getting by...

[hulburyryversyde]

intro thing

hey, i'm Ryver. some of my coworkers were using this rotomblr thing, and they said i should make an account for it. guess this'll be a new way to pass the time.

uhhh, i'm 17, i work part-time at The Captain's Table in my hometown, Hulbury. oh yeah, i'm galarian. figured i should bring that up.

anyways, when i'm not working, i'm usually finding other jobs to do to fill the gaps and make ends meet. (if anyone's hiring... nah, that's too low)

other than that, i think that's all that really matters about me. talk if you want, i like water types, kinda. i have hobbies... sometimes.

Hiii @catz420 here! trying this rotomblr thing again with an OC this time!! hoping i can be more active but school might put a damper on that lmao </3

some little things about ryver:

silly little girl punching herself in the face trying to figure out if she likes girls (we love a troubled sapphic <3) (nessa was the start of this she fears)

her birthday's May 14!

her favorite colors are navy blue and white

she's a cleaner and waitress at the Captain's Table

really bad with money (doesn't help she's paid minimum wage + most other jobs she does barely pay her anything)

school dropout !!

her psyduck is her first partner who she caught when she was around 5 or 6

one of those people who can and will sleep anywhere

it doesn't have the option on the card maker, but her alcremie is salted cream with a blueberry sweet

Rules!:

no NSFW

no bigots

no harassment

hope you like her! :)

[hulburyryversyde]

uhhhh… hi Ryv…

oh hey um... what's up? you're ok? well you probably are

not that im saying you arent or anything but you know

but in case you arent

you know what I mean

[trubbishtime]

yyyyeah, im doin’ good! um, we just haven’t talked since, um… yknow.

and i kinda maybe sorta wanna

ask you osmething

[hulburyryversyde]

oh sure what do you need?

[hulburyryversyde]

fumbling

shhhhhut up

[hulburyryversyde]

DID YOU TWO MAKE OUT

and how did you come to this well thought out conclusion

[hulburyryversyde]

yo ugood??

y. yeah why wouldn't i be

[hulburyryversyde]

uhhhh… hi Ryv…

oh hey um... what's up? you're ok? well you probably are

not that im saying you arent or anything but you know

but in case you arent

you know what I mean

[israthebugspecialist]

Never fucking drinking again.

[hulburyryversyde]

You'll get used to it.

[trubbishtime]

//RP thread with @hulburyryversyde <3

Oleana sat down at her table in the Captain's Table, waiting patiently for Ryver to meet with her. Her body and mind still felt tired and drained, but... regardless, she decided she'd rather stay here. After all, Ryver was her friend. At least, she was pretty sure she was.

Even so, it didn't matter. She was actually outside of her lab for once, and it was somewhat nice. Even if the amount of people here was stressing her out. Even if she kept on getting weird looks. Even if she could've sworn she saw a weird guy in shorts and sunglasses leering at her.

It didn't matter, right?

[hulburyryversyde]

Way to go, Ryver, invite a potential friend to the restaurant! It's not like it would be busy or anything! Ugh…

Balancing plates of seafood in her hands, the Galarian made her way across the various tables to serve hungry patrons their food, offering up the best smile she could really only barely manage at 10pm. She was already preparing to drown her exhaustion in partially melted ice cream and doomscrollling until she fell asleep, because that was definitely the best way to spend a Tuesday evening, yep.

Picking up a small handful of menus for the recent arrival of new customers, she stood up on the balls of her feet, scanning the dining area until spotting a woman clothed in a lab coat and long, slightly unkempt blonde hair, standing out rather significantly from the other patrons — that must be Oleana, the girl she had been talking to over Rotomblr for the past few hours. A part of her was surprised that they managed to actually spend more than five minutes talking to each other. That's how it usually went with Ryver, and she didn't mind it. Maybe friends just weren't her thing; Oleana felt different somehow, though she couldn't quite put her finger on the exact reason.

She dropped off some of the menus at other tables before finally making her way over to Oleana's, straightening her slightly squished posture and preparing herself to awkwardly smile like she had been all night, looking like a dumbass. At least the dumbass was getting paid; not a lot, but it was better than, y'know, not being paid.

"Hey, nice t'meetcha in person this time," she addressed the other girl, trying to strike up some casual conversation as she put a menu down in front of her. " If you're looking for something good, my boss keeps goin' on about the Seafood Pasta he loves making. I wouldn't know, since I barely eat anything from here anyways — as nice as it smells, being surrounded by seafood for long enough ends up garnering the opposite effect—"

She stopped herself, her brain finally getting a proper chance to catch up with her mouth that wouldn't stop running. Was she rambling just now? And about seafood of all things? Arceus, she looked like such a fool, didn't she? The two had just met and she was already fucking it up.

No, try to stay positive. Maybe she's used to someone like this.

"Er… but pick what you want; I'm not the judge. I better… swing by the other tables to see if everything's alright. I'll be here whenever you're ready."

That was weird. I need to get a grip, and fast…

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s nervous thought stopped for a brief moment as she watched Ryver take orders and deliver food. Despite how she usually talked about herself online, she looked… beautiful. The way her hair flowed, her soft lips, her plain outfit, her-

Wait, what am I doing?! I can’t think about Ryver like that, I-I just met her!

She snapped herself out of her daze as she saw Ryver come over to her table. “U-Um, hi Ryver! Great to see you in-person too!” Oleana stared at her as she listened to Ryver ramble about seafood to her. Truthfully, it eventually just became a blur as she focused more on her lovely face…

Ugh, stop it Oleana! You came here just to talk to her, don’t go in trying to get a girlfriiiieeeeend!

“W-Well, um…” Oleana’s face reddened as she tried to think of something to say to Ryver. “A-Are you on the menu~?”

WHY DID I SAY THAT, WHY DID I SAY THAAAAAAT?!?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH-

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver almost had to stop in place at her words — so much for trying to slip away to collect herself… She couldn't just leave Oleana hanging and embarrass her — maybe she could play along.

"Well, not usually… Were you expecting me to be?" She asked, slowly pulling herself back to the table.

Wow, she sounded wayyyy too flirtatious; she didn't expect to come in swinging like that, it sort of just… happened. No one had ever flirted with her like this before, and she kind of didn't know what to do with herself. What was even normal in this kind of situation?! She swallowed and decided to just keep things rolling, even though she could feel her boss' eyes drillng into the back of her head; it was like he had the sight of a Braviary sometimes.

"I'm not on sale at the moment, but… after hours maybe?" Yeah, that sounded good enough right? Wait, was she really flirting with a customer right now…? It felt a little wrong, but there was just something, a tiny little something, that felt right.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s face reddened even more after hearing Ryver’s response to her… extremely flirtatious comment. “I-I, um… maybe, yeah.”

She noticed Ryver’s boss glaring at her, and proceeded to glare back, along with grinning and showing off her surprisingly sharp teeth, almost as if she was trying to say give her a damn break, or something along the lines of that.

“Um, s-sure! Whenever you have a break, let me know…” Oleana felt… surprisingly at ease around Ryver. It felt weird, normally most people either annoyed her or were annoyed by her. But… she didn’t feel that with Ryver.

…Maybe there was something more there.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver casted a sidewards glance, noticing her boss suddenly backtrack, focusing on something else for a change — man, she's good. There was that hint of confidence she had just now, literally baring her fangs, but then it slipped right back into that cautious nervousness she could relate to just a little too well. It was like looking at herself from a different point of view almost, but she couldn't be entirely certain; she could just not be as confident in making first impressions or something like that. More importantly, why the hell was she psycho-analyzing this girl? Even if it was just in her head, it felt a little creepy since she wasn't actually saying anything for a few minutes.

Hearing her speak up again, she smiled — the only genuine one she had shown this whole shift. "I'll be working for about an hour longer until we close up. I could sneak you into the stockroom after my boss is gone and grab a couple of drinks 'on the house'," she answered, finding the words easier and easier to come out of her mouth. Talking with Oleana, even if in short bursts, just felt so… natural.

She was going to open her mouth again, until a menu was suddenly shoved against her chest by one of the other servers, a silent warning to "get the fuck back to work". Ryver rolled her eyes and stood up straight again, tucking the menu under her arm.

"I wish I could get paid minimum wage to just sit around, but unfortunately I'm still on company time… if you need more time to order, I can just swing back 'round."

[trubbishtime]

Oleana felt herself getting less and less anxious as she talked to Ryver. Something about her just made her feel less… guarded. She didn’t feel like she had to hide everything from her, or keep herself safe. Just being around her made her feel all happy and fuzzy inside.

Maybe I’m just overthinking it though… could just be nothing.

“…Y’know what, sure! That sounds good to me.” Oleana smiled warmly towards Ryver. “Just say the word and I’ll be there.”

She saw the server shove a menu towards Ryver, staring at them as they walked away and growling, not too dissimilar to an angry Yamper.

“Um…” Oleana started messing around with her hair as she tried to think of what she wanted. “J-Just what you suggested earlier, I suppose.”

[hulburyryversyde]

"Great, uhm, be back in a sec…"

Once Ryver was far enough away from her, she had a minute to pull herself together again while getting back into the flow of her work, giving her the chace to fully grasp and collect her thoughts. A part of her was still shocked she had even done that in the first place; was that what flirting was like…? A little stressful, honestly, but the rigidness felt like it had smoothed itself out over time. Maybe this was something different for once, someone she could genuinely feel comfortable around without having to put up some kind of wall to show she was keeping things together, while really that couldn't be further from the truth.

You don't know that yet. She could just blow you off after tonight.

…No. She and Oleana were making good conversation. They had to have a friendship or something start to form, right? Maybe Ryver just hadn't told her enough about herself — yeah, that was it!

Spill too much and she'll get uncomfortable — that's happened before, dipshit. But of course you'll let it happen again.

Fine, new option! They agreed to talk some more after she finished work, right? That has to mean something, right? This could be the start of a real friendship!

Or just as a way for her to make fun of you behind your back once she gets enough info.

Why was her mind like this?!

She was so lost in thought, she almost ran right into a patron, quickly swerving out of the way, though stumbling on her feet a little before focusing her attention back to where she was going again, doing a quick lap around the tables until returning to Oleana's.

"Sorry for the wait. Heh…"

What, were you expecting her to wait for you?

She pushed the thought aside with an internal grumble.

"Figured out what you wanna order yet?"

[trubbishtime]

“O-Ok! See you in a sec!”

As Oleana watched Ryver walk away from her, she almost immediately started having anxious thoughts fill her mind.

O-Oh sweet Arceus, why did I say any of that?! She’s gonna think I’m weird, or a creep, o-or an idiot! Ohhhhhh, what am I gonna do?! I can’t think of anything to say to her…

As Oleana’s mind wrestled with her inner thoughts, one of the servers walked over to her. “Excuse me ma’am, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Oleana looked up at him with a surprised face. “B-But I reserved this table yesterday, a-and I’m supposed to be here to meet a-” “Be that as it may, the boss said that you were leering at him, and we don’t allow that kind of behavior here. Now, I’ll escort you out, young lady.”

The young server grabbed Oleana by the arm and started dragging her out of the restaurant. “H-Hey, what are you doing?! Let go of me!”

Some people started glaring at her, while some laughed and even pointed. They seemed to just see her as entertainment.

She looked like she was about to cry.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver stopped, as if all of time had frozen around her.

What the fuck were they doing?

She had just met this girl, but she was prepared to fight tooth and nail to put her back in that seat, even if it cost her a job; she'd just find another one if she had to. She walked past the rows of jeering, clearly entertained individuals, her smile completely shifted to a blazing scowl. She stood in front of the server, folding her arms.

"What's going on?" she asked, barely trying to keep her voice from screaming at him.

"The boss told me to get rid of her," he answered casually. It infuriated her, most especially because she would answer the same way with any other person they had to get rid of; but Oleana was different, and she wouldn't let this stand.

"Put her back," she growled.

"Boss' orders. Take it up with him," he retaliated.

"I don't care what he does. She's not leaving."

She spotted her boss staring daggers into her chest, but promptly ignored him; she had bigger things to deal with right now. She knew the man would probably be prepared to make an intervention on the matter; she had to get Oleana to somewhere safe, or at least far from him. The place was busy enough — if they lied low, they could slip by. The storeroom was nearby; it'd have to do.

Taking Oleana's hand, she pulled her in a new direction, crouched down and moving quietly through the lines of tables and customers, occasionally poking her head up to make sure her boss hadn't caught up to them. She pulled open the door to the storeroom, hurrying the both of them inside before shutting the door and locking it behind them.

Ryver slumped against the door with an annoyed huff. "Sorry about all this trouble; I wasn't expecting them to throw you out all of a sudden like that. My boss can be a real prick sometimes."

Stop making this about you for one second, idiot!

"O-Oh! Are you… are you ok? I kind of just dragged you along and—" she trailed off into unsure mumbles as the words tangled in her throat.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana tried not to cry as she saw Ryver and the server arguing about her.

