an asshole, to be more precise. the entire meeting, she felt like he was looking down on her. she didn't enjoy it; not in the slightest. above all, she felt like he was sneering at her the entire meeting through. frankly, she just wanted to end the conversation as soon as she possibly could.

"as far as i'm concerned, he wanted devon to pull some of its assets from the league." which also affected their contribution to the league, and possibly, their entire image with the circumstances and events that transpired. indeed, it would have been an issue if silph had too much power over in hoenn-- she already knows of the extent of its reach out in kanto.

"how do i put it..?" she murmurs, beginning to finish up the last of the vegetables "he's like a robot? a robot who thinks of nothing other than expanding territory and his power. it's a little worrisome."

ALEXANDER STONE

the only other frog she knew of was a dancing one.

... probably.

not that she exactly where she's seen it before. either way, there was a bunch of frogs walking around, not minding much of anything and going on their own, merry way. or.. they should be. instead, they were lazing around. apparently trainers were needed to scare them off and back into their dens.

the garchomp looming over her shoulder was more than rearing to go at the toxic frogs, letting out a roar of excitement. "cinnabar," she says, pointing to a few minding their own business "scare them away, quickly." and maybe rough a few up, so that she could catch. it was a rare opportunity, after all.

the garchomp leaps forth, slashing at startled frogs with his fins while daphne attempts to chuck a pokeball into the carnage.

3dYAOE6O

there was a fire that caught her attention, from the corner of her eye. call it a habit (something she picked up, far from the past when she had helped a certain council woman with a fire far in times past) when she glances over to make sure that the situation was under control. her lips push out a soft sigh of relief as she turns her attention back to dominic.

the smile her gives her at the very least, helps put some of her nerves to rest. enough for her to smile softly in return, repeating his name back to him as though to confirm that she heard right. "dominic, it's nice to meet you." she tries to drop formalities - at least for today. she doesn't know if she's doing this right, taking another sip of the alcohol drink.

this was nice, she thinks. it was much more relaxing than her time stuffed behind a desk, having to look over cases thrown at her feet or having to worry about the occasional devon problem that, for whatever reason, wasn't covered when she handed complete control back to her brother. their talk was unfortunately cut short, and she curiously tilts her body to take a look at where.. exactly he was going. call it the alcohol hazing her head. she didn't drink often. still, she gives a smile and nod "ah.. alright."

until it comes up to the fire dance, where she happened to turn her attention when dominic looked disgruntled being dragged into it. the expression on his face made him look impatient, which brought a smile to her lips and a giggle to escape when he returns. "it'd be a shame to lose your keys, yes." she waves her fingers to the little fairy pokemon, who chimed in her presence.

she briefly turns to the fire display, then puts her gaze back to him with an amused smile. "i'd say you did pretty well with the fire, too. the look on your face was certainly something~" she chimes, leaning forwards onto the bar top with glass in hand. "if i didn't know any better, i would think you were in a rush to return~"

dominic sinclair

oh, she remembers. she remembers how stubborn they were to let their son go off, so far away for his studies. she remembers how reluctant their parents before, during a time where the days were mundane. during a time where the days came one at a time, and where they blend together into weeks and months at the bat of an eye. "both mother and father really gave you a talking to." she chimes in response, a giggle accompanying as she recalls the smallest of memories.

the older stone makes quick work of her job, cutting up the veggies until she could casually dice them into smaller particles. enough for her to pinch up, and still sprinkle into their dish - yet still in large enough parts to be recognizable and distinguished. there's a small amount of relief, hearing that alex wasn't facing much from the silph side. she still remembers the brunt of it, despite only speaking to the head of silph only once. she wishes that she'd never have to, again.

but arceus was never that merciful.

so when he repeats the question to her, there's a moment of pause, followed by an exasperated, near wheeze (a moment of immaturity, rare for her) as she thinks back to their first meeting. "there was one instance, and i never wish to relive it." because another meeting with FERNANDO SILPH would always be too soon. a meeting with him will always make her anxious enough to move away.

"i had a meeting with silph one day, and he is.. how do i put it?" she tries to formulate a sentence, in the least offensive way she could conjure ".. aggressive? i'm not one to speak to many people at once, but the man's gaze was like a judgemental audience to me."

ALEXANDER STONE

ack, how embarrassing.

a stone, of all people, softening up during an event where the festivities were abundant. she doesn't remember the last time she could kick back and relax, what with sticking to the office like a busy bee almost every waking hour of the day. she doesn't recall the last time she's interacted with a man with ease (the previous few times weren't too bad, though one in particular stood out to be one of the most anxiety-inducing moments of her life).

a fruity drink, possibly, is exactly what she'd need. something to sweeten the day, or something to help with the heat. regardless, his recommendations were more than appreciated. she mulls it over, making a mental note of the names he listed. hopefully, she could remember them. hopefully, she could remember them long enough for her to actually have a drink with her brother sometime. maybe in the near future.

