"aw that sounds so nice."[break][break]

working on a ranch grooming and looking after pokemon? peaceful. adorable. it sure sounds much more fun than spending all day in a lab only to deliver food through the evening.[break][break]

not that he's complaining. he actually finds it incredibly fun to be in the lab.[break][break]

as the HOENN STAR TOURNAMENT drones on in the background, he can't help but steal glances even as he's cooking.[break][break]

"busy! but nothing new. i recently got to run some tests on a weird relicanth. it had, like, gems covering its entire body. it was wild."

[attr="class","ooc"]Abigail Mikhaylov[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-manectric"]

"that's fine! i'm sure i can make do."[break][break]

it's not like he needs much — he's just going to be making steak, mashed potatoes, and some sauteed vegetables. not really something his family makes but something he learned on his own.[break][break]

"i gotta prep some stuff first and then we can relax while we're waiting?"[break][break]

james steps into her home, giving her litten a small wave. damn! her litten's as cute as a TOGEPI.[break][break]

smiling over his shoulder, he walks over to her kitchen to start preparing.[break][break]

"how have you been, abi?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Abigail Mikhaylov[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-manectric"]

james has never lived alone, not even during his college years when he traveled back and forth every single day. the commute was rough but not as rough as paying rent.[break][break]

so, naturally, they have to do this at her place. can't have his parents snooping around.[break][break]

"abi! yes, i did."[break][break]

his excitement is palpable.[break][break]

"i hope that's okay? i mean we can order something if you want. i figured this might be a good chance to flex my cooking skills."

[attr="class","ooc"]Abigail Mikhaylov[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-manectric"]

by all accounts, it has been a perfect evening.[break][break]

he pulls away from the kiss for a brief moment, finding his breath before smiling. his voice, soft and sweet, travels across the small space between them.[break][break]

"happy birthday, abigail."

[attr="class","ooc"]Abigail Mikhaylov[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-manectric"]

damn. it ain't a punch.[break][break]

"OW!"[break][break]

but as much as he wants to throw profanities at her, he knows he definitely deserved that and possibly more. so for that reason, he considers himself lucky.[break][break]

"in all seriousness, my dear penny, no. you do not look old."[break][break]

he sticks his leg up in the air so he can easily reach up to rub at his injured shin.[break][break]

"i actually think you look wonderful considering how much stress you put yourself through at work."

[attr="class","ooc"]PENELOPE LIVY[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-manectric"]

james' mouth closes, snapping shut for a moment.[break][break]

"true. thanks."[break][break]

maybe he should be a little more polite. but the next question comes and he already knows his answer might not sit well.[break][break]

"somewhere less expensive, i guess? i dunno. maybe lilycove or slateport."[break][break]

he shrugs as he approaches jayden.[break][break]

"can i help with anything?"

[attr="class","ooc"]jayden cross[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-manectric"]

it really isn't dangerous to tell james anything. who's he going to share that information with? the man barely hangs out with anyone. he ain't a RATTATA.[break][break]

he nods occasionally as she speaks, listening closely while he finishes scratching off residue.[break][break]

"i'll run this through our system and test to see if it matches up with anything. i don't think i can cut any of it off without hurting it."[break][break]

but that'll be done later. he puts the materials off to the side for now.[break][break]

"in the meantime, we can probably do an xray on it to try and understand the material a little better."[break][break]

it's what Eva Morales did to MATIAS SILPH's electrode, if he remembers correctly.[break][break]

"is that okay with you, melody?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Melody Miro[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-manectric"]

the furrow of jayden's eyebrows goes unnoticed. james is perhaps too busy gazing around in awe when he really shouldn't be.[break][break]

but can he be blamed? he's like a fishie out of water. never before has he experienced luxury of this kind.[break][break]

"i just wasn't expecting you to be living in a place like this. no offense, of course! it's just surprising."

[attr="class","ooc"]jayden cross[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-manectric"]

"ah, okay."[break][break]

school. that makes sense. of course a student would be able to afford a house like this.[break][break]

"is your family, i dunno, rich?"[break][break]

too personal a question?

[attr="class","ooc"]jayden cross[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-manectric"]

"i'll take you up on that offer! as soon as i finish up some sketches."[break][break]

they are by no means great sketches but they'll be used as references when he commissions an actual professional.[break][break]

with the blood samples done, he places them off to the side before bending down to boop his nose against zorua's, thanking her for a job well done.[break][break]

"okay!" he smiles, turning back to the professor. "what now?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Eva Morales[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-manectric"]

instinctively, james raises an arm to defend himself against a punch that never comes, much to his drunken surprise.[break][break]

"huh? aren't you, like, thirty?"[break][break]

surely the punch will come now. surely.[break][break]

but james shifts up slightly as well, resting on his elbows as he looks over at her.[break][break]

"i'm kidding. i know you're twenty-eight which is basically thirty."[break][break]

will his sweet smile save him?

[attr="class","ooc"]PENELOPE LIVY[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-manectric"]

that's his raise secured, then.[break][break]

"yes, yes, yes!"[break][break]

he's smiling, beaming at being able to learn directly from her and to study her work, both old and new. he's already read a few of her papers but it'll be good to learn more.[break][break]

"you have me for the day so go wild."[break][break]

after depositing a stack of paper into a drawer, he turns, approaches her desk, and sits.[break][break]

"where should we start?"

[attr="class","ooc"]illeana reyes[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-manectric"]

"biology and genetics, mostly!"[break][break]

his response ties into his next.[break][break]

"it's on regional variants. it looks into variations that currently exist — why they happen, the changes that stemmed from them, and so on — and it also theorizes what variations would happen if some things were different."[break][break]

his explanation leaves him enthused, almost passionate as he continues.[break][break]

"like, if a group of exeggutor were to live and breed in a cold region like sinnoh or galar, what changes could we expect?"[break][break]

it's only by the end that he even realizes a smile had formed.[break][break]

"it was a tie between that and mega evolutions so i flipped a coin."

[attr="class","ooc"]Eva Morales[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-manectric"]