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[break][break]This wouldn't have been the first time her mother's tyrannical ruling would take up days out of Naia's life, but it was the first when it came to something as simple as a blind date. Under such short notice Naia wasn't expecting the whiplash of treatment she had to go, a day's worth of emergency beauty spas, hairdressers, make up artists and even fashion sprees-- if Naia didn't know better she thought she was maybe going to a movie shoot rather than just a date. Even now while she was bring driven to the venue she couldn't help but look herself the make up compact her mother forced into her purse, she felt--looked-- like an entirely different person, almost alien to not see the deep bags under her eyes from the years of stress and fatigue.

[break][break]By the time her ride slowed down at their venue, the knots in her stomach only worsen from here on out she was going alone to this battlefield and she didn't know what her mother would do if she messed this up. Due to her being on edge, Naia was hyperaware of everything, from the lick of Lilycove's sea breeze against her exposed back, the tug and pull of bobby pins desperately holding her updo and the lack of support from her Pokémon. If anything this would be the perfect moment to have Jude tightly in her arms, both to cover her deep cut and act as her stress ball, but she was under strict rules from her mother not to take any of them out.

[break][break]She was barely able to take in anything the hostess said, merely acting entirely on auto as Naia exchanged basic pleasantries and her reservation name. The worse was always walking by the different tables, not knowing which person out of the sea was your blind date and just awkwardly make eye contact with the wrong people. The only escape from that stress being the upturn of the worker's hand, directing her to the right table. Quietly as to not draw too much attention to herself, she'd make her way over to her date.

[break][break]If anything Naia was proud of her ability to keep most of her emotions hidden, at least in her expressions, under a discerning eye they may have noticed that when she was walking over her lips would have the slightest tension, before upturning to a light smile when she got close to her destination. "H-Hello." Embarrassingly so, even though she wanted to sound as confident as possible she couldn't help but stutter when the sound of her own voice startled her a sign that her nerves hadn't remotely calmed down.

[break][break]Now what?

[break][break]Dramas and TV shows never really prepare you what you're supposed to do when you just meet up with a stranger other than shaking hands and acting like businessmen, but that felt wrong here. "I.." she trailed off as to not fill the space with her usual 'um', "..hope you weren't waiting too long." With that she gave him a bit of a deeper smile, closing her eyes in the process as to not see his reaction to what she considered cringe. Still even though she only managed to get a glimpse of him a couple times she couldn't shake a feeling that she had seen him somewhere else before, from how much the idea had been nagging her must have meant that he was famous one way or another. She just only hopped that it doesn't bite her in the ass for not recognizing him, the last thing she wanted to do is hurt anyone's ego.


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It wasn't uncommon for Naia to see so many practiced smiles at this kind of meetings however very quickly this blind date was soon going to be one she'd never forget. The whirlwind of opposing feelings Naia would soon come to experience, from the moment he grabbed Naia's hand her lips pressed into an uneasy smile. She wasn't used to the touch of other people and typically she would be the type to wear gloves wherever she went but since her mother controlled her wardrobe for today, her hands were rather exposed outside of her rings.

[break][break]"Charmed to meet you. REMIEL CALCIFET at your service."

[break][break]Upon hearing his name-- instantly her blood ran cold, "Oh.. uh--" was all she managed to get out from her sheer panic before she witness him drop down to plant a kiss upon the back of her hand. Her mind was in shambles, no traumatic Rocket mission could ever prepare her for the absolute whiplash of emotions she was feeling, leaving her stunned.

[break][break]"And you're quite on time, actually. I just came a little early. Please, sit."

[break][break]Meekly she'd nod, the faint heat that lingered on the back of her hand must have been contagious as she could feel her ears burning along with the back of her neck. Not wanting to keep him waiting, she'd take the seat he pulled out for him offering him a genuine and shy smile, "Thank.. you." Her voice sounded so loud compared to her pounding heart causing her to instantly drop the tone towards the end.

[break][break]It was hard to keep eye contact with him at this point, the nervous energy that was building up inside of her at such a rapid pace she could feel it in the tips of her fingers. She'd place her hands down into her lap, holding that holding them together could dispel the slight tremble they had. Was she just flustered at this point? Was this dread? Fear?

[break][break]She is technically sitting across the very person who has helped her debut in Rocket so successful by leaving, but on the same hand, he was the most suspicious person she could have met. What if this makes it back to them--

[break][break]"So... I'm assuming you're coming into this as 'blind' as I am, is that right? What's your name?"

[break][break]Oh right. This wasn't like a cutscene you can pause. At first all she could manage was a chuckle, if anything this whole thing was ridiculous.

[break][break]"Yes, all.. I was told was that you were a catch." At first she was going to keep it to herself but if anything it may be beneficial for her to not succeed at this date. "Um.. Sorry for the late introduction. Naia Kayode.. though I'm sure you've heard of my mother." At least talking did help calm her down, not that was never a sentence she thought she'd ever say. But now what?

[break][break]She was struggling to come up with what to say next. The only starters she had were either related to him being a prince, or his affiliation with rocket, or his appearances. It was at this moment Naia desperately wished that they would have already had their drinks to fill in this awkward moment. "Ha-Have you been here before?"

[break][break]If this is how the rest of the date will go, she's so fucked.


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Naia waited on bated breath when she said her name, even if she was starting to calm down from chatting, there was always this feeling of uncertainty. This date if anything felt like she was on thin ice, never in her life did she found herself being at odds with following her mother's orders.