"i do enjoy fruity drinks, very much~" and when he brings up a.. what was that? margarita? her interest is piqued, enough for her to give a curious glance over to the glass of alcohol. though tentative, she gives a glance up to the man then offers a smile, before bringing the glass to her lips. the fruity taste overpowers what alcohol was in it, which was always more than welcomed.

"ah, this is really nice." her expression lights up, taking another sip. she pays little mind to the mareanie swarm on the beach, seeing more than enough trainers punting them into the ocean. daphne casually leans against the counter, while emerald eyes maintain their gaze on the man.

"i don't think i've gotten your name, either. mine is daphne~" she chimes once again.

dominic sinclair

slowly but surely, she thinks.

hopefully, they could rekindle their familial relationship. hopefully, little by little, she could at the very least let loose and casually talk to family. their youngest sibling did it so easily, so there was no reason why they couldn't, either, right? even if the majority of formalities that bled into daily life, she knows, would probably come from her.

with a smile, she follows him into the kitchen and nods in response. chopping up vegetables was simple enough, though it'd been a while since she's cooked any of her own meals. "of course" she starts, with her fingers tented together before she made her way to a few cabinets, briskly making her way through them until she could find a chopping board. when she brings it down, her attention is caught by a waved paper between alex's fingers, and it brings a giggle from her.

"i'd say that's an achievement on its own, with how stubborn she can be~" the sister chimes, bringing the board to the counter top then pulling a knife from the stand, carefully making her way over. daphne takes a vegetable in hand, and began to set it against the surface while bringing the knife to rest its side against her knuckles.

"work has been busy, as per usual. what about you?" she asks, beginning to chop up the vegetables. "has anyone from silph been troubling you, lately?"

ALEXANDER STONE

the drinks were unfamiliar. as embarrassing as it would be to admit it, she really didn't know a thing about alcohol (save for the few times she has taken a sip or two at a formal event, and her mind turning into a haze the few times she had a bit too much). unfortunately for her, his glance over didn't go unnoticed - and the fact that she caught it brought a slight red to her cheeks while instinctively looking off to the side. she didn't do well with men.

men who made themselves clear, even less.

and men who took joy in teasing the poor soul, less so. when she hears the tease, she was on the verge of saying something - anything, really. it didn't matter, because it was reflex - until she saw the smile and wink. lord arceus, even his voice was trying to tease at her with the drop in tone. she raises a hand to gently twirl a lock of green between her fingers, lowering her head in favour of having her bangs brush over her face. she hopes that it'll at least do something to cover the red tinge.

she takes another glance at the drinks on display, and quietly began to ponder over the options. she knows that she's a light drinker, though she's never recalled the point where she's knocked out. so once she's calmed her face down (read as: soothed the flush), she leans against the stand.

"i'm a bit of a light drinker, but i do want to get tipsy enough to enjoy myself." and loosen up, because gods know she needed it.

dominic sinclair

it was one thing to go on a nice little trip.

it was enough for her pokemon to run right on ahead, enjoy herself in the fresh air while attempting to do some training for herself. like a wingull, she made the tufts of fur that jutted from her arms raise into the air, running around to make them ride the breeze. daphne wasn't the kind to exercise too often, especially to a larger degree. she much preferred simple workouts or jogs; enough to keep her healthy and active just enough. the bare minimum.

though it looks like she wasn't the only trainer on the beach. there was another trainer, running around her with mienfoo and the two of them looked to be having fun with their own devices. her mienshao only gave them a sparing glance, solely because of the mienfoo. even if she denies it, profusely,daphne knows that her mienshao is something of a worrywart and mother to younger pokemon. she likes to tease her, now and again. in fact--

"isn't it cute, amethyst?" she asks the purple pokemon. the fighting pokemon pauses, catching herself staring, then turns her head away in a snuff of denial. daphne giggles.

she continues to watch on, up until the trainer attempted to copy one of her pokemon's movements. oh, she already knew that this might not turn too we-- yup. the greenette flinches, feeling the second hand shock from hitting the sand. "oh dear.." she starts, getting up from the sand and brushing the particles off her thighs. she raises a hand to motion to the mienshao, approaching the young woman. when she arrives, she leans over with a hand on her knees and the other arm outstretched.

"are you alright? i have some water pokemon who could help wash the sand off."

skyler dross

galarian pokemon were still complete enigmas to her, and it was only recently where they were allowed to roam across this region - even if they were few in between the typical pokemon that's become the norm in hoenn. maverick had already completed his side of the field, with the sand castle pokemon slicking back into the darkness of the cave. thankfully, there wasn't much she had to worry about in regards to him.

though there was unrest, with more pokemon coming from the depths of the icy cave. this time, it was a pair of smaller pokemon, who appeared lost after being separated from their parent pokemon. it was almost pitiful to see, though she still gently nudges at the noivern to take a look at the ice pokemon. "see? it's a small one, so it won't be able to hurt you too badly." yet even with her reassurance, the dragon pokemon groaned and timidly hid behind the trainer. she sighs. her mianshao doesn't appear all too impressed, either, hence the fighting type pokemon getting back into stance.

