A few months ago, El would not have expected being able to safely come to Sootopolis. Given Rocket's control over it then, coming here would have surely been asking for trouble. But now, with the tentative peace present, the option was there - and the banquet here provided the reason.

They hoped that they dressed nicely enough; granted that this was open to everyone, there wasn't much of a dress code. But they still wanted to look decent, having picked out a dress from one of their cosplays that could stand alone.

Alongside them, Bibidi was their service pokemon as always; having helped them up some tricky steps. But now that they were in the banquet proper, El was content and able to function on their own. "C'mon, Bibidi - let's take a look around?" The food over there honestly seemed appealing to start, they had gotten a bit hungry on the way here...

Admittedly, El didn't tend to keep too much tabs on celebrities and the like; but it wasn't hard for them to recognize Melody Miro , as she took center stage. Her performances were great as always - and El thought distantly to an interview they had remembered reading at one point, regarding one of her albums. M.M. was the one, if they remembered correctly.

Which, it in turn makes them think of their father. The confrontation that they had with him. It wasn't the most pleasant memory; there were things surrounding it that they were still sorting out... But they supposed they were not the only one who had a parent who tried to revive their ambitions through their children.

But, a nudge from Bibidi grabs their attention. And glancing to the Alakazam, one of her hands extended to them invitingly, it takes a second for them to realize what she was offering.

'May I have this dance?'

When it clicks, El can't help but smile and laugh a little - surprised at the offer. "Hahah; sure, we can dance!" They supposed that it had been to take their mind off of things, which, it certainly did the trick. With Bibidi's psychic abilities to help support them without their cane, it wouldn't be too hard to just enjoy themself with their dearest friend...

... Though, there would eventually come an interruption, in the form of a little fox. As Elise Calcifet 's little Kuro bumps into El's leg, they jump a bit - and the duo both blink down to the Zorua.

As the surprise passes though, El smiles softly. "Oh - hello there!" They greet the dark-type - leaning into their cane once more, as they bend down to pick up the meat skewer. It didn't seem like it had anything on it that'd be bad for the fox, so... "Here ya go, buddy." They offer the skewer to Kuro, smiling gently. "Are you enjoying yourself, too?

It seems like Professor Eva Morales - Eva - truly is knowledgeable about the text ... which is both fortunate, as Xuanyi would be interested in discussing it further, as well as unfortunate, as Fenelle demself hasn't given it that much detail to properly hold up against the young lady who did spend all of their time reading. Still, their bright eyes might consider bringing the topic up another time, before Xuanyi hastily remembers that introductions have never been made.

"I shall then, Professor- I mean, Eva," Xuanyi smiles, finger-spelling the name in lack of a proper sign name (as they've also finger-spelled their own name just now). The introduction moves onto a more somber topic - the thought of Sootopolis, flooded though also reclaimed, in a way. There's a flinch denying the reassuring touch of the shoulder, immediately followed by an apologetic smile.

(Tactically, Fenelle ponders if that might've been bad - but there's boundaries people draw, though it feels unfortunate in this moment ... but, as much as it fits der actual identity, it also fits this version of der past.)

Eva's words do manage to bring a smile to their face, however, an stray ray of hope that persists through the darker reality. "That's ... that's true, indeed," they agree slightly flustered, but nod along with more resolve. "It's ... it's very reassuring to hear this from you, Eva, I'm very thankful."

With this shimmer of hope, there's also something else happening - something that their Porygon2 informs them of, as they're standing with the back to the stage. It's also not something they generally perceive much, given that they can't hear music, though the general idea of a music live performance seems to bring them joy, too. "Oh! Melody's performance is now! I've- I've seen quite a few choreography videos to 'Mechanical' in particular." (And Fenelle has to admit, those were good dances - though there's little dee can say about the music itself.)

The Porygon2 tablet repositions itself, finding a good spot between Eva and Xuanyi so that the latter could look at the screen also while looking at the stage performance, and also minimises the text display a bit to make room for a sound wave display to generally give an idea of the current song.

prompts: 3 (rewards in pc)
have your character reflect on their flaws.
reference your character's partner pokemon in some way.
reference one of melody's songs or albums in your post.

xuanyi hover credit

The food was, as to be expected, quite good. Makoto was content to continue partaking as Melody took to the stage - taking little samples of the different dishes on offer in the banquet.

But as they take a glance to Melody, another thought occurs to them. Ah, that was right - Melody had a wide number of albums out in the wild, didn't she? 'Mechanical' is the one that comes to mind first for Makoto; namely thanks to the Mechanical Kingdom. It really was Makoto's first real adventure of any sort, after they had settled into Hoenn.

It makes them think a bit of Amor Rose. They still sort of missed him, honestly. They hoped he was doing well, wherever he was now...

For a moment, Howard silently groaned over having to potentially explain Hoennian giant lore to a police officer. A police officer that had bore witness to June's abhorrent sin of being socially inept, at that. It didn't help that had two of those giants, though Regice's Pokeball was currently being used as a paperweight on his desk.

Thankfully, he was saved from that horrible fate by a song.

Wait?

A song?

"HoldonputthatonholdIgottagoseemelodybyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...!" Howard wormed away away from the officer and her new Hoyeon protégé. Navy had never given him a fastpass to any of her concerts, but it wasn't like there were many opportunities for the admin to go. "MISS MIRO!"

The archaeologist slid through crowds of people, eye sparkling as he did so, before he came across the woman, the myth, the legend, Melody Miro.

"Will you..." He took a knee next to Roy Aker and Caleb Harcourt. "Please..."

In his hands was another copy of M.M.

"...sign my album."

---

-Reference a track
Howard stops yapping to clover matamata and Miyako Noguchi
Runs towards Melody
PLEASE SIGN MY SHIT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE