”And I’ll tell you with my heart, soul, and all the confidence in me that you’re wrong, Sister.”[break][break]

As if a scorching knife stricken through butter, his words cut swiftly within the presence of her own mere moments after they had properly processed themselves within his mind. Though his initial intent had been to simply continue on with the welcomed feast before them, he found himself smiling more broadly—instinctively—without so much as realizing the rise of his lips within the midst of his own retort. Yet, even then, the prominence of the rise of his cheeks hadn’t been due to anything of the wry variety within those particular moments; rather, the expression he’d driven himself to don had been one of genuine nature.[break][break]

Confidence.[break]
…As confident as the type he claimed.[break][break]

He took a moment to properly take into account just how instantaneous and almost threatening the force his words exuded, and whether it had been from a vague touch of embarrassment, realization, or amusement with himself (if not all three at once), he the younger Stone merely leaned back in his seat. With shoulders and chest gradually rising and falling with breath in and out, he hummed softly whilst shutting his eyes for but a few moments for the simple sake of collecting his thoughts.[break][break]

”...If there’s anything I know, Sister, it’s that we’re strong,” he mused in beginnings once more, turning his head to face a woman who seemed to do anything but the same towards him at first. ”We’re strong. We’re strong. Our name, our family, and everything we’ve done both together and apart is nothing more than a testament to that strength— and you are no exception to that. I hope you know that.”[break][break]

Hazel hues lingered upon her for several moments more prior to a soft, ’clink,’ sounding between them; a natural reaction to the motion of metal against ceramics as the man set the utensil between his fingers down, once more. Pulling it and its opposing arm towards his form once more, he folded both within a loose embrace upon his chest, all while his legs crossed and locked upon one another beneath the table.[break][break]

”Things…may not have worked the way we thought; may not have worked the way we wanted to. If we were in charge of the cards dealt to us, though, then…nothing that happened ever would’ve happened.” Though drowned beneath a sudden onslaught of pensiveness, and seriousness, and a sudden, burning determination for his own thoughts, a softened touch took upon his lips after a brief reprise as his brows rose. ”Yet it did. Everything happened the way they did— and yet despite that, we’ve still found reprise. We’ve still found success, and motivations, and happiness.”[break][break]

He gazed at her in further thought.[break]
He gazed through her in some form of resonance and recognition.[break][break]

Unbeknownst to her or not, a mirror dwelled within her, and so he gazed upon it before shrugging with the same, leisurely smile in foil of her own, forced one.[break][break]

”...So why stress yourself with the weight of the world when you’ve done all that’s possible for you to do?” he hummed, softer, after some time. ”You’ve found happiness in the turmoil, and that—... That would absolutely be something he’d be proud about for all of us.”

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

how do you tell your sibling that you've nothing for distaste, and hatred, and anger towards yourself, for something that you could have avoided - something that you could have fixed? how does she tell him that she's a coward, and that she was far from strong, lacking in the confidence that her brothers and sisters so greatly boasted? how does she say that the years have been cruel, so much that se's found herself running from what is devon, running from what her family's legacy has lived up to; how does she speak of the burden and the weight on her shoulders - to inherit an empire that she never wanted? [break][break]

how? how does he speak so confidently, as though she's so certain that everything is alright? oh, no, daphne you know. you know your family has been somewhat estranged, for no seeming reason, since father died and since alex took up the mantle. you always knew that mother wished for nothing but for her siblings to come together again, and till knowing this, here you are, till waiting for your siblings to come to you, when you should have been coming to them. you came back to hoenn (to this wretched region you love to hate, and hate to love) time and time again; because you were born, and raised, on the soils by the waters. [break][break]

how do you hate everything you've ever known? [break][break]

how he's so assured is beyond her, but it's something shared amongst the family (she was like that, once, before she started questioning what it was she wanted to do). the distortion has adjusted her age, made her older, but never wiser. if you ask her, she still suffers all the same, like she's still in her later twenties. [break][break]

inspiration oozes from his tone, and she wants nothing than to nod - to agree - with all the same gusto in the world. she'd want nothing more than to enjoy their meal, but the image in her head haunts her (it's the everyday, the mall things, that keep her going and keep her from her head). daphne is no soldier, and no fighter, and no strong trainer; she's only a woman with pokemon to keep her company, living her life day by the day. [break][break]

she was not made for a war. [break][break]

was her breath always so shaky? he speaks no lies, to some degree, and she knows this deep down. it's when the unpleasant image intrudes its way into her head (and eventually flash before her eyes) does she hesitate. since young, she's always been cold, and distant, even to her own siblings and parents. she's only ever known to wear a pleasant smile, though mellow, for formalities sake. [break][break]

