[attr="class","illieicon"]

[attr="class","illie b]she's already flushing a soft pink by the time his voice reaches her ears. both automatons rumble excitedly to one another, filling the empty hall with chatter. it continues for a moment before the door opens and they fall silent as statues. huh, funny... she hadn't known them to be shy before. a questioning glance is shot over her shoulder toward the discolored golurk. deus really is on its best behavior, apparently.

and then, she's turning her attention back to the man in the doorway just as he's speaking and sweeping her up into a hug. a bout of giggles escape her at the contact, a rush of butterflies following soon after. "it's really nice to see you too," she murmurs, settling against his body with ease. her heart sounds so deafening with his arms around her and she's almost certain he could hear it himself. he pulls back after a moment with a slight loss of warmth and an apology. "oh, no, it's okay! i probably should have called," she's quick to wave a hand, a smile gracing her lips. "it wasn't too much trouble! did i interrupt you?" illeana takes the opportunity to sweep her gaze across the room. it doesn't travel very far, however, as a bark immediately draws her in and holds her attention.

"oh, what a cutie!" the woman coos. behind her, deus rumbles out a similar sentiment and she can practically feel the need to pet the poochyena radiating from her automaton. she bends to get closer, gingerly offering a hand toward india before her eyes drift up toward alexander. "she's adorable," her smile is wider now as both deus and custos direct their full attention to india. "i totally get why you wouldn't be able to get any work done with her around," a playful tone overtakes her words and before she can stop herself, she's giggling. "i'd curl up on the floor with her right now if i could." screw the research, puppy cuddles are always a top priority. as if agreeing with their trainer, the automatons coo in unison and custos is the first one to step forward with a clay hand inching toward india. the movement draws illeana's attention away and she's turning to flash an encouraging smile toward her golett. "you've already met deus but this little one is custos!"

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[attr="class","illie b]his eyes shift to meet hers and that bubble from their previous meeting is back, blurring the world around them until it's just them and this moment. the intimacy of the embrace lingers despite the space with a familiarity that she can't help but crave. her cheeks flush a shade darker as warmth creeps up on her skin and she's matching it with a smile. it turns slightly sheepish a moment later as an apology rushes from her lips. "oh, i'm sorry!" a hand rises to fiddle with a strand of hair before she adds, "i definitely should have called. were you, um, making any progress?"

before he can explain or answer her question, the fluffy bundle of cuteness between his legs demands the entirety of her attention. the scientist is all too happy to oblige with a soft squeal of excitement. he shifts so the poochyena is no longer held back and once his feet settle against the floor, the puppy is rushing forward for lots of pets. "oh god," is she melting? she feels like she's melting at india. what a cutie! "i love her already." illeana's hand drifts to scratch at the exposed fur of her stomach, another coo escaping without hesitation. the notion that india would get along swimmingly with nugget rises a moment later. and then, a giggle follows as she's glancing back up toward alexander. "is it bad i hope she doesn't behave again?" realistically, they have work to do but india is too cute and she's a complete sucker for puppy dog eyes.

deus is the first of the duo to return the wave with the same amount of brightness it had shown back on the beach. custos soon follows suit after a slight nudge from the golurk. both offer similar coos toward the man before being drawn back into watching india. the poochyena rolls over back onto her feet before moving on from illeana to custos. she takes the opportunity to rise back to her full stature, fondness creeping onto her features at the sight of her golett happily petting a puppy. "sometimes they are," she murmurs with a laugh. "usually, they're more energetic but i think deus is trying to be a good role model for the little one." if they were home, she has no doubt in her mind that both automatons would be roping the rest of her pokemon into a big cuddle puddle on the floor.

the sound of static draws her away from her automatons, gaze sweeping toward alexander and the elekid at his legs. another cutie, she notices with a softer smile. it almost reminds her of a shy child hiding behind a parent's leg around strangers. the thought warms her almost as much as how he responds to the electric type. behind her, deus lets out a curious coo and a large hand begins to rise. she meets his hand with one of her own, a slight shake of her head halting the golem's actions any further. there's an unspoken understanding between the two, then, as if she recognizes deus' intentions in the air around them. really, she's just a little too used to its curious nature to not notice the differences in noises it makes. "it's okay," she murmurs, returning the smile with ease. her eyes shift from his toward the elekid and they soften further. "it's nice to meet you, kible." while custos busies itself with petting india, deus mirrors illeana's sentiments with another wave. it seems gentler in a way that she appreciates, as if the automaton is trying to be considerate of the electric type's hesitation. "is he normally shy?" an eyebrow quirks up slightly as she diverts her attention back to him.

