Set in the original region of Arciel, Legends Rising is a route-inspired, but not strictly route-based, Pokemon roleplay. Pick a faction, pick a class, and strike out into the wild to take on the League, master Contest coordination, research the mysteries of Pokemon and Arciel, and much, much more. Will you be a classic trainer? A criminal? A farmer? Choose your destiny on Legends Rising.
The next Birch City Contest was fast approaching, and with it came a rise in Riley's nerves. Not that she was one to give into anxieties too much, really, but it did add just a little incentive to keep her mind off it and have more fun. So while nights out at the bar weren't an uncommon occurrence by any means, she'd be spending a little more time than usual at them for the next week or so, in all likelihood.
Of course, just sitting around drinking alone was boring after a while, so all the while she kept her eyes peeled for just the right hottie to spend her time with. There was a woman in a red dress over at the bar, and Riley spent a few minutes sizing her up. Nice face, but a bit more petite than Riley typically went for. Plus, she decided, her own red dress was prettier than the other woman's. Riley didn't need a girl with inferior fashion sense. Okay so that was mostly a joke she told to herself, but still, she just wasn't feeling it.
A guy a few tables over seemed to be alone, and Riley began eyeing him. Short hair wasn't her preference, but it was styled nicely. He was dressed nicely enough, though her standards were admittedly lower for men's fashion. He wasn't the most attractive guy, but he was pretty easy on the eyes. Maybe it'd be worth-- oh, another guy just walked up? Hm. Was it worth trying to steal him from his buddy? Or was the new guy attractive enough to chat up both or-- oh, nope, they just kissed lol. That did up the chances they'd be down for a threesome if they were bi, but she didn't wanna risk the awkwardness if one or both were gay, or they were just super monogamous.
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. Anyone else?
Teal eyes scanned the bar. The bartender himself was cute, but that was rarely a good idea to try at least until close to closing time. And no one else really-- OH?
Just as Riley was losing hope, a very pretty blond walked in. Still shorter hair than she preferred, but long enough to play with from the looks of it. A nice build. Not the tallest but tall Enough. One thing in particular that stood out, though, was how tired he looked. Perhaps he needed a little pick-me-up~?
Having already ruled out her other options for the moment, Riley decided to go ahead and approach rather than waiting and watching first. Sliding out of the booth, she sauntered over, low one-inch heels clicking against the hardwood floor. "Hey there, handsome~" she said as she came into earshot. "You look like you could use a drink," she half-teased. "How about I buy you one~?"
It wasn't long after his shift at the Pokecenter had ended that Touma found himself wandering the streets, exhausted but still wired enough that sleep seemed a far off idea. Although happy with himself that he'd managed to stick things out despite his inexperience, he had still ended the day with more injuries than he'd expected and was craving a little something to take the edge off. He had changed out of the center's uniforms into something more casual and, although probably not the best idea, had made sure that his pokemon were taken care of and resting comfortably in a room he'd managed to acquire while he went out. Surely he wouldn't have need of them for one night, right?
Fortunately, being a town on the beach, Cedar Town had an ample amount of tourist shops that he could choose from and it didn't take him long to find a bar that was out of the way but still comfortably lined with people. The noise wasn't unbearable, and the people that were milling about seemed to be having a good time so he felt confident in his choice as he weaved his way through the small crowd up to the bar counter. He'd get himself something light, lean back and maybe socialize, but people watching sounded like a good plan, too, and was usually his fallback when he first arrived in a new place.
Or, he would have, but he found himself suddenly approached by someone he was pretty sure he didn't know. His gaze traveled briefly over the low-cut dress she wore, the teal of her eyes and the unique red of her hair before he confirmed that yes, this was someone he most definitely didn't know. He'd remember features like those any day. A burst of laughter erupted to his right just as the woman spoke, and he had to lean in a bit to hear, the gesture probably appearing more intimate than intended.
Ah, he thought as understanding lit up his eyes and his senses roused eagerly. It might just be one of those nights.
Touma was definitely no stranger to being approached; he'd even done it himself in the past, when his interest was piqued or when he just wanted some company, but he hadn't expected it to happen when he was pretty sure he looked like he'd been run through the wringer. There were still bandages covering the bite marks on his hand, albeit freshly changed.
