at the bell, dahlia rises from her seat. a book rests on the table, the tail of a ribbon marker tickling the edge of it with serpentine green. she smiles too.

"i have been, stormy!" dahlia embraces her softly and crowns her cheeks with kisses. "and you? thank you for taking time out of your day for me. i never had the chance to thank you personally."

her glance falls in half-lidded shapes. silver crescents of remembrance that fail to swing back to full.

"anyhoo. your favourite drink is...?"

Stormy Silph

"nothing special? they do have the watmel berry refresher now." she moves for the counter. "it comes with coconut milk."

sooner than later, dahlia returns with their drinks. the service is faster than expected— perhaps, a perk of their stations, or a case of nerves rushing amateur employees' hands.

as dahlia sets stormy's cup down with a healthy dose of sugar packets, she takes a sip from her own coffee.

"how is life as a member of the elite four treating you?" dahlia sets her cup down by her book. "there are a lot of expectations, after all."

Stormy Silph

"you too?" dahlia's fingers tap in crisp staccato against the cover of her book. "if i have nothing to do, i go insane."

she laughs softly. through the window, a medicham walks by with its trainer. their gaits are steady, almost aimless. no vestige of impatience or rush.

"well, i just hope that you enjoy it as much as you can." she breathes loosely. "and that you don't burn out. pardon the pun. sometimes i feel like being such an esteemed trainer is more stressful than being commissioner."

again she laughs.

"any worries? you can be honest with me, stormy."

Stormy Silph

"oh my gosh, right? when they balance the plates across the entirety of their arm?" dahlia raises her arms as if they were draped with responsibilities. "i always get anxious seeing them."

briefly, she expects her stoutland to be beside her. wilfred's warmth. the comforting locks of fur within hand's reach. instead, she finds solace in the hot paper of her cup, the cardboard sleeve barely enough to keep the heat from burning her.

"if only we can plug the sky in some way." with pinched fingers, dahlia pretends to cork an invisible hole. "i'll ask our new head scientist about that possibility."

she laughs and takes a sip. quickly, dahlia runs her tongue across her teeth, worried for stains.

"what plates are you balancing, then?" dahlia says. "i hope it's not all work-related."

Stormy Silph

"have a bad egg or two?"

dahlia does not mean to pry— but she knows little of the lady before her. aside from all of the tired reports, the official documentation, and the way her name is kindled in conversation, the commissioner realizes the terrible vacancy of relationship she has with those who represent the region.

"too bad you can't cook them in a lavaridge hot spring." dahlia's toes wiggle in their shoes. she wonders how those waters feel like. "anything i can do to help?"

Stormy Silph

dahlia laughs. the mirrored humour is enough to lighten her shoulders. she leans against the table, a lazy slouch to her posture.

"oh, i'm not too bad with advice." dahlia slips in. words are minced and pull away from crossing into stormy's own. "i've met some of the others personally. bailey, kyle, mateo."

she moves her legs too, crossing them and uncrossing them. her body echoes stormy's own, although it is clad in conserative cuts. no open-toe heels. nothing too colourful. dahlia misses the slippers waiting for her at home.

"if this was a meeting to scold you for whatever reason, you would have known beforehand." dahlia flutters her fingers as if to dispel dust, eyes trained on stormy's own. "i'm not a fan of surprises."

as she reaches for her drink, her hand hits the cup. it topples and spills.

Stormy Silph

"oh! oops!"

dahlia scoops the cup back up and withdraws her book away, closer to the table's edge. quickly, she pulls napkins from the metal dispenser on their table and smothers the growing pool.

"i was only kidding too, stormy." dahlia says. "unless you do have something?"

she raises her brow, laughing as she dips a coffee stained finger into her mouth. she plucks it clean with her lips before pulling more napkins.

"i've made a scene! how about we clean and we can go off on our merry way some place else."

Stormy Silph