And of course, you aren’t even standing up for yourself, you idiot.

She didn’t want to think about it.

She’s putting her job on the line for you, and all you can do is whimper and cry like a little baby.

She felt her eyes watering up with tears.

She’ll leave you, just like the rest of them. Why would she want to be with you anyways?!

Oleana’s breathing got heavier and faster. It felt like the whole world was collapsing around her.

You’re useless. You’re an idiot, a good-for-nothing hack. You. Are. NOTHING.

Oleana snapped out of her panic as Ryver spoke to her, taking a few moments to calm down and ground herself. “It’s… it’s ok. I’m fine, s-see?”

She was clearly not fine.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver's face softened, knowing that look Oleana was giving her all too well; it felt like looking in a mirror almost…

"This probably wasn't your idea of a nice dinner at all, huh?" she said, standing up to flick on the dim, buzzing lights of the storeroom.

Assorted boxes littered the floor, some opened, the rest sealed or slightly dented as if they were just thrown in there without much care. Wine bottles of various flavors and styles were lined up on racks, Ryver reaching for one to slide out of it.

"Why don't I help you take the edge off? You've had this stuff before, haven't you?" She bit down on the cork, and with a grunt of effort, pulled it off with a pop. "Hope you don't mind sharing a bottle; I couldn't exactly grab some glasses on such short notice."

She brought the bottle to her lips and downed a decent amount, wiping her mouth with a finger and offering the bottle to Oleana.

"So, what's the deal with you? I guess I never really got the chance to ask anything about you. Best thing I had was your Rotomblr page… Never took you for a researcher type. Always left that to the old folks."

She paused, shrugging off her words. "Er— well, I mean, it's still ok if you're into that kinda thing, obviously."

Smooth moves, jackass.

[trubbishtime]

“No, not really… sorry it turned out this way, Ryv…” Oleana wiped some of her tears away as she took a few seconds to try and calm herself down.

She watched Ryver go through the wine bottles, seeing lots of logos and flavors that she didn’t recognize. “Nope, I’ve never had wine before. This would be my first time, I guess.”

Oleana took the bottle after Ryver drank some of it… and proceeded to down the entire rest of it. She let put a small hiccup shortly afterwards.

“W-Well, um… I’ve been researching…” She looked a bit anxious for a moment, before regaining her composure. “…Nnnevermind. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“…Heh. Fuck, I don’t even know what to talk about…”

[hulburyryversyde]

"Don't apologize, Oleana," Ryver said, pausing before saying her name. It felt a little... foreign on her tongue, considering this was the first time she had actually said it in-person. She contemplated on whether or not she should give her a nickname of her own; would that be weird? They just met like twenty minutes ago. Though to be fair, if Oleana did… eh, whatever, this wasn't worth intense thought over. She would've offered a hand on the shoulder or something like that, but then she'd be overthinking decisions all over again.

Her eyes widened a little seeing Oleana drink the rest of the bottle, feeling a bit of a smile tug at her lips in surprise. For someone who'd never had alcohol before, she was definitely good at emptying bottles… "Careful with that," she warned lightly, sitting on the floor and leaning back on her hands.

She nodded in understanding as she changed her mind about talking about the research thing. She couldn't blame her; the last thing she would want to do around other people was talk about her shitty day at a seafood restaurant.

"Anything you do want to talk about?" she asked instead.

[trubbishtime]

"...I guess." She sighed as she tried to think of something else to say. Her mind was running around again and it felt like her heart was racing. ...Or maybe that was just the alcohol.

Oleana hiccuped again, looking at the bottle with wide eyes. "Ooooookay, maybe I won't drink that much again."

Oleana looked at Ryver for a little while, slowly getting lost in her dark, shadowy eyes. "...You're so pretty, Ryver." She started giggling a little, smiling warmly towards her. "Like, y-you're sooooo beautiful, Ryv~"

[hulburyryversyde]

"Yeah, good idea," Ryver said, taking the bottle from her and setting it aside, untying the tie around her neck with an exhale.

She raised a quizzical eyebrow as Oleana had stopped talking, instead just… looking. A little creepy, but she assumed it was because of the alcohol starting to kick in a little.

Then hearing her compliment, Ryver almost choked. Yeah, definitely the alcohol. She didn't even know how to respond, especially when she did it TWICE. Her face heated up before she could even stop it, and she tried to force the thoughts and sudden emotions down before they could completely burst to the surface.

She chuckled nervously, trying to downplay it. "Er, thanks? You're not so bad yourself, heh…"

[trubbishtime]

Oleana started cackling as she looked over at Ryver, hiccuping and giggling over and over. “You’re so cuute girll, like…”

Her face went from being dazed and lightheaded to calm and collected, at least for a short while. “I dunno, you’re just kind, and strong, and pretty, a-and I can’t atop thinking about you, I just wanna m-make out with you right now!”

Her face heated up almost immediately after finishing her sentence, quickly trying to hide her face from embarassment. “I-I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have- *hic* said t-that!”

[hulburyryversyde]

More of a lightweight than I thought…

Ryver knew it was just the alcohol talking, but those endearing words really meant something to her, probably because not many people went out of their way to do something like that for her. Finding friends — real friends — was always a hard thing to do for her; Oleana was that breath of fresh air she didn't know she needed.

Kind? Strong? Funny? She didn't think she was any of those things at all… though if someone else thought so, it couldn't be too far from the truth, could it?

She was ready to say something in return, but when Oleana declared she wanted to make out?! Hoooooly shit. How would she even respond to that? Her face heated briefly in tandem to the researcher's, and her lips trembled trying to form a response after she had apologized.

"I— uh, wow…" she murmured finally, still trying to wrap her head around the fact this was actually happening. "I-It's ok! Uhm, that's…" she clammed up again, trying to fully get her point across.

Do I want to make out with her?

The thought alone made her heart race a little again. She had never made out with someone before! Was there a right way to do it? Things to look out for? Arceus, why was this so confusing? The best she could go off of was hearing her co-workers talk about that sort of thing in passing, but that was really it.

Maybe she should just take the plunge. What's the worst that could happen…?

"What if we did?" She blurted out, instantly wanting to take her words back.

That plunge just turned into a belly flop...

[trubbishtime]

Oleana blushed even more as she stared at Ryver. She looked nervous, but… oddly comfortable at the same time.

“I’d love every moment of it…” She hiccuped a little bit before beginning to laugh. “At least, that’s if you even wanna make out with a dumbass like me!~”

She seemed like she was just trying to joke around and be self-deprecating, but… it felt like there was something more to that than usual.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver smiled a little brighter that she seemed so open to the idea, but that face fell quickly at Oleana's slight self-deprecation.

"Well, let's not rule anything out~" she replied, gently brushing her shoulder with her own and trying to test the waters when it came to acting a little more than just formal with her drunken friend. "You aren't a dumbass, okay? I think you're kinda sweet actually…"

You're… different.

She wanted to say it, but she stopped herself.

…Why?

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s face lit up hearing Ryver talk so kindly to her, almost like a light bulb had gone on in her head.

She… really thinks I’m sweet?! Me?!

“Well, uhh…” Oleana shuffled a little closer to Ryver, lookong away from her as she did so.

I don’t deserve this.

“I-I guess if you really wanted to…”

I don’t deserve her.

“W-We could make out, j-just a little…” Oleana twirled her hair a little, her anxiety and nervousness becoming all too obvious at this point.

She’s gonna reject me… isn’t she?

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver felt herself warm up a little inside seeing Oleana start to get closer, though she was still quite anxious; she wanted to help her out and break her out of her shell in some way, but she knew she couldn't force it either; she'd get comfortable on her own.

"I do, I do! I, uhm-- well, I'm not too sure where to start…"

Making out seemed so easy in shows she watched in the little free time she allowed herself; was it much different? Things are pretty played up on TV though… Ugh! Why was she hesitating?! She just didn't want to make Oleana uncomfortable, she didn't want to make herself uncomfortable!

"R-Right, a little," she answered.

It can't be too hard, right?

[trubbishtime]

“J-Just… I don’t know, kiss me, o-or somethin'…”

Oleana felt the negative thoughts flowing through her head again. It was like there as storm going on in her head.

Ryver doesn’t want to kis you, you idiot.

“I-If you don’t want to though…”

YOU DON’T DESERVE HER.

She started to move away, just a little bit, but enough for it to be noticeable.

“I-I’d understand…”

[hulburyryversyde]

DIdn't have to tell her twice it seemed.

Without warning, Ryver suddenly went in for a kiss straight on the lips, not holding back or anything. A really stupid move, she knew -- the offer had barely left Oleana's mouth for goodness sake. But when it was up in the air for that sliver of a second, something in her pushed her to just... do it.

And Arceus, did that feel so fucking good.

It almost felt natural; a little uncomfortable at first, seeing as she's never kissed someone like this in her life before, but it didn't take her long to get used to the feeling, waves of euphoric satisfaction sending chills down her entire body. She knew she should stop, let the other girl breathe, but she didn't want to let go. Not yet.

Most of all, she wanted to prove Oleana wrong. She seemed to always think so low of herself, something she and Ryver had in common. When she moved back, Ryver pulled a little closer, almost drawn to her. Ryver wanted to do something, to expel those fears and insecurities in a single gesture, for both Oleana's sake and her own. She could already feel a swirl of negatively charged 'what-ifs' building up in her mind.

She just hoped the researcher would return the same sort of feelings...

[trubbishtime]

Oleana felt a wave of shock, worry, and surprise course through her body as Ryver kissed her. She couldn’t breathe, and as much as it felt incredible in the moment, she couldn’t help but feel a bit… scared.

At first, she didn’t know what to do. Kiss her back, pull away from Ryver, talk her out of it, anything!

…Fuck it.

Oleana began to kiss Ryver back, feeling waves of euphoria wash across her entire body as she slowly leaned into it. It still felt weird and a little uncomfortable, but… in a way, it made it better somehow.

It felt like all her scary thoughts and worries were disappearing in an instant, focusing on Ryver and Ryver only. She felt calm and safe around her…

For a brief moment, she pulled away, her breath and voice sounding much shakier than before. “R-Ryver…”

[hulburyryversyde]

"…Oleana,"

Once the two finally broke apart from the kiss, time seemed to speed back up again as the heat of the moment slowly faded away. Holy shit, that was incredible. Sure it was a little awkward at first, but by the time they had finished… all she wanted to do was do it again, Oleana's gentle, soft lips calling her eagerly, unable to be ignored.

All she could do was keep her hands loosely draped against Oleana's body, letting herself settle down a little from such a rush, but still had that burning look in her eyes, that surprisingly forward expression that seemed more than eager. She had never felt this way before, and certainly not at this intensity; something about it made her want to chase it, never let that feeling go.

She needed it.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana stared deep into Ryver’s eyes, still feeling a bit light-headed from kissing her earlier. Despite how inexperienced and frankly awkward their first kiss was, it felt… incredible.

“H-Hey, Ryv…”

She wanted that feeling again. She wanted to be close to Ryver, to kiss her, to touch her, to be with her.

“…Can w-we do that again? P-Please…”

…Maybe she did love her.

[hulburyryversyde]

"S-Sure we can," She answered almost immediately after, her excitement spilling out from the sides.

She couldn't believe something like this was actually happening; making out with a girl she had just met… not the kind of makeout session she was expecting for her first time, but the last thing she would do was complain.

She took Oleana's hands in her own, pulling her towards her and sharing another passionate kiss. Her hands travelled up the other girl's arms, wrapping around her back. It felt good that way, just to have Oleana in a loving embrace like this. She never wanted this to end.

This was a beautiful light in her dark life.

[trubbishtime]

//RP thread with @hulburyryversyde <3

Oleana sat down at her table in the Captain's Table, waiting patiently for Ryver to meet with her. Her body and mind still felt tired and drained, but... regardless, she decided she'd rather stay here. After all, Ryver was her friend. At least, she was pretty sure she was.

Even so, it didn't matter. She was actually outside of her lab for once, and it was somewhat nice. Even if the amount of people here was stressing her out. Even if she kept on getting weird looks. Even if she could've sworn she saw a weird guy in shorts and sunglasses leering at her.

It didn't matter, right?

[hulburyryversyde]

Way to go, Ryver, invite a potential friend to the restaurant! It's not like it would be busy or anything! Ugh…

Balancing plates of seafood in her hands, the Galarian made her way across the various tables to serve hungry patrons their food, offering up the best smile she could really only barely manage at 10pm. She was already preparing to drown her exhaustion in partially melted ice cream and doomscrollling until she fell asleep, because that was definitely the best way to spend a Tuesday evening, yep.

