[FIN] The Stories

[Tori Honoo]

In the--thankfully, but stiflingly-- uneventful last days of the month, Dove more than once found herself sitting in silence, the cap of a pen absently between her teeth as she stared at the open pages of her journal, reviewing older entries as she tried to piece her plans together bit by bit. Her apartment, though thankfully still hers, was far too quiet, just as it had been the past several weeks.

Eventually, the tapping of her writing utensil against her cheek became even more dull, and shaking her head, she stacked the small book and the pen aside, sighing as she gathered her gear to check the time. With a deep, filling breath, she pushed herself up from her nest, tucking the phone into the waistband of her leggings as she made for her room to properly dress to go out.

When she deemed herself decent enough to make any sort of public appearance, the woman gathered up her bag, slinging it across her back and looking to Lovey to follow her as she slipped through her front door and down the stairs. Better to be early, she thought, and give her silly nerves time to calm down.

The cafe was familiar enough, while the cold, though she should have been used to it by now, given it was mid winter, was as striking and cruel as ever. Finally able to dodge into the small coffee shop, the girl held the door for the couple behind her, then her eevee before looking around the small store to find them and their soon to be company a seat. Selecting one by the window (but certainly not too far away from the warmth of the heating system in the room), Dove slid her scarf from her neck, careful not to dislodge Trill as it sought shelter close to her neck under her hair. The little pink pokemon had become fascinated with the cold, and Dove certainly didn't mind the extra company as of late. Lovey would take up her trainer's seat until the woman returned with her tea, then would soon occupy her lap, curling into a ball across the woman's legs.

There they would be waiting quietly, enjoying the peace and warmth of the shop for now as they waited for the others to arrive.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Rosie didn't think she would be as nervous as she was, and she wasn't even sure why.
well, okay that wasn't entirely true either, she was probably just wishing she was was overreacting.
She was grateful that Luke was going with her, though, there was honestly no time that she wasn't glad to have her fiance around. This time around it gave her a little more security, Though she had been reluctant to want him to go after the events of last week.

The marks from that time were still on the young man's face, but with a more hopeful turn Rosie noticed he was starting to look better. Even if for some of the injuries were much slower to heal.

She was glad he insisted, espesially not that she stepped into the tea shop, reaching up with her pink gloves to tug the scarf looser around her neck and glance around to see if maybe Dove had made it there before they did.

Sure enough, Rosie offered a gentle smile as she saw the brunette and waved to her before walking over. "You weren't waiting long, were you?"  

[Suudonym]

Luke had changed out the gauze for a normal bandage after a couple of days, but it did little to reduce the fact that he very clearly looked like a person who had been recently assaulted. He'd gradually become less sluggish as he recovered, returning largely to normalcy - until he set foot outside. It was difficult not to be paranoid after the events that had precipitated from an endeavor as innocuous as going for a relaxing ride over the forest before work, but Luke found his security in the form of a black sheath carried at the back of his waist. Let someone try to attack him again. He'd have their fingers.

Of course it wasn't for physical support that he had insisted on accompanying Rosie but for the emotional support that he had promised before. He'd offered to go with her, and that was exactly what he intended to do.

He was of a somewhat more stoic demeanor than the last time he had met with Dove, but he nonetheless gave a faint smile and a nod in acknowledgment, staying quietly near Rosie.  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove turned her gaze from the chilly windowpane toward Rosie as she was spoken to, meeting her smile with one of her own. "Oh, no, no, we just got here," she assured her, referring to herself and her pokemon. "It's cold outside and I just wanted to get settled in. It's cozy here."

Luke was offered the same smile, but with an unseen sinking in her stomach. Their last encounter hadn't gone very well, and the guilt from realizing her mistakes had only grown since they had talked. The bandage her donned, though she had not a clue as to what it was from, somehow only made her feel worse.

Lovey, from her place atop the girl's legs, lifted her head, offering a quick bark of greeting of her own to the two, while Trill watched from behind its trainer's shoulder, its large blue eyes blinking at Rosie's hand.

"How have you guys been? Is this table okay?"  

[Blood_Goddess]

"Yeah, its fine." Rosie said, glancing to the table that Dove had managed to get, knowing that at times in a cafe one couldn't be pick about where they managed to find seating.

when asked how they have been Rosie blinked, glancing over at Luke, paused then looked back to Dove with a gentle smile.
"Much better this last week I think." She answered with her usual optimism despite the more grim realities that Luke had to survive through. That much would be made obvious just from looking at the young man however.
But at least on Rosie's end, it was hard not to be in a much better mood with her fiance home and safe once again.

Seeing large blue eyes on her, Rosie smiled and leaned forward to look back at Trill, "Hello." She greeted with a smile.  

[Suudonym]

Luke held his tongue against an unnecessary sarcastic response, instead deferring to Rosie who predictably replied in a suitably civil manner. He thought it likely best to remain quiet for the time being - it wasn't as if that was against his nature anyway - and offer the support that he'd promised.  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove nodded at Rosie's content dismissal of table choice then nodded toward the chairs across from her. "You guys are welcome to sit, if you'd like," she smiled lightly, almost grinning. She hoped they would sit. Sitting and talking to a standing person was still a bit unnerving to her, though she was sure that would be remedied soon.

"Glad to hear that," she smiled, glancing to Luke only a brief moment before tipping her head to look at Trill when it climbed over her shoulder to peep at Rosie. A flicker of confusion crossed Dove's face as she looked at the mew, then back to Rosie. "I think it wants to see your ring as badly as I do..." she explained, her cheeks pinking a little in embarrassment. She hadn't really stuck around long enough to see it for herself last time.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Rosie hesitated for a moment after being invited to sit down, enough to glance over at Luke, and back at the seat with a furrowed brow.
Rosie couldn't recall if Dove had heard about what happened last week, she didn't hear about Luke telling her about it, but the fact that she didn't show any concern made her think that perhaps she somehow did already know.

