IT WAS NOW OR NEVER!!

TIME TO USE IT OR LOSE IT!!

DO OR DIE, SURVIVE AND THRIVE, SINK OR DOWN.

Racing from one side of the lab to the other, the young aspiring engineer leapt from one team to another, providing aid and supplies as needed. With d-day just around the corner, Rory, for the first time since she joined this evil organization, felt her heart skip a beat whenever she entered the lab. Because, thanks to that meteor, her work finally regained a semblance of meaning. Finally, it would be used for some good!

"Hmm, I think the problem may lay....there!" Spread out like a thin piece of tablecloth, the diagram consumed the entirety of the metal table she stood by. It took all of her strength to lean over and lightly tap at the piece she was referring to, and as she did, light chatter followed, as the surrounding assistance further dug into the conversation. Rory would've as well, if her attention hadn't been caught by the fireball of cyan bursting through the door.

Curious eyes followed him walk over to Lulu Flint , and when they started to talk, she didn't dare turn away.

Sensors, she wondered inwardly, what is he talking about?

Gym leader?? The title only further added salt to her fresh, embarrass-driven wounds.

Hand awkwardly rubbing her arm, she offered a smile. "Sort of. I live outside of town, but this place is a million times better than the store we have in Mauville."

That one was filled to the brim with nothing but pretentious crap. Middle-aged moms targeted cookbooks, magazines, biographies about boring white men -- it was everything Rory hated about modern-day commercialized book stores. 

"The staff here is unmatched, too."

When their drinks arrived, she looked at hers with a wary eye. She'd have to be careful with that one.

"What do you mean," Her brow arched upward and her head naturally tilted to the side, puzzled by the random question. What was there to be excited about, she wondered.

His movement only further condemned her knees to the fate they had asked for. A soft thud echoed out as the woman's entire lower body fell to the ground, leaving only her hands to catch herself. A shade of scarlet red consumed her face as she hastily snugged the book back between her arm and torso, barely able to return his gaze after scrambling back to her feet.

Dusting off her knees, she coughed, eyes still pointed downward.

"I don't typically see you around -- are you new the area?"

It was a strange thing to ask, considering how her own home was in Mauville, but it felt like the most natural thing to say, given the intense circumstances she had landed herself in.

Her eyes followed his fingers, bottom lip curling beneath her teeth. There was something about Vallen going out of his way to research this dumb book that made her heart skip two beats over.

"Ah, okay," She murmured.

Pulling her bangs behind her ear, her eyes lifted back up to meet his, barely catching the start and end of his heart-throbbing smile. A blush crept across her cheeks at his question, "Ahhh, I wouldn't say that," She shook her head. Though, deep down, she knew he was right; nothing would make her squeal more than a guy sweeping her off her feet in a blaze of romantic glory. "I just find them cute, I dunno."

When the word 'recommendation' fell from his silver tongue, Rory immediately recoiled, cringing at the thought of revealing those titles...

Carefully, she racked her mind of everything and anything she's read in the past year. There had to be something that wasn't smut-filled garbage, right? Something that treaded more on the fluffier side of love?

"Ah..." Her hand instinctively went to her cheek, giving it a soft, slow scratch as she awkwardly kept her lips curled in prolonged thought. "It ends with us...? By Colleen Hoover? You probably haven't heard of it, but it's one of my favorites right now..."

It wasn't. It was more, like, one of her favorites 8 months ago, but Vallen didn't need to know that.

The sight of that small, familiar scruff of yellow tugged up the ends of her lips into a soft smile. If there was any reason to miss Aaron (beyond the whole blood relation thing), it would've been that little cutie. Waving, she twisted her heels to slowly move toward the small little pokemon, when the sound of male testosterone radiated from the benches.

Dammit.

"Years? We saw each other last---" Before she could finish her sentence, the older and larger male yoinked her by the arm, forcing her into a tight hug. Arms slick with sweat locked themselves around her body, surrounding her in a fortitude of gunk and old spice -- the same disgusting combo that used to have her HURLING whenever she willed herself into using the bathroom after him. "...new years..."

When he finally pulled her away, she grimaced, still completely grossed out by the wildly nasty ass smell that still assaulted her nostrils. "I've been, y'know, WORKING. Unlike you, apparently." It was hard not to lecture him sometimes. Growing up, she used to completely look up to him. So much so that it wasn't rare for her to dig into his closet and create a mini-aaron inspired outfit from his old middle school clothes. But now, whenever she looked at him, it was hard to find that same level of pride. Especially with their parents hounding down her phone 24/7, BEGGING her to talk to him about it.

