[attr="class","maritop"]

[attr="class","mari"]

mari doesn't notice it at first — the social transgression she's caused, but when she does, her cheeks light up.

[break][break] "oh! oh my gosh, i'm so sorry - " she babbles away, stumbling, as she grabs the coffee that's offered to her. she hadn't realized — this woman, this beautiful woman, had made it for her? oh dear. she's so embarrassed -

[break][break] her hands tips, the side of the coffee cup leaks liquid, and suddenly she's grabbing napkins to try to clean it up.

[break][break] enchanté, mademoiselle. je—parle? peu?

[break][break] the kalosian catches her off guard for a minute, and she opens her mouth immediately to reply:

[break][break] "that's really good!"

[break][break] her cheeks are bright, but she shakes her head. the rest is said with a much heavier kalosian accent.

[break][break] "je le parle, mais c'est d'accord!"

[break][break] she cleared her throat.

[break][break] "i grew up in ambrette. what about you?"

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] adele veronesi

☉

[attr="class","maritop"]

[attr="class","mari"]

it was the first day of her new job. with Julien Demassieux being suddenly transferred back to kalos, mari found herself without a boss. she had half a mind to return to kalos herself, but nana pryde was nothing if not a puppeteer and mari her marionette. pulling a few strings, she got her granddaughter back into a powerful seat: within the council of secretaries that was within the league government.

[break][break] wearing a newly-bought pencil skirt and cotton-blue dress shirt, mari watched adele veronesi prepare a cup of coffee. her cheeks were a rose-pink blush. they had been, the entire time that she'd spent in the beautiful woman's presence, mesmerized as if by a constellation.

[break][break] "i - um - "

[break][break] her throat is dry. she puts it up to first-day nerves. but something inside her tells her that this is more than that.

[break][break] she's never been able to speak around pretty women.

[break][break] "i used to work as a secretary for the kalosian embassy," she manages to squeak. "under Julien Demassieux . not for long though - um, i'm new, to the corporate scene."

[break][break] but her family wasn't. her own father was a diplomat, and the entirety of the pryde line was well-known within the legal and political landscape of kalos. it was why nana's influence was so far-reaching.

[break][break] perhaps, if adele veronesi had cared to look her up, she would've even seen the scandal that was her previous arranged marriage to michalis fisk (mint frost ), before the artist's unexpected death.

[break][break] she tucks a stray hair behind her ear.

[break][break] "and, um, you can call me mari."

[break][break] nana only called her marilee when she was mad. or she wanted to make a point.

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] adele veronesi

☉

[attr="class","mari2"] "wait, what?!"

[break][break] "you're leaving?"

[break][break] her eyes bulged.

[break][break] she wasn't sure what overcame her. but suddenly, she was launching herself forward, tiny hands gripping around the man's biceps.

[break][break] "you can't! you'd be leaving me alone here. plus, we just met!"

[break][break] her expression was wide, looking much like that of a simpering Rockruff.

[break][break] "i'm sure whatever you and anna fought about, you can apologize for. i'm sure it's not that bad."

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Grigori Sokolov

☉

[attr="class","mari2"] 'ms. marilee! you’ll wake the house. it’s your roommate, grigori. remember?'

[break][break] she stared at the strange man who had entered her home, fingertips trembling, wondering if she should call Julien Demassieux and then remembering that he had already transferred to kalos.

[break][break] she took a breath.

[break][break] " i - "

[break][break] then, the memories came rushing back. the text message that Rory Faust had all sent their group chat one day, without warning, and the way that she had been so busy clearing up a deadline for Julien Demassieux that she had barely had time to think about their roommate. each day, she'd flown out of the house to attend to her duties at the kalosian embassy, just assuming that one of her roommates would deal with the onboarding of their new roommate.

[break][break] but this?

[break][break] he was greg?

[break][break] when annalise henderson spoke about greg, she made him seem... younger. kind of nerdy. like a child.

[break][break] but this... this person was a man.

[break][break] "oh."

[break][break] she couldn't help the way she squeaked it out, mouth forming into a small 'o', as she continued to gaze at him, eyes flicking towards his open suit case and the subtle smell of baked goods wafting from his person. suddenly, her stomach grumbled. oh dear, she was hungry.

[break][break] a flush crawled up her cheeks, bright red, and she self-consciously gripped her stomach.

[break][break] "um," she said. "i-i don't think. there's anyone else at home."

[break][break] "it's just us."

[break][break] oh god, marilee beaufort why did you say that?

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Grigori Sokolov

☉

[attr="class","mari2"] her roommates hadn't been home, not in several days. mari wasn't the kind to notice, considering how much of her time was spent at work, tending to Julien Demassieux's whims — or well, not him anymore, since he's had to take a sudden transition back to kalos.

[break][break] it made her want to go back to kalos, but she couldn't, not only because he'd never asked, but because nana would never have a failure for a grandchild.

[break][break] mari wandered through the apartment in half a daze, wondering when Rory Faust would get home. she hadn't seen greg or anna in days but then also, she hadn't been home in a few.

[break][break] it was why, with sudden shock, she didn't expect to see the shadowed figure of a man that she hadn't met in the once-vacant room.

[break][break] so when she saw Grigori Sokolov, she screamed.

[break][break] dropping her popcorn, of course, everywhere.

[attr="class","ooc"] Grigori Sokolov

☉

[attr="class","maritop"]

[attr="class","mari"]

lavender eyes are drawn to the swirling scrawl of the girl next to her, watching it vanish beneath the eraser's edge almost as soon as it appears. even so, she can't help but think:

[break][break] 'her handwriting is cute.'

[break][break] her cheeks flush at the prospect of hanging out with sasky's family, her thoughts going into hyperspeed.

[break][break] 'wait! meet your family - isn't that going a little - '

[break][break] she blinks.

[break][break] "sven?"

[break][break] but before she can let those thoughts get ahead of her, sasky is continuing on, bubbly and infectious as ever.

[break][break] "oh, that's nice. i imagine it's fun to get out there." she swallows, curiosity beckoning her. "isn't it dangerous though?"

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] saskia volosenkova [break]
heroes on a half-shell

☉

[attr="class","maritop"]

[attr="class","mari"]

her cheeks warmed.

[break][break] "i could send you the link later," she mumbled. "if you like."

[break][break] cute stationary was one of her favorite things, especially since nana required that she write to her every so often to update her on her progress in hoenn.

[break][break] "yeah?" mari said, tilting her head. she tries to imagine what saskia volosenkova's family must be like. they must be at least half as nice as her, which is a comforting thought.

[break][break] her fingers needle together on her lap.

[break][break] "i miss my family," she confesses. "i'm alone in hoenn. nana was nice enough to help me with a job here, and it's been great! but..." she shakes her head. "anyways, it must be really nice to have your family here."

[break][break] "a-and the rangers too!" she squeaks. "what are they like?"

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] saskia volosenkova [break]
heroes on a half-shell

☉