Dom smiled at luka chêne as she approached. They'd decorated that tree together. It was really pretty. The Lopunny walking with her caught his attention, and he turned his smile to the Pokemon as she extended a delightfully pink Pokeball.[break][break]

"I usually don't really like parties," he admitted to Luka as he took the Pokeball from the Lopunny. "Thank you, this is very kind. But this party isn't so bad. You're right, everyone looks so happy!" He blinked as Martín del Mar planted a kiss on Luka's cheek and thanked her for the gift. Feeling immediately as if he'd made a severe cultural misstep, Dom looked between the two. "Am... are we supposed to kiss people that give us gifts?" He gave the Lopunny a sideways glance, then looked around for the Delibird that he'd seen earlier. Oh, there he was—no, wait this one was giving him a different gift. He muttered a thank you, squinting at it. No. Don't kiss the Pokemon, Dom. He realized, leaning further onto Matilda Greenlaw's shoulder, that he didn't even know who these gifts were coming from.[break][break]

Guess he'd have to kiss everyone. That was only fair, right?[break][break]

To start, he planted a smooch on the top of Tilly's head. One down. It was at that moment that he caught sight of Locke Jamison approaching the group. He grinned and held out a hand. "Dominic Grey. I'm a ranger." Instead of a handshake, he found a Pokeball pressed into his palm. He looked at it closely at first, squinting hard. "Thank you for this, it's very nice. I... I think we're supposed to kiss?"

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"Martín," he repeated, only slurring his words a little bit. He was determined to commit it to memory, though. As they exchanged handshakes, Dom felt a tenacious tug at his pant leg. It took him a moment to register it—the squawks certainly helped guide his attention—but when he looked down, he caught sight of a very serious-looking Delibird, Pokeball in hand. Or... wing. Dom blinked at him. "For me? Thank you so much." He took the Pokeball gingerly and gave Moroz a quick pat on the head.[break][break]

He turned his attention back to Martín del Mar as the man thanked him for his service. Shifting his elbow onto Matilda Greenlaw's shoulder, he started to lean onto her a bit more than was probably necessary. He grinned at Mars. "Thank you, that's very kind. Honestly, I'm just happy to do the work. I love it." His brow furrowed for a moment. Polite conversation, Dom. "Mmm, and what do you do?" Nailed it.
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The silence that fell over them as he finished his story streched for what seemed like an impossibly long time. Dom wasn't sure what he expected Tilly's reaction to be; he hadn't ever considered that he might tell her what had been going on. He never considered he might tell anyone, in fact. Now that he had, though, it felt like a weight lifted off of him. Some small piece of what he had experienced had been broken off and given away, the burden shared by others.

He finally pulled his attention from the fire when a Togepi was offered to him. Dom looked at the little pale Pokemon, trilling away in her half-shell, and he smiled sadly. Gently, he took the Togepi and cradled her in his arms, close to his chest. They were known to share their happiness with people and he could use a little bit of that now.

"I'm glad you're here, Tilly."

Matilda Greenlaw

☉

The flurry of activity was dizzying. Or maybe that was the alcohol. Or the social anxiety. Who could say for sure? All Dom was sure of was the slight spin of the room and the jovial atmosphere. He smiled despite himself, taking another long drink of that delicious punch. A moment later, he realized that Matilda Greenlaw was at his elbow. He blinked slowly at her, waiting for her to come into focus properly. She never really did. Before he processed her words, Tilly was dragging him over towards Martín del Mar. Lynx toddled after him, still looking concerned.[break][break]

Vaguely aware that he was supposed to introduce himself, Dom stuck out his hand and said, "Dominic Grey. I'm a ranger from Kanto." He sincerely hoped that the other man responded with his name; Dom was sure Tilly had said it at least once, but it certainly wasn't registering in his brain any longer. Mark? No. Mavis? Probably not.

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Dom hovered near the punchbowl, sipping occasionally on his cup, and watched the goings-on of the party. Everyone seemed to be settling in, and the gifts and alcohol were flowing. Lynx tugged at his leg, looking up with puppy dog eyes. Dom gave him a half-smile.[break][break]

"Sorry, bud, no punch for you." He barely caught his name mentioned from across the room and glanced up in time to see Martín del Mar and Matilda Greenlaw looking his way. He flashed an awkward grin and started to walk in their direction, but quickly noticed the blush tinting Tilly's cheeks. He hesitated. That was more than the tinge of alcohol, he could tell from over here. Dom chuckled to himself from his position at the punch bowl, content not to interrupt.

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