It sucked.

"You're right, though. It's been a bit." She smiled as the warmth of her brother's voice lightened her heart just a bit. "Wanna grab something to eat?"

The question tickled the back of her throat, inducing a small cough.

"Spare time," She echoed back the words, contemplative in her response. Work played a major aspect in her leisure time -- mainly because she enjoyed what she did, for the most part. But, if she were to exclude that aspect of her life entirely, then she'd have to settle with... "Reading, for sure! I try to go to my local bookstore weekly, at least and see if they have anything new in stock. Im," She sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck, "a bit into the romantics. It's hard to describe it, but they're all just SO good."

When his arms are sent flying, Rory scrunched herself inward, arms grabbing at each other out of sheer reflex. Only after the Zorua is lifted does she look up, a small tint of embarrassment on the tops of her cheeks.

"I'm guessing he does this often," She laughed, her hand slowly fanning her face. It was getting a little too warm for her liking. Her book-- the cringy, smutty, guilty little pleasure -- slowly slipped from her lap at the same time, falling to the ground beside his feet. "Oops! Sorry about that...!"

Springing from her seat, she attempted to rush down for the book, but somehow, someway, she had forgotten that the large man hadn't exactly fully moved from his position in front of her nook. Needless to say, another little oopsie had occurred.

It'd been months since she had seen his face. 

Ever since escaping that luxurious coffin of a home for the studies at Slateport University, Rory hadn't found much time to visit her nitwit brother. Or, rather, she never wanted to find the time. She loved him -- there was no denying that -- but sometimes...a lot of the time...something got in the way of travel.

But joining rocket changed things. A lot of things, actually. Like Rory's own mortality and the fact that, in any given moment, she could lose the chance to see her family forever. This harrowing fact was what tugged her doc martens down against the gravel path leading up to that same old, familiar gym.

Arm raised to block the blinding sun, the woman made her way through the glass double doors and straight to machine she knew she'd find him at.

Rory's heart thundered in her ears, pounding with enough ferocity to beckon a trip to the doctors after this matter had been settled. She gave Fenris one long, pleading look, almost as if to apologize for the reddening mark on his leg, or the eventual bruise it'd leave behind. When it became clear, both by his words and eyes, that he had expected her to step up, well, she had no other choice but to oblige.

Quivering eyes traveled back onto the battlefield. Her brows knitted back together and her nose scrunched up as followed the fluid movements of stringer clattering against steel.

"Bruno, use ROLLOUT!"

As per her request, the small critter balled itself up and sped forward. Its speed quickened with each second it spent peddling towards the combee, all until it came to its peak, and he leaped off from the ground. Like a certain blue hedgehog, Bruno flew, bouncing from combee to combee, juggling off their heads til each one of them was thoroughly knocked on to their asses.

When he finished, the small pokemon unraveled itself and look back towards @fenris , eyes screaming a painful: 'you're next'

Her lips twitched into a nervous smile.

Alcohol.

Normally, if it were annalise henderson or aaron faust asking, she'd brazenly declare herself strong enough to take how many shots they offered. Mostly because she didn't want to be the party pooper of the group, or come across as 'embarrassing to be around'. But, with Vallen occupying the opposing seat across from hers, she couldn't help herself from mulling over the cons of accepting that devilish drink.

"Just one," She eventually responded, easing back into her seat with awkward movements. Her hands fidgeted together as the waiter came and went, collecting their orders without difficulty, and removing the menus from their sight. Alone, again, she sighed, eyes trailing the edges of the table.

"So..."

“I love you,’ he whispered, and kissed my brow. ‘Thorns and all.”

A gasp broke out from Rory's lips.

"Tamliiiiiiiiiin!!"

It was only then, during the peak of her squeals and giggles, that a small weight fell upon her head. Startled, Rory nearly threw her book from her lap and looked up, immediately greeted by a fox-like snout.

Was?
That?
A zoura??

Before she could reach up and pluck the curled-up pokemon from her head, a voice broke out, crisp and clear over the lulling silence that previously overtook the store. When its owner eventually swept by her area, she'd only point upward, both not wanting to rattle the pokemon, nor draw its attention to her quick tattling. If it were her pokemon, she'd want someone to do the same.

Still silent, she mouthed, "yours?"