he had no idea how he'd gotten himself into this situation. but here he was, on a date, at a hot spring. it had been a panicked decision on where they would go. a place he'd normally gone by himself but figured that someone like... ruslan? was probably unlikely to go. after all, victor had seen his wallet open and mothim had practically flown out of it. but that was the way it went with people like that.

he was running a little bit behind, but that wasn't a problem. either his date would wait or he wouldn't. regardless he would get his soak in. he could hear the sound of water moving and someone talking as they paddled around. so he hadn't been waited on. irritated. but he wasn't sure why. nonetheless he told himself he didn't care. "you got started without me." but he kept his tone even.

sliding into the water he relaxed against the rocks, his eyes nearly closing as the heat started to settle in.

---

vyXPNFG4

His partner opened his mouth happily, tongue lolling out as the muscles in his body relaxed and Lana spoiled him. Before Garbage Baby can even reply, he got his answer. Lana flinched, shoulders tensing up as he clamped his mouth shut. His partner, however, is quick to snap attention to their beloved patron and began to paddle over, eager to great the generous man. Lana didn’t want to disappoint, or more so, he couldn’t disappoint him. He was paying after all. [break][break]

Lana waited for the other man to settle in, listening for any other intruders to the peace before opening his mouth to speak. “I-…Sorry.” No excuse. Garbage Baby is less apologetic barging into the older man’s personal bubble like the rudest safety blanket ever. He doesn’t bark or cry, but clawed paws reach up to pat the man’s side as he offered his sopping wet head for a pat. “I-Isn’t it nicer if-…if I welcome you in?” he asked moving a bit closer to his date. [break][break]

QUl_coPj [break][break]


953 - 16 = 937

[break][break]

+ victor evans [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

victor made a small grumbled sound as the sopping wet pokemon patted at his face. slightly reluctantly he patted it on the head, trying to sate whatever need it had from him. he assumed that was what it was. at least it smelled better than the last time he had seen it.

"it's no worry, i was just surprised." it was easier to say that then admit that he was frustrated. he couldn't expect lana to understand what was expected. for fucks sake he wasn't even sure what was expected. this wasn't how he pictured a day of gambling going after all. "are you enjoying it?"

with his hand still absently petting the mop of a pokemon he went back to relaxing.

---

|IE6_pXB

The dark type is satiated the minute he felt the hand gently rub his head. The pokemon sank a little further into the water, while his owner imitated him, practically hiding himself in the warm waters as Victor spoke. He understood in theory what they were doing and what this arrangement was to be but…they hadn’t really discussed it. As far as he could tell, Victor hadn’t done anything untoward to him either. But that didn’t keep him from letting Garbage Baby wander between the two. He got the feeling something about this had bothered Victor, but he dind’t want to push the subject. “…Next time I’ll wait then…S-save me from getting- uh- lost.” He spoke up, words slow as he reigned back that terrible stutter. [break][break]

If only he could speak his thoughts clearly. “Mhmm. M-More than I thought I would.” He said before submerging himself completely and letting the warm soft boil his head again before resurfacing with a small gasp. “I’ve..uh.. I’ve never b-been to one of these before.” There’s a pause as he glanced away. Conversation wasn’t his forte, but this was part of his job now, right? “Have y-you?”

bSUqzxqb [break][break]


937 - 22 = 915

[break][break]

+ victor evans [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

he stretched, his shoulder and neck popping hard as he did. finally the kinks in his body were being worked out with the heat. a massage would be in order some time after this to get rid of the rest of the knots. "it's not a worry, you can do as you please about it." it wasn't the biggest deal really. but he still wasn't sure why he was bothered by it all.

"i do, and since you like it you will as well. i can get you a pass for when you want to come here." since he was sure it would be on his own at some point. "water like this is good for your health and skin." the minerals and heat were both good for them.

---

zQYhsdEI

Lana dropped it as Victor rebuffed him with ease. He bubbled in the water for a moment before siting up again. Even if he wasn’t submerged his exposed skin wasn’t too cold. Even with the open-air bath, the thick steam sort of held back the cooler air. Making a small note to wait for Victor to escort him on their dates, that was the extent that he understood he’d done wrong, he didn’t push any further. “I will, then.”[break][break]

Talk of a day pass excited him, but a part of him instinctually wants to rebuff the offer. But there’s showers here…and complimentary shampoo and soaps. He could do with a pit stop here every other week. Travel was fairly cheap anyway. “T-That’d be n-…nice.” And with that the coordinator crawled closer to his patron, sitting on the other side of Garbage Baby, eyes on the man. “Just…for me?” He can’t help but ask if he really would pay for Lana to come here…by himself. What did he like about that? It made it easier for Lana, he could be as silent as he liked but… He may have been a rookie at this, but even he didn’t see the appeal for Victor. It’s odd...but not terrible. “Your…I-Is your skincare routine…extensive?” He may have been soft spoken, and a little nervous, but there’s still a wry smile that tugged at his lips as he crafted a flirtier reply. He was trying. “I mean…they- they do other s-spa treatments…mud baths…mani pedis…you know.” Lana did not know, but he’d had ample time to read the deals and offers.

