Disorderly.

John, the office worker. John, his good-humored friend. The thought of him doing anything disorderly enough to warrant the police getting involved was quite outlandish. Luckily...

"I'm here to keep you in line, you know. We can't have you getting arrested, now can we?" Gideon asked, shifting to shoulder john nelson back onto him, as he was already starting to slip off. The man was no help when it came to keeping himself upright.

"You don't know the, the first thing about what kinda men know my address."

For whatever reason this statement stuck with Gideon. It also served as a good avenue for distraction, so he quirked a brow and innocently inquired, "Enlighten me, John. What kind of men usually know your address?"

Honestly, he'd asked more so to keep his friend talking and at least semi-conscious as they walked down the dark, desolate Slateport streets than anything else. Gideon knew the general direction to go in, but not the exact location he was heading to. Hopefully John would divulge the information without too much trouble...

john nelson

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[FOLLOWING THE EVENTS OF ARIA]

After his last dance with Giselle Sigebrand concluded, the masquerade soon turned to it's next phase of the night (and arguably Gideon's favorite) - the unveiling of the museum's exhibits. They had quite the varied collection on display exclusive to this event, thanks to charitable donations made by several of Hoenn's prominent residents.

As the double doors leading to deeper parts of the museum swung open, the director allowed the awaiting crowd to pass through the threshold first. He had helped set all the displays up, of course, so there was no rush when so many curious eyes came first.

Gideon's initial stop was the Nautica Exhibit, which showcased treasures and artifacts salvaged by none other than his business partners angelo vestri and skyler dross. He idly wondered if the couple were here tonight.

As he approached their exhibit, that thought slipped the professor's mind upon seeing the small huddle of people gathered there. Truly, it was fairly desolate with only two of three partygoers observing the artifacts on display. Given the recent events surrounding METENO, perhaps most of the crowd had decided to stop at that exhibit first.

"Quite incredible, no?" Gideon asked casually as he stepped beside a young woman standing near the center of the display. "Vestiges of other worlds right here for us to marvel at."

• suit check + mask
• prompt #6 (pirate's hoard)
• talking with Naomi Sato

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Why?

Why now? On the day of METENO's impact, when he should have been sheltering himself away?

Why now? When he'd avoided the inevitable clash between the LEAGUE and ROCKET forces at places like Mt. Pyre and Littleroot Town?

Why now? When hospitals across the region were full to bursting due to the skirmishes and fights that had broken out during a day some had claimed to be Armageddon?

Why had Gunner Graves been gravely wounded? What were the odds, after avoiding the collision of a literal meteoroid? It was beyond reason.

Gideon had been a bundle of worry and anxiety the entire night he'd sat his bedside vigil. His brother hadn't woken from whatever trauma had caused his injuries - that by itself was agonizing enough. He'd waited, alone, poisonous thoughts festering in the semi-silence of the hospital room.

What if he doesn't make it?

Repeated over and over and over again.

And then his name pulled Gideon away from his darkening mind.

"Gunner!" He nearly fell rushing out of his chair, his appearance disheveled, the panicked relief in his voice betraying just how unpoised GIDEON GRAVES currently was as he stood over his younger sibling.

His hand clasped Gunner's own, careful not to disturb the IV.

"How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?"

Gunner Graves
mission: POST PAAA

☉

Gideon gladly munched on his treasure trove of chocolate and pretzels, enjoying the mix of salty and sweet as it intermingled on his taste buds. The universe was truly favoring him today. Yummy snacks, quality time with his brother, beautiful shots of wild Pokémon and a few new additions for the Insectarium.

It was a great day. Too bad it was already starting to wind down.

"Good point. We'll leave the witch to her devices, then." Gideon responded, wiping his hands together after eating the last of his trail mix. "We should probably get going, yeah, if we want to make it back before sundown."

With that he stood, whistling for his Pokémon to return to his side. CRISPR did so without fuss, but Poppy returned with something clenched in her talons... a FOONGUS? A wriggling, frantic FOONGUS. Gideon quickly captured it and the waved for Gunner to join him on the trail.

