surprisingly enough, she isn't scared. [break][break]

perhaps it has something to do with her living in the dormitories here, and being so accustomed to the submarine, that she doesn't mind the darkness that comes with it, and doesn't mind how spooky it may have been in the dead of the night. rather than being put off, she hums, softly, making her merry way from her dormitory room to the rest of the west wing with little care. after all, she has her sweet little budew in her arms - why should she be scared? [break][break]

the ghost should get its priorities straight. [break][break]

though in another multiverse, she may have jumped at the little bump in the night. she'd be scared maybe a few years ago (but now she's found something worthy of her fear, and she's experienced it twice, thrice over). a soft squeal from the budew echoes down the empty halls of the dormitories, however, as she opens the door. [break][break]

"mmn?" she hums, patting the sprout of the grass type. "hello? is someone awake?"

Dante Telos [break]

☉

By no means had he considered himself easy to easy to scare, but he did have to admit that hearing a sudden echo in the night was, at the very least, somewhat jarring. He hadn’t quite jumped nor yelped at the sound of a distant creature, but he had turned sharply, all while azure hues peered skeptically into the dark. An Unfezant, maybe? No. No, that sounded wrong the moment he’d humored the thought, even if it did happen to belong to one of the other members on board.[break][break]

Not too long afterwards, however, came the voice. What short lived, heightened vigilance he’d inherited had swiftly proved quick to disappear, and after leaning towards the side in attempt to catch a better glimpse of the source, he merely settled upon moving forward to meet whoever it was halfway. ”On patrol, yeah,” he’d called out as he neared.[break][break]

He’d been about to add more, but as he turned the corner, he found himself eyeing a certain someone, instead.[break]
A small smile of wonder and amusement tugged upon his lips.[break][break]

”...Oh. It’s you~.”

mielle [break]
mission: ghost in the machine

☉

the budew is shaking, the poor thing. [break][break]

she wishes she had a will-o-wisp right about now, if only to illuminate the dark hallway that's only scarcely lit. she raise her hand to gently pat the budew's head, and she smiles, hushing the little bud pokemon. "it's alright~" she chimes in the dark, its little body sitting in her arms. mielle knows that the pokemon will be okay, but it doesn't look all too convinced.[break][break]

hearing the voice down the hall, she pauses, holding the budew the tiniest bit closer - until she's processed the familiar tone in his voice. although it was slightly wary, she recognizes this tone anywhere (she's heard it more often, nowadays). "hello there~" she greets him so casually, waving her hand as the other arm stays put around the pokemon. her eyes give him the same smile as her lips. [break][break]

"if i didn't know you were on patrol, i would have thought that you came to see me~"

Dante Telos [break]

☉

At those words, he found himself smiling a faint bit more. Amusing. ”Hah. That so~?” he hummed within musing inquiries, narrowing his eyes softly with the rise of his cheeks. His gaze trailed from trainer to Pokemon as he continued on, gently pursing his lips within a sense of amused sympathy at the sight of its disdain and quivering. ”I guess I can’t exactly blame you. ...Kinda have been seeing each other a lot, lately~.”[break][break]

He eyed the little grass type for a while longer before crossing his arms, directing his attention towards her, once more. ”Yeah, though. Patrols. Fun shit.” Another glance towards the fragile little thing within her arms. ”...Although, I gotta admit? Kinda worried for the poor thing~.”[break][break]

He hummed once more in thought.[break][break]

”...You wanna come with me~?” the man went on after a smaller amount of time, tilting his head. ”Was planning on hitting the cafeteria after looking around. ...Can’t exactly make a feast this late at night, but maybe a little snack would help calm her down~.”

mielle [break]
mission: ghost in the machine

☉

easy to please, this one (both in and out of bed).[break][break]

it's always been easy to talk to him, and she's loved those moments all the same. "were you not busy, i'd have offered to get a drink~." sadly, she doesn't think that the cafeteria has any alcohol. it's a shame, but she'll be spending her bed empty. indeed, maybe some food might be a good idea to try and soothe the budew in her arms. [break][break]

she's still shaking, and the trainer raises the bud up to gently whisper in a softer tone. she wears a smile to her lips, and takes a few steps towards him, as to let him lead the way, mainly. "a midnight snack is probably exactly what you need, isn't it?" it's no feast, but it'll be enough to put the anxious nerves to rest. [break][break]

he's good company, so she doesn't mind walking down to the cafeteria with him. "oh!" and the thought hits her immediately, because she completely forgot! "i think i can make some honey tea? we had a very nice harvest today, and fresh honey tea is always the best for these~" she turns her attention to the man, as her hand begins to gently stroke the top of the budew's head again.

