He thought about it for a moment, humming as his mask displayed what could only be a pair of squinting eyes.[break][break]

”I mean…if it’s a cool routine, then something…cool?” He shrugged with some degree of uncertainty, turning back towards the mirror again while crossing his arms. His foot tapped against the varnished floors beneath him softly in thought. ”I guess maybe gritty and badass, too, if that makes sense? If not that, maybe some kinda hip hop thing?”[break][break]

Or maybe not, honestly.[break]
He liked to think he was flexible, anyways.

ARIADNE MAUCH [break]
mission: coordinator choreography

☉

Arceus have mercy?[break]
He had a hunch not even Arceus could save them, honestly.[break][break]

Just a little hunch he had while sprinting along. As they neared the doors of the warehouse, he’d already taken a Pokeball out and thrown it through the doors, leaving a familiar Golisopod waiting for them in the space after properly manifesting. With a heaving chest and rapid breath, the man continued through, only glancing over his shoulder at the sound of the rock and rubble piling within their wake.[break][break]

The lights on his mask contorted into what could only be taken as a cringe.[break][break]

”Buddy… Buddy, Swords Dance… C’mon…” he murmured, weakly patting the insect by him. A look of both concern and judgment seemed to cross the creature’s face, and with a small click, he began to return the pats towards his trainer.[break][break]

Nevertheless, he followed through with the requested Swords Dance before beginning to stalk off in surveillance.[break][break]

”Dude…” the Rocket sighed soon after, only glancing after the bug from the corner of his eye (mask?) for a moment before turning his head towards his partner. ”Place your bets now. How long’s it gonna take before we fuckin’ die, huh?”

ARIADNE MAUCH [break]
mission: surviving space-time

☉

”YEAH, SEE, I WOULDN’T REALLY BE PANICKING IF I DID?” he called out, watching the skies as they flashed and boomed in a growing swiftness. He eyed his partner for a moment before taking a moment to send one of his Pokemon out just to be safe— a familiar, burly looking insect that immediately seemed as taken aback by the scenery as they did. ”Either way, though, we gotta haul ass. Like, now, now.”[break][break]

And so, he ran after her as she led the way. Good thing she had her own Pokemon out to act as her eyes, though.[break]
Honestly speaking, he kinda forgot that was an issue without help. Oops.

ARIADNE MAUCH [break]
mission: surviving space-time

☉

”Nah, yeah, but with shit like this, ya wanna make a statement, man…!”[break][break]

For a moment, he threw his arms and hands up as much as they could from the angle he laid at before dropping them back onto the floor within an unceremonious manner. He hummed through the vents of his mask for a small while in thought, eventually shifting and pulling himself enough to at least roll over and onto his back. He continued to sprawl his arms and legs out, though.[break][break]

”I wanna give ‘em the old, sparkle, sparkle, wauw!’ man! I really do!” he continued on pursing his lips beneath the mask while absentmindedly tapping the back of his hands against the varnished flooring in a soft, yet quickened pitter patter. ”Give ‘em all the good old razzle dazzle and stuff, but like—... I dunno. Even if it gotta be a dance, it’s gotta be a dance, y’know? It’s a choreography! This is what they asked for, ain’t it?”

ARIADNE MAUCH [break]
mission: coordinator choreography

☉

”Y’know what? Can’t believe I customized this shit myself, but it was totally worth it— don’t ya think?”[break][break]

With each step he took into the darkening evening, there came flashes of colorful lights along the path they walked upon. At first, his stride was a simple, rhythmic pattern, but after looking down for a few moments, he began shifting back and forth in odd intervals; the pattern of his feet shifting between slow, to fast, to an impromptu beat as if he were moving along to an unknown, unheard of cadence to a song.[break][break]

He grinned beneath his mask, the lights reflecting the expression he wore before glancing towards the person walking (he assumed to be, at least) not too far. ”Whaddaya think, eh? The LED’s are switch-activated, too, so they’d last a ‘lil bit longer than the standard commercial shit like this if you didn’t want every single fuckin’ step lighting shit up like fireworks in July~!”

