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Lobster arrives, and though the soup looks particularly good, he mirrors Julien in placing the napkin underneath, upon his lap, before taking a small bite, blowing upon the spoonful of soup, when Julien suggests a meeting. For a moment, he pauses, spoon by his lips. Then, Duncan takes his first bite. Thick. Warm. Hoenn truly surprises him. Delicacies of seafood were to be enjoyed![break][break]

The way Julien smirks has Duncan, momentarily, on the backfoot, but he recovers within seconds. "I'll invite you over for dinner. Her servants will surely cook at the future husband's behest, especially for an old friend." Though his eye never once meets his gaze, merely at his smirk, he turns back to the lobster bisque, another bite now in his mouth.[break][break]

Now that Duncan had finished squirming, it was time to prod at his own friend's fortunes..[break][break]

"You look far too narrowly, Julien! Meeting them on their level, sure, any flower would fawn to be plucked by Monsieur Demassieux. But if they meet you on your own? Lithe with tongue, more ways than one? That's the kind of woman best suited for you, aye?" His golden eye finally rests on his friend's again, the glass of water back to his lips.[break][break]

"Domesticity doesn't suit you, my friend."[break][break]

It never did.

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Hm. Did he strike a nerve? Duncan wanted no such thing, but the way he tightens up, Duncan's grin returns to a smile, and to his declining the offer, Duncan nods, raising his glass again. "I assure you, as we're blethering on here, that choice is out of my hands. Do not fret, Julien." Glass on his feet, every word must be danced around with for the least amount of pain later.[break][break]

The question about Estelle's heritage does a somersault. For the first time, Duncan's smile disappears entirely, a flash of nigh-offense. The smile returns by the mere sipping of water, as he sets the glass back down.[break][break]

"She is a self-made woman. She rose through knighthood at a young age, talented in swordsmanship, more so than I, and joined the Royal Guard. Estelle is known as the Queen's Hound. I've seen her duels before. Graceful. Like a wild flower on the fields, standing out amongst the crowd." He recalls something in his mind, the times they shared a duel, in a dance of blades. An icy bloom, always keeping others at arm's length. A familiar approach.[break][break]

His golden eye moves back up towards Julien. This man truly was dangerous. That's what made it fun to talk with him. "Are you looking to wed soon yourself, Julien?"

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Always perceptive. An able mind like Julien's is dangerous, and one who is taking careful attention to his words should be handled with a little caution on his tongue. It ends with him beaming more.[break][break]

"Thank you, friend. An arranged marriage to a beautiful bonnie, good with a blade, loyal to the Queen. What's not to love?" He does well to hide his true feelings, behind a friendly, happy grin. Keep them all guessing.[break][break]

What's not to love, indeed?[break][break]

As for the date of the wedding, he smiles ear-to-ear. "Aye, you'll get an invitation, old friend. Perhaps even a groomsmen role. I'd hate to not see you in a suit, so you're coming regardless," his accented tone gets a little higher in an airy little flirt, meaning nothing really, but a friendly jest all the same.

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With his back to her, his face is hidden. The silver bangs quietly hung low upon his face. Not even his lips were visible. The walk is slow, his back bends lower, his gaze fastened forward, his stature large. But still, it bends lower and lower. Deeper on blood-built imaginary weight.[break][break]

"Nonsense, Yu'na. I jus' like what I see." He says it with his face turned away. She can't see the way its said, but the tone denotes nothing is wrong at all.[break][break]

He's slow enough to let her catch up, and with it, by his side. His face again, appears with smile, but his other eye is obscured by hair, his gaze not fully shown to Yuina.[break][break]

Her voice is soft. It invites him to the door, a doorway he knows he can pass through, each step no matter the invitation like stepping on broken glass. Hard to avoid it when the soles of his shoes are made from it.[break][break]

"My interests?" he hears her, he does. But when he turns to look at her, his face gives it away for a second. Longing. And then his eye closes, and he smiles ear-to-ear. Genuine. "Stranger th'n fiction," it sounds sad, how his northern Galarian tone just says something so normal.[break][break]

"What I'm interested in... really." he stops. He turns to her, and his face is still smiling.[break][break]

"I don't know how to answer that, Yu'na."[break][break]

No one knew that side. Not @estelle, not Julien Demassieux, not Elise Calcifet, or Remiel Calcifet. No one knew.[break][break]

Perhaps... I'll find it here.

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Little Sparrow flies up above, a scout that always kept him knowing what was to come. The Wattrel was smart. And here, in ther first real excursion, in the Giant Chasm. As teammates? Equals?[break][break]

Either way, hands in his pockets, he points towards his fiancée. "Will you be quiet the whole trip then, Estelle?"[break][break]

He asks, a smile always on his lips.[break][break]

The further in they go, the closer Walking Wake gets. The closer the dinosaur is, the sooner they have to be ready. A blade is on his person, but hidden quietly, tucked away. Not because he doesn't want to defend himself, but one look at Estelle...[break][break]

He knows he doesn't have to.[break][break]

[break][break]

Huh. His eye twitches. Why did he feel... afraid right now? He was trembling. His smile never disappeared, but it shrunk, as he got an inch closer to Estelle.

