She didn’t expect a completely honest answer, but that’s exactly what he gives her. So, with an elbow on the small desk that had been assigned to her, she rests her head on her hand, turning to watch him while he talks about the issues with the rangers’ database.

Inefficient.

Disorganized.

Incompetent.

Is there any aspect in which the rangers don’t have issues?

Still, she’s one now too, and isn’t trying to help with those issues part of the reason she became one to begin with?

”Sure, I’ll reorganize the database so we can use it more efficiently, but it will probably take me a few days.”

Lia gives him a gentle smile, yet a sigh follows soon behind.

”Im surprised no one mentioned it before, though. It’s a pretty obvious issue, and I bet looking for old files has been a pain... Did you really only move here last year?”

As much as she wants to talk about the database, the comment results distracting.

LANCE VOLLANS

☉

At the mention of dinner, she pauses, because it comes with the reminder that she should probably do the same. In her case, it likely means ordering something or making a quick and easy meal, since Lia has never been all that great at cooking. It will all come accompanied with a glass of wine, and she will probably eat while watching some show on RotomTV (yes, she still has RotomTV, no matter how strained her relationship with ANA STONE may be) .

It all sounds nice enough in her opinion, but for some reason, she still finds herself not wanting to leave.

Especially not when he sits next to her; the smile lingering at her lips before turning to look at the computer screen.

”Okay, so… I was wondering if there was a reason the old reports are organized the way they are in the system? They’re in by the type of situation they’re about, but there isn’t exactly a chronological order, so it can make things a bit harder to find when looking for one. I entered these the same way, but chronologically and with the names of the rangers filing them as keywords, since I figured that’d probably make things a bit easier in the long run…”

In truth, she knows the answer is they probably are probably the way the are because old reports are added to the system long after they were filled, and things like keeping chronology can be tedious to most people. But still, even with all of Lia’s belief in most rangers’ incompetence, never did she imagine the issue would go as far as presenting itself in something as simple and fundamental as archiving…

”What do you think?”

LANCE VOLLANS

☉

So many years had been spent looking at maps; ancient ones obsolete for the sake of any practical purposes and even newer ones that were never used for any actual exploring. Lia’s love and appreciation for cartography has always run deep and true, and yet it’s here, when in the cockpit of a seaplane, that it is finally given a practical use…
[break][break]
If the map doesn’t smack her in the face first, that is.
[break][break]
Startled, the freshly-minted ranger blinks, yet delicate fingers that are only marked by the few calluses that come with years of archery take the offered map nevertheless. She’s careful in unfolding it, her gold-coloured gaze peering down at it in search of the name of the island town they’re approaching.
[break][break]
Dewford.
[break][break]
Dew and crossing.
[break][break]
A name fitting of a town in the middle of the ocean.
[break][break]
Linguistics is also something of which Lia is fond of, and that fondness lies much deeper than her appreciation of cartography.
[break][break]
”Uhmm…” Gently, a finger traces the short distance between Dewford’s island and a much smaller one to its right, a miniscule one that is unlikely to appear in most maps – unmarked.
[break][break]
”East. Pretty sure we should be able to see it soon.”
[break][break]
Is she? She’s definitely more familiar with the way things look from above than from the sea, even if her ‘above’ is usually on a pokémon’s back and not nearly as high as this, and even then, the Water Routes are not a place she visits all that often…
[break][break]
On her shoulder, a small Fletchling chirps.

angelo vestri

[attr="class","mmpokesprite"]

’Lia.’

Even if it has only been a couple of weeks since she first became a ranger, his voice has become familiar; one she can easily recognize without even needing to look at him. She does look at him, however – golden eyes peering up from the computer screen to meet his gaze.

”I will in a bit, I just have a couple more files to get done. Are you heading home now?”

A soft smile and the ceaseless sound of the keyboard; delicate fingers still typing as if by sheer muscle memory. There’s a familiarity to all of this, perhaps because it reminds her of all those years when hours would be spent at the university’s library even long after the sun had set, working at her laptop with a dozen books around her.

This time, the typing stops so she can adjust her ponytail, fingers then reaching to pinch the bridge of her nose – right where glasses had been resting for hours. They’re not something she wears unless reading for long or using a computer, and honestly, she’s thankful for it, no matter how cute they might be.

”Actually, do you have a minute? I wanted to ask you something about all this.”

LANCE VOLLANS

☉

The mechanical keyboard is old, and certain keys get stuck from time to time, so much so that they must be pressed twice or even three times for the letters to be inputted. Despite this, the sound of typing seems endless; a constant in the small office room for hours upon hours.

Two piles of files lay stacked on the desk: one tall, one short, their heights having been exchanged since the morning. There’s a half-empty cup of coffee that is probably cold at this point, but aside from all that and the computer, there isn’t much more.

The typing only stops so she can stretch from where she sits and straighten her back, and when she looks out the window, she notices the day has begun to fade into twilight.

