#essentian

her first thought is buh... hes so ugly... ew ew ew ew ew ew ....

but emma spent her hard-earned money on this little guy... she can't help herself, her eyes are welling up as she takes it in both of her hands... maybe she can learn to love something so ugly...

"thank you, emma, that's so sweet of you!" no, she can't offer an explanation for her tears, but she reaches out and gives the detective a big hug! and sniffles...

PROMPT. ↪ accepting.

corbeau doesn't half ass anything, not even this: maybe a part of it was PRIDE, maybe VANITY, but not only do they take her coat at the door, but they also lead her to a private room, RIGHT WHERE HE'S WAITING. the kantonian-inspired establishment is already quiet, yet here, not even the chimes of the kitchen can reach them.

❝ whaddiya think ? PRETTY SNAZZY, huh ? ❞ his hands cross on his knee as he looks at her, a glint in his eyes. ❝ opened just a few years ago, after the big renovation. ❞

the distance between us dialogue prompts. 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 › @essentian

" you'll go with me? "

if there is a shred of doubt in emma's mind that kendria would appreciate her company, then it ought to vanish when she practically glows the moment the suggestion is voiced.

a day trip to coumarine city, a chance to sail on the azure bay and get away from the constant action and movement of lumiose. the metropolis was beautiful, yes, but kendria could only stand it for so long.

her offer of company comes as a surprise — detective emma, so far away from her desk and her city? kendria practically jumps at the chance to accept it, leaning forward in her seat and reaching for emma's hands.

" of course i'll have you. we'll have so much fun together! "

send me a ✿ to generate a kiss. 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 › @essentian

the first kiss.

it's been a late night at the looker bureau. despite the chaos of the battle zone outside, there are cases that need solving, and… kendria is absolutely no help, as much as they wish they were. the city is just too confusing and the language ties itself up on their tongue, it's frustrating. they stay out of her way when she goes out on investigations and wait for emma to come back to the bureau like a dog at the door.

it's nice. when emma comes back, as exhausted as she may be, kendria gets to keep her company. they fetch her coffee when she's ready for it. they sit across the desk from her in silence and doodle on sticky notes, take sips of her drink and pretend like they didn't.

they should be bored. there was nothing to do, nothing going on, not a whole lot of talking outside of conversation about the cases that were weighing on the detective's heart and mind. strangely enough, though, they aren't; it was plenty entertaining to watch her piece together the truth, work her way into her next lead. there was something awe-inspiring about watching her not only do her thing, but do it with the citizens of lumiose city in mind at every turn.

it makes them think about all the good they do, how much good they have yet to do. somehow, sitting here with emma makes her feel like they can change the world. if not the world, maybe they could start in slateport city.

the night winds down to a close, even for the the protector of lumiose. against all of her chivalrous instincts, kendria allows emma to walk with them back to their hotel. in the lobby they ask oh-so-sweetly if she might say goodbye at their room instead. ( anything for just a few more minutes together ). she does.

the two of them linger in the doorway. halfway through their walk to the hotel, they had felt nerves crawling up the front of their throat from their chest, and hadn't been sure of the cause — lack of sleep? excitement for the next day's activities? stress of the new city? — until now. they didn't want to say goodbye yet. or, perhaps, there was something they had still wanted to do all evening, hadn't gathered the bravery to yet, and didn't want to go to bed without having done it.

she's so close, and yet… so tall. difference in height had never been enough to dissuade kendria. they lean up on their tippy-toes to wrap arms around her shoulders, leaning into the returned embrace. pulling away doesn't mean much; they stay close, hands coming down to rest on her shoulders, eyes wide as if they're looking at her properly for the first time.

" you're, um… really something, you know that? i mean that it's really impressive, how much work you put in. " surely nothing she hasn't heard before, but there's a bit of an edge to it; perhaps a bit of jealousy, wishing they could be that kind, perhaps amazement.

something they had been meaning to do, all night.

it doesn't take much to know that she's thinking the same thing. their embrace goes on and on, and they can see those indigo-blue eyes marking the same path on their face; lips, cheeks, eyes, cheeks, lips.

they push themselves up onto their toes to close the distance. it's soft, hesitant; at first, kendria is worried that they've got it all wrong. right when they're ready to pull back, emma leans in. all they can think is, why didn't i do this sooner?

the taste of coffee lingers on their lips even as kendria curls up in bed, and the buzz keeps them awake until morning.

" ah -- hi, emma! "

were they staring, or..? no, they were definitely staring, eyes running over the curves of her muscles. huh, strong and beautiful... if they were her, they'd never put their arms away. hell, as it was, they cut the sleeves off of their t-shirts.