But who was he to say no - he was actually extremely bad at it - and so he gave her one of his fond half-smiles and dipped his head just a little closer. The movement could be perceived as either him trying to keep from raising his voice to something obnoxiously loud, or purposely trying to lay out his own invitation. Regardless, he responded to her offer in kind.
"Only if you let me buy you one in return." His gaze drifted to the bartender behind the counter for a moment, then returned to the redhead in front of him. "I'd hate to leave you wanting. What are you craving?" He followed it up with a rather coy smile, a teasing light in his eyes.
Riley found it a bit louder over here than expected, and had a feeling the leaning in was probably just related to that given the timing, but she wouldn't complain. She didn't miss his eyes briefly flashing downward, though. That's right, boy, drink it up~
As he offered to buy her a drink in turn, she giggled softly. "Sounds like a deal." Sure, in the end it was hardly different than each buying their own drinks, but that wasn't the point. This was much better. When he asked what she was craving, she almost wanted to reply, How about a taste of those lips? She'd resist, though. It was a little too early for that. She didn't want to come on too strong and scare him away-- though that coy smile said that was probably unlikely-- or come off as being too easy. She absolutely was, but he didn't need to know that just yet. It would be more fun to get to know each other a bit and see what he might do, after all.
"Hmm, this place actually has a mean Mudslide Shake, if you're into chocolate and frozen drinks. Either way, that's my pick," she decided. "You?"
Once he decided his drink, she asked, "Wanna sit at the bar, or come back to my booth? It's a little quieter over there, but only a little, so it's up to you~"
A mudslide shake? He hadn't been expecting that. On any other given day he'd probably have gone for one of those himself, but he was feeling something a little stronger after the eventful day he'd had, and so in response to her question simply said, "Rum and coke." It'd been a while since he'd had something stronger than that, and he didn't want to test his tolerance for alcohol just yet. Although he was pretty confident in how much he could take, it wouldn't do to get too tipsy to enjoy the company of the redhead in front of him - not while the night was still young.
At her indication he glanced back over to one of the unoccupied booths in the direction she'd come from. It looked cozy and private enough that they could hear each other without having to raise their voices too loud, so he found himself nodding in response and turning his face towards her ear, murmuring into it while resting the tips of his fingers over her bare upper back between her shoulder blades. "I'll get yours if you want to have a seat?" There was a pause and he seemed to come to a realization, and he leaned in even closer, lips nearly brushing her ear. "I'm Touma, by the way. It's nice to meet you."
Ahh, seemed her companion was going for something a bit more classic, then. Not that Riley minded. Between the Kahlua and Bailey's, her drink would be strong enough to get a buzz going at least, but she did like to start off on the tastier side of things before moving into stouter drinks once she was already tipsy enough to not care as much about the taste.
That light touch and his hot breath on her ear warmed Riley up inside, and she gave a soft hum that could have practically been a purr. "Sounds good," she murmured back, before he leaned in a bit more, pausing her before she could head to the booth. Ooooh, it was nice having him get so close~ Touma, huh? She committed the name to memory, then shifted and leaned over to his own ear (finding their similar heights convenient for this, even if she did have a thing for taller guys in general). "Riley~ The pleasure's all mine."
With that, she slipped away, eyeing him over her shoulder as she made her way back to the booth. Once he followed with drinks in hand, she scooted further into the corner and suggested, "Why don't you sit on the same side with me~?" It would be easier to hear that way, after all. If she happened to want to get a bit handsy later, well, that would just be a bonus, right? Wherever he decided to sit, though, she'd follow it up with, "So Touma, tell me a bit about yourself~"
Riley. He could say with certainty that he'd never met a Riley before which made it all the more easier to remember her name. It wouldn't be likely he'd forget that red dress anytime soon, or the unique shade of her hair. Even the color of her eyes were memorable, and as she departed and their eyes met, he found himself a little taken with them.