[break][break]She did do as her mother asked and played the perfect puppet, making the best out of this date and peruse it to the bitter end? Or did she do what she knew what was right for Rocket and try to make this date fail? The very fact that her mother was even in cahoots with the queen to make this happen could be suspicion under securitizing lens. It wouldn't be too far of a stretch for them to twist Naia officially joining as some double agent scheme.

[break][break]"Oh? I haven't, actually. Though not through lack of trying, I can tell you that much."

[break][break]But perhaps she was getting a head of herself, paranoia always took over whenever she tried to think for herself. Plus it was starting to feel like maybe Naia was the only one getting stressed out about this, the very thought caused her to chuckle in defeat.

[break][break]"It seems our mothers can do the impossible when they put their minds to it, however, can't they? Tell me: do you even like seafood, Naia? I'm not particularly fond of it."

[break][break]A wearily smile forced on her face the moment her mother was mentioned, Naia averting her gaze to look off to the beach, "They really can.."

[break][break]She paused for a moment when he asked her what she thought about seafood. In all honesty she didn't really have an opinion on most food, she only liked sweets so much because of the sugar in them. She liked the fake energy they brought rather than anything significant, but in this moment she didn't know if she should be so honest. They were after all at Oceanus Stella, the place where you'd assume their main dishes would be seafood.

[break][break]"I.. uh.." She raised a hand to rest it behind her neck, before giving in with a light sigh followed by a gentle chuckle, "I don't actually care for it much either-- I mean, I don't have strong feelings either way.. Oh, except for crab legs. Why did they make them so hard to eat?"

[break][break]Finishing off with a sheepish smile, Naia realized that towards the end she spoke without much of a filter and with a small sense of shame she could feel her ears heating up again.


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"You're quite right. I don't even bother with Krabby legs these days, frankly."

[break][break]Everything to Naia was like walking on thin ice, growing up everything she did or say always made it back to her mother's ears and thus made it extremely difficult for her to express herself honestly. It was why when Remiel replied back with a light chuckle, Naia's features would relax considerably like a bomb expert managing to cut the right wire.

[break][break]"Say..."

[break][break]Once he spoke up again, Naia peeked at Remiel internally vowing to give him more attention, but when he continued..

[break][break]"...this might sound a bit unconventional, given the fact that this is Oceanus Stella... but how about we go someplace else?"

[break][break]Now while Naia had been on many blind dates, she never actually had any true dating experiences, as such she didn't really know if just leaving and changing locations was even consider normal. Every single one of them had been transactional and so the venue itself wasn't of anyone's concern. This was new territory and like a Sharpedo in freshwater Naia couldn't help herself becoming increasingly nervous.

[break][break]"U-umm.. I don't.."

[break][break]Just as the word 'care' was going to leave her mouth, she could feel the figurative collar from her mother getting tighter, and in a seek for comfort she'd desperately grasp onto the skirt of her dress. Her mother must have went to great efforts in making this work at this specific location, even going as far as working with his own mother to make it happen. If Naia just spit on their efforts, she couldn't imagine the backlash she'd get from Shuna.

[break][break]Now how did she twist this in a way to stop that from happening?

[break][break]"...want.. to uh- p-put our mothers' efforts.. to waste. Plus!"

[break][break]Naia was scared to mess this up, years of punishments and conditioning caused her to even forget about her issues this will bring with Rocket. Right now there was only one person she needed to appease and when Naia raised her voice slightly, she'd get noticeably shaken up. Her glaze lowering down further, even seeking comfort in herself as she'd turtle up and speak far softer than before.

[break][break]"I.. never cared about what I eat..."


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It was impossible for Naia to comfort herself in these sort of situations, anxiety only built upon itself and with every thought born from the previous one they stacked upon each other. This along side her hyper awareness of her surroundings is what caused her to notice him looking around almost as he was searching for something. It was his smile that would throw her off at first, and before another toxic thought would bubble up--

[break][break]"Our mothers? I don't see them here. And, after all, isn't the point of a date to enjoy ourselves as we see fit?"

[break][break]He wasn't wrong. Still even ask she'd scan the area herself, she couldn't shake the feeling, the feeling of a constant eye watching her back for every little mistake. Whist anxiety was the far most prominent feeling thus far, there was this strange painful sensation in her chest from his words.

[break][break]"Well, I could really go for a nice hot dog right about now..."

[break][break]The moment he emphasized himself, did Naia's head shoot up. Part of her really thought they should stay and suck up the experience for their mother's efforts, however she distinctly remembered needing to give him an enjoyable experience. The plot hole in her mother's plan was starting to unfold before her and she couldn't help but be flustered by it all.

[break][break]"I-I mean.. if.."

[break][break]"And I'm certain our mothers wouldn't want the date to end here, would they?"

[break][break]"Not at all..!"

[break][break]She forgot to breath as her heart dropped. Was he giving her an ultimatum? She knew she was never good at dealing with people however things like this was common where she grew up. Yet in the most twisted kind of fashion it did bring her come sort of comfort, it's far easier to deal with people if you are familiar with some of their tactics.

[break][break]"So shall we?"

[break][break]Naia hesitated, her eyes locked onto his extended hand. Unless it was someone she really trusted she didn't like to physically touch people without some form of barrier, it's why she always wore gloves, however today wasn't one of those days by her mother's design. Nervously her hands would come together, a quick brush of her thumb against the back of one of her hands.

[break][break]Naia made sure to gathered her nerves to pull herself out from her seat, brushing her palm against her dress to clean it off or dry it off before she'd reach out for his hand and give it a firm shake. If anything this made more sense to Naia seeing how technically she made a deal.

[break][break]"Y-You don't think we'll get weird looks?"


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