[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]as much as alexander hates to admit, his relationship with his siblings has been strained ever since they were young. there has always been a disconnect that separated them, that stopped him from truly bonding with them as he should have. family first, as their father would always tell them.

the doorbell rings, pulling him away from whatever email he had been writing on his laptop. he steps away from the desk in his study and heads towards the door.
he doesn't have to guess who's stood on the other side; the security feed on the screen by the entrance tells him. it's why he doesn't hesitate to open the door.

"sister! what a surprise. please, come in."

his penthouse offers them a lovely view of the city lights of rustboro, panoramic in nature as it encompasses them. "so, to what do i owe the pleasure?" he asks, leading them to the kitchen area. "have you eaten? i can quickly cook something for us."

DAPHNE STONE

there's a small smile that tugs at her lips, seeing alexander greet her at the door so quickly. even though she came out of the blue. even though she was used to organizing things to the t, and keeping everything that she's done to a strict schedule. she hopes, at least, that this would be okay. that visiting him like this, was going to be okay.

this'll be okay.

"it's good to see you, bro--" she briefly cuts herself off. calling him brother would feel much too formal, wouldn't it? she was close to doing it out of habit. "-- alex. i'm glad to see you're doing well~" her voice chimes as she comes in, promptly taking her shoes off at the entrance and leaving them to rest on a neighbouring rack.

as always, he kept things neat and tidy. at least she didn't have to worry about that. "i was free, and figured that i should visit my little brother~" she chimes again, fingers tenting against each other while making her way deeper into the penthouse. the idea of dinner was appealing, especially when she hadn't.. exactly eaten. but she didn't want to tell him that.

and she didn't have to.
because her stomach did it, in the form of rumbling.

her face flushes the slightest from the embarrassment, as she instinctively holds her arms against and giving a nervous giggle and smile "... mmn. food would be much appreciated~. if you need help with preparing and cooking, i'll gladly join."

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]the thought of her visiting just to see him hadn't occured to him. for a man so adept at navigating through the world of business and politics, he can be rather oblivious to certain social situations. the realization has him flushing, as he attempts to chuckle it off.

"i appreciate you visiting, sist—" he cuts himself off this time, correcting himself. "daphne." a smile graces his features. it still feels awkward for him to shed formalities around them when really it should come off naturally around family.

he opens the fridge, peering through its contents before pulling a few ingredients out. "i might need some help dicing some vegetables, if you're up for it." he places onions, garlic, and bell peppers on the granite counter. he reaches back to the fridge to pull off a piece of paper stuck on with a magnet.

"here. this is mum's usual recipe. i had to pry it out of her before i left."

the recipe is for the classic bolognese sauce. he reaches for the meat from the fridge and begins preparing them. "how's work?" he asks.

DAPHNE STONE

slowly but surely, she thinks.

hopefully, they could rekindle their familial relationship. hopefully, little by little, she could at the very least let loose and casually talk to family. their youngest sibling did it so easily, so there was no reason why they couldn't, either, right? even if the majority of formalities that bled into daily life, she knows, would probably come from her.

with a smile, she follows him into the kitchen and nods in response. chopping up vegetables was simple enough, though it'd been a while since she's cooked any of her own meals. "of course" she starts, with her fingers tented together before she made her way to a few cabinets, briskly making her way through them until she could find a chopping board. when she brings it down, her attention is caught by a waved paper between alex's fingers, and it brings a giggle from her.

"i'd say that's an achievement on its own, with how stubborn she can be~" the sister chimes, bringing the board to the counter top then pulling a knife from the stand, carefully making her way over. daphne takes a vegetable in hand, and began to set it against the surface while bringing the knife to rest its side against her knuckles.

"work has been busy, as per usual. what about you?" she asks, beginning to chop up the vegetables. "has anyone from silph been troubling you, lately?"

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]fond memories return at the mention of their mother's stubbornness. he smiles, reminiscing. "she really can be. remember the presentation i made for her and dad to convince them to let me study in sinnoh?" they were much simpler times. he wishes he could relive them, if only to return to normality.

alexander brings a pan to the stove, waiting for it to heat up before throwing minced meat onto it. he gives it a splash of oil and more than gracious seasoning of salt and pepper. the smell is alluring.

"not recently, no, which is surprising." what has councilman fernando been up to? alexander has no idea, and that worries him. "but work is work. between sootopolis and the council, i barely have time for much else." and of course, illeana reyes.

reaching for a pot, he starts boiling water in it to prepare the pasta. "has anyone from silph been troubling you?" he asks the same question, curious.

DAPHNE STONE

oh, she remembers. she remembers how stubborn they were to let their son go off, so far away for his studies. she remembers how reluctant their parents before, during a time where the days were mundane. during a time where the days came one at a time, and where they blend together into weeks and months at the bat of an eye. "both mother and father really gave you a talking to." she chimes in response, a giggle accompanying as she recalls the smallest of memories.

the older stone makes quick work of her job, cutting up the veggies until she could casually dice them into smaller particles. enough for her to pinch up, and still sprinkle into their dish - yet still in large enough parts to be recognizable and distinguished. there's a small amount of relief, hearing that alex wasn't facing much from the silph side. she still remembers the brunt of it, despite only speaking to the head of silph only once. she wishes that she'd never have to, again.

but arceus was never that merciful.

so when he repeats the question to her, there's a moment of pause, followed by an exasperated, near wheeze (a moment of immaturity, rare for her) as she thinks back to their first meeting. "there was one instance, and i never wish to relive it." because another meeting with FERNANDO SILPH would always be too soon. a meeting with him will always make her anxious enough to move away.

"i had a meeting with silph one day, and he is.. how do i put it?" she tries to formulate a sentence, in the least offensive way she could conjure ".. aggressive? i'm not one to speak to many people at once, but the man's gaze was like a judgemental audience to me."

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]alexander doesn't blame them for not wanting him to study abroad. it was hard to understand at the time: why would they say no to him wanting to experience more of the world? to experience more independence? it made little sense to a teenager. but now he understands. they were just afraid of losing their son.

steam starts to rise from the pot. alexander sees how his sister's struggling to find the right words to describe the silph councilman. an ass? is what alexander wants to interject with. thankfully, he doesn't have to.

"he is certainly an interesting figure." it's the nicest way he could have phrased his feelings for the man. "what did you speak about?"

DAPHNE STONE