A rare day off.[break]
All things considered, it was still a bit of a foreign concept to him.[break][break]

Nevertheless, it was something he happened to have, so he intended to make the most of it by doing the least possible, altogether. He’d already answered and discussed through a couple of calls before remembering about his goal to cut bad habits, and as a means of attempting to further distract himself from such things, had eventually decided to put his phone to silent before taking his own Pokemon on a walk.[break][break]

So, alongside them did he, indeed, walk. After a quick stop by a lesser known shop that he’d been delighted to see had still been in business since his childhood, he found himself walking along the paved and cemented paths of a park that had…admittedly been unfamiliar to him, as far as he knew. It seemed like maybe not a recent addition, but still a new one as far as he was concerned.[break][break]

...I wonder what else I’ve missed while I’ve been away…[break][break]

He hummed, taking a bite from the pastry he’d purchased some time earlier, all while hues of hazel shifted from the path before him and towards the three, little creatures scampering and flying about. A soft smile graced his lips instinctively at the sight of them going ahead, but before he could watch them stray too far (he trusted the remaining of the four to watch after them, anywho), he noted another appearance towards the side.[break][break]

Blinking, a broader grin surfaced upon his features as he lifted a hand, waving.[break][break]

”Mari!” he called out, beginning to walk over. ”What’re you doing out here? No work today?”

MARISOL SIMONE [break]
notes

☉

neurology is a field of interest to her.[break][break]

the brain is complex, you see. though psychology was never a focus for someone who invested her time in autonomy and anatomy, having parents who work with pharmaceuticals and (less ethical) experiments open the path a lot more than you'd think they would. take this paper, for example; where she remembers a man who was so, so engrossed in his research to where he would dissect a pokemon (and for the sake of appearances, would guise it under psychological research to examine behaviours). marisol's single eye skims the paragraphs, familiar terminology and wording fly by as the knowledge is gradually following and lagging behind. [break][break]

first it started with the body, then sensations, then the mind, then pain, then consciousness; the trend was so predictable that reading through these papers play back old memories. ah, how hateful. now she takes a look through the cerebellum and cerebrum, two parts of the brain that dr. olson was so focused on in this particular paper. [break][break]

the sounds of leaves rustling in the breeze are blocked out, eventually, and all in her world are the words, the feeling of her screen against her thumb, and the single route between her cup of coffee to her lips. the mundane cycle. an insultingly simple cycle. [break][break]

that's quite easily broken, by the sound of a man suddenly calling her by a shortened nickname. "oh my--" her body suddenly jolts at the sudden call, fingertips flinching enough to nearly knock over her cup. it doesn't spill, thankfully, but good god, her heart probably skipped a beat from the shock. who dares to disturb her quiet ti-- oh. [break][break]

oh, it's him. [break][break]

she gives him a dulled violet stare as he makes his way over, then she attempts to pull herself back together, like she wasn't about to drop her coffee. "arceus, don't surprise me like that.." her eye narrows, finger moving to click her phone to sleep. the woman leans forwards, one leg crossed over the other, with an elbow to her knee "i was let out early, actually." she wears a small smile, tilting her head "and you? aren't you usually holed up in your office doing work at this time?~"

Leonidas Stone

☉

Ever the jumper.[break]
It was something he was surprised to discover at first, but also something he found quick amusement in after the initial discovery, nonetheless.[break][break]

Thus, with an ongoing smile of amusement did he stride over, taking a sip of the coffee he held within his own grasp in the process. ”I wasn’t even that close by,” he chuckled, walking up to the opposing side of the bench. Rather than taking his own seat, he merely swept around towards the back and leaned forward, resting his arms and weight against the top plank of wood. ”I know I talk with my chest and all, but still~...”[break][break]

Another sip before he glanced across the clearing, taking a moment to whistle loudly. His eyes met those of his own Pokemon within a split second, garnering their attention before they began to run over.[break][break]

He turned back towards her as they scampered along. ”And yeah, normally,” he continued on, ”but holing up for too long is a bad habit I’ve been trying to cut down on~.” His eyes shifted briefly and instinctively towards the device within her hands, but only for a moment’s worth of time before he gestured towards the group of little ones and their chaperone as they finally arrived. ”That, and, y’know…not working on one of my days off for once gives them the chance to play around. They deserve that much~.”

