[PRP] Swords, Stones, and Sweets

[Tori Honoo]

With the father's reassurance, Lovey seemed to relax a little, and in turn, Dove did as well. The mother eevee stepped forward toward Flynn with a look of serious expectation, then moved aside, before sighing and going to chase after the other little eevee as it scampered off through the living room.

Dove nodded, and offered a little smile, glad as well. "What will you name him?" she asked, taking a more positive stance from her place on the floor as the little blue eevee drifted off into a nap. "And are you sure you don't want one, Yuri?" she asked, watching as Lovey came back with her other little one in tow. "We see you often enough. I'm sure Lovey wouldn't mind..."

Lovey, though she still looked distressed at the idea of being separated from her kits and pup, looked to Repede again and made herself relax, though she moved toward Dove's lap to nuzzle the little sleeping eevee gently, whining softly to Dove. Surely her trainer wouldn't give them all away... especially not this one.  

[BlackPidgeot]

As Lovey came over and looked at him seriously, Flynn smiled back at her as he pulled the Growlithe puppy into his arms. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of him." The little pup yapping happily as he pawed at Flynn's shirt. The man watching as the somewhat distraught mother walked away.

"Yeah, I think the Captain's enough for me right now," Yuri said when Dove asked if he was sure. With that he continued to eat the cupcake he had in his hand. They were pretty darn good.

Flynn had looked thoughtful when Dove asked about what he would name the pup. But eventually an idea came to mind. "I think I'll name him, Lambert." This immediately got Yuri's attention, his eyes shifting over to Flynn who looked back at him. The long haired swordsman said nothing though.  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove watched Flynn as he held the puppy in his arms, and softened, visibly. That was... really charming, she thought to herself, looking away as she was sure her cheeks were turning pink. It did worry her, for Lovey's sake, but it seemed as though the growlithe had already taken a sort of liking to the man...

When Yuri again declined, she nodded and sighed, looking to Lovey as she brought the other to her. With a disgruntled sigh, it plopped into the floor, then looked at her as its mother nuzzled the little one in the girl's arms, only to rise to its paws and leap into her lap as well, demanding her own attention. It would be hard to find another home for these, though as she looked closely at the baby tucked away in her arms, she couldn't help but smile a little and feel a tug at her heart. It had the same markings Lovey did and so tiny...

Dove shifted her way of sitting to allow the other into her hold, careful not to jostle the blue one, then looked to Flynn... then Yuri, her brows furrowing. "Lambert?" she asked curiously, her tone full of gentle curiosity. Clearly it meant something to the two.  

[BlackPidgeot]

"Repede's dad," Yuri replied to Dove's question. Flynn turning his gaze back to the girl to add, "It's a long story."

Repede then barked a few times, causing him to look down at Repede then to the young Growlithe in Dove's arms. "Yeah, it is a good name."  

[Tori Honoo]

"Oh... Well, maybe another time, then," she said with a small smile, looking back down to the pup in Flynn's arms. From the way they answered so quickly, she wasn't sure it would be a light subject, especially for a birthday dinner.

That in mind, with the reminder that tonight was meant to celebrate Yuri's birthday, she shifted a little, causing the brown eevee to plop into the floor and roll onto its back. Lovey moved over to it, and nuzzled it's stomach lovingly, making it wiggle around and pulling a giggle from Dove. Unexpected, and poorly timed, but maybe they weren't so bad. The one she continued to cuddle to her chest whined softly as she moved, then blinked around at the room with a tiny huff-- obviously, now was not the time to sleep.

"So! How are the cupcakes?" the girl asked, standing now, and glancing to Flynn-- because Arcaeus, he was charming with that puppy in his lap-- then to Yuri, her attention ready for his answer. "They're just part of your present... whatever you dont eat, you get to take home," she laughed, tucking her hair back as the other hand balanced the baby.  

[BlackPidgeot]

"Good," Yuri said with his mouth full while lazily chewing on one of the cupcakes. Not exactly one for manners, after all.

"Wait what?" he then said, blinking and becoming more alert. "There's more?" The man sounding rather befuddled at that. He then looked over at the mountain of cupcakes. One could practically see a bead of sweat running down the side of his face. Those would take a while to eat. Not that he'd complain but damn.

