it doesn't take long for virizion to be done with the berry. she tilts her head over then, sniffing at illie's hand for a moment before pulling away.

a single MAGICAL LEAF floats over, hovering in front of illie.

"she thanks you for the berry."

matias reaches for the MAGICAL LEAF, plucks it out of the air only to move it to the back of illie's ear. he smiles after.

in the background, a little foongus makes its way over to heatran, peering up with curious eyes. it wants to hop up, apparently! heatran shifts a little lower, allowing it to jump up atop its head.

illeana reyes // catching foongus!

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]she, surprisingly, stays very still as virizion sniffs at her fingers. they tremble slightly, betraying what composure she tries to have in front of the legendary. and faintly, little wisps of pink healing mist float off her fingertips.

"you're welcome," she murmurs, flashing a bright smile. "thank you for meeting me."

and if she were going to say anything else, it dies out in her throat when he plucks the magical leaf from the air. he slides it behind her ear, then, and she's flushing at the gesture. it looks beautiful with the collection of flowers, as if made to be sitting against her pale hair.

her hand rises to trace the outlines of the leaf and petals, almost self-consciously.

meanwhile, her golurk makes quick work of chasing a swalot off in the background. the discolored automaton is excited, enjoying the game of tag, even. the swalot? not so much. the poor purple blob runs for its life and never comes back to tag the golurk 'it'. poor deus.

MATIAS SILPH
passing!

virizion dips her head gently, then steps off to the side to greet the other pokemon around them. heatran, golurk, and the little foongus that sits atop heatran's back.

matias' attention, on the other hand, remains solely on illie. his gaze drifts away from the MAGICAL LEAF, finding her eyes.

"it's cute."

illeana reyes // skipping!

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]she flashes a smile, dipping her head in return. and there's a fondness to her features as she observes virizion join the other pokemon. her golurk offers the legendary an excited coo and a big wave. cute.

the automaton turns, then, to stare at a lost slurpuff. the poor pink baby looks close to tears... naturally, deus is happy to help usher it back to its family with gentle hands and a warm coo. it makes illeana smile a little wider.

and when her eyes return to matias, she's only a little surprised to find his attention lingering. actually, probably a lot surprised. nikki lied.

the compliment escapes his lips and doesn't fail to produce an impressive shade of red on her cheeks.

"i," she stops, flushes a little further, and touches the cluster of flora behind her ear once more. "that's sweet of you. thank you." embarrassing for her but touching. it's sorted as a fond memory and filed away.

MATIAS SILPH
passing!

as embarrassing as it might have been for her, he can't help but gush at the flush of her cheeks, finding it adorable at how easily they turn red. his hand moves to her cheek, grazing over the red and pink hues as he smiles.

"of course."

and then his hand lowers.

illeana reyes // skipping!

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]warmth radiates and spreads across her face, ignited beneath simple touch. pink fades into red and it's perhaps too bright against the paleness of her skin and hair. it compliments well enough, sure, but god it's so embarrassing.

the returned smile is an odd concoction of shy and fond, as if she can't quite decide which one she wants to be. it feel foreign, reminiscent of an old version of herself long since dead.

and despite herself, she stays rooted in place. his hand falls away and she lingers. subconsciously, her fingers drum anxiously against the tops of her thighs. funny, one itches to fiddle with the flowers again.

deus has since returned to the group of pokemon, nearly tripping over a scurrying slurpuff in the process. the little puffball darts out of the way of being squashed by clay feet and keeps it moving into the bushes.

MATIAS SILPH
passing!

embarrassing for her, maybe, but adorable for him. it's an endearing sight to see, made more so by how easily her blush deepens at such a simple gesture. that, along with how she seems to be unsure of what to do, is why he tips her chin up to meet his gaze.

"are you okay?"

a tease, perhaps, as his lips curl into a slight grin.

in the background, a skorupi's hopped up on heatran, joining foongus as the two of them sit atop their high perch.

illeana reyes // catching skorupi!

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]god, is it possible to be so flustered you just simply perish? no? are you sure?

she wants to return the grin with one of her own. act playful, dip her toes into teasing territory. and yet, fingers beneath her chin short circuit any thought process she actually has. for however much intelligence she has, it sure has turned straight to mush now.

and without much else, she's grasping at straws for whatever semblance of composure she can find. fake it fake it fake it.

"yes," comes, surprisingly, confident. her head tilts slightly into the touch, eyes finding his. finally, her lips pull back to reveal teeth, slipping just enough into coy territory to be passable. "why wouldn't i be?"

smooth?

MATIAS SILPH
passing!

it's a good attempt, he'll give her that.

his own lips pull back to reveal teeth, grinning as he says:

"you just seem a bit..."

his voice lowers.

"...flustered."

illeana reyes // catching skorupi!

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]well, fuck.

her attempt at composure falters slightly. cracks in porcelain leave her open, vulnerable. she hates it.

”do i?” the returned smile is sugary. struggling to just barely land in challenging territory. she wears it anyway with as much fake confidence as she can muster.

”are you sure?”

MATIAS SILPH
passing!