[ Hello! You have reached: "Walter Sullivan". Unfortunately they cannot answer the phone right now. Leave a message after the beep and they will return your call. ]
"...My name is Claudia." She unfurled her tails a little, relaxing slightly but not budging from beside Walter.
Walter didn't ask to see the picture. He returned to his sandwich, looking over the railing. For him, it was a comfortable quiet. Claudia remained close but relaxed with Charlie, speaking to him softly. "You seem very much like Bea...were you hatched by Diana?"
Diana stares at the photo for awhile longer, biting the inside of her cheek and her stomach rolls over. She lets out an irritated sigh and drinks the rest of her beverage to distract herself.
"Yes!" He bounces happily at her guess. "Diana hatched me. Looks after me. Lets me keep shiny stones!"
"Shiny stones...what kind of stones?" Was this little one collecting evolution items that Diana let him keep?
As the wind brushed back Walter's hair, he remembered...what seemed like so long ago. "...There was a man who brought me up here. We had met at a festival in August, and he asked me about parties. When he heard I'd never had one, he immediately said he would celebrate my birthday with me, right then and there, and took me to try a cinnamon bun." He smiled a little vacantly, half lost in the memory. Rhys had been the first person to really reach out to him, and that he ahd felt non-threatened by. "He's gone now, from Johto."
"Ones with things inside. Ones that are colourful. Some are smooth. Some you can look through." He's getting very excited explaining them to her. "But but but! My favorite one is a big that has a shape like this in it." He picks up one of the geometric shapes. "My Diana found that one and said I could keep it! She's so nice!"
Diana doesn't notice Petey get off her lap and start organizing the shapes again.
Instead she folds her arms on the table and rests her chin on them, watching Walter. She doesn't bother asking if she misses the guy, of course he does. Instead she smiles softly and asks. "Did you try one?"
Claudia looked at the shape carefully. She didn't mind Charlie's excitement. "...I'd like to see that stone sometime." She had a feeling there was more to these stones than Charlie could accurately describe. But if she could see them, perhaps she could shed some light on their true nature.
"...It was very sweet. He said it tasted best when it was warm, freshly cooked. He was right. But they're still good cold." He exhaled softly. He did miss Rhys. It had taken a while for him to realise exactly what had happened but when he did, it had been...hallow. A gentle, gnawing loss that still felt empty when he gave himself time to reflect on it.
"He brought me shopping here too. I was never able to repay him for his kindness." He turned back to his drink. Diana had been kind. Thoughtless and self serving, but also kind. It was important to remember both.
"I'll bring it next time! I promise!" Charlie is so giddy about the prospect of showing off his collection. "I keep them in our room at HQ!"
Diana's hand twitches and she lifts it, hesitant. She wants to pat his shoulder or arm or something, but thinks better of it. She sighs, using the hand to push back her hair.
Why is being comforting so difficult? She's not good at it at all. She wants to say something snarky and sarcastic. But the air feels thick in her throat, and she feels like the wrong words right now will crack the glass bridge between them forever.
"He sounds nice." She manages. Her fingers trail along the handle of her mug, her gaze flicking to the face down photograph on the table. "I'm not nice. I'm not even kind."
A single, joyless chuckle bursts from her and she runs a palm over her face, her lips curling upwards in a humourless fashion. "I wanna buy you a cinnamon bun now."
Claudia nodded gently. "I look forward to it. And if I find a nice rock, I will give it to you."
Walter reflected on her words, sipping his drink. "Neither am I." He let the liquid warm his throat, a contrast to the cool breeze brushing over his skin. He spoke in his typical, soft tone, his expression reflecting that he was trying to pick his words carefully. "I have not been good, or nice, or kind. But...today, you went shopping with me. And I brought you this. It does not make us good people. But...I think it means something. Even if that something is small."
People were still fundamentally flawed and hurtful to others. He wasn't going to say 'oh no, you're nice' to Diana. He didn't know her history or her mind. But up here, with just him, Diana and their Pokemon, something like this felt...significant. Claudia smiled and stepped into his arms, very proud of Walter and pressing her cheek to his jaw.
She keeps watching him as Charlie and Petey gather up the pieces and place them back in the box.
"Heh." She smirks. "Well, your guys certainly think you are."
Diana considers his words. Her eyes move to look back out at the skyline, avoiding looking at Walter's face when she speaks to spare him feeling awkward. "Thanks, Walt."
