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So full of energy, by the look of it.[break]
Honestly speaking, he couldn’t help but feel relieved seeing as such.[break][break]

Word got around quickly within various spheres of influence and otherwise, after all— and even if he, himself, had taken a venture down a different, yet still ultimately similar path in recent days’ past, he still found himself engaged within the happenings whenever relevant. To see beaming lights and personae befitting of the very people he knew was always nothing short of a welcomed sight, but no amount of glee and vigor could ever prove to be enough of a distraction to completely shirk him from the questions that fluttered within his mind.[break][break]

(Don’t wanna go bringing the mood down, though…)[break][break]

…And so the questions, he decided, would be pushed aside for another day, perhaps.[break][break]

So rather than acting on his queries, he merely followed in tow within her wake, chuckling quietly to himself at her exuberance all the while. His gaze trailed along the little creatures surrounding them as he strode along (with nothing short of a still-debating eye towards the pair of swords, but hey— she’d said she weren’t as intimidating as she looked, so he’d take her word for it), thinking for a moment before tapping a couple of the Pokeballs on his person to reveal a Togepi and Dratini—each similarly familiar faces to the Pokemon that recognized him—before setting the Cleffa that greeted him down and approaching the staircase, likewise. He made a brisk jog behind the pinkette as his Pokemon found the others in their sights, perking up with curiosity and trekking off to greet them, themselves.[break][break]

”Haha. Ha~. Asking all the funny questions right away huh~?” he laughed with nothing short of lighthearted sarcasm, even if a touch of genuine exasperation managed to sneak himself between the words that left him. He glanced across the room, instinctively breathing a low, long whistle as he found himself in awe at the continued aesthetics before him. ”Ya say ya got the non-alcholic stuff, but if ya really wanna deep into that, I might have to take ya up on something harder, ‘cause…hoo. Man…”[break][break]

He took a moment to scope a nearby spot, finally setting his bags aside. Before he could step along to claim a seat for himself, though, he blinked, all while a straying gaze found itself upon the selfsame box the woman seemed to mention. His brows rose as a curious smile of faux, playful skepticism danced upon his lips, and after just a moment’s worth of time longer, he slipped by to carefully pick it up, alongside a small helping from what laid upon the table (though not without going, ‘Yooo, you got a sharkoochie board??’ like a kid in a candy shop), before properly sitting himself down.[break][break]

Prior to opening the box, he’d only barely managed to both open the box and pop the snack into his mouth before the smile upon his lips flourished broader. A hand of his gently tapped against his chest—over the heart—as the remaining covered his mouth. Y’know. Lest he accidentally spit over the beautiful gift like an absolute barbarian.[break][break]

”Yo, wait, you were the one that made this??” he asked, an audible inclination of awe and pleasant surprise taking his tone. After finishing the aforementioned snack, he gently reached into the box to briefly pick the chime from within its confines, cradling it gingerly atop his fingers while admiring the craftsmanship, as well as the way it seemed to shimmer softly within the lights around them. ”God— top tier musician and a top tier craftswoman?”[break][break]

He shot her a glance from the corner of his eye, an ongoing toothiness remaining within the grin he wore.[break][break]

”It’s pretty as Hell, man… Thanks so much~,” he added. ”Ten outta ten. Givin’ ya a five star rating on Yelp, for sure~.”[break][break]

---

mission: slumber party

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Honestly speaking, they hadn’t even needed to get to her site for him to witness the absolute onslaught of a tent that was scattered about. Even as they talked beforehand, he’d glanced over once every so often to see the fruits of her difficulties, since, y’know… He heard most of it happening before everything went down.[break][break]

Curiosity killed the tent.[break][break]

”Hmmmmm… I mean, I guess that sounds like a good idea~...?” he mused for a few moments, pursing his lips with a small smile as he eyed the poles and sheet scattered around. He peered down at the creature he cradled before crouching down to put her back down, smiling and gently patting her on the head before standing back up. ”Buuut, I mean…how about I help ya with the tent, at least?”[break][break]

He chuckled, looking towards the scene for yet another time before turning his head towards her.[break][break]

”Kinda heard the struggle earlier, not gonna lie. Been wondering if I shoulda came over and offered help, anyways~.”

