[attr="class","lance"]

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

[attr="class","lance i"]sometimes a small gesture is all that's needed. there's no hesitaiton in how he accepts her hand. he squeezes it as if doing so would make unwanted feelings subside. a few moments pass where he focuses on nothing else but breathing.

"not talking sounds good."

despite the jest, no chuckle escapes him. only a sigh before he pulls his hand away. "but the same goes for you, mimi." it goes unsaid but he knows how close mimi was to them. ava was her friend, after all.

Mimi Cheng

[attr="class","mimi"]she nods once more, almost desperate to agree. when he squeezes her hand, she squeezes back. but when he pulls away, she doesn't try to seek the warmth of his hand again.

he opens his mouth for a sentence that mimi can't process immediately. she can't tell if he's talking about– no, it definitely is about ava. he doesn't know about anything else. she hasn't told him, and that's for the best. they both deserve the time to mourn the passing in their own ways.

she forces a smile, a mix of sadness and gratitude fighting for dominion over the nerves on her lips. "i know." what else could she say? she knows for a fact that any pain she can feel, he feels multiplied.

[attr="class","seelie"]
LANCE VOLLANS

[attr="class","lance"]

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

[attr="class","lance i"]like a roaring wave, silence crashes over them, though it does little to drown the pain he feels. it almost does the opposite, allowing his thoughts to roam free. he clears his throat then and turns to look at her in an attempt to save himself.

"are you staying in pacifidlog?" he asks, letting his gaze drift over to the town behind them. "because lilycove is a much better spot."

Mimi Cheng

[attr="class","mimi"]mimi's head tilts in serious thought. the weight of the two ghosts is lifted temporarily, and mimi answers in a truly curious tone. "you think so? i thought these overwater bungalows were really charming."

she follows his gaze only to reaffirm her stance on the matter. "they'd make good retirement homes."

in that moment, mimi's jangmo-o takes advantage of the diversion to flee the scene. the atmosphere when his trainer and his new friend was so dark it was giving him bad vibes. he has a solution, though. while hiding under his trainer's hand, he's seen a pokemon with a funny hat that he can befriend. so that's what he runs off to do, to talk to the funny-hatt water pokemon.

she notices it a second too late. from their vantage point at the top of the rock, the jangmo-o slides down to the very base of the formation. "tuanzi!" she calls after him, to no avail. sigh. "sorry, i'll be right back."

propelling herself up to follow the little devil takes no more time than it takes for the jangmo-o to charm the skrelp into joining the team. somehow, it's a very short time. somehow, the two pokemon have enough time to coordinate a double baby-doll eyes attack on her.

by the time she can continue her conversation with lance, mimi's been forced to offer the skrelp a pokeball of its own. "you're living in lilycove, then?"

[attr="class","seelie"]
LANCE VOLLANS

[attr="class","lance"]

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

[attr="class","lance i"]cute little overwater bungalows float in the near distance, holding his attention. "you aren't that old yet." in a few years, maybe. but he keeps the thought to himself, only chuckling at it.

mimi soon runs off after her jangmo-o, leaving him to peer back over to watch her. the way she treats pokemon has always fascinated him. so gentle and calm yet so commanding. her pokemon respect her, almost as if they see her as their alpha. typical dragon trainer.

lance is pulled away by something flopping ahead of him. he pushes himself off the rock, approaching with concern as he kneels down next to the water-type. "what you doing, buddy?" the feebas FALILS atop wet sand, and lance wastes no time to scoop it into his arms before carrying it back into the water.

"yeah. they had me stationed there when i first arrived and i just never left." he looks back over his shoulder at her, smiling. "you should come visit sometimes."

Mimi Cheng

[attr="class","mimi"]lance had joined the league years ago, while mimi herself remained in the private-run competitive scene. it comes as no surprise to find he's still making good on his vow to protect pokemon. it makes her smile.

"are you sure you want me at your door every few days, looking for a match?" she jokes, always quick to remind him of their status as rivals even long after their adventures were cut short. perhaps it is her way of holding onto those carefree days. "i'd love to visit. i wonder what kind of place an elite ranger would live in."

what mimi truly wants to know is if he's holding himself together. living alone after having lost his family? sounds like the perfect feeding ground for inner demons. of course, she doesn't say any of this.

[attr="class","seelie"]
LANCE VOLLANS

[attr="class","lance"]

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

[attr="class","lance i"]lance is briefly reminded of simpler times. happier times, perhaps. his smile reflects those memories. "if you want to lose every few days, sure. just like old times." that's not entirely true. lance still considers her his rival for a reason. at her comment on his place, he shrugs his shoulders and responds with:

"as nice of a house it is, i'm barely there to enjoy it. the job has me traveling a lot."

Mimi Cheng

[attr="class","mimi"]somehow, she expects the answer, but his taunt has her focusing on a different matter. she shakes her head, amused. "you sound very confident for someone with only a 50/50 winning streak against me." then again, those fifty he'd won were mimi's losses, which doesn't paint her very well in front of sponsors. and actually– she falters, memories of smoke and debris clouding her mind. "okay, technically, 48/48. one i didn't count, since we ended up destroying the venue..."

mimi sighs at the mere memory.

"at any rate. since you're all the way here, can i assume you're on your way to a mission? on the way back?"

[attr="class","seelie"]
LANCE VOLLANS

[attr="class","lance"]

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

[attr="class","lance i"]fifty-fifty? he tilts his head at her, feigning a confused expression. "that doesn't sound right. you must be misremembering." except she isn't and he knows it. he chuckles, thinking back to them destroying the arena. it's a fond memory. "we both know i won that battle."

her sigh pulls him back into the moment.

"i just wrapped up a mission so i was about to head back. i still don't have a flying-type, so i was going to sail back."

Mimi Cheng

[attr="class","mimi"]she can't believe the cheek of this man. actually, she can. she's endured him for too many years to pretend not to know. "yes, yes, and that's why you had magmortar use a powered-up flamethrower on charizard's smokescreen." her rebuttal makes her expression more woeful than staying silent would have. "they deducted the repair costs and contingency fees from my paycheck."

in the end, though, the monetary losses were just that. she can't quite remember why she'd been so upset at the time. maybe she wanted to buy something? all irrelevant now.

her eyes perk up at the mention of a boat, and at the implication that lance had learned how to operate it. mimi herself could fly anywhere she wanted at any time, thanks to her pokemon, and she'd done so for a long, long time. "in other words, you have time for a quick 1v1." mimi looks around them, at the small patch of ground they had to support them. "probably not here, though. lilycove has a lot of open spaces fit for casual battles, right?"

she hums, before finally getting to the bottom of her proposal. "sailing does sound fun." a change would be nice.

[attr="class","seelie"]
LANCE VOLLANS

[attr="class","lance"]

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

[attr="class","lance i"]lance is just goading her for a reaction at this point. pushing his limits. "good. it was your fault, after all." the subtle smirk might give him away. no, it definitely does.

talk of a one-on-one already has him hooked. "it'll definitely be quick for one of us." he's already imagining the battle in his head, imagining all the different scenarios that could happen. "lilycove's beach is pretty spacious. we can battle there." they'd just have to find a quieter spot away from the people.

a proposal hides in her words, sneaking its way through. "you coming with me, then?"

Mimi Cheng