"leo." [break][break]

she appreciates it, she does. every last word he speaks, she knows comes from a good place (but that will never ease the turmoil in her own heart, nor will it cleanse her of the nightmares that make her wake in a cold sweat asking herself "why, why, why"). yet while his smile burns, with all the passion and bright determination in the world, she can only return a somber, sullen, light tug of her lips in return. ah, he sounded like alex. ".. i appreciate it." her gaze lowers to her food, knife teething through as she pierces her fork through the layers of sauce and food. [break][break]

she's never been good with words. that's never changed. [break][break]

"i'm nowhere as self-assured as you, or any of our other siblings, however~" she never has been, and thinks that she never will be, but has found something for herself to be confident in "mm.." she hums, hands still as she maintains a stone gaze at her food. then he brightens her smile, though with an apologetic tone "i apologize for being such a downer~. i just have.. no pleasant memories of the war."

Leonidas Stone

☉

To say that he knew precisely what her state of mind had been, and to say that he knew precisely of the things she could’ve possibly seen, would have been claims that would have simply been false, had he claimed them to begin with. There were many things that his own absence from the region deprived him of, after all.[break][break]

Time. Memories.[break]
Knowledge.[break][break]

Knowledge in accordance to the happenings of the family, for even as they spoke, there were bits and pieces of information that he still lacked, altogether; information that, truthfully enough, likely would have crushed him despite its insight, should he have been brought to light of it. Through word of indirect mouth had been the manner through which he’d found out about the falling outs of inheritances; the very crumbling of will and hierarchy that had ultimately led to their sister inheriting the company that she—as he recalled swiftly within those moments—simply hadn’t intended, nor wanted, to take up for herself. As he reaffirmed during their own visit, it had been understandable, as it was never her birthright; nor had it been that of the sibling before her, nor had it been his own. To some degree, he always believed that it hadn’t even been Alex’s, despite the responsibilities of being the firstborn.[break][break]

He had simply always had the leisure and luck of being of youth, and thus further along the line for inheritance.[break][break]

…And even then, pursuing his own path had been his own means of further ensuring that it hopefully would never happen, be it for the sake of his own freedom or otherwise, and regardless of whether or not he ever uttered a word of it to anyone. He ran from responsibility— or rather, what responsibility could have possibly been. He pursued his own matters. He took time for himself, and as calamity befell the family, he simply chose to stay distant for a while more for the sake of processing. It was a necessary thing to do; that much he was certain of.[break][break]

It had been due to that fact that the mirror he gazed upon reflected a thought unspoken, yet a thought relatable, all the same.[break][break]

”...Be that as it may, I still stand by my thoughts.” Hues of a strengthened amber—a smoldering, softening ember within the midst of its former ignition—lingered upon her for a while longer prior to idling towards her hands in movement. ”I don’t…know what, specifically, you saw. Obviously, I wasn’t here,” he went on, ”but to some degree, I understand because you were. …You were here during everything that happened. You witnessed it all, firsthand, as a person directly affected by it all.”[break][break]

Though he hadn’t quite known the weight of the statement, he still sought to reach over, softly tapping his fingers against her wrist with a continued smile.[break][break]

”Regardless, though, I say this as someone that knows his fair share of shirking responsibility, and…running away from the aftermath,” had been his next choice of words, all while he narrowed his eyes slightly. ”By no means was my experience the same as yours—I’d rather not assume that to be the case, after all—but my confidence comes from my relation.”[break][break]

He eyed her for a bit more before leaning back into his seat.[break][break]

”...If I were to go with my hunch, I’d say that what I see here is…someone that’s guilty for something that genuinely could not be helped, no matter how many, ‘What if?’ situations are mulled over. You’ve always been a bit more reserved, so it’s a bit harder to be sure of, but…in light of that, I just don’t want you to be too hard on yourself. I doubt any of us would.”