EUN-HA PARK[break]
notes

☉

”Way more than the eyes of peasants, that’s for sure~.”[break][break]

A hearty, almost mischievous sounding chuckle sounds through the speakers of his mark in tandem to the words spoken, the lights upon the displays forming into a rather vexatious expression to match. For several more moments, he fiddled with the aforementioned wheel upon the piece of techwear prior to lowering his hand, joining it with the remaining as it propped him up from behind. He stretched his legs out before him, crossing one over the other (and doing his best not to be too discomforted by the way the material of one jammed into his actual skin for a moment) before tilting his head to glance towards her.[break][break]

”...Nah, but real talk, your telescope could definitely see way farther out,” he hummed with a grin both illuminated and hidden. He paused for a couple of moments before smiling a bit wider.[break][break]

”I can totally see your pores pretty well on this setting, though. It’s honestly kinda freaky—”

PERSEPHONE CARTIER [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

…Aw, now he really did feel a bit more guilty.[break][break]

He’d still stick to his own guns, of course, but both seeing and hearing the visual and audible sulk that she had to offer in defeat and acceptance only drove the knife deeper and twisted it all the more firmly. A softly pensive hum resounded through the speakers of his mask in light of the display, but before long could pass (for both of their sakes, he decided, ‘long’ was a concept that they could avoid for the next while), he tilted his head up towards the stars above them with a small shrug.[break][break]

”...Nah, don’t sweat it~.” His tone had been soft, though compared to just a few minutes prior, it seemed to be much more relaxed and comfortable as the lights upon his visor curled into a gradual grin. ”It just means ya care, is all. I’ll be a baby about this for as long as I wanna be, but I really do appreciate the concern. Really.”[break][break]

He paused for a moment, lifting a hand to fiddle with a small wheel lodged atop the temple of his mask and activating a zoom function as he peered above.[break][break]

”...That aside, though, imagine needing a telescope to see everything~.”

PERSEPHONE CARTIER [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

...Right.[break][break]

And friends always cared, obviously— the real troopers, at least. A lot of the time, you could tell the troopers from the fakers based on the general mood that they gave off; the sincerity that was always so, so unmistaken. It was something that he hadn’t always been good with seeing—still hadn’t been good at seeing, sometimes—but as he eyed her through guises both literal and metaphorical, his lip quirked ever so faintly from beneath the mask as the mask, itself, merely reverted into an idle and slight smile as its default function. The same applied to the eyes displayed before her.[break][break]

Friends cared. Good friends were genuine, and in times like this, they’d always be distraught when things didn’t exactly go their way when all they wanted to do was help.[break][break]

His lip quirked a bit more, that time reflecting upon the display as well.[break][break]

”...Nah. Nah, you’re in your rights to be~,” he murmured with a calmer tone, though traces of an audible (real) smile bled through within a natural manner. Just as the lights upon his visor had curled themselves into a bit of a pensive quirk, they swiftly shifted themselves into more of a smile, all while the visual of a raised appeared upon the upper half. ”It’s just—... Uhh…”[break][break]

How to phrase it, how to phrase it…[break][break]

”...I guess it’s really just something I ain’t ready to talk about?”[break][break]

Audibly uncertain out of instinct, but true nonetheless. The skepticism within his tone had been far from lost upon him, so as a briefly pensive hum resounded softly through the speakers, he clicked his tongue several times in added thought while taking a moment to properly relax and gather himself once more. Pullings his legs back towards his form, they soon found themselves within a comfortable cross; a cradle his hands sought out as they, too, folded within the space between.[break][break]

”Like—... Okay, well, go figure. It’s obvious I don’t wanna talk about it given, like, the whole damn Donphan in the room I just threw in…” Another hum sounded idly from him, and he tapped a thumb atop the other in thought for a smaller while more prior to turning his head towards her once more. ”It’s just, like…one of those things, y’know? Like…one of those things you’ll know you’ll be able to talk about in the future.”[break][break]

The lights fell idle as he eyed her.[break][break]

”Just…not now? …Especially when this was supposed to just be more of a lax kinda stargazin’ night, y’know?”