Picking up a small handful of menus for the recent arrival of new customers, she stood up on the balls of her feet, scanning the dining area until spotting a woman clothed in a lab coat and long, slightly unkempt blonde hair, standing out rather significantly from the other patrons — that must be Oleana, the girl she had been talking to over Rotomblr for the past few hours. A part of her was surprised that they managed to actually spend more than five minutes talking to each other. That's how it usually went with Ryver, and she didn't mind it. Maybe friends just weren't her thing; Oleana felt different somehow, though she couldn't quite put her finger on the exact reason.

She dropped off some of the menus at other tables before finally making her way over to Oleana's, straightening her slightly squished posture and preparing herself to awkwardly smile like she had been all night, looking like a dumbass. At least the dumbass was getting paid; not a lot, but it was better than, y'know, not being paid.

"Hey, nice t'meetcha in person this time," she addressed the other girl, trying to strike up some casual conversation as she put a menu down in front of her. " If you're looking for something good, my boss keeps goin' on about the Seafood Pasta he loves making. I wouldn't know, since I barely eat anything from here anyways — as nice as it smells, being surrounded by seafood for long enough ends up garnering the opposite effect—"

She stopped herself, her brain finally getting a proper chance to catch up with her mouth that wouldn't stop running. Was she rambling just now? And about seafood of all things? Arceus, she looked like such a fool, didn't she? The two had just met and she was already fucking it up.

No, try to stay positive. Maybe she's used to someone like this.

"Er… but pick what you want; I'm not the judge. I better… swing by the other tables to see if everything's alright. I'll be here whenever you're ready."

That was weird. I need to get a grip, and fast…

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s nervous thought stopped for a brief moment as she watched Ryver take orders and deliver food. Despite how she usually talked about herself online, she looked… beautiful. The way her hair flowed, her soft lips, her plain outfit, her-

Wait, what am I doing?! I can’t think about Ryver like that, I-I just met her!

She snapped herself out of her daze as she saw Ryver come over to her table. “U-Um, hi Ryver! Great to see you in-person too!” Oleana stared at her as she listened to Ryver ramble about seafood to her. Truthfully, it eventually just became a blur as she focused more on her lovely face…

Ugh, stop it Oleana! You came here just to talk to her, don’t go in trying to get a girlfriiiieeeeend!

“W-Well, um…” Oleana’s face reddened as she tried to think of something to say to Ryver. “A-Are you on the menu~?”

WHY DID I SAY THAT, WHY DID I SAY THAAAAAAT?!?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH-

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver almost had to stop in place at her words — so much for trying to slip away to collect herself… She couldn't just leave Oleana hanging and embarrass her — maybe she could play along.

"Well, not usually… Were you expecting me to be?" She asked, slowly pulling herself back to the table.

Wow, she sounded wayyyy too flirtatious; she didn't expect to come in swinging like that, it sort of just… happened. No one had ever flirted with her like this before, and she kind of didn't know what to do with herself. What was even normal in this kind of situation?! She swallowed and decided to just keep things rolling, even though she could feel her boss' eyes drillng into the back of her head; it was like he had the sight of a Braviary sometimes.

"I'm not on sale at the moment, but… after hours maybe?" Yeah, that sounded good enough right? Wait, was she really flirting with a customer right now…? It felt a little wrong, but there was just something, a tiny little something, that felt right.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s face reddened even more after hearing Ryver’s response to her… extremely flirtatious comment. “I-I, um… maybe, yeah.”

She noticed Ryver’s boss glaring at her, and proceeded to glare back, along with grinning and showing off her surprisingly sharp teeth, almost as if she was trying to say give her a damn break, or something along the lines of that.

“Um, s-sure! Whenever you have a break, let me know…” Oleana felt… surprisingly at ease around Ryver. It felt weird, normally most people either annoyed her or were annoyed by her. But… she didn’t feel that with Ryver.

…Maybe there was something more there.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver casted a sidewards glance, noticing her boss suddenly backtrack, focusing on something else for a change — man, she's good. There was that hint of confidence she had just now, literally baring her fangs, but then it slipped right back into that cautious nervousness she could relate to just a little too well. It was like looking at herself from a different point of view almost, but she couldn't be entirely certain; she could just not be as confident in making first impressions or something like that. More importantly, why the hell was she psycho-analyzing this girl? Even if it was just in her head, it felt a little creepy since she wasn't actually saying anything for a few minutes.

Hearing her speak up again, she smiled — the only genuine one she had shown this whole shift. "I'll be working for about an hour longer until we close up. I could sneak you into the stockroom after my boss is gone and grab a couple of drinks 'on the house'," she answered, finding the words easier and easier to come out of her mouth. Talking with Oleana, even if in short bursts, just felt so… natural.

She was going to open her mouth again, until a menu was suddenly shoved against her chest by one of the other servers, a silent warning to "get the fuck back to work". Ryver rolled her eyes and stood up straight again, tucking the menu under her arm.

"I wish I could get paid minimum wage to just sit around, but unfortunately I'm still on company time… if you need more time to order, I can just swing back 'round."

[trubbishtime]

Oleana felt herself getting less and less anxious as she talked to Ryver. Something about her just made her feel less… guarded. She didn’t feel like she had to hide everything from her, or keep herself safe. Just being around her made her feel all happy and fuzzy inside.

Maybe I’m just overthinking it though… could just be nothing.

“…Y’know what, sure! That sounds good to me.” Oleana smiled warmly towards Ryver. “Just say the word and I’ll be there.”

She saw the server shove a menu towards Ryver, staring at them as they walked away and growling, not too dissimilar to an angry Yamper.

“Um…” Oleana started messing around with her hair as she tried to think of what she wanted. “J-Just what you suggested earlier, I suppose.”

[hulburyryversyde]

"Great, uhm, be back in a sec…"

Once Ryver was far enough away from her, she had a minute to pull herself together again while getting back into the flow of her work, giving her the chace to fully grasp and collect her thoughts. A part of her was still shocked she had even done that in the first place; was that what flirting was like…? A little stressful, honestly, but the rigidness felt like it had smoothed itself out over time. Maybe this was something different for once, someone she could genuinely feel comfortable around without having to put up some kind of wall to show she was keeping things together, while really that couldn't be further from the truth.

You don't know that yet. She could just blow you off after tonight.

…No. She and Oleana were making good conversation. They had to have a friendship or something start to form, right? Maybe Ryver just hadn't told her enough about herself — yeah, that was it!

Spill too much and she'll get uncomfortable — that's happened before, dipshit. But of course you'll let it happen again.

Fine, new option! They agreed to talk some more after she finished work, right? That has to mean something, right? This could be the start of a real friendship!

Or just as a way for her to make fun of you behind your back once she gets enough info.

Why was her mind like this?!

She was so lost in thought, she almost ran right into a patron, quickly swerving out of the way, though stumbling on her feet a little before focusing her attention back to where she was going again, doing a quick lap around the tables until returning to Oleana's.

"Sorry for the wait. Heh…"

What, were you expecting her to wait for you?

She pushed the thought aside with an internal grumble.

"Figured out what you wanna order yet?"

[trubbishtime]

“O-Ok! See you in a sec!”

As Oleana watched Ryver walk away from her, she almost immediately started having anxious thoughts fill her mind.

O-Oh sweet Arceus, why did I say any of that?! She’s gonna think I’m weird, or a creep, o-or an idiot! Ohhhhhh, what am I gonna do?! I can’t think of anything to say to her…

As Oleana’s mind wrestled with her inner thoughts, one of the servers walked over to her. “Excuse me ma’am, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Oleana looked up at him with a surprised face. “B-But I reserved this table yesterday, a-and I’m supposed to be here to meet a-” “Be that as it may, the boss said that you were leering at him, and we don’t allow that kind of behavior here. Now, I’ll escort you out, young lady.”

The young server grabbed Oleana by the arm and started dragging her out of the restaurant. “H-Hey, what are you doing?! Let go of me!”

Some people started glaring at her, while some laughed and even pointed. They seemed to just see her as entertainment.

She looked like she was about to cry.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver stopped, as if all of time had frozen around her.

What the fuck were they doing?

She had just met this girl, but she was prepared to fight tooth and nail to put her back in that seat, even if it cost her a job; she'd just find another one if she had to. She walked past the rows of jeering, clearly entertained individuals, her smile completely shifted to a blazing scowl. She stood in front of the server, folding her arms.

"What's going on?" she asked, barely trying to keep her voice from screaming at him.

"The boss told me to get rid of her," he answered casually. It infuriated her, most especially because she would answer the same way with any other person they had to get rid of; but Oleana was different, and she wouldn't let this stand.

"Put her back," she growled.

"Boss' orders. Take it up with him," he retaliated.

"I don't care what he does. She's not leaving."

She spotted her boss staring daggers into her chest, but promptly ignored him; she had bigger things to deal with right now. She knew the man would probably be prepared to make an intervention on the matter; she had to get Oleana to somewhere safe, or at least far from him. The place was busy enough — if they lied low, they could slip by. The storeroom was nearby; it'd have to do.

Taking Oleana's hand, she pulled her in a new direction, crouched down and moving quietly through the lines of tables and customers, occasionally poking her head up to make sure her boss hadn't caught up to them. She pulled open the door to the storeroom, hurrying the both of them inside before shutting the door and locking it behind them.

Ryver slumped against the door with an annoyed huff. "Sorry about all this trouble; I wasn't expecting them to throw you out all of a sudden like that. My boss can be a real prick sometimes."

Stop making this about you for one second, idiot!

"O-Oh! Are you… are you ok? I kind of just dragged you along and—" she trailed off into unsure mumbles as the words tangled in her throat.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana tried not to cry as she saw Ryver and the server arguing about her.

And of course, you aren’t even standing up for yourself, you idiot.

She didn’t want to think about it.

She’s putting her job on the line for you, and all you can do is whimper and cry like a little baby.

She felt her eyes watering up with tears.

She’ll leave you, just like the rest of them. Why would she want to be with you anyways?!

Oleana’s breathing got heavier and faster. It felt like the whole world was collapsing around her.

You’re useless. You’re an idiot, a good-for-nothing hack. You. Are. NOTHING.

Oleana snapped out of her panic as Ryver spoke to her, taking a few moments to calm down and ground herself. “It’s… it’s ok. I’m fine, s-see?”

She was clearly not fine.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver's face softened, knowing that look Oleana was giving her all too well; it felt like looking in a mirror almost…

"This probably wasn't your idea of a nice dinner at all, huh?" she said, standing up to flick on the dim, buzzing lights of the storeroom.

Assorted boxes littered the floor, some opened, the rest sealed or slightly dented as if they were just thrown in there without much care. Wine bottles of various flavors and styles were lined up on racks, Ryver reaching for one to slide out of it.

"Why don't I help you take the edge off? You've had this stuff before, haven't you?" She bit down on the cork, and with a grunt of effort, pulled it off with a pop. "Hope you don't mind sharing a bottle; I couldn't exactly grab some glasses on such short notice."

She brought the bottle to her lips and downed a decent amount, wiping her mouth with a finger and offering the bottle to Oleana.

"So, what's the deal with you? I guess I never really got the chance to ask anything about you. Best thing I had was your Rotomblr page… Never took you for a researcher type. Always left that to the old folks."

She paused, shrugging off her words. "Er— well, I mean, it's still ok if you're into that kinda thing, obviously."

Smooth moves, jackass.

[trubbishtime]

“No, not really… sorry it turned out this way, Ryv…” Oleana wiped some of her tears away as she took a few seconds to try and calm herself down.

She watched Ryver go through the wine bottles, seeing lots of logos and flavors that she didn’t recognize. “Nope, I’ve never had wine before. This would be my first time, I guess.”

Oleana took the bottle after Ryver drank some of it… and proceeded to down the entire rest of it. She let put a small hiccup shortly afterwards.

“W-Well, um… I’ve been researching…” She looked a bit anxious for a moment, before regaining her composure. “…Nnnevermind. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“…Heh. Fuck, I don’t even know what to talk about…”

[hulburyryversyde]

"Don't apologize, Oleana," Ryver said, pausing before saying her name. It felt a little... foreign on her tongue, considering this was the first time she had actually said it in-person. She contemplated on whether or not she should give her a nickname of her own; would that be weird? They just met like twenty minutes ago. Though to be fair, if Oleana did… eh, whatever, this wasn't worth intense thought over. She would've offered a hand on the shoulder or something like that, but then she'd be overthinking decisions all over again.

Her eyes widened a little seeing Oleana drink the rest of the bottle, feeling a bit of a smile tug at her lips in surprise. For someone who'd never had alcohol before, she was definitely good at emptying bottles… "Careful with that," she warned lightly, sitting on the floor and leaning back on her hands.

She nodded in understanding as she changed her mind about talking about the research thing. She couldn't blame her; the last thing she would want to do around other people was talk about her shitty day at a seafood restaurant.

"Anything you do want to talk about?" she asked instead.