He nodded in acknowledgement. "...Your Pokemon think the same of you." He can't imagine a Pokemon that disliked her would let her call them a slut and seeing how she handled Petey, he was sure that they had a fondness for her.
He finished his drink and gave the last of his muffin to Claudia. She watched the others put away their toys, tails fanning behind her. "Thank you too. For all this."
She watches her Pokemon gather up the toy and tuck it inside her bag. "Yeh, they put up with me. Don't you?" She pets Charlie atop his head and he gives a little hop.
Diana holds Petey's PokeBall out to him as if to warn him. He spares it a glance then sits. Diana takes this as an okay and recalls him, Charlie giving a little wave as he vanishes.
"Well, you know." She looks back at him to smile. "Happy Birthday and all that."
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"That's why I had to check." She attempts a self depreciating smile. "You'd think I'd be able to tell the difference."
Diana worries the edge of the photograph. "Yeh, Emma's on here."
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Walter didn't ask to see the picture. He returned to his sandwich, looking over the railing. For him, it was a comfortable quiet. Claudia remained close but relaxed with Charlie, speaking to him softly. "You seem very much like Bea...were you hatched by Diana?"
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"Yes!" He bounces happily at her guess. "Diana hatched me. Looks after me. Lets me keep shiny stones!"
no subject
As the wind brushed back Walter's hair, he remembered...what seemed like so long ago. "...There was a man who brought me up here. We had met at a festival in August, and he asked me about parties. When he heard I'd never had one, he immediately said he would celebrate my birthday with me, right then and there, and took me to try a cinnamon bun." He smiled a little vacantly, half lost in the memory. Rhys had been the first person to really reach out to him, and that he ahd felt non-threatened by. "He's gone now, from Johto."
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Diana doesn't notice Petey get off her lap and start organizing the shapes again.
Instead she folds her arms on the table and rests her chin on them, watching Walter. She doesn't bother asking if she misses the guy, of course he does. Instead she smiles softly and asks. "Did you try one?"
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"...It was very sweet. He said it tasted best when it was warm, freshly cooked. He was right. But they're still good cold." He exhaled softly. He did miss Rhys. It had taken a while for him to realise exactly what had happened but when he did, it had been...hallow. A gentle, gnawing loss that still felt empty when he gave himself time to reflect on it.
"He brought me shopping here too. I was never able to repay him for his kindness." He turned back to his drink. Diana had been kind. Thoughtless and self serving, but also kind. It was important to remember both.
no subject
Diana's hand twitches and she lifts it, hesitant. She wants to pat his shoulder or arm or something, but thinks better of it. She sighs, using the hand to push back her hair.
Why is being comforting so difficult? She's not good at it at all. She wants to say something snarky and sarcastic. But the air feels thick in her throat, and she feels like the wrong words right now will crack the glass bridge between them forever.
"He sounds nice." She manages. Her fingers trail along the handle of her mug, her gaze flicking to the face down photograph on the table. "I'm not nice. I'm not even kind."
A single, joyless chuckle bursts from her and she runs a palm over her face, her lips curling upwards in a humourless fashion. "I wanna buy you a cinnamon bun now."
no subject
Walter reflected on her words, sipping his drink. "Neither am I." He let the liquid warm his throat, a contrast to the cool breeze brushing over his skin. He spoke in his typical, soft tone, his expression reflecting that he was trying to pick his words carefully. "I have not been good, or nice, or kind. But...today, you went shopping with me. And I brought you this. It does not make us good people. But...I think it means something. Even if that something is small."
People were still fundamentally flawed and hurtful to others. He wasn't going to say 'oh no, you're nice' to Diana. He didn't know her history or her mind. But up here, with just him, Diana and their Pokemon, something like this felt...significant. Claudia smiled and stepped into his arms, very proud of Walter and pressing her cheek to his jaw.
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"Heh." She smirks. "Well, your guys certainly think you are."
Diana considers his words. Her eyes move to look back out at the skyline, avoiding looking at Walter's face when she speaks to spare him feeling awkward. "Thanks, Walt."
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He finished his drink and gave the last of his muffin to Claudia. She watched the others put away their toys, tails fanning behind her. "Thank you too. For all this."
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Diana holds Petey's PokeBall out to him as if to warn him. He spares it a glance then sits. Diana takes this as an okay and recalls him, Charlie giving a little wave as he vanishes.
"Well, you know." She looks back at him to smile. "Happy Birthday and all that."