"thank you," she starts, smiling to the other trainer before motioning to the vulpix. she needn't utter a command for it, and the mienshao is quick to let out another aura sphere at the poor ice type. due to the darkness, it didn't see the attack coming, and thus was hit with the condensed fighting energy. she makes quick work of it, tossing a pokeball at the ice pokemon then returning it into her bag. the noivern on the other hand, still seemed slightly shaken. she sighs.

"mmn.. i understand your phobia of ice types, but you need to learn to face it." she tries to reassure the dragon pokemon. it doesn't seems too receptive of the trainer's concern, only turning its head away. daphne sighs in defeat, turning her attention back up to the man.

"not exactly fond of this idea, it would seem."

attempt @ alolan vulpix
maverick noah ryder

there's a small smile that tugs at her lips, seeing alexander greet her at the door so quickly. even though she came out of the blue. even though she was used to organizing things to the t, and keeping everything that she's done to a strict schedule. she hopes, at least, that this would be okay. that visiting him like this, was going to be okay.

this'll be okay.

"it's good to see you, bro--" she briefly cuts herself off. calling him brother would feel much too formal, wouldn't it? she was close to doing it out of habit. "-- alex. i'm glad to see you're doing well~" her voice chimes as she comes in, promptly taking her shoes off at the entrance and leaving them to rest on a neighbouring rack.

as always, he kept things neat and tidy. at least she didn't have to worry about that. "i was free, and figured that i should visit my little brother~" she chimes again, fingers tenting against each other while making her way deeper into the penthouse. the idea of dinner was appealing, especially when she hadn't.. exactly eaten. but she didn't want to tell him that.

and she didn't have to.
because her stomach did it, in the form of rumbling.

her face flushes the slightest from the embarrassment, as she instinctively holds her arms against and giving a nervous giggle and smile "... mmn. food would be much appreciated~. if you need help with preparing and cooking, i'll gladly join."

ALEXANDER STONE

noah faber was quick to trip over and into the sand as well, which put a small smile on her face-- gods, she felt a bit bad for doing that. still, it was amusing watching some people fall, though one man in particular didn't seem all too happy about it, and went over to the bar. there was a bit of concern, that she tucked to the back of her head.

the greenette glances up to noah, who sat himself down next to her and mimicked her position. she giggles, turning her gaze back to kyle who seemed to be having a blast jumping on his own. even looking at noah gaze out was endearing enough: it was clear enough to her that they loved eachother. it was clear enough to her, and it was enough to warm her heart.

"mmn.. that's true. i still do intend to grab myself a drink, so tell me what you'd like and i'll grab it for you." she tilts her head with that same smile, turning her attention back to the rustboro gymleader. onto the topic of her brother, she only giggles nervously while rubbing the back of her neck. "hectic.." she starts, pausing when noah calls out to kyle lopez. "hectic is one way to put it. he's usually busy with his work, which is understandable. he did try to convince me to come out for today, though~" and frankly, she was glad that he did.

ah.. she didn't want to get in the way of these two, who seemed to clearly enjoy their date. with that, daphne stands up and brushes the sand off her legs. "i'll be right back, then. what kind of drink would you like?" she listens and, when give his choice, she takes off over to the stand.

she reaches on over, finding the same man who stumbled over the rope. poor thing looked to be in a sour mood, which wasn't good, considering that today was supposed to be a cheerful one. she thought twice about approaching dominic sinclair, but.. the insistent nagging of her brother in the back of her head said otherwise. she was trying to get out of her shell. she arrives at the bar stand, leaning forwards a slight bit while besides him. "erm.. hello." she raises her voice, offering a small smile when she's grabbed his attention. she points to the drinks laid out in front of them, tilting her head quizzically.

"is there any particular drink you'd recommend? i'm not exactly.. knowledgeable with this."

notes

how long has it been?

since she's spoken to her brother? since she's spoken to alex? far too long; longer than she'd like to admit. even when he came back to hoenn, she'd only briefly spoken to him to sort out the details and nitty gritty of handing devon back under his capable helm. the pressure was a bit too much, and she decided that it would be a good idea to go back to sinnoh to finish up with her few months of schooling she'd missed out on for her law. even when she finished, she generally had no intention on returning.

.. but how could she leave her little brother alone in hoenn, while the rest of their family was hanging around elsewhere?

especially seeing how much hoenn actually needed more trainers to help fight the recent.. events. there have been quite a few, too many for her to keep track of on her fingers. maybe he would appreciate the help? she hopes that he would. and she hates to admit that even though they were siblings, she couldn't say that they had a close bond. between her trying to distance herself from the family and their antics, to trying to separate herself from the business. then over to how alex was drowned in work for as long as she could remember--

it was difficult not to blame herself for lost time.

but now was better a day as ever, to try and catch him when he actually had some free time. daphne takes a deep breath, then raises her hand up to ring the doorbell. gods, she wanted to run off, but the deed's already been done, and she didn't want to ghost her little brother.

even though it was a bit out of the blue.
ALEXANDER STONE

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