even with his fancy new job at silph co, james finds himself slipping back into the same old routine, perhaps finding comfort even in something as physically taxing as food delivery. food delivery at one in the morning as well after working a full day in the lab.[break][break]

working over the holidays isn't that strange, right?[break][break]

in any case, he's glad to be running the same route and coincidentally the same order to one of the usuals. it doesn't take long before he's knocking on their door.[break][break]

"hey, grubbinhub here! i got your gyoza!"

[attr="class","ooc"]emerson whitlock[break]

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

His dedenne reaches the door before he does, a chubby little goblin gluing himself to the crack like he gets first pick. “Dumpling, those aren’t for you!” he huffs as he follows, scooping the wannabe recipient up and bundling him into his arms before undoing the lock and opening up.[break][break]

The scent of gyoza wafting from the warm bag gets Dumpling wiggling again, sparks of excited, static energy crackling from the pads on his cheeks.[break][break]

“Er, sorry, don’t mind him,” Emerson blurts, face reddening on sight when it is, in fact, the usual delivery guy. “He thinks this is for him.”[break][break]

His head tilts up to look at the other, taller than himself. Though that’s not a difficult feat to accomplish. “How are you? Is it very cold out?” His eyes flit away, immediately internally chastising himself. What is this? Twenty questions?? Stop that, you’re sooo bad at small talk, plus this guy probably just wants to give you the food and leave. He’s never gonna want to deliver here if you talk his ear off.[break][break]

Before he takes the bag, the redhead fishes in his pocket for the crumpled bills he set aside for this, the tip much bigger than the standard amount. “Oh yeah, here.” He held it out to swap.[break][break]
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] JAMES BAKER  | m: trapinch who stole christmas [break]


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

"it's not for him?"[break][break]

james doesn't mind the small talk, really! in fact, he practically invites it with how much he engages, and this time's no different.[break][break]

"i'm good! just out running orders, nothing new. helps clear my head, you know? and yeah, it's freezing out here."[break][break]

accepting the money, he hands the bag of food over before peering down at the crumpled bills. even without needing to unfold them to count, he knows it's more than the usual amount.[break][break]

"are you celebrating something? can't help but notice the tip along with, like, double your usual order."

[attr="class","ooc"]emerson whitlock[break]

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

“Well no, it’s for me! Plus I don’t know if gyoza would be very good for a dedenne..” In a huff, Dumpling wiggles loose and stared up at James with big, pleading eyes from the floor. Little devil.[break][break]

Some of his anxieties wane when the delivery guy avidly replies to his questions. Em doesn’t really know how he manages to forget every time that this particular guy is always friendly. Enthusiastic.[break][break]

It’s probably because he’s too busy being flustered by that outgoingness being directed at him.[break][break]

“Are there that many at this time of night?” he asks with a tilt of his head. The affirmation that is, in fact, cold draws a small frown. “D-“ Emerson is quick to shut his mouth of the offer of an invitation inside. Just to warm up.[break][break]

That’s probably weird as shit, right?[break][break]

The bag settles in his outstretched palms, and rather than his typical, nervous smile, Emerson perks into a wider, brighter grin. “It’s the holidays! I just scored on a big job, and it feels nice to pay that forward a little, you’re the nicest deliveryperson grubbinhub has on this route. And…also I just wanted to order extra.”[break][break]

Talking too much again.[break][break]

He thinks about offering one or two to the other, but before he can do so, a blur cuts between them, rushing through.[break][break]

And when he blinks, both blur and bag are gone. Wide eyed, his confused stare drops from James to his empty hands. “My gyoza…”
[break][break]
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] JAMES BAKER  | m: trapinch who stole christmas [break]


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

"a big job! hell yeah, big congrats to you!"[break][break]

this isn't like when someone says something nice just for the sake of it. james genuinely means it and it shows in the way his face lights up in a smile.[break][break]

a smile that quickly thins when a blur rushes past them.[break][break]

"your gyoza..."[break][break]

he looks around, then behind him.[break][break]

"...where did it go?"

[attr="class","ooc"]emerson whitlock[break]

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

“Thanks! It was a pretty big project,” he nodded rapidly, a shy smile twisting at the corner of his mouth. Because it was like he could sense that earnest friendliness from the other, rather than any sort of perfunctory kindness.[break][break]

And it had been a big project, but also…not exactly a legal one. Not that his delivery guy needed to know that.[break][break]

Not that it matters, either, when his hands are cruelly stripped of his late night dinner. Emerson constitutes to stare down at them until James echoes his words.[break][break]

And when he frantically looks up again, it’s with all the large, sad puppy eyes someone could offer. “I…I don’t know!”[break][break]

His stomach rumbles in lament, adding insult to injury.[break][break]

In his desperation, he steps a little closer to the other—just enough to peek his head around the doorframe and look down the hall. “you didn’t see where…whatever it was, went?”

