Blind Date Weekend #3: Sunday
 
The Leafeon's paw touched the cafe door and pushed it open, his fear of rejection was all but lost at this point. He had been coming to the same cafe every night throughout the weekend, joining in on the blind date event that they had been running for Valentine's Day. His eyes narrowed in determination. This time it would be different. This time he would meet someone new.
 
"Welcome to the Clearspring caf-" The Delcatty standing by the door greeted him, his fake wings almost looked like they were flapping with the way he bounced. Though as he turned to look at who he was talking to, a delighted smile crossed his muzzle, "...Oh, hey, it's you! Hey Doc, back again?"
 
"Back again." Leaf chuckled, trying to break away from the seriousness. He didn't want to be scowling at his date after all, this was supposed to be fun. He gave the Delcatty a friendly smile, "Heh, I can't seem to stay away for long. What's on the menu tonight?"
 
"Strawberries and cream." The Delcatty, presumably Evan from how he held himself, replied before turning and narrowing his eyes as he scouted the cafe, "Hmmm, let's see... someone special, someone special..." he muttered as he searched, "Someone who'd be a perfect match for Leafy."
 
"It's 'Leaf', actually." the Leafeon corrected him. It wasn't even that, it was Parsley, though the Leafeon rarely used his real name. Evan didn't say anything in response to his correction, he just smiled and weaved his way through the tables before finally stopping at one. Leaf had to crane his head back just to see the face of the one he'd be sitting with. "Uuhh."
 
"Oh, Leaf! Would you like to join me?" The Dragonair replied with a smile, lowering her head to get a better look at the Leafeon. The Delcatty had been kind enough to give her a table in the corner of the cafe, one that would usually seat quite a few pokemon. Despite towering over the other customers, her friendly smile kept anyone from feeling threatened by her presence.
 
"Sure!" Leaf replied, his voice cracking as he did so. After clearing his throat and giving a nervous chuckle he sat across from the Dragonair, who curled around the table in order to get closer to his height. "I wasn't expecting to see you here, Mystel. Come to think of it, I don't see you around Clearspring all that much."
 
"It's tricky to navigate some buildings at this size. I don't think many residents of Clearspring are over ten feet tall... honestly, I wonder just how many are over five feet." the blue dragon replied as she leaned down and sipped the cup of tea, "But of course, I've got my own home in the town, and my practice. So, at least I'm not out in the cold."
 
"You know, the clinic would probably be big enough for you to stay in, if you ever needed somewhere else." the Leafeon offered as he looked up at her, his leafy tail wagging back and forth. "I had almost forgot you moved to Clearspring... are you from Valor?"
 
"Moss Rock, actually. I think I must have left just after you and Rose did." Mystel said, tapping her chin with the tip of her tail as she tried to remember, "It's the reason Rose and I started talking. I'm quite glad we did, despite my many clients I would say I have few friends outside of work."
 
"Well, you can always make some more. Besides, I don't think that's true at all, I see you down at the Den all the time and you're pretty popular there." the Leafeon told her with a friendly grin. He hadn't had the opportunity to do anything with the Dragonair yet, she was usually busy with... "Oh, what about Cyn? I'm sure she could introduce you to other pokemon."
 
"Hmhm, I'm sure she could. She does know me rather well." the dragon replied. Leaf could have sworn he saw the faintest of blushes cross her face. As Evan brought back the strawberries and cream Mystel leaned down and took one expertly between her teeth before tossing it back into her mouth and chewing it.
 
"You two seem close." Leaf smiled up at her as he took one of the strawberries himself, making sure to roll it around in the cream provided before nibbling on it. "She says you don't like digesting pokemon."
 
"I don't. It's... well, I wouldn't wish to cause anyone harm, no matter how temporary." Mystel explained, looking down at the Leafeon as her white ear fins perked up, "I see it more like an embrace, the closest two pokemon could ever be... I want to keep my prey safe from the world, if only for a moment."
 
"That's a beautiful outlook, Mystel." Leaf replied, his ears lowering into a relaxed state. It was so easy to relax around the Dragonair, she had a calm atmosphere about her. The Leafeon leaned over the table, trying his best to look flirtatious as he did so, "Well, if you ever felt like... 'keeping me safe from the world'..." he trailed off, hoping she'd catch his drift. The Dragonair stared down at him, and slowly her face contorted into a smile.
 
