Dating apps were a perfectly reasonable solution for an upcoming lonely Palentine's Day. This was what Marianne told herself, and consequently what Neffatari Nzingha insisted over and over when Marianne tried to anxiety-spiral herself out of going on a date with a complete stranger.[break][break]

What was the worst thing that could happen if she went to Meowth's Mischief on ninth? Maybe he'd be rude! Maybe he'd be terrible![break][break]

(Or maybe he'd be wonderful and she'd be oh-so-terribly disappointing. Like usual.)[break][break]

None of that defeatist talk! Chin up, Marianne! she willed herself, balling her hands into little determined fists at her sides as she inhaled deeply outside the bar, preparing herself to go in. A large exhale left her as she released all the tension in her shoulders, the door swinging open as she attempted to walk in with what she hoped was a casual air.[break][break]

"Hi there," she said to the man at the counter, beaming. "Are you Klaus, perhaps?"[break][break]

He wasn't. But in her defense, this man had the right hair color.

TAGS – klaus anchoret[break]
NOTES – Sleepless in Slateport (Repeat)!

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Klaus looks up at the sound of his name and spies some tiny thing at the bar chatting up a total stranger. He flushes, suddenly unsure of himself - hadn't his picture been on his profile? - before clearing his throat and pushing himself from his seat.
[break][break]
The man Marianne greeted already looked interested in his supposed date.
[break][break]
"Uh -" Klaus utters awkwardly as he comes up behind Marianne. Lifting a hand to scratch at the back of his neck, he adds, "Sorry - sorry are you Marianne? I'm Klaus."
[break][break]
Much to the stranger's displeasure at the interruption, Klaus visibly withers beneath the man's gaze; self conscious of his vibrantly pink-painted nails, he shoves this hands in his hoodie as his face flushes beet-red.

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"Oh!" She flushed red with realization, fumbling to find a way to correct this horrible first impression. "You must be Klaus, then."[break][break]

The pink-haired girl sheepishly waved farewell to her would-be date, turning her attention to an equally uncertain man across from her.[break][break]

Was he angry with her? He probably was. Oh, Arceus, why was she always like this? Every step forward led to five steps back. Stupid, stupid, stupid Marianne.[break][break]

Fingers fiddled with the hem of her sweater as she leaned against the counter, toying with an unraveling thread as she searched for a way to salvage things.[break][break]

"That was embarrassing," she finally blurted out, struggling to find a better thing to say and failing.

TAGS – klaus anchoret[break]
NOTES – Sleepless in Slateport (Repeat)!

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Wouldn't it be his luck if Marianne went home with this man instead. His face a touch red, Klaus gives a little shrug and blurts out a quiet "Yeah," in reply.
[break][break]
"Do you want, like, to get a drink and sit down or something," he hazards, only to shoot his rival a deep glare when the man suggests Marianne can stay with him instead. "Man, fuck off," Klaus snaps - no longer interested in making a good impression at this point.
[break][break]
To the deeply amused bartender, Klaus orders a beer and tacks on a "And whatever the fuck she wants," before taking his drink and going to sit down. Marianne could either join him or not.
[break][break]
He was getting drunk tonight with or without her.

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The other man's attention was quickly and soundly ignored as she turned her back to him, eager to prove she wasn't as oblivious as this meeting had already painted her to be.[break][break]

"No, no, I want to get to know you!" she insisted, a bit too eagerly, as she attempted a winsome smile. "Uh, I'll have what he's having!" she said gamely, having not noticed what it was he'd ordered in the first place. It was hard to pay attention when anxiety was pounding this loudly in your ears.[break][break]

Her legs swung restlessly across the barstool, revealing the silent panic going on in her mind, as she attempted to make up for this disastrous beginning.[break][break]

"So!" she said too cheerfully, beaming at him. "I saw you're a lightkeeper? That's really cool!"[break][break]

Was this the worst pick-up line in existence? Yeah. Probably.

TAGS – klaus anchoret[break]
NOTES – Sleepless in Slateport (Repeat)!

