AETHER.

     it was a learned skill, certainly; one he had picked up when he was young. after all, lusamine aether had liked her home to be PRISTINE, to be beautiful and perfect. children should be seen, not heard.

     of course, it is no secret that he unlearned it just as quickly; if nobody else should speak out, then he WOULD, and damn it, he would not shut up, no matter the threats—but that isn’t a mentality that works well for diplomacy, and business was no different.

     a fiery kid with a strong will could not run a company without re-learning how to hold his tongue. the difference, though, was that he now learned when not to. this was one of those times.

     the tough guy trying to hassle the other person out of—what was he trying to get, anyway? money, maybe? ... whatever it was, gladion assumed that their pokemon must be strong, or at least equipped with a handful of cheap tricks. he wouldn’t want to leave the victim of the situation to deal with it themselves, certainly, regardless of how capable they might be. but gladion had a handful of tricks, himself.

     “ hey! ”  he shouted, one hand reaching for a pokeball on his belt. “ what do you think you’re——.”

     BUT the punk was running away after one look at gladion——he’d forgotten that his piercings made him a little intimidating. or perhaps it was how recognizable he was; people knew who he was, and his reputation was nothing short of impressive, though he’d hesitate to admit that himself.

𝑇𝑅𝐴𝐼𝑇𝑆 & 𝐶𝐻𝐴𝑅𝐴𝐶𝑇𝐸𝑅𝐼𝑆𝑇𝐼𝐶𝑆

BOLD all that applies to your muse. italicized  -  applicable depending on scenario

• eyes: blue | green | brown | hazel | gray | gray-blue | other • hair: blond | sandy | brown | black | auburn | ginger | grey / white | multi-color | other • body type: skinny | slender | slim | built | curvy | athletic | average | muscular | pudgy | overweight • skin: pale | light | fair | freckled | tan | olive | medium | dark | discolored • gender: male | female | trans | cis | agender | demigender | genderfluid | other | doesn’t like labels | don’t have any definite headcanon either way • sexuality: heterosexual | homosexual | bisexual | pansexual | asexual | demisexual | other  | doesn’t like labels • romantic orientation:   homoromantic | heteroromantic | biromantic | panromantic | aromantic | demiromantic | unsure | doesn’t like labels | polyamorous

• species: human | undead | shapeshifter | demon | angel | witch | ghost | incubus / succubus | werewolf | alien | mutant | android | fae • education: high school | college | university | master’s degree | PhD | other • i’ve been: in love | hurt | ill | mentally abused | bullied | physically abused | tortured | brainwashed | shot

• positive traits: affectionate | adventurous | athletic | brave | careful | charming | confident | creative | cunning | determined | forgiving | generous | honest | humorous | intelligent | loyal | modest | patient | selfless | polite | down-to-earth | diligent | romantic | moral | fun-loving | charismatic | calm • negative traits: aggressive | bossy | cynical | envious | shy | fearful | greedy | gullible | jealous | impatient | impulsive | cocky | reckless | insecure | irresponsible | mistrustful | paranoid | possessive | sarcastic | self-conscious | selfish | swears | unstable | clumsy | rebellious | emotional | vengeful | anxious | self-sabotaging | moody | peevish | angry | pessimistic | slacker | thin skinned | overly dramatic | argumentative

• living situation: lives alone | lives with parent(s) / guardian | lives with significant other | lives with a friend | drifter | homeless | lives with children | other • parents/guardian: mother | father | adoptive | foster | grandmother | grandfather • sibling(s): sister(s) | brother (s) | none | other • relationship: single | crushing | dating | engaged | married | separated | it’s complicated

• i have a(n): learning disorder | personality disorder | mental disorder | anxiety disorder | sleep disorder | eating disorder | behavioral disorder | substance-related disorder | PTSD | mental disability | physical disability

     Gladion certainly hadn’t been expecting much in the way of gifts—growing up, he’d gotten only what he needed, or what his mother wanted him to want, plus perhaps a small gift from his sister. As of late, he had asserted that he did not want or need anything, to the rare souls who actually knew it was his birthday. But, coming from Hau, it wasn’t entirely a surprise. The other boy had always had a propensity towards kindness.

     “ Thanks; you didn’t need to, ”  Gladion began, looking down at the box in his hands, before he opened it carefully. His expression softened when he realized what it was, genuine smile breaking through his facade of indifference. “… thank you, Hau. It’s beautiful. ”

@darkness-model​

       certainly, gladion hadn’t intended on running into one of the region’s strongest trainers when he had made a quick trip out to johto to meet with professor elm—the trip itself was spontaneous, and who would have guessed that he’d run into a woman who was certainly deserving of his respect  ( though she seemed a bit—far more than a bit, really—of a primadonna ).

@haulasadas​

     it had felt like far longer than two years that he’d been gone—though, he guessed that was probably due in part to his age; while his time abroad had gone past so quickly, it seemed like so much of his life. which, in a way, it was. over a tenth of the time he’d been alive was a significant portion. that being said, he was almost giddy to finally be back in alola—to be home. not that he didn’t adore everywhere that he’d stayed, but alola truly was where he was at home; where he was comfortable, where he had friends.

     he and moon had been in contact, and she was planning on meeting up with him one of these days  ( she’d come visit him at aether within the next week, he’d guess )  and he was looking forward to seeing his sister again; he’d have to drop by and pay sun a visit—if he was back in alola, anyway; it was sometimes hard to keep track, with his own absence—and perhaps a battle for old time’s sake  ( what is he, a middle-aged man? come on, gladion, you’re not even twenty ). he was sure kukui and burnet would want to see him, too, sooner rather than later.

     but for now, his thoughts were occupied with one friend in particular—hau had been extremely enthusiastic about gladion’s return home, and had offered to come see him fresh off the boat, and gladion couldn’t say no. the other had mentioned something about a picnic, and seemed to have some sort of plan, and gladion was more than happy to go along with it. structure was soothing in a way, and he certainly trusted hau.