[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i"]his answer is almost enough to flatter her. almost, yet not quite. there's more she wants, more she needs. it shows in the way her smirk widens, in the way blue eyes shift into dangerous territory. she's prying, then, without hesitation as if she wants affirmation for things that she shouldn't.

"should i feel special?" her fingers itch to feel the half empty glass against skin. and yet, she doesn't give in just yet. there's a game to be played here and with every fiber in her, she'll win. "or do you have lots of exceptions?"

where he avoids to tame, she looks to conquer.

a game of cat and mouse ensues as if she can't entertain anything else. when he looks, she leans back, eyes drifting away to her glass. condensation bleeds onto the wooden counter and only then does she reach for the glass. it's empty upon return.

"where's the fun in telling you," stubbornly, her eyes stay away a moment longer. and finally, when she's satisfied, do they return. "when i could just show you instead?"

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i"]"do you always pick up broads in seedy bars?" a pause, a consideration, and then a snicker. "cause i do." it's how she found him a few nights ago, tucked away like a little pretty gem in some trashy bar. of course, one could say the same for her but would they? nah, definitely not.

the glass rotates in her hand, liquid swirling lazily. her eyes flicker to it for a moment, idly watching the movement and dragging back up to his face.

"anything on the agenda tonight?" she'll take a sip, shocking i know, and return the glass to the counter. one leg rises, brushes against his, and then crosses over the other. deliberate, taunting, challenging. "actually, i could think of one thing."

him, her, drinks, getting messy. anything else to add?

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i"]the outskirts feel familiar, even after all this time. there's a certain air to them now, a feeling of nostalgia lingering in shadows of alleys. somehow, it almost makes her uncomfortable.

to combat this, she finds herself in the seediest bar in town, nestled in the corner. out of sight, out of mind. a first for giada morgan, really, but that's not the point. there's a method to her madness, a purpose to her movements.

"didya miss me?" she murmurs, finally, when the background noise has reached a comfortable level for personal conversation. blue eyes leave a half empty glass to dart toward her companion. curiosity eats away at her, masking something else she can't quite place. is it worry? care? affection? all, neither, who knows. what she does know is it's been a long time since she's had the absolute fucking honor of seeing emma in person and she's hungrily drinking her in.

"i hope so, given how close we were," a snicker follows and she's leaning forward, planting herself directly into the woman's line of sight. she's always wondered what would happen if she stayed in emma's crosshairs a moment too long. would it be as messy as she thinks?

maybe she'll find out.

Emma Wolfe

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i"]while the crowned prince chases the phantom trail left behind, she is left to her own devices. such devices include lifting what she can from decorated walls and shoving anything sparkly into the bag carried by a zoroark. simple, effective, easy. who knew a prince could be such a great target?

she did. cue the patting on the back.

"come," she whispers, glancing toward the displeased zoroark. malizia huffs but follows anyway, as if she doesn't have anything better to do and is merely killing time by being an accomplice. "the next room awaits."

the click of heels is faint, light, fading. it trails from one room to the next, a soft echo against otherwise empty halls. whatever servants he might have are absent, much to her delight. all except one... which she stumbles upon in the next room.

a mild wince follows the creak of a door, as if she had hoped it wouldn't be as loud on its hinges. it is and she's alerting the smeargle left behind to her presence before stepping into the light. what follows next is her first mistake.

"well, fuck," is hissed into the confines of the room. the smeargle stares back at her and she's heaving out a huffed sigh, shifting to plant her hands on her hips. "how much to not tell, hm?"

classy, gia.

Remiel Calcifet

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i"]"ooh," practically echoes all around her, bouncing off decorated walls and silence. it's soft enough to go mostly undetected but loud enough for her to pause. when nothing comes and no sirens sound, she continues. "expensive taste. just the kind i was looking for."

two bottles of wine tucked into a bag later and she's shifting on. another rack, another selection of booze. wine cellars can be dark and creepy, sure, but to a thief? it's a goldmine.

"where's the bourbon in this bitch?" a lazy glance is thrown over her shoulder to make eye contact with a less than impressed zoroark. if looks could kill, she'd be dead. anyway, malizia is little help in this endeavor but she doesn't need the help anyway. the next shelf holds a couple of disorganized bottles and one just so happens to be bourbon. nice, good looking gia!

okay, time for the next room.

a bottle of dark liquor holds firm in her hand as she creeps forward, abandoning the wine cellar and already slinking toward another room. what could it hold? jewelry? trinkets? oooh, paintings! those sell for a pretty number...

behind door number one is...

what looks to be a random room. it's full of decorations, enough to catch her eye. if only she knew the head of the house was a room away and privy to the sound of bumping into furniture, she'd tread a little more carefully.

Remiel Calcifet

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i"]the laughter that escapes in response to his comment is genuine, entirely too amused to be faked. and really, his cackle is a little infectious. or maybe that's just the alcohol already beginning to loosen her up. either way, she's quickly becoming a fan of this man. willing to go all out for a drinking challenge and entertain her? hell yeah, go alex!

the hand shake ends as quickly as it happens but not before she echoes his name, before she tries and probably fails to fully commit it to memory. "alex! a pleasure!" if she runs into him again after this, hopefully she'll at least remember the good time spent drinking shot after shot if she can't manage to keep track of his name.

another round of shots comes quickly, earning a bright grin. man, this bartender is amazing. definitely a new favorite. keep them comin', man! she's quick to grab her own shot, perhaps using a little too much force when returning the clinking of glasses against one another. a little bit of alcohol sloshes and escapes onto her hand but she ignores it in favor of letting out another laugh.