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

no amount of denial can cover it up; shambles is a compliment to a mind that took so long to recover. it still takes days for her to pick up the pieces, still takes time for her to recover from the shocks. for a little while, she thought herself to be the slowest of the family. there was a time she held herself with such confidence, under the bravado that she was self assured, and knew what she wanted to do (thought that she knew what she wanted to do). isn't it pitiful, to know how fragile and flimsy that self-found confidence is when the very foundation crumbles and caves in at the seams? [break][break]

alex was understanding of it. mother was understanding of it, their youngest sister was understanding of it, ana was understanding of it, and she knew that leonidas, too, would be understanding of it. no one faults her except herself (and what she thinks the ghost would think, and it's worse when you know that the person can't be here to tell you their real thoughts. it never gets easier when you know what they would think, and yet your own insecurities pollute what your mind already knows. [break][break]

it's a type of torture. [break]
self-inflicted torture. [break][break]

and she wonders when she started to be like this. trauma truly does things to people. so she's contemplating his words, and she still can't help but to think where he gets this confidence from (it runs in the family, it looks like. the family she truly and so dearly loves, but never knew how to put into words or actions). to some degree, she knows that he speaks the truth, and understands that her actions were only self-destructive, and wouldn't help to fix anything, or anyone. [break][break]

so she takes a deep breath, steeling herself. she's trying to steel herself, and it's so difficult when she feels tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, and the older sister can only pause as she blankly stares down, towards the counter, and the very slight tears run their course down her cheeks - no matter how few in numbers. ah, how long as she kept this bottled up? how long as she kept herself steeled and how long as she internalized it? [break][break]

"i-i--" she starts, stammering. daphne's voice is quivering, and she's trying desperately to maintain her composure. and there you go again, daphne, being weak - and this time in front of your younger brother no less. how pitiful and pathetic do you have to be? she'll ask herself time and time again, putting utensils down so she can gently press the back of her wrist against her eyes. press away the few tears that seep through as a result of his words of reassurance. [break][break]

"i-i know.." she doesn't want to say such a short - such a crude - thing in response to his speech (it makes it feel like she wasn't listening, or she's trying to gloss over his words, but it's the exact opposite). "i-i apologize, again--" because she's crying, and she shouldn't be. it'll be brief. "i have.. plenty of regrets" that cannot be counted on one hand, or be listed out ".. one of them being a distant sister, and making you face this after not seeing each other after so long~.."

Leonidas Stone

☉

Oddly enough, everything before him had been nothing short of a welcomed sight.[break]
It helped him to have even a glimpse into the struggles that had undoubtedly been kept from view for so long[break][break]

Regardless of what people may have thought of him—him and his seemingly blind faith, and perseverance, and willingness to maintain an outstretched hand—he knew very well of the fact that his own ideals often held the better part of him. A heart forged within the flames of hardships had emerged a craft of gold throughout his years of presence and absence, alike; an idea that he, himself, had always striven to exhibit and maintain no matter the cost, no matter the situation, and no matter the person.[break][break]

Strangers, friends, family.[break]
…Especially family.[break][break]

So, as his own kin sat there before her with tears gradually trickling down her face, he simply eyed her in silence for some while— though not without that same, albeit more softened, smile of his. Raising both chest and shoulders with a gentle, inaudible breath, he merely allowed the sight to sink in for longer before pushing himself back, lifting himself up, and taking just a couple of paces towards her side.[break][break]

As she pressed her own hands against her eyes, he knelt by her, tilting his head up to eye her all the while.[break][break]

”...If you’re gonna apologize for that, I’ll just shoot it right back by apologizing for prioritizing my work, too~.” Hazel hues lingered upon her in idle thought before he lifted his arms, resting them upon the table’s edge before cradling the side of his head within them. ”We all have regrets, Sister, but you just need to know and remember that it’s impossible to move past them and better yourself if you don’t forgive yourself.”[break][break]

He hummed, reaching over to nudge one of her arms down in attempt to catch her gaze.[break][break]

”If we can salvage the pieces, then you can, too,” he murmured, his lips pulling faintly more upwards. ”Even if you can’t convince yourself of that right now, I’ll be there to remind you of that— just as I’m sure Ana would, and Mother would, and anyone else would.”