"Pfft." Mystel bit her lip, allowing the laugh to escape her in the hopes more wouldn't come her way. The Leafeon's face was just too priceless though, before she knew it she was giggling like a school girl, "Hehehehehe, oh Leaf. You're so silly, you don't have to act that way around me." she chuckled, "Hehe, honestly. Flirting with me... I'm probably four times your size and twice your age."
 
"Heh, sorry Mystel. I guess I Was just seeing if you were interested." Leaf replied, fiddling with the table cloth briefly before distracting himself with another strawberry.
 
"I'm afraid if you want to take things further, you may have ended up on a date with the wrong pokemon." Mystel replied, looking down at the Leafeon, "I've never had much interest in men. I was hoping I might be placed with another woman tonight, perhaps even..." her eyes drifted to a table across the cafe, and as Leaf looked over his shoulder he couldn't help but perk his ears.
 
"Oh." he blinked, a little surprised by Mystel's choice... though he was pretty happy about it, all things considered. He smiled up at the dragonair. "Maybe we could go talk to her together once we're done eating these strawberries?"
 
"If you wouldn't mind." Mystel replied with a little smile before going back to eating the strawberries, taking mouthfuls of them at a time now. Leaf chuckled and ate what he could while avoiding joining the strawberries as they made their way down the dragon's slender form, the two of them working together to clear their table so they could go speak to the ones at the other.
 
Then again, strawberries were the Espeon's favourite treat. Rose wasn't going anywhere.
 
*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*
 
"...and then of course, I had to take it back. I couldn't exactly keep something like that in the classroom, could I?" Rose giggled as she finished her story. Auric responded with a little chuckle, but not a whole lot else. The Espeon's ears perked up and she stared up at the Lucario, "I'm sorry, am I boring you? Goodness, I've been talking non-stop, haven't I?"
 
"It's quite alright, Rose. I've found I'm better at listening than speaking anyway." Auric replied with a gentle smile before adjusting the iron pauldron at his shoulder, "Thank you for keeping me company tonight, by the way. I wasn't expecting to come back, but I'm glad I did."
 
"I'm just sorry for coming off too strong." Rose said, leaning on the table as she nibbled another one of the strawberries. She had been excited to find herself on a date with the Lucario and immediately started fawning over him. Auric had saved them from any later awkwardness by being, ironically, straight with her. She mentally facepawed as she recalled how she had acted, "I'm not... I'm not desperate, if that's what you're thinking."
 
"The thought never crossed my mind, Rose. I assure you." Auric told her, giving his usual gentle smile as he took one of the strawberries and dipped it into the cream before taking a bite off the end of it, "From our conversation I can tell you're a caring, loving Espeon. Making others happy makes you happy." he smiled, "It's an admirable trait in any pokemon."
 
"Thank you, Auric." Rose replied, the Lucario's compliments left her blushing with delight. She giggled behind her paw and looked up at him, "You know, I was talking to Spice the other day about joining up with the Winners for a mission or two, I understand they don't have a psychic type."
 
"It's true, they don't." The Lucario nodded, stroking his chin as he leaned forward, his hands coming together as if he had begun an interview with her. "Though I must question your reasons for joining them. Surely you know how dangerous it is to be a rescue team pokemon?"
 
"I know it's dangerous. But it's also exciting, isn't it?" Rose replied, her eyes sparkling with delight at the thought, "I've never even been in a mystery dungeon before, but I've heard so much about them. Imagine the places I'd go, the things I'd see."
 
"It's just that most members of the Winners seem to yearn for something other than simple adventure, though I suppose that isn't a bad reason to join a rescue team." the Lucario nodded approvingly, "Yes... I think perhaps there might be room among the Winners after all. Of course, Cyn would get the final word."
 
"She would?" Rose's ears tucked back. The last time Cyn had seen her, it had been to save her from being eaten alive... come to think of it, that was how they had met the time before as well, and the time before that... Rose winced at the memory of how cold she had been to the Liepard. Finally the Espeon cleared her throat, deciding to change the subject, "What made you become a rescue team pokemon, Auric?"
 
"I wanted to help pokemon and make the region a safer place." Auric replied, raising an eyebrow at the sudden line of questioning. There was something in the psychic type's aura, something she regretted. He cleared his throat, "If you're concerned about speaking with Cyn, I'd be willing to put in a good word for you once I've seen you in action."
 