MARISOL SIMONE [break]
notes

☉

ah, he's so amused by her jumpiness, and some things never change. [break][break]

disgusting. [break][break]

"your point?" she asks, narrowing her eyes as she takes another swing of her (very sweetened) coffee. one eye visibly narrows from between parted bangs, and a sigh escapes from her lips "old habits die hard." though she loathes to admit it, and it's much to her chagrin. she watches, silently, as he moves behind the bench, then she lets out another soft sigh as she leans her back against the rest. [break][break]

her attention falls onto the little pokemon who so hurriedly follow and, after a moment or two of contemplation, she pulls out three pokeballs to have them join the little ones; a riolu, a cleffa, and a litleo. though they're slightly confused at first arrival, they immediately perk up seeing the other small pokemon following suit of a large garchomp. with a wordless wave of her hand, the little pokemon shoo, and don't miss a beat. [break][break]

"you could have had me fooled." ironic, coming from her. hypocritical, even, despite the fact that she rarely spends her time in her own room - much less so than lecture halls and the pokemon centre, at least. her phone is lowered and the screen faces downwards against the seat as she maintains her gaze on her own pokemon. even with the coffee, however, she still yawns softly. [break][break]

"taking a break is good" a small smile comes to her lips "already leagues better than me.. reading and studying even on my rare break." a rare, unscheduled break.

Leonidas Stone

☉

…He assumed she was reading more reports like usual.[break][break]

Far be it for him to bring it up on what he’d discovered to be both of their days off, however. Both then and in the past, they’d already settled the fact that being overworked had been an unfortunate norm within their lives, so as he found himself there with her by sheer coincidence that day, he felt it was better to let it go.[break][break]

So, after a prolonged, idle gaze, he simply hummed and chuckled before stepping around to take a seat opposing her.[break][break]

”Well, to be fair, it comes with the major, doesn’t it~?” the Stone mused, resting an arm against his respective rest as the remaining extended atop the wood of the bench, itself. ”Like, especially with your specific major. Heard way too many horror stories about friends and sleepless nights for days on end to cram for a super important lab or exam~.”

MARISOL SIMONE [break]
notes

☉

so he knows her struggle. [break][break]

not personally, of course. if he knew personally, there'd be more white hairs grown on his head. it's funny how two overworked people have come to know each other, especially when schedules sometimes wouldn't align, and meetings were coincidental. "don't get me started.." well, she had already started for her nursing degree a few years ago, and all that's left was to finish it that year "i still have practical exams, soon." she sighs. [break][break]

her own litleo's tail starts to aggressively wag, upon seeing the other cub running towards them. sounds of mewling and growling could be heard as she charges and tackles, initiating a little play-fight. "... but only a few more months of school, and practical work, and i'm free." she leans back against the seat, tilting her head slightly to glance at a man "and what about you, mister workaholic? what brings you over to rustboro?"

Leonidas Stone

☉

He gave a single, scoffing laugh in mock offense. ”Mister Workaholic, huh? Man, I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration~...” he chuckled, clicking his tongue softly to further drive his dismay home. Despite that, however, he simply shrugged while lounging back in a more comfortable manner. ”But, I mean…all things considered, this is my home~.”[break][break]

He spared a glance towards the two cubs as they wrestled with one another, quirking a lip in amusement at the note of their sheer vim and vigor.[break][break]

”...Childhood home, I mean,” he added, humming. ”Obviously, I live in Mauville, now, but it’s just…nice to come back here to take in the sights.”

MARISOL SIMONE [break]
notes

☉

it sounded like the pot calling the kettle black, but she holds her tongue with that comment. after all, she's got no right to critique or judge. he speaks of his childhood, fondly, she can hear it in his voice. and hearing that reminds her: there are people who enjoyed their childhoods, or wish to revisit them. from what she can remember, maybe she'd want that, too. [break][break]

"is that so..?" a hand raises to bring the cup of sweetened coffee to her lips, long cooled by now even in this mid-summer heat. "you have a lot of siblings, don't you?" she asks, lowering the cup to rest against her lap "it must have been loud, growing up."[break][break]

lively is the word she wants to use, but the word comes from her lips without her thinking. it seems to be happening more often.

