[FIN] I'd feel a lot better if my mom weren't dead.

[Tori Honoo]

Her shoulders sank a little as he rejected her offer, though inside she knew she would have done the exact same. Letting her hand fall to her lap and clasping her fingers quietly, she tilted her head to him, willing to try again.

"Really, it's the very least I could do. You haven't bothered me in the slightest," she told him gently. "I approached you anyway, remember?" She looked over to Lovey who had risen to her paws, her head tilted in concern at the boy. "Please? You shouldn't have to be alone, Luke..."  

[Suudonym]

He lowered his hand to his face, as if in an attempt to wipe it of the heartache that had taken residence there. He sort of felt worse about refusing than intruding if she was so intent about it, so grudgingly he acquiesced with a nod, a sigh, and a quiet "okay."  

[Tori Honoo]

At his quiet acceptance, she offered a small smile, then lifted herself to her feet, brushing off the fabric of her jeans as she stood. Once that was done, she offered her hand to him to help him up, unsure still of how long he had been sitting in that position. If he hadn't moved at all in the time he had been sitting there...

She said nothing as she looked to his face then let her eyes fall to her own feet, his expression tugging sharply at her heartstrings. It hurt the young woman to see anyone in so much pain, especially when they felt they had to face it alone.  

[Suudonym]

A quiet introversion presided over his mannerisms that nearly brought him to forego the hand offered in assistance, but slowly the realization spread through him that he would probably have made the same suggestions were he in her place. Bearing that in mind, he accepted her assistance and rose, somewhat stiffly, to a standing position. With a timid shame, he avoided any prospects of eye contact, prepared to follow to the suggested destination.  

[Tori Honoo]

Once he was on his feet, she let go of his hand, moving it to rub at her own arm before looking down at the pokemon pawing at her leg for her attention. Quietly, she scooped Lovey from the ground, glad to have something to do with her hands as she walked, leading the way to her home.

Though she kept her eyes mostly on her feet (and certainly not on the poor boy beside her), she spoke to him softly, trying to do her best to quell the silence without upsetting him further. "It isn't too far from here...Just a little ways up the road," she told him, nodding in the direction she headed. "It's not much, and I don't have guests usually--" or ever, she thought to herself; Luke would be her first since she had completely settled in--"--but it's warm and I've got tea and things..."

She quieted then, tucking Lovey's head under her chin and letting her eyes fall again. Why was she so bad at this sort of thing...?  

[Suudonym]

He listened almost absently, himself positioned slightly behind her as they proceeded. "Thanks, and," he couldn't help himself, "sorry. I know you said it's not a bother, but…" But going out of her way for his sake couldn't really be described as anything other than a bother, right? He was grateful just to have the opportunity to force himself to change environments and to bring new thoughts into his head. He'd been alone with his regrets for far too long already.  

[Tori Honoo]

She turned to look at him over her shoulder, offering a soft smile of reassurance. "Really, it's the very least I could do...Please don't worry about it, Luke..."

Stepping quietly a little further down the path, she approached the complex of apartments that housed her loft just outside of town, opening the front door with a press of a button and a short word to the manager inside. As the door opened, she stepped aside, holding it still for Luke to pass through. "I'm just up these stairs," she said, looking around the small lobby area before leading him up to her flat.  

[Suudonym]

But even as she said that, he couldn't help but worry about it. This was why he avoided speaking about his health; people took things like that as implying they were somehow obligated to do things for him. The obvious sympathy, even pity, of the woman named Abigail who had discovered his condition came to mind. Perhaps he couldn't simply act like nothing was wrong, but it was just a hell of a lot harder to stop thinking about it when people were going out of their way to remind him with comfort and sympathy.

He displaced his thoughts by directing his attention around the lobby interior and the little events that transpired here and there: the spreading of the door at the appropriate signal, the brief conversation with the person on duty, the reveal of the staircase. Physical details offered small points of intrigue, and he took stock of the changing environments as they proceeded through the necessary routes to the apartment that served as their destination.  

[Tori Honoo]

Once at the (very) top of the flight of stairs, Dove let Lovey loose to draw her key from her bag, opening the door to reveal the modest flat she now called home. Lovey immediately let herself in, headed toward her favorite chair near the now vacant fireplace.

