”Yeah,” he sighed, a smirk finally returning to his expression. ”I know.”[break][break]

It broadened before long, though he stifled a snicker that threatened to escape in light of its expressive predecessor. With a deep breath, he stretched his legs out across the sand, crossing one over the other while propping an arm against the log; his cheek, against his knuckles.[break][break]

”I’m sure a way’ll come along eventually~.”

ARIADNE MAUCH [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

"it'd better." [break][break]

she can crack a smile, somehow. it's a little bittersweet when she does. "then i could finally see your bitchass face in all of its proper glory~" the jab is made with a smirk on her lips as her arms lower from her eyes. [break][break]

"speaking of your bitchass face~.." it's about time they stopped talking about her "you said you're from sinnoh, yeah? what area?" she's never been there, and even if she did she probably wouldn't know.

Inigo del Rosario

☉

”Yeah?” he hummed, grinning. ”Make sure you’re ready, then. You’ll fall for my dashin’ good looks real quick~.”[break][break]

A backhanded compliment in all of its glory, but thankfully, it was a language that he was all too fluent in. With a smirking purse of the lips, he glanced towards her for all of a moment, sending her an unseen glare from the corner of his eye.[break][break]

He gave her jab a lighter, physical one in response, gently shoving her shoulder a bit before sighing deeply and resting back.[break][break]

”Me, though? Born and raised in Veilstone.”[break][break]

The smile upon his lips shrunk faintly, only to inherit a display of wistful remembrance and fondness whilst casting an idle, narrowed eyes towards the dimly lit horizon.[break][break]

”Casino life. Department stores. That kinda stuff,” he went on, tapping his finger against the wood. ”Save for my older brother, the entire family’s still there. We were the only ones that came out here for business and stuff.”

ARIADNE MAUCH [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

her bets are on no. [break][break]

since the scope of a psychic pokemon is limited, she'll never be able to see his entire face with his body, though she can make some assumptions about his physique based on what she has seen, and what she has felt from the previous times they've worked together. he's someone she'd spend a night with, but doesn't lest it boost his ego more. her pettiness outranks her thirst. [break][break]

so she chuckles in response to the light jab, humming at his words. "ohh, veilstone?" that'd explain why the man is so luxurious, and extra. he lived in the same city the department store was in. it also explains why he's so accustomed to casino work, what with the "game centre" (she puts it in heavy quotation marks, because isn't it just gambling for children?) and other surrounding casinos. [break][break]

"are you all close?" she turns around in the sand, elbows propped against the ground as she rests her chin against the palm of her hand. "i'll assume so, since you guys have alolan in you~" unless he's one of the exceptions, like she is.

Inigo del Rosario

☉

He nodded, all while an instinctive grin shone upon his lips.[break][break]

”I mean…yeah, but I think that’s a bit of an understatement…” he chuckled, shrugging. With a deep breath, he tapped his fingers against his lap within an idle manner, releasing the aforementioned breath within a slow, leisurely manner. ”Like…we’re super close knit. Like, super close knit.”[break][break]

Though faded faintly by the tail end of the words he’d spoken, a seemingly uncharacteristic touch of softness graced his lips in thought.[break][break]

”...Honestly speakin’, I couldn’t ask for a better family,” he added, quieter than before. ”I miss ‘em a lot.”

ARIADNE MAUCH [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

oh? [break][break]

softness in his demeanour? do her ears deceive her? maybe it does, but there's something endearing about the way he talks about his family. maybe it's because she was able to do that, once upon a time (with a group that wasn't blood related, and the group that gave her the odd coloured eyes). "aw," she starts, a smile to her lips as she hums "that's cute~"[break][break]

genuinely. for once, there's no ounce of sarcasm, or coyness in her voice when she coos. [break][break]

she tilts her head against her hand, smiling more with both eyes open, though with locks of white falling over her face "you should visit them sometime, then~" she chimes, treasure them while they're still around. "visit with your brother, and all. i'm sure the family would appreciate it" she pauses, then grins "i'll even take a couple more jobs in your place so you could get a sound vacation~" [break][break]

how generous of her.

Inigo del Rosario

☉

And just like that, the distasteful front returned in the form of a long, exasperated groan, regardless of the lack of sarcasm.[break][break]

”Yeah, dude, it’s fuckin’ adorable,” he said, clicking his tongue several times as if chiding. What followed after had been nothing more than a louder, exaggerated raspberry as he blew against his lips, immediately letting himself fall limply against the log behind him with arms stretched across the top. ”Runs in the family. Real fuckin’ adorable— and it’s why I’m cute as fuck, brah.”[break][break]

As egotistical as it was, he meant every word he spoke, of course.[break][break]

And yet in the midst of his ego, there was yet another bout of calmness that struck his demeanor, however fainter compared to the first it may have been. Silence hadn’t claimed him, however a hum bridged the gap between words as he gathered his next thoughts in response to her later words.[break][break]

”...Yeah, it’s appreciated and all,” he sighed, ”but it ain’t really the bigger thing to worry about right now.”[break][break]

He gazed idly above him; gazed towards the unseen walls separating them from the skies.[break]
…Gazed towards the unseen walls separating him from home.[break][break]

”...The bigger thing is that, y’know…we ain’t even sure if seein’ ‘em again is a possibility, anymore.”[break][break]

Fuckin’ Hoenn and its jank ass, invisible-fuckin’-wall environment..[break]
He should’ve just stayed in Sinnoh.

