there was something else there. it was hidden in her casual front, and behind amber hues. his curiosity edges him onwards to press, but years of anxious thoughts come rushing back in, and he suppresses the urge for now.

"no greater escape i know than to travel the region covering story after story," he gives in small jest, thumbing the condensation around his glass. it's all he could say on the subject before she's throwing one right back at him.

"same, actually." he gives a laugh at this, biting the inside of his lower-lip. "felt cooped up and trapped for most of my life. i didn't resent it, since i was primarily taking care of my mother, but i got a little stir crazy. so, i jumped the gun at my first opportunity and enlisted."

he was, in reality, a young man with little to no life experiences. he wanted something to fast track him towards some. and oh boy did he.

"what's the last thing you regret doing, or not doing?"

PENELOPE LIVY

His story wasn't unlike the many she's heard over the years.
[Break][break]
But that didn't make any less interesting.
[Break][break]
"I guess we're both trying to escape something."
[Break][break]
The two continued firing back questions to one another, back and forth until their cups ran empty and their posture became slanted.
[Break][break]
Now several shots deep, Penelope lost her ability to remain steady and had resorted to using Greyson as support.
[Break][break]
"What's your worst fear," She murmured.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Greyson Connors [break]


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

greyson blinks as he tries to push away that numbing, tiring feeling from his eyes. it does nothing. the alcohol's effect lingers there, just as it does in many other places now, just out of reach. as illogical as it was, he knew he couldn't possibly change that. yet, he tries anyways. something he finds himself doing a lot.

even when it hurts.

"huh?" her question was a vague sound bite, one that he focuses on to break down and decipher. it comes to him after a moment, his cheeks red from the touch of the liquor, and they pale slightly as an answer comes to him. the blood rushes elsewhere, presumably to the pit he now feels in his stomach, though he knew that not to be true.

"being vulnerable," he replies in a hushed tone, a single chuckle accompanying it. "shit... sucks."

...

"you?"

PENELOPE LIVY

His answer pulled at her chin until she was looking up at him.
[break][break]

Jaw growing slack, her mind attempted to flip into several different ways, curious beyond measures of how to approach that answer. On one hand, she wanted to know more - to understand more - but she didn't want to cross any hidden boundaries.
[break][break]

When the question flipped back to her, she offered a similarly bitter laugh.
[break][break]

"...The future, I guess." She mused, eyes tracing the outer rim of her emptied cocktail glass. It reminded her of her desperate need for a refill. "How will I be like in 20 years? Who will I be? Will I be able to accomplish anything by then? Shit like that keeps me up at night. I just hate how unpredictable it all is -- how I could be doing everything right, but still get fucked over in the end."
[break][break]

She shifts her gaze back onto Greyson.
[break][break]

"...what's your worst regret?"
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Greyson Connors [break]


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

as she vents a piece of lock of hair comes undone and gets in her face. absentmindedly his hand moves to thumb it back into place, smiling like a fool the entire time. without so much as a word to it, he shifts his entire body, and with the same hand, calls for more rounds between two of them.

"i'm sure you'll get there," he says encouragingly, "the future is an unknown and terrifying thing, but each step forward is the best we can do, y'know? and you're definitely one of the bravest people i've met, so the future is yours."

he was slightly afraid he'd overstepped, but then the fuzz of alcohol comes through and drowns that out. her question is the only thing it has room for right now. the thud of the new glasses on the bar top are a welcoming noise, at the very least.

"my worst regret is... my fear of living life. i- i wait for things to come to me, for them to happen and drag me along. i've been dreaming of living on my own and experiencing everything for the first time, but... i still hold myself back."

"...what's yours?"

PENELOPE LIVY

The light touch of Greyson's ginger fingers sent a shiver down her spine. Yawning, she rested her head on his shoulder, as the boundaries of touch had slowly lifted from her mind with long, momentous movements.
[break][break]
Silently, she listened to the hum of his voice unraveling her answer. On one hand, his words softened the harsh reality she had described out loud, making it seem all-the-more bearable, but on the other hand, she couldn't help herself from considering the validity of his claims. Her? Brave? It felt like such an oxymoron to be someone's actual opinions of her.
[break][break]
"My worst regret," She echoed back, voice tittering towards a rare hollowness she hadn't shown him yet, "is probably the fact that I waited so long to leave home. I should've done it the first chance I got."
[break][break]
She paused and looked back up at him.
[break][break]
"Why do you hold yourself back?"

