"You are easy to love, by the way."[break][break]

She choked on her food, visibly taken aback by this observation as she attempted to regain her shattered composure. A hasty drink of water calmed her fit of coughing, but the stricken look on her face remained nonetheless.[break][break]

"You're impossible," she sighed, massaging her temples. "You say the most outlandish things with such confidence."[break][break]

People said absence made the heart grow fonder, but something about the time they'd spent apart had clearly resulted in more fondness from him than she'd anticipated. If anything, she'd expected the opposite during that separation; he'd surely grow bored, find some other woman to chase after, and lose interest in her.[break][break]

It was one reason she'd accepted the date he'd offered her. It gave her a prime opportunity to complete her mission for Walsh.[break][break]

Nothing had prepared her for how the night had currently been unfolding, however.[break][break]

"Are you certain you're drinking water, and not vodka?"

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

"I'm fine, thank you," she retorted, pushing away his glass with a tiny scoff. "You can keep that."[break][break]

A few water droplets escaped with the motion, staining the tablecloth.[break][break]

It irritated her, how quickly he could get under her skin. What irritated her most was that he seemed unbothered in particular today. In fact, he seemed more amused than anything else at her own frustration.[break][break]

The flower in her hair flared a brighter shade, pink reddening to an indignant crimson as she sought to change the subject.[break][break]

"Did you have plans for the evening beyond this?"

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

"Not really," she echoed him, and took another sip of water. This one was much more smooth than the last. "I suppose that means we're in for a dull, indecisive night, then."[break][break]

As if on cue, their food arrived, and the charcuterie board was removed to make way for the newly arrived dishes. It occurred to her then that she wasn't sure he'd eaten a bite of the meats and cheeses before they were whisked away.[break][break]

Hm. Perhaps she'd not been paying close enough attention.[break][break]

For a moment she almost corrected the placement of their dinner, only to remember her earlier ploy. The curry of unknown spiciness stared up at her, and she stared back down at it, considering if she should begin eating first or not.[break][break]

Across from her, the much more familiar Kalosian stew was placed in front of her companion -- who, by all accounts, seemed genuinely to be looking forward to it.[break][break]

"You seem pleased," she accused him. She sounded oddly unhappy about it.

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

She fantasized, briefly, about wiping that smug look off of his face.[break][break]

Unfortunately, doing so would only goad him further. He was more of a masochist than either Rocket or the League realized, she thought.[break][break]

"Why wouldn't I be pleased?" she continued, angrily picking up a spoon to start eating. In her fury, she scooped a larger helping of the curry than she'd originally intended, and ate it.[break][break]

Immediately she realized her mistake.[break][break]

It wasn't that Elisabeth disliked spicy food, exactly, but that she had yet to build a tolerance to it. The best description she could think of was that the actual taste of the food failed to translate past the agonizing heat of the dish itself, making it unbearable to eat.[break][break]

"See? Perfectly fine," she forced herself to say as she reached for her drink, trying to resist the urge to gulp down her water at the speed of light. This was a peculiar form of slow torture, as the water failed to do anything to make the burning taste of the curry abate. "It's a shame I already had so much of the charcuterie. I might have spoiled my appetite."[break][break]

Quietly, she calculated how much of the rice it would take to mitigate the spice level. Was there enough? Could she push through half the portion?[break][break]

It was an inconsequential lie, but she was determined to play it out nonetheless. Pride demanded it.

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

A small, stupid part of her wanted to argue with him, but the saner part of her let him exchange the two meals with visible relief.[break][break]

"If you insist," she said, glancing away from him at the Kalosian stew in front of her. The scent of it was nostalgic, and a sudden pang of longing swept through her for simpler times.[break][break]

She looked up at MATIAS SILPH uncertainly, hesitant before eating.[break][break]

"Do you really like this sort of dish?" she asked him, sincere in her questioning. "I'm actually skilled at making things like this, you know."

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

"That depends on if you behave, Matty," she said lightly, allowing herself to enjoy the superior meal. "No promises."[break][break]

He seemed excited at the prospect of her making him dinner, though, more than she'd anticipated. She had to admit it was a little bit endearing.[break][break]

After seeing the state of his kitchen, she supposed that shouldn't have come as a shock.[break][break]

"But yes. My mother taught me how to make this a long time ago," she continued, a softer edge to her words, before she posed a question to him. "When did you start liking it, if you don't mind my asking?"[break][break]

She figured he didn't frequent Kalosian places often.

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Something about the story didn't ring fully true for her, though she couldn't put a finger on why. She weighed whether or not it was worthwhile to push on the topic, before ultimately deciding against it.[break][break]

It wasn't as if the truth mattered in this instance. She highly doubted she'd ever wind up cooking something for MATIAS SILPH after tonight, anyway.[break][break]

Assuming, of course, that he'd still be around at all after she finished what Walsh had asked of her.[break][break]

"When you say homes, what do you mean?" she asked him. "With the Silphs, or...?"[break][break]

She trailed off, letting him finish the thought if he desired.

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]