#acquiring update | queue

The sweating caught him off guard, just like the way his hand had reached out to hers on instinct. Caught up in the weight of Hucuba’s hand in his, he hadn’t noticed the panicked look on her face. Or was it confusion? Bright eyes flicker over and his features slacken, while hand slipped from hers to wipe at his thigh. 

Elgyem floated on by, circulating Neo’s figure in the distance without a backward glance at its trainer. The tall, blue-skinned lieutenant briskly trotted over to his friend. He hadn’t seen her in some time; perhaps way back in February as per gift-giving protocol.

“It has been some time,” he started, at last caught up. Chondrus adjusted his visor while the other hand rested on his hip. He looked around her person, eyes scanning for any signs of preoccupation. 

“Are you currently working on a case, or on your way to one?”

He rapt on the door three times, adjusting his grip on the small package of homemade macarons in his grip. Would she even eat them? It was to be decided.

“Miss Lorene? It is me, Lieutenant Chondrus.”

"Ah?" Jax perks up as he's spoken to having previously been in a world of his own. He takes notes of the other's words, frowning so gently and thinking to himself for a moment. "What is a life without the constant peril of our thoughts, though?" he says, enacting a small smile. "It would be odd to not drown in thoughts once a while." He waves a hand at the barkeep, nodding to a bottle of whisky that lies on the shelf. "One for my friend and I." he says.

Drowning and swimming are mutually exclusive in his experience. At the moment, with what thoughts traveled through his muddled brain, he’s losing energy staying afloat. Chondrus’ head sways to the side in a fluid movement, rivalling the swirl of his drink in his steadied hand. 

“Once in a while,” he repeats, words rolling off his tongue with an unfamiliar accent. Consonants are a harsh flick of the tongue while vowels require more effort, “but more than that? It’s troubling.”

Cerise was right--he didn’t have to worry about her. That didn’t stop him from giving her the packaged goods. It was made just that morning, a small portion of Jambalaya; warm rice topped with shrimp, diced tomatoes, sausage, bell pepper, and a handful of seasonings. Condensation formed on the glass container and its warmth spread to the plastic bag in his grasp. 

“I am aware, yet I chose to stop by. Even I know that healthy food is beneficial to one’s productivity. I was scheduled to be in the area,” he had begun, setting the bag on the counter, “How is your work thus far?”

                          “  𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚢 𝚝𝚘. “       Curiously Dulse tips his head to the side, watching Chondrus with       invisible amusement. He was impressed nonetheless to learn the       the other URS member was picking up so quickly with the new       invention. He holds out his hand, letting the beast ball sit cradled       upon his palm. He shifts it up, lifting the ball and pinching his thumb       against the button the device before he gives the ball a light toss to       the ground. In a flurry of light and sparks– the small pokemon is       released upon the world.       Dulse is quickly setting his visor on ‘record’.

                          “  𝙸'𝚖 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝙲𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚞𝚜.                           𝙰𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎                           𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚝? “

Chondrus followed Dulse’s gaze on the released Jangmo-o. It hadn’t strayed far from the beast ball, circling the otherworldly contraption to sniff and nudge at. He stood close by, tablet at hand to type up notes here and there regarding both its psychique and behavior. 

“Name it? I am unsure. I have not named the other pokemon in my care. What is your opinion on the matter?” His weight shifted to his right foot, leg straight and taut while his other was bent at a slight angle. Names were important in many cultures, he noted.