explosivecombat: (Thank you for leading me so far)
Solf J Kimblee ([personal profile] explosivecombat) wrote in [community profile] route_10652012-06-22 12:31 am

If I'm not the type of guy you'd like to circumvent, just remember not to love me when I disappear

Who: Emmy Altava ([personal profile] snapandscoot); Solf J Kimblee ([personal profile] explosivecombat)
Where: Goldenrod City
When: The evening of the 22nd
Summary: Completely innocent not-date between friends. Completely innocent. Because it's not like Kimblee's been in the doghouse lately or anything.
Rating: Most likely PG/PG-13 at the highest
Log:

There were days when it paid off well to be living in a region that changed its fashion sense maybe once every two or three years at the fastest and had a department store with an entire section devoted to capes, of all things; Kimblee hadn't exactly been optimistic when he had returned to a store he had last had reason to visit last February, and he hadn't exactly been looking forward to it in any way, either. He had been born upper-class and as such had never felt out-of-place, exactly, in high-end boutiques, but this was the sort of place that was made of entirely too many frills and jeweled things and lacy things and...things he admittedly had no idea what to do with; it was the sort of place where the fondest memories he had of such places in Amestris was finding another guy in the shop, usually sitting outside the fitting rooms, girlfriend's purse firmly in hand and bored look firmly on face - the unspoken conversations carried on with such people, conveyed through expression and soft tilts of the head, were often entertaining enough in their own right to alleviate the monotony somewhat.

He hadn't expected the trip here with Emmy last February to be any better, but her enthusiasm had made the shopping...surprisingly more tolerable; he had been able to tell that this was mostly, if not entirely, a new experience for her, judging by all the excitement over the dresses and the way she seemed to be determined to move like a lady but couldn't quite contain the urge to put just a bit more sway in her walk for the sake of feeling the skirts swish around, and how she didn't seem able to keep herself from twirling a bit in front of the mirrors while asking his opinion.

It had been, for lack of a better term, completely adorable.

There had been other things Kimblee had noticed, however, namely the way she had rather seemed to enjoy a rather extravagant number, warm-colored and quite frankly pulling out all of the stops in terms of formal wear in general. She had taken it into the fitting rooms one last time before making her selection, and then she'd surprised him by selecting another dress entirely; the hesitation in her voice had been almost entirely absent when he'd asked her if she was sure. He hadn't argued the point at the time, but his suspicions had been confirmed when the price was - the one she had selected had been rather less expensive.

Again, however, that had been in February; he was pleased to find the shop still carrying that particular extravagant style months later, in June. Given that it was Johto, he wasn't exactly surprised, but just the same, it made his life just that much easier. He'd sent a message out to Emmy upon purchasing the thing, asking her to clear some time in her schedule for the evening - he would like to take her to dinner, for the sake of catching up; he was punctual, garment bag draped loosely over his arms.

Their last conversation had left reason for Kimblee to believe that she was displeased with him, but his demeanor was casual despite that as he knocked to let her know he'd arrived, shifting the garment bag a bit to do so before resettling. He was dressed far differently than usual himself, having abandoned the usual white-and-pastels in favor of something far darker, the black suit and shirt accented just slightly with the deep purple of the tie. It was classy without being flashy; when one accompanied someone wearing a dress like what he had purchased for Emmy, it was primarily their job to be an accessory, and he was perfectly content with that.

Assuming, of course, this went over well in the first place.
snapandscoot: (?)

[personal profile] snapandscoot 2012-06-22 04:48 am (UTC)(link)
When she'd gotten the message, Emmy had experienced the now terribly familiar feeling of dread settling in her stomach. Of course he wanted to talk to her. Really, she should have contacted him sooner, but she just...couldn't bring herself to.

She knew the way she'd brought up the promotion had been rash and wrong, but at the time she couldn't help herself. She was still filled with questions over the entire situation, trying to mix what Descole had told her with what she already knew about Team Rocket and Kimblee, and it just felt like there were too many gaps in the information. Something didn't fit right; it was a like a puzzle that was missing too many pieces to make a clear picture.

Her reply had been prompt; she would be glad to accept the invitation, and didn't have any plans. She expected they would go to the little cafe near the department store that they frequented; it was small, affordable, and the food was good. She did like it, but she wasn't sure if she was in the mood for it's overly perky atmosphere. Especially when they were going to be discussing complicated things.

Why, lately, did all her conversations with Kimblee have to be full of complicated things? She missed just...talking with him about nothing serious.