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Well, Klaus could at least appreciate another beer drinker, even if she was as fidgety as he was. Their drinks are delivered to them quickly and as Klaus wraps his hands around the chilled mug his brow furrows minutely.

[break][break]
She knew his profession.

[break][break]
What the fuck was hers?

[break][break]
Scanning his memory, he comes up wholly blank as to what was on her profile. He was just hoping for a quick lay before embarrassing himself in front of Beau. Why was she trying to get to know him?

[break][break]
"I - yeah I guess. It's been busy lately with all the shit weather." Looking over Marianne once more, and coming to the conclusion swiftly they're not fucking and he's out of luck wholly, he says after an awkward pause, "I don't remember what you do. What was it?"

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A 'quick lay' was the last thing on Marianne's mind.[break][break]

Look, to be blunt, Marianne was a diehard romantic. She swooned at her little novels in her bedroom, delighted to see the fictional characters she adored get together. Real life was so much trickier, what with its impersonal apps and unscripted dialogue.[break][break]

You couldn't summon the fluttering feeling of Butterfrees in your heart on command. Unfortunately.[break][break]

She received her chilled beer, and examining it, decided to drink it the same way he did. Beer wasn't her usual choice, and when it was, she picked something light.[break][break]

This was not light. Ugh.[break][break]

Her face betrayed her dislike but she did her best to mask it seconds after the fact. Marianne, of course, was a terrible actress and failed at this.[break][break]

"Oh gosh, yeah, the weather has been wild, hasn't it?" she agreed, bobbing her head up and down in agreement. "Something about uh, something at the Vital City Tournament... There was thunder, and lightning..."[break][break]

She gestured, unable to remember the name Thunderus, and drawing a complete blank when she tried.[break][break]

To hear he didn't even remember the basic details on her profile was even more depressing, though.[break][break]

"Um, I work at a museum. It's okay, it's not super exciting."[break][break]

She fidgeted, too, desperately hoping to crawl under a rock.[break][break]

"Oh! The Crown Prince of Galar is helping with an exhibit, though! So that's exciting."[break][break]

Maybe that would make her work sound more interesting? Was it cool to mention you'd collaborated with Remiel Calcifet? Or was that, like, humblebragging?

TAGS – klaus anchoret[break]
NOTES – Sleepless in Slateport (Repeat)!

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"Yes," Klaus says a touch blankly as he watches Marianne's expression. She clearly didn't like beer. Why was she drinking it?
[break][break]
His expression blanks further and he then scoffs at the mention of royalty. Flippantly, Klaus replies, "Hoenn is a democracy, who cares what those inbred fucks are doing." He pauses as his words catch up with him, and he carefully adds for Marianne's benefit, "I'm sure he's like. Nice or whatever. Yeah. And the exbibit's great."
[break][break]
Klaus pinches at his eyes for a moment and draws a deep breath before he says more than asks, "We're not fucking tonight, are we?"

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"I-inbred?!" Marianne squeaked, horrified. What a thing to say about Remiel Calcifet, an actual person and human being! It was one thing to disagree with the monarchy, and quite another to call them such awful and horrible names! "That's not very kind. I'll have you know the Crown Prince has been quite the philanthropist to the museum, and..."[break][break]

Oh, Arceus, he was still going. Marianne's eyes went wide as saucers as the man she'd decided looked 'sweet' in his Amigo profile turned out to be just another 'Swipe Right' horndog in disguise.[break][break]

"How dare you," she breathed out, and this time her horrified tone turned to something indignant and furious. She stood up from the stool, glaring at him like a disapproving schoolmarm, and said, "Did you even read my profile at all? Or was I the only one who did homework before this date?"[break][break]

True, she'd been a bit confused at who she was supposed to meet with at the counter, but... She'd remembered his name! And his occupation! And even tried his drink to see if she liked it! All these things were very hard for Marianne, as was coming to a date like this in the first place. She'd only been brave enough because Neffatari Nzingha had encouraged her to 'put herself out there.'[break][break]