[trubbishtime]

"...I guess." She sighed as she tried to think of something else to say. Her mind was running around again and it felt like her heart was racing. ...Or maybe that was just the alcohol.

Oleana hiccuped again, looking at the bottle with wide eyes. "Ooooookay, maybe I won't drink that much again."

Oleana looked at Ryver for a little while, slowly getting lost in her dark, shadowy eyes. "...You're so pretty, Ryver." She started giggling a little, smiling warmly towards her. "Like, y-you're sooooo beautiful, Ryv~"

[hulburyryversyde]

"Yeah, good idea," Ryver said, taking the bottle from her and setting it aside, untying the tie around her neck with an exhale.

She raised a quizzical eyebrow as Oleana had stopped talking, instead just… looking. A little creepy, but she assumed it was because of the alcohol starting to kick in a little.

Then hearing her compliment, Ryver almost choked. Yeah, definitely the alcohol. She didn't even know how to respond, especially when she did it TWICE. Her face heated up before she could even stop it, and she tried to force the thoughts and sudden emotions down before they could completely burst to the surface.

She chuckled nervously, trying to downplay it. "Er, thanks? You're not so bad yourself, heh…"

[trubbishtime]

Oleana started cackling as she looked over at Ryver, hiccuping and giggling over and over. “You’re so cuute girll, like…”

Her face went from being dazed and lightheaded to calm and collected, at least for a short while. “I dunno, you’re just kind, and strong, and pretty, a-and I can’t atop thinking about you, I just wanna m-make out with you right now!”

Her face heated up almost immediately after finishing her sentence, quickly trying to hide her face from embarassment. “I-I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have- *hic* said t-that!”

[hulburyryversyde]

More of a lightweight than I thought…

Ryver knew it was just the alcohol talking, but those endearing words really meant something to her, probably because not many people went out of their way to do something like that for her. Finding friends — real friends — was always a hard thing to do for her; Oleana was that breath of fresh air she didn't know she needed.

Kind? Strong? Funny? She didn't think she was any of those things at all… though if someone else thought so, it couldn't be too far from the truth, could it?

She was ready to say something in return, but when Oleana declared she wanted to make out?! Hoooooly shit. How would she even respond to that? Her face heated briefly in tandem to the researcher's, and her lips trembled trying to form a response after she had apologized.

"I— uh, wow…" she murmured finally, still trying to wrap her head around the fact this was actually happening. "I-It's ok! Uhm, that's…" she clammed up again, trying to fully get her point across.

Do I want to make out with her?

The thought alone made her heart race a little again. She had never made out with someone before! Was there a right way to do it? Things to look out for? Arceus, why was this so confusing? The best she could go off of was hearing her co-workers talk about that sort of thing in passing, but that was really it.

Maybe she should just take the plunge. What's the worst that could happen…?

"What if we did?" She blurted out, instantly wanting to take her words back.

That plunge just turned into a belly flop...

[trubbishtime]

Oleana blushed even more as she stared at Ryver. She looked nervous, but… oddly comfortable at the same time.

“I’d love every moment of it…” She hiccuped a little bit before beginning to laugh. “At least, that’s if you even wanna make out with a dumbass like me!~”

She seemed like she was just trying to joke around and be self-deprecating, but… it felt like there was something more to that than usual.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver smiled a little brighter that she seemed so open to the idea, but that face fell quickly at Oleana's slight self-deprecation.

"Well, let's not rule anything out~" she replied, gently brushing her shoulder with her own and trying to test the waters when it came to acting a little more than just formal with her drunken friend. "You aren't a dumbass, okay? I think you're kinda sweet actually…"

You're… different.

She wanted to say it, but she stopped herself.

…Why?

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s face lit up hearing Ryver talk so kindly to her, almost like a light bulb had gone on in her head.

She… really thinks I’m sweet?! Me?!

“Well, uhh…” Oleana shuffled a little closer to Ryver, lookong away from her as she did so.

I don’t deserve this.

“I-I guess if you really wanted to…”

I don’t deserve her.

“W-We could make out, j-just a little…” Oleana twirled her hair a little, her anxiety and nervousness becoming all too obvious at this point.

She’s gonna reject me… isn’t she?

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver felt herself warm up a little inside seeing Oleana start to get closer, though she was still quite anxious; she wanted to help her out and break her out of her shell in some way, but she knew she couldn't force it either; she'd get comfortable on her own.

"I do, I do! I, uhm-- well, I'm not too sure where to start…"

Making out seemed so easy in shows she watched in the little free time she allowed herself; was it much different? Things are pretty played up on TV though… Ugh! Why was she hesitating?! She just didn't want to make Oleana uncomfortable, she didn't want to make herself uncomfortable!

"R-Right, a little," she answered.

It can't be too hard, right?

[trubbishtime]

“J-Just… I don’t know, kiss me, o-or somethin'…”

Oleana felt the negative thoughts flowing through her head again. It was like there as storm going on in her head.

Ryver doesn’t want to kis you, you idiot.

“I-If you don’t want to though…”

YOU DON’T DESERVE HER.

She started to move away, just a little bit, but enough for it to be noticeable.

“I-I’d understand…”

[hulburyryversyde]

DIdn't have to tell her twice it seemed.

Without warning, Ryver suddenly went in for a kiss straight on the lips, not holding back or anything. A really stupid move, she knew -- the offer had barely left Oleana's mouth for goodness sake. But when it was up in the air for that sliver of a second, something in her pushed her to just... do it.

And Arceus, did that feel so fucking good.

It almost felt natural; a little uncomfortable at first, seeing as she's never kissed someone like this in her life before, but it didn't take her long to get used to the feeling, waves of euphoric satisfaction sending chills down her entire body. She knew she should stop, let the other girl breathe, but she didn't want to let go. Not yet.

Most of all, she wanted to prove Oleana wrong. She seemed to always think so low of herself, something she and Ryver had in common. When she moved back, Ryver pulled a little closer, almost drawn to her. Ryver wanted to do something, to expel those fears and insecurities in a single gesture, for both Oleana's sake and her own. She could already feel a swirl of negatively charged 'what-ifs' building up in her mind.

She just hoped the researcher would return the same sort of feelings...

[trubbishtime]

Oleana felt a wave of shock, worry, and surprise course through her body as Ryver kissed her. She couldn’t breathe, and as much as it felt incredible in the moment, she couldn’t help but feel a bit… scared.

At first, she didn’t know what to do. Kiss her back, pull away from Ryver, talk her out of it, anything!

…Fuck it.

Oleana began to kiss Ryver back, feeling waves of euphoria wash across her entire body as she slowly leaned into it. It still felt weird and a little uncomfortable, but… in a way, it made it better somehow.

It felt like all her scary thoughts and worries were disappearing in an instant, focusing on Ryver and Ryver only. She felt calm and safe around her…

For a brief moment, she pulled away, her breath and voice sounding much shakier than before. “R-Ryver…”

[hulburyryversyde]

"…Oleana,"

Once the two finally broke apart from the kiss, time seemed to speed back up again as the heat of the moment slowly faded away. Holy shit, that was incredible. Sure it was a little awkward at first, but by the time they had finished… all she wanted to do was do it again, Oleana's gentle, soft lips calling her eagerly, unable to be ignored.

All she could do was keep her hands loosely draped against Oleana's body, letting herself settle down a little from such a rush, but still had that burning look in her eyes, that surprisingly forward expression that seemed more than eager. She had never felt this way before, and certainly not at this intensity; something about it made her want to chase it, never let that feeling go.

She needed it.

[trubbishtime]

//RP thread with @hulburyryversyde <3

Oleana sat down at her table in the Captain's Table, waiting patiently for Ryver to meet with her. Her body and mind still felt tired and drained, but... regardless, she decided she'd rather stay here. After all, Ryver was her friend. At least, she was pretty sure she was.

Even so, it didn't matter. She was actually outside of her lab for once, and it was somewhat nice. Even if the amount of people here was stressing her out. Even if she kept on getting weird looks. Even if she could've sworn she saw a weird guy in shorts and sunglasses leering at her.

It didn't matter, right?

[hulburyryversyde]

Way to go, Ryver, invite a potential friend to the restaurant! It's not like it would be busy or anything! Ugh…

Balancing plates of seafood in her hands, the Galarian made her way across the various tables to serve hungry patrons their food, offering up the best smile she could really only barely manage at 10pm. She was already preparing to drown her exhaustion in partially melted ice cream and doomscrollling until she fell asleep, because that was definitely the best way to spend a Tuesday evening, yep.

Picking up a small handful of menus for the recent arrival of new customers, she stood up on the balls of her feet, scanning the dining area until spotting a woman clothed in a lab coat and long, slightly unkempt blonde hair, standing out rather significantly from the other patrons — that must be Oleana, the girl she had been talking to over Rotomblr for the past few hours. A part of her was surprised that they managed to actually spend more than five minutes talking to each other. That's how it usually went with Ryver, and she didn't mind it. Maybe friends just weren't her thing; Oleana felt different somehow, though she couldn't quite put her finger on the exact reason.

She dropped off some of the menus at other tables before finally making her way over to Oleana's, straightening her slightly squished posture and preparing herself to awkwardly smile like she had been all night, looking like a dumbass. At least the dumbass was getting paid; not a lot, but it was better than, y'know, not being paid.

"Hey, nice t'meetcha in person this time," she addressed the other girl, trying to strike up some casual conversation as she put a menu down in front of her. " If you're looking for something good, my boss keeps goin' on about the Seafood Pasta he loves making. I wouldn't know, since I barely eat anything from here anyways — as nice as it smells, being surrounded by seafood for long enough ends up garnering the opposite effect—"

She stopped herself, her brain finally getting a proper chance to catch up with her mouth that wouldn't stop running. Was she rambling just now? And about seafood of all things? Arceus, she looked like such a fool, didn't she? The two had just met and she was already fucking it up.

No, try to stay positive. Maybe she's used to someone like this.

"Er… but pick what you want; I'm not the judge. I better… swing by the other tables to see if everything's alright. I'll be here whenever you're ready."

That was weird. I need to get a grip, and fast…

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s nervous thought stopped for a brief moment as she watched Ryver take orders and deliver food. Despite how she usually talked about herself online, she looked… beautiful. The way her hair flowed, her soft lips, her plain outfit, her-

Wait, what am I doing?! I can’t think about Ryver like that, I-I just met her!

She snapped herself out of her daze as she saw Ryver come over to her table. “U-Um, hi Ryver! Great to see you in-person too!” Oleana stared at her as she listened to Ryver ramble about seafood to her. Truthfully, it eventually just became a blur as she focused more on her lovely face…

Ugh, stop it Oleana! You came here just to talk to her, don’t go in trying to get a girlfriiiieeeeend!

“W-Well, um…” Oleana’s face reddened as she tried to think of something to say to Ryver. “A-Are you on the menu~?”

WHY DID I SAY THAT, WHY DID I SAY THAAAAAAT?!?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH-

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver almost had to stop in place at her words — so much for trying to slip away to collect herself… She couldn't just leave Oleana hanging and embarrass her — maybe she could play along.

"Well, not usually… Were you expecting me to be?" She asked, slowly pulling herself back to the table.

Wow, she sounded wayyyy too flirtatious; she didn't expect to come in swinging like that, it sort of just… happened. No one had ever flirted with her like this before, and she kind of didn't know what to do with herself. What was even normal in this kind of situation?! She swallowed and decided to just keep things rolling, even though she could feel her boss' eyes drillng into the back of her head; it was like he had the sight of a Braviary sometimes.

"I'm not on sale at the moment, but… after hours maybe?" Yeah, that sounded good enough right? Wait, was she really flirting with a customer right now…? It felt a little wrong, but there was just something, a tiny little something, that felt right.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s face reddened even more after hearing Ryver’s response to her… extremely flirtatious comment. “I-I, um… maybe, yeah.”

She noticed Ryver’s boss glaring at her, and proceeded to glare back, along with grinning and showing off her surprisingly sharp teeth, almost as if she was trying to say give her a damn break, or something along the lines of that.

“Um, s-sure! Whenever you have a break, let me know…” Oleana felt… surprisingly at ease around Ryver. It felt weird, normally most people either annoyed her or were annoyed by her. But… she didn’t feel that with Ryver.

…Maybe there was something more there.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver casted a sidewards glance, noticing her boss suddenly backtrack, focusing on something else for a change — man, she's good. There was that hint of confidence she had just now, literally baring her fangs, but then it slipped right back into that cautious nervousness she could relate to just a little too well. It was like looking at herself from a different point of view almost, but she couldn't be entirely certain; she could just not be as confident in making first impressions or something like that. More importantly, why the hell was she psycho-analyzing this girl? Even if it was just in her head, it felt a little creepy since she wasn't actually saying anything for a few minutes.

