He noted the faint daze she seemed to be in before all reason and awareness flooded back into her form and function.[break][break]

Although he would have preferred not to be so outright with it, he couldn’t help but smile widely and laugh at the sight of it all, catching it just a second too late and rubbing his chin in what could only be assumed to be both embarrassment and amusement, alike. ”Stare at me any harder and you might just burn holes right through me…” he laughed, walking over regardless. Reaching out towards the penguin by her, he gave the dual type a quick and gentle pat on the head before reaching for the zipper.[break][break]

”From what I heard, the Luvdisc shouldn’t be too far down beneath the surface,” he hummed along, gently drawing the zipper upwards while glancing over her shoulder. ”Between Gold and Euterpe, too, I’m pretty sure we’ll find them pretty quickly…”

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: luvdisc dive

☉

He glanced over at the sound of her voice, all while a corner of his lips tugged up slightly and instinctively. He shrugged softly. ”It’s probably been years for myself, honestly,” he chuckled, briefly peering back down at the menu with a hum. ”Last time I did something like this was probably, like…before my service, honestly…”[break][break]

Humming a bit louder, he tapped his fingers against the laminated sheets of the pages and texts before him before lifting his head to eye her again. ”I’m kinda surprised you haven’t at least been, though~... he added in musings, tilting his head and raising a brow. ”Some companies and stuff like that like to come to places like this, right? Team bonding events and things like that?”

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: kouple karaoke

☉

Needless to say, he was glad to see a smile on her face for a change— and as if he had been attempting to prompt it to broaden, he merely shook his head at her with the intention of shaking the ears resting atop it even more. ”Me? Silly? Never,” he stressed with faux denial, both tone and smile betraying his claims altogether. ”Maybe you’re just enjoying yourself for once~. You ever thought about that?”[break][break]

Seemingly pleased with himself, he calmed down for just a moment’s reprise, though took care to gently reach out and take the other ribbon she wore between his fingers. He eyed it with an exaggerated thoughtfulness, pursing his lips before gently flicking the end of the fabric against her nose with a continuous grin.[break][break]

”...It’s a nice look for you, though~. The smile, I mean.”

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: rondez-view circulation

☉

”Damn. Okay…” he murmured back, glancing towards their guide for a moment before straightening his stance and offering them a smile as they turned towards them, opening one of the doors to the side and gesturing them in. ”Winging it, then. Gotcha…”[break][break]

And with that, he slipped through the doorway within a quick, fluid manner, briefly allowing his eyes to adjust to the sunlight of the enclosure once more before beginning to properly peer around. He took several more steps along the way, eventually eying what he could only assume to be some of the pandas in question.[break][break]

…Oddly enough, a couple of them seemed to be locked in some sort of quarrel while another one seemed to be sulking some ways away.[break][break]

”...Ohhhhhhhhhh… I think I see what’s happening…”

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: pwoduce pangowos pwease!

☉

”Always am; don’t you worry~.”[break][break]

The words were paired with a quick smile flashed her way before he squeezed her hand as a means to further stable his grasp. He pulled her up accordingly after the fact (and not without gently reaching out to take her arm within his other hand for further safety), taking a couple of paces backwards to guide her onto a safer distance from the edge before letting go.[break][break]

He turned his head to gaze upon their surroundings from the top of their elevated stance following that, breathing a sigh as he placed his hands upon his waist. ”Ahhh… There it is~....” he mused on, eying the fence that bordered their surroundings before peering over the varied greens and other fauna. He pointed through them after some time, grinning a bit wider. ”Y’see that, further down there~?” he went on, glancing towards her for a moment. ”Those are the canopies of some of the trees down in Fortree City. Can you see them~?”

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: sunset selfie

☉

He looked towards the sound of the bell immediately.[break][break]

”Ahhh, damn…” he murmured under his breath, pursing his lips pensively with a quick clatter of steel against wood as he set the blade within his grasp down. Within the span of no more than a few seconds, he frantically shifted back and forth where he stood, breathing a slightly stressed hiss of a sigh as he scratched his head before ultimately making a brisk jog to the door.[break][break]

With a couple of clicks, he undid the locks and opened the door slightly, offering the woman waiting outside a quick, faintly rushed smile. ”Hey! Hi! Uh, here, come in—” he greeted her, immediately opening the door wider before turning around and jogging off once more. ”Sorry— I guess I kinda skimped on time! Just finishing the tail end of my prep, feel free to make yourself comfortable—”

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: affection's confections

☉

…Arceus, when was the last time he had to take a swim like this?[break][break]

Was it when he was still in service? That sounded about right. Although…it definitely would’ve been with different circumstances and attires, alike. He hummed to himself as he ran his fingers along his arms, smoothing them over the fabric plastered to them before rolling his shoulders in attempt to get himself adjusted to just how form fitting the entire suit was.[break][break]

He hummed, glancing towards his emerald eyed companion and tilting his head. ”...You gonna need help with the zipper, there~?” he asked with a smile.

