MARCH UPDATE

POSTED ON Apr 14, 2020 4:13:15 GMT

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The sun is warm, the snow is gone, the air is fresh and vibrant and full of pollen. Stormy can hear people sneezing and complaining about allergies as they traverse the streets of Rustboro. Some of them question why there's even so much pollen in the industrial city - surely there isn't enough greenery to warrant this?[break][break]

Fortunately, Stormy was blessed with no such allergies and as such had no qualms about mindlessly walking the streets of the city. The architecture had always amazed her despite her lack of real interest in the 'how it's made' part. It was beautiful, and she liked beautiful things.[break][break]

Her attention is snagged by the familiar, faded sign of an older, family owned coffee and baked goods shop along the main street of Rustboro. There's a lurch in her chest at the familiarity of it and she stops in her tracks, heels of her boots making a resounding thud through her body that matches the dramatic beat of her heart. [break][break]

Despite the fire in her blood she feels suddenly chilled just by sparing a glance at a place she used to consider a type of sanctuary. It had been many months since she'd stepped foot in those doors, breathed in the smell of freshly made croissants and banana bread. [break][break]

She finds herself chewing the inside of her lip involuntarily, her feet pivoting against the sidewalk, crunching leftover sidewalk salt beneath rubber. And then her gloved hand pulls the door open and she can hear someone behind the counter, scurrying to make it to the front to take her order. [break][break]

"Oh my! It's been a long time, Miss Silph! It's so good to see you!"[break][break]

Stormy feels her cheeks warm at the greeting and she offers a smile, but her mind is distracted even as she orders her 'usual' black coffee with a hint of hazelnut. [break][break]

She's distracted because she swears she had seen a ghost, a ghost with green hair and kind eyes. The woman glances over her shoulder abruptly, forgetting her coffee on the counter much to the owner's dismay. Her hand remains on the handle as she stares into the crowd passing by, but the person she's looking for isn't there. He hasn't been in a long time.

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[attr="class","tag"]ALEXANDER STONE

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POSTED ON Apr 14, 2020 5:44:01 GMT

[attr="class","sidetag"]Stormy Silph

[attr="class","bodytxtt"]it's a strange feeling: to return to a place one called home. he's sat on his lonesome in a familiar cafe at a comfortable table that provides a clear view of the bustling streets of rustboro. home. except it hasn't been for a few months now. "thank you," he says to the waitress that isn't wendy. he wonders if she finally got that marketing job she had been aiming for. he hopes she has.

he pays for his drink and leaves a gracious tip before rejoining the crowd. he blends in well despite the odd complexion of his hair. no one's paid him much attention yet, but there are the occasional glances of, 'hey, i recognize you,' but that's all they are: glances.

rustboro gym comes into sight. it brings him fond memories, mostly, but there are a few marred ones that slip through. he smiles, reminiscing, before carrying on.

and that's all he does. he walks. and walks. he'll stop occasionally but he never lingers for too long. he wants to remember more. he wants to remember his home.

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POSTED ON Apr 14, 2020 5:59:51 GMT

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Her heart is aflutter with mixed feelings, wishful thinking, bittersweet memories. Of course it hadn't been him, it had never been him. Not the first time, not the countless other times she'd thought she'd seen a familiar face in the crowd. He'd left without a word and it seemed he'd intended it that way.[break][break]

And yet, when her fingers grasp the handle a little tighter and the owner rushes to the door with her forgotten coffee in hand, Stormy thinks she sees it again.[break][break]

"Oh, yes, sorry. Thank you, Miss Lorelai. I'm afraid I'm a bit.. scatterbrained this afternoon. My apologies for leaving the door open."[break][break]

Her voice is stilted, rushed, as she struggles to clear her head. Stormy's fingers wrap around the warm container, the familiar smell of hazelnut distracting as she lets the door close behind her. The bell rings when it squeezes shut and she finds herself searching the crowd once again.[break][break]

Heels click mutedly against the sidewalk as she makes her way down the street, but she comes to an abrupt halt once again when the sea of strangers parts and panic finds a home in the pit of her stomach. The feeling lurches into her throat and onto her tongue as she chokes:[break][break]

"Alex?"[break][break]

'No, it can't be.'

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POSTED ON Apr 14, 2020 18:33:17 GMT

[attr="class","sidetag"]Stormy Silph

[attr="class","bodytxtt"]eventually, he lingers. he stops at a street corner and stares at a very familiar coffee shop. even from this far away he's able to see lorelai scurrying around and making sure everything is running smoothly. he smiles at the fact that maybe not everything has changed.

his phone buzzes in his pocket and it pulls him out of the moment. it's a text that he spends no longer than three seconds reading before swiping the notification away. sighing, he turns on his heels and continues walking.

a sea of strangers lie before him. he braces himself as he trudges through, remaining mindful of his presence. shoulders collide here and there but it's not enough to stop him. he takes a gasp of air when he parts from the other end. it's not until he hears his name does he finally stop. and turn. and after a moment, smile.

