”ah, i try not t’ brag usually.”

he took another bite of her his burger, gravy slopping onto the plate some. he followed by dipping a fry into the puddle and folding it into his mouth.

after, he assured, ”nah, thanks. you eat yers. i’ll finish it if you don’t.”

another bite and a beat, and he shifted.

”so what’s yer favorite spot this side o’ town?”

@jessica

☉

the audino looked up at him, acknowledging with a vague look that was short of understanding.

at a certain intersection, he caught the glow of a restaurant he hadn’t been to in a while. with plenty of cash on-hand to treat himself, he decided they’d stop in.

”come on. let’s go this way.”

they’d turn, missing the cutiefly.

passing

☉

cubone slid across the ice, enjoying itself without need for skates and without fear of running into anyone else.

roach watched from a small distance on the bank, sitting bundled up on an exposed patch of grass and sipping from a flask of quality unovan whiskey. he enjoyed the cool air. hoenn was always so hot. this was the best idea the league had had in a while.

he noticed a woman skating. attractive, familiar…

realizing too late that cubone was on a collision course, he called, ”shit, look out!”

Remi Cassel

☉

”mmhm.”

roach wasn’t entirely sure what it was, he just knew they’d know it when they saw it. some kind of relic that would surely go into someone’s art collection, instead of a museum. or maybe it’d have some wild, dangerous power that rocket would utilize for their nefarious deeds. the amount of mega stones they’d gotten their hands on made them a force to be reckoned with.

the cave was quiet, and roach didn’t stop near the entrance. a floodlight came out of his pack, and he suppressed the rubber button with a click, filling the darkness with a white-yellow glow. the tail-end of several zubat could be seen fleeing deeper.

“where’d ya find yer emerald?”

DANNY HALL

☉

”’course it is,” he replied with a smirk, pulling the plate back towards him.

he leaned in closer over the food, taking another bite and then looking up at her. once he’d chewed and swallowed, he declared jokingly, ”what can i say? i got taste, darlin’. it’s why people buy things from me.” sandwich designer, salesman.

and really, maybe not for food (though his palate was perhaps shockingly refined), but there was some semblance of truth in it, still. roach was a man who thrived on knowing about the best things someone could acquire.

”how’s yours?”

@jessica

☉

the raised glass was met with a nod and a raise of his own off the deck, glinting similarly in what sun reflected off the waters below.

at angelo’s sentiment about the improvement of his day, he grinned, ”whiskey’ll do that.”

peeling open a container, he picked around some dirt to find a nice baby caterpie, before maneuvering it down onto a hook through the top. conversation continued in the process.

”so how ya been, angelo?”

he was soon taking a few steps away to reel back for another cast.

meanwhile, cubone remained where it was on the dock, kicking tiny feet over the edge and regarding the floatzel another moment before seeming to smile with its eyes.

angelo vestri

☉

it was evening, and he was making his way back to the lower district at a leisurely pace. the sharp smell of peppery cigar smoke followed him in small puffs. the audino accompanying him seemed not to mind.

he was going home richer, as usual. the leather bag over his shoulder, previously containing many luxury balls, now contained only thick stacks of cash.

”oh, i’m ‘bout ready for a drink…”

nothing quite like drunkenly basking in the glow of fresh fortune.

solo wild — normal / bug / fairy

☉

”oh. ‘preciate it, danny.

he reached in to grab one, and swung it over his shoulder as they reached the mouth of the cave.

”ahh, not exactly. we got somethin’ else we’re lookin’ for too.” the artifact, deep within the cave. Maybe it belonged to santa, but roach didn’t know about that stuff. ”but we can mine on the way, can’t we?”

DANNY HALL

☉

the sound of the waves was definitely pleasant, their sound breathy and almost metallic in the open-bellied cave. it didn’t give roach feelings of nostalgia, but he did find it relaxing. a perfect place for a drink, really. maybe even better than the bar, though he’d probably never say it.

he looked over his shoulder at angelo’s voice, and drawled, ”how’s it goin’, man? come getchya some whiskey.”

he looked up at the bag of poles. he thought maybe he’d line up a couple.

”why, thank you.”

looking in, he chuckled at the quality, but didn’t note it. in his book, the cheap ones worked just fine. it wasn’t like he was out deep-sea fishing. roach stayed on land, primarily.

he poured whiskey, handed it towards angelo, and then went to work tying hooks.

”aw, we’ll see.” one tied. on to the next. ”it ain’t gonna swim into these hooks , right?”

his cubone looked up, waving his bone as though to say hello to the floatzel.

angelo vestri

☉

”hm.”

roach looked down, eyes following to the places where caprice pointed. this guy definitely had a few bites taken out of him.

sure. good enough.

with one last discerning look at the man’s eyes, roach nodded, ”alright. i believe ye.”

then, after another moment, he clicked his tongue.

”can ya start tomorrow?”

Caprice Isaac

☉

roach raised eyebrows at her a little. ”hm?” oh. he’d been hungry and forgotten.

the way she asked was cute.

wiping more gravy from his mouth, he slid over his plate. then, he grabbed a fry off her plate for tax, watching for her reaction to his creation.

@jessica

☉

few knew the area, but one pilot by the name of angelo vestri would know just as well as any rocket exactly where roach had meant when he’d suggested fishing at the spot.

the sun beat down over sand at the edge of slateport, and just within the shade of the cove sat roach at the end of his dock, line already cast out, a bottle of bourbon at his side.

resting at the bottom of the fairly shallow depths, safely towards the rocky walls, was his octillery. his cubone stared down at its reflection, sitting quietly on his right.

”not a bad day, huh boomer?”

wedging an expensive rod into a space in the boards, he then twisted to pour himself a glass.

angelo vestri

☉