#nihilighted

     ❝     roark gave it to me,     ❞     a simple bracelet they hold within the palm of their hand,     beaded in multiple shades of blue     &͟.     green.     (     he’s not exactly sure where the blue comes from,     or why that specific shade had made roark think of him,     considering his lack of     …     blue pokémon,     excluding his shiny umbreon but     …     a cherished gift nevertheless.     )     ❝     does it look odd with the rest of my bracelets?     ❞     they hold it up for @nihilighted to take a closer look with the aid of the sun’s rays.     ❝     you seemed to be staring at it particularly hard when i had it on.     ❞     //     ♡!

     ❝     not my problem,     ❞     truthfully,     the weather would regress back to normal with time regardless of his involvement in its abrupt change——     why would it affect him in any capacity if he ruined days time     &͟.     time again simply because reshiram would do anything their human asked for?     (    reshiram does not care much for strangers,     pokémon     &͟.     human alike     &͟.     admittedly it is rather     …     humorous     &͟.     thrilling to wreak havoc simply because they were asked to     /     it was easy to pass the blame unto n anyhow,     when he’s the one who asks of such trivial solutions from them.     at the very least he says his,     ‘please’     &͟.     ‘thank you’s.     it’d be rude of them to refuse him when he’s always so polite,     wouldn’t it?     )     besides,     as much as reshiram is a harmonious creature that prefers to keep to themselves above all else,     a little bit of chaos hurts no one,     a change from the otherwise boring mundane:     the world has been far too peaceful for far too long     &͟.     it’s a harmless change in the long run.     it hurts no one,     except for maybe a poor child having a birthday party outside     /     that cake would sure to be ruined once the torrential downpour they evoke begins.

     &͟.     because they care for their ward to such a debilitating extent that if they could do anything in the world to better his mood then     …     why not?     (     in a way,     he is their child.     )

     he pretends to mull it over,     to weigh the pros     &͟.     cons     /     the potential implications.     sure,     it’s a bit drastic,     the need to cause a thunderstorm simply because someone had made him upset but reshiram could always do worse if asked.     (     he even considers a hurricane but that would involve the life of far too many innocents——     a thunderstorm wouldn’t cause any deaths like that would,     as long as people were careful.     though he wouldn’t put it past other humans to be inexplicably stupid.     )

     another moment of faux pondering     &͟.     just like that,     a knowing look at reshiram who begins the flaring of their tail.     ❝     like i said,     not my problem.     ❞    

"Eh?" He knows that tone—he does that himself when he's being extra nosy, and prepares for the worst.

Oh, of course. It's about him and Volk. Surprise, surprise. ( but it's not like he ever talks about the fact they've been in a relationship for years... ) "Super good friends—it's a long story, not gonna lie." Emery has the time, suddenly, he knows this well enough. Still, the question gives him reason to blush, a little sheepish about being put on the spot like this. Of course, he was by no means ashamed, it just... wasn't something he wanted Volkner to deal with given the way passing mentions early on back home had gotten under the other gym leader's skin. Sure, he brushed it off at the time, but.. it was easy to tell when his reputation was feeding his doubts about being an adequate partner to Roark.

"—Holy fu—" Words easily cut off with the sudden jump from his phone vibrating right on cue, and the giant Crobat staring him down, unsure if it's half asleep, is not helping much with his own need for some rest for the night. Had it been any smaller, he'd believe it was wild, but, given the literal stream of texts that comes in while he's trying to get his phone out of his pocket, it's probably Emery's. There's no other trainer here that would make friends with a giant bat.

...Konpeito, huh. Another sweet treat... Emery really likes snacks, doesn't she? She's not surviving her tio's stash of candy back home.

[ text ] I think konpeito mentioned herself [ text ] Emery why is she so BIG

Well, at least she's truthful, Konpeito isn't doing anything but flapping there, trying to figure out who he is besides just a guest. Roark tentatively puts a hand on his chest in greeting, and also trying to steady his poor heart. "Konpeito? Emery just texted me.. I'm Roark! Her cousin! I don't think I've met the whole team yet with all the rogues popping up—you gave me a heart attack, ehe..."

[ text ] well she didn't eat me yet [ text ] anyone else i need to worry about before i go take a nap? >_>

"Do you want somewhere comfy to sleep at least...? Maybe a snack?"

Let it be known, the other Siranqua was effectively going through withdrawals of his home foods—look, there's only so many pastries he can survive off of, and while the coffee and tea was wonderful, caffeine was not technically sustenance. The restaurant exhibitions were fun, but the food was too heavy, even for him. The sushi was not up to par. He was actively fighting demons without the routine of being able to cook for himself, his love, and their teams.

Perhaps thankfully, Emery was suffering much the same, and while enjoying the sunset atop the roof patio of Hotel Z, his cousin's desperate plea was heard. A round Gordito picks his head up from Roark's chest, excited 'Rai~' upon seeing MZ's ace swing by.

"I'm not gonna lie, I don't know how you can handle the smell of curry and croissants together. My brain doesn't know what to think whenever the it's dinner time in the lobby. Is that seriously all you have?" he asked, admittedly somewhat fretful over her diet. The work she's been asked to do isn't the easiest, especially with how much rooftop parkour is involved in some cases—and then there's a matter of sleep, and then her 'mons—oh no, he's becoming that family member, isn't he?

But seriously, the itch to fire up the nearest grill has been pestering him for at least a week, actively. He's been losing his mind trying to mentally map all of the berry vendors in Lumiose because he can't just walk into a backyard because there wasn't one.

"If there's a butcher counter anywhere, let's go. I was debating spending a weekend back home just to remember who I am." Okay, he's mostly kidding. But only mostly. "Do you want some tacos tonight, buddy?" Gordito knows that word very well after Volkner so kindly gave up and let Roark in his life, soon growing excited and hungry—okay, well, the Raichu hadn't been actively thinking about it, but clearly had his own cravings. "Lemme text Volk so he knows he can't spend all night in the city unless he wants someone to eat everything. Let's go." Oh no, they're on a mission, now.

He can't lie to himself. He's got a favoritism problem and the favorite from his prima's team is Ramune. Not only is he just HUGE, he's got a surprisingly sweet demeanor despite all of the real estate. It's impossible not to feel the urge to spoil him and call him a good bug for simply just existing.

He also can't lie about the neck pain, seeing as the scolipede's legs weren't constituting for his immense height. But, man, Ramune makes such a perfect loaf... he's like soda bread...!

There's no beating the allegations here, and at least here in Lumiose, there's a spot to grab a cookie like every block—sharing food is hardly a sacrifice.

"Okay, okay, you win," Roark relents, breaking his cookie in half and offering it up ( straight up ) to Ramune to take from his fingertips. "These are pretty good though, aren't they? I can't imagine it was easy getting a nibble here and there as a Whirlipede. We gotta make up for that!"

( *♡ dress up time: open! )