[attr="class","uriah"]her question goes unanswered. he seems to be unaffected by her glare; it simply bounces off him, not cutting as deep as it perhaps usually does.

"there aren't hundreds of people..."

his laugh trails off.

"i'll take you so you can see what you're missing out on."

[attr="class","noodles"]Suzume Amemiya

[attr="class","uriah"]"a bum fin?"

it takes him a second but he's laughing the moment realization hits.

"holy that's old. have you even seen a movie in a theater before?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Suzume Amemiya

[attr="class","uriah"]cool.

so they pay separate, and for a brief moment, uriah contemplates paying for her as well. but she said fine...so to do the opposite would mean to not take her wishes into consideration...all these thoughts and worries invade his mind even after he's paid and moved on.

he stops by the sauce station to dispense ketchup and mustard onto his hotdog, then walks on over to one of the many standing tables.

reaching for one of the fries, he dips it in mayo, ketchup, then says:

"i'm glad we're here."

awkwardly, he stumbles to correct himself:

"i've uh been starving even before you ran into me at the park."

luxray paws at uriah's leg, asking for a bite of his hotdog. unsurprisingly, he refuses.

[attr="class","noodles"]@sol

[attr="class","uriah"]whatever suzu says about the event goes unheard, unregistered, as he focuses on something else entirely.

"okay, what's the last movie you watched?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Suzume Amemiya

[attr="class","uriah"]uriah chuckles, only slightly disbelieved at the type of people his dad chooses to work with. of course they'd share his work ethic.

"neither is sitting around taking names all day."

and then, a thought:

"have you even seen a movie?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Suzume Amemiya

[attr="class","uriah"]"maybe i'll figure out someday."

her acceptance to hotdogs, of all things, has him beaming. he does his best to hide it but his smile betrays him. he nods, stepping towards the little cafeteria.

"yeah, guess we are. cool."

cool? come on, uriah.

unsurprisingly, there's no line to the counter; the museum's much quieter today than it usually is. people have likely gone home after the conclusion of the tournament.

he gives the staff a friendly smile before peering up at the menu.

"just a hotdog meal for me, please. and one for you, too?"

his head tilts to sol as he asks. regardless, he pulls out his wallet, ready to pay.

"one check or separate?"

oh shit. he probably should've thought about this.

"uhh...separate."

[attr="class","noodles"]@sol

[attr="class","uriah"]uriah isn't complimented much, so when he's met with one, or at least what he thinks is one, he's not sure how else to react but with a somewhat awkward:

"...thanks."

prideful, luxray perks his head up, almost flaunting at the mention of a battle. uriah chuckles and leans down to pet the electric-type that only shifts away, closer to sol.

"battling's alright. i'm not sure what else i'd do, to be honest. i'm not good at...doing things."

whatever that might mean, it's clear the confidence he often shows might be feigned after all, marred by his upbringing.

the path leads them to a little food area off to the side.

"you hungry? the hotdogs are apparently amazing, according to the pamphlet."

[attr="class","noodles"]@sol

[attr="class","uriah"]"yeah, i think so. what more could we ask for?"

he's only been around a few weeks so he's probably not in a position to speak for everyone else, but he does so anyway, as if confident the others on the squad would agree with him. it's foolish, stupid, even, but it's just how he feels.

"probably wasting all his money away."

he deflects with a joke but soon realizes as much. so he takes a breath, shrugging as he speaks:

"i dunno. i used to battle a lot in sinnoh. kachow's actually a great fighter even if he doesn't listen to me."

[attr="class","noodles"]@sol

[attr="class","uriah"]he remembers the lessons all too well; he just chooses to forget them when most convenient.

still, he continues to speak his mind.

"you need to win them over, or at least convince them that you're one of them."

he squeezes the sponge but doesn't move it away from the bucket just yet.

"maybe start small? littleroot or oldale would probably appreciate your support."

[attr="class","noodles"]GABRIEL BLACK // [x]

[attr="class","uriah"]uriah nods, appreciating her smile a little too much.

"yeah i mean it can be tough at times, but i know you're just looking out for the squad."

which requires her to be tough and perhaps a little unforgiving at times, but such is the job, and he holds no ill feelings because of it; quite the opposite, strangely enough.

"you're a great captain."

and after another smile, his gaze fleets to whatever exhibit's next to them. he's not really paying that much attention to anything else.

[attr="class","noodles"]@sol

[attr="class","uriah"]the yampers does follow them, thankfully, which makes their jobs that much easier.

"so, kid, tell me about your day."

probably not the best thing to talk about but at least it's a conversation that'll keep the kid distracted.

soon, they arrive at a hospital that tends to the boy's injury.

[attr="class","noodles"]Mireille Wynter // [x]

[attr="class","uriah"]"this is dreadful. no offense."

this being the bake sale, not her; hopefully, his words translate his thoughts well enough.

"i don't know, like, maybe something you like to do outside of work? like writing, watching movies, or something."

not like he has many hobbies either, but he leaves this unsaid.

[attr="class","noodles"]Suzume Amemiya

[attr="class","uriah"]"probably not. i'm sure there are better sights out there."

museums just aren't his thing; they never have been, not even the cool science one in sinnoh he went to when he was a kid. he remembers how excited his siblings were and just how...disinterested he felt looking at the various exhibits. to be fair, he understood very little. what even is a mitochondria?

at her response, he nods, perhaps understanding the desire not to talk about any issues they may have with their family, and leaves it at that.

but for whatever reason, he feels obligated to share as well.

"the only reason i'm in the military is because of my dad. he enlisted me; thought it'd set me straight, or whatever."

he could leave at any given moment, but what he doesn't share is why he's still choosing to stay.

shrugging, he offers sol a genuine smile.

"it isn't as bad as i thought it'd be."

[attr="class","noodles"]@sol