Needless to say, her closeness was far from opposed once she’d properly and safely situated herself atop the back of her Pokemon. Taking care to gently pull the bag from her (lest she be shifted off balance) before pulling her along, he set it aside before helping her begin taking the contents out. He hummed softly while doing so, though spared a subtle, amused glance towards her upon feeling her lean further against his form.[break][break]

She suggested taking a picture, and before long, he found himself looking up towards the regal that he’d assumed would be helping with the task. Blinking, he slowly set down the most rescind piece of tupperware he’d taken between his fingers down, a soft smile tugging upon his lips as he properly processed what was suggested/[break][break]

”Mmn. There’s no harm in it~...” the man hummed idly, his eyes shifting towards the woman resting so comfortably and leisurely against him before peering back towards the bug type and the phone she was given. ”Taking advantage of the backdrop, mmn~?”

mielle [break]
mission: sunset selfie

☉

…He liked to think that he had good self discipline.[break]
Truthfully speaking, he was right for the most part.[break][break]

But there was always…something— something about how nonchalantly she handled certain things, and something how nonchalant (or oblivious, he’d come to realize by then) she often seemed to be towards more minute details. Within some moments, it proved to be nothing short of a cursed inconvenience, though as she carried herself so leisurely and weightlessly across the kitchen with the tips of her fingers lightly gracing her tongue, she’d garnered an unseen gaze of idle, absentminded intent from him.[break][break]

The sound of the faucet running had been enough to bring him back to earth.[break][break]

With a subtle sense of pensiveness towards his own, wandering mind, he’d breathed a soft, silently hissing sigh of exasperation beneath his breath as he swiftly turned his attention back towards the specifics of what he’d been bothering himself with at the time; his fingers tapping gently against the counter for some hidden amounts of time prior to a final, briefly successful effort to finally cast what thoughts and opinions he’d had aside.[break][break]

It hadn’t been until the beeping of the oven sounded that he shifted his gaze towards her, watching as she moved to and fro along the aisle. Shifting aside in order to make more room for her, he gave a small, content hum as she set the cake aside, leaning against the counter by him as she spoke her part. Azure hues watched with some minor degree of thought as she rid herself ot eh mitts she donned and eventually offered a piece of honeycomb to him.[break][break]

Inhaling deeply after a final, shorter period of thought, he side eyed the cake that peacefully rested further along the countertop by then before peering back towards her. Rather than leaning over to taste it as she intended, he reached a hand up towards the fork; his fingers faintly brushing against hers as he ultimately rested his against the metal and softly pushed it aside a small distance.[break][break]

”...I’m sorry, amore, but I’ve had something on my mind for a little while, now…” he murmured, meeting her gaze narrowly while tugging his lips to a side within a softened smirk. His hand moved from the fork, itself, all the while; instead finding its way beneath her wrist in attempt to urge her to set the utensil aside.[break][break]

”...Do you think the taste test could wait a little while? I’m sure we have time, anyways~…”

mielle [break]
mission: affection's confections

☉

”I…suppose so…?”[break][break]

It would’ve been an understatement to say that he was a bit confused and skeptical with the scenario they’d been given, but the way he saw it, it was already too late to leave. Admittedly enough, though, he was rather curious to see how this would all turn out. While he may not have been a breeder, he did come with the intention to offer as much help as he could.[break][break]

…Even if he didn’t quite know what to do.[break][break]

”...It’ll be a starting point, at the very least,” he hummed pensively, furrowing his brows while eying the two bears for several moments in a following silence. Before long, however, he quirked his lip and gave another, airier sigh of a hum before glancing towards the woman by him again.[break][break]

”I…suppose I’ll go gather some more bamboo branches for them to snack on while they interact…?”

mielle [break]
mission: pwoduce pangowos pwease!