But it wasn't enough to outright freeze him in place with admiration, and so after a few moments he was making his way to the bar to fetch the drinks. He briefly considered upping the ratio of rum to coke, if only because it had been a tough day and his hand was still throbbing with fading pain from the earlier bites he'd sustained, but after he took a sip of his drink and found that it went down smooth enough as is he decided against it. Riley's was a bit more complex and he watched in fascination as the bartender whipped up some impressive concoction that looked more like an ice cream sundae than anything.
Once it was topped off with a cherry he paid for both drinks then and there before taking them and turning around to head to the booth Riley occupied. He set both neatly on the table, heard her suggesting, and then slid them both over to one side and slipped into the booth beside her. It was a bit snug, but he wasn't really complaining. The proximity to each other was nice, comforting almost, and he took a sip of his drink before answering her question, thumbing the straw stirrers in it to the side in the process.
"Well," He began, thinking of what to say. Not many of his late-night encounters had started out like this. At best they'd at least learn each other's name. "I'm originally from Snowpoint - the city in Sinnoh. I'm sort of a nursing student in the pokemon centers, and right now I'm kind of traveling in between them to get some experience." Short, sweet, not too much of an info-dump. He set his drink down and half-turned towards her, an elbow resting on the table. "What about you? That's a really lovely dress, by the way." Is he looking again? Possibly. Maybe. Definitely. "It suits you."
Ooh, Sinnoh? Interesting. And a nursing student, huh? Riley heard, 'stick around, I'll have money eventually', ha. "That's an awfully noble profession," she commented idly before taking a sip of her shake.
When he asked about her, she decided to keep it similarly short and sweet, but was first distracted by the compliment. She may have subtly puffed out her chest a bit as she caught him looking again. "You think~? I do try to look my best." She laughed softly. "At any rate, I'm from Nimbasa in Unova, and I'm an aspiring coordinator. Which goes hand in hand with my fashion sense, of course~" She winked. "I actually tried entering a contest a few months back, but it was canceled at the last minute due to stage problems. So my first real competition is next week. Wish me luck~?"
Her eyes moved back to her drink a moment and she took the cherry off the top, licking a bit of cream off it before eating it. Afterward, she found herself looking at the stem in her hand, and briefly put on a slight pout. "..You know. I used to be able to do the cherry stem knot trick," she told him. "But now my tongue ring gets in the way, heh." She stuck her tongue out at him, flashing a view of the jewelry for a moment. "Guess it's not the worst price to pay." She chuckled lightly.
"Is it?" He never really considered it like that, but he did have a newfound appreciation for the pokecenter staff after the busy day he'd had. "It is hard work, that much is true. With how busy the region's got it seems like they're short-staffed, which is what I was faced with when I volunteered today."
Her puffing out her chest brought a smile to his face. It was cute, in a way. He absolutely believed she was a coordinator; though he hadn't really gotten the chance to know many of them, what she was describing seemed to fit the idea well enough. He'd caught a few glimpses of contests here and there but he'd never outright been to a hall where they were held or caught them live. He didn't understand too much of it, but from what he'd seen they seemed rather popular. There had been plenty in Sinnoh but he'd never been inclined to go, partly because he'd been too busy and partly because he didn't know anyone in them so didn't have much motivation to attend.
"Of course. If I'm still in the area I might even be able to catch it in person for the first time. What do you do as a coordinator? I've never been entirely clear on the concept or the mechanics of it, but they seem like pretty exciting events."
When she plucked the cherry off her drink and ate it he took the opportunity to pick up his drink and take a sip, and as a result choked at her casual mention of cherries and knots. He coughed into his hand once he set down the drink, trying not to get cola up his nose and cleared his throat with another cough and a shake of his head like that would help him save face. It probably didn't.
"... I'm sure if you practice enough, you might still be able to."
Aww, he'd been volunteering? Was that why he looked so tired? How sweet~ As much as Riley would've been interested either way, the endearment didn't hurt, heh.
That reaction to her cherry comment was pretty much all she could hope for, and she giggled something fierce as he tried and failed to save face. The comment earned a smirk. "Perhaps," she replied coyly. "My poor tongue might need a warmup workout before I tried that, though..." Her eyes drifted to his lips, then met his own eyes hungrily.