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SWIPED RIGHT

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XIAOYANG LONG, 26

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At the sound of her voice, the Togepi only seemed to jump and scramble more, attempting to nestle her face further into her trainer’s shoulder. The trainer in question, however, blinked upon feeling it, and after his eyes narrowed in some degree of amused skepticism, he slowly unfolded her from his arms, holding her out in front of him.[break][break]

He squinted at her for a few moments as she stared back.[break]
After a small examination, he pursed his lips and clicked his tongue, gently flicking her forehead while laughing.[break][break]

”Aaaaah, don’t be too sorry about it,” the man chuckled, his brows furrowing as a toothiness entered his grin. The selfsame egg that was previously victimized let a small squeak out at the flick she’d received, flailing slightly before just…falling limp in his hands.[break][break]

…As limp as she could for her overly round build, at least.[break][break]

”She’s sensitive, yeah, but she’s also just a drama queen~.” He pulled the fairy back to his form, giving her head a soft pat before setting her onto his shoulder; a duo of gestures that she seemed to melt into quickly enough despite her earlier display. ”She forgives you already— don’t worry~.”[break][break]

With those words, he shrugged dismissively, following along in light of their earlier agreement.[break][break]

”Nice to meet ya, though~! Xiao’s just fine~.”

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Y’know what?[break]
This chick was chill.[break][break]

Cute, too— if it wasn’t obvious enough by the way he literally said it, anyway. Between his line of work and past interactions, there was—again—a pretty broad range of people he’d met and dealt with in the past, so to see the way she more or less began visibly crumble to the tune of a few words was nothing new to him. If anything, it was a bit endearing.[break][break]

Bonus points when the person seemed like they’d be anything but.[break][break]

”Hmm~...” he hummed, a soft inflection within his tone to be noted in amusement all the while. His lips pursed in some sense of faux thought at the offering; a means to imply genuine debate when his answer had already been more or less immediate in his head.[break][break]

He shrugged before long, grinning wider.[break][break]

”I was actually gonna ask something similar, honestly,” he laughed, nodding. ”I was already planning on getting drinks and dinner ready for my crew soon, but it’d be nice to have company for it, too~.”[break][break]

She seemed like a good enough person, anyways.[break]
Pelting aside.

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Get ready for your reckoning, buddy.[break][break]

The words left his mouth without much thought, but they’d been realized quickly after the fact, nevertheless. Y’know, not quick enough to prevent imminent disaster from claiming his ass and making him its bitch, but for what little it counted for, damn did it count. Out of instinct, he lifted his hand to cover his mouth as soon he’d said his stupid, stupid part, already beginning to lean back and get ready to apologize for overstepping, but hey.[break][break]

God obviously had other plans.[break][break]

He’d only been given enough time to blink and begin to open his mouth, but rather than words, a stunned and otherwise indescribable wheeze left his lips as the person in front of him snapped her foot onto his. Naturally, he hunched over slightly as the pain jolted through, but not quite enough as her elbow swung back and found its quarry[break][break]

Bullseye, really— but not at the sweet spot that was likely intended, oh, no, no.[break]
Listen closely, and you could hear the sweet, sweet rustle of jewels, coupled fittingly by the guy that owned them hunching over even more and letting out a second wheeze— one that was somehow even more indescribable than the first.[break][break]

”God—...! Yup. Yup...” he rasped, slowly crumbling onto a knee as he keeled over onto himself. His knuckles found themselves against the floor beneath him, tapping rapidly against it in a feeble attempt of…what? Composing himself? Making himself feel better? ”Deserved. Deserved. Sorry—”

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”Oh, wow~.”[break][break]

Forward, much? Not that he minded, really, but still. Honestly speaking, in the silence he found himself in, there were a number of sneaking suspicions that began to cross his mind, since—y’know, despite his normal fronts—he was still aware of what he was. What, did you think he didnt after all the time he spent busting his balls in the industry? Touring back and forth?[break][break]

C’mon. C’moooon.[break]
There was no way he could forget.[break][break]

Over his time in the spotlight, he’d interacted with different kinds of people, after all, so this? All of this? The rambling he found himself listening to? The way he smiled an amused smile, but out of an attempted (read: more or less failed) courtesy, curled his lips inward to stifle it? Familiar. All of it. Familiar.[break][break]

So as this chick was losing her shit, he just found himself nodding and humming along while listening to her stammer over herself— and then some.[break][break]

”I see~... Man, and I was aboutta say I’m flattered~,” he finally jested, shrugging as a beam surfaced upon his face properly. Amber hues lingered upon her thoughtfully before he shot her a leisurely, lighthearted wink. ”Appreciate it, though. I do strive to be the best Poke-Dad, if I do say so myself~.”[break][break]

As if forwarding the point more, he gave a small nod to the still-rattled Togepi resting against his shoulder, patting her gently and chuckling.[break][break]

”You’re pretty cute yourself, though~,” he added. ”Y’know. With or without the Pokemon, and interactions, and…stuff.”