"Let's get going. Oh, and tell me your thoughts about dinner..." Gideon asked in a warm voice as he descended down the path they had come.

catching FOONGUS ♡
Gunner Graves
[poison/bug/grass]
outfit check

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"Understood." He responded, somewhat skeptical of the insistence for secrecy.

Whatever GIDEON GRAVES had suspected this object may have been, however, it definitely wasn't something as outwardly simple as what angelo vestri pulled from his pocket. Perhaps that was what made this all the more intriguing.

Now Gideon pushed himself off the edge of the lab bench. Where before there had been tempered curiosity, now his eyes were alight with unabashed interest and wonder. He moved closer, but not too close. After all, he wasn't sure what the orb even was.

"Incredible..." A marvel, really. From within the glass capsule a self-sustaining flame burned ever-bright and unrelenting.

How? Why?

Questions burned into his brain that would likely serve to be equally unrelenting from this day forward.

Gideon slowly pulled his gaze away from the unusual sphere until it was level with Angelo's own. Once the initial shock of the reveal had worn off, that same wry smile of his returned. "Alright, you got me. A vessel of pure Infinity Energy is quite special."

He resisted asking to inspect it closer. For now.

"What else do you know about it?"

angelo vestri

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"I'm distracting? If memory serves, you were the one dropping your pen onto my book." Gideon challenged with a teasing undertone to his voice, his attention fully wrapped around Elisabeth Fiorelli's finger. He couldn't not point out her misconstrued telling of their initial meeting, but perhaps she already knew that would happen.

As she talked, he saw her relinquish his mug and retook it in his hand. The professor's umber eyes lingered for a second on the pale pink stains at the rim, but that didn't bother Gideon. In fact, his next sip found his lips echoing hers, covering the imprint like a secondhand kiss. He held her gaze as he did so, listening intently as she responded to Summer's story.

Chasing rabid dogs from the streets… not exactly in a florist's job description. He didn't think much of it, though. Perhaps a group of wild Pokémon had accosted them and they needed to protect themselves. There were all manner of normal excuses for such an adventure, after all. Any possible skepticism came and went like a petal on a breeze.

"Cheers!" Gideon raised his mug to toast Summer Atreides and her accomplishments, adding afterwards, "So what sort of business is Prescott Industries, Summer?"

GIDEON GRAVES was a good brother. He couldn't monopolize all of Elisa's time and leave Gunner's date out of the conversation. That would just be rude. Still, he found himself more interested in learning about this tenacity and boldness that Elisabeth used to describe herself.

Gunner Graves
Elisabeth Fiorelli Summer Atreides
outfit check

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KYUREM's influence continued to plague the region. The Winter Solstice had just passed, yet the cold weather in Hoenn didn't seem like it would stop anytime soon. Still, the world continued to turn, snow or not.

In fact, it was quite an exciting day. John had agreed to show off his battling moves, which Gideon was quite looking forward to.

Bundled up for their outing, GIDEON GRAVES sat beside john nelson on a large fallen log just off the trailhead. In an effort to combat the freezing temperature Gideon had brought along a thermos of hot coffee - black, as he tended to like it - which he nursed as he and John chitchatted while waiting for Gunner to arrive. He'd brought a second thermos, too, just in case John wanted to partake. A little cream as well if black coffee wasn't his thing.

It didn't take much waiting before the younger Graves brother arrived on the scene. Gideon looked up and waved, his smile obscured by a large scarf wrapped around his neck.

"No worries. John and I were just catching up. There were a few wild stories from New Years that I'd apparently missed out on." Or forgotten. Much of that night was a blur for Gideon, after all.

Gunner Graves john nelson
mission: A TERA TEST
outfit check

☉

"I suppose it remains to be seen, which force brought us all here tonight?"

Quick on the uptake after catching his reference with ease, Gideon was once again impressed by Elisabeth Fiorelli. It was a relief to see that her wit was not contingent upon faux-anonymity. The mask was gone but the spitfire beneath was still well and alive.