Leonidas Stone

☉

Loud, huh?[break]
…Not quite the word he’d use, but still applicable. Sometimes.[break][break]

”...Yeah. I guess you could say that, in a way~.” Another chuckle escaped his lips as he took a deeper breath, briefly casting amber hues forward to gaze upon the varied paths and greenery settled before them. His fingers tapped against the wood beneath them within an absentminded manner. ”Wasn’t exactly much of a rowdy household from what I remember, though~...”[break][break]

He hummed lowly in thought, eventually glancing towards her again.[break][break]

”...What about you?”

MARISOL SIMONE [break]
notes

☉

"somber" isn't a term she'd use.[break][break]

it's the first that comes to mind, thinking back to old, quieter days that just seemed so normal. with recent events over the fair few years, she's forgotten what a normal life entails. and instead, at his little retelling - and correction - she leans back again into her seat, with the same, ever-changing expression of pensiveness on her face, and in her uncovered eye. [break][break]

though she perks up, blinking a time before turning her gaze to side-eye a man who asks. ".. me?" she asks, though it's for herself "what about me?"

Leonidas Stone

☉

He shrugged, offering her a more broadly quirked tug of the lip as the smile he wore widened to one side. ”Y’know…what about you~?” he repeated, laughing in light of the confusion he seemed to incur from her. ”The family situation and stuff, I mean.”[break][break]

Inhaling the day air in, he held the breath within his lungs while closing his eyes for some time, all before he gave a humming sigh.[break][break]

”Figured I may as well ask, too, since you brought family up, and all~.”

MARISOL SIMONE [break]
notes

☉

a grimace is on her lips, though she bites it back before it can be properly seen. [break][break]

"my family.." she turns her gaze from him, in favour of looking down to the pavement. silence befalls her as her fingers gently tap against the cardboard cup of coffee that she's set in her lap. how does she word this, and how does she tell this story? [break][break]

of course, she'll never tell him a full tale. pain and toil that's weighed on her heart for nearly two decades will never fade, nor will she ever soften far enough to crumble to grovel in emotional mercy (she's done it before, in a setting that was less ideal; it's unfair to them both for her to be following the "once bitten twice shy" approach). her silence isn't deliberating how she'll explain her story - no, it's how she'll plan to lie between her teeth, with a smile on her lips, in hopes that he'll no longer ask. [break][break]

so instead, her gaze lowers. the pensiveness of her formulating and recalling the bits of a fabricated story can be masked as her deliberating how she should tell this lie (she's told it so many times by now, and today's telling would be no different. it's all the same no matter who it's confessed to). [break][break]

it's all the same. [break][break]

then with narrowed eyes, a woman takes in another deep breath of air, and her gaze falls upon her own litleo, who energetically paws, and very lightly bites the tail of the other young cub. "... i didn't know them too well." she finally says, after such a long pause. it's a lie, of course, being told through a smile "i was an orphan, so.. i can't really say i knew them." bitterness can be mistaken for coldness, and her distaste was never something she could hide. [break][break]

call it curiosity as a dulled eye glances towards a man, to analyze and scan his facial features for a reaction. he'll be uncomfortable, won't he? then he'll stop asking, and try to move the conversation on. [break][break]

they always do.

Leonidas Stone

☉

He realized a bit too quickly that acting upon his curiosity may have been a mistake.[break][break]

All in all, the realization, itself, had been something swift, but the expression upon her face (as well as the tone to accompany it) had been all he needed to take note of to know that the topic likely hadn’t been a desired one. Nevertheless, he listened to what she had to offer; to the words she spoke; to the various, subtle changes upon her face as she uttered the few words she did.[break][break]

A soft, thoughtful hum escaped him as he met her gaze with ease.[break][break]

”...I see~...” had been his initial choice of words, a lack of weight accompanied by them despite the brief pensiveness ensnared within them as he thought of ways to move the conversation along. His eyes narrowed with a look of consideration as they lingered upon her further, eventually straying towards the two cubs by them as his own gave a louder yap and mewl, immediately throwing himself at his new friend in an attempt to tackle her over. ”I won’t act like I know everything, but I assume it was hard, at the very least.”[break][break]

He inhaled deeply, rubbing a hand behind his neck with a chuckle as he leaned back into his seat, all while hues of hazel directed themselves towards her.[break][break]

”..Whatever you went through after the fact, I’m glad you got through it— and if you ever wanna talk about it, I’d be willing to lend an ear~.” The smile upon his lips broadened, void of any means of hesitation, as well as other ailments. ”And sorry if it’s a heavy topic, by the way. Didn’t mean to drop the mood.”

MARISOL SIMONE [break]
notes

☉