Folding the scarf in her hands and letting the bag on her shoulder slip off Rosie pulled one of the seats back so that she could take a seat as well. Taking a moment to place her belongings in their designated resting arias before she started pulling her gloves off, blinking and glancing up at Dove's request.

"Oh- that's right you didn't see it on the boat."
Rosie felt a little uneasy thinking about it, most everyone saw it them, as embarrassed but delighted as Rosie was to be showing something off. but it reminded Rosie that Dove had not come around them at all that entire evening.
She held her hand out anyway at the request to show the two the ring.  

[Suudonym]

Luke had to wonder if his advice had been so incredibly unwanted that he wasn't even considered a friend anymore; not only did he go without any direct address or as much as a concerned look, it also appeared that she was outright avoiding looking at him. He suddenly understood very well what Rosie meant when she had said that she felt like she did something terribly offensive and didn't know what.

With a silent sigh, he pushed the thoughts aside and seated himself as Rosie did. She'd called out Rosie, after all, not him. He was just accompanying.  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove shifted to turn back properly in her chair to look at the two as they took their seats, allowing Trill to stick its head out further as Rosie pulled off her gloves and extended her fingers to show her ring. She smiled a little at the blue stone, looked between the two, then reached up to pet Trill's head to keep it on her shoulder as it locked its gaze on the shiny jewelry. "It's gorgeous," she admitted, looking between both of them again. "I wish I had taken the time to actually see it before... sorry about that." Her gaze flickered to her tea for a few seconds, before she looked up at them again. "It was a rough night for me, not that it excuses it, but..."

She shook her head, leaving the topic as it was for now, before she looked to Luke, this time allowing a bit more concern seep through, though for now, most of her emotions lay mostly quiet in the back of her mind. "I'm guessing last week was a bit rough...?" she asked tentatively, referring to Rosie's previous comment and Luke's condition. "You okay?" He had walked in with his fiance and was staying to chat, at least. She'd seen him worse off, though it didn't excuse this time around. The sword, too, she noticed, though she refrained from asking about it for now. Obviously something had happened, but she didn't want to press him for details, especially given the shaky ground she had put herself on with him.  

[Blood_Goddess]

"A rough time?" Rosie separated as an air of a question, pulling her hand back when they looked away from her ring and folding her hands into her lap.
"You did seem... upset about something." Rosie continued after a hesitant pause. Though from what Rosie had seen it just seemed to be about her, as Dove had no problems being around anyone else at the party.

She wasn't feeling very good right now, even as Dove changed the subject and to Rosie's surprise bring up Luke.
So she hadn't know what happened.
Rosie glanced over at Luke for a couple of seconds, it helped to give her the decision to answer the question herself.
"Luke had an encounter with Team Rocket in the forest..."
She explained, her fingers lightly pulling at the helms of her scarf. "You should know actually- that they took his gear... we had the League shut the device down remotely, so your information should be safe, but we thought we would let everyone know, just in case you want to get your numbers changed."  

[Suudonym]

'A bit rough,' sure, yeah, he'd only nearly frozen to death in the snow. Well, at least it didn't seem like he was being outright ignored anymore, huh?

With a recognition of the nature of his sentiments, he bit back his sharp bitterness. He was still a bit on edge from the whole ordeal, and it didn't help that he knew Rosie had been uncomfortable with the idea of meeting with Dove. He gave a short response, coupled with a slight nod, "Doing better." Fortunately Rosie was willing to fill in the gaps.  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove nodded at Rosie's question, her demeanor distant. "It's all over now, though. All that's left to do is apologize for my actions," she explained quietly, lifting her eyes to offer another apologetic look.

For now, though, her focus remained on Luke's condition, though a slight pang of annoyance sparked in her head when Rosie answered the question instead. Luke's own answer was clipped, though-- not that she was surprised. She was honestly much more surprised that he was even bothering to speak to her at the moment, given how their last interaction had gone--and the annoyance faded as soon as the blonde's words soaked in. "Rocket?" she repeated, the alarm in her voice clear but quiet. She shook her head, then nodded once at the suggestion but dismissed it quickly and turned to Luke again. "What happened?" A pause, her shoulders pulling in a bit. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she added more quietly. "I'm glad you're doing better..."  

[Suudonym]

'All that's left is to apologize,' she said as she failed to actually give an apology or any kind of explanation. For Luke's part, there wasn't much that he was unwilling to forgive, but Rosie's feelings on the matter preceded his own. If she could honestly and whole-heartedly accept such an apology, he would have no room to complain.

Luke gave a faint shrug in response in dismissal of the concern that the encounter was too traumatic to talk about, "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was taken captive by Rockets. They released me but took my gear and left me out there." He felt that his appearance likely filled in many of the details.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Rosie blinked when Dove brought up an apology. She sat quietly, though no explanation of even apology was given.
Rosie was left still feeling as in the dark about what happened and what she could have done to upset or offend Dove as she was before.

Settling back in her seat a little more, her face flushing a little.
She didn't need to be told when Luke didn't particularly want to engage into conversation, she knew that look, and was more then happy to do it for him. Dove continued to ask, this time directly at Luke however, understandable since she didn't know Luke like Rosie did.
She watched as he gave a vague explanation.

"It was over a span of two days they had him for the first and he was missing for the next days." She explained "The Rockets got away, but apparently not unscathed."