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[attr="class","illie b]"oh," she murmurs. a moment later, a smile rises and she's glancing toward the equipment. "right! have you prepared it yet?" an eyebrow quirks upward when her eyes find their way back. now that she thinks about it, however, she comes to the realization that it might be more preferable to do it together. a learning experience even if he's not familiar with the process. the thought has her excited, really. sharing the realm of genetic research with another is always exhilarating but sharing it with him? words can't fully describe both the warmth and the delight that flutters in her body.

india's soft coos are met with ones of her own, the sounds mingling together in the air around them. it's cute and adorable and she can't get enough. fondness practically seeps from her pores as the poochyena's tail wiggles and wags faster. and then, custos is the next to experience the delight. "honestly," she murmurs, grinning a little wider. "she could trap me any day." her next victim, however, is custos and the little golett is more than happy to fall prey to her cuteness. illeana observes with a little extra warmth, something akin to both pride and affection swelling in her chest.

the larger automaton lets out a gentle rumble, as if agreeing with the sentiments alexander shares. both of them have their own strengths and weaknesses that seem to balance each other out. perhaps in a way, they were made for each other. crafted from the same halves of clay to find their way back decades later. fate or coincidences aside, there's an almost parental bond that deus shares with custos. it never fails to surprise her. "yes," she happily agrees with a bob of her head. "they're both lucky to have found each other."

a coo escapes deus, then, as the wave is shyly returned and she's softening further. the exchange pulls at her heartstrings, almost as much as the tender way he reassured kible. she can't help the way she melts a little, body flooding with more warmth than she thought was possible. "it's understandable," she replies. her lips curl and give way to a gentler smile, eyes drifting back toward the elekid at his legs. "meeting strangers can be scary for anyone." especially when the stranger in question happens to be as large and imposing as her golurk. realistically, deus wouldn't hurt a fly but she understands the hesitation all the same. to kible, the automaton is an unknown variable that could be capable of anything. caution is only logical.

"okay," she chirps a moment later, flashing him a warm smile. there's a slight shift, then, in the way her eyes focus on the equipment laid out for their research. a sort of intensity pools in charcoal, an excited determination normally reserved for science. it happens naturally, almost as easy as breathing, and she doesn't notice. instead, she's drifting closer toward the equipment, deus slowly following suit. the discolored golurk has seen this look one too many times to understand what gears are beginning to churn in her mind. a glance is directed toward alexander, a hand outstretched in his direction. "did you want to examine kible's sample first and then compare it to deus'? or should we get all the samples together first and go from there?"

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[attr="class","illie b]luck, fate, right place at just the right moment in time. it all ends the same, with her and him and their happy little bubble. there's always been something about a lab, something about the feeling of knowledge at your fingertips. it's a special kind of thrill, one that she comes back to time and time again. and now, in this particular room, she's sharing that rush of adrenaline with him and it feels intimate, special, unique to them. a smile rises to her lips at the thought.

custos busies itself with dissolving into playtime with india. a series of chirps and coos escapes the golett and illeana can't help but spare glances toward the pair. fondness lingers in her features, from this display to kible sticking close to the safety alexander provides him. the room almost feels warmer somehow, affection filling every nook and cranny. behind her, deus rumbles low and content. the larger automaton can feel the shift in the air, the way the bubble ebbs and flows to make room for more. it enjoys this moment, this sense of ease.

idly, a hand drifts to smooth out the fabric of her skirt again, fingertips brushing against red as she moves. the allure of equipment draws her in, keeps her close like an old lover. she's at the whims of the pursuit now and perhaps she won't stop until she uncovers pieces of the puzzle. at least she's not alone in her endeavor. not anymore, anyway. he's joining her, believing in her, and that thought has her focus lessening. the intensity is still there, the determination still bursting from the seams. but her eyes drift toward him despite the pull of the lab equipment and there's a new desire nestling beside the old.

"good idea," she murmurs, the corners of her lips quirking upward. "how'd you get that sample?" did the scientists of devon co. assist him with that piece of data? or had he collected it himself? slight curiosity rises and falls away within moments, shifting in and out of focus. her eyes follow as he moves. there's a grace in the way he carries himself, in the way he's flowing around the room like water in a stream. "okay!" a bob of her head confirms her agreement before she's shifting around, gathering supplies into her hands without a second thought. scalpels, swabs, solutions, labels, pens and paper. and then, the final pieces she needs are drifting closer. deus lingers over her shoulder with unwavering interest, a constant presence of comfort in her peripheral. custos will need a little more direction but she can collect the golett's sample after deus'. "ready?" she whispers toward the discolored golurk, scalpel and swab prepared and ready in one hand. the other rises to gently pat at one of the large clay arms, soothing intentions fluttering in her fingertips. another moment later and she's chipping away a small fraction clay with a hum of reassurance. the sample is collected and transferred to sit in solution. one down, one to go, and she's shifting toward custos to repeat the process.

