don't be late tomorrow.

danny shows up thirty minutes early.

"i'm sure she'll show soon."

it's not like a member of the elite four has anything better to do, right? either way, he's sitting on the ground underneath a large tree. his mudsdale rests its head on his lap, laying down beside him.

it's surprisingly cold. perhaps there's a frozen lake somewhere.

for now, he waits.

Katherine Fairburne
mission

☉

"...alright."

he clears his throat, steeling his demeanor.

"i'll see you back here tomorrow night, then. same time."

Katherine Fairburne
mission

☉

"was i nervous? maybe i was acting."

to keep up the act, danny even winks, but gods know he definitely was nervous.

the question catches him off guard. he blinks, shaking his head.

"nope! but i heard theo knows him quite well. maybe you should ask him?"

Nia Acadia

☉

fortunately, danny knows what he's doing. his hand glides over his cards, and stealthily, the one up his sleeve slides out, and he slides one away in return, swapping them out.

finally, he flips his cards open, revealing three aces.

"what do you got, big man?"

Nia Acadia

☉

"...i think i could."

confidence bubbles from...somewhere. does it matter? what matters is what he shows, regardless of whether it's feigned or otherwise.

"if you'd let me."

Katherine Fairburne
mission

☉

well, danny is certainly intimidated.

he's not a good judge of character, nor can he read people well, but he knows the cards he has, and that's three straight aces, which is a strong a hand as any.

maybe the old danny would've folded.

"guess we're doing this."

he pushes his chips in as well.

Nia Acadia

☉

"...i know."

danny knows he fucked up. knows he shouldn't have said anything. knows that he's put Greyson Connors in more danger now because of it. he knows, and yet, hearing it almost seals it, giving life to the darkest pits of his guilt.

it remains even as she brushes past him, stepping into the living room. he follows after, nodding.

"just this, really, as well as dinner and some drinks. pizza, just like old times."

he sits on the couch, plopping down with a sigh.

"we still have to order it, though."

Serena Malcolm

☉

if danny understands the rules correctly, he could meet the man's raised bet, or raise the bet even more himself, forcing the man to raise as well. and should the man fold then, well, he'd lose his bet thus far.

either way, danny knows he has a winning hand, so the options are his to choose.

"big bets make it more fun, right?"

he nervously chuckles, then throws even more chips in, forcing the man to raise to meet danny's.

Nia Acadia

☉

the thing about poker is that setting up a winning hand is more difficult than it needs to be. with a game like blackjack, having an ace up his sleeve most often meant securing the round. but the ace for this particular hand in poker?

not bad either.

two aces, so far.

danny has a horrible poker face but he tries his best to remain neutral. he places the same bet as the other man, which is definitely more than a months' pay for him.

"big bets, huh?"

Nia Acadia

☉

danny blinks.

"...luka?"

after all the time they've spent together in the digital space, he'd recognize her anywhere. seeing her in person instead of through a screen just feels...surreal.

it's why he pulls her into a hug, warm and longing as he chuckles. when he pulls away, he's beaming with a smile.

"i never thought i'd see you here! or ever, really...but what are you doing here?"

luka chêne
mission

☉

"a bit of both."

could he be blamed? it's not every day that he gets to meet one of hoenn's elites. they say never meet your heroes, but what if they're as nice as she's been to him?

gathering up the courage, he looks back over at her, smiling.

"more so the first."

Katherine Fairburne
mission

☉

her confidence inspires him, really. it even manages to ease away whatever awkwardness he felt, replacing it with...comfort? is that the right word?

"we should, uh, maybe do this more often."

as he locks eyes with her, he dips his head in a nod, smiling almost shyly as he looks away.

"not rescuing me, i mean, but horse riding."

Katherine Fairburne
mission

☉

passable.

he'll take it.

her words only cause his flush to deepen, turning shades of pink to red. he raises his hand to rub at his cheeks, gaze still elsewhere.

"...thanks."

after a breath, he finally looks back over at her.

"i think you're cute, too. but i'm sure you don't need me to tell you that."

Katherine Fairburne
mission

☉