Hearing her speak up again, she smiled — the only genuine one she had shown this whole shift. "I'll be working for about an hour longer until we close up. I could sneak you into the stockroom after my boss is gone and grab a couple of drinks 'on the house'," she answered, finding the words easier and easier to come out of her mouth. Talking with Oleana, even if in short bursts, just felt so… natural.

She was going to open her mouth again, until a menu was suddenly shoved against her chest by one of the other servers, a silent warning to "get the fuck back to work". Ryver rolled her eyes and stood up straight again, tucking the menu under her arm.

"I wish I could get paid minimum wage to just sit around, but unfortunately I'm still on company time… if you need more time to order, I can just swing back 'round."

[trubbishtime]

Oleana felt herself getting less and less anxious as she talked to Ryver. Something about her just made her feel less… guarded. She didn’t feel like she had to hide everything from her, or keep herself safe. Just being around her made her feel all happy and fuzzy inside.

Maybe I’m just overthinking it though… could just be nothing.

“…Y’know what, sure! That sounds good to me.” Oleana smiled warmly towards Ryver. “Just say the word and I’ll be there.”

She saw the server shove a menu towards Ryver, staring at them as they walked away and growling, not too dissimilar to an angry Yamper.

“Um…” Oleana started messing around with her hair as she tried to think of what she wanted. “J-Just what you suggested earlier, I suppose.”

[hulburyryversyde]

"Great, uhm, be back in a sec…"

Once Ryver was far enough away from her, she had a minute to pull herself together again while getting back into the flow of her work, giving her the chace to fully grasp and collect her thoughts. A part of her was still shocked she had even done that in the first place; was that what flirting was like…? A little stressful, honestly, but the rigidness felt like it had smoothed itself out over time. Maybe this was something different for once, someone she could genuinely feel comfortable around without having to put up some kind of wall to show she was keeping things together, while really that couldn't be further from the truth.

You don't know that yet. She could just blow you off after tonight.

…No. She and Oleana were making good conversation. They had to have a friendship or something start to form, right? Maybe Ryver just hadn't told her enough about herself — yeah, that was it!

Spill too much and she'll get uncomfortable — that's happened before, dipshit. But of course you'll let it happen again.

Fine, new option! They agreed to talk some more after she finished work, right? That has to mean something, right? This could be the start of a real friendship!

Or just as a way for her to make fun of you behind your back once she gets enough info.

Why was her mind like this?!

She was so lost in thought, she almost ran right into a patron, quickly swerving out of the way, though stumbling on her feet a little before focusing her attention back to where she was going again, doing a quick lap around the tables until returning to Oleana's.

"Sorry for the wait. Heh…"

What, were you expecting her to wait for you?

She pushed the thought aside with an internal grumble.

"Figured out what you wanna order yet?"

[trubbishtime]

“O-Ok! See you in a sec!”

As Oleana watched Ryver walk away from her, she almost immediately started having anxious thoughts fill her mind.

O-Oh sweet Arceus, why did I say any of that?! She’s gonna think I’m weird, or a creep, o-or an idiot! Ohhhhhh, what am I gonna do?! I can’t think of anything to say to her…

As Oleana’s mind wrestled with her inner thoughts, one of the servers walked over to her. “Excuse me ma’am, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Oleana looked up at him with a surprised face. “B-But I reserved this table yesterday, a-and I’m supposed to be here to meet a-” “Be that as it may, the boss said that you were leering at him, and we don’t allow that kind of behavior here. Now, I’ll escort you out, young lady.”

The young server grabbed Oleana by the arm and started dragging her out of the restaurant. “H-Hey, what are you doing?! Let go of me!”

Some people started glaring at her, while some laughed and even pointed. They seemed to just see her as entertainment.

She looked like she was about to cry.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver stopped, as if all of time had frozen around her.

What the fuck were they doing?

She had just met this girl, but she was prepared to fight tooth and nail to put her back in that seat, even if it cost her a job; she'd just find another one if she had to. She walked past the rows of jeering, clearly entertained individuals, her smile completely shifted to a blazing scowl. She stood in front of the server, folding her arms.

"What's going on?" she asked, barely trying to keep her voice from screaming at him.

"The boss told me to get rid of her," he answered casually. It infuriated her, most especially because she would answer the same way with any other person they had to get rid of; but Oleana was different, and she wouldn't let this stand.

"Put her back," she growled.

"Boss' orders. Take it up with him," he retaliated.

"I don't care what he does. She's not leaving."

She spotted her boss staring daggers into her chest, but promptly ignored him; she had bigger things to deal with right now. She knew the man would probably be prepared to make an intervention on the matter; she had to get Oleana to somewhere safe, or at least far from him. The place was busy enough — if they lied low, they could slip by. The storeroom was nearby; it'd have to do.

Taking Oleana's hand, she pulled her in a new direction, crouched down and moving quietly through the lines of tables and customers, occasionally poking her head up to make sure her boss hadn't caught up to them. She pulled open the door to the storeroom, hurrying the both of them inside before shutting the door and locking it behind them.

Ryver slumped against the door with an annoyed huff. "Sorry about all this trouble; I wasn't expecting them to throw you out all of a sudden like that. My boss can be a real prick sometimes."

Stop making this about you for one second, idiot!

"O-Oh! Are you… are you ok? I kind of just dragged you along and—" she trailed off into unsure mumbles as the words tangled in her throat.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana tried not to cry as she saw Ryver and the server arguing about her.

And of course, you aren’t even standing up for yourself, you idiot.

She didn’t want to think about it.

She’s putting her job on the line for you, and all you can do is whimper and cry like a little baby.

She felt her eyes watering up with tears.

She’ll leave you, just like the rest of them. Why would she want to be with you anyways?!

Oleana’s breathing got heavier and faster. It felt like the whole world was collapsing around her.

You’re useless. You’re an idiot, a good-for-nothing hack. You. Are. NOTHING.

Oleana snapped out of her panic as Ryver spoke to her, taking a few moments to calm down and ground herself. “It’s… it’s ok. I’m fine, s-see?”

She was clearly not fine.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver's face softened, knowing that look Oleana was giving her all too well; it felt like looking in a mirror almost…

"This probably wasn't your idea of a nice dinner at all, huh?" she said, standing up to flick on the dim, buzzing lights of the storeroom.

Assorted boxes littered the floor, some opened, the rest sealed or slightly dented as if they were just thrown in there without much care. Wine bottles of various flavors and styles were lined up on racks, Ryver reaching for one to slide out of it.

"Why don't I help you take the edge off? You've had this stuff before, haven't you?" She bit down on the cork, and with a grunt of effort, pulled it off with a pop. "Hope you don't mind sharing a bottle; I couldn't exactly grab some glasses on such short notice."

She brought the bottle to her lips and downed a decent amount, wiping her mouth with a finger and offering the bottle to Oleana.

"So, what's the deal with you? I guess I never really got the chance to ask anything about you. Best thing I had was your Rotomblr page… Never took you for a researcher type. Always left that to the old folks."

She paused, shrugging off her words. "Er— well, I mean, it's still ok if you're into that kinda thing, obviously."

Smooth moves, jackass.

[trubbishtime]

“No, not really… sorry it turned out this way, Ryv…” Oleana wiped some of her tears away as she took a few seconds to try and calm herself down.

She watched Ryver go through the wine bottles, seeing lots of logos and flavors that she didn’t recognize. “Nope, I’ve never had wine before. This would be my first time, I guess.”

Oleana took the bottle after Ryver drank some of it… and proceeded to down the entire rest of it. She let put a small hiccup shortly afterwards.

“W-Well, um… I’ve been researching…” She looked a bit anxious for a moment, before regaining her composure. “…Nnnevermind. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“…Heh. Fuck, I don’t even know what to talk about…”

[hulburyryversyde]

"Don't apologize, Oleana," Ryver said, pausing before saying her name. It felt a little... foreign on her tongue, considering this was the first time she had actually said it in-person. She contemplated on whether or not she should give her a nickname of her own; would that be weird? They just met like twenty minutes ago. Though to be fair, if Oleana did… eh, whatever, this wasn't worth intense thought over. She would've offered a hand on the shoulder or something like that, but then she'd be overthinking decisions all over again.

Her eyes widened a little seeing Oleana drink the rest of the bottle, feeling a bit of a smile tug at her lips in surprise. For someone who'd never had alcohol before, she was definitely good at emptying bottles… "Careful with that," she warned lightly, sitting on the floor and leaning back on her hands.

She nodded in understanding as she changed her mind about talking about the research thing. She couldn't blame her; the last thing she would want to do around other people was talk about her shitty day at a seafood restaurant.

"Anything you do want to talk about?" she asked instead.

[trubbishtime]

"...I guess." She sighed as she tried to think of something else to say. Her mind was running around again and it felt like her heart was racing. ...Or maybe that was just the alcohol.

Oleana hiccuped again, looking at the bottle with wide eyes. "Ooooookay, maybe I won't drink that much again."

Oleana looked at Ryver for a little while, slowly getting lost in her dark, shadowy eyes. "...You're so pretty, Ryver." She started giggling a little, smiling warmly towards her. "Like, y-you're sooooo beautiful, Ryv~"

[hulburyryversyde]

"Yeah, good idea," Ryver said, taking the bottle from her and setting it aside, untying the tie around her neck with an exhale.

She raised a quizzical eyebrow as Oleana had stopped talking, instead just… looking. A little creepy, but she assumed it was because of the alcohol starting to kick in a little.

Then hearing her compliment, Ryver almost choked. Yeah, definitely the alcohol. She didn't even know how to respond, especially when she did it TWICE. Her face heated up before she could even stop it, and she tried to force the thoughts and sudden emotions down before they could completely burst to the surface.

She chuckled nervously, trying to downplay it. "Er, thanks? You're not so bad yourself, heh…"

[trubbishtime]

Oleana started cackling as she looked over at Ryver, hiccuping and giggling over and over. “You’re so cuute girll, like…”

Her face went from being dazed and lightheaded to calm and collected, at least for a short while. “I dunno, you’re just kind, and strong, and pretty, a-and I can’t atop thinking about you, I just wanna m-make out with you right now!”

Her face heated up almost immediately after finishing her sentence, quickly trying to hide her face from embarassment. “I-I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have- *hic* said t-that!”

[hulburyryversyde]

More of a lightweight than I thought…

Ryver knew it was just the alcohol talking, but those endearing words really meant something to her, probably because not many people went out of their way to do something like that for her. Finding friends — real friends — was always a hard thing to do for her; Oleana was that breath of fresh air she didn't know she needed.

Kind? Strong? Funny? She didn't think she was any of those things at all… though if someone else thought so, it couldn't be too far from the truth, could it?

She was ready to say something in return, but when Oleana declared she wanted to make out?! Hoooooly shit. How would she even respond to that? Her face heated briefly in tandem to the researcher's, and her lips trembled trying to form a response after she had apologized.

"I— uh, wow…" she murmured finally, still trying to wrap her head around the fact this was actually happening. "I-It's ok! Uhm, that's…" she clammed up again, trying to fully get her point across.

Do I want to make out with her?

The thought alone made her heart race a little again. She had never made out with someone before! Was there a right way to do it? Things to look out for? Arceus, why was this so confusing? The best she could go off of was hearing her co-workers talk about that sort of thing in passing, but that was really it.

Maybe she should just take the plunge. What's the worst that could happen…?

"What if we did?" She blurted out, instantly wanting to take her words back.

That plunge just turned into a belly flop...

[trubbishtime]

Oleana blushed even more as she stared at Ryver. She looked nervous, but… oddly comfortable at the same time.

“I’d love every moment of it…” She hiccuped a little bit before beginning to laugh. “At least, that’s if you even wanna make out with a dumbass like me!~”

She seemed like she was just trying to joke around and be self-deprecating, but… it felt like there was something more to that than usual.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver smiled a little brighter that she seemed so open to the idea, but that face fell quickly at Oleana's slight self-deprecation.

"Well, let's not rule anything out~" she replied, gently brushing her shoulder with her own and trying to test the waters when it came to acting a little more than just formal with her drunken friend. "You aren't a dumbass, okay? I think you're kinda sweet actually…"

You're… different.

She wanted to say it, but she stopped herself.

…Why?

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s face lit up hearing Ryver talk so kindly to her, almost like a light bulb had gone on in her head.

She… really thinks I’m sweet?! Me?!

“Well, uhh…” Oleana shuffled a little closer to Ryver, lookong away from her as she did so.

I don’t deserve this.

“I-I guess if you really wanted to…”

I don’t deserve her.

“W-We could make out, j-just a little…” Oleana twirled her hair a little, her anxiety and nervousness becoming all too obvious at this point.

She’s gonna reject me… isn’t she?

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver felt herself warm up a little inside seeing Oleana start to get closer, though she was still quite anxious; she wanted to help her out and break her out of her shell in some way, but she knew she couldn't force it either; she'd get comfortable on her own.