PERSEPHONE CARTIER [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

Times like this are supposed to be my getaway. Please.[break][break]

”I appreciate it, but it’s…fine. Really~.”[break][break]

A smile to hide away contrasting thoughts, and a smile to be conveyed through the continuously dancing lights that spoke volumes of avoidance for him in his place. By then, though, it was admittedly a dismissal equal parts for the sake of deflection and easing her own demeanor. Though he hadn’t quite noticed the quiver at first, it became easily more apparent the longer he laid eyes upon her. For once, it was easier to tell what was on her mind, even if it was only subtly so. For once, there hadn’t been much of a need to read between the lines.[break][break]

…In retrospect, it was a bit obvious to tell, too; be it from the way she seemed in such a daze to properly collect herself and think of a means to respond altogether, it was almost painfully obvious to watch it all happen. Although he was still intent on putting some smaller amount of distance between the two of them, his gaze remained upon her and hers while doing so, and ultimately, he hadn’t moved too far after realizing the legitimate gravity of the situation at hand.[break][break]

She was worried.[break]
It was easy to tell before long, but hearing her voice it had a different ring to it all.[break][break]

Much like her, he found himself silent and in thought of what to say; his lips, physically, being unable to be seen, though the struggle in itself had been easy to tell by the way the display upon his face mimicked the motions, all the same. After several more moments, they returned to their singular, closed line as he absentmindedly relaxed and narrowed his eyes a bit and pursed his lips softly, shifting a bit to sit within a slightly straighter manner.[break][break]

”I—”[break][break]

Think again. That would only make her more nervous.[break]
…He sighed after a few more moments passed, all while the lights began to curve back into a smile, once more.[break][break]

”...I didn’t know you were able to be so nosy~...”

PERSEPHONE CARTIER [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

...She’s not gonna let me off the hook. I can feel it...[break][break]

And, of course, he’s far from wrong— but within the moments between shotcalling and the shot itself, he sought to revel within the calmness before calamity; the calm within the storm. He watched her as she eyed him following his own insistence, and he thought to himself with a silent, ...God, anyone would know she’s not gonna let me off the hook… in idle addition to his earlier thought. Even then,he still smiled; the lights upon the mask he donned speaking wonders of a guise that he donned.[break][break]

A guise that he preferred to don.[break][break]

She eventually glanced away. He did the same when she’d done so, and it was within those moments that he looked to the remaining part of his headwear. Just as he’d done in retrieval of the mask secured upon his face, he reached aside to press the tips of his fingers against the material of the goggles, pulling them over and giving the inner lenses a soft wipe down.[break][break]

He intended to put them on as easily as he had with his earlier headpiece, but yet again, he caught some movement from the corner of his eye.[break][break]

That time around, he turned to address the sight— and then he turned more, and then a bit more before beginning to shift back with a gentle furrow and crease of the rbows as he noticed her hands outstretched towards him. His eyes widened slightly all the while, and the mouth of his mask inherited a somewhat confused tug to the line it displayed in contrast to the earlier smile.[break][break]

Initially, he’d planned to stave her away and question her sudden choice of movement— and he’d come close to doing so as those same lines upon the screen resting upon his face parted, almost as if beginning to form some imagery of spoken words. Before he was able to properly provide the words to match the sight, however, the words she spoke to him met his ears.[break][break]

…And just like that, the lights danced to form a single, moderately straight line.[break]
It took a fair amount in him to control his expression enough in order to have it stay neutral.[break][break]

”Ehhhh… I guess…?” he spoke at first, an audible struggle and discomfort within his tone. He eyed her a bit more before beginning to scoot back in attempt to salvage his own comfort. ”I mean, like…it doesn’t hurt, now, obviously? But, like…it ain’t exactly something I like to talk about—”

