[attr="class","emilia"]

[attr="class","emilia b"]

[attr="class","emilia i"]she blinks, her head snapping up at the sound of the hotel's entrance chiming. so far, it's been a slow morning...

and the guest approaches her desk first, as you do when first arriving in the lobby. she places a bright, friendly smile into place, and chooses to ignore the slight shyness that follows.

"hi, welcome to the palmer hotel!"

does that sound too upbeat? too much for how early it is?

"i do - do you have a preference on the number of beds or a view?"

DANE FAIRCHILD

[attr="class","emilia"]

[attr="class","emilia b"]

[attr="class","emilia i"]at the reaction, she deflates a little - definitely too much...

"sorry, no, um, i'm not much of a morning person."

her cheeks color pink. the front desk is supposed to be cheerful no matter the time of day, but she's awkward in the role. it's as if she's a small child playing dress up in clothes way too big.

"okay, one moment..."

soft taps of a keyboard echo around them and she skims through the list of vacancies on her screen before her eyes lift back up toward his.

"how does a single with a beach view sound?"

DANE FAIRCHILD

[attr="class","emilia"]

[attr="class","emilia b"]

[attr="class","emilia i"]a small smile rises at his passive confirmation. she takes it as a sign of doing good, of not throwing a wrench into his plans, of being made for this.

"okay."

a few clicks and he's assigned to the room. she doesn't quite grab his key yet, however, for the small talk distracts her. she sparks with mild life, interest bubbling up into something less cookie cutter professional.

"oh, really? where are you coming from?"

she's jealous, in a small trivial sort of way. she thinks of him as travelled, well seasoned in vast places and she's been cooped up here in hoenn her whole life.

and yet, he asks her for recommendations as if he cares of her opinion and her supposed expertise in the local scene. it's flattering in the most bare minimal of places. somehow, she comes further to life as she sheds lambskin to animatedly give a suggestion.

"there's a couple places around lilycove, but my personal favorite is the chowder pot. their lobster mac n cheese is godsent, i swear."

DANE FAIRCHILD

[attr="class","emilia"]

[attr="class","emilia b"]

[attr="class","emilia i"]"oh! i've heard lovely things about mahogany, but i've never gotten the chance to go."

unsurprisingly, really. this hotel, lilycove... they're all she's ever known. she dreams, sometimes, of leaving responsibility behind and just escaping out into the world. it seems so much simpler in her head.

"yes - well, kind of."

a light, tinkering laugh escapes. she has other favorites, but mac n cheese is up there.

she blinks, then. a moment later, a smile rises - shy, genuine.

"yeah, i'd be happy to. after you're settled in, come back down to the lobby and i can bring you."

DANE FAIRCHILD

[attr="class","emilia"]

[attr="class","emilia b"]

[attr="class","emilia i"]she mirrors his smile with one of her own and once he departs, idle work overtakes the remainder of her morning. she goes through motions on autopilot, eyes drifting toward the elevator or the front door or even the windows overlooking the poolside views.

and when he returns, she's mostly done for the day. whatever's left can wait until she returns, at least - nothing too pressing, thankfully.

"yes."

she brightens slightly, stepping out from behind the desk to join him. once she's close, she stops and angles her body a little toward the door as if ready to lead him.

"it's not too far - just a few blocks or so away."

DANE FAIRCHILD

[attr="class","emilia"]

[attr="class","emilia b"]

[attr="class","emilia i"]he lets her lead and after mild hesitation, she does just that. her steps are soft but certain as his fall in tandem with hers. she keeps a close proximity to him for the streets of lilycove are busier than usual and she'd hate to lose him. she is, after all, sort of his tour guide?

the question makes her pause, stumbling slightly in her surprise. he's just curiously making idle conversation, isn't he?

"oh, um, not for a while, actually."

she had prepared for this, completing her duties and crossing them off her list ahead of time. it had been a relatively slow morning, at least.

"i do occasionally, but not this week. the part-timers are covering night shift until next week."

the corners of her mouth twitch upward into a shy smile.

"as long as i check on the pokemon later, i'll be alright."

DANE FAIRCHILD

[attr="class","emilia"]

[attr="class","emilia b"]

[attr="class","emilia i"]good, unless he finds he dislikes her... which is entirely possible.

"yes."

after a moment, her smile turns slightly sheepish.

"is it obvious?"

does she seem like a hometown girl, stuck and unwilling to leave the comfort of her home? she'd like to be well-travelled, personally, but she fears it may never come to pass.

"it's nice to be home, but sometimes... travelling sounds lovely, too."

DANE FAIRCHILD