"Sounds like a plan. Perhaps you, Spice and I could go into a mystery dungeon together then." Rose offered, her large ears perking and her forked tail flicking back and forth, even her gemstone began to glow happily at the prospect. "Is there anything I should do before we go? Should I practice my Psychic, or maybe my Psybeam?"
 
"Find time to practice your moves if you can. Don't forget to work on your stamina either, trekking through a Mystery Dungeon is no walk in the park. You don't want to find yourself breathless when you're facing up against a wild Seviper." Auric told her as he took another strawberry.
 
"Heh, certainly wouldn't." Rose replied with a little chuckle. She knew she might end up breathless in the face of a wild Seviper regardless. They had always been her favourite snake-like pokemon due to their resistance to her psychic moves. It would coil around her, squeeze her tightly as it mocked the 'brave rescue pokemon' being taken down so easily. She purred a little at the thought.
 
"Rose..?" Auric blinked, leaving the Espeon shaking her head to bring herself out of the daydream Seviper's maw and back into reality. The Lucario chuckled lightly, "It seems I lost you for a moment there. I hope I'm not boring you." he said, echoing her earlier concerns.
 
"Oh, no! Not at all. Heh, I was just... noticing we were running out of strawberries." Rose replied, looking down at the bowl. There were only three left, of course they had ended up with an odd number. She was fairly sure they had eaten the same amount, but she had lost track somewhere down the line. She took one of the remaining strawberries and nibbled it lightly, "I think it's only one bowl per customer though."
 
"I think I've had enough regardless, feel free to have them all." Auric replied with a warm smile. Rose found herself gazing into his eyes again... he was such a gentleman, if it weren't for him only liking other males, she might have found her perfect match. The Lucario's ears swivelled and his eyes turned to look off into the cafe.
 
Rose followed his gaze and grinned as she saw her Dragonair friend and her step-brother approaching the table. She raised her paw and waved the two down, "Mystel, Parsley! Fancy seeing you two here." she giggled, "Are you two on a date, perhaps?"
 
"Perhaps," Mystel replied cryptically, returning the feline's smile as she stopped at their table, having to curl up to avoid blocking the aisle. Once they were at the table the Leafeon at her side began to nudge her and nod forward, the Dragonair stared down at Rose, clearing her throat. "Y-yes, well... how is your date going?"
 
"I'm afraid we've found we're incompatible." Auric said as he looked up at the dragon-type, "It's no one's fault though. It appears that the application form needs to be worked over... I'm only interested in males."
 
"Oh, did you run into that problem too then?" Mystel replied, tilting her head a little.
 
"Too?" Rose asked, looking up at the dragon type. A light-blue blush crossed Mystel's nose, and the Espeon didn't need her psychic powers to read the larger pokemon's mind. Rose blushed in response, though she didn't say anything. The two just stared at eachother for a while.
 
After what seemed like an eternity of butterflies in her stomach, Mystel finally gathered the courage to ask the question that had been on her mind all night. "Rose, would you... perhaps like to come over to my table?" she asked, her ear fins perking up as her blush deepened, "It's just that the staff here seem to think I needed an extra bowl of strawberries, and I can't finish them all myself."
 
"Have dinner? with you?" Rose blushed hotly in response. She looked over at the Lucario, feeling bad about ditching him to go on a date with one of her friends, but as he gave her a nod and a wave of his hand the Espeon climbed out of her seat, "Of course! I'd love to."
 
"W-well, okay then!" Mystel chimed, seemingly surprised the Espeon would agree. She gave the Leafeon at her side a smile and mouthed a 'thank you' to him before moving back to her table with the Espeon at her side, chatting all the way. The two males who were left behind looked at eachother, unsure of what to say or do.
 
"S-so. You like... guys then?" Leaf asked, moving towards the table as he looked up at the blue jackal.
 
"I suppose that would be apparant." Auric replied, looking down at the doctor. He glanced at the empty seat, then looked back at the Leafeon once more, "You know... there are still two strawberries left."
 
"There are?" Leaf blinked, his heart beginning to race. Was he really going to do this? He had never thought of Auric that way before, but when he thought about it... he smiled awkwardly and shook his head, "I-I think I'd better get back to the clinic. I've still got that patient, and I can't remember if I changed her bandages before I left to come here."
 
"It's quite alright, Doctor. I won't keep you." the Lucario chuckled in response. The Leafeon was awfully cute when he was flustered, but if he wasn't ready Auric wasn't about to push him. "Enjoy your evening."
 
