she watched him smile with no mimicry, but brief curiosity before peering down at the snorunt, which had fallen asleep at theo’s foot. it kicked in a dream, and she felt the pull, and her attention to everything else wane. she was tired. there was a greater hunger. 

but after a moment, she blinked and willed herself to look away. back to reality.

”there is something i need help with,” she admitted. ”the shadow alakazam walsh gave me. it’s tried to kill me several times already.”

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]she catches him mid-bite but he has no issues continuing, unabashed in the way he whittles down at the cube of kalosian toast.

"i don't have much experience with shadow pokemon. but i'll try my best."

he'll likely have to ask Cillian Quinn for help, seeing as he's more than familiar with them.

"anything else?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Lulu Flint

asking her brother for help was something that had never been an easy thing for lulu, regardless of how much sense it made. she wanted nothing more than to seem perfectly self-sufficient and just as good as him—at everything. this had never been any different.

anything else? 

a moment of silent, before a reluctant: ”yeah.”

”there’s a zarude i came upon recently that’s a bit of a handful… and then my perrserker, maybe. went a bit wild after the war…”

if she was honest? everything—but there was no way in hell she’d say that.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]"okay. we'll work on them."

the kalosian toast dwindles down to nothing but scraps. he pushes the plate away, satisfied.

and after a moment, he glances back up at her.

"...anything else?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Lulu Flint

he gave her another chance for truth. she thought of her 150+ pokemon, pursed her lips a little and shook her head.

”nope.”

unbeknownst to her, amber eyes began to darken some.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]nope.

so simple.

the darkening of her eyes is noticed. why it happens exactly, he has no idea, but he begins to pack up regardless, even if he'd much rather stay.

"i'll let you get back to work now."

[attr="class","noodles"]Lulu Flint

she’d let him leave with no protest, attention focusing more and more on the sleeping snorunt—at least, up until it awoke at theo’s shifting around. she snapped out of it, eyes returning again to their bright amber.

with a breath, she looked towards him.

“okay.” a pause. “that really all you came here for?” to bring her food?

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]"mhm."

depositing the last of the containers back into the bag, he looks back up at her.

"well, and to spend time with you, but we did that, so."

[attr="class","noodles"]Lulu Flint

“…”

there was silence at first, and the snorunt, relentless in its quest for attention, tapped at theo’s heel. lulu paid it no mind; it was his problem for feeding it one too many ice cubes.

“oh.”

she stared, with the same expression as usual in moments like this one. dazed and disarmed—and it was a face she only made to him; a fact which she utterly hated.

“okay.”

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]attention is finally given to the snorunt. he bends down to scoop it up with a single hand, carrying it for moments as he looks back over at lulu.

she wears a familiar expression, and it's one he remembers but has yet to ever comment on.

this time, however, he does.

"you okay?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Lulu Flint

ah, heaven. snorunt settled into theo’s shoulder again, grimacing back at lulu.

something in lulu snapped back into place.

“what? yeah, what do you mean?”

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]carefully, he approaches.

"you often look lost whenever i say something..."

what's the right word?

"...personal? intimate?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Lulu Flint

intimate?

inwardly, she fumbled. her mouth went a little dry, and she felt a bit like her throat was closing up. maybe she was allergic to shit like this.

he approached, and she took a step back, not entirely retreating, but skittish.

she looked lost because she was.

“i don’t… know what you’re talking about,” she nearly croaked.

THEO BECKETT