[attr="class","matias"]it is the right house. why is his address even on google? did the tournament and his appointment as elite four really give him that much exposure? either way, he opens the door to his house, unaware of what's to come.

he blinks.

"stormy! i like what you did to your hair."

he turns, leaving the door wide open, assuming she'd just enter.

"you could've called, you know?"

[attr="class","noodles"]lydia kilig

[attr="class","lydia"]

[attr="class","lydia b"]

[attr="class","lydia i"]oh... right, the concept that she'd be mistaken for her sister escaped her mind on the way here. well, shit. she's seen a movie about this before but this ain't the parent trap... it'd be easier if she played pretend, if she stepped into the role of stormy and played him like a fiddle. she can't, however, no matter how much she might want to.

she can't because she doesn't know who stormy is. what she likes, how she acts, how she speaks. it's a painful realization.

"um, i i'm not--" she bumbles her way through attempting to explain, cheeks radiating embarrassment. it all sounds stupid, no matter which way her mind tries to spin it.

in the end, she stays at the door, lingering awkwardly like a vampire waiting to be invited in.

"i don't have your number to call," she settles on, the words sounding meek and flat after they leave her tongue. hands ball into fists at her sides and she's staring down at her kitten heels, as if already beating herself up for coming here. and finally, she mumbles it out in a rushed breath. "because i'm not related to you."

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]"you lost my number?"

he stops by the counter, turning when he realizes she isn't following him in. it's only then that he properly looks at her, taking in her features, the way she holds herself, and how she's still lingering by the door.

because i'm not related to you.

then...

"who are you?"

[attr="class","noodles"]lydia kilig

[attr="class","lydia"]

[attr="class","lydia b"]

[attr="class","lydia i"]she sees when it happens. when realization settles and distrust builds. it's easy to pick up the pieces left behind, to gobble up each one and feed her thoughts, her plans.

and then, like clockwork, the question of the hour. who are you? that's what she's trying to figure out.

"lydia," she murmurs as if it should be known already. it shouldn't, not really. as far as she can tell, her sister never even knew about her. and if she did, she never bothered to look. "i suppose i don't need to tell you what you already know..?"

that stormy is her blood, not his. that she's come for answers to questions she shouldn't care about. there's a list of what she wants to say, really, but she keeps it short, concise.

"i'm here merely because i need something from you."

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]what did he know?

little, if anything. he knew her name, her blood, and nothing else. despite her relation, she was but a stranger to him.

he sighed, gesturing.

"come in. you're letting the cool air out."

and then he leaned against the counter, watching her carefully.

"what do you need?"

[attr="class","noodles"]lydia kilig

[attr="class","lydia"]

[attr="class","lydia b"]

[attr="class","lydia i"]it’s surprising, really. the willingness to invite her in, to usher her inside under the guise of cold air escaping. she finds trust to be an odd concept, after all.

she is a stranger. he does not know her, does not know what she can do. and perhaps it’s similar to inviting a poltergeist into your home by accident or maybe, just maybe, she’s not as terrible as she feels.

”thank you,” she murmurs, stepping past the threshold of his door and into his house.

he stares and she stares back. chin jutting out a little further, head rising to a position of cold regality. she is not the warmth he knows. no, she’s akin to the winter cold you feel in your bones.

”i have some questions,” she steps a little closer and continues. ”if you could answer them?”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]whatever coldness emanated from her was lost on him. he remained indifferent, not judging quite yet.

perhaps it was her appearance that made him feel at ease. she looked like Stormy Silph, but that was where the similarities ended. it had been enough to invite her into his home, however, and that said something.

"sure."

he turned away, rounding the counter to head to the fridge.

"would you like a drink?"

[attr="class","noodles"]lydia kilig

[attr="class","lydia"]

[attr="class","lydia b"]

[attr="class","lydia i"]she expects questions. well, ones that are different than the casual one he offers. asking if she’d like a drink feels much more mundane than her own. is it simply polite or is it something else?

she keeps a distance between them, even if their bodies aren’t far apart. there’s a plethora of walls up, kept high and guarded closely. she ushers away one guard enough to accept a drink.

”yes,” comes quietly, almost robotic. ”water, thank you.”

while he busies with the fridge, she lets her eyes wander for a moment. the home is quaint, cozy, comforting. definitely not what she expected from a silph. then again, does the entire family actually shit money or is it just FERNANDO SILPH?

”have you seen her recently?” it’s the first of many questions, vague but prying all at once. she lets it linger between them, swirling into silence and then falling to the floor.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]a pitcher was fetched from inside the fridge, pulled out and poured into a glass before the door closes once again. he approached, extending the glass of water out with the barest of smiles.

"yep. think the last time i saw her was over hotpot with some league people."

and what a mess that was.

much like how this could potentially be a mess, too.

"she's never mentioned you, though."

[attr="class","noodles"]lydia kilig

[attr="class","lydia"]

[attr="class","lydia b"]

[attr="class","lydia i"]”how recent?” she accepts the glass of water with the ghost of a smile, eyes indifferent but cheekbones lifting slightly. it’s cool, refreshing against the anxious sweat clinging to her hands.

maybe if it were recent enough, she can be one step closer to finding stormy. instead, she always falls two steps behind.

”i assumed as much,” she murmurs softly, finally raising the glass to take a dainty sip. it takes a lot to keep her hands from trembling when she lowers it. ”i don’t believe she knew about me, really. i… i saw her picture in the newspaper once before i knew.”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]"a few weeks ago, i think."

time became foggy after a while, clouded under work and all the happenings that often occur in hoenn. the mount chimney incident felt like ages ago where in reality it had only been a month at most.

he leaned against the counter once again, crossing his arms over his chest, though not closing himself off.

"must've been quite...shocking?"

a shrug.

"i'm guessing you're here to meet up with her?"

[attr="class","noodles"]lydia kilig

[attr="class","lydia"]

[attr="class","lydia b"]

[attr="class","lydia i"]a few weeks...

the timeline settles like a rock, dropping into the pit of her stomach. she schools her features into indifference despite the mild reeling her mind does. a few weeks makes a big difference, in the end. it's too much time for her to feel better about finding stormy.

"you could say that," she murmurs softly. the glass is clutched in her hands like a buoy, barely keeping her afloat as she struggles to navigate through this ill-thought plan.

a sigh escapes, then, and she's glancing down at the water.

"i...i don't know," she spares a look in his direction before dragging her eyes back down. ignoring the white knuckles, she presses on. "i'm looking for something, i guess. whether that's seeing her or finding out what i can about her, i can't tell yet."

she can, actually, but it's a matter of holding her cards close to her chest for the time being.

MATIAS SILPH