The knock at her door jolted her out of her reverie; she hadn't really gone to any real effort with her appearance. Just her usual outfit, maybe a bit of perfume. The cafe wasn't anything fancy, anyway. Checking her pockets for her purse and Pokegear, she paused slightly before standing up and walking over to the door.

Sighing to herself, she placed her hand on the doorknob and pulled it open, her curious Hitmontop spinning behind her protectively.

"Hello Mr Kim....blee....."

She was expecting the flash of white that accompanied any appearance Kimblee made, so the black suit was...very unexpected. Certainly not unwelcome, because it suited him very well, but...definitely unexpected.

"You're dressed rather nicely for the caf...what's that?"

She'd finally noticed the garment bag dangling over his arm, and couldn't help blinking in confusion.

"....have I missed something?"
snapandscoot: (well that wasn't the right answer)

[personal profile] snapandscoot 2012-06-22 05:07 am (UTC)(link)
Emmy offered up another round of stunned blinking as she accepted the bag, clearly surprised at its weight. Well, she can't say she's too disappointed that they're not frequenting the cafe, but...

"You didn't have to give me anything, Mr Kimblee..."

She laid the bag down on her couch, her confusion quickly overpowering her earlier glum mood. What on earth had he bought her? Was it some sort of apology gift? Whatever it was, it was certainly heavy, and rather bulky. Still fighting back her surprise, she slowly started to unzip the bag.

"I have clothes I could....wear...."

As the dress came into view, Emmy froze. This was familiar. This was more than familiar, it was...she knew what this was, she'd tried it on back in February-

"....I....."

-and she'd loved it so much but it was...oh god it was ridiculously expensive and she'd tried to make sure he didn't buy it for her but he....has, what....-

"....Mr Kimblee....."

-and it's definitely that dress, as Emmy discovers as she pulls it properly out of the bag, staring at it as if she'd just discovered Ambrosia within the folds of the brightly coloured material.

"....M-Mr Kimblee...."
snapandscoot: (oh i say)

[personal profile] snapandscoot 2012-06-22 05:21 am (UTC)(link)
".....do I like it?!"

Emmy's Kirlia, Ralto, had been sitting on the top of the couch as she unwrapped her present. His sensitivity to her emotions certainly hadn't dampened since his evolution, and he could sense quite an explosion was coming. He backed away slightly.

His trainer, on the other hand, was trying to stop her fists shaking as they buried themselves into the (gorgeously soft and obviously very expensive) material.

"You...you didn't have to do this, this was so much money, I..."

Oh, no, no no no no. Emmy placed her hand over her mouth as she tried to get in control of herself. She had just gotten a present, she wasn't going to do something stupid like bursting into tears, she wasn't that much a lunatic...she was a lady, she had to...

"No one's ever bought me something s-so expensive, I...."

...well, surely just tearing up couldn't hurt, as long as she didn't let them out! Yes, that was a good solution!

"I....of course I like it, I-I love it...."
snapandscoot: (i'm not intimidated!!)

[personal profile] snapandscoot 2012-06-22 05:46 am (UTC)(link)
"B-But...."

Having decided that the worst was over, Ralto promptly teleported onto Emmy's shoulder in order to comfort her. When it comes to emotions, sometimes you just have to get out of the way and let the humans get it out of their systems.

"Of course I'll wear it tonight, I...you just didn't have to and I really really like it and I...that is a really nice suit by the way, how do you always look s-so classy....oh god, I'll stop talking, let me go get changed..."

Taking the dress and moving into the bathroom (it was the only room that had a door; her apartment was really quite small) to get changed allowed her a moment to calm herself down, whilst letting the tears out a little. She was so overwhelmed by Kimblee's generosity that she felt physically shaken; he'd removed the price tag but she remembered the number very clearly. It was so much money.

....maybe it really was an apology.
snapandscoot: (Default)

[personal profile] snapandscoot 2012-06-22 10:49 pm (UTC)(link)
The dress fitted perfectly, as she knew it would; something told her that this was the exact one she'd tried on all those months ago. It was heavy, but surprisingly easy to move in. She wondered how on earth she was going to make it to the restaurant in this thing. Oh well, that was future Emmy's problem!

'Ralto, could you come in here a minute? I need your help with something.'

He was there instantly, sitting on the sink and starting to control the ribbons in front of the bow. Honestly, Psychic pokemon were the most useful things; she hadn't even had to tell him that she needed help with doing up the back of the dress.

