[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]"no, they weren't."

there was only one that could really count as an actual relationship, anyway.

it ended in the same way most things do: painful and devastating.

"the only one that was kinda serious led me into rocket. he got out, i didn't."

she leaves it for him to fill in the blanks, to read between lines to see the truth for what it is.

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]she is sorry, though. that might never change.

his head turns and as he opens his eyes to stare at her, she feels the hot seat settling beneath her body.

"um, i don't know. maybe?"

her relationships don't even really count as relationships. not in the same regard as his, anyway. they were all physical and fleeting, idle moments in time where she would find solace in the form of another body. whoever it was did not matter, nor did their life.

"i haven't really done relationships since i was a teen so i doubt it."

yet, she has a feeling she understands the concept.

it has to be similar to abandonment, doesn't it?

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]cheated on?

a sharp, little exhale escapes her. that... had not been what she was expecting. it lands like a suckerpunch, right into the gut and left to ache.

"shit..."

her eyes stay focused on him, on the way he closes his eyes and allows his head to settle against the back of the couch.

maybe she shouldn't have packed up his ex's things, then...

"i'm sorry."

words kind of fail her in this moment. what does she even say? your ex sucks? want to burn their things to help you feel better? nothing quite fits and it dawns that she's never been in this position before. there's never been anyone to comfort. she's always been the other girl, the other side of this issue. damn, maybe she should change that too, be a better person and all that?

"you didn't deserve that."

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]the company is nice, she realizes, as she settles onto the couch next to him. she can't remember the last time she's had someone around. well, actually, she can...

it's that habit that almost wills her to bring her feet up and settle them into her lap. she refrains if only because he slumps, hiding into his hoodie.

and the question is surprising, perhaps, given the concept she had imagined of him: happy, content, not a single care in the world.

the reality is not nearly as forgiving as her mind had been for him.

"yeah. crying takes a lot out of you, unfortunately."

she grabs one of her plush, fuzzy blankets, then, and throws it over the both of them to provide a little more comfort. it's not much but maybe it's enough.

and when her voice returns, it's quieter, tentative.

"do you want to talk about it?"

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]a flash of light happens quickly and by her side, a lycanroc begins to fully take form.

the laughter grows in volume. she swears its closer now... all around them.

her lycanroc huffs in annoyance, tail swishing as irritation begins to settle in. for all of its kindness in normal circumstances, nothing quite angers this beast like an enemy it cannot see or smell.

once the forms begin to become more than just faces, however, her eyes narrow.

gengars... and lots of them.

"rock tomb."

the wolf does not need much more prompting. rocks begin to rise and are quick to fall in succession, trapping some of the gengars into a rock tomb.

Elise Calcifet

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]she blinks.

is he... asking for permission to be in his own home?

"yeah, stay as long as you want. it's your place."

she cracks a smile, slowly diffusing awkwardness out of her body as it spreads.

and when he peers toward her, she feels a faint flush creeping up. right, still awkward.

"okay, scoot over."

she makes a shooing sort of motion with her hands and rises to settle onto the couch.

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]each strike makes nausea rise, fall, and roll over once more.

and she's quiet for a moment. even as the man groans in pain, as his head makes a sickening sort of sound against blue's fists...

she is silent, staring, seemingly engrossed in the violence of it all.

the reins are handed over to her and in her hands, she fumbles them.

"uh, right."

she shifts, moving herself to be within his line of sight. and as she does, her fingers tug the mask of neutrality a little tighter into place. it cannot crack, it cannot break.

"what information have you told the league?"

the man says nothing, not at first...

blue murtagh

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]both of the skitty at her sides mewl excitedly, pawing at the air as the woman and her skuntank approach.

and when the bigger cat (skunk?) sniffs in gia's general direction, the pair of kittens are there to greet its nose with their own. they wag happy tails and gia grins.

nothing like the stamp of approval from a pair of skitty!

"honestly, it's been too long."

she missed the nice weather, the sun on her face, and the warm spring breeze in her hair. it doesn't compare to summer, naturally, but it's her second favorite season. by now, the flowers are all beginning to bloom and part of her hopes she will too.

"oh, sorry, i'm giada by the way!"

Shalin Nariya

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]the presence of cats, no matter how big or small or ferocious, never fails to make her smile.

it is this same fond little grin that rises when she comes face to face with not one, not two, but three pyroars. consider her lucky, honestly.

and while one of her hands wants to rise up, wants to run idle fingers through their silky manes, she has to refrain...

well, she tries to until one of them nuzzles up to her. she doesn't hesitate, then, to begin petting the large cat.

"how much more work is needed before it's normal again?"

the question is blurted out. quick, rushed. how much longer will she feel this guilt bubbling around in her insides for something she wasn't even physically involved in?

she blinks the emotions away, shoving them down with a slight of hand.

"giada, nice to meet you!"

and the concept of the hour eludes her even as he asks: what is she doing?

"um, i was going for a walk and ended up here."

half a lie, perhaps.

Josh Devlin

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]"definitely terrifying..."

and perhaps that's the point, isn't it?

she hears soft snickers, like echoes carried in on a chilling breeze, and her stomach drops.

giada morgan has been in enough shitty positions and situations to know when something's about to go from bad to worse.

it's not enough to be lost in the woods, but also stuck with something creeping out of trees? no thank you!

"get ready."

her voice is barely above a whisper. the tone, however, is constricted, cautious, bordering anxious. one of her hands drifts for the pokeballs on her belt and beside them, a curled up red whip.

they don't have much time. the faces are beginning to peel off trunks, beginning to take full form...

Elise Calcifet

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]she's never been to oldale before. there's never been a need to. the expensive trinkets she seeks are held within window displays and penthouse homes, not within this quaint little town. the people here are peaceful, unbothered, and hardworking.

she couldn't slip into their homes even if she wanted to, anyway. something always stops her.

turns out, however, she has more history in this town than she realizes.

it comes in the form of a ranger, of a woman a year younger and full of more trouble than she can register.

and by chance, perhaps, or some odd sense of fate, they cross paths on one dreary day. clouds roll by overhead, growing darker by the minute, and she nearly falls on her ass when she collides with a woman's shoulder. a soft oof escapes and she teeters, arms flailing to steady herself.

"shit, sorry, sorry!"

@sol

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]”oh, nice!”

she blinks, a yawn creeping in after seeing his own.

”the dog part, i mean, not the sleep part.”

too much clarification, too awkward. she’s forgotten how to properly function around him, let alone anyone.

and while the urge to busy herself rises, she drifts toward the couch and perches atop one of the armrests instead.

”no worries, did you want any help?”

CIAN MAHER