"have you ever had fresh honey before?"

Dante Telos [break]

☉

Upon noting her initial responses, he merely pursed his lips, offering her a quick wink and chuckle. ”We can come back to that thought after I’m done here~,” had been his own choice of reply, and as he turned to begin leading the way, he hummed gently. ”I’m sure there’d be a few places open later at night, anyways. ...Don’t see why the night would have to end so soon~.”[break][break]

An open as an invitation as it came, even if the intent hadn’t quite been nearly as clear. Regardless, however, he trekked continuously along the hallways as she followed some smaller ways away; azure hues illuminated faintly by the sheen of the light shining so vibrantly within the darkness. Before long, however, he found himself noting her words. Another glance over his shoulder as he turned the corner, continuing on from the space in which the dormitories led into the dining area.[break][break]

”...Like, fresh from the source? Hm. Can’t say I have…” he pondered aloud, shaking his head all the while. ”Never exactly had a reason or way to have it aside from grabbing it from a store shelf, or anything like that.”

mielle [break]
mission: ghost in the machine

☉

"never?" [break][break]

this wouldn't do. it's almost pitiful when she finds out that someone hasn't had honey fresh from the source, especially when it was so warm and rich! the woman mulls it over, then smiles all the more, lowering one hand from the budew in favour of reaching over to the larger man's wrist, with the intention to pull him to the kitchen. [break][break]

"we had a honey harvest earlier today, you see~" her lips curl into a smile as she brings him from the dining room, quick with the intention to pull him to the kitchen in the back (though ignoring a little thump - no doubt caused by some blunt force; she isn't as sharp as he is).

Dante Telos [break]

☉

He shook his head, instinctively smiling slightly more at what he assumed to be disbelief in her voice. ”Mhm. Never~.” His gaze settled and remained upon her as if gauging her further reactions, though as he felt her fingers softly yet quickly wrapping around his wrist, he couldn’t help but be faintly interested and amused as she began to pull him along. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he trailed behind her. ”And you’re so excited over showing me honey, though, mmn~? Not exactly what I expected, but--”[break][break]

Before he could quite finish his thought, a tap seemingly caught his attention, and as she continued to guide him along, he shifted and turned his head further towards the darkened rooms and corridors; his feet and legs tensing within their steps in attempt to momentarily ground him. The smile that he wore faltered in favor of a slightly more pensive look, and he furrowed his brows gently as he peered around. ”...Hey,” he started off within a low, careful tone, ”did you hear that?”

mielle [break]
mission: ghost in the machine

☉

was she excited over honey? [break][break]

"i wouldn't go that far~" after all, fresh honey will never be comparable to the stuff bought in stores. or, honey straight from the honey comb. though it's often purified to remove any impurities, it's still safe enough to eat if the bees are kept in a nice environment. or, in this case, if the combee were happy enough with their hives. she'll have to assume that he's never eaten the chewy and waxy texture of the honeycombs, either. oh, the misery. [break][break]

she's so distracted by the thought of honey that she'll miss the bump in the night, only pausing in her track as she tilts her head, glancing up to a man who seems to pause, and who speaks up about.. a sound? how curious. "i didn't hear anything?" she hums; it's obvious that caution isn't on her mind. "if you heard something, it's likely some of the other rockets living in the dormitories." the dorm part of the underwater base. after all, they weren't the only ones up at this time. [break][break]

still, she smiles, and tilts her head "have you never been at the base late in the night?~"

Dante Telos [break]

☉

He gave a pensive, skeptical hum at her suggestion, all his brows furrowed faintly and absentmindedly. There had absolutely been some truth in the suggestion she’d given, after all— but even then, he felt as though it was…different.[break][break]

There were common creaks in the night, after all, but he could’ve sworn that he’d heard something a bit…more.[break][break]

His gaze lingered upon the area he assumed the sound had resonated from as a result, though after finding it within himself to push the matter aside for the meantime, he simply turned his attention towards the woman by him once more. He nodded slightly, shrugging.[break][break]

”...Many a time, yes,” he hummed, tilting his head. ”I don’t frequent the base as much as others might, but I’m no stranger. …Why do you ask?”

mielle [break]
mission: ghost in the machine

☉