her inner turmoil is lost to him, violet orbs focused on the task ahead. kneeling, greyson grabs the large wheel with both hands and begins to exert effort to spin it, grunting slightly from the force.

"no—," he manages to get out in-between one of those grunts, "i'm... fine. there!" with a pop the resistance disappears and the wheel spins easily.

"i'll go in first, then you just follow after me. i'll make sure you don't fall." the ladder was user-friendly, but no one could deny a small flare of nervousness as they lowered themselves.

properly inside, he looks up, hands kind of awkwardly waiting in the air for her approach. once she does...

"it's small, but comfortable." he doesn't go into the fact that he'd been here the past few days learning how to operate this thing, and just where the origins of this favor originated from, however.

"is this going to be your first time underwater?"

in a potentially dangerous undersea vehicle, that was.

PENELOPE LIVY

"Oh okay!" Her call of assurance was most likely lost to him as Greyson descended into the metal submarine. After giving him a few seconds to get settled, Penelope would make her way to its opened hatch next.

[break][break]
Anxiety struck her veins as she shakily went down the ladder, her legs growing more and more wobbly with each additional step down. Thankfully, the safety of Greyson's hands around her waist allowed her to feel at least a bit more comfortable with the process.

[break][break]
"Yeah, I can't say I've had the pleasure of boarding another submarine before this."

[break][break]
Despite the humor in her tone, a sense of dread had woven into her stomach. Maybe she was a bit claustrophobic after all...

[break][break]

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


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

she was light, and he places her down easily. he could see the nerves bubbling up to the surface, and he gives her a small smile.

"i got you, okay? nothings gonna happen to you as long as i'm here." he hoped that would ease her mood, even slightly.

"here, buckle up." it was one of those v-shaped seatbelts that covered the entire torso. sturdy, and powerful.

"any words to embark us, Captain?"

PENELOPE LIVY

She gave an uneasy smile.
[Break][break]
While simple words weren't typically the most reassuring, she found comfort in his.
[Break][break]
Buckling up beneath the web of straps, she released a shakey breath.
[Break][break]
"Hm..." She pondered over his prompt, carefully. "...to infinity and beyond?"

[break][break]

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


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

"well if something does happen," he jokes, adding a small laugh to the morbid thought, "at least that will be just as fitting."

with the press of a button the platform begins to sink and before their very eyes, the submarine slowly begins to become enveloped by the pool around them. as it continues descending to a surprisingly deep depth he presses another trigger, undoing the clamps that keep it attached. the sub rattles for a moment, shaking off its shackles, and then buzzes to life.

with a smile greyson pushes the joystick forward, and the submarine out into the deep blue.

PENELOPE LIVY

The morbid joke isn't appreciated, which was plainly stated by Penelope's solid punch to the arm.
[Break][break]
"Don't say shit like that."
[Break][break]
When the submarine began to quake, her hand instinctively moved to his arm, grabbing it for a momentary feeling of stability. The more the vehicle shook, the tighter her grip became, all until they descended fully into the ocean blue.

[break][break]

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


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

"ow," he says with a laugh, taking a hand to rub the spot, "careful! i might actually crash this." another laugh follows that, of course.

he welcomes her presence against him, a warm body, exposed skin, and an intoxicating scent. greyson leans into her, and maybe kind-of flexes a bit on the arm she latches onto it.

they meet the open waters, light filtering from the sky above him. to his left and right his pokemon trail them, a majestic milotic, and a massive turtle shell. they looked entirely different than normal, beneath the waves, and he takes in their majesty.

ahead of them a school of remoraid swim by and behind them, a sharpedo chasing his next meal. it was... something.

"not bad, huh?"

PENELOPE LIVY

By the time the submarine was fully submerged, Penelope would have nearly encased herself around his flex arm. Never had she thought she'd react this way, but somehow, the depths of the sea did nothing but send shivers down her spine.
[break][break]
Eyes widening, Penelope looked around the glass with a look of child-like wonder. Never had she seen something so pure, so clear. The additional touch of the trailing pokemon only added to this awestruck worthy sight.
[break][break]
"It's amazing," she breathed, turning back over, her lips stretched into a wide grin.
[break][break]

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


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

her child like wonderment has his lips parting in a grin. the fear was natural of course — he'd had a similar reactions a few days back when he was learning to drive it. but, somehow, this look was more natural on the red head.

taking the submarine deeper out to sea, the ground soon begins to bottom out well past what the light from the surface can show them. here, water pokemon were abundant and thriving, yet few were brave enough to approach — not with the guardian trio around them.

he looks over to his date.

"did you want to give it a shot?"

PENELOPE LIVY

Her eyes widened at his suggestion.
[break][break]
Her? Drive this enormous, dangerous, and possibly sinkable submarine? It would be cool, sure, but the possibility of crashing it was enough to dissuade any lingering thoughts on the matter.
[break][break]
"No no no, I'll let you have the honors for the night," She smiled and gave his arm (the one she was still wrapped around) a light double pat.
[break][break]
As a comfortable silence fell between them, Penelope's eyes fidgeted to her left. Would this be a good time to bring it up? She nipped at her bottom lip, unsure of what to do.
[break][break]
"Hey, Greyson...?"
[break][break]

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


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

greyson shrugs, more than happy to drive this machine. what could be better as a man than driving a machine of death and exploration, after all?

"well, if you change your mind..." he lets it slide off, giving her an easy-going smile. after a few more moments, immersed in the task, she speaks up again. his eyes widen a bit, smile aloof in his joy.

"hey, what's up? did you change your mind?"

PENELOPE LIVY

His response reeked of innocence. Unsuspecting, pure, it reminded Penelope of a poochyena wagging his tail at her, eyes wide and full of wonder.

[break][break]
Her lips parted, froze, then closed again. It did this three times, each time with the intention of letting go of all of the pent of doubts that's been plaguing her mind since the start of the night.

[break][break]
1. He's a gym leader, she's a reporter -- there's an inherent conflict of interest in this. If something were to come out on him, and they were together, would she be able to write about it? Would she turn down the opportunity, and in turn, negatively affect the company?

[break][break]
2. He's military, she hates the military, and the league, and the police force. Any group that's known for misusing their state-given powers, really.

[break][break]
She could look past these facts for the good of their friendship, sure, but anything more than that became...messy. And, with CIAN MAHER already messing with her mind, adding another name to the roster felt mess...ier.

[break][break]
Lips parting once more, Penelope could feel a gurgle of words crawl up her throat. "I..." She paused, yet again, and averted her gaze back towards the ocean. Fuck, man. "...Thank you for taking me down here. It's beautiful."

[break][break]

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


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

beneath the sea's dancing blue across her face, and the myriad of emotions, greyson felt as if he was viewing her through a kaleidoscope. his eyebrows furrow and his head tilts just a few degrees, unable to make out what it was she was trying to say.

when she does speak, it's with clear apprehension. greyson, as understanding and forgiving as he could be, chalks it up to nerves. he gives her a smile that's soft but extends from ear to ear.

"of course, penny. i'm glad you like it." he reaches out with one of his hands and grasps one of hers, squeezing it softly. "thank you for joining me down here."

PENELOPE LIVY