"I do, I do! I, uhm-- well, I'm not too sure where to start…"

Making out seemed so easy in shows she watched in the little free time she allowed herself; was it much different? Things are pretty played up on TV though… Ugh! Why was she hesitating?! She just didn't want to make Oleana uncomfortable, she didn't want to make herself uncomfortable!

"R-Right, a little," she answered.

It can't be too hard, right?

[trubbishtime]

“J-Just… I don’t know, kiss me, o-or somethin'…”

Oleana felt the negative thoughts flowing through her head again. It was like there as storm going on in her head.

Ryver doesn’t want to kis you, you idiot.

“I-If you don’t want to though…”

YOU DON’T DESERVE HER.

She started to move away, just a little bit, but enough for it to be noticeable.

“I-I’d understand…”

[hulburyryversyde]

DIdn't have to tell her twice it seemed.

Without warning, Ryver suddenly went in for a kiss straight on the lips, not holding back or anything. A really stupid move, she knew -- the offer had barely left Oleana's mouth for goodness sake. But when it was up in the air for that sliver of a second, something in her pushed her to just... do it.

And Arceus, did that feel so fucking good.

It almost felt natural; a little uncomfortable at first, seeing as she's never kissed someone like this in her life before, but it didn't take her long to get used to the feeling, waves of euphoric satisfaction sending chills down her entire body. She knew she should stop, let the other girl breathe, but she didn't want to let go. Not yet.

Most of all, she wanted to prove Oleana wrong. She seemed to always think so low of herself, something she and Ryver had in common. When she moved back, Ryver pulled a little closer, almost drawn to her. Ryver wanted to do something, to expel those fears and insecurities in a single gesture, for both Oleana's sake and her own. She could already feel a swirl of negatively charged 'what-ifs' building up in her mind.

She just hoped the researcher would return the same sort of feelings...

[trubbishtime]

//RP thread with @hulburyryversyde <3

Oleana sat down at her table in the Captain's Table, waiting patiently for Ryver to meet with her. Her body and mind still felt tired and drained, but... regardless, she decided she'd rather stay here. After all, Ryver was her friend. At least, she was pretty sure she was.

Even so, it didn't matter. She was actually outside of her lab for once, and it was somewhat nice. Even if the amount of people here was stressing her out. Even if she kept on getting weird looks. Even if she could've sworn she saw a weird guy in shorts and sunglasses leering at her.

It didn't matter, right?

[hulburyryversyde]

Way to go, Ryver, invite a potential friend to the restaurant! It's not like it would be busy or anything! Ugh…

Balancing plates of seafood in her hands, the Galarian made her way across the various tables to serve hungry patrons their food, offering up the best smile she could really only barely manage at 10pm. She was already preparing to drown her exhaustion in partially melted ice cream and doomscrollling until she fell asleep, because that was definitely the best way to spend a Tuesday evening, yep.

Picking up a small handful of menus for the recent arrival of new customers, she stood up on the balls of her feet, scanning the dining area until spotting a woman clothed in a lab coat and long, slightly unkempt blonde hair, standing out rather significantly from the other patrons — that must be Oleana, the girl she had been talking to over Rotomblr for the past few hours. A part of her was surprised that they managed to actually spend more than five minutes talking to each other. That's how it usually went with Ryver, and she didn't mind it. Maybe friends just weren't her thing; Oleana felt different somehow, though she couldn't quite put her finger on the exact reason.

She dropped off some of the menus at other tables before finally making her way over to Oleana's, straightening her slightly squished posture and preparing herself to awkwardly smile like she had been all night, looking like a dumbass. At least the dumbass was getting paid; not a lot, but it was better than, y'know, not being paid.

"Hey, nice t'meetcha in person this time," she addressed the other girl, trying to strike up some casual conversation as she put a menu down in front of her. " If you're looking for something good, my boss keeps goin' on about the Seafood Pasta he loves making. I wouldn't know, since I barely eat anything from here anyways — as nice as it smells, being surrounded by seafood for long enough ends up garnering the opposite effect—"

She stopped herself, her brain finally getting a proper chance to catch up with her mouth that wouldn't stop running. Was she rambling just now? And about seafood of all things? Arceus, she looked like such a fool, didn't she? The two had just met and she was already fucking it up.

No, try to stay positive. Maybe she's used to someone like this.

"Er… but pick what you want; I'm not the judge. I better… swing by the other tables to see if everything's alright. I'll be here whenever you're ready."

That was weird. I need to get a grip, and fast…

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s nervous thought stopped for a brief moment as she watched Ryver take orders and deliver food. Despite how she usually talked about herself online, she looked… beautiful. The way her hair flowed, her soft lips, her plain outfit, her-

Wait, what am I doing?! I can’t think about Ryver like that, I-I just met her!

She snapped herself out of her daze as she saw Ryver come over to her table. “U-Um, hi Ryver! Great to see you in-person too!” Oleana stared at her as she listened to Ryver ramble about seafood to her. Truthfully, it eventually just became a blur as she focused more on her lovely face…

Ugh, stop it Oleana! You came here just to talk to her, don’t go in trying to get a girlfriiiieeeeend!

“W-Well, um…” Oleana’s face reddened as she tried to think of something to say to Ryver. “A-Are you on the menu~?”

WHY DID I SAY THAT, WHY DID I SAY THAAAAAAT?!?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH-

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver almost had to stop in place at her words — so much for trying to slip away to collect herself… She couldn't just leave Oleana hanging and embarrass her — maybe she could play along.

"Well, not usually… Were you expecting me to be?" She asked, slowly pulling herself back to the table.

Wow, she sounded wayyyy too flirtatious; she didn't expect to come in swinging like that, it sort of just… happened. No one had ever flirted with her like this before, and she kind of didn't know what to do with herself. What was even normal in this kind of situation?! She swallowed and decided to just keep things rolling, even though she could feel her boss' eyes drillng into the back of her head; it was like he had the sight of a Braviary sometimes.

"I'm not on sale at the moment, but… after hours maybe?" Yeah, that sounded good enough right? Wait, was she really flirting with a customer right now…? It felt a little wrong, but there was just something, a tiny little something, that felt right.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s face reddened even more after hearing Ryver’s response to her… extremely flirtatious comment. “I-I, um… maybe, yeah.”

She noticed Ryver’s boss glaring at her, and proceeded to glare back, along with grinning and showing off her surprisingly sharp teeth, almost as if she was trying to say give her a damn break, or something along the lines of that.

“Um, s-sure! Whenever you have a break, let me know…” Oleana felt… surprisingly at ease around Ryver. It felt weird, normally most people either annoyed her or were annoyed by her. But… she didn’t feel that with Ryver.

…Maybe there was something more there.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver casted a sidewards glance, noticing her boss suddenly backtrack, focusing on something else for a change — man, she's good. There was that hint of confidence she had just now, literally baring her fangs, but then it slipped right back into that cautious nervousness she could relate to just a little too well. It was like looking at herself from a different point of view almost, but she couldn't be entirely certain; she could just not be as confident in making first impressions or something like that. More importantly, why the hell was she psycho-analyzing this girl? Even if it was just in her head, it felt a little creepy since she wasn't actually saying anything for a few minutes.

Hearing her speak up again, she smiled — the only genuine one she had shown this whole shift. "I'll be working for about an hour longer until we close up. I could sneak you into the stockroom after my boss is gone and grab a couple of drinks 'on the house'," she answered, finding the words easier and easier to come out of her mouth. Talking with Oleana, even if in short bursts, just felt so… natural.

She was going to open her mouth again, until a menu was suddenly shoved against her chest by one of the other servers, a silent warning to "get the fuck back to work". Ryver rolled her eyes and stood up straight again, tucking the menu under her arm.

"I wish I could get paid minimum wage to just sit around, but unfortunately I'm still on company time… if you need more time to order, I can just swing back 'round."

[trubbishtime]

Oleana felt herself getting less and less anxious as she talked to Ryver. Something about her just made her feel less… guarded. She didn’t feel like she had to hide everything from her, or keep herself safe. Just being around her made her feel all happy and fuzzy inside.

Maybe I’m just overthinking it though… could just be nothing.

“…Y’know what, sure! That sounds good to me.” Oleana smiled warmly towards Ryver. “Just say the word and I’ll be there.”

She saw the server shove a menu towards Ryver, staring at them as they walked away and growling, not too dissimilar to an angry Yamper.

“Um…” Oleana started messing around with her hair as she tried to think of what she wanted. “J-Just what you suggested earlier, I suppose.”

[hulburyryversyde]

"Great, uhm, be back in a sec…"

Once Ryver was far enough away from her, she had a minute to pull herself together again while getting back into the flow of her work, giving her the chace to fully grasp and collect her thoughts. A part of her was still shocked she had even done that in the first place; was that what flirting was like…? A little stressful, honestly, but the rigidness felt like it had smoothed itself out over time. Maybe this was something different for once, someone she could genuinely feel comfortable around without having to put up some kind of wall to show she was keeping things together, while really that couldn't be further from the truth.

You don't know that yet. She could just blow you off after tonight.

…No. She and Oleana were making good conversation. They had to have a friendship or something start to form, right? Maybe Ryver just hadn't told her enough about herself — yeah, that was it!

Spill too much and she'll get uncomfortable — that's happened before, dipshit. But of course you'll let it happen again.

Fine, new option! They agreed to talk some more after she finished work, right? That has to mean something, right? This could be the start of a real friendship!

Or just as a way for her to make fun of you behind your back once she gets enough info.

Why was her mind like this?!

She was so lost in thought, she almost ran right into a patron, quickly swerving out of the way, though stumbling on her feet a little before focusing her attention back to where she was going again, doing a quick lap around the tables until returning to Oleana's.

"Sorry for the wait. Heh…"

What, were you expecting her to wait for you?

She pushed the thought aside with an internal grumble.

"Figured out what you wanna order yet?"

[trubbishtime]

“O-Ok! See you in a sec!”

As Oleana watched Ryver walk away from her, she almost immediately started having anxious thoughts fill her mind.

O-Oh sweet Arceus, why did I say any of that?! She’s gonna think I’m weird, or a creep, o-or an idiot! Ohhhhhh, what am I gonna do?! I can’t think of anything to say to her…

As Oleana’s mind wrestled with her inner thoughts, one of the servers walked over to her. “Excuse me ma’am, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Oleana looked up at him with a surprised face. “B-But I reserved this table yesterday, a-and I’m supposed to be here to meet a-” “Be that as it may, the boss said that you were leering at him, and we don’t allow that kind of behavior here. Now, I’ll escort you out, young lady.”

The young server grabbed Oleana by the arm and started dragging her out of the restaurant. “H-Hey, what are you doing?! Let go of me!”

Some people started glaring at her, while some laughed and even pointed. They seemed to just see her as entertainment.

She looked like she was about to cry.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver stopped, as if all of time had frozen around her.

What the fuck were they doing?

She had just met this girl, but she was prepared to fight tooth and nail to put her back in that seat, even if it cost her a job; she'd just find another one if she had to. She walked past the rows of jeering, clearly entertained individuals, her smile completely shifted to a blazing scowl. She stood in front of the server, folding her arms.

"What's going on?" she asked, barely trying to keep her voice from screaming at him.

"The boss told me to get rid of her," he answered casually. It infuriated her, most especially because she would answer the same way with any other person they had to get rid of; but Oleana was different, and she wouldn't let this stand.

"Put her back," she growled.

"Boss' orders. Take it up with him," he retaliated.

"I don't care what he does. She's not leaving."

She spotted her boss staring daggers into her chest, but promptly ignored him; she had bigger things to deal with right now. She knew the man would probably be prepared to make an intervention on the matter; she had to get Oleana to somewhere safe, or at least far from him. The place was busy enough — if they lied low, they could slip by. The storeroom was nearby; it'd have to do.

Taking Oleana's hand, she pulled her in a new direction, crouched down and moving quietly through the lines of tables and customers, occasionally poking her head up to make sure her boss hadn't caught up to them. She pulled open the door to the storeroom, hurrying the both of them inside before shutting the door and locking it behind them.

Ryver slumped against the door with an annoyed huff. "Sorry about all this trouble; I wasn't expecting them to throw you out all of a sudden like that. My boss can be a real prick sometimes."

Stop making this about you for one second, idiot!

"O-Oh! Are you… are you ok? I kind of just dragged you along and—" she trailed off into unsure mumbles as the words tangled in her throat.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana tried not to cry as she saw Ryver and the server arguing about her.

And of course, you aren’t even standing up for yourself, you idiot.

She didn’t want to think about it.

She’s putting her job on the line for you, and all you can do is whimper and cry like a little baby.

She felt her eyes watering up with tears.

She’ll leave you, just like the rest of them. Why would she want to be with you anyways?!

Oleana’s breathing got heavier and faster. It felt like the whole world was collapsing around her.

You’re useless. You’re an idiot, a good-for-nothing hack. You. Are. NOTHING.

