"Great!" she squeaked a little too cheerfully, a forced smile making her cheeks ache with the effort. Relief, nonetheless, found its way into the haze of anxiety and settled its delicate blanket over her shoulders as they untensed.[break][break]

Awkward misunderstanding avoided, then, in favor of awkward not-a-date. Marianne could work with that.[break][break]

She busied herself over the game pieces, taking her time reading the instructions as she refamiliarized herself with the game, even as she could feel the disappointment of the man across the table.[break][break]

Both of them were quite distracted during the game itself, making careless mistakes and stumbling their way to an unsatisfying victory.[break][break]

Later, she'd see a picture of mila alexopoulos on Gunner Graves's social media feed and feel another wave of immense relief that she hadn't broken his heart in any serious way. As she did so, however, she'd scroll and see GIDEON GRAVES beside ollie morales smiling awfully brightly together in another photo, and hit the 'like' button, unaware of the photo's context.[break][break]

It was so nice that Gideon had a good friend as well as a good brother, wasn't it?

TAGS – Gunner Graves[break]
NOTES – Mission: Sleepless in Slateport (Jan 2024)

[attr="class","pkmn"]

"The rarest? That's a very tall order!" She laughed again, enjoying herself. He was easy to talk to. "I guess it depends on what interests you most. The geology exhibit? The botanical gardens of the insectarium? Fossils? Human history? Pokemon life? There's a lot of choices."[break][break]

It was part of what she loved most about the museum -- how wide-reaching its exhibits all were, touching on so many aspects of history and natural life. There was always so much to know, learn, and discover.[break][break]

She prattled on for a bit, showing him various examples, before she circled back to his original question. A bit flushed from excitement, there was a giddiness in her voice that betrayed her eagerness for this subject and her earnest desire to share knowledge.[break][break]

"I don't know if we will ever know everything, but isn't it excited we know as much as we do? Isn't it incredible we keep learning, and that humanity keeps growing from all the knowledge we share with our descendants? It's incredible. I can't think of any Pokemon that does that, the way humans do."

TAGS – Noel Parker[break]
NOTES – Social!

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"A different reason?" she repeated slowly, letting that thought settle. Did that mean this confirmed it? This was always meant to be... a date? A date. That made sense, yeah.[break][break]

Arceus, she was an idiot.[break][break]

When the food came, she practically gushed at the waitress in thanks for saving her from that conversational pivot, and began devouring her grilled cheese in order to avoid having something to say.[break][break]

It was not her finest moment, nor her most attractive moment, but it served its purpose of delaying the inevitable.[break][break]

"I'm sorry," she managed out after swallowing the last bite, "I just don't, well, dating my boss's brother would be weird, don't you think? And potentially awkward, if things didn't work out, and besides he speaks so highly of you, and what if we said or did something that upset him, I could never..."[break][break]

Oh god why couldn't she shut up. Why was she still going.[break][break]

"Playing games is good, though!" she finished, looking up at him anxiously. "I like games! They're, they're great... Friendly games. Yeah."[break][break]

She wanted to crawl under a rock and die.

TAGS – Gunner Graves[break]
NOTES – Mission: Sleepless in Slateport (Jan 2024)

[attr="class","pkmn"]

"I-inbred?!" Marianne squeaked, horrified. What a thing to say about Remiel Calcifet, an actual person and human being! It was one thing to disagree with the monarchy, and quite another to call them such awful and horrible names! "That's not very kind. I'll have you know the Crown Prince has been quite the philanthropist to the museum, and..."[break][break]

Oh, Arceus, he was still going. Marianne's eyes went wide as saucers as the man she'd decided looked 'sweet' in his Amigo profile turned out to be just another 'Swipe Right' horndog in disguise.[break][break]

"How dare you," she breathed out, and this time her horrified tone turned to something indignant and furious. She stood up from the stool, glaring at him like a disapproving schoolmarm, and said, "Did you even read my profile at all? Or was I the only one who did homework before this date?"[break][break]

True, she'd been a bit confused at who she was supposed to meet with at the counter, but... She'd remembered his name! And his occupation! And even tried his drink to see if she liked it! All these things were very hard for Marianne, as was coming to a date like this in the first place. She'd only been brave enough because Neffatari Nzingha had encouraged her to 'put herself out there.'[break][break]

She'd said specifically, Looking to get to know someone! Taking it slow. Was he illiterate or something?[break][break]

"You should be ashamed of yourself, leading on women like this," Marianne chastised him with a disapproving click of her tongue. "And being so rude the whole evening! Didn't anyone teach you manners?"[break][break]

A hand raised as if to toss the nasty beer in his face, but she couldn't seem to finish the motion. Her arm was basically paralyzed mid-throw, her eyes sliding over to the concerned look of the bartender, and knowing guilt that punishing klaus anchoret would just wind up punishing the otherwise very nice staff stopped her from enacting her liquid-based justice.[break][break]

Instead she placed the bottle on the counter and began angrily typing on her phone.[break][break]

"A Corviknight taxi will pick me up soon. As far as I'm concerned, this date is over."

