"really?"

the admission catches him off guard, surprise, along with a smirk, etching across his features.

"i can't believe head scientist reyes doesn't know how to milk a miltank."

well, no longer head scientist, but the sentiment remains.

it's with ease that matias approaches one of the miltanks. he soothes its worries with gentle pats on its head, calming it as it lets out a gentle moo.

looking back at illie, he gestures over.

"come on. she won't bite you."

illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]ugh, not the smirk...

her eyes roll and she scoffs, arms crossing defensively over her chest. "suck it," comes next. and just for good measure, she sticks her tongue out.

he approaches one of the miltank and she's curious exactly how he managed to learn this. the miltank lets out a gentle moo, eased of any anxiety by his touch. wow, if only her anxieties were soothed away that easily...

she flushes slightly with embarrassment when he turns, looks, and gestures.

"i'm not worried about bites," she murmurs. her approach is slow, echoed by large clay feet trailing a few paces behind. the golurk keeps a distance, as if it knows it could spook the miltanks. and when she's close enough to his side, she stops and turns to him with an expectant look.

MATIAS SILPH
mission

the presence of the large golurk seems to make the miltank uneasy, but under matias' gentle touch, it only moos and nudges its head into his palm as illie approaches.

"i know."

speaking from experience, of course.

he turns, meeting her gaze.

"what are you worried about?"

illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]a hand reaches out slowly, gentle fingers creeping up into petting the miltank’s side. and when he comments from experience, her eyes dart toward him for a moment. the smile she wears is coy, treading slightly dangerous territory.

”nothing,” comes too quickly to be believeable but she stays tight lipped.

he doesn’t need to know her nightmares, her fears, her darkest secrets. it’s better that way.

”are you gonna give me a demonstration?” the smile morphs, shifts, and settles into something sweeter. a facade.

MATIAS SILPH
mission

"nothing?"

he questions only because it feels like the most logical thing to do. after a chuckle, he decides to explain.

"worries, fears, we all have them. we'd be fools otherwise."

a smile accompanies, hoping to lessen the bluntness of his words.

"but i guess we might be happier."

at her question, he returns her smile, reaching for her hand before guiding them down miltank's fur.

"it's not too difficult."

he moves a bucket underneath the pokemon right as they reach its teats. then, he squeezes her hand.

"just squeeze."

illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]the list is long, winding, complicated. it’s too much to explain to him, too overwhelming to even be vulnerable. she’s developed a knack for closeness without ever opening herself up. physicality is easier than emotional vulnerablity, that much she has come to learn.

”is happy possible?” comes softly, almost like an after thought. her eyes dart to find his. ”or do we just ignore the monsters in shadows and live in ignorant bliss?”

a sigh, then, and she’s cracking slightly under the pressure of too many things falling onto her shoulders.

”there’s plenty of things to be aftaid of… none are important enough to matter.” another lie. she ignores it.

his hand grabs hers and guides through pink fur. she didn’t expect a miltank to be this… soft? it reminds her of a picture floating around the internet, of blow-dried miltanks with fluffy coats and happy faces. cute…

the squeeze catches her off guard. her body shifts as if trying to cover the slight tremble and she ends up a little too close for comfort. and yet, she doesn’t move, focus overtaking anything else. her nose scrunches in concentration and she flexes her fingers, squeezing the teat gingerly.

”like this?”

MATIAS SILPH
mission

"it won't come easy, but it's possible."

he's found happiness, after all.

choosing not to comment on her lie, he allows the conversation to shift, and he watches as she squeezes the teat of the miltank gingerly.

"uh, yeah, kinda."

it feels awkward to explain, so he chooses to show her instead. with her hand still in his, he guides her along the teat, squeezing in a motion that allows more milk to pour.

"you need to be a bit rougher, otherwise you won't get enough."

illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]happy.

she had been that once. back when she was younger, more naive and innocent and believed in the good of the world. loss and failure cling to her body now, eroding what little happiness she had found. and she knew that happiness is never fully permanent but fuck, if she could have just kept those green eyes around longer.

silence settles and she avoids making a comment but maybe if she did, it’d sound similar to a previous conversation with a champion. the similarities unsettle her even now.

”ugh,” her nose scrunches in irritation, eyes narrowing. this is stupid. he’s better at this. can’t she do something else? horseback riding, maybe? she’s better at that, more experienced.

he guides her hand and she lets him, ignoring the warmth spreading from palm to fingertips. it unnerves her, drowning out her focus. irritating. more milk pours into the bucket below the miltank and she’s shifting her gaze to steal a glance of him.

”rougher?” her lips can’t help the way they curl, the way they dip into dangerous territory. it’s natural for her now, comfortable even. ”i think i can manage that.”

MATIAS SILPH
mission

briefly, he meets her gaze, and he can't help but chuckle at her words, returning a smirk of his own as he gives one final squeeze.

"i'm sure you could."

his hand falls away, leaving him to observe.

"go on."

illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]eyes meet, smirks mirrored, and there’s a slight flutter she shoves down.

briefly, a memory of them rises and it leaves the tips of her ears slightly pinker. she bites back the urge to snicker, to press buttons and see just how close she can push him.

her eyes refocus on the task at hand. honestly, she’s never doing this again… farmer’s tans aren’t her thing, not by a long shot.

illeana goes through the motions he taught her. a squeeze here, a rougher hand there. eventually, it becomes comfortable enough that her eyes naturally drift up to meet his.

MATIAS SILPH
mission

"you're getting the hang of it."

he smiles, nodding in approval before he brushes closer to start milking the miltank as well. his hands work efficiently, almost trained and mechanical.

then, a memory surfaces, and it's one he decides to share.

"we were stationed near a farm outside lavender for a while. we ended up trading labor for food and shelter. not that i minded. it was actually quite fun to live the life of a farmhand."

he bumps his shoulder into hers.

"wouldn't have been able to teach you otherwise, so."

illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]her smirk is confident. perhaps a little too much for someone who had to have a full demonstration before getting the hang of it. praise makes her hungry, however, and she's always seeking more.

he settles in beside her, sides brushing in the process. she chooses to ignore the way it causes her grip to loosen and squeezes less milk into the bucket than before. he picks up whatever slack she leaves, however.

"i'm a little surprised," she murmurs, glancing toward him for a moment. the curve of her lips shifts into something a little kinder, softer. "i didn't take you for the farming type." a gentle laugh follows before she's processing the information further. "the break from everything happening in kanto must've been welcome, too." given his reaction to her presence that first night... she can only guess what he's seen.

the thought sends an ache into her chest and she's almost grateful for his shoulder bumping into hers, then. it distracts her enough to forget the pang for the moment.

"are you gonna teach me anything else?" it's innocent, mostly.

an idea rises, then, and she's latching onto it before she can decide otherwise. all it takes is a quick flick of the wrist and she's aiming the miltank's milk at him with a snicker.

"i'm a quick learner."

MATIAS SILPH
mission

matias really isn't the farming type. he could live at a farm, in fact he's thought about that a few times. it makes sense given how many pokemon he has, but he's yet to find a space in hoenn that he particularly likes.

he's pulled away from his thoughts by her question. is it innocent? he can't help but wonder only to be squirted with milk. he raises a hand to fruitlessly defend himself, but the damage has been done.

"illie..."

the pause he takes is brief, taken if only so he can sneak his hand into the bucket to scoop up a handful of milk before splashing it towards her.

illeana reyes

☉