Meanwhile Flynn played with the puppy in his arms. The man laughing lightly at the little Growlithe's antics as it tugged at his shirt sleeve with its teeth.  

[Tori Honoo]

She laughed softly at his quick confusion, then shook her head, moving to set the baby down on a pillow, where it proceeded to curl into a small ball. Lovey hopped up next to it, then barked for the other to join her before settling beside the two to watch Flynn and her little pup.

That done, she turned back to Yuri, still grinning, though Flynn's laugh pulled her attention yet again. Charming. Just....charming.

Shaking the softening mush of brain, she settled her eyes on Yuri again before stepping to her room. "It's your birthday. Of course there's more!" she called playfully, disappearing for a few moments.

When she returned, it was with a long black box, akin to that which might house folded steel weaponry, topped with a dark purple bow and his name on a card in large, experienced handwriting. Under her arm she carried another, this one smaller and square, wrapped in traditional brown paper and tied with a much less expensive ribbon.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Yuri never really celebrated his birthday except for maybe hanging out with Flynn. It just wasn't a big deal to him. So all this that Dove had put together certainly was taking him by surprise.

When Dove stepped out of the room for a moment, Flynn looked up at Yuri with a smile. "You know, I think she might have a thing for you, Yuri."

"Me?" Yuri asked in disbelief with a blink. "She hasn't kept her eyes off you since you picked up that pup."

Now Flynn blinked in surprise as well. "Really?" ... He hadnt noticed.

When she returned, both their eyes went to the girl and the boxes she held.  

[Tori Honoo]

She returned, oblivious to the men's conversation, and sat the smaller brown box on the counter before shifting the other to lay in arms horizontally and long. That done, she stepped forward to present it to him with a happy smile. "This one's from me," she told him, looking around to make sure the Pokemon in the room were staying a good distance away.

Lovey barked once from her place on the couch with her kits, drawing a laugh from her girl. "And Lovey," she corrected.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Yuri wordlessly, perhaps in awe, stared at the box in Dove's arms before taking it from her. He really didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything at the moment.

Instead he opted to opening the box, carefully.

Standing up to get a better look, Flynn watched as Yuri began to open the long box.  

[Tori Honoo]

When Yuri opened the box, he would find not a sword as the casing suggested, but a neat line of every evolution stone the girl had been able to find.

Sheepishly, the girl tucked her hair back and glanced at Flynn before speaking to Yuri. "I actually did look at swords, but had no idea what I was doing," she laughed, her cheeks turning pink. "So I just thought these might come in handy, if you ever decide to evolve the Captain."  

[BlackPidgeot]

He wasn't sure what to expect. It looked like a sword case, but would Dove really buy him another weapon? However, what he saw certainly surprised and pleased him.

"Whoa..." he said reaching in to pick up one of the stones, looking up as Dove gave her explanation.

"This definitely makes it easier, thanks," he said sincerely. "Still gotta pick one though." And that really was the hardest part. Figuring out which one to use on Astal.

"Well, there's no rush right?" Flynn offered. "Yeah," Yuri agreed.  

[Tori Honoo]

She smiled warmly, relieved that he had liked her gift, then reached for the other package, as she spoke. "Take your time with it... Or even let him pick himself. It'll be fun to see what he looks like evolved, since he's shiny."

That said, she looked down at the box in her hands, and offered it to him, then rubbed her arm as she waited for him to open it as well. "Those aren't from me, but I said I would deliver them..." she smiled, her expression soft.  

[BlackPidgeot]

"Uh... okay," Yuri said as he set the box of stones aside and reached out for the other smaller box.

He could only guess who it might be from if it wasn't here.

With that thought in mind he started to open the box.  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove watched quietly as he opened it, a small smile on her face.

This box contained multiple cards of folded and cut up paper, in varying colors, each with the scribblings and drawings of a child. Some read 'happy birthday' and young scrawlings, some spelled incorrectly, some broken in multiple lines from handwriting that proved too big. Some had drawings that resembled the man and the child from which the card came.

Hopefully, Dove thought, Yuri would recognize a few of the names of the children from the community center he had taken her to at Christmas. They had been beside themselves to make cards for him when she had mentioned it was to be his birthday, soon.