And just like that, the topic was abandoned before any followup could be had, nothing but a tease. "Oh but where are my manners, you asked a question, yeah?" This really was a win-win for Riley. If he seemed frustrated, good. If not, it meant he was either oblivious, not ideal but awfully cute, or simply patient, a virtue in its own right. Whatever the case, she went on, "Mostly as a coordinator, it's my job to train my Pokemon to attack with both precision and grace. Where a typical trainer can just focus on strength, I have to think about how each move is executed exactly. The same move might even be able to create different effects if my Pokemon can unleash it a little differently." Her Pansear's Heat Wave was a prime example, as fire was pretty versatile.
"In Contests, there's an Appeal round, where you try to combine moves in interesting ways, and a Battle round, which is what it sounds like, but prettier. You can technically lose the battle and win the round if your Pokemon looked that much better~" she explained. "Though to be honest, I really want to get into Showcases. They're a lot like Contest Appeals, but a lot longer and more in-depth, and with the Coordinator performing alongside the Pokemon~" She beamed. "I sort of wrecked my singing voice," she said without really explaining how, "but I'm a pretty talented dancer~ And it's loads of fun to dance with them."
Smiling sweetly, she wrapped up, "So you've really never been to one, huh? I'd be absolutely delighted to have you come cheer for me, then~"
Was it actually volunteering if he got paid for it? Who knew. Probably. Probably not. But he could say for certain that that was the furthest thing from his mind as Riley continued on with her coy remark, her eyes dropping down then up to meet his with a look he recognized all too well. Touma had a feeling the warmth creeping into his skin had less to do with the alcohol and more to do with the redhead's words and actions, and as he took another swallow of his drink he was hyper-aware of all the places their bodies touched. He fought to ignore it to try and at least keep up some modicum of conversation going since it was still too early to turn in.
She seemed to ditch that particular thread of thought pretty quickly, though, leaving him to wonder if perhaps he was reacting so enthusiastically because of the day he'd had, or if maybe she was keeping up some kind of game. The dancing around was something he was unused to, but it's not like he didn't have the patience for it, and he was having a good time regardless. What better outlet for his stress than sitting in a bar next to a pretty girl, talking about things with tongues and cherries?
As Riley went into great lengths about the mechanics of contests and coordinators, Touma closed his eyes both to envision what she was describing and also to regain some semblance of calm over nerves that were jittery and eager for more of their previous conversation. When he opened them again it was right after she'd mentioned her singing voice and his brows furrowed with sympathy. "That sounds really ambitious. I'm sorry to hear about your singing voice, though. How did you end up doing that? If it's not prying too much," He added as an afterthought. "You don't have to say if you don't want to, I'll still come to cheer you on."
He ended that with an encouraging smile and - there's a lock of red hair curled over her collarbone, and he can't help but reach out, tracing over it with his finger before tucking it over her shoulder. It feels like her skin's burning his fingers, but the heat is pleasant, welcoming, and he looks at her from under half=lowered lashes when he meets her gaze again. "If you want me."
Last Edit: Jan 7, 2020 0:12:31 GMT by Touma Shinjo
She did hope she wasn't boring him, going to such length about her aspirations. But he didn't seem to be complaining, and his response eventually showed he was indeed listening... though he'd caught onto a part she'd kind of let slip without thinking, and now her face flushed faintly. "Oh, ah..." He assured her she didn't have to answer before brushing a lock of her hair over her shoulder, the touch more reassuring than his words really. She hummed a soft note of contentment.
If you want me. OH? Her brows rose a little, and she looked up to those lidded eyes with somewhat mischievous ones of her own. "Mmmm... let's say 'probably' for now...~" she answered, though there was a faint bit of worry behind her coy smile.
"As far as the voice thing, ah... You're not prying. I'm not usually shy about it or anything, just... hope it doesn't bother you?" Normally she was quite open about herself, but when it came to dealing with hot guys who met her on fem days, she did sometimes worry they'd be offput if they were too straight. "See, I'm actually genderfluid," she explained. "Some days-- more often than not, really-- I feel like and present as a guy, and ah..." She took a deep breath, then let her voice drop from its trained feminine range to its more comfortably masculine tone. Not terribly deep, but decidedly un-feminine. "I was on testosterone for a little while, mostly to try to get a voice like this. I'm hella happy with it, honestly. But I wanna present female on stage and I can't keep up a feminine range singing, so it wouldn't feel right." She fidgeted with a lock of hair a bit nervously as she looked back up to him, putting her fem voice back on. "That okay with you?"