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

he does his best, she'll always give him that much. [break][break]

he's right; she knows he is. and through the internalized strife, and trauma, and grief that she still holds, she knows of the rationality that she should be maintaining. after all, she was the one who looked to do the part (it's faux; rationality powered by her own emotions, and bias, and anxiety and panic that she's allowed to fester without a break. it's never gotten bad, it's only when she speaks about her own kin - and that's arguably worse). [break][break]

emotionally drained and internalized, she doesn't have the strength to move her arm away when it's nudged down, though she reluctantly tries to raise her other hand, to press the back of her fingers against the corner of her eyes. really, she must look like a fool (she feels like one). then she wears a small smile, and shakes her head at his words. really, he shouldn't be the one apologizing. why was he apologizing? [break][break]

she'll compose herself shortly after, she won't let it take too long. and just as quickly as those tear appeared, they had gradually come to a halt as she slowly raises her head more, fingers moving from her eyes to tuck locks of gold behind her ears. "mhm.." she hums, and tired, emerald eyes maintain their gaze upon the plate, before they move to the side, and offer the man a glance. [break][break]

and she moves instinctively, to be honest. instinctively enough to raise her hand to gently rest upon the top of the man's head as he's leaned down, and her smile grows gradual. "ah, yes.. arceus knows that i desperately need the help." there's no hint of sarcasm in her words, "however i'd say it's.. slightly embarrassing for me to be counselled, as the elder sister~.."

Leonidas Stone

☉

…When was the last time she’d done as she did?[break][break]

She spoke of counseling, and it was true— and yet, regardless of the roles of siblings (he always thought that the idea that an elder was supposed to console the younger and not the other way around was a bit ridiculous), and regardless of the words he uttered with intentions upheld, he found himself briefly stopped as she pressed her fingers against his head.[break][break]

…Another thing to have nostalgia over.[break][break]

He eyed her for a while longer. He smiled. With a soft sigh, he merely nodded and rose a hand of his own to softly pat her arm, nodding and beginning to stand back up. ”Age shouldn’t determine who deserves and doesn’t deserve to be listened to, Sister,” he hummed, glancing through the kitchen before starting his way towards the rear counter spaces once more.[break][break]

Taking a napkin from a nearby display, he simply nodded towards it and held it towards her once walking back to her.[break][break]

”That aside, though, how about we move past the seriousness, mmn~?” the younger Stone mused on, pacing back just enough to take his own seat again. ”There’s still much to talk about and catch up on, so…”[break][break]

He rose a brow, tilting his head whilst leaning upon his hand in a leisurely manner.[break][break]

”Ask what your baby brother’s been up to in his absence. Go on~.”

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

tears are foreign to her. [break][break]

at lat, ever since father's death, and ever since alex's death. she's cried enough in the past few years than she ever has as a child, and maybe that speaks volumes about the kind of person she is. as he stands, she lowers her hand from his head (and it brings back a few memories, enough for her to smile at and think fondly on). [break][break]

he's right when he says that's there's still a lot for them to catch up on. so taking another deep (shaky) breath in attempts to compose herself, fully, she wears a small smile and move her hands to pick up the utensils again. "what have you been busying yourself with, then?" she asks, and the waver in her voice from earlier grows thin. [break][break]

"last i've heard of you, you decided to pursue your higher education.. but next i heard, you were starting a company at your young age. do you mind explaining?~"

Leonidas Stone

☉

Seeing and hearing the change within her demeanor—regardless of whether or not the remnants had remained—the younger Stone shrugged softly as the smile he bore broadened faintly and warmly.[break][break]