How long has it been?

She probably should go home soon, but there’s so little left to do before she’s done organizing and digitizing all these files...

Lia hates leaving tasks undone, and in a way, this is interesting and almost fun.

So, the typing resumes soon enough.

LANCE VOLLANS

☉

In a way, it’s almost as if they take turns teasing each other, so it’s not as if she has any right to tell him not to ‘be mean’ – not when she herself has said and done more than a few things to get a reaction out of him. And honestly, even now when he’s purposely teasing her and making her blush and pout on purpose, she doesn’t really mind it at all. It’s nice, especially when he smiles like that…

’Okay.’

She chuckles, and it’s also with a smile that she leans in to meet the kiss, gladly reciprocating and allowing herself to enjoy this moment that belongs just to the two of them. Arms wrap around his neck, and this time, nothing interrupts them.

What will they do once the mission is over?

Lia wonders about it, but for now, she keeps the question to herself.

LANCE VOLLANS

☉

’I still am.’

There’s something that makes her heart skip a beat about the way he looks at her when reaching for her cheek, and even though it’s not something she wishes for, she can feel the warmth of rushing blood – the blushing only intensifying by the time the compliment comes.

”Lance.”

A pout, one more obvious than the last one.

”Don’t be mean.”

But, he’s not being mean, is he? His words feel honest, and while he could easily just be saying them for the sake of flirting, she is happy thinking that they might be honest indeed – even if she knows it might be foolish to believe this. What does he want out of this? What does she want?

Likely, it’s something to which neither of them have given much thought, and the question certainly holds no importance to her at this very moment…

Other things matter more.

”Kiss me again?”

Once more, she meets his gaze, and even while she may be blushing, this is asked with a soft and playful smile, no trace of embarrassment.

LANCE VOLLANS

☉

TY ♡ Gacha Eevee is coming from @sol

With the pokémon now keeping an eye on the Corsola, who could blame them for being distracted? It’s not like they need to keep careful watch, since even the Decidueye flies up above, keeping an eye on things.

Then again, they were distracted long before all the pokémon were out here, weren’t they?

Lia pouts just a little when Lance points this out, but it’s immediately followed by a soft chuckle, still allowing herself to lean against him.

”True, we were…”

Is it bad that she doesn’t feel guilty about it?

It probably is, since something could have probably happened to the Corsola had they not reacted so quickly…

”...It was nice, though”

She smiles at him, still blushing.

LANCE VOLLANS

☉

Originally, Lia had thought this was a silly mission and that she was only interested in completing it because it was the task that was given to her, and that might have very well been true back then. Yet, as she looks at the Corsolas around them, she finds herself to be genuinely relieved to see that they’re okay, and the sight of their AQUA RINGS even brings a smile to her face.

This smile lingers when she gazes up at Lance.

”Yeah. I…”

Should she be staying this close to him?

Even with everything they had been doing before the Huntail appeared, it seems somewhat intimate in a completely different way. She’s probably overthinking it, and she realizes as much, but that doesn’t stop those pink hues to colour her cheeks in the same way they so often seem to do when she’s alone with him...

”Sorry, I kinda got startled before.”

When the Huntail brushed against her.

When their kiss was interrupted...

LANCE VOLLANS

☉

The Huntail’s fate is sealed the moment the SPIRIT SHACKLE leaves its eerie mark, for there’s no way it could have done anything against the force with which it is met. It could even be called overkill with how fast Lance’s pokémon deal with it, it’s shackled shadow leaving it unable to even swim away...

Up above, the Decidueye circles around them once the Deep Sea Pokémon disappears from sight, in search for any other threats.

Lia can’t help but chuckle lightly. Relieved, if anything.

”At least it looks like the Corsola are okay.”

She hopes so, at least, and it's only then that she realizes that he's still holding her...

LANCE VOLLANS

☉

It all happens fast.

While the pokémon chase after the Huntail, he holds her close, and she lets him do so. But, that doesn’t mean she’ll be useless in this situation, does it? Lia is not here to be useless, and it simply doesn’t suit.

Wabbit is indeed finally called out from her pokéball, but it’s not Lance’s Azumarill that she relies on in a situation like this. For, the moment she exclaimed in surprise was the moment her Decidueye took flight, and it’s within seconds that it calls from up above.

”Oh. Juniper! Protect the Corsola.”

The instruction is simple, and with the keen vision of a bird of prey, the Decidueye can clearly see the Huntail when flying above the water. It’s a precise SPIRIT SHACKLE that stops it on its tracks as it chases the Corsola, forcing it to turn and face its own pursuers.

Through it all, Lia stays close to Lance, even if her attention is now fixed on the pokémon.

LANCE VOLLANS

☉

Fonz is giving Adrian Malcolm's GACHA Farfetch'd to Amelia Livy and he better not forget to reply to this or I will CRY. Do you want me to cry, Fonz?!