[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]she stays quiet. staring down at their connected hands is simple, easy, as his words wash over her in waves.

and he hits a particular wound without noticing, without understanding.

solving problems with your own two hands. we'll have to fight some day, better to be prepared.

yes, it is. and for his case, he's more than likely to be prepared.

for her? the time has already come and she has already failed. her back crawls, skin trembling slightly over memories threatening to claw their way through scar tissue and spill out onto the forest floor.

"yes," she responds in an almost robotic tone. it's practiced, precise, rehearsed for moments like these where she refuses to let another soul inside. her lips quirk upward into a small smile. it never quite reaches the eyes. "it's better to be prepared than..."

she doesn't finish the sentence.

instead, she welcomes the slight shift in topic with a light laugh carried off on the breeze. "fair point," she muses. "maybe eventually, you won't have to worry about that. maybe you'll join the elite four before then."

he has capable hands. she knows this, understands this. and, really, there's no one else she'd pick for a position like that.

Greyson Connors
seed thread I

elite four, huh? it'd been a dream of his — once? still? he wasn't sure — since he was a boy. to be one of the most powerful trainers in the country was a dream shared by my many. but the reality was always tougher to stomach. the problems he would face, if he ever joined their ranks...
[break][break]
greyson's smile doesn't falter. "maybe, maybe. that's far off yet." Stormy Silph never really seemed happy with the position, and then, she'd left. he needs a distrction.
[break][break]
"it's getting late. hungry?"

[attr="class","ooc"]illeana reyes[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-milotic"]

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]"you never know what the future holds."

no one does. and it's within that future that people find hope.

she would like to, as well, but there's a fear carved into the marrow of her bones that refuses to let go. a fear of the unknown, a fear of what the future holds.

it keeps her from wanting too much.

her stomach growls lightly between them at the question and she flushes a soft pink.

"a bit." when was the last time she even ate? she... can't quite remember.

Greyson Connors
seed thread I

it's just cryptic enough that he only shrugs, instead focusing on the present.
[break][break]
"we can pick something up on the way home."

[attr="class","ooc"]illeana reyes[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-milotic"]

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]she stills.

her eyes widen. a deerling caught in headlights over seemingly nothing? classic illeana.

"home?" a rosier shade of pink colors her cheekbones at the thought.

and in an attempt to cover, she flashes an embarrassed smile.

"it's a long way to lilycove."

Greyson Connors
seed thread I

"don't i know it," he says casually. then, he blinks. "do... you also live in lilycove?"
[break][break]
that would be quite the coincidence.

[attr="class","ooc"]illeana reyes[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-milotic"]

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]a pause, a click into place, and then a laugh.

somehow, him living in the same city as her this whole time and neither of them realizing is the funniest thing to her.

it eases some invisible weight off her shoulders for a few moments. and it's almost like she can breathe easier now.

"yes, i do." she flashes an almost teasing grin. "what, are we neighbors or something?"

Greyson Connors
seed thread I

he laughs too, something light and easy.
[break][break]
"we might be," he wonders if aaron faust had ever run into her or something, "it's league assigned housing, kind-of. can pick something up once we're there. in the mood for something specific?"

[attr="class","ooc"]illeana reyes[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-milotic"]

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]"imagine if we were," she muses. more laughter tumbles from her lips at the thought. two ships passing in the night, huh?

her brain tries to remember the layout of lilycove, of where her house sits in relation to league housing. it'd be easier if she had a map but... he can just show her later or something.

"ummm," she hums indecision. and finally, it clicks, and she's grinning.

"mac n cheese."

Greyson Connors
seed thread I

"i'd probably have to borrow a lot of bread. i always run out and forget to replace it," he says with a final laugh, pushing himself to his feet. he'd help her to hers, too.
[break][break]
"mac and cheese, huh." an interesting choice. "could always do a BBQ place."

[attr="class","ooc"]illeana reyes[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-milotic"]

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]she takes his help with an affectionate smile, rising to stand beside him.

"you could have whatever you'd like," comes out quickly, before her mind can process. and once the choice of words clicks, the tips of her ears flush pink and she's directing her eyes toward the seeds in the earth for a distraction.

"bbq sounds good to me," she murmurs softly. as long as there's mac n cheese, she's there.

Greyson Connors
seed thread I

greyson blinks, clearing his throat. "well, uh, i just think a BBQ place has mac and cheese, is all." he looks away fumbling with something on his belt, as his comfey floats over to illeana and wraps around her wrist. her mews are small vibrations against her skin.
[break][break]
finally, he gets a hold of what he wanted, and releases a pokemon into a nearby tree. "zee, make sure nothing messes with the spot. try not to like, murder anything you don't need too, okay?" the corviknight squaks and huffs, then disappears in a rustle of jangled metal.
[break][break]
"shall we go then?"

[attr="class","ooc"]illeana reyes[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-milotic"]

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]she offers a muted nod, agreeing on the reasoning. they'd probably have good mac n cheese, too... can't have bbq without mac n cheese, right?

his comfey settles onto her skin with a vibrating chirp. the smile that rises is genuine, warm, and fond. her other hand rises to gently stroke the petals of the little comfey, giggling as the pokemon vibrates cute mewls into her skin.

she merely listens while he instructs his corviknight to guard their seeds. and only when he turns to her does she snap back to attention, mind swimming back after drifting away while petting his comfey.

"oh, um, yes," she murmurs. "let's go."

Greyson Connors
seed thread I