☉

His initial response had been nothing more than an idling hum of content amusement, whether it was simply from her eagerness of continuing along, or in reaction to the returned gesture and touch that he couldn’t help but linger upon.[break][break]

Nevertheless, he allowed her to pull him along, all while azure hues eyed both the line and the attraction before them as they fell behind those that arrived first. Lo and behold, however, the line indeed moved quicker than he truthfully expected, and as he slipped into his own seat, he continuously offered a hand towards her in order to help her follow after him.[break][break]

It would’ve been a shame if she fell, after all.[break][break]

”...Ah. Also, this goes without saying, amore~...” he began, giving her a playfully coy glance from the corner of his eye as a knowing smile tugged upon his lips. ”As much as I personally wouldn’t mind it, maybe you should keep any antics you might be thinking of to yourself— just this once, at least~.”[break][break]

He pursed his lips at her in mock judgment, though leaned back against his own part of the seat while taking her hand once more, nonetheless.[break][break]

”...There are a fair amount of children here, after all— and we can’t be too sure of how many employees are inside ensuring everything is in working order~.”

mielle [break]
mission: rondez-view circulation

☉

He watched as the woman came by some moments after he’d called out, humming in thought as she began to push through the rocks and rubble. Beneath the guise of his mask did he quirk his lip,gently tapping his finger against the light he held within his own grasp.[break][break]

”Thankfully, but prying everything apart by hand would take too long, no…?” he mused, taking a moment to swim several feet closer for closer examination. He touched a hand against another piece of rubble, narrowing his eyes while glancing at the nearest, trapped heart between the cracks. ”We could simply report back to those on the boat, but—”[break][break]

Of course, there was a simpler option.[break][break]

A sudden, soft, ”Ahhh~,” escaped his lips as he quickly shifted his arms within the water, turning once more towards his own Pokemon. ”Amore!”[break][break]

Another, classy gurgle in response.[break][break]

”Can you use Ancient Power for me, my love~?” he asked with a smile, gently patting the beast’s shoulder before pointing towards the collapsed earth and stone. ”Be gentle. Just set the rocks aside~.”[break][break]

And with that, he noted the turn of the Pokemon’s gargantuan head as it sought to look at him. There was an amount of silence that gradually instilled more and more discomfort and uncertainty within him (the soft, seemingly confused gurgle he heard in initial response hadn’t made it any better) as he observed the sense of what he could only assume to be questioning in light of his request.[break][break]

It was quickly followed by a much more confident cry, and he couldn’t help but feel slightly bewildered as he watched the Dracovish prep and utilize a careful Ancient Power on the rubble, loosening its grip on the water types wedged between it before gently pushing it further and towards another part of the ocean floor with confidence and ease.[break][break]

He watched as the Luvdisc quickly situated themselves, fluttering before forming into their own little school and immediately trailing off into deeper and more distant waters.

mielle [break]
mission: luvdisc dive

☉

He gave a hum and nod in approval while properly selecting the aforementioned song, watching and listening as the lyrics began to filter upon the screen amidst the loading sights of scenery behind them. The beginnings of a familiar tune met his ears as a sense of nostalgia (a kind that he truthfully still pondered the roots of), he reached over to take both of the microphones they were to use.[break][break]

He held one over to her while noting her words and leaning over to glance at the tablet.[break][break]

”Ah, yes— I did~.” Another, chuckling hum escaped his lips as he nudged her gently, nodding towards the television screen some ways away. ”I’d advise being quick, though, amore,” he added with a playful tone. ”It’d be a shame for our score to go down because you didn’t join in time~.”

mielle [break]
mission: kouple karaoke

☉

”Mmn. They’re quite slow while swimming, but they’re actually rather quick when running underwater~.” He gave a brief laugh as they descended through the waters, reaching over to gently rub the beast’s cheek a smaller time prior to touching down upon the ocean floor. ”Although, they…are prone to sinking like this without other movements. For…obvious reasons.”[break][break]

He looked around briefly, letting go for just a moment in order to begin swimming in attempt to search. His hand drifted down to the belt entailed with his gear, and though he flicked the switch of a flashlight that came with everything on, he found himself glancing over as his own Pokemon seemed to wave its flippers with an even more garbled cry than usual (all thanks to the water, of course) and began to wade through to another part of the sands and rocks.[break][break]

”...Speaking of the Luvdisc, it looks like they already found them~.”

mielle [break]
mission: luvdisc dive

☉

…So leisurely like always.[break][break]