That was an interesting reaction, and for a moment he wondered if perhaps he'd gone too far. Perhaps the question was a little too probing and she was debating telling him, which was understandable considering they'd just met. The "probably" response was a bit reassuring, and he found himself grinning despite his doubt over whether or not he'd made her uncomfortable in some way. He was usually better about that, good at keeping his distance, but this time was different in a lot of ways.
As she explained her issue with her singing he took note of her reactions and how hesitant she seemed to be. Worried, maybe? Nervous? Perhaps she'd been turned down one too many times, maybe not necessarily in the nicest way, and that was the cause of her trepidation. The subject itself was fascinating to him and it showed openly on his face, in the curiosity lighting his eyes and the thoughtful look he took on once she was finished, his hand moving to tap at his chin in thought. When she was done he gave her a sheepish look which he followed with an apologetic smile.
"I'm not too familiar with it - which isn't a bad thing," He was quick to reassure. "But if I make any mistakes please feel free to correct me. It doesn't bother me at all." It definitely didn't make him want to stop whatever it was they were heading into, for better or for worse, and he let himself lean a little more comfortably into her in a silent show of his acceptance and just how okay he was with everything. Nothing would change.
"I'm sure your singing voice is beautiful regardless. At least in comparison to mine," The blond added with a bit of a wince. "I can't carry a tune for the life of me. I don't know if it's because I grew too fast, if I'm still growing or I just have no ear for music. But your voice right now is good. I'm sure it sounds good, too, in other - ways." Yeah, he was definitely okay with everything. He lifted his drink to his lips for another sip, completely nonchalant.
Last Edit: Jan 7, 2020 0:50:07 GMT by Touma Shinjo
Oh yeah? Oh YEAH? She was a little worried when he said he wasn't too familiar, but his quick reassurance worked wonders, and wanting to be informed of mistakes? Well that sealed it; he was a Good One. She smiled warmly. "Thanks. I can't tell you how many dudes have been bothered by it." Not really TOO many, because she generally knew how to play her cards, but enough to make her wary at least. "Then again, I've had straight girls and gay dudes lose interest in the masculine me as soon as they realized I don't have the parts they're after, so..." She shrugged. "It happens."
She chuckled at his assumptions, though. "Oh no, I was never great even before messing with my range. I mean my voice would hardly scare small children or anything," she laughed. "But beautiful is definitely a stretch." She snickered as he seemed to trip over himself a bit at the end there. "I bet you'd like to hear some sounds..." she teased, reaching out to poke his chest with one finger and tracing it back and forth a bit. "Who knows? Maybe you'll get to later...~"
She grinned. "For what it's worth, by the way, your speaking voice is quite nice too, though~" She leaned in a little. "It's still a bit noisy in here, though... Maybe you should come a little closer. Just so I can hear your lovely voice a little better~"
"Probably not that much of a stretch - isn't the saying that beauty if in the ear of the beholder?"
The bar population was starting to dwindle a bit, but the noise remained at about the same level so he had to concetrate on listening in order to hear her. Or -- he? The concept of genderfluidity (was that even a word) was foreign to him, so he wasn't entirely sure what to think. All he knew was that he didn't mind anything that Riley had mentioned, was actually enjoying himself and that the person beside him was doing a fairly good job making him forget about the rough day he'd had at the Pokecenter. That was all that mattered, really.
He'd never been picking about "parts" since he'd started traveling and meeting new people, and that probably wasn't going to change anytime soon. Judging from Riley's comment, the same could be said for her, and it was a little comforting in a way to know that he wasn't the only person like that. Sort of a companionship, which made the world seem a little smaller and slightly less lonely.
