[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]the phone rings once, twice, thrice before she's dropping a report to answer. the name and number aren't read... not yet, anyway.

"yes, this is her," she murmurs. it's robotic, almost practiced. "may i ask who's calling?"

somehow, in a nostalgic way, the voice on the other end is familiar and fond.

Felix Gallagher

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]she stills at the name. and for a moment, she forgets he can't see her, can't see the surprise etch into her expression.

silence follows as her brain struggles to catch up and he fills it with an admission.

"it has," she whispers. it almost sounds like a smile is creeping onto her lips. "how've you been?"

Felix Gallagher

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]"good," she coos softly, smile fully widening until it's almost as if the sun is shining in her lab. "i'm glad..."

she'd thought about him as the years passed by. wondering if he was okay, wondering if she'd see him again, wondering if he thought of her the same. and maybe he had, after all.

"you are?" a little gasp follows before she's, naturally, launching into her old habits. even as a child, illeana reyes was painfully curious.

"since when? what're you doing in hoenn? do you like it? are your parents here too?"

breathe, illie... breathe. let the man speak.

Felix Gallagher

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]talking like this with him opens floodgates she thought to be long extinct.

thoughts, memories, feelings... they wash over her in waves. nights spent playing video games until morning, days where she shyly tucked herself into his side to avoid the masses.

she's missed him, she realizes as he talks. the realization slowly spreads until she's humming in soft understanding.

"i hope you're at least taking some time to enjoy hoenn," she murmurs. sightseeing, making new friends, having fun... the things she missed out on originally. she won't let him miss out. no, he deserves the best that life has to offer.

her smile widens slightly at the thought.

"perhaps it's better they're in sinnoh still," her tone drops into slightly somber territory. scars crawl at her back with each syllable. "it's safer there."

Felix Gallagher

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]a faint smile rises at the sighed admittance. as long as he's trying... that's all that matters, right?

she doesn't want him to be lonely. no, he doesn't deserve that. it's a feeling that lingers in shadows and empty corners, festering until it eats you alive.

"good," she coos. someone she loved, cherished, admired should only have the best that life has to offer and the sentiment carries in her tone.

and then, the conversation shifts a little. it caters to a need she tries to swallow, tries to ignore: the desire to be wanted.

the use of her nickname merely seals her fate and, in turn, her answer.

"of course, anything for you," she supplies a little too quickly and he can't see it but her face heats up with a searing blush. "what's going on?"

Felix Gallagher

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]the noise of surprise that escapes is, realistically, a very good sign.

the creation trio. the subject of her own personal research. why he's looking into them, she doesn't know. what she does understand, however, is that this could very well be a win-win situation for them both.

her smile widens into full wattage, bright enough to light up an entire room.

"it's funny you ask that," she starts with an airy laugh. "i've been looking into them myself."

on the desk nearby, that same research sits. it's half finished, stopped by prior commitments and left to fester in her mind. perhaps with felix by her side, they could finish it. the thought of seeing him after all these years leaves a light flutter in her stomach that goes entirely ignored.

"i'm happy to help! it'll be nice to start that project again."

a pause follows before she's murmuring into her phone once more. it's softer this time around, more hesitant and unsure.

"do you want to come to the lab? i can go over everything i've got so far."

Felix Gallagher

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]she hums a soft acknowledgement as his steps slowly begin to pick up over the line.

and as he moves around on his side of the phone, she shifts toward her research. the pages are worn, slightly faded in some spots. poured over night after night until eventually abandoned as is habit. there's correlation between the research and herself, perhaps, but it's overwritten with curly letters and arrows drawn to different pieces of information.

"thursday?" she mumbles, half to herself. her schedule could be cleared easily enough if anything were to arise... he'd take priority just like old times.

"sounds good to me," finally comes in a confident chirp. "do you, uh, need directions to the lab?"

Felix Gallagher