yb3OCodT [break][break]


915 - 98 = 817

[break][break]

+ victor evans [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

once he had figured everything out internally he would be able to properly explain to lana why he'd been upset. ( but that wouldn't be for some time since he was a bit on the emotionally constipated side and where would the drama be in that properly if everything was worked out all at once? )

"yes, just for you. i'll be working at times and if you want to treat yourself you'll have to occasionally do it without me." he didn't expect lana to sit around and wait for him all of the time. especially when they weren't on a planned date. there was no sense in keeping nice things from him though because of it. victor knew the ins and outs of these sorts of relationships and preferred to just think about the part where he gave money to someone. the other part... well, it was clear lana wasn't experienced with that much of it all. it was like a game really.

"extremely, it takes me about two hours to ready myself in the morning. so you'll need to learn to deal with that at times." especially since eventually lana would be in his apartment. eventually.

---

OYFnvXjL ( total 853 )

Working. He still didn’t know exactly what the man did, but it was lucrative if he could offer to take care of him no sweat. Then again, perhaps this was more affordable than getting an actual girlfriend. What did he know? He was mugging people just to afford fast food for dinner. “I-It’d be nice to come back…even if its s-sometimes by myself.” His words are unsure because he’s not exactly understood how much autonomy and authority he had. He had seen what people like him could do. Demand, seduce, whine etc. He didn’t think he had it is him to seduce. Demand?? Sounded even worse. [break][break]

Lana perked up, eyes widening a little in surprise. His smile is more in disbelief. “Two hours?!” he echoed flawlessly, caught off guard. Red eyes quickly looked over the half-naked man and despite his previous awkwardness, the coordinator stood up and leaned in closer to get a look of Victor’s face and stubble. “This…” he began straightening up and sitting back down in the water. “This is two hours…? D…Do you even sleep?” Garbage Baby opened his eyes panting lightly as he looked up at Lana. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing back stray locks before continuing. “W-Well? I mean?” [break][break]

6jIFXyx| [break][break]


817 - 34 = 783

[break][break]

+ victor evans [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

lana being surprised at his skin care routine made him laugh for the first time. a loud and boisterous laugh that echoed in the room a little bit. a rare occurrence. he brushed a bit of his hair back from his eyes, feeling that it got wet from the steam. "there's a facial wash, face masks, oils, brows, face creams, lotions... various things that go into making sure i don't look and feel like a slob every day." it wasn't all sitting in baths and the like.

"i sleep well, on silk sheets i might add." they were expensive. as most of the things in his apartment were. but that didn't matter. "you'll fall into your own routine soon enough." victor had gathered enough that lana didn't particularly have a place to go or stay most of the time. meaning he was expecting the other man to eventually cling to him for that as well.

---

9qmGs6JQ ( total 826 )

Lana froze at the sound, and even Garbage Baby took pause as their companion let out a laugh. Lana didn’t know what to say while his Linoone, well after a moment or too barked happily to join in on the joke, even if he didn’t know what it was. At least, he answered the question. Even if the answer made Lana’s hair spin. Every item on the list made his face scrunch up just a little bit more. Of course, one that was used to washing his hair and face with bathroom hand soap obviously didn’t carry half of the things Victor had rattled off. “I’m…I’m surprised it o-only takes you two hours…” he said leaning on the rocks at the edge of the bath and splaying out his arms over them. He leaned his face on his arms, turning to look at Victor. [break][break]

He vaguely wondered if he looked like a slob to Victor. Ripped clothes, grubby fingernails, the smell of garbage vaguely following him thanks to Garbage Baby’s diet of fresh trash. “Silk…d-does that make a difference from cotton?” He was pretty sure everything in the Pokemon Center was polyester. His sheets form home had been cotton. “Mmm…what if- if not having a routine is m-my routine?” he asked, the lilt in his voice denoting he was simply being difficult because he could.

YHY0s7Hr [break][break]


783- 65 = 718

[break][break]

+ victor evans [break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

"it used to take me much longer." but after awhile everything fell into a routine and he was able to cut down on time. it was much more efficient that way. one step at a time all laid out for the day in order.

"silk sheets are softer and stop you from sweating in your sleep. or at least as much. it's good for your skin and hair as well." it stopped your hair from tangling when it was long and stopped you from breaking out as much. "it's good for you."

at least that was how he saw it and justified the fact that he spent that much money on sheets. not that money was really an issue. "i suspect that is your routine. but if you'd like a different one then we can set it up for you." he just needed to know what lana wanted to do.

---

xiCgOkeN ( total 826 )