The touch of her fingertip against his chest made his focus shift to that - not like he hadn't been paying attention to the conversation going on - and he reacted to her compliment on his voice with an almost shy half-smile, even though he hadn't been anything but thus far. "Maybe? Or 'probably'?" He teased, echoing Riley's earlier sentiment. Her invitation to come closer was well-received, if the way he actively leaned forward was anything to go by. There wasn't much space left between them at this point, and he could feel the points where their bodies touched like a warm brand through the fabric.
"Is this any better?" Touma didn't have to put as much effort into projecting his voice to be heard, so he allowed it to drop to a low murmur that thrummed in his chest, his gaze filled with mirth when he met Riley's own.
She sniffed a small laugh and rolled her eyes at that 'ear of the beholder' line. She was pretty sure it was 'eye', but. "If you say so," was all she'd reply.
His cheeky little echo of her earlier sentiment earned a giggle though. Truth be told, her earlier 'probably' had only hinged upon 'if you're cool with my gender feelings' and 'if you're into it', both of which now seemed to be the case. But why let him in on that just yet? True, she wasn't the most patient person, and the more her mind focused in on that aspect the less she could really think of to keep conversation going. But still...
As he leaned in and their bodies pressed together, Riley hummed a contented note. "Much," she murmured back, letting her own voice quiet a bit as well. A hand slipped over to rest on his thigh as she asked, "So, Touma... Do you live here in Cedar now? Or..." She leaned her head over to ask just above a whisper directly in his ear as she squeezed his thigh, "Where are you staying tonight?"
"I do say so," The blond teased, matter-of-fact, but her next question has him shaking his head. "I don't live here, no. Technically I'm still traveling, and I've only stopped here for a brief rest after a few misadventures on the route and to put in a few hours at the pokemon center. The one in Birch was a little too chaotic, but I might stop there once I've been to a few places."
He debated on refilling his now empty glass. He'd drained it quicker than he thought, but he didn't have any kind of buzz going just yet and besides that, he was too comfortable to move. There was also a warm hand on his thigh, so getting up right now would be just plain rude. That was what he told himself, anyway, and after setting the glass off to the side he let his arm slip over the back of the booth until it was behind Riley, so all he had to was simply lean one way in order to give her his full attention.
"It's a beautiful town, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to settle here without seeing what the rest of the region is all about. I'm not exactly the best at staying put." Which was true in all sorts of ways. If she pressed he'd answer honestly but he continued on with a meaningful look at the redhead beside him. "As for where I'm staying... I think that's up to you."
Ooh, hello there~ Riley briefly eyed the arm snaking its way behind her, or sort of beside her given she was partially turned to face him, but still. She approved, hehe.
Still traveling and bad at staying put, huh? She smirked. "Sounds like we're birds of a feather then~ I've just been staying at Centers and the occasional hotel or camping trip since moving to Arciel. Admittedly mostly sticking to the coast, but my wanderlust has really been kicking in lately, so I think I'll start exploring more with the start of this new year." She sipped at her drink a bit, nearly finishing it off. "I tried staying put back in Olida, the region I moved to before Arciel last year. Worked in a casino for a while and made a killing, so it wasn't all bad. But I definitely got pretty restless pretty fast, and since I've been able to make it on that savings and odd jobs here I'm definitely happier moving around freely." She nodded. Seemed she didn't mind his own wandering at all, then.
"As far as where you should stay, hmmmm..." She feigned serious contemplation as she finished off her drink, save for a light bit of whipped cream that wouldn't easily be gotten by her straw. She tipped the glass back to drink that, licking the cream off her lips slowly after as she set the glass back down. "Mmm~" She leaned against him then. "There's a little hotel on the edge of town, near the beach, that's surprisingly affordable for how nice it is. I like staying there when I'm in Cedar." Her head dipped a bit even as teal eyes looked back up to meet his light blue. Ah, they were pretty~ "I suppoooose... you could come with, if you don't mind a bit of a walk." Or paying for cab fare, but Riley wasn't especially in a rush. The weather was pretty okay for early January, and a nice moonlit stroll didn't sound half bad. Smirking, though, she leaned in to speak in his ear again as she echoed, "If you want me...~"
"That's about the same for me. Although after the shift at the center here, staying there kind of lost its appeal. For today, at least." Sometimes you just needed a break. Touma wasn't exactly frustrated, or angry, but he knew himself well enough to know when he was getting close to it and he'd rather not subject others to his bad moods - especially not his new pokemon. They seemed tired enough not to notice when he left, save Espurr and the newly-hatched Gible, both who had watched him eerily from the bed until he'd closed the door.