ARIADNE MAUCH [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

ah, that's right.[break][break]

how could she forget? the invisible barrier is something that she and many others will share. still, she'd like to be optimistic; if not for herself, then for the man who's so casually leaning against the log not too far away from where she lays. "mhm.. yeah, the invisible barrier would probably cause a lil bit of a problem." she's humming so casually, with a lax smile on her lips. does it affect her? no, it doesn't, not when she has anything outside of hoenn waiting for her. not anymore. [break][break]

"i'm sure you'll be able to see them again. in person." truthfully, genuinely. online communication just isn't the same as seeing family face to face, she knows. there comes a point where you'd like to be able to stand in front of the person you're visiting, and just be in arm's length. [break][break]

it makes it feel real. [break][break]

".. i mean, you have something waiting for you outside of hoenn, if we get past the meteorite hurling towards us." there's a plan in place for it by the league, but she doesn't know just how much of it she should trust. "a lot of people do, so someone will figure something out." it's just that someone won't be her, because she has nothing to lose.

Inigo del Rosario

☉

Damn. It was always really weird when she was the more optimistic one.[break]
Genuinely, at least. Positivity was always different when they were both native speakers of sarcasm.[break][break]

”Yeah. That means putin’ faith in the League, though,” he murmured, clicking his tongue. ”And like…I dunno if you’ve noticed, but that kinda goes against the whole thing we do, y’know.”

ARIADNE MAUCH [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

"ah, right, league and all." and they're in rocket, so that'll probably cause a problem, too. [break][break]

at least, she imagines that what they have planned won't have rocket interfering - granted she hasn't heard anything about rocket moving since the barrier was erected over the region, or about rocket moving about since the announcement of the meteorite. it's possible that she was starting to become deaf too, though. [break][break]

"but y'know, if we're all gonna die to the hands of a meteor," she begins, a smile to her lips as she slowly presses her arms against the cloth separating her from the sand "i'm probably not gonna be all too picky~" granted, she's not known for placing all her loyalty in one place. [break][break]

and with another sigh, she wears a grin and throws her head back, slightly, hanging it a bit as locks of platinum fall over. "or we could grab that explosion beast from slateport to blow up the barrier." she snickers, still wearing her mischievous grin "think brody would be all in for it?"

Inigo del Rosario

☉

”...Dude, Brody would be too in for it,” he groaned, clicking his tongue. ”Fuckin’— Fuck the meteor. If she just decided to go apeshit one day for no reason, we’d all be dead.”[break][break]

Spoken with a smirk upon his face, of course, but obviously speaking, there had been some degree of concern amidst the amusement. Nevertheless, the words were followed by a sigh; the sigh, by an idle, grumble-like hum as he mulled the hypotheticals over. He rested a hand against a knee, tapping his fingers against it.[break][break]

”...Real talk, though, I kinda do hope the League can pull it off if they’re the ones that got the solution,” he murmured. ”If we end up whippin’ up a better answer, then I’ll ride or die like usual, but like…just so long as the people here are safe in the end.”[break][break]

He did have family in the region, after all.

ARIADNE MAUCH [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

"hah, i can picture it now." [break][break]

there's a joke in there, crude and dark, but there, as she raises her hands to make a small square around an eye. he's smirking with concerned amusement, as she wears a small grin as her gaze stays fixated on a sky whose stars don't reach her. it'd be a tragedy if the region and all its inhabitants perished with the meteor, really. all those lives lost, so many unfulfilled futures, so many lives and so many families. ariadne takes no joy knowing the consequences.[break][break]

was saving hoenn worth it? [break][break]

not to someone who can't see the world, and has detached herself from people she's once called a family. they're not in hoenn, she knows, and wouldn't care if they were anyways. but when she's given time to think, and let the air flow and heave through her lungs, she can't help it. [break][break]

yet another bout of uncharacteristic silence befalls her, as she lowers her hands and she idly stares into nothingness. a fleeting "i wonder if my folks are worried." passes, and it's followed by a laugh. them, worried? hilarious.

Inigo del Rosario

☉

Fucked humor as always.[break]
As much as he dug it, he couldn’t help but wonder if it affected her more than she let off, sometimes.[break][break]

Regardless, though, his mind drifted away from the notion as his eyes did similarly so— that time from the fellow Rocket by him in favor of dwindling upon the horizon again. A soft sigh left his lips as hues of viridian lingered upon the moonlit ripples in the distance.[break][break]

”Maybe it’s somethin’ to look into if we survive,” he murmured, shrugging. ”I’m sure it’d be nice to see ‘em again. Rocket business doesn’t leave much free time sometimes, after all”

ARIADNE MAUCH [break]
mission: slumber party

☉