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He waited for an answer patiently.[break]
And waited.[break]
…And waited.[break][break]

Honestly speaking, it was hard to get him to feel awkward about something— and despite the circumstances that unfolded and followed, that interaction was no exception. He couldn’t blame her, anyway, since it was probably an awkward question to answer. Like, why? Why throw a rock? Flick a pebble? Toss a slab? He probably wouldn’t be able to answer right away without questioning what he did, so hey.[break][break]

Why bust her chops over it?[break][break]

But the longer he waited, the…longer he waited. He hadn’t noticed at first since he was still keeping an eye on his Togepi all the while (the poor little egg was still crying, so he was doing his best to pat and soothe her), but altogether, it hadn’t taken long for him to realize that she was just…staring.[break][break]

For a moment, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure she wasn’t looking past him.[break]
She wasn’t. Go figure.[break][break]

”Uhh…” The sound escaped his lips at first as he contemplated, but at some point, he lifted his other hand to wave at her slightly. ”You, uh… You good, fam~?”

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Just like the asshat person that threw the stone, he made a quick and brisk jog over— though not without plucking a potion from the array of supplies he’d set out atop one of his site tables. His lips pursed as he joined the other trainer alongside the little egg that got her shot both literally and metaphorically rocked, clicking his tongue rapidly as he quickly reached over and gently pulled her along.[break][break]

”Shhh, shhh, I gotcha~...” he murmured quietly, a worried, yet still slightly amused and lighthearted smile tugging upon his lips all the while. After all, the rock made purchase, but when both people got there, there would’ve seen the Togepi just…splatted. Laying there on the floor.[break][break]

Rolling in continuous circles until she was picked up.[break]
…Honestly, if she hadn’t just gotten hit point blank, it would’ve been funnier.[break][break]

He spared a quick glance towards the trainer that approached them, shaking his head and humming. ”Uhhh… It looks like she’s okay, for what it’s worth…?”[break][break][break][break]

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He examined the egg for a few moments before inhaling deeply and sighing with a nod.[break][break]

”Yeah… Yeah, she’s good. Just’ bein’ a ‘lil dramatic~.”[break][break]

With another, more wistful sigh, he shook his head while cradling the Togepi in his arms, letting her bury her face (body? unified sphere of a being?) against his shoulder as he peered towards the ashen haired woman.[break][break]

”...Why’d you throw a rock, though?”

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(Ooooh, man, I knew I shoulda came here earlier.)[break][break]

The curses of one of his favorite places in the city being popular, honestly. With a number of meetings and other things of importance either postponed or otherwise already attended to, he’d found himself with the odd free day that day— and for a little while, he hadn’t exactly known what the fuck to do. After some thinking, he’d settled on heading to one of his favorite cafes, but y’know. One thing leads to another. You get called up, distracted, maybe even almost kidnapped into a chain of regretful situations—[break][break]

—regretful but fun situations, mind you, but still.[break][break]

Then those plans get canceled, briefly revived, and then canceled again. You know the drill, really— but the important thing was that he was left with time in the end. By the time his schedule was in the clear, though, it was already a fair amount of time past opening, so as he slipped through the door and found himself in the face of a pretty hefty line, he could really only sigh and bite the bullet.[break][break]

Not that he minded waiting, but yeah. He had other ways to pass the short wait times, anyways, and in light of that, he breathed an idle hum before reaching for his phone and earbuds. He’d only barely managed to plug them in and slip a bud into one of his ears before noting the faint audio of a…familiar audio.[break][break]

…A very familiar audio.[break][break]

He looked around with as much subtleness as he could before tracing the source to be right in front of him, ironically enough. Blinking, he gave those around him another, quick look before slowly and ever so slightly leaning to the side in an attempt to look over the shoulder of the person in front of him.[break][break]

”...Oh, hello~.”[break][break]

The dipshit hadn’t even realized he’d said the words aloud. Oops.

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