It also probably wouldn't be a good idea to bring home a girl in front of them, especially if it were for the purposes of spending time together.
"Olida? I can't say I'm too familiar with it." Hoenn he knew, Johto, and his own Sinnoh, but some of the newer areas he'd had yet to make his way to. He'd wanted to head to Alola for a bit because it seemed like the complete opposite of his hometown, but he'd never gotten the opportunity to. "But a casino sounds like an ambitious way to make a living. I've only been in a Game Corner - the one in Goldenrod - a long time ago. I imagine it's not exactly the same. Did you get a lot of people in there frustrated over how much money they'd lost?"
His pale blue eyes watched her as she finished off the rest of her drink, trying not to look like he was staring too hard at the mess of whipped cream over her lips. When she settled back against him he took a moment to appreciate the warmth and met her eyes when she looked up to him. There were a few hotels he'd thought he'd seen - the signs at least - so he wasn't entirely sure which one she was talking about, but when she more or less invited him to her room he perked up noticeably.
"I've been walking most of my life, I don't mind a bit more." And then the rest of that sentence hit, and despite the relatively nonchalant air he'd carried, he felt goosebumps prickle on his skin. Perhaps it was the puff of breath against his ear as she spoke, or maybe it was the implications behind the words; either way, he was shifting rather restlessly in his seat, and his arm over the back of the booth slipped down so he could sift his fingers into the hair at the nape of her neck, his fingernails only lightly skimming bare skin.
She chuckled slightly as he mentioned being burnt out by the idea of the Center. Yeah, she could imagine a hard day of work could do that. Poor thing. She'd have to work extra hard to help him destress, now, wouldn't she...~?
She shrugged about Olida. "I get that a lot. They don't even have a League yet, so I don't blame you." They were working on that last she heard, or... wasn't their big 'contest' supposed to end at the end of last year? Maybe they'd just started the League, now. Well, she was too lazy to get into it or correct herself. Or, well, "preoccupied" might've been a better word than lazy, hehe.
She flashed a grin as he expressed interest in her old work. "Sometimes, but my job was mostly to be charming and keep people having a good time even when they were losing. Bigger bucks for the house that way." She chuckled softly. "I was very good at it~" If she had to have a steady job again, she definitely wouldn't mind getting back into that.
The way he squirmed made her grin, and she hummed contently at his touch as she leaned into it just the slightest bit. But his answer... Well, that wouldn't do, would it? "Just 'not no'?" she asked, putting on a light pout. "Not very enthusiastic, hm?" A hand moved up, and her fingertips trailed ever so lightly down his jawline to his chin, her expression easing back into a hungry smirk. "Wanna try another answer, gorgeous?" She leaned in, face mere inches from his, eyes trailing down to his lips.
If there wasn’t a league that was probably the reason why he hadn’t heard about it. A lot of smaller regions didn’t tend to get televised as much, especially of there weren’t any new species or variants of Pokémon. He would have inquired more about it - weather, what the scenery was like, the locals, stuff to see if it was worth traveling to - but her comment about the nature of her previous job drew his attention to that topic, and he gave her a coy smile. “Ah, so I know the secrets in case I find myself with you at a casino and keep mysteriously losing. Good to know.”
Although the change in subject had served as a good enough distraction for him to forget his fidgeting and the reasons for it; but Riley did a pretty swell job at bringing that right back to the front of his mind as she began to trail her fingers over the line of his jaw and leaned in enough that it made his own lips part in reaction.
His Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed, and she was close, so close that it was hard to think of anything but her right now.
“... I’m pretty sure I could just as easily show you.” This was accompanied with the hand at the back of her neck trailing down, over her spine, between her shoulder blades, down to her lower back where it rested warmly over the fabric. “... but I’m not sure that’s something you’d want to do right here ... unless..?”
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