"the best kind of friendship." he's quick in downing his shot and naturally not one to be outdone, she follows suit without hesitation. once the glass is empty, it's slid back to be discarded for another. and while they wait, she turns toward him with an eyebrow beginning to rise. "do you always find your friends like this? cause i sure as hell do." another laugh, another amused look. it's not like she can find friends in her job, anyway. thieving is sort of a one woman show but bar friends are better, anyway.

Alexei Ivanov
midsummer madness prompt!

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i"]he downs his and she hers and it's definitely the start of a beautiful challenge. she can't contain the excitement. it spreads across her features, leaving the blonde bright and bubbly. she bounces in her seat as he turns toward the bartender and tells him to keep them coming. hell yeah, definitely keep it going!

oooh, and he's putting down bills? okay, he's officially her favorite in this place now.

"i like you already," she chirps with a laugh. and while she initiated this challenge and should really add to the bills on the counter, she doesn't. not yet, anyway. her wallet stays in her pocket for now but the upper half of her body leans a little closer to him, an eyebrow raising. "you know, if you're about to become my new drinking partner, i should probably know your name."

introductions are normal and so are handshakes, a concept that might dawn a bit too late. nevertheless, she happily extends a hand toward him. "giada, it's a pleasure to drink you under the table!"

Alexei Ivanov
midsummer madness prompt!

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i"]she grins a little wider when he accepts her offer. the previously unoccupied seat is now filled and she wastes no time in leaning into his area of orbit. "hell yeah," she chirps. someone's finally enough of a man, woman, person to take her challenge and not bitch out. a blessing in disguise it seems, as this man almost seems excited.

poor unfortunate souls flock together, it seems.

"if vodka's your poison," she glances toward the bartender, signaling the first round of shots. "then let's go hard as fuck." she normally prefers tequila when doing these challenges but how can she deny him vodka when he accepted her offer? she wouldn't, that'd probably be a party foul or something and mama ain't raise no bitch. well, mama didn't raise her anyway but the sentiment stands.

anyway, the bartender wastes no time in bringing the shots over. and naturally, she snags her own in one quick motion, raising it toward him like a toast. "cheers, doll!"

Alexei Ivanov
midsummer madness prompt!

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i"]she plays the part of an excited gym challenger well. or, well, she hopes she does. the lack of a catsuit and mask is a little annoying but identities to be protected or whatever. anyway, she doesn't bother to hesitate when she pushes the door open and enters the lobby. the secretary glances up at her curiously, head tilting slightly to the side.

"hey! here to challenge the gym, yeah?" the bubbly voice might be a bit much but it's enough to get the secretary to eagerly nod. there's a moment of clicking keys before the woman stands and beckons her to follow. naturally, she follows with a saunter. own the place, bitch.

when the gym leader comes in, he'll find her standing on her respective side of the arena, both of her pokemon already out and waiting. her attention is directed toward her nails, inspecting the impeccable manicure as if that's the only care she has in the world. her luxray almost looks bored but the carnivine? his teeth mash together aggressively. eager to bite something, it seems. damn, her fucking too.

ALEXANDER STONE

character tag: giada morgan[break]
format: private, square up bitch[break]
pokemon: luxray & carnivine

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i"]she slips in, a little late and relatively undetected. the speech has only begun moments earlier but she's never been one to show up on time. it's a wonder she even managed to slink in at all. a spot is vacant against the wall, perhaps close enough to hear better but not enough to be noticed. she takes it with ease, settling into the crowd with a neutral face.

marcel maeda is close to her and she offers a slight wave and a wink but nothing further. best to not harass him now... this is business, kind of, sort of?

gifts are given and announcements made and the entire time, she's fighting an eye roll. it's a flashy display and generous, sure, but it strikes her here and now that the lack of women in power is hard to ignore. sorry guys, but the women could step on her any day over ya'll. her interest is piqued at the mention of Katherine Fairburne, however. and when she glances the new gym leader's way, she's letting out of a soft whistle. definitely could step on her, thank you. anyway, she's only half paying attention, gaze shifting across the crowd instead of their new boss. he seems competent enough to pay her so there's no complaints on her part. not really, anyway.

a paycheck is a paycheck and as long as they're giving her work and things to snatch, she's content.

rocket.

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i"]okay, the locals of mauville can most definitely not fucking hang. what is this shit? they tap out after three rounds with the constant excuse that they have to head out. really, they just don't want to be beat by the blonde in another drinking game. she can't exactly blame them but damn, is it annoying to always have the challenges leave.

her eyes flutter toward the door when it chimes, curious if the newcomer will be a new victim for her to pounce on. and maybe they will be but not in the way she usually does. instead, beating someone in a shot for shot contest seems to be the new wave.

"hey!" she calls, an arm raising to capture the man's attention. "you interested in a little challenge?" that'll get him, right? giada grins a little wider, rotating on her stool to fully face the direction he's in. "these assholes can't handle their drinks, apparently. maybe you can."

let the games or madness begin, whichever comes first really.

Alexei Ivanov
midsummer madness prompt!

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i"]is she even really trying, though? something wants to say yes but she snuffs it out. instead, she stares at his smile, at the way it forms a little too easily. she could try to mirror it and she even does but it doesn't feel the same. it doesn't have the same intentions behind it and it's almost a little painful.

"okay," is all she manages to get out before he's shifting closer. and where she might expect something spicier because that's the only thing she can really offer anyone, it turns out different. an embrace, warm and comforting. her body melts into his against her mind yelling at her that she isn't made for this. she's never been made for softness, only to bare her teeth and make the ground weak.

and really, a small voice in the back of her mind tells her that this is nice. that she's been craving this, that this is everything she wanted as a young girl. and it takes everything in her to ignore that, to ignore the way everything calms against him. instead, she stays slightly still, eventually bringing her arms up to settle at his back. she offers no words, no movement, nothing. just herself in this embrace and maybe that's enough.

Finley Black