"hi," he says, almost stuttering as he approaches. "it is so good to see you, stormy." it takes him a while to find the words he wants to say; they escape his throat dry, but they carry with them sentiment. when he nears her, he does what feels most natural. he tries to embrace her.

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POSTED ON Apr 15, 2020 0:58:35 GMT

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The coffee in her hand grows warmer even through her gloves. It seems to boil and bubble in its cup, threatening to burst. Time seems to have stopped when she watches him turn around. Her breath catches in her throat as she stands up straighter, eyes unblinking. She looks like a deer caught in headlights and the world is spinning.[break][break]

And then it comes to an abrupt hold as his voice melts in her ear and his warmth wraps around her. She felt like crying, but she wasn't a child. [break][break]

"I'm surprised to hear you say that. I-I'm surprised to even hear you say anything at all."[break][break]

Her arms don't rise to hug him back, perhaps because they're pinned to her chest, still holding the cup of coffee that had probably boiled away by this point. She's too hot, it's too hot. [break][break]

She makes a conscious effort to detach herself from him, stepping back. The expression on her face is pained, uneasy. Her red eyes seem clouded with confusion.

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POSTED ON Apr 15, 2020 2:03:17 GMT

[attr="class","sidetag"]Stormy Silph

[attr="class","bodytxtt"]he doesn't even notice the warm cup of coffee in her hands, not even when it's pushed up against his chest, threatening to scald him. for brief moments, it all felt right. it's as if he hadn't left; it's as if things are the way they were. but then she detaches herself, and the warmth that was once there is there no more. his expression steels as he returns to reality.

"yeah. i owe you an explanation," he starts, but then catches the various gazes of the crowd. people are starting to recognize. it's evident in their looks and not-so-subtle whispers. "but this might not be the best place for it."

looking over her shoulder, past the sea of people, he remembers the coffee shop. "are you free to talk?"

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POSTED ON Apr 15, 2020 2:17:25 GMT

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Stormy lets out a breath, several, really, as if she'd been holding her breath and she's struggling to get it back. She steels her hands from shaking by gripping her cup tighter. The fabric of her gloves makes a complaintive squeak against the container and she forces herself to pull her shoulders back, to not appear small or weak or as afraid as she feels.[break][break]

It feels selfish to want to go back, to tug him closer and press her cheek into the button of his jacket. He had been warm and familiar, it had felt right. But it wasn't, not anymore. He had left without saying a word and returned like nothing had changed.[break][break]

Everything had changed.[break][break]

The woman glances past him, gaze drifting over to the people passing by, to their hushed conversation and whispers. It makes her nervous. Stormy lowers a hand to her purse to readjust the strap and it falls loose at her side, fingers picking at the stitching.[break][break]

His urgency to talk somewhere less public is noted and she can't help but feel some degree of stress or insecurity as a result of it. She blinks as she glances at the ground, momentarily avoiding his gaze.[break][break]

"Sure.. yeah. I can talk."

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POSTED ON Apr 15, 2020 9:02:25 GMT

[attr="class","sidetag"]Stormy Silph

[attr="class","bodytxtt"]her answer brings him some form of relief, at least temporarily as he walks towards her. he gestures past them, towards the coffee shop he had been staring at earlier. "thank you. lorelai's should be this way," he says as he leads them towards it.

the walk is uncomfortable but brief at the very least. he pulls open the door and holds it for her when they near the entrance. the smell of freshly made croissants and banana bread brings back a familial warmth. but it quickly fades. he notices how lorelai seems to perk up at the sight of him, and he flashes her a polite smile as she nears the counter.

'ah! mister stone! it's been so long. how have you been?' she asks, and while alexander is not in the chattiest of moods, he still responds and does his best to match her energy. "miss lorelai! it has, it has. things have been quite hectic recently, but they are finally settling down now. i see your coffee shop is still going strong." it doesn't take long for small talk to conclude. soon he finds himself sat across stormy with a freshly brewed cup of coffee in front of him.

"i hope you have been well, stormy. i am sorry for just disappearing."

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POSTED ON Apr 15, 2020 16:31:24 GMT

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Her gait is stiff as she follows after him, mostly because as he brushes past her she's overwhelmed by the familiarity and the longing. The desire to fall into what's natural, what used to be, nearly devours her. Her fingers twitch as the want to curl her fingers around his lasts for longer than she'd like.[break][break]

The feeling evaporates as soon as they reach Lorelai's coffee shop. Alexander is holding the door open and she dips her chin as she walks past him to stand off to the side. She already had a coffee, still piping hot thanks to her nerves.[break][break]

Lorelai immediately engages in what she's good at: idle chatter to pass off any awkwardness. Stormy can't help but smile in spite of the swirl of discomfort she feels, but you can't exactly say no to the homey atmosphere.[break][break]

Eventually they're sitting across from each other and Stormy has all but abandoned her coffee, hands nestled in her lap.[break][break]

"Well enough."[break][break]

Her thoughts immediately feel guarded as she thinks back to the emails she had written to him, the terrifying events she had survived. How she had never pressed send so how could he possibly know what she had been going through. But also, he hadn't been here, so why did he deserve to know?[break][break]

"Are you alright?"[break][break]

Even despite how disappointed she is, how confused, she still can't fathom being angry with him - at least not truly.