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: luvdisc dive

☉

Honestly speaking, this was probably the first time he brought this up as a date idea.[break][break]

Mostly because he wasn’t exactly the best singer (as if that even mattered to him, since karaoke nights always seemed fun to him, anyways), but also because he never exactly had the time to do it in the past, or the type of friends that would be willing to ditch the shooting range for a night on the town like this. To an extent, the same applied to the person he’d somehow persuaded (minus the shooting range detail, of course), but he figured it’d be a fun experience for both of them.[break][break]

New experiences, and all. Nothing could go wrong.[break][break]

…He did eye the drinks they ordered with some subtle degree of amusement as they perused the song catalog, though. It was always a funny reminder and reference to how they met.

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: kouple karaoke

☉

He gave a long, low whistle at the sight of everything around them.[break][break]

Capitalizing. He was capitalizing (monopolizing, really, even if he didn’t realize it or mean to) the most of her time whenever he found out that she had some to spare, so after no shortage of insistence on his part, he found himself within the corners of one of the shops set up for the event. He hummed as he peered through the arrays of souvenirs and the like, quirking his lip before smiling and picking a pair of Incineroar ears from the mess and putting them on.[break][break]

He glanced towards his side with a grin, gesturing up at them. ”What do you think, eh~? On brand for me?”

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: rondez-view circulation

☉

Y’know what? He’d gotten stranger requests in the past.[break]
This was still up there, but he’d already experienced…not worse, but definitely weirder.[break][break]

So, he hummed as they were guided towards the…breeding areas? Keeping grounds? He hadn’t even had a clue what to call them, but for a while, he merely kept his eyes forward as they were guided through the facility by one of the employees. Before long, though, he eyed the back of the person’s head before gradually (subtly) slowing his own pace, eventually falling in line with the woman he’d asked to accompany him.[break][break]

He leaned over to her, lowering his voice while still keeping his eyes on their guide.[break][break]

”...This is a long shot, but did...you or any of your siblings ever have any experience in Pokemon breeding? ...There any advice you could offer for this?”

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: pwoduce pangowos pwease!

☉

He’d been waiting for a chance to do this for a while.[break][break]

Time was definitely against him, after all, what with a very certain person always being occupied by work. Ever since coming to Hoenn, though, there were a fair amount of places he’d found and explored within his newfound free time, and truthfully, he’d been wanting to show them off for a while. It required some minor deviation from the set path (which came with its own risks, of course, but he took that into account with caution), but as he took a smaller, running start towards a larger boulder and grasped onto the edge of it, he gave a low, grunting sigh as he hauled himself up.[break][break]

They’d have to go back later, of course, but it’d be worth it.[break][break]

Without much time wasted, he crouched atop the very edge he’d pulled himself over, and then pressed himself down against the surface. With one hand secured against the edge and another stretched out and down, he nodded towards a certain blonde he’d taken the liberty of dragging out. ”Careful, now~. C’mon- I’ll help you up.”

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: sunset selfie

☉

With a soft, faintly rushed hum, he glanced towards the time amidst the various bowls and other mise en place he’d already set up. His eyes narrowed faintly and swiftly before he peered around the counter once more, and after a swiftened pace of thought (paired pensively by several finger taps upon the edge of the counter), he breathed a sigh as he hooked around and opened another cabinet, quickly pointing his finger through a number of glasses before snapping and picking out a couple of the kind that he’d had in mind as soon as they came into sight.[break][break]

”Aaaah… I hope I can get everything else done by the time she gets here…” he murmured absentmindedly to himself, quirking his lip as he took himself back to his cutting board. Reaching over, he quickly took a knife he’d set out, deftly taking it upon himself to check his phone for the time (again) before beginning to mince whatever else he needed to.

DAPHNE STONE [break]
mission: affection's confections

☉

As momentary as it was, the admiration within his eyes as he glanced between the food offered to him, as well as the woman that offered it, had been as clear as day and the stars within the night sky.[break][break]

Though there had been a pause for thought, he merely gave a soft smile before leaning forward in acceptance of the share she’d extended towards him; carefully polishing the food she’d gathered for him off before leaning back. He hummed softly as he chewed, eventually relaxing as he folded his hands within his lap. ”I will if you spoil me like that…” he chuckled, glancing towards her from the corner of his eye. ”Mmn…that aside, though, what’s got you somehow busier than usual? Feels like you’ve been more swamped than usual. Honestly can’t tell if it’s the workload, or if it’s you getting too lost in it…”

DAPHNE STONE [break]

☉