"You too." Leaf replied quickly before turning and heading for the door at a swift pace, his tail flicking back and forth. As he neared the door he found himself regretting not taking the Lucario up on his offer, though he still had one more hurdle to pass... and it seemed like the Delcatty was blocking his way.
 
"Oh hey, Leafy. How did it go?" the Delcatty, probably Evan, asked as the Leafeon got within speaking distance. The cat wasn't wearing his usual pink sash and fake feather wings, "Did you two hit it off?"
 
"I'm afraid not. Sorry, Evan." The Leafeon chuckled awkwardly as he moved to walk past him, "I'll see you when I see you."
 
"Wait, don't go!" the Delcatty called out, leaving Leaf stopping in his tracks and looking back at the pokemon curiously. Evan reached around behind the counter briefly before finally taking out a black blazer, "Here. You left this behind on your first night, I've been trying to get it back to you all weekend."
 
"Oh, thank you! I was wondering what happened to it." the Leafeon smiled, taking the blazer and putting it on immediately. Though as he did so he felt something in the inside pocket, opening it up revealed a heart-shaped card. Judging by the weird shape and excess of glitter, it was homemade. He certainly hadn't had it the night he first came to the cafe. "Oh, what's this?"
 
"Read it." Evan grinned, his tail wagging back and forth excitedly. Leaf chuckled and looked over the front once more before opening it up.
 
'Thanks for coming back to visit me, maybe some time I could visit you? - E' ...the Leafeon looked over the scrawled writing a few times before smiling over at the Delcatty, "Thanks Evan. This was a wonderful surprise."
 
"Soooooo?" the Delcatty beamed, leaning forward towards the Leafeon for his answer. Leaf blinked and tilted his head, leaving Evan giggling behind his paw at his naivety, "Do you want to go on a date? I'm done for tonight. I thought maybe we could hit up the dock and check out the lake at night."
 
"Sounds like fun." the Leafeon smiled, putting the card back in his blazer before heading for the door with the Delcatty following after him, mewing happily all the way. It seemed like he'd finally get the blind date he had wanted, and with a pokemon who had been right under his nose since the first night he had come to the cafe.
 
*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*
 
Auric smiled as he watched the Leafeon leaving with his new companion, glad that the doctor wouldn't spend the night alone after all. He turned to watch Mystel and Rose in the distance, the two were already feeding eachother strawberries, though Rose's paw often lingered on the serpent-like dragons large tongue as it lapped up the cream. It seemed like it had worked out, everyone had someone.
 
Everyone but him. The Lucario sighed and looked at the strawberries before taking one and rolling it around in the cream. He nibbled the end before shrugging and just tossing the whole thing into his muzzle, chewing it quickly as he went to clear the bowl.
 
"Hey, you gonna eat that?"
 
the Lucario looked up and almost choked on the strawberry in his mouth. He coughed into his napkin as the burly Arcanine stared at him, blinking slowly before tilting his head. "You okay, man? Heh, I'm not that much of a sight, am I?" he grinned broadly, "You try Extreme-speeding across Sinnoh without getting spotted by trainers and see how you look."
 
"Jasper! I wasn't expecting to see you here." ...the Lucario wasn't expecting to see the Arcanine -ever-. The last time they had spoken it had been in Valor over six months ago, "Shouldn't you be at the city? You ought to be loyal to your team."
 
"My team's fine, and I'm loyal to my friends too, dude." Jasper replied as he sat on the empty chair. "I got a message that my Lucario was feeling lonely on Valentine's Day and thought 'Not on my watch!'." he pumped one of his large paws in the air, "So I hightailed it down here, Extreme Speed-ed the entire way. Man, people must've thought I was a motorcycle or something." he laughed, "Couldn't hear any of them though."
 
"I suppose going that fast, you wouldn't." Auric chuckled, finally starting to settle down and accept that the Arcanine was really with him. His ears perked, his tail wagged, and his eyes shimmered like a Riolu in a candy store, "It's been so long, I thought I'd never see you again... h-ha, forgive me, I'm a bit overwhelmed."
 
"Take it slow, Auric. We've got all night." Jasper grinned, his own fluffy tail thumping against the floor. He reached over and batted the Lucario's shoulder armour with his paw, "Still wearing the ol' pauldron, huh? Heh, gotta have that guild pride."
 