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[attr="class","illie b]"oh," she murmurs with a smile flashed in his direction. "that was nice of them!" with both the discolored samples and the normal samples, they should be able to get to the bottom of this phenomenon. and, with some luck, maybe even learn a few things in the process. part of her is grateful for the opportunity and the other half almost wants to stay here in this moment forever. it has little to do with scientific breakthrough, however, and more to due with him but that's water under the bridge right now.

deus rumbles when she moves away from the golurk, a soft sound that almost reminds her of a call. it's effective in gathering all of custos' attention. the smaller automaton coos back and gathers itself off of the floor. india pouts at first before bouncing after the golett toward its trainer. her smile widens at the sight, warmth spreading throughout her body. such a cute pair. it'd be a shame to separate them, really. "ready, little one?" she coos. custos returns the coo in kind and she's stepping closer to it without a second thought. her scalpel is ready, swab sticking close to the tool. clay is scrapped off and while custos reacts with slight movement, it's relatively painless to collect the sample she needs. at the golett's feet, india almost waits patiently for illeana to finish. and once the sample is deposited into its respective dish, the duo retreat back to playing. deus stays, however, to watch the scientist work.

while the samples soak up solution, she takes the opportunity to direct her attention back to alexander. he's in the process of finishing his own sample. that doesn't stop him from scooping kible up from the ground to give him a better look at what's going on. adorable, she muses. there's a fondness that lingers in her expression and perhaps it's the display or their bond or that flutter in her chest that causes it to grow. it continues to spread even when he turns toward her and her smile brightens in response. "no, i think we're good on my end!"

a glance toward her samples confirms it. they're ready to be transferred to a microscope. and so, she shuffles her workspace around to make more room for analyzing. both samples are slid into their respective spots in the microscope, practically begging her to take a peek. she won't, however, as this is something she wants to share with him. "ready to see what we find?" she calls to him, moving away from her station to drift closer to him. there's a shyness to her as she draws up to his side. "would you like to look at the elekid samples first and then the automatons?" excitement has begun to rise in her body and it shows in the way her fingers gently tap at the top of her thighs.

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[attr="class","illie b]warmth lingers in the space between them and part of it is unbearable in a way she faintly recognizes. it's pulling like gravity and she wants to give in, wants nothing more than to get rid of any space. she can't, however. not yet, perhaps not even today. there's so much to do, so many things to be discovered right here in this very room. anything else will simply have to wait.

she flushes at his smile, returning it with a shy one of her own. "are you sure?" her eyes dart toward deus for a moment, the automaton in question cooing toward alexander. it returns the warmth of the smile with a blissful wave. while the golurk isn't fully able to express emotions in the same way as they can, it still manages to get the point across all the same. deus is happy, content, warm. it's glad to be here, to be with him and his pokemon. the thought brings more warmth to her than she'd care to admit. "thank you," she murmurs as he helps her set up the microscope. the glass slides for each sample are firmly clicked into place, secured beneath the lens, and ready for a peek.

a bob of her head follows the click of a switch, the offer for her to go first sending her heart fluttering. excitement bubbles until it can't grow any further. it's almost dizzying, really. the thought of discovery, of finding something that has never been touched by others before, is a certain kind of euphoria some might not understand. he does, however. he even causes that feeling to grow, fueling the fire with support and encouragement. subconsciously, she drifts close enough that their arms touch as she leans into the microscope to feed that hunger for discovery.

"hm," she hums. "there's something off about one of the strands in the sequence. it doesn't match the normal helix." another look is taken just to be sure before she's pulling away. her eyes snap to his, a mixture of intensity and understanding swirling in their depths. "it should be complete and fully attached to the other half but it's not," slowly, she's beginning to grasp the notion a little more firmly. "deus' sample looks like it's broken in one part. it's almost as if that part of the sequence didn't form properly, like it's missing a protein that it should have. normally, that points toward a mutation within the genetic code itself." and then, her eyes dart toward the elekid samples. more answers lie within those, she just knows it. "if it is a mutation, then kible's sample should show the same missing part."