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And here we are.[break][break]

Time goes by. When her door opens, he gazes at her. Crimson meets gold. A smile on his face every second, never once to delay, never once to show the cracks. By showing, he is vulnerable. By hiding it away, he is invincible.[break][break]

But a den for lions is the perfect place to put such visage to practice. A woman sits before him now, one he knows well. His fiancée. His eyes trail up the outfit she wears, a once-over to make sure he's looking at the right person.[break][break]

Her questions, immediate. Where is the entourage? Of course, he holds off, his brow risen. Was she so crass not to address him properly? Or did she not care? Fascinating. When she corrects herself, and gives the curtsey, he bows in kind.[break][break]

"That's quite alright, my dear. A pleasure to see you again." Duncan's smile grows, before he returns upright, to finally answer her. "I came of my own accord. I assure you, Pepper is more than enough protection. I waived off the group that wished to join me before I made my way here." The little Nickit makes a fierce screech, the little yellow bandana scarf around her neck showing how cute she truly was.[break][break]

He grins.[break][break]

"I am parched though. What is for lunch?" he asks, taking a step in the moment she moves to let him in. A lingering eye never leaving her.[break][break]

Always question.

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Same old same old. Duncan's happy to hear that. But it's when they get their waters and their order, that Duncan begins to drink and listens. The obvious questions, as he expects.[break][break]

"With the rise of the new Prime Minister after certain incidents, the wealth of Galar is being reformatted for its' restoration," Duncan begins, swirling the water as if it were the finest wine he could ever ask for, a clatter of ice chinking the side of the glass.[break][break]

Never once does he mention his stance.[break][break]

"The Queen is simply acting accordingly. She's sent me here to speak with Remiel Calcifet for restoration, as well as to wed me off to the woman known as @estelle. I stay at her home in Rustboro for now." Said so matter-of-factly, no hints, not even by his facial expression.[break][break]

His visible yellow eye peers at Julien.[break][break]

"Orders from the Queen are not to be taken so lightly, Julien. As I'm sure you know."[break][break]

Another sip. The water trickles down his parched throat.

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There's a pause in his swagger. Subtle, but present if one looks hard enough. The edge to his smile deepens. Like a curve, it turns back into the smile, a centimeter less than it was. Yuina was a smart lass. She probably could see it.[break][break]

For today, she got away. "Same'ere, bonnie. Got out and ov'r here. Good choice in spot." Her cheeks are red. His cheeks haven't deepened at all in color or tone, he's in control.[break][break]

The only one who can hear the cracking is him.[break][break]

"Beautiful woman needs a flow'r. A bouquet from an admir'r is jus'as good, eh lass?" He doesn't need to justify why he did it, but every girl or guy deserves a flower from someone. If it were his way, he'd have a flower to everyone.[break][break]

But if one looks too close at the flowers, they can read a story in the picks. A dead language of flowers, dead but not gone.[break][break]

Her question comes, and so he goes "Right as rain, Yu'na," His facial expression that same practiced smile, the same he wore before. "Not in particular. But I did want to see you again." He begins walking forward.[break][break]

Why?[break][break]

Who was to say. His reasons are hidden, and in that brief moment Yuina could see his back, a step forward for him, she might see his shoulders sagging downwards. Not in relaxation, but something else.

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Just one day.[break][break]

The text message comes in. A little lunch date. It's a little more than friends, a little less than lovers. Tis the season, and a little more sightseeing helps the heart grow fonder. His smile always stays on his face, an edge to it that was hard to pin down. Was it sadness? Was it anger? Was it nothing at all?[break][break]

The little walk through the coming spring season, as the flowers would sit in full bloom, has him smile, as he holds his bouquet. White and purple hyacinth.[break][break]

The purple far outweigh the white, yet the white still blooms.[break][break]

"Seems I caught y'u out the exhibit, eh bonnie?" he flirts already in that deep northern Galarian accent, his smile hiding away that edge, as he brushes his hand towards the bouquet.[break][break]

"Stunn'n, Yu'na. Truly stunn'n." He can't just not remark on how she looks.