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] JAMES BAKER  | m: trapinch who stole christmas [break]


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

"i did not!"[break][break]

but not to worry. james is known for his quick thinking.[break][break]

he points down the hall.[break][break]

"it must've gone outside! come on, we can still catch it!"[break][break]

he takes off after it, fully expecting emerson to follow.

[attr="class","ooc"]emerson whitlock[break]

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

The negative answer only prompts Em to look at the other that much more pitifully. Followed by a weak, despondent “Noooo…”[break][break]

What’s he gonna do now? Em’s plan to eat his fill (and then some,) before slipping into what will be an all-day sleep-a-thon comes crumbling down around him. He’ll have to cook! He doesn’t feel like cooking![break][break]

That’s why he ordered out. And he’s not going to make the poor delivery guy get another order for him. Which means that after Em cooks, he’ll have to clean, because his kitchen is the singular space in his apartment that he can’t stand to be messy.[break][break]

He blinks when James breaks through his worry spiral, “Huh?” but then he just takes off! “H-hey, wait!” Emerson releases his grafaiai to come along, and by the time he’s hastily pulls on some slippers and closes his door, he figures the other will be long gone.[break][break]

His stamina is a bit shite, after all.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] JAMES BAKER  | m: trapinch who stole christmas [break]


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

it does not take james very long until he exits the building. he looks around at the empty streets of slateport's lower district, wondering where the heck the gyoza thief could've run off to in that short span of time.[break][break]

"oh!"[break][break]

he calls out his shiny elgyem, then points all around him.[break][break]

"blueberry jelly bean i need you to find a thief! it has gyoza on it."[break][break]

with a nod (really of its entire body), the elgyem floats up, then starts its search with TELEPATHY before eventually TELEPORTING away.

[attr="class","ooc"]emerson whitlock[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-elgyem color-shiny"]

By the time Emerson catches up with James, he might be just a little out of breath.[break][break]

Hands on his needs as he tries to draw air into his lungs, rusty copper eyes peer up at the other, cheeks red from both the cool and the running. "You're really fast." He might not actually be, for all he knows, but compared to Em he's like a zippy jolteon or something.[break][break]

Once he stands, he watches the elgyem that's summoned with blatant curiosity. "Hey! I name a lot of my pokemon after foods, too." Not the topic he means to bring up, and maybe that's weird since they're on a mission to find his missing gyoza, but it's kinda funny. Especially since the name is blue jelly bean.[break][break]

Of course, his grafaiai is one of the handful not snack-themed. Warhol, nimble as ever, climbs up his pants leg and up Em's side until he can drape on the redhead's shoulder. Waiting for something to do.[break][break]

Em is wondering the same. "So, ummmmm...what do we do now?" He shivers a bit, having not bothered to put a jacket on over his hoodie in his rush to follow the other.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] JAMES BAKER  | m: trapinch who stole christmas [break]

"heh, thanks! it's from all the years of running around delivering food."[break][break]

he rubs the back of his neck briefly as he accepts the compliment, though before he can give one in return, his attention shifts to the paldean pokemon.[break][break]

"oh woah that's sick! i've never seen a grafaiai before. what food name is it?"[break][break]

a look around them shows him that his elgyem has yet to return.[break][break]

"jelly bean should be back any second now..."

[attr="class","ooc"]emerson whitlock[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-elgyem color-shiny"]

Granted, it’s not difficult to outpace Emerson. Even so, he’s relieved that the other doesn’t call that fact out and simply accepts the compliment. “Makes sense. I didn’t think I’d catch up.”[break][break]

Too many dumplings, it would seem, even if he’s still skinny as a rail.[break][break]

“Huh? You haven’t?” Sometimes, he forgets that he’s not at home anymore and that the phenomena is literally brand new to Hoenn. But he’s had this grafaiai for ages.[break][break]

His face reddens again, worsened from the cold. “Oh. Right. I’m Paldean, sooo…yeahh.” Em shuffles awkwardly, then reaches up to scratch the grafaiai’s ear. “This is actually one of the, like, three that doesn’t have a food name. This is Warhol.”[break][break]

Warhol waggles his weird, spindly fingers in some sort of greeting.[break][break]

Absently, Emerson folds his arms around himself to ward off the cold. “It won’t get lost, will it?” He doesn’t know how most psychic Pokémon work, honestly.


[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] JAMES BAKER  | m: trapinch who stole christmas [break]

"oh sick! hello, warhol. i'm james."[break][break]

though he introduces himself to grafaiai, it never occurs to him how he has never formally introduced himself to emerson. he's sure his name is known as it shows up on the grubbinhub app, but still feels a bit rude not to.[break][break]

oh well.[break][break]

"can you imagine? we'd have to run around finding your dumplings and my jelly bean."[break][break]

his laugh is cut short when his elgyem TELEPORTS back.[break][break]

"jelly bean! welcome back. how was it?"[break][break]

with a dejected look (as though capable of one), his elgyem brings around the box of dumplings from earlier, except now it's empty.[break][break]

"oh no..."

[attr="class","ooc"]emerson whitlock[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-elgyem color-shiny"]