Though modest, the apartment was well decorated and very comfortable, much more than enough for the usual homeowner. The girl had been sure to see to it that it accommodated her lifestyle, though it was by far much less ornate than the surroundings that she had grown up in. Shrugging her coat off, she led him into the living area of the flat, stopping to hang her coat and bag before offering to take his. "Unless you're still cold," she said, offering a small smile, teasing gently. "You did say you were out there a while..."  

[Suudonym]

He forced his features to convey a smile in gratitude, shrugging free of the white jacket he wore to offer to her waiting hand, "I'll be all right." The cold had scarcely registered to his senses despite being subjected to it for some time, but retrospectively, he supposed, it was awfully chilly out. He moved one hand to the other, idly rubbing cold fingers to warm them. He experienced this new environment almost vacantly, stumbling thoughts unsure of exactly where to direct him - if anywhere at all.  

[Tori Honoo]

After hanging the jackets on their hooks, the turned back to her bag and drew out a pokeball, releasing Sparky into the room close to Lovey. Stretching, the typhlosion let out a yawn, the flames on his neck low, but flaring at the release of tension along his back. At a soft greeting yip from Lovey, the fire-type nodded once to her, then started a fire at the hearth before turning to his trainer.

Noticing the young man beside her, however, Sparky paused, his eyes locked on the head of red hair. Dove shook her head, stepping forward to set a hand on his head. "Calm down, you. Luke is a guest," she softly scolded, making a face at him.

Shooting an apologetic look to Luke, she patted the pokemon's head fondly. "He's...very protective. My, um..." She broke off, looking away a moment before tucking her hair back. "My ex trained him to trust almost no one around me, especially men...."

Shoot. She hadn't meant to drag her own troubles into things. The day was gloomy enough as it was...  

[Suudonym]

He regarded the fire-type with a slight smile, "I understand. It's not a bad thing to have a protective pokemon or two." His own were usually fairly defensive of him as of late - save for the Aggron, who usually seemed more concerned about whether or not his battle commands were chosen thoughtfully and effectively. "Trusting no one seems a little excessive, but I guess you can't be too careful…" It had been a while since he had heard of anyone being confronted by Team Rocket, let alone of anyone having a pokemon stolen, but that certainly didn't mean they were altogether gone. It would be foolish to adopt a feeling of security now.  

[Tori Honoo]

"Ah, well, he was--"

An overprotective, cold, unemotional jerk.

"Well...He doesn't matter now." she said more quietly, turning to head into the kitchen.
"Sparky does a pretty good job though. He listens well too. We're working on being friendly..."

Sparky stayed still, eyes still following Luke.  

[Suudonym]

Though far from skilled with reading people, Luke could detect that the topic bothered her. She didn't seem to mind talking about her pokemon, though, so he picked that up instead, nodding, "I have an Aggron a bit like that. Strong and obedient, but not great with people." He returned the Typhlosion's gaze with an earnest expression that displayed nor concealed no ill intent. "I think sometimes it's just a personality thing, but I'm sure you'll work it out." Having the opportunity just to think of something other than his mother was a welcome relief, and though his tone remained quiet, he was at least more animated and willing to speak than he had been.  

[Tori Honoo]

Sparky continued to watch the boy a moment longer, finally turning around with a soft huff of acceptance and settling next to Lovey near the hearth, though the smaller pokemon curled up in the center of the armchair.

Stepping into the kitchen area of the flat, Dove offered a weak smile over the counter. At least he seemed to be feeling a little better, she thought. He was still quiet, but at least he was talking now, to some extent. "It probably wouldn't be so hard to train him if I had done the training myself..." she admitted, her smile fading quickly as a distant memory returned, only to be replaced by a light flush of her cheeks. "I only ever trained for contests, never for battling when we were younger. My ex had a lot to do with how powerful Sparky is...I think he really misses fighting, though," she added, regarding the fire-type for a moment. "Fortunately for us, he hasn't seen much action here so far..."

She pulled open the cabinet, then, stretching to reach for the mugs above her head. "Would you like a drink? I have...pretty much everything..."