The ribbons were thin but strong, and Emmy tensed slightly as she felt them tightening into place with Ralto's psychic abilities. Was it just her imagination, or was it tying tighter this time? Could she have lost weight? After all the stress recently, she wouldn't be surprised.

Oh well, that just meant she could eat more tonight! Not that she would have held off anyway, but still.

Ralto completed his work with a tight bow, which he hid behind the bigger bow on the back of the dress. Surveying his work, he nodded seriously, apparently satisfied. Emmy couldn't help but giggle. He was such a little gentleman, her Kirlia.

She observed her reflection in the mirror, playing with her hair a bit and frowning. Maybe she should have gone to more effort with her appearance; her casual look made her look very silly. With any luck, Kimblee wouldn't mind waiting while she tidied herself up a little. Surely he must have expected she'd need to, anyway, surprising her as he was?

As his trainer admired herself, Ralto frowned slightly. She seemed to have completely forgotten about the reason why she was nervous about seeing that man, and it didn't make him feel very comfortable.

Ralto didn't like that man. There was something....wrong with him, the way he read...the things he sensed from him clashed with what he was used to, what he normally should have gotten from a human like him. But who was he to tell his trainer who to be friends with? That wasn't his place.

'You look very beautiful, Miss Emmy.'

After playing with her hair a bit more, Emmy turned and winked at her Pokemon, before opening the door and sticking her head out.

"Tell me what you think, Mr Kimblee."

And she twirled her way out of the bathroom, holding up the material of the dress so he could see her shoes, winking.

"Do the boots suit it?"
snapandscoot: (smile)

[personal profile] snapandscoot 2012-06-23 01:22 am (UTC)(link)
"It's perfect, Mr Kimblee. So perfect."

So so perfect! Balancing delicately on each foot in turn, Emmy pulled off her boots and set them aside. She'd taken them off in order to remove her pants, but she wanted to break the serious atmosphere with something light-hearted. Better than running the risk of her potentially crying again.

"I have some heels that will go with it, although you'll just have to give me ten minutes or so to do my make-up properly, I look a mess!"

Bustling over to her wardrobe, she pulled out a pair of red heels; the ones she'd worn to the Masquerade ball back in February. Taking up her traditional puzzling-solving pose, she wrinkled her nose and stared at them.

"These should do...there's red on the bottom of the dress, so it'll go nicely....what do you think, Mr Kimblee? Sorry, I won't take much longer, I promise!"
snapandscoot: (giggle)

[personal profile] snapandscoot 2012-06-23 01:49 am (UTC)(link)
Emmy paused after Kimblee said that, blinking, before giggling.

"This is why I like you, Mr Kimblee; you say you've got no idea about the shoes but then you offer to help with make-up; you're certainly not a stereotypical man! I'd adore your help, by the way, as you're very talented with a make-up brush. It's thanks to you that I looked half-decent at the Masquerade, I swear."

Before she even had to ask, her make-up bag came floating out of the bathroom, trailed by her Kirlia. Emmy couldn't help but laugh and give Ralto a fond pat on the head as she sat down on the couch.

"Honestly, it's like having my own personal butler sometimes; are your Pokemon this helpful?"
snapandscoot: (oh i say)

[personal profile] snapandscoot 2012-06-23 02:28 am (UTC)(link)
"Well I can't blame them for that; you certainly know how to spoil someone, Mr Kimblee!"

What an understatement. She was still trying to get her head around the price of the dress she was wearing. God forbid she damage it. Speaking of which, the make-up...

"Ah, let me just-"

....and a small towel appears in her hands, as if on cue.

"Thank you Ralto, yes-let me put this around my neck so it catches any spilled powder, or anything like that..."

As his trainer fussed, Ralto felt the man looking at him, so he looked right back, gaze impassive. There was nothing aggressive in his eyes, but he did narrow them somewhat. Not in anger, but...confusion. Why couldn't he get a proper reading? Was he too under-leveled? Maybe that was it....

"-and....Mr Kimblee, you...you say such silly things, don't be like that....how can we do this properly if you keep making me blush like this...."

At least there was one person he never struggled with. Oh, Miss Emmy...
snapandscoot: (Happy)

[personal profile] snapandscoot 2012-06-23 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
The feeling of someone else doing her make-up was relaxing; Emmy closed her eyes happily, enjoying the soft feeling of the brush against her skin. They snapped back open, however, when she felt his hand against her arm; she hadn't even noticed he'd taken his gloves off, so distracted as she was by the powder.

"...w-well, there's no reason I'd decline, I...."