"The guild's influence is becoming more accepted around Clearspring, even Cyn is opening up to the good that rescue teams can do for a community." he leaned back in his chair, "We're seeing new teams forming every week now. It's quite exciting."
 
"Heh, what about the local customs? You getting used to living on the edge of the wild?" the Arcanine asked, looking around briefly before leaning down, "Have you tried being a predator yet?"
 
"Ha, no, of course not." the Lucario shook his head, his smile fading slightly as he looked up at the Arcanine, "I couldn't imagine doing that to another pokemon, it's simply not in my nature."
 
"Aw man, you'd look good with a bit more on your gut." Jasper pouted, giving a little canine whine. Though as it became clear his attempts to playfully guilt-trip the Lucario were upsetting him he shook his head and laughed, "Heh, well, you know what they say about karma. Maybe if you don't eat pokemon, you're not going to get eaten yourself. Sounds good, right?"
 
"Right." the Lucario said, smiling a little as Jasper accepted his unwillingness to join him as a predator. As Jasper took the last strawberry the jackal couldn't help but watch his heavy paw, especially when the canine began to run his tongue over it to get the cream off of it. "H-ha, so. How long are you in town?"
 
"That depends on how long you want me to be, buddy. I could stay for a day or two. I figure I've earned a vacation." the Arcanine replied, grinning as his tail thumped against the chair. "Maybe you should come up to Valor sometime. We could go to that garden you like, maybe get a drink at a bar." he perked his ears, excited at his own ideas, "Or I could show you around the guild! Man, it's changed like crazy since you left, the new Security guy doesn't know paws like you do. He confused a Nidoking for a Nidoqueen. I mean, who does that?" he laughed.
 
"It's rather easy to tell them apart." Auric agreed as he took another sip of his glass of water before looking back at the Arcanine, "You just have to remember 'The Queen has a thorny crown'. Isn't that in the basic training?"
 
"The what has a what?" Jasper blinked vacantly.
 
"The toes... you can tell it's a Nidoqueen because it has two short, spike-like toes." the Lucario explained, seperating his fingers to demonstrate before bringing them together in a clump, "Meanwhile a Nidoking only has one large one."
 
"Oh... hey, that's pretty clever." the Arcanine grinned, scratching his chin as he tried to picture the two pokemon, "Heh, gonna try that when I see Ol' Ganlon. Hope he doesn't mind me staring at his paws too much."
 
"Just work a day in the Security room, I'm sure you'll be able to see just by looking up through the grate." the Lucario replied before subtly rubbing the spike on his chest, "I still remember when you stepped on my spike. I thought I had done some real damage."
 
"Heh, nah man. It'll take more than a little scratch to keep me from my walks." the Arcanine laughed. He was so positive, so full of energy. Auric began to wonder why they had ever broken up. "So, any luck over the weekend? Bet you've got plenty of 'mons trying to get under that tail."
 
Ah, yes, the dog's crudeness. Auric blushed and glanced away, trying to avoid eye-contact with Jasper, it would probably have just left him blushing more. "A-ah, no. Not as such. I didn't meet anyone who..." he rolled his eyes, "Would want 'to get under my tail'."
 
"Don't sweat it, man. These wildies don't know what they're missing." Jasper grinned over at him, "It must be hard though, huh? I mean, you're more civilized than most civilized pokemon, so coming to a town where half of the pokemon were born in the wild?" he shook his head, "Must be crazy culture-clash."
 
"It's not as bad as you'd think. I've gotten along with quite a few wild pokemon, I've even found myself spending a lot of time with a pokemon born and raised in a mystery dungeon." the Lucario told him. The look on Jasper's face said it all, he hadn't expected Auric to meet anyone. Auric quickly sought a way to move away from the subject, "How have my reports been recieved?"
 
"Hold on, man. Tell me about this new guy of yours." Jasper grinned, placing both of his paws on the table and leaning over it to give the blue jackal his full attention, "What is he? Is it another fire-type? Oh! Is he that Ninetales I keep seeing mentioned in your reports?" he wagged his tail, "He sounds cute. Think I'd prefer the Leafeon though, he sounds like a cuddler."
 
"I don't know how you'd get something like that from the mission reports." Auric blinked in disbelief before shaking his head, figuring it was best to come clean. "Volt's a Manectric from the Crazy Canyon dungeon. He's the most cultured wild pokemon I've ever met."
 
