Julien nodded as he listened, the smile on his lips matching Mei's at the mention of their earlier dances. Naturally, he knew them all, even if the activity did not interest him as much as it did others. But she'd held herself with such sensual confidence that dancing with her had been electrifying. He'd thoroughly enjoyed himself. [break][break]

A portent for what was to come, he supposed. [break][break]

"I'm not normally fond of dancing at these events, but you made it enjoyable," Julien said, "in terms of both skill and charming conversation." [break][break]

Picking up his glass again, he sipped from it as he turned her other answers over in his mind. They were surprisingly wholesome, providing an unexpected glimpse into Mei's deeper character. [break][break]

"You know, the world makes it easy to forget that the people around us are, in many ways, just ordinary people. Kings and nobles across the world, politicians like me…" He raised his glass in salute to the woman seated across from him. "Escorts such as yourself." [break][break]

Julien took another sip, then lowered his drink to his lap, where he cradled the glass with both hands. [break][break]

"Your answers were very ordinary. What young woman doesn't like to spend time with her friends? Why not have affection for small children?" His smile softened by a fraction. "I appreciate your honesty, Miss Liu. It's refreshing."

TAGS – Mei Liu[break]
NOTES – mission | outfit

[attr="class","pkmn"]

With her slight smile and flushed cheeks, Mari cut the perfect picture of a genteel Kalosian woman. Julien eyed her in silent appraisal, then gestured for her to walk with him to the rental stand. There, he fished out a few PD bills to pay for two pairs of skates. [break][break]

Sitting on a nearby bench, Julien began putting his on. "I've been ice skating since I was a boy," he said. "There's a pond on my family's estate that ices over every winter. My brother and I would often race on it when we were young." [break][break]

But that had been another time. Another life. Too many responsibilities piled onto both his and Guillaume's shoulders—another reason this moment of relaxation with Mari was so rare and precious. [break][break]

"It's not my favorite pastime, so I haven't skated much in my adulthood. But I should remember the basics," Julien added as he finished tying his laces. Standing up, he held out a hand for Mari in case she needed help getting to her feet.

TAGS – marilee beaufort[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

"That's politics for you," Julien said, releasing a slight sigh. Yet his lips remained curled in a smirk. "But the challenge makes it exciting. I wouldn't have taken up this post if I thought otherwise." [break][break]

Pushing off from the windowsill, he walked a few steps to a large armchair situated next to the window. Setting down his glass of bourbon—for he was in no rush to finish it—he eased himself onto the chair like a prince on a throne. "But enough about work. We're here for pleasure." [break][break]

His accent caressed the word as his eyes drank in Mei's figure, svelte but not fragile. The soft blue silk of her dress complimented her pale complexion and brought out the vibrance in her eyes in an enchanting way. [break][break]

"Tell me about yourself, Miss Liu. What sort of things incite passion and laughter in you, besides a good bourbon?" Julien asked, unhurried. [break][break]

The later events of the night could wait. At the moment, conversation reigned.

TAGS – Mei Liu[break]
NOTES – mission | outfit

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Golden eyes contemplated Mari from a distance as she tapped away at her keyboard. Julien tucked the note away in a drawer of his desk, then slipped both Pokéball and pocket square into the pocket of his suit and returned to work. [break][break]

Later, on the last workday of the year, Mari would find a small envelope on her desk. If she were to open it, she'd find an elegant thank you card written in Julien's precise script and two perfectly crisp 100 PD bills. [break][break]

TAGS – marilee beaufort[break]
NOTES – I accept this gift! Thank you so much!

[attr="class","pkmn"]

A gala like any other. Mei spoke with such nonchalance that Julien guessed she must have attended at least a hundred similar parties. [break][break]

He did not miss the note of playful disappointment in her tone, either, one that reinforced his earlier assumption: that she used other people as playthings. They were her entertainment when faced with yet another gala and yet another rich nobleman. [break][break]

"How astute," Julien said, his smile widening above the rim of his own glass. He took another sip of the rich, smoky bourbon before continuing, "In some ways, Hoenn's Council is not dissimilar to the peerage back home. Porcelain smiles and practiced words, but everyone holds each other at arm's length." [break][break]

Not that such coolness fazed him. Winter was the domain of the Demassieuxes, after all. And Julien himself was neither effusive with his emotions nor sensitive about how others felt. In the short span of that evening, Mei would have noticed that about him, were she insightful enough. [break][break]

"The Council wants Kalos' aid but not too much of it, otherwise they feel insecure of how much we encroach onto their territory. In public, they will put on a good face when they must meet me, but otherwise, they put off interacting when it's convenient to do so." [break][break]

Cowards, thought Julien.