She'd said specifically, Looking to get to know someone! Taking it slow. Was he illiterate or something?[break][break]

"You should be ashamed of yourself, leading on women like this," Marianne chastised him with a disapproving click of her tongue. "And being so rude the whole evening! Didn't anyone teach you manners?"[break][break]

A hand raised as if to toss the nasty beer in his face, but she couldn't seem to finish the motion. Her arm was basically paralyzed mid-throw, her eyes sliding over to the concerned look of the bartender, and knowing guilt that punishing klaus anchoret would just wind up punishing the otherwise very nice staff stopped her from enacting her liquid-based justice.[break][break]

Instead she placed the bottle on the counter and began angrily typing on her phone.[break][break]

"A Corviknight taxi will pick me up soon. As far as I'm concerned, this date is over."

TAGS – klaus anchoret[break]
NOTES – Sleepless in Slateport (Repeat)!

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Klaus arches his eyebrow as Marianne flusters and begins to defend the Galarian monarchy. He continues to look unimpressed as she assures him of the man in question's philanthropic work and bites out a clipped, "Sure," in response.
[break][break]
What follows, however, is not what he expected. What he expected was a pointed no - and then he'd buy the girl her drinks and leave because his skin already felt too tight on his frame. Instead what he comes face to face with is a ranting Marianne and a beer almost thrown in his face.
[break][break]
"Listen," he begins, his voice constricted with confusion. He stops abruptly as he starts, his finger lifting to tell Marianne to wait while he pulls out his phone - hopefully she decides not to follow throw on that beer throwing.
[break][break]
His thumbs tap over his phone's screen, and a few minutes later he lets out a strangled laugh as he realises his mistake. "Wrong status," he manages. "I set the wrong status. That's - that's on me. I'm an asshole."
[break][break]
He looks pale and miserable as Marianne makes to leave, his slender frame slumping back into his seat as he looks up at the ceiling. "I'm -meeting a - guy - later," Klaus offers awkwardly, his throat skewed up tight. "We're like. Friends, I guess. I don't know what we are. It's whatever. I was -" his voice falters and he merely goes silent as he peels himself back into a seated position and he gives up on explaining himself.
[break][break]
"I'll pay for your taxi. Sorry about... all of this."

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Marianne had decided that nothing in the world could change her mind about klaus anchoret. He was a rude, self-absorbed, sulky little man, and she would be more than glad to be rid of him.[break][break]

So she told herself, at least, until he sheepishly laughed with abject mortification.[break][break]

Marianne blinked once, then twice. Had this all just been a misunderstanding?[break][break]

"Well," she said, feeling sorry for him despite herself at this, and she debated on if patting him on the shoulder would be a welcome gesture. In the end, nerves won, and she refrained. "That's er, understandable. And unfortunate. Thank you for letting me know, though."[break][break]

She waved away his offer to pay for her ride, cheeks flushing as she shook her head vehemently.[break][break]

"And don't, please, it was an honest mistake! I'm, I'm sorry I judged you so harshly. I don't normally... talk to people like that." She bit her lip, considering her next thought before voicing it. "But, um... if you thought we were 'hooking up'"--what a funny and absurd idea--"then why were you meeting with a friend later?"[break][break]

That didn't really make sense, did it? Unless...?

TAGS – klaus anchoret[break]
NOTES – Sleepless in Slateport (Repeat)!

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"Right," Klaus murmurs, sinking into himself and his chair. He gives a little shrug and answers in turn, "I deserved it, don't worry."
[break][break]
But then she keeps talking, and he shifts in his seat - while looking decidedly uncomfortable and shifty. "Don't worry about it," comes Klaus's answer, his cheeks decidedly red. "I gotta like, go," he hurriedly adds, unwilling to further discuss the absolute disaster of his non-existent love life. "Sorry for everything."
[break][break]
Not giving Marianne a chance to waylay him, Klaus shifts out of his seat and pays for their drinks before disappearing back into the bar.

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