i want you.

he blinks.

"here?"

there's no need to glance around to know they're out in the open with very little privacy. with nothing to obscure or hide behind, it would take a great effort to not be noticed.

they've made it this far, however.

"okay."

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

she grinned.

”or we could go somewhere better.”

leaning into him, still gazing up, she suggested, ”let’s go to the beach. that island close to here.”

they’d been there once together, to train the alakazam. maybe it was time to make better memories there. it had once been one of her favorite places. a swim didn’t sound bad, either. despite living on the water, she hadn’t since she’d sold the place with the pool.

THEO BECKETT

☉

briefly, his gaze travels across the cetacean blue to the small patch of land not too far out. he remembers it well.

nodding, he leans into her as well.

"okay."

so used to using pokemon as tools, his first thought is to call out any flying-pokemon to carry them over. but he catches himself this time, smiling in response.

"let's swim there."

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

typically, lulu would have definitely preferred the flying type. water was fine, but deep water was a little... spooky.

drunk as she was, though, just about anything sounded like a good idea. fun, even.

”what if we get eaten by skyler?” she snickered before snaking an elbow around his.

fingers wrapped around the neck of the tequila and it was soon swinging at her side. she was carefree.

”did i tell you that's where i got my powers?”

maybe she had.

THEO BECKETT

☉

deep water is definitely spooky especially under the cover of the night to help mask all that lurk underneath. shivers are suppressed by her arm around his, and he also grabs what remains of the kahlua before making their way down to the beach.

"i'm sure we'll find a way out of her."

the path starts to descend.

she's told him before of her powers and how she acquired it but he shakes his head, keen on hearing it again.

"what happened?"

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

she giggled, ”you’re so weird.”

down to the beach they went, and lulu was happy to recount the events again, likely with more drunken flourish and meandering details than before.

”well, we were having a meeting... it started out with the floette and the absorber. walsh told my brother to get his lugia out so he could zap it, and he did, and then lugia was like... i dunno, just gave him powers. just like that.”

she held out a hand between them, wriggling shadowy fingers.

”kinda cool we can both do stuff with shadows, even if it’s different. walsh’s powers are different, too.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

the sand feels cool beneath his feet. he stops near the edge of where the beach meets the ocean; where the sand is damp but not quite wet.

"i didn't know walsh made lugia into a shadow pokemon."

or maybe he had known at one point.

"hm. i know very little of walsh's powers."

or of walsh. but that's a concern for another time.

for now, he takes a final swig of the kahlua before setting the bottle on the sand. he peers out at the island, gauges its distance, then turns back to her.

"it's going to be quite a swim."

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

had they been barefoot this entire time?

”oh. i didn’t mean that...” she pondered. since coming into her position as head scientist, she had learned of the shadow machine, something that was no longer operating since anya fowl had taken her leave. ”i think it was already like that.” no. no she didn’t.

at the edge of lapping waves, she uncorked the tequila again with a pop and took a large swig. unlike him, she did not set it down. maybe she intended to take it with her.

saying nothing for a long moment, she glared out at the island, gauging the distance through her drunkenness and the dark of night as though she had never seen it before.

suddenly she muttered, ”race you.” and then she was bounding into the waves, bottle still in hand when she threw herself in with a splash.

THEO BECKETT

☉

somewhere along the way theo must've taken his shoes off. they're probably off to the side by a bush somewhere to make it easier for them to find later.

theo's busy unbuttoning his shirt when he hears her words — her challenge that has apparently just started. it's enough to get him to pull his shirt over his shoulders before he's stumbling after her, tipsy as ever as he does his best to loosen his pants.

"unfair!"

they come off with a splash right as he jumps in as well. battling against the waves, he follows after her.

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

she was almost fast at first, considering the odd way she was swimming. drunken determination, adrenaline and a competitive spirit would take a person far. but it did not take long for her to slow down. maybe a third of the way, if that.

”theo,” she croaked over the waves.

coasting on her back, she popped open the bottle again, attempting to take a swig and then promptly dunking it in the saltwater.

”theo i’m going to drown.”

she coughed, struggling to recork the bottle and then opting to throw it across the water in frustration.

THEO BECKETT

☉

her lack of cardio eventually shows about a third of the way into their journey. it doesn't take theo long to catch up after that. just in time to hear her ridiculous comment.

"how?"

he's almost laughing when he floats beside her, waddling.

"just swim!"

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

a lack of cardio, maybe. surely it didn’t have anything to do with the tequila.

”theo...” she repeated. the stars had caught her attention, beautiful over the ocean. the view would likely be the same from the island, but this was the first time she had seen it tonight.

”shh. look at the sky.”

she floated, seeming to have entirely forgotten about their race.

THEO BECKETT

☉

their race floats into the background, replaced by the beauty of the sky — the sky where aliens and other life forms are, apparently. but he isn't privy to her suspicions just yet.

"the sky..."

he tilts backwards until he's finally able to gaze up at the night sky. he isn't usually one for admiring it, but on this night, it shines extra bright.

"it's beautiful."

his finger lifts to point up at a particular string of stars. the tip of his finger traces along as he speaks.

"that's cassiopeia, i think."

he had read about it in a book recently just to get a better sense of some of her interests.

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