PERSEPHONE CARTIER [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

Needless to say, he had been well aware of how out of hand and out of character his…display was. Honestly speaking, it’s how he always found himself reacting in the face of someone that saw his face (take that as metaphorically or literally as you’d please, really), even if the times it happened were far less than the times it hadn’t.[break][break]

Did he consider it a bit childish? Yes, he did.[break]
If a child was what he was, then so be it, though.[break][break]

Sue him for being reactive, and sue him for being lost within his own thoughts. By no means was it something he found himself prideful of (and so his pride to smile through it all had always been one of his main, driving forces for perseverance, altogether), but it had always been part of what made him the man he was— and that, in itself, was something to be prideful of.[break][break]

So smile.[break]
Go along with it.[break][break]

As messy as the recovery had been, there had been some, unvoiced sense of relief that overcame him as she finally decided to move on with the topic— though the nerves that had built up throughout the vigilance regarding what her reaction would be, following those moments, had been far from sated and soothed by the look upon her face. She was skeptical. He knew that. Anyone would be, and despite the fact that he had a fair grasp on her personality by then (the coldness within her initial response had been expected, though within his fragile state, induced a soft sense of unease, nevertheless), he couldn’t help but find a gentle pit form within his stomach from sheer instinct.[break][break]

”Nah, you’re fine~...” he hummed, the discomfort settled somewhat. Inhaling deeply and slowly once more, he shut his eyes for several moments more before tilting his head up to gaze upon the stars above them, as well. ”Admittedly, yeah— ya did startle me a teeny tiny bit. But, like—...”[break][break]

The smile upon the mask remained as he thought to himself.[break][break]
…He was glad he was only able to program basic reactions and nothing that could indicate something was forced.[break][break]

”...It’s no big deal~.”

PERSEPHONE CARTIER [break]
mission: slumber party

☉

…Maybe he was getting comfortable too easily.[break]
Maybe that’s just what the scenery did to him.[break][break]

Though he’d let his eyes close, the intention had been to just…take it all in. Take in the sounds. Take in the air; the nature; the feeling. Much like a number of other experiences and activities, stargazing had always been a hobby that he’d always held clear and close to his heart. It was always so calming; so nostalgic.[break][break]

It always brought him back home.[break]
…Back to him.[break][break]

Back to days long passed, and back to thoughts of numerous lost opportunities— and after all that time, they seemed to deem that the best moment to whittle their ways back into his head was right there and then. The nature of the situation—of the serenity he seemed to lull himself into—was fortuitous to the endeavor. As he laid there, his breathing softened. It slowed. It soothed.[break][break]

He intended to give himself a moment of reprise from his thoughts with the sight of the stars above once more, though before he could have so much as a second to do so, his eyes widened as a speck of movement from the very distant parts of his peripheral. Within an instinctive manner, he turned his head in attempt to catch what exactly the source was, but seeing just a glimpse of white against the night skies was more than enough for him to make the connection.[break][break]

Shooting upward, he swiftly pressed a hand against the lower half of his face as the remaining reached out for the mask beside him, giving a forced, almost nervously wry smile against his palm as he side eyed her.[break][break]

”N-Nah, nah! Just…enjoying the moment, really~...”he started off, his tone complimenting the nerves he felt as he gave an equally unnerved and rushed laugh.[break][break]

Tilting his head down, he only pulled his hand away from his face once he’d pressed the headwear back onto the lower half of it. Inhaling deeply, he gave a tired sigh while reaching around to further secure it before finally lifting his head, all while the familiar, light-speckled smile stretched upon the digital mouth atop its build as it reacted to his lips beneath it.[break][break]

”...Y’know how it is. Stars~.” he gave another, more comfortable laugh that time around while shrugging. ”Night’s calm. Stars are nice. …Easy to get lost in it~.”

PERSEPHONE CARTIER [break]
mission: slumber party

☉