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Emma watches the interaction between Dae and Gavin with indifference, if only because her mind is definitely on her plans for the rest of the evening. Her Ariados is diligent in her attempts to clear out obstacles but the woman is painfully aware that she should have brought something bigger.[break][break]

Like Katherine's Poliwhirl. The beast is a force on the course, tearing through walls and barriers and dummy's, attacking enemy pokemon, whatever came its way. [break][break]

She continues walking.[break][break]



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"Hmm.."[break][break]

Her response is thoughtful rather than firm, flattered, but not convinced. Words are pretty, and despite knowing, deep down, that he's truthful, it still evades her as to why he feels as he does.[break][break]

Emma's skin is soft despite the scars. Soft despite the hardships she wears like medals. [break][break]

However, she is captivated by his words, by the way his lips part in thought. It eludes her even still how she had grown so attached to him. But she has, and her eyes never stray.[break][break]

Her fingertips cling to his as he pushes her away with the swell of the music. And, as he draws her back in, she leans up to kiss him.

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Emma observes the interaction with quiet indifference. Her attention steals away to the crowd as more and more people arrive to try the limbo. There's cheering, excitement, drinks being spilled in the sand. And then Gavin is back at her side and a warm kiss pressed to her cheek. The doting motion elicits a surprised blink from her - his boldness in public surprising.[break][break]

But it's the involvement of the woman who pursues them both that drives a wedge in Emma's enjoyment of the event.[break][break]

Vanessa wraps her arms around the two of them and Emma tenses immediately, disgruntled, quietly furious.[break][break]

She reacts as if she's been shot, recoiling from the touch and separating herself from Vanessa and Gavin both. Her expression is even but she carries herself differently, less relaxed and easygoing, as she had before. The grip she has on her own drink - the other having been retrieved by Gavin already - is tight enough it might break.[break][break]

Vanessa continues to gush over the two of them, insinuating a deeper relationship than Emma is prepared for. She makes an effort to brush off her shoulder and abandon her drink.[break][break]

"Always a pleasure, Valerio."[break][break]

Her expression says otherwise, however.

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When his fingers tense between hers, the slightest twitch of her expression indicates concern. Her thumb brushes his in a subtle attempt at comfort. It's clear that this activity is bringing him pain and because of that she worries.[break][break]

But he leans in closer, the warm breath of his words whisper against her ear. It brings her involuntary goosebumps across her skin, catches her breath off guard. His nails pull at the skin of her back and her hand squeezes his in response.[break][break]

"How long have you believed that?"

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Under the cover of the SMOKESCREEN, Emma's Weavile disappear. In tandem, they slide the stolen Pokeball back and forth to throw off the scent. There would be nothing of interest to find on Emma's person other than a sultry smile.[break][break]

Her dress is smokey, the white lace stained with tendrils of smoke. She coughs on it, an exaggeration, but a convincing one. She removes her sun hat in favor of fanning herself as the ranger stops them.[break][break]

It seems, however, that she wouldn't be the one being searched. Emma regards the situation with amused curiosity, her expression falling back to bitchy aloofness if the attention is ever returned to her.[break][break]

"So handsy, I'm almost jealous."[break][break]

Her voice is a purr. The longer they could stall, the farther her Weavile could get. They were expert thieves, stolen or trained to be perfect. They were, in fact, already out of sight.

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The beads disguise the scars that pattern her back, a canvas that tells a story. The crystal glinting under the soft glow of the lounge is distracting, averting your attention from the sinister.[break][break]

He follows her, his hand entwined in hers. He lags behind to parse her figure, to enjoy her completely. When she turns to face him, she's overwhelmed by the intensity of his gaze, pulled in by the warmth of his hand. His skin brushes the skin of her back, the beads cold and trapped between his touch and her skin.[break][break]

And she feels as though she's aflame with equal intensity, drawn in by his attention and the closeness between them. Her hand finds his, falling into place as though they were practiced. [break][break]

"You're staring."[break][break]

Her voice is a whisper, drowned out by the steady beat of her heart and the feel of her figure balancing perfectly against his.

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They make eye contact but Emma breaks it to avoid putting him on the spot. She can see that he's irritated or embarrassed, and he orders his Golisopod to try again.[break][break]

In the meantime, Ariados seems to be most successful in breaking the softer barriers like wood and hard plastic or whatever. She lets the stronger, larger Pokemon handle the more difficult obstacles.[break][break]

Emma does the same. She's not trying to break a nail.[break][break]



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Emma remains aloof and generally uninterested while Remiel is announced ambassador. Her attention is more focused on the business of the event as a whole and how many people were running amok already drunk. Her nose was scrunched in mild disgust if only because she recognized some faces making fools of themselves in broad daylight.[break][break]

Her own partner being one of them.[break][break]

She glances at Cillian Quinn as he plucks the two of them a drink. She nurses hers, reveling in the coldness of the cup. Meanwhile, Gavin is headed straight for the next event. Along the way she and Gavin both spot priam conrad and marcel maeda specifically, among other familiar faces. Like Gavin, Emma offers them a brief wave in greeting.[break][break]

But her focus returns to Gavin as he passes her his drink. She fumbles it if only because the glass is slippery and he hadn't waited to make sure she had a grip on it. He says something about acing it, and then in the same breath falls on his butt trying to go as low as he could go.[break][break]

Despite her stiff personality, Emma finds herself relaxing into an amused smile, offering him a subtle shake of her head at his fail.[break][break]

"Oh my.. are you okay?"[break][break]

But before she could reach him, a woman (Valerio Dachev) intercepts to offer him a hand up. As such, the woman hesitates and waits, taking a moment to sip at her drink. Or maybe she's sipping Gavin's. They both look exactly the same.

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Emma offers a slow-blinking, strained smile at his explanation.[break][break]

"I won't be helping you look."[break][break]

Her voice is flat and she turns back to the objective. They seem to be demolishing the field for the most part. She was covered in paint but not yet disqualified. Salazzle was unharmed, probably melting the projectiles with toxic or something before it got too close.[break][break]

"Put a shirt on it or something."[break][break]



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She remains frowning, leaving creases in her forehead and the corners of her lips as Dae and Gavin indulge in taste testing each other's candy. It's... unsettling, to say the least.[break][break]

"..... Men."[break][break]

More projectiles are thrown at them but Slurpuff's cotton guard manages to absorb the blows. There are a few particles that try to take her head clean off, but she's quick enough to dodge.[break][break]



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Gavin's Golisopod is excellent at tearing down obstacles, so much so that he -- wait. Did he just glance off of solid rock?[break][break]

Emma gives pause to stare at the man and glance back at the kid who had clearly been talking about Katherine. Emma was a woman, not a cute girl. She opts to continue giving Gavin a confused expression while her Ariados performs a final SWORDS DANCE to break through the solid rock herself.[break][break]

It sure felt like she had do everything herself around here.[break][break]



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She watches him pull back, observe her, and she finds herself enjoying it, truly. He finishes his drink and she does as well, satisfied with the warm honey burn in the back of her throat. It leaves her warm in general, right down to her fingertips.[break][break]

"We shall."[break][break]

There's a note of humor in her voice as she turns to lower herself from her seat. Heels click against the ground and she turns to collect Gavin if he had not already collected her. The crystal beading at her back tickles her skin as she walks.[break][break]

Even now, under the scrutiny of watching eyes, she sees only him.

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