TAGS – klaus anchoret[break]
NOTES – Sleepless in Slateport (Repeat)!

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A small pride blossomed inside of her at the stranger's praise, pleased and surprised by her own competence in such chilling circumstances. She wasn't used to feeling good at much outside of the museum, and to think she might have proven herself of use in a situation of life-or-death...[break][break]

But there was no time to bask in such things.[break][break]

"Um, ok," she said, scouring the room for alternate routes. "Oh!" A lingering glance on a window caught her attention, the glass filmy and gross but the latch seemingly able to be wiggled open. Again her Klefki took charge, floating over to nudge it open to lift the window pane.[break][break]

It was large enough for them to crawl through, at least. It would work. It should work.[break][break]

"I don't think they'll see us if we crawl through here," Marianne said, racing over and using a desk as a stepladder to escape. "There's nothing patrolling on this side," she called to Rhys Collins, looking relieved. "I think we can make it..."[break][break]

And then, holding her breath tight, she jumped -- knowing he would follow.

TAGS – Rhys Collins[break]
NOTES – 08 explore an abandoned or dangerous building that represents a societal institution (e.g. a destroyed school, a dilapidated church, a powered down 'police station').

[attr="class","pkmn"]

A 'quick lay' was the last thing on Marianne's mind.[break][break]

Look, to be blunt, Marianne was a diehard romantic. She swooned at her little novels in her bedroom, delighted to see the fictional characters she adored get together. Real life was so much trickier, what with its impersonal apps and unscripted dialogue.[break][break]

You couldn't summon the fluttering feeling of Butterfrees in your heart on command. Unfortunately.[break][break]

She received her chilled beer, and examining it, decided to drink it the same way he did. Beer wasn't her usual choice, and when it was, she picked something light.[break][break]

This was not light. Ugh.[break][break]

Her face betrayed her dislike but she did her best to mask it seconds after the fact. Marianne, of course, was a terrible actress and failed at this.[break][break]

"Oh gosh, yeah, the weather has been wild, hasn't it?" she agreed, bobbing her head up and down in agreement. "Something about uh, something at the Vital City Tournament... There was thunder, and lightning..."[break][break]

She gestured, unable to remember the name Thunderus, and drawing a complete blank when she tried.[break][break]

To hear he didn't even remember the basic details on her profile was even more depressing, though.[break][break]

"Um, I work at a museum. It's okay, it's not super exciting."[break][break]

She fidgeted, too, desperately hoping to crawl under a rock.[break][break]

"Oh! The Crown Prince of Galar is helping with an exhibit, though! So that's exciting."[break][break]

Maybe that would make her work sound more interesting? Was it cool to mention you'd collaborated with Remiel Calcifet? Or was that, like, humblebragging?

TAGS – klaus anchoret[break]
NOTES – Sleepless in Slateport (Repeat)!

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"Oh, I've played this one before!" she exclaimed, eyes lighting up with delight. She moved to excitedly start collecting her pieces, not quite registering Gunner Graves's words until... well... she registered them.[break][break]

Was that a wink? Oh. Oh, no.[break][break]

Why had he called her sweet? Was this a date-date?[break][break]

She froze in place, struggling to figure out a way out of this social faux paus that didn't reveal her crush on this man's brother, and briefly short-circuiting in the process.[break][break]

"Did Gideon tell you that?" she blurted instead. "That I'm sweet?"[break][break]

Focusing on this game was going to be impossible.

TAGS – Gunner Graves[break]
NOTES – Mission: Sleepless in Slateport (Jan 2024)

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"Dunes," she commented, gesturing to the exhibit, "kind of look like a desert planet, don't they?"[break][break]

Trapinches were visible here, busily burrowing in the sand as solitary Cacturne stood to bask in the sun. A Sandile licked at the glass, staring at Noel Parker with beady eyes.[break][break]

"It's hard to know all the Pokemon that existed in ancient history," she continued, "but there's this idea of the Cradle of Civilization -- that there was a part of the world where life all originated. I wonder sometimes if Arceus had something to do with that, and what that place might have looked like."[break][break]

She jumped suddenly with a squeal of surprise as a Silicobra popped up as if out of nowhere, springing out from the sands to flick its tongue out at the man staring beyond the glass.[break][break]

"It's not quite a worm," she laughed, regaining her composure, "but that was pretty close, don't you think?"