Oleana snapped out of her panic as Ryver spoke to her, taking a few moments to calm down and ground herself. “It’s… it’s ok. I’m fine, s-see?”

She was clearly not fine.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver's face softened, knowing that look Oleana was giving her all too well; it felt like looking in a mirror almost…

"This probably wasn't your idea of a nice dinner at all, huh?" she said, standing up to flick on the dim, buzzing lights of the storeroom.

Assorted boxes littered the floor, some opened, the rest sealed or slightly dented as if they were just thrown in there without much care. Wine bottles of various flavors and styles were lined up on racks, Ryver reaching for one to slide out of it.

"Why don't I help you take the edge off? You've had this stuff before, haven't you?" She bit down on the cork, and with a grunt of effort, pulled it off with a pop. "Hope you don't mind sharing a bottle; I couldn't exactly grab some glasses on such short notice."

She brought the bottle to her lips and downed a decent amount, wiping her mouth with a finger and offering the bottle to Oleana.

"So, what's the deal with you? I guess I never really got the chance to ask anything about you. Best thing I had was your Rotomblr page… Never took you for a researcher type. Always left that to the old folks."

She paused, shrugging off her words. "Er— well, I mean, it's still ok if you're into that kinda thing, obviously."

Smooth moves, jackass.

[trubbishtime]

“No, not really… sorry it turned out this way, Ryv…” Oleana wiped some of her tears away as she took a few seconds to try and calm herself down.

She watched Ryver go through the wine bottles, seeing lots of logos and flavors that she didn’t recognize. “Nope, I’ve never had wine before. This would be my first time, I guess.”

Oleana took the bottle after Ryver drank some of it… and proceeded to down the entire rest of it. She let put a small hiccup shortly afterwards.

“W-Well, um… I’ve been researching…” She looked a bit anxious for a moment, before regaining her composure. “…Nnnevermind. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“…Heh. Fuck, I don’t even know what to talk about…”

[hulburyryversyde]

"Don't apologize, Oleana," Ryver said, pausing before saying her name. It felt a little... foreign on her tongue, considering this was the first time she had actually said it in-person. She contemplated on whether or not she should give her a nickname of her own; would that be weird? They just met like twenty minutes ago. Though to be fair, if Oleana did… eh, whatever, this wasn't worth intense thought over. She would've offered a hand on the shoulder or something like that, but then she'd be overthinking decisions all over again.

Her eyes widened a little seeing Oleana drink the rest of the bottle, feeling a bit of a smile tug at her lips in surprise. For someone who'd never had alcohol before, she was definitely good at emptying bottles… "Careful with that," she warned lightly, sitting on the floor and leaning back on her hands.

She nodded in understanding as she changed her mind about talking about the research thing. She couldn't blame her; the last thing she would want to do around other people was talk about her shitty day at a seafood restaurant.

"Anything you do want to talk about?" she asked instead.

[trubbishtime]

"...I guess." She sighed as she tried to think of something else to say. Her mind was running around again and it felt like her heart was racing. ...Or maybe that was just the alcohol.

Oleana hiccuped again, looking at the bottle with wide eyes. "Ooooookay, maybe I won't drink that much again."

Oleana looked at Ryver for a little while, slowly getting lost in her dark, shadowy eyes. "...You're so pretty, Ryver." She started giggling a little, smiling warmly towards her. "Like, y-you're sooooo beautiful, Ryv~"

[hulburyryversyde]

"Yeah, good idea," Ryver said, taking the bottle from her and setting it aside, untying the tie around her neck with an exhale.

She raised a quizzical eyebrow as Oleana had stopped talking, instead just… looking. A little creepy, but she assumed it was because of the alcohol starting to kick in a little.

Then hearing her compliment, Ryver almost choked. Yeah, definitely the alcohol. She didn't even know how to respond, especially when she did it TWICE. Her face heated up before she could even stop it, and she tried to force the thoughts and sudden emotions down before they could completely burst to the surface.

She chuckled nervously, trying to downplay it. "Er, thanks? You're not so bad yourself, heh…"

[trubbishtime]

Oleana started cackling as she looked over at Ryver, hiccuping and giggling over and over. “You’re so cuute girll, like…”

Her face went from being dazed and lightheaded to calm and collected, at least for a short while. “I dunno, you’re just kind, and strong, and pretty, a-and I can’t atop thinking about you, I just wanna m-make out with you right now!”

Her face heated up almost immediately after finishing her sentence, quickly trying to hide her face from embarassment. “I-I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have- *hic* said t-that!”

[hulburyryversyde]

More of a lightweight than I thought…

Ryver knew it was just the alcohol talking, but those endearing words really meant something to her, probably because not many people went out of their way to do something like that for her. Finding friends — real friends — was always a hard thing to do for her; Oleana was that breath of fresh air she didn't know she needed.

Kind? Strong? Funny? She didn't think she was any of those things at all… though if someone else thought so, it couldn't be too far from the truth, could it?

She was ready to say something in return, but when Oleana declared she wanted to make out?! Hoooooly shit. How would she even respond to that? Her face heated briefly in tandem to the researcher's, and her lips trembled trying to form a response after she had apologized.

"I— uh, wow…" she murmured finally, still trying to wrap her head around the fact this was actually happening. "I-It's ok! Uhm, that's…" she clammed up again, trying to fully get her point across.

Do I want to make out with her?

The thought alone made her heart race a little again. She had never made out with someone before! Was there a right way to do it? Things to look out for? Arceus, why was this so confusing? The best she could go off of was hearing her co-workers talk about that sort of thing in passing, but that was really it.

Maybe she should just take the plunge. What's the worst that could happen…?

"What if we did?" She blurted out, instantly wanting to take her words back.

That plunge just turned into a belly flop...

[trubbishtime]

Oleana blushed even more as she stared at Ryver. She looked nervous, but… oddly comfortable at the same time.

“I’d love every moment of it…” She hiccuped a little bit before beginning to laugh. “At least, that’s if you even wanna make out with a dumbass like me!~”

She seemed like she was just trying to joke around and be self-deprecating, but… it felt like there was something more to that than usual.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver smiled a little brighter that she seemed so open to the idea, but that face fell quickly at Oleana's slight self-deprecation.

"Well, let's not rule anything out~" she replied, gently brushing her shoulder with her own and trying to test the waters when it came to acting a little more than just formal with her drunken friend. "You aren't a dumbass, okay? I think you're kinda sweet actually…"

You're… different.

She wanted to say it, but she stopped herself.

…Why?

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s face lit up hearing Ryver talk so kindly to her, almost like a light bulb had gone on in her head.

She… really thinks I’m sweet?! Me?!

“Well, uhh…” Oleana shuffled a little closer to Ryver, lookong away from her as she did so.

I don’t deserve this.

“I-I guess if you really wanted to…”

I don’t deserve her.

“W-We could make out, j-just a little…” Oleana twirled her hair a little, her anxiety and nervousness becoming all too obvious at this point.

She’s gonna reject me… isn’t she?

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver felt herself warm up a little inside seeing Oleana start to get closer, though she was still quite anxious; she wanted to help her out and break her out of her shell in some way, but she knew she couldn't force it either; she'd get comfortable on her own.

"I do, I do! I, uhm-- well, I'm not too sure where to start…"

Making out seemed so easy in shows she watched in the little free time she allowed herself; was it much different? Things are pretty played up on TV though… Ugh! Why was she hesitating?! She just didn't want to make Oleana uncomfortable, she didn't want to make herself uncomfortable!

"R-Right, a little," she answered.

It can't be too hard, right?

[trubbishtime]

//RP thread with @hulburyryversyde <3

Oleana sat down at her table in the Captain's Table, waiting patiently for Ryver to meet with her. Her body and mind still felt tired and drained, but... regardless, she decided she'd rather stay here. After all, Ryver was her friend. At least, she was pretty sure she was.

Even so, it didn't matter. She was actually outside of her lab for once, and it was somewhat nice. Even if the amount of people here was stressing her out. Even if she kept on getting weird looks. Even if she could've sworn she saw a weird guy in shorts and sunglasses leering at her.

It didn't matter, right?

[hulburyryversyde]

Way to go, Ryver, invite a potential friend to the restaurant! It's not like it would be busy or anything! Ugh…

Balancing plates of seafood in her hands, the Galarian made her way across the various tables to serve hungry patrons their food, offering up the best smile she could really only barely manage at 10pm. She was already preparing to drown her exhaustion in partially melted ice cream and doomscrollling until she fell asleep, because that was definitely the best way to spend a Tuesday evening, yep.

Picking up a small handful of menus for the recent arrival of new customers, she stood up on the balls of her feet, scanning the dining area until spotting a woman clothed in a lab coat and long, slightly unkempt blonde hair, standing out rather significantly from the other patrons — that must be Oleana, the girl she had been talking to over Rotomblr for the past few hours. A part of her was surprised that they managed to actually spend more than five minutes talking to each other. That's how it usually went with Ryver, and she didn't mind it. Maybe friends just weren't her thing; Oleana felt different somehow, though she couldn't quite put her finger on the exact reason.

She dropped off some of the menus at other tables before finally making her way over to Oleana's, straightening her slightly squished posture and preparing herself to awkwardly smile like she had been all night, looking like a dumbass. At least the dumbass was getting paid; not a lot, but it was better than, y'know, not being paid.

"Hey, nice t'meetcha in person this time," she addressed the other girl, trying to strike up some casual conversation as she put a menu down in front of her. " If you're looking for something good, my boss keeps goin' on about the Seafood Pasta he loves making. I wouldn't know, since I barely eat anything from here anyways — as nice as it smells, being surrounded by seafood for long enough ends up garnering the opposite effect—"

She stopped herself, her brain finally getting a proper chance to catch up with her mouth that wouldn't stop running. Was she rambling just now? And about seafood of all things? Arceus, she looked like such a fool, didn't she? The two had just met and she was already fucking it up.

No, try to stay positive. Maybe she's used to someone like this.

"Er… but pick what you want; I'm not the judge. I better… swing by the other tables to see if everything's alright. I'll be here whenever you're ready."

That was weird. I need to get a grip, and fast…

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s nervous thought stopped for a brief moment as she watched Ryver take orders and deliver food. Despite how she usually talked about herself online, she looked… beautiful. The way her hair flowed, her soft lips, her plain outfit, her-

Wait, what am I doing?! I can’t think about Ryver like that, I-I just met her!

She snapped herself out of her daze as she saw Ryver come over to her table. “U-Um, hi Ryver! Great to see you in-person too!” Oleana stared at her as she listened to Ryver ramble about seafood to her. Truthfully, it eventually just became a blur as she focused more on her lovely face…

Ugh, stop it Oleana! You came here just to talk to her, don’t go in trying to get a girlfriiiieeeeend!

“W-Well, um…” Oleana’s face reddened as she tried to think of something to say to Ryver. “A-Are you on the menu~?”

WHY DID I SAY THAT, WHY DID I SAY THAAAAAAT?!?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH-

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver almost had to stop in place at her words — so much for trying to slip away to collect herself… She couldn't just leave Oleana hanging and embarrass her — maybe she could play along.

"Well, not usually… Were you expecting me to be?" She asked, slowly pulling herself back to the table.

Wow, she sounded wayyyy too flirtatious; she didn't expect to come in swinging like that, it sort of just… happened. No one had ever flirted with her like this before, and she kind of didn't know what to do with herself. What was even normal in this kind of situation?! She swallowed and decided to just keep things rolling, even though she could feel her boss' eyes drillng into the back of her head; it was like he had the sight of a Braviary sometimes.

"I'm not on sale at the moment, but… after hours maybe?" Yeah, that sounded good enough right? Wait, was she really flirting with a customer right now…? It felt a little wrong, but there was just something, a tiny little something, that felt right.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s face reddened even more after hearing Ryver’s response to her… extremely flirtatious comment. “I-I, um… maybe, yeah.”

She noticed Ryver’s boss glaring at her, and proceeded to glare back, along with grinning and showing off her surprisingly sharp teeth, almost as if she was trying to say give her a damn break, or something along the lines of that.

“Um, s-sure! Whenever you have a break, let me know…” Oleana felt… surprisingly at ease around Ryver. It felt weird, normally most people either annoyed her or were annoyed by her. But… she didn’t feel that with Ryver.

…Maybe there was something more there.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver casted a sidewards glance, noticing her boss suddenly backtrack, focusing on something else for a change — man, she's good. There was that hint of confidence she had just now, literally baring her fangs, but then it slipped right back into that cautious nervousness she could relate to just a little too well. It was like looking at herself from a different point of view almost, but she couldn't be entirely certain; she could just not be as confident in making first impressions or something like that. More importantly, why the hell was she psycho-analyzing this girl? Even if it was just in her head, it felt a little creepy since she wasn't actually saying anything for a few minutes.

