the reckoning arrives, languid and composed, sliding into the bar beside him with the assured grace of a panther cornering unsuspecting prey. [break][break]

guard lowered after seeing PENELOPE LIVY waltz away from the bar with Gunner Graves , nagi startles at the sound of her return, her voice a sixty-decibel thundercrack by his ear. his phone slips out of his hand. it slides down the slope of his thigh to the makeshift ski ramp of his knee, before he snatches it up again, fumbling surreptitiously for the screen lock before penelope can see the instructional video he has playing on mute, at 0.5 speed.[break][break]

nagi takes another look around the ballroom — long and slow, pretending like he hadn’t just leapt a foot off his seat. the impeccable decor; the sparkling sculptures; the exhibits lining the hall, and the people thronging the dancefloor. pulling all this together in the wake of meteno is a feat more than worthy of pride. the masquerade is both revelry and respite. a symbol: despite everything, hoenn’s still here, for one more day. one more winter. [break][break]

for all that nagi feels like a dry fishbone, beached in a gilded desert — [break][break]

“it’s impressive. this couldn’t have been easy. ” [break][break]

he means it sincerely.[break][break]

“would i get sued if i stepped on some billionaire’s toes, or does the mask provide legal immunity?” [break][break]

this, he also means sincerely.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY [break]


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

Chin jutting upward, head flung back, a short bark of laughter came out.
[break][break]
"Legal immunity is implied when you're working under me. Didn't I mention that?"
[break][break]
Propping one elbow onto the bartop, Penelope nestled her head onto the top of her balled-up fist. Her eyes, lit up by the amusement of his natural charisma, peered down at him. The phone stunt hadn't gone unnoticed. In fact, it only drew out further curiosity from her, as her mind wondered what he could've possibly been watching at the center of an event as regal as this.
[break][break]
Knowing him, it might've been another snarky movie review.
[break][break]
"So, are you going to sit here all night? Or, maybe," her eyebrow arched upward, "are you going to entertain your amazing boss in a dance? Maybe step on a few toes along the way and test out your legal immunity."
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] nagi miwa[break]


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

right. he can do this. he’s prepared all of the past forty-five minutes just for this moment. [break][break]

nagi dismounts from the bar stool and narrowly misses stepping on his own toes. strong start, things can only get better from here — is what he would think, if he were an optimist. he is a miserable husk of a man, though, so what he says instead is: "by engaging in this activity, you hereby release and forever discharge me from any and all claims, liabilities, damages from your participation in this activity."[break][break]

then, right hand tucked behind his tailbone, left hand raised up at his amazing boss, he straightens out of his habitual slouch and dips forward in a small bow. a picture-perfect replication of the instructions he memorised verbatim off pikihow, right down to the rigid two-dimensionality of the traced-over stock photo.[break][break]

“shall we dance?” [break][break]

the tops of his ears — visible, with his hair tucked behind them — are red.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY [break]


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

A trickle of amusement is stifled behind a taut smile and bright, glistening eyes. If all else fails, she could always rely on Nagi to save the day. Mimicking his all-too ridged beginnings, Penelope slipped down from the barstool and dipped into a proper curtsey, bowing her head as she declared, "I accept these terms and conditions."
[break][break]
Then, with one hand fitting into his, the councilwoman allowed herself to be led back onto the emptied dance floor -- the last song had just concluded, granting them the reprieve of space to make their entrance with. As the musicians resettled into their roles to move on to the next set of delicate melodies, Penelope took lead in ensuring their hands and feet all found their proper place, leaving behind no room for error between them.
[break][break]
She was by far no expert in the art of ballroom dance, but in comparison to his forty-five minutes' worth of practice, she held onto two hours' worth of youtube videos from the night before.
[break][break]
"Don't be so worried," she commented, "I'm just as new to this as you are."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] nagi miwa[break]


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

nagi has no qualms with letting penelope take the lead. hand in hand, one foot here, a toe there; he falls into step where he needs to be, moving as she directs. in a way, it’s a dance they’ve already practiced.[break][break]

sweat in his palms. the weight of penelope’s hand on his shoulder is a sharp pinprick and the low buzz of an electric shock all at once. unused to touch, nagi is hyperaware of all the points of contact between them. he tries to dull the onslaught of unfamiliar sensation with rhythm, counting the beats of the waltz as he shuffles in time. [break][break]

penelope’s comment draws a wry smirk from him. threaded between the steady tempo of one, two, threes, his answering words fall with a measured cadence.[break][break]

"with our combined expertise, we'll leave this dance floor with a body count."[break][break]

he keeps his eyes on their feet, stepping lightly out of caution. nearby, someone twirls their partner into a dip. a straight leg ending a glittering, stilettoed heel points up at the chandelier, a sinewy beacon among the sea of bodies.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY [break]


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

'showoffs'
[break][break]
Was the first word that popped into Penelope's head as her wandering eye caught sight of the glamour twirling beside them. In a room full of couples, there was always one duo doing the most for little to no reason. Another reason why she hated events like these.
[break][break]
"So Nagi," she began, looking to ease their attentions back onto the conversation. The less attention they granted, the less these stars shine. "How are you adjusting? The switch from HBS hasn't been too bad, right?"
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] nagi miwa [break]


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