Gunner Graves' telepathy was not lost on his elder brother, either. They'd grown up with this silent language, developed it over time; it had become especially useful when one or the other was being scolded by their parents. A quick look, a small shift in body language, was telling. So Gunner would easily notice the slight declination of Gideon's head, acknowledging the other and answering him all in one. Yes, we know each other.

Apparently they did, too.

"I didn't know you and Miss Fiorelli were already acquainted, Gunner. A small region, indeed."

As for his opinion on the beer and whether Summer Atreides might like to try it:

"I am, yes." Gideon's gaze passed from Gunner to Summer and finally onto Elisa as he spoke. "It has a few subtle flavors that really embody the spirit of the holi… days…"

Delicate fingers overtook his own where they gripped the handle of his mug. Even such a chaste touch sent a shock of something - some electrifying feeling - up his arm. Although he acquiesced and relinquished his beer, Gideon held Elisa's gaze, unwilling to completely back down from this playful challenge of hers. He was a man who appreciated boldness, after all, and she had that in spades.

"Your thoughts?" Gideon asked, his tone colored by amusement.

Gunner Graves
Elisabeth Fiorelli Summer Atreides
outfit check

☉

"How accommodating of you." He chuckled, watching as the other man flopped around the bar top like a fish out of water. Then John mentioned allowing Gideon the privilege of knowing where he lived so he wouldn't have to hunt down the address. Hmm.

It took Gideon a moment to catch on that John was referencing his earlier joke.

"Right, I've been following you around. You sure you want a bad man like me to know your address, John?" At this point, with his friend as gone as he was, Gideon probably shouldn't have continued the charade. He couldn't help it, though - it was much too fun to tease.

Still, he had an obligation to his friend to get him home safely. So, after placing cash on the table to cover their drinks and an appropriate tip, Gideon rose from his seat and moved closer to John.

"Up we go," He encouraged, wrapping his hand around his friend's waist and bringing John's own arm to rest on top of his shoulders. Like this, he'd be supported as they made their way out of the bar. "There we are, John. You good to walk?"

john nelson

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As Gunner Graves spoke, Gideon sipped his own drink and nodded along, his expression even and unbothered. No hint of the excitement and pride that brewed beneath the surface.

Nonchalance was the name of the game, after all. Gideon didn't want to scare his brother off when he was finally being so forthcoming. This outing already was more than he'd ever dreamed of getting out of his more secretive sibling.

"Summer," Gideon repeated, a thin smile curling the edges of his lips. "A beautiful name for an impressive-sounding woman. I can't wait to meet her."

The glint of two pale forms approaching from the front of the dimly-lit bar caught Gideon's eye.

"Speak of the devil…" He said quietly, beginning to stand from his seat. If only he knew how literal the statement was.

The clack! of their heels announced the girls' arrival to the table. Gideon's curiosity was nearly killing him by this point, so he wasted no time with his introductions. The lamp above their booth illuminated the faces of both women, revealing…

Elisabeth Fiorelli. His library companion and one-time dance partner. Of all people, it was the clever florist whom, after doing his best not to let his eye linger too long, Gideon thought looked absolutely stunning in her form-fitting dress.

His smile widened and he shook his head, obviously just as amused as Elisa by this turn of events.

"Fate leads the willing… a pleasure to see you again, Miss Fiorelli." There was a warmth to his deep timbre that hadn't been there when talking with his sibling.

Not to leave her friend and Gunner's date out of the greeting, Gideon soon shifted his attention to Summer Atreides, extending his arm for a welcoming handshake.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Summer. I'm Gideon, Gunner's brother." He greeted, outwardly friendly with a tempered pleasantness to his words and demeanor.

"Please, join us." Gideon's umber eyes slid back to meet Elisa's own as he gestured for the girls to sit in the open spaces beside either brother.

Gunner Graves
Elisabeth Fiorelli Summer Atreides
outfit check

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