”Ohhh, you know—” he started off, leisurely, as if he hadn’t been the one to prompt the inquiry, ”—just work, and all~.” Chuckling, he tapped his thumb against the curve of his jaw within an idle manner. ”Ideas blew up overnight. Attention was garnered. …Needless to say, a lot of fast-paced things just led to one thing and another~.”[break][break]

He eyed her for a little while longer before reaching out with his other hand to take the eatery utensil within his fingers again, at long last, before taking the food he’d portioned off beforehand between his lips with a hum.[break][break]

”...What I’ve been up to is just public knowledge, though— a simple search away,” he mused in, quirking a lip to one side in more of a self amused smirk soon after. ”There’s a few more other projects I’ve been trying to make headway on, though~.”

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

ah, he was always ambitious. though at least, that's something that runs throughout the family (though she's still slightly concerned about their youngest, she's sure that she'll be okay). [break][break]

as he explains, she takes another piece of the somewhat cooled food onto a fork, then taking a bite to savour it throughout his words. her hand only raises, slightly, to cover her lips when she speaks "oh?" she asks, with the slight intrigued raise in her tone "i would think that virtual and augmented reality were already very big projects, and break throughs~.." not that she could ever understand how that worked. [break][break]

and finishing her bite, she leans forwards, slightly, and it's only with family can she be more laid back and a little less formal and polite. so she raises her elbow to rest against the countertop, resting her cheek against a closed fist "elaborate, then. what could you be planning past that?"

Leonidas Stone

☉

”Projects and breakthroughs,” he began in response, ”that hadn’t been initially made by me~.” Twirling the fork between his fingers, he tapped the prongs against the air within her general direction, almost as if gesturing towards her with a grin. ”As much as I’d like to take the credit for being the trailblazer for that, I’d just be a fraud if I did~.”[break][break]

He spun the metal between the tips of his fingers once more, that time tapping the bottom end against the table before resting it against the plate for a second time.[break][break]

”Let me ask you, though… Do you think the stuff from all those sci-fi movies and stuff could be possible? Futuristic technologies, mind-controlled devices— that sort of thing~?”

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

she can't say she's kept in touch with technology, past what she's supposed to know, at least. though she dealt with devon and their technology, social media and entertainment were always the least of her worries. "mmn?" she hums, beginning to dig the teeth of a knife against the meal. [break][break]

"at the rate technology is evolving at.. i wouldn't say it's impossible." though highly implausible, until the next coming years. ".. i imagine that mind-control would be possible in the nearer future, what with harnessing the power of pokemon." and the existence of avatars, but that's a whole different can of diglett.

Leonidas Stone

☉

”...And if I told you that my team and I are just a step away from making it a reality~?”[break][break]

Spoken with nothing short of confidence and excitement, of course. The words followed a thoughtful (yet seemingly exaggerated) hum as the expression upon his face remained continuous, and as if attempted to contain it, he further tapped his fingers against the table—softly—as an outlet for his energy before simply taking the fork before him as swiftly as he’d laid it down. Another portion of the food before him carved itself off as he pressed the edge of the utensil down upon it.[break][break]

”Truthfully speaking, it is the technological aspect that’s inhibiting us— at least, we’re ninety percent sure that’s the case, by this point,” he went on, quickly delivering the food between his lips. Another hum escaped his being as he began to chew, though not without loosely covering his mouth behind the tips of his fingers for safety and courtesy, all the same. ”But just…imagine it, Sister. Imagine it— technologies that you could control with a single thought! Devices that could be used for learning, and labor, and so many other things—”[break][break]

The words escaped him too quickly from his own enthusiasm, and with a slightly embarrassed smile of defeat, he inhaled deeply in composure before simply leaning back against his seat once more, a wistful sigh escaping him.[break][break]

”...And yet, it’s out of our grasp at the moment from lack of materials~.” He chuckled softly, narrowing his eyes in thought towards the table before him. ”Pokemon can help with energizing, and some other Pokemon could aid in thinking of new ways around it— but I’m…defeated to admit that it’s the modern materials that’ve proved to be the main obstacle, at the moment~.”

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: slumber party

☉