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The giggle has him grinning like a fool. Her blush is cute. Had he not been born into nobility, he would have considered offering her a hand, a date. His smile finds itself disappearing a spell, but reforms. When she sees the phone in his hands, he's careful not to overstep.[break][break]

Information begotten now, and in his hand now sits the information of a girl he found interesting. And he stares over it once or twice. Longingly.[break][break]

Again, that smile fades quietly for just a spell, but returns.[break][break]

"Nonsense, bonnie, I came for this exhibit," he shakes his head, pocketing his phone into his pocket. "-and I found something just as good to go with it." A flash of his white teeth, and a turn of his heel, he would take a moment to pivot his body sideways, ready to go.[break][break]

"Let's get lunch sometime, Yu'na." he doesn't bother to correct himself this time. But the smile he shoots her this time, is one showing a bit of interest.[break][break]

He hates leading her on.[break][break]

He wishes he didn't have to.[break][break]

The ball and chain sits behind him as it always has, as he pockets his hands to his jacket pockets. "Catch you around, pretty 'istorian."[break][break]

With that, he walks. Quietly through the museum halls, uninterested in the other exhibits.[break][break]

"Yuina, huh?"[break][break]

He correctly says to himself this time, without trouble, or desire to mistake it again. A bigger grin on his face, as Sparrow chirps on his shoulder.

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Good health is certainly a word! Even if it seemed his prior refusal to be addressed by his own status seemed to take his friend off guard, that polite smile quickly fixed mirrored his own.[break][break]

He held back a chuckle, returning the smile, and enjoying the menu when, as Julian responds to his comment over the king crab, he offers an appetizer. Some lobster bisque? Ah yes, when its cold in Galar, soup tastes fantastic. "That sounds quite wonderful, Julien," he traces a finger towards it, a little picture agreeing with his own imagination, before the waitress comes over.[break][break]

"Same for me, lass." the pleasant look on his face, dreamy a moment. When the waitress goes away, however...[break][break]

His smile shifts a little. One eye remains hidden. The other, opens and shows yellow, a gaze merely set to the vista outside, towards the sea. He observes everything he can without having to look Julien's way, but he always ensures one eye is visible to the Kalosian Ambassador.[break][break]

"While we await for our food... tell me of Kalos as of late, friend," he deeply inquires, warm in tone.

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Riding on a bus, he found many staring his way. It would be almost slightly uncomfortable, if it wasn't more-so fascinating. After all, so many people here didn't know, even fewer kept tabs of his arrival. Sure, there's Julien Demassieux, but that's someone who keeps eyes to the news. He knew of his coming.[break][break]

No. Today, he is to make his way to the estate. His to-be-wife's estate, and he does so without having to actually pay fare. A pretty face, a smile that feigned its own genuine edge, and a phone pays for his arrival.[break][break]

Not that he ever asked for it.[break][break]

"Thanks there, lass."[break][break]

Never bite the hand that feeds.[break][break]

By time he would enter into Rustboro, he's already carrying a travel brochure, and peeling through the pages, as he takes in the sights. Walking with little Pepper on his shoulder, the Nickit merely grins, as he pokes through it. The Devon Corp, the manufacturing hub... ah, this must be where all the Hoenn exports are made. Fascinating.[break][break]

It takes another half hour of meandering about, before Duncan reaches home. Well. His home for the time being. And even sooner than that, he quietly makes his way towards the door, like that of a commoner. He needs no helper, or escort. Directionally, he was challenged just enough to make it here late. A little too late.[break][break]

One doorbell ring later, and Duncan puts on his smile, a text message on his phone to be sent.[break][break]

Here. :winkyface:[break][break]

That'll do.

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Sure was a cutie, this one! The little history lesson Yuina gave him was welcomed fully. Truly sad when history is lost, but it seems some level of distortion timey wimey rug-rolling made it possible for their return. Time and space were more Sinnoh's thing, which come to think of it, Jubilife WAS in Sinnoh. It all pieced itself together, when he realizes that.[break][break]

Still. Sad tale about Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark. Due to their own hospital environment, and the environment they found themselves in after their migration, it made sense why they had become ghosts.[break][break]

To Yuina's response, saying it was fine, he pauses a second, a beat sitting in the air, only to turn his head back around. "S'pose that's fair, in'it? Though you do better with Duncan than I do with Yu'na. Yu'na. Yu-In-A." Alright, there he goes chuckling again, watching her push those glasses back up. Flirty smile, dashingly handsome looks all the same, he just finds himself staring a second too long. Was he lost in her a spell?[break][break]

Damn.[break][break]

More Pokemon from Hisui?! That caught his attention, and the moment Delton makes an entrance, the yellow eye fixates on the Decidueye. That was a Decidueye, right? From what the books stated, it seemed more... red than he expected.[break][break]

With a hand to his chin, he can't help but rub the rugged face, staring at Delton. He was no less impressed. You don't see a little bit of history every day. Though he was used to it. "Guess I better keep'n contact with ya, eh bonnie?" he reaches into his jacket, holding out his phone with what looked like a little Nickit sticker on a lavish red phone case likely costing a fortune itself. Hiding his phone screen, he heads to the contacts, and holds it out for her. "Might be a bit furward, but can I get y'ur number, Yu'na?"[break][break]

Alright, typed upon the name, is Yuna in the first name.

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