banana daiquiri helps him decide.

"have you spoken to them since you left?"

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

Fear is an emotion Eva doesn’t do well with. As much as she likes to admit she doesn’t feel fear, it’s certainly very real and always lingering at the back of her mind. Lately, it’s been creeping forward. Her fork settles into her main course as she swaps the salad for the pasta.

She’s embarrassed to admit it but, “No, I haven’t,” it’s soft, hesitant, “In all honesty, they probably think I’m dead. Unless they follow Hoenn news,” she doubts that though. It’s unlikely Rocket would let their failures in another region leak into the news in a region they had complete control of. Come to think of it though, she isn’t quite sure exactly what it’s like anymore. How much has it changed? Did people live in fear? Or does she have a twisted imagination as to what it might look like? Matias was there longer than her. A big sip of the daiquiri gives her the courage to ask, “What’s it like back home?” Great first date conversation.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]"depends on your perspective."

he chuckles, slightly forced.

"it's stable, somewhat safe, but it's being controlled by a terror organization. the media's influenced, borders are closed, so it makes it easy for them to show you exactly what they want you to see."

a lull follows, mood mellowing just enough to get him to down a third of his drink. he clears his throat, setting the glass back down on the table.

"i barely got out safely."

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

As far as Eva’s concerned, there’s only one perspective. They’re terrorists that violently forced people into submission. She shouldn’t have expected a different answer. A part of her wishes she was inflating the situation, that perhaps it wasn’t as bad as she imagines. It makes her angry, evident in the way her lips pull into a tight, thin line. The grip on her fork tightens enough to become uncomfortable, pulling her back into the moment and away from her wandering mind. She relaxes, poking at pasta and vegetables instead of the past, “I’m glad you did,” she smiles, she did too. If did he didn’t, would she blame herself for not taking him with her? Probably, “I’m sorry I brought it up,” she sighs, shaking her head and focusing on her food, “Not a great first date topic,” she laughs softly, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]there's no point to dwell on the past; reflection is needed but anything more would be foolish. it's why he's able to shrug off tension so easily; why his laugh seems to not carry any weight of the past with it.

"almost as bad as you wanting to shake my hand."

he would've preferred the finger guns.

"but i'm glad we're here."

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

Ugh. Yeah. That happened. Eva cringes at the memory of trying to shake his hand when he first showed up at her home, “Yeah, that was . . . really bad,” she laughs it off, she’s always been able to laugh at herself, “I was a bit nervous, obviously not thinking clearly,” she admits, a bit is certainly an understatement, “I don’t know why I was so nervous, it seems so silly now,” it was definitely silly, “I’m glad we’re here too,” even though he’s one of those newer things that scares her, she’s having a good time and is happy he asked her out. Officially, anyways.

“So~” she moves to change the subject, “You told me who your siblings are but nothing about them. What’s Cecilia like? Do you still talk to her?”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]"cecilia is an enigma."

he says bluntly, chuckling after.

"i can never get a read on her but it's not like she's trying to hide it or anything. she says what she thinks, is about as blunt as i am, but i still don't understand her."

sometimes he wonders if he ever will.

"we text sometimes. she's always moving around; never in the same place for too long. it's kinda impressive."

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

Eva listens, smiling between bites of her pasta, “Oooo she sounds adventurous, I like her!” Eva can appreciate a girl with a sense of adventure. Getting to move around and travel a lot sounds like a pretty cool life, one Eva’s responsibilities would never let her have. She’d just have to live vicariously through others, “Maybe you can convince her to come visit Hoenn. Has she ever been?”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]"i think she'd like you as well."

but who knows? he was wrong when he thought she'd never come to hoenn, which conveniently ties into his response:

"she was here for a bit two years ago. she almost convinced me to move, too, but it just wasn't the right time."

done with his food, he slides the plate off to the side, returning his attention to her in full.

"you should reach out to your family, eva. i'm sure they'll be glad to hear from you."

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