A soft and faint sigh of faux exasperation left his lips in response to her words, all while he shifted his arm to welcome her closer. It draped itself over her shoulders, his hand resting upon the one closest to him and rubbing it absentmindedly as he rested the side of his face against her head.[break][break]

”...If you say so~...” he hummed lowly, his gaze continuous upon the screen before them as he paused to place a quick peck stop her head. Following that, he perked up slightly as the sight of a certain song caught his attention.[break][break]

”Ah— what about that one, amore~? Do you know it?”

mielle [break]
mission: kouple karaoke

☉

Seeing and feeling her take to him so quickly was always something to be welcomed.[break][break]

Instinctively, his smile broadened as she returned the hold and held onto his arm so eagerly; a duo of actions that prompted him to softly squeeze her hand as they walked along. ”Mmn. It does seem like people are getting off and on somewhat quickly, too~...” he mused absentmindedly, briefly lifting her hand up. He pressed his lips against her knuckles gently before lowering it again. ”Hm~... I do hope it’s good, though. Rides like that are the same anywhere, but seeing it firsthand would probably be a precursor for how good the rest of the faire will be…”

mielle [break]
mission: rondez-view circulation

☉

…That sounded even more concerning.[break][break]

Just as they’d been moments beforehand, his brows remained within their light furrow as he eyed her and took her words into account. Before long, however, he noted the sound of approaching footfalls before he could make a response right then and there, briefly shifting his attention towards the returning employee and another coworker of theirs before nodding and beginning to walk after them as they first said something about bringing them to the enclosure.[break][break]

During the walk, he slipped his hands into his pockets in thought, mulling over the further descriptions he was given as he fell behind the two workers in order to match the woman’s pace again. ”...All the more not to do that, then, no…?” he murmured idly, his tone ripe with inquiry and concern, alike. He glanced towards the door they were led to, giving a grateful nod to the worker that held it open for them as he walked in. ”Poisoning them should be the last thing we want to do…”

mielle [break]
mission: pwoduce pangowos pwease!

☉

A picnic on turtleback, then?[break][break]

Truthfully speaking, it was an amusing thought to say the least, and although he found himself caught off guard at the notion at first, the man gave a softly amused smile as his gaze drifted towards the creature in question. He hummed.[break][break]

"...That's honestly the first time I've heard a suggestion like that," he started off, his tone musing as he raised a brow, "but I'd be lying if I said I was opposed to it~. With those words, he let go of her hand with some hidden degree of reluctance, though all in favor of stepping towards the grass type before them. As he met gazes with it, he offered it a quick smile before reaching up, and—ensuring to the best of his ability that his grasp wouldn’t hinder or otherwise agitate it—pulled himself up with a gentle grunt.[break][break]

Turning around, he offered his hand down, nodding to the bags she bore. ”Come. Let me get those for you, amore~.”

mielle [break]
mission: sunset selfie

☉

Following his own form of greeting, the man sought to take no more than a pace back in order to give his companion her space, all while his gaze (frayed as it may have been) trailed after her and her movements. He took her words into mind as she shifted about to pull and organize ingredients, and even found himself absentmindedly eying the tin she pulled out.[break][break]

An instinctively amused smile tugged upon his lips at the sight.[break][break]

”So prepared~...” he mused with a soft chuckle, reaching out for the remainder of the bags not attended to. He did his best to organize them as he pulled their contents out, eventually pausing as his fingers touched what seemed to be a recipe upon closer look. Humming, he turned towards the oven after a few moments of acquisition, pressing the buttons residing upon its controls in order to begin preheating it. ”Let’s see, here…”[break][break]

Mulling through the list, he began pulling out the necessary equipment (bowls, sieves, whisks— the works, really) to put the dish together. After some time and coordination, he carefully shifted by his guest in order to acquire the necessary ingredients, only pausing every so often to refer to the recipe (and more importantly, her guidance) as he did his best with prepping the batter and…the like.[break][break]

…And whatever else they needed to go.[break]
Whatever else he was capable of doing, specifically.

mielle [break]
mission: affection's confections

☉