TAGS – Noel Parker[break]
NOTES – Social!

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The other man's attention was quickly and soundly ignored as she turned her back to him, eager to prove she wasn't as oblivious as this meeting had already painted her to be.[break][break]

"No, no, I want to get to know you!" she insisted, a bit too eagerly, as she attempted a winsome smile. "Uh, I'll have what he's having!" she said gamely, having not noticed what it was he'd ordered in the first place. It was hard to pay attention when anxiety was pounding this loudly in your ears.[break][break]

Her legs swung restlessly across the barstool, revealing the silent panic going on in her mind, as she attempted to make up for this disastrous beginning.[break][break]

"So!" she said too cheerfully, beaming at him. "I saw you're a lightkeeper? That's really cool!"[break][break]

Was this the worst pick-up line in existence? Yeah. Probably.

TAGS – klaus anchoret[break]
NOTES – Sleepless in Slateport (Repeat)!

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Marianne scrunched her nose up a bit at this question, doubtful.[break][break]

"Aren't you supposed to tell me that?" she blurted out before she could stop herself, and deep horrible shame at this rude outburst soundly colored her red.[break][break]

Gosh, this was like going to a restaurant and telling the chef you didn't think they knew how to make their own dinner. You weren't supposed to announce things like that![break][break]

Very rude, she chided herself, mortified. You're going to get the worst reading ever, not that you care, but you totally deserve it.[break][break]

She fumbled anxiously with her tea, struggling to right herself.[break][break]

"W-well since you're asking, I guess no, I don't think it's bringing me closer to what I desire. But... it's not taking me further away, either?[break][break]

GIDEON GRAVES was just always there, present and existing, and completely unaware of any desires she had involving him in the first place. As it should be, considering he was her boss and that was totally completely inappropriate, for sure. For sure.

TAGS – Mitsuru Kagami[break]
NOTES – Mission: Employment I

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Marianne shut her eyes tightly as Rhys Collins warned her of the horrible sight to come, but the sound of it was evocative enough to paint an unwanted picture in her mind's eye.[break][break]

Why had she done this? Why, oh why, oh why...[break][break]

Stop being such a baby, Marianne, a little voice in her head chided herself. Pull yourself together! You can't just rely on this stranger all the time![break][break]

As if in answer, her eyes snapped open to a solution to the very problem he was describing: the hinge on the now-unhinged door.[break][break]

"Angel," she whispered, and her Klefki hovered about nervously before she understood her orders. Carefully the little Steel-type began to reattach the door to its hinges, muting her metallic clinking to the best of her abilities. Having done so, one of the Klefki's keys slid back into the lock silently, attempting to wiggle back and forth and lock it.[break][break]

A satisfying 'click' sound announced their success.[break][break]

"Okay... okay... What else?" Marianne said, rubbing her chin in thought before she a lightbulb went off in her mind.[break][break]

This was, after all, a schoolhouse.[break][break]

And schoolhouses had desks. And bookshelves. And all manner of useful, barricading objects.[break][break]

Marianne rolled up her sleeves and went to work prying one of the dusty pieces of furniture up from where it had been abandoned, dragging it determinedly towards the now-hinged door. She tucked the back of its chair snugly against the knob, nodding to herself when it wouldn't move.[break][break]

"Do you think you can help me with the bookshelf?" she asked, looking at Rhys's injury with visible concern. "Or... well, I guess we should think about escaping. If there's even a way to escape."

TAGS – Rhys Collins[break]
NOTES – 08 explore an abandoned or dangerous building that represents a societal institution (e.g. a destroyed school, a dilapidated church, a powered down 'police station').

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Everything happened so fast. A soft gasp escaped her as she watched Rhys get injured, but there was no time to react as he whisked her away from the shambling Megalopolans. She stared back behind her, horrified, but unable to stop witnessing this history in real-time.[break][break]

Mercifully, the MISTY TERRAIN blotted out the eerie sight from view, and she shivered before turning her attention forward.[break][break]

"Oh, the schoolhouse!" she gasped. "No, no, the door is locked!"[break][break]

What to do, what to do? She fumbled with her Pokeballs, struggling to find a solution when one rolled forward and escaped her shaking fingers.[break][break]

She'd not known what Pokemon to summon, but it was her Phanpy that emerged -- and, as if inherently understanding what was needed, a BULLDOZE soundly paved the way forward for them both.[break][break]

"Quick! Inside!"

TAGS – Rhys Collins[break]
NOTES – 08 explore an abandoned or dangerous building that represents a societal institution (e.g. a destroyed school, a dilapidated church, a powered down 'police station').[break]
- 🗺️ MARIANNE LOVELACE's desire to record history or lack of experience with the calamities of this universe must be advantageous in some way.

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