TAGS – Mei Liu[break]
NOTES – mission | outfit

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Julien's brow raised slightly in silent appreciation as Mei spoke. Her familiarity with alcohol was not what surprised him, for he expected as much from an escort regarded so highly by men in his circle. Instead, what surprised him was the poetry in her observations. [break][break]

Women of her trade did not often speak so intellectually. Their brains were not what men paid for. [break][break]

"Bourbon it is," Julien said, a smile curling his lips that was both amused and intrigued. He poured two glasses and brought them to the window where Mei lingered. One he handed to her, while he sipped from the other. [break][break]

The man took a moment to admire her, framed as she was by the curtains and the glass. He'd encountered his fair share of beautiful women in his nearly thirty-four years of life, but a dangerous edge set Mei apart from most of them. But it was not the tempestuous allure of rumor and scandal, as it had been with Elisabeth Fiorelli when she was still married. [break][break]

Mei was in control. Every casual gesture, sly smile, and flattering word were deployed in the exact way she wished, as if she were a wild Liepard stalking prey. The huntsman in Julien could not help but admire the huntsman in her. [break][break]

"What did you think of the gala?" he asked, leaning against the windowsill. They stood an arm's length apart, enough distance that she could consider their conversation friendly, not intimate. [break][break]

Though that could change at a moment's notice.

TAGS – Mei Liu[break]
NOTES – mission | outfit

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Julien did not typically leave the embassy to eat lunch, preferring the familiar Kalosian cooking in its cafeteria to whatever monstrosities he could find in Ever Grande City's restaurants. But winter had truly arrived at Hoenn, and he missed the familiar cold and snow. The blanket of white that coated the streets called to him from outside his office window. [break][break]

Deciding that a brief walk through the nearby park would revitalize his energy, he bundled up in a tan wool coat and red scarf and headed out with his favorite Houndour, Lucilla, at his side. [break][break]

They were coming around the perimeter of the ice skating rink when he saw a familiar figure seated on a bench. Julien's face broke into a friendly smile as he approached. [break][break]

"What a coincidence. Good afternoon, Dr. Morales," he said. "Enjoying a break from work?" [break][break]

Lucilla padded over to sniff the woman's shoes, her short tail wagging with delight.

TAGS – Eva Morales[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

TAGS – Marguerite[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

The Wintertide gala had been a fanciful and decadent affair, one Julien found entertaining only because the Hoennians had a unique take on celebrations. In a region plagued by disaster, they seized opportunities for fun and revelry in ways that made the boring, stuffy parties back in Kalos seem even blander than normal. [break][break]

Still, the elite and rich in Hoenn were hardly different than the elite and rich back home. Julien read them like old, familiar books he despised. [break][break]

His enjoyment of the whole affair, then, could be attributed to the proper company. Instead of attending alone, he'd hired the services of a beautiful escort for companionship that evening. And now that a freak blizzard had shut down the streets of Petalburg City, snowing them in for the night, he found himself turning to that companion once more. [break][break]

"What do you prefer to drink?" Julien asked Mei Liu as he hovered over the complementary alcohol cart in his deluxe king suite of the hotel. [break][break]

Not more than half an hour ago, they had escaped to this room after the party concluded in the same building's ballroom. Julien had already discarded his suit jacket and tie, unbuttoned the top button of his dress shirt, and rolled up his sleeves. [break][break]

He picked up an unopened bottle of champagne. "They provided champagne, white and red wines, brandy, bourbon, and sake."

TAGS – Mei Liu[break]
NOTES – mission | outfit

[attr="class","pkmn"]

It was not a work event. In fact, Julien was pleased to have the day off for once, his schedule completely clear of meetings, phone calls, appointments, or any other events that demanded his attention as the Kalosian ambassador. [break][break]

Instead, he only had a lovely outing with a beautiful, young woman to look forward to. [break][break]

He spotted her from a distance as he approached the public ice rink. Instead of his usual suit and tie, he wore a simple, classic winter outfit: a brown sweater with black slacks beneath a tan wool coat. A green scarf and Rolex watch were his only accessories. [break][break]

Passing a food stall selling freshly baked holiday cookies and hot cocoa with milk, Julien stepped up to Mari's side. [break][break]

"Good afternoon, Miss Beaufort. You look lovely," he said, flashing her an easy smile. "Are you ready to skate?"

TAGS – marilee beaufort[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

TAGS – marilee beaufort[break]
NOTES – outfit

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr="class","pkmn"]