"Cultured, huh? Heh, sounds like a perfect match for you, dude." the Arcanine said with a smile. There wasn't a hint of malice in his voice, he seemed genuinely happy for them both, "You let me know if there's room for a third wheel, alright? I'm an open book."
 
"I know you are." the Lucario blushed at the thought. Being trapped between the two canines, or perhaps being trapped under them. He shook his head to release himself of the thoughts, but they just kept coming back, leaving him blushing brighter and brighter.
 
"Something tells me there's room for one more." Jasper winked at him playfully.
 
"Aha, well... I would have to see." Auric coughed, finally managing to get himself together long enough to stand up. "Perhaps we ought to go, it's getting late after all. You can stay in my room at the HQ, if you'd like."
 
"Sounds good," the Arcanine barked in response, standing up as well before moving to walk beside the Lucario, his side brushing against his date's, "I'm glad you stayed, I was worried I wouldn't make it."
 
"I'm glad I stayed too, Jasper." the Lucario replied, giving the Arcanine an affectionate nuzzle as they stepped out of the cafe and into the cold night air. Despite their many months apart, the flame of their love had endured. Auric just hoped Volt would be as keen on an open relationship as Jasper was.
 
*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*~<3~*~<3~*~<3~*~<3*
 
The Liepard watched from the bushes, grinning with excitement as the two pokemon left together. She had thought the highlight of her night would be finding a place to watch the date from without either of the two spotting her, but seeing that they were happy together left her feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
 
Feeling proud of herself, the shiny Liepard stepped out of the shadows and moved to walk around the corner of the cafe and back towards the HQ. It had been a long night of sitting in foilage, and now she could finally go back to her bed and rest... alone... on Valentine's day.
 
Cyn shuddered. There was a strange feeling as she thought about that. She hadn't cared before, her appearance at the cafe was more amusement than actively seeking a romantic partner, and yet the thought of being alone on Valentine's Day left her heart feeling heavy and cold. She moved towards the door, only for the lights in the cafe to turn off.
 
She was too late. Auric and Jasper had been the last customers of the night, and now she was doomed to spend the night by herself. Cyn backed away from the door and sighed, sitting back on her haunches before staring at her reflection in the window, clouded only by the paper sign that read 'Blind Date Night: FINAL NIGHT!' on the other side of the glass. Slowly her eyes drifted to the dirt path beneath her, only to find a bouquet of flowers to appear in the corner of her vision.
 
She followed the arm that held them until she found herself staring into the purple eyes of the well-groomed Ninetales at the end of it, dressed in the black suit he had been wearing throughout the weekend. He nodded towards the door, "I guess we were both too late tonight. Still, I don't want to just keep these flowers for myself."
 
"Thanks..." Cyn replied, taking the bouquet carefully before looking up at Spice once more. She expected a long rant about what a great guy he was, saving her from her loneliness... and yet, nothing came. She perked her ears curiously, "Are you... feeling alright?"
 
"Are you?" the Ninetales asked, offering his paw to her. The feline slowly took it and got back to her feet, it wasn't like she really needed his help but the gesture was nice. Spice turned to the cafe once again, his golden tails shimmering in the moonlight, "I heard you were going to be here, so I kept coming back... I must have walked past the cafe several times tonight hoping I might see you at a table by yourself."
 
"Really?" Cyn asked, looking down at the flowers once more. The Ninetales had chosen red and purple flowers, and for a moment Cyn wondered if they were chosen because they reminded the Ninetales of himself... but as she compared the red flowers to her own fur, she found they were much closer to her fur colour than the Ninetales' iconic red scarf. She looked back up at him curiously, "Why didn't you just ask me out to dinner?"
 
"I knew you'd say no. I haven't made the best impression since I arrived, have I?" the Ninetales replied with a little shrug as he turned to start walking, the Liepard instinctively followed him along. "I figured if we were on a Blind date together, you'd be more willing to see how it went... maybe I'd be able to fix some of the damage I've done."
 
Cyn perked her ears at the answer. It was sweet, and perhaps a little sad, that the Ninetales would go through so much trouble just to be on a date with her. There they were, walking under the stars as the city slept, alone together in the still of the night. The Liepard shook her head in disbelief, "Damn it, Spice... you keep doing this."
 
"Doing what?" the Ninetales blinked, losing his sombre expression as he found himself confused by Cyn's outburst.
 