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Greyson Connors [break]


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

his own head rests against hers, strands of scarlet as comfortable as any pillow.

"i understand that more than you know," greyson tempers back his drunken chuckles, aware how jarring that could be for her. he wasn't laughing at her, but at the ridiculousness of how strongly he resonated with the notion.

"i dunno," he says, still hesitating even now to admit his feelings. "i guess I'm just afraid of not fitting in, or hell, even standing out. i've been so used to just being by myself that, i think that's sometimes how it always will be."

it was embarrassing that he, a grown man, had such trivial fears.

"what made you stay?"

PENELOPE LIVY

"You're so dumb," she murmured, eyes threatening to blink close. "You're the best person I've met since coming back -- and you think that's something you should hide."
[Break][break]
It wasn't the most comforting response, but Penelope wasnt the most tactful, especially when drunk.
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His question caused her to stirr.
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"I thought life would be easier if I just followed the plan my parents had for me. It wasnt."
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Nothing felt worse than following a plan you never agreed to.
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"Greyson I... I think I ran out of questions..."
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] @greysom [break]


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

she was wrong, of course. it was one of the most comforting things someone had ever said to him. the alcohol had left him tired, but he resurged with new energy now. all because of such a simple statement.

"better today than tomorrow," it sounded dumb in his head, and somehow even worse when it left his mouth. "you'll get there penny. that place you want to be in life. you'll get there."

his words are followed by a light, teasing laugh. "it's running late. let's get you home."

PENELOPE LIVY

"mmm"
[Break][Break]
At this point, she had lost her ability to comprehend his words to the fullest. It sounded more like a jumble of disconnected feelings than an actual sentence, but to be honest, it still managed to warm her heart just a tad.
[Break][Break]
"Thank you," she whispered, pulling up her chin just enough so that her lips were inches from his ear.
[Break][Break]
When he offered to take her home, she only lazily nods before pushing herself off the bar stool. It had taken a while, but the alcohol had finally begun stripping at her senses, one by one, until the world became an kaleidoscope of unfamiliar shapes and sounds.
[Break][Break]
"Mind covering," she mumbled, "I can pay you back or" she paused, swallowed something back down her throat, then continued, "cover next time."
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Greyson Connors [break]


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

her breathe, heavy with the scent of alcohol, sent shivers up his spine. it was like he'd been splashed with cold water, eyes widening.

"it's fine, i invited you out." he paid and left a generous tip, influenced only slightly by the alcohol. patient and steadier than his companion, he guides her to the bars exit.

"here, get on my back. i'll carry you home."

PENELOPE LIVY

Soft mumbles dripped from her lips as she lazily walked beside him out the bar. Her hands clutched tightly at his forearm, as her legs did their best to remain steady, even though it was slowly growing nearly impossible to do so.
[break][break]
"Mmmkay," She grinned. With a bit of difficulty, Penelope managed to oblige the request after a series of multiple jump and shimmy attempts up his back. Arms coiled around his neck, head snuggled into his shoulder, they were off.
[break][break]
The cool Lilycove air tickled and pricked at her flushed skin. It felt so calming, yet joltingly crisp, all at the same time.
[break][break]
"Greyson..." Her voice was slurred and quiet. "Thank...you. You're like...a knight in armor right now..."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Greyson Connors [break]


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

greyson tucks his arms under, and around, penny's legs as he stands and sets off. the flush of alcohol had warmed his skin, so the crisp and refreshing breeze is a god-send.

"what's a knight without maiden in distress?" he jokes, laughing lightly beneath her. greyson finds himself with an aloof smile that doesn't seem to falter.

"i had a lot of fun tonight penelope." she probably wouldn't remember this conversation tomorrow. but, maybe that's why he feels the confidence to say it?

"i'd like... to do it again. like, a date, i mean. i'd like to take you on a date."

PENELOPE LIVY