sweet regret [andrea]

In the deepest pits of his mind he wondered if he shouldn't have wondered what kind of topic the coordinator would bring up. While she hesitated, Julius eyed her carefully, eyebrows arching up and moving around once in while, silently telling her he was interested. Not so much what it was but why it would make Andrea hesitate. She didn't seem like the kind to hesitate.

Julius decided to get himself comfortable and reached out for the glass of water laid in front of him. He nearly choked when she did tell him what it was, sputtering and coughing until he finally managed to breathe normal again. "You what?" He asked, half confused and half making sure he hear her right. He stared at her incredulously with how she proceeded with casual talk, and shook his head slightly.

"Good to know," he said, sarcasm evident in his tone. He said the words before deciding what to think- it was easier to speak first and let the truth sink in so it didn't seem like it mattered much. But did it? Julius wasn't sure. The words she said didn't make him annoyed, or sad, but he couldn't deny the uncomfort that came with them.

It felt like a rapist had screwed around with his kid sister, and the thought of it made him shift the weight of one thigh to the other and blink a little, trying to fall back into the net of small talk Andrea had provided.

"Ahh, maybe. Definitely cheaper, that's for sure." He nodded absently minded, trying to look at the menu, but found himself looking at Andrea every other second.

"Yeah I'll go with salad."

After that was done, after he was done with the speaking and the reacting, he could finally think a bit about this. What really hurt was that Andrea had proclaimed herself totally gay and had more than happily showed that fact off several times along the way. He didn't know, was he jealous? The waiter left and the awkward silence had no reason to exist any more, but it persisted until Andrea broke it.

He looked up from the food at her, and then she started getting a softer, apologetic tone that just didn't seem right. It wasn't supposed to work like this and he'd be damned if he let something awkward ruin what they had going together. For the first time in a long time he felt the need to protect a relationship, a person.

He was determined to tell her it was okay, that he didn't really care, maybe crack a joke about it all or tease her or something. But then what she said at the end of it all made a flicker of anger cross his eyes and his face as he moved his arms to the table.

"That's what I'm supposed to be saying," he said, trying not to speak loudly for fear that people would look towards their table, but his tone coming out louder anyway. "Andrea, look, he...His name's Rory, first of all. And from what I know, he's in team aqua. And I know he's freaking dangerous. You need to stay away ah--I mean," He pauses and then the serious wall finally breaks as he lets out a laugh, unable to help himself. Andrea and Rory together! It was, shortest to say, hilarious to imagine.

"I mean, are you sure it wasn't an underage-rape case or something?" The little jeering twinkle in his eyes had suddenly returned, as he fully expected to be hit in kind by Andrea who probably would not be amused. Or maybe she would be. He never knew with her, and that was some of the magic, he supposed.

His smile went wider as Andrea reddened up, enjoying seeing her annoyed and flustered. But then she said she was eighteen and he had to giggle at how school-girly her defensiveness was. He shook his head happily, glad they got over the worst of Andrea's revelation. He was chewing at the same time as Andrea, and found himself wiping his mouth politely before speaking. It was strange how old habits persisted, and his mom had been immensely strict with table manners.

"Of course," he said. "And your froakie as tough as nails still?" He was grinning too, except for him it was the memory of victory. He wondered though, how would they fare against each other now? It would be interesting to test out, no doubt.

"Huh, oh, Hachi isn't hatched yet," Julius mumbled, a little sheepishly. Yeah, maybe he had gotten attached to something that wasn't even fully alive yet, but hey. "Eh, really? Sounds good, getting stronger is always important..."

His voice suddenly trailed off. For what, though? Julius always felt good after a good training session or some hours spent in tall grass. But he wasn't sure why. He wasn't eighteen and could hardly dream of being a champion. But there was something else he was seeking...

Julius fond himself internally laughing at the thought of how radically different the two were, and yet how they shared the same love for anarchy and of course, women. He gaped a little at the revelation.

"A dozen?" He shook his head and said, "Yeah, if they all take after their mistress, gonna be hella 'explosive', expensive aside." He couldn't help be a little taken aback when a piece of stray salad flew from her yapping mouth to his cheek, and wiped it off, still smiling. He held up his hands. "A dozen at a time, seriously, that would drive normal people insane. Hands up, Andrea." He held up his palms as a show of surrender.

But his eyes lit up at the mention of Magma and Aqua, and his hands fell to the table as he leaned in, thinking. He didn't respond right away, but he wondered actually. So many times before, either casually or not, this conversation had cropped up before. They were always talking about it and were perfectly aware about the other's belief. They were perfectly aware what they were getting stronger for.

"In the end, though," he said, tone a little more quiet and soft. "It's not just Aqua and Magma. The whole world is messed up. We could fight them however we want, society won't change."

His own cynicism caught him off guard, and he found his hand resting his head and his other hand tapping impatiently on the table. Suddenly, after a long pause, his hand's tapping stopped and he stopped looking at the floor and looked at Andrea.

"Say, Andrea. It's been what, at least some months in Hoenn for the both of us, yeah? What do you think the odds are that everyone here thinks like us? That maybe the whole of Hoenn is sick to death of these two teams, and despises their beloved rangers for not doing anything..."

Julius began eating at his salad, meticulousl finishing off everything on his plate as he allowed the information to sink in, and watched Andrea's reaction carefully. She slowly understood, and immediately agreed. Julius would have expected anyone else to throw their salad at him and call him crazy, maybe roll their eyes and laugh at the impossibility of it all.

But Andrea got it in a second, and she looked even fiercer than before. She wasn't afraid at all, he suddenly realized. What she actually said went from one ear to the outside of the next and Julius couldn't help silently admire something about the eighteen year old girl. She thought they could really do it. Bring the world order down, fuck around with the most dangerous organizations in the world. And the way she said it, he thought so too. He forgot all about his fight with Rory, how his heart had skipped a whole verse and not just one beat, and forgot about how badly he was injured.

At her words he was suddenly pumped up as well, for what, though, he didn't know. For a crazy cause with an even crazier chick beside him? Probably.

"Hell yeah. Just don't take that too literally," he added with a smile, hoping to tease her again about Rory-slash-Liam.

"We'll need to take the initiative, obviously. You and I." He thought about it, quietly removing a cigarette and a lighter and swiftly lighting the death stick. "The people here, in Hoenn. They're all just waiting for a spark. And we'll light it, alright."

He took a long swing and blew out, watching the clouds form.

"An anti-criminal syndicate...something that encompasses all..."

He was thrown out of his thoughts by Andrea shouting for the check, which made him look up like he was suddenly reminded that the world existed. He watched the waiter scurry off and had just enough time to recollect himself before Andrea smiled at him, her cerulean eyes twinkling with a determined sparkle, like she'd refuse to let it go despite the odds. And he could believe her, because that was just the kind of person she was.

"Yeah, and I got yours. Us together, we could take on the world." Maybe any other time the sentence would have been said with an eye roll and some lazy sarcasm, but right now he was serious. Andrea hummed and Julius listened, smile growing wider at the idea of a match against her.

"I'll go easy, no worries--" the waiter came back, and Julius immediately changed to the oddly cultured person he was, and easily slipped the cash onto the table with a small yet existent tip, all before Andrea could complain or even notice.

He stood up, ready to leave and enjoy the spacious roof top garden created for pokemon battling. "Anyway, the rematch, yeah?" He offered, gesturing with a quick move of his chin to the spot he had scouted out. He headed towards it, not doubting for a second that she wouldn't follow.