She could feel her cheeks burning again, and bit her lip softly. There was no way she could bring up the promotion now. Not when things were on track to be...well, lovely tonight. She had so many questions and she didn't want to start an argument, especially when he'd bought her something so beautiful, so expensive...

....that uncomfortable thought crept into her head again. Could that have been the reason he bought the dress; so she'd feel too guilty to bring up the elephant in the room? But...no, Mr Kimblee wouldn't do that, that wasn't his style. Still, it seemed slightly odd that he'd get her such an extravagant gift on an ordinary occasion.

No, that was enough; she was being stupid and ungrateful. Mr Kimblee was taking her to dinner! She felt ashamed of herself for suspecting him like that.

Placing a hand over his, she smiled.

"It's fine Mr Kimblee, really; I had things to do myself, so it's no trouble. I'd accompany you anywhere, any time!"
snapandscoot: (Um....)

[personal profile] snapandscoot 2012-06-23 03:49 am (UTC)(link)
....well. That....well...

"I-I must admit, I was a little confused when you said the seventeenth, I..."

Oh god. No, not now, she's wearing make-up for god's sake-

"...I didn't even realise the date had gone past, you didn't..."

-crying is not an option right now!

"....you didn't have to do all this for me, Mr Kimblee...."

There comes a time when one's emotions just tend to boil and bubble over, resulting in a complete loss of words and no way to show said emotions without using actions. Emmy, however, with a face full of make-up and a ludicrously expensive dress on, found she couldn't express herself in the way she wanted to without risking dirtying Kimblee's beautiful clothes or potentially damaging her own.

She settled for an obviously awkward double shoulder pat.

"I just want to hug you, but I don't want to get p-powder on your jacket or risk anything happening to the dress, I-I...."
snapandscoot: (?)

[personal profile] snapandscoot 2012-06-23 07:21 am (UTC)(link)
Emmy couldn't resist giggling as Kimblee played with her hair, smiling at him. She really did feel spoiled.

"If you insist, Mr Kimblee~"

--

A short time later Emmy found herself holding onto Kimblee's arm as he led her through what looked to be the most expensive part of town. They were near the ocean, with well-dressed people everywhere, some with Pokemon trailing them, others talking into 'Gears or leading their own well-dressed partner into any of the stunning restaurants lining the ocean view.

"I've never even been to this part of town...everyone looks so....well, rich! You still haven't told me where we're going though, Mr Kimblee."

They seemed to have passed most of the restaurants; where on earth could he be leading her?
snapandscoot: (Shock/Yelling)

[personal profile] snapandscoot 2012-06-23 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
As they approached the restaurant, Emmy managed to catch a glance of the name written in simple, elegant letters along the top. Her eyes widened.

"M-Mr Kimblee, not here, it's...it's one of the most expensive restaurants in Johto, I read about it in a food magazine I-"

She didn't stop walking, but she did clutch his arm with both hands, pulling on him gently. Her voice was a low whisper; she'd never dare cause a scene in this part of town, after all. Especially not after Kimblee had gone to so much trouble.

"You don't have to take me here, it's...not after the dress, this is too much, I'm not..."
snapandscoot: (Um....)

[personal profile] snapandscoot 2012-06-24 12:32 am (UTC)(link)
"I....well, if you're sure....."

She's still not sure she is, but Emmy doesn't resist as they enter the restaurant. That niggling feeling is still playing around her head, having intensified when she saw the place Kimblee was taking her. First the dress, now the food...could this really just be an anniversary gift? But she hasn't gotten him anything, and something tells her there's no way in hell he'll allow her to pick up the tab at the end of the meal. What, then, could it be?

Emmy shuts her eyes sharply, before reopening them; she's being ridiculous. Why can't she just accept his gift and get over it? The way she's thinking, she doesn't deserve a friend like Kimblee, who is willing to spend so much money on her! Shame spreads through her body, and she frowns slightly. What a way to think. She'd be mortified if Kimblee could hear her thoughts.

Still, Abby's invisible presence, only metres behind them, does give her comfort.

She follows Kimblee inside, and after he speaks briefly with an exceptionally subservient maître d', they're led to a rather private table for two overlooking the water.

It's beautiful.

"This is....this is truly magnificent, Mr Kimblee."

Emmy stands transfixed by the way the light of the moon reflects gently against the waves, almost forgetting to sit down.

"If only I'd brought my camera.....a-ah, not that I'd go around taking photos in here, that would be terribly unladylike..."

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