"You keep having these... these moments, like this one." she shook the bouquet, "You get romantic, you make me feel like we could be together, like you really care about me." she narrowed her eyes on him, "But you always go back to your old self right when I'm about to give you a chance. You never change, you just..." she sighed, "You just act differently sometimes."
 
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Cyn. It's not like I don't want to change." the Ninetales tucked his ears back, "It's just... I've spent all my life being told I'm perfection incarnate, that my golden fur shines with the light of a thousand stars, that to touch my tails is to know true happiness." he swayed his tails briefly as he looked back at them, "But since coming here... no one's been praising me at all, is it any question I feel the need to praise myself?"
 
"I guess not, just... try to rein it in, okay?" Cyn replied, looking up at the Ninetales. "Maybe if you did, I'd be willing to spend more time with you. It just gets exhausting when you're always doing it."
 
"Very well, I shall become the most humble Ninetales you know." Spice replied affirmatively before puffing out his chest and holding his tails high, "I'll be so modest, pokemon will come from far and wide to ask me to teach them how to be modest!"
 
"Oh, Spice." Cyn chuckled, giving the Ninetales' the benefit of the doubt and assuming he was just joking with that last comment. The two laughed about it for a while, though as they neared the HQ they stopped to face eachother once again.
 
"I'm glad you talked to me tonight, Spice. It's been a great Valentine's Day." the Liepard said, playfully batting at the pokemon's shoulder, "You'd better get out of that suit... honestly, I don't even know where you got it."
 
"Just a little something I ordered from Jerry, that Zangoose is a godsend." the Ninetales replied, "Of course I got the flowers at the market, oh! there's one more thing." Spice grinned, reaching back into his tails. Somehow the Liepard's eyes had missed the bright red heart-shaped box concealed within them, though as he brought it out for her to see she immediately recognized it.
 
"Oh hey, a box of chocolates. Awesome." she smiled, taking the box as the Ninetales offered it to her, "Heh, I hope you don't mind that I didn't get you anything, I wasn't expecting anyone to shower me with gifts tonight."
 
"It's quite alright, Cyn. I know I caught you off-guard... a rare event, if I do say so myself." the Ninetales replied, leaning in for a nuzzle. Cyn leaned up and nuzzled him back awkwardly, though Spice didn't seem to mind as he pointed to the box with his paw, "Oh, look inside."
 
The Liepard perked her ears curiously, wondering what the Ninetales had in store for her next, but she decided against holding herself in anticipation. She opened the box to reveal that the black plastic tray had been removed, and instead of the usual variety selection the box was filled with only the dark chocolate ones. "Wow, this is great." Cyn mewled, only to blush and cover her mouth at the noise she made, "H-heh, I don't know what to say. Thank you, Spice."
 
"You're quite welcome, Cyn. I hope you enjoy them." the Ninetales replied before opening the door for her. Once they were inside he looked up the stairs and smiled, "I suppose we'll be going back to our own rooms then. Have a pleasant night, Cyn."
 
As the Liepard watched him go she found herself torn between saying something and staying quiet. She glanced down at the box of chocolates, and then up at the Ninetales on the stairs, she looked at the box once more before holding up her paw, "Hey, Spice, hold up for a sec."
 
"Hm? What is it?" the Ninetales asked, looking back down at Cyn as she climbed the stairs, struggling to walk with only three paws as one was busy holding the flowers and the chocolates.
 
"It's just that there's quite a lot of chocolates in here, I don't know if I'll be able to finish them all myself." the Liepard replied, smiling up at him as she stood infront of him, "Do you maybe... wanna come back to my room and hang out for a while? Help me with these chocolates?" she offered, holding up the box as she did so.
 
The Ninetales blinked in surprise, only for a grin to slowly creep across his muzzle. His tails wagged in a blur behind him, though he didn't seem to be able to stop smiling long enough to say something without yelling it throughout the house. He simply nodded rapidly and followed after the Liepard, who lead him along to her room and closed the door behind them.
 
They talked well into the night, eating chocolates and discussing whatever came to their minds. Their friends, the human city, Valor and the mystery dungeons; they could have talked all night had they not run out of energy. Unfortunately the Ninetales fell asleep first, curled up on the Liepard's bed and snoozing quietly. Cyn hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep until she had heard him starting to snore.
 
Carefully as not to wake him, the Liepard climbed into her bed next to the Ninetales and snuggled up in his fur. Spice moved his tails in his sleep to curl around her, keeping her safe and covering her in a warmth that left her unable to do anything but join him in his slumber.