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POSTED ON Apr 15, 2020 17:03:41 GMT

[attr="class","sidetag"]Stormy Silph

[attr="class","bodytxtt"]the bond that the pair shares dates back years, and despite the absent few months that had passed, he still knows her well enough to know how she's feeling. it's a bond that has proven to stand the test of time and more, so it should come as no surprise and yet, it does. "i am. these past few months have not been the calmest. but things are better now, i hope," he speaks as though he expects her to know. but she doesn't. how could she when they haven't spoken to each other in months. the thought makes him sour.

he takes a long sip of his coffee which allows him to gather his thoughts. "i missed your birthday," he mutters, eyes steeling to meet hers. "i missed a lot of things." his words are unclear. perhaps he says it out of guilt, or acceptance, or perhaps he wants to be forgiven.

"congratulations, by the way, on your promotion," he says after he finishes another sip.

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POSTED ON Apr 15, 2020 17:12:11 GMT

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Stormy has no idea what he had been dealing with. All she can think about are the events that she had endured, what Hoenn had suffered. She appears distracted as her hand reaches for her cup, her knuckles clipping the underside of the table due to lack of coordination. The pain emits a hiss from her teeth before she latches onto the cup.[break][break]

She has a lot of questions, but she's unsure she deserves an answer. He hadn't thought she was worth informing to begin with, so why did she think she deserved it now? She bites her tongue and sips at her coffee slowly. Her eyes are glassy but that could just be from the blood in her mouth.[break][break]

And then he mentions her birthday and promotion and she sighs sadly. [break][break]

"Why didn't you call? Why did you shut me out?"[break][break]

'I thought we were better than that,' she thinks, avoiding addressing the mention of her promotion. It was bittersweet, considering the circumstances of it.

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POSTED ON Apr 15, 2020 17:46:13 GMT

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[attr="class","sidetag"]Stormy Silph

[attr="class","bodytxtt"]his shoulders tense as a reaction to her question. 'i was busy,' is quite possibly the worst thing he can say but that is the only thing that comes to mind as he struggles to find the words. he purses his lips, diverts his gaze, and waits a moment before speaking. "i wanted to, i really did, but the situation i was in made things difficult." his words are not answers and he knows it. for a while, he contemplates just how much he should share, or rather, how much he can share.

"i was in sinnoh," he says, finally, as he lowers his voice. "i was only meant to be there for a short while but i got caught up in their affairs and had to stay for longer." it's not the whole truth but it's a part of it. it is, at the very least, a start. she deserves that much. "again, i am truly sorry, stormy."

he can see lorelai looking at them with nothing but genuine curiosity. she has no idea what's going on and he does a decent job at masking his emotions. he finds comfort in his drink once more.

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POSTED ON Apr 16, 2020 1:58:25 GMT

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His shoulders tense and, as a reaction, so do Stormy's. She sits up straighter, pressing her back against the chair. It squeaks and she feels her jaw clench, teeth pressing hard against each other as she watches him lie to her. Or at least.. not tell her the full truth.[break][break]

It hurt.[break][break]

"And what situation was that? The one where I poured my heart out to you and you stepped on it before running away?"[break][break]

Despite the pain in her voice, she doesn't yell. In fact, her voice is hushed as she forces the words out, makes her grief abundantly clear.[break][break]

But she's probably being selfish. He probably didn't mean what she wanted him to mean - he was almost certainly referring to whatever last-minute business he had used as his excuse to abandon her. [break][break]

Alexander may be an expert at hiding his emotions but Stormy is not. She glances at Lorelai, struggling to offer up a convincing smile. She sighs as she lays her hands back in her lap, clenching them into anxious fists.[break][break]

"It's me who should be sorry."

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POSTED ON Apr 16, 2020 17:40:19 GMT

[attr="class","sidetag"]Stormy Silph

[attr="class","bodytxtt"]she succeeds where he fails: she wears her heart on her sleeves and shows her emotions and allows herself to be vulnerable while he remains guarded, afraid to open up because it would mean being vulnerable. still, even after all this time, he struggles to share.

but for her, he has to try. "i left because we were unsafe. i could no longer guarantee the safety of my family in hoenn, and i did not want to risk their lives. so we left." he speaks in hushed tones despite the coffee shop being relatively empty. he keeps lorelai in his peripherals at all times, not because he doesn't trust her, but because he can't take any risks.

"you have nothing to be sorry about," he affirms.

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