Hearing her speak up again, she smiled — the only genuine one she had shown this whole shift. "I'll be working for about an hour longer until we close up. I could sneak you into the stockroom after my boss is gone and grab a couple of drinks 'on the house'," she answered, finding the words easier and easier to come out of her mouth. Talking with Oleana, even if in short bursts, just felt so… natural.

She was going to open her mouth again, until a menu was suddenly shoved against her chest by one of the other servers, a silent warning to "get the fuck back to work". Ryver rolled her eyes and stood up straight again, tucking the menu under her arm.

"I wish I could get paid minimum wage to just sit around, but unfortunately I'm still on company time… if you need more time to order, I can just swing back 'round."

[trubbishtime]

Oleana felt herself getting less and less anxious as she talked to Ryver. Something about her just made her feel less… guarded. She didn’t feel like she had to hide everything from her, or keep herself safe. Just being around her made her feel all happy and fuzzy inside.

Maybe I’m just overthinking it though… could just be nothing.

“…Y’know what, sure! That sounds good to me.” Oleana smiled warmly towards Ryver. “Just say the word and I’ll be there.”

She saw the server shove a menu towards Ryver, staring at them as they walked away and growling, not too dissimilar to an angry Yamper.

“Um…” Oleana started messing around with her hair as she tried to think of what she wanted. “J-Just what you suggested earlier, I suppose.”

[hulburyryversyde]

"Great, uhm, be back in a sec…"

Once Ryver was far enough away from her, she had a minute to pull herself together again while getting back into the flow of her work, giving her the chace to fully grasp and collect her thoughts. A part of her was still shocked she had even done that in the first place; was that what flirting was like…? A little stressful, honestly, but the rigidness felt like it had smoothed itself out over time. Maybe this was something different for once, someone she could genuinely feel comfortable around without having to put up some kind of wall to show she was keeping things together, while really that couldn't be further from the truth.

You don't know that yet. She could just blow you off after tonight.

…No. She and Oleana were making good conversation. They had to have a friendship or something start to form, right? Maybe Ryver just hadn't told her enough about herself — yeah, that was it!

Spill too much and she'll get uncomfortable — that's happened before, dipshit. But of course you'll let it happen again.

Fine, new option! They agreed to talk some more after she finished work, right? That has to mean something, right? This could be the start of a real friendship!

Or just as a way for her to make fun of you behind your back once she gets enough info.

Why was her mind like this?!

She was so lost in thought, she almost ran right into a patron, quickly swerving out of the way, though stumbling on her feet a little before focusing her attention back to where she was going again, doing a quick lap around the tables until returning to Oleana's.

"Sorry for the wait. Heh…"

What, were you expecting her to wait for you?

She pushed the thought aside with an internal grumble.

"Figured out what you wanna order yet?"

[trubbishtime]

“O-Ok! See you in a sec!”

As Oleana watched Ryver walk away from her, she almost immediately started having anxious thoughts fill her mind.

O-Oh sweet Arceus, why did I say any of that?! She’s gonna think I’m weird, or a creep, o-or an idiot! Ohhhhhh, what am I gonna do?! I can’t think of anything to say to her…

As Oleana’s mind wrestled with her inner thoughts, one of the servers walked over to her. “Excuse me ma’am, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Oleana looked up at him with a surprised face. “B-But I reserved this table yesterday, a-and I’m supposed to be here to meet a-” “Be that as it may, the boss said that you were leering at him, and we don’t allow that kind of behavior here. Now, I’ll escort you out, young lady.”

The young server grabbed Oleana by the arm and started dragging her out of the restaurant. “H-Hey, what are you doing?! Let go of me!”

Some people started glaring at her, while some laughed and even pointed. They seemed to just see her as entertainment.

She looked like she was about to cry.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver stopped, as if all of time had frozen around her.

What the fuck were they doing?

She had just met this girl, but she was prepared to fight tooth and nail to put her back in that seat, even if it cost her a job; she'd just find another one if she had to. She walked past the rows of jeering, clearly entertained individuals, her smile completely shifted to a blazing scowl. She stood in front of the server, folding her arms.

"What's going on?" she asked, barely trying to keep her voice from screaming at him.

"The boss told me to get rid of her," he answered casually. It infuriated her, most especially because she would answer the same way with any other person they had to get rid of; but Oleana was different, and she wouldn't let this stand.

"Put her back," she growled.

"Boss' orders. Take it up with him," he retaliated.

"I don't care what he does. She's not leaving."

She spotted her boss staring daggers into her chest, but promptly ignored him; she had bigger things to deal with right now. She knew the man would probably be prepared to make an intervention on the matter; she had to get Oleana to somewhere safe, or at least far from him. The place was busy enough — if they lied low, they could slip by. The storeroom was nearby; it'd have to do.

Taking Oleana's hand, she pulled her in a new direction, crouched down and moving quietly through the lines of tables and customers, occasionally poking her head up to make sure her boss hadn't caught up to them. She pulled open the door to the storeroom, hurrying the both of them inside before shutting the door and locking it behind them.

Ryver slumped against the door with an annoyed huff. "Sorry about all this trouble; I wasn't expecting them to throw you out all of a sudden like that. My boss can be a real prick sometimes."

Stop making this about you for one second, idiot!

"O-Oh! Are you… are you ok? I kind of just dragged you along and—" she trailed off into unsure mumbles as the words tangled in her throat.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana tried not to cry as she saw Ryver and the server arguing about her.

And of course, you aren’t even standing up for yourself, you idiot.

She didn’t want to think about it.

She’s putting her job on the line for you, and all you can do is whimper and cry like a little baby.

She felt her eyes watering up with tears.

She’ll leave you, just like the rest of them. Why would she want to be with you anyways?!

Oleana’s breathing got heavier and faster. It felt like the whole world was collapsing around her.

You’re useless. You’re an idiot, a good-for-nothing hack. You. Are. NOTHING.

Oleana snapped out of her panic as Ryver spoke to her, taking a few moments to calm down and ground herself. “It’s… it’s ok. I’m fine, s-see?”

She was clearly not fine.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver's face softened, knowing that look Oleana was giving her all too well; it felt like looking in a mirror almost…

"This probably wasn't your idea of a nice dinner at all, huh?" she said, standing up to flick on the dim, buzzing lights of the storeroom.

Assorted boxes littered the floor, some opened, the rest sealed or slightly dented as if they were just thrown in there without much care. Wine bottles of various flavors and styles were lined up on racks, Ryver reaching for one to slide out of it.

"Why don't I help you take the edge off? You've had this stuff before, haven't you?" She bit down on the cork, and with a grunt of effort, pulled it off with a pop. "Hope you don't mind sharing a bottle; I couldn't exactly grab some glasses on such short notice."

She brought the bottle to her lips and downed a decent amount, wiping her mouth with a finger and offering the bottle to Oleana.

"So, what's the deal with you? I guess I never really got the chance to ask anything about you. Best thing I had was your Rotomblr page… Never took you for a researcher type. Always left that to the old folks."

She paused, shrugging off her words. "Er— well, I mean, it's still ok if you're into that kinda thing, obviously."

Smooth moves, jackass.

[trubbishtime]

“No, not really… sorry it turned out this way, Ryv…” Oleana wiped some of her tears away as she took a few seconds to try and calm herself down.

She watched Ryver go through the wine bottles, seeing lots of logos and flavors that she didn’t recognize. “Nope, I’ve never had wine before. This would be my first time, I guess.”

Oleana took the bottle after Ryver drank some of it… and proceeded to down the entire rest of it. She let put a small hiccup shortly afterwards.

“W-Well, um… I’ve been researching…” She looked a bit anxious for a moment, before regaining her composure. “…Nnnevermind. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“…Heh. Fuck, I don’t even know what to talk about…”

[hulburyryversyde]

"Don't apologize, Oleana," Ryver said, pausing before saying her name. It felt a little... foreign on her tongue, considering this was the first time she had actually said it in-person. She contemplated on whether or not she should give her a nickname of her own; would that be weird? They just met like twenty minutes ago. Though to be fair, if Oleana did… eh, whatever, this wasn't worth intense thought over. She would've offered a hand on the shoulder or something like that, but then she'd be overthinking decisions all over again.

Her eyes widened a little seeing Oleana drink the rest of the bottle, feeling a bit of a smile tug at her lips in surprise. For someone who'd never had alcohol before, she was definitely good at emptying bottles… "Careful with that," she warned lightly, sitting on the floor and leaning back on her hands.

She nodded in understanding as she changed her mind about talking about the research thing. She couldn't blame her; the last thing she would want to do around other people was talk about her shitty day at a seafood restaurant.

"Anything you do want to talk about?" she asked instead.

[trubbishtime]

"...I guess." She sighed as she tried to think of something else to say. Her mind was running around again and it felt like her heart was racing. ...Or maybe that was just the alcohol.

Oleana hiccuped again, looking at the bottle with wide eyes. "Ooooookay, maybe I won't drink that much again."

Oleana looked at Ryver for a little while, slowly getting lost in her dark, shadowy eyes. "...You're so pretty, Ryver." She started giggling a little, smiling warmly towards her. "Like, y-you're sooooo beautiful, Ryv~"

[hulburyryversyde]

"Yeah, good idea," Ryver said, taking the bottle from her and setting it aside, untying the tie around her neck with an exhale.

She raised a quizzical eyebrow as Oleana had stopped talking, instead just… looking. A little creepy, but she assumed it was because of the alcohol starting to kick in a little.

Then hearing her compliment, Ryver almost choked. Yeah, definitely the alcohol. She didn't even know how to respond, especially when she did it TWICE. Her face heated up before she could even stop it, and she tried to force the thoughts and sudden emotions down before they could completely burst to the surface.

She chuckled nervously, trying to downplay it. "Er, thanks? You're not so bad yourself, heh…"

[trubbishtime]

Oleana started cackling as she looked over at Ryver, hiccuping and giggling over and over. “You’re so cuute girll, like…”

Her face went from being dazed and lightheaded to calm and collected, at least for a short while. “I dunno, you’re just kind, and strong, and pretty, a-and I can’t atop thinking about you, I just wanna m-make out with you right now!”

Her face heated up almost immediately after finishing her sentence, quickly trying to hide her face from embarassment. “I-I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have- *hic* said t-that!”

[hulburyryversyde]

More of a lightweight than I thought…

Ryver knew it was just the alcohol talking, but those endearing words really meant something to her, probably because not many people went out of their way to do something like that for her. Finding friends — real friends — was always a hard thing to do for her; Oleana was that breath of fresh air she didn't know she needed.

Kind? Strong? Funny? She didn't think she was any of those things at all… though if someone else thought so, it couldn't be too far from the truth, could it?

She was ready to say something in return, but when Oleana declared she wanted to make out?! Hoooooly shit. How would she even respond to that? Her face heated briefly in tandem to the researcher's, and her lips trembled trying to form a response after she had apologized.

"I— uh, wow…" she murmured finally, still trying to wrap her head around the fact this was actually happening. "I-It's ok! Uhm, that's…" she clammed up again, trying to fully get her point across.

Do I want to make out with her?

The thought alone made her heart race a little again. She had never made out with someone before! Was there a right way to do it? Things to look out for? Arceus, why was this so confusing? The best she could go off of was hearing her co-workers talk about that sort of thing in passing, but that was really it.

Maybe she should just take the plunge. What's the worst that could happen…?

"What if we did?" She blurted out, instantly wanting to take her words back.

That plunge just turned into a belly flop...

[trubbishtime]

Oleana blushed even more as she stared at Ryver. She looked nervous, but… oddly comfortable at the same time.

“I’d love every moment of it…” She hiccuped a little bit before beginning to laugh. “At least, that’s if you even wanna make out with a dumbass like me!~”

She seemed like she was just trying to joke around and be self-deprecating, but… it felt like there was something more to that than usual.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver smiled a little brighter that she seemed so open to the idea, but that face fell quickly at Oleana's slight self-deprecation.

"Well, let's not rule anything out~" she replied, gently brushing her shoulder with her own and trying to test the waters when it came to acting a little more than just formal with her drunken friend. "You aren't a dumbass, okay? I think you're kinda sweet actually…"

You're… different.

She wanted to say it, but she stopped herself.

…Why?

[trubbishtime]

//RP thread with @hulburyryversyde <3

Oleana sat down at her table in the Captain's Table, waiting patiently for Ryver to meet with her. Her body and mind still felt tired and drained, but... regardless, she decided she'd rather stay here. After all, Ryver was her friend. At least, she was pretty sure she was.

Even so, it didn't matter. She was actually outside of her lab for once, and it was somewhat nice. Even if the amount of people here was stressing her out. Even if she kept on getting weird looks. Even if she could've sworn she saw a weird guy in shorts and sunglasses leering at her.

It didn't matter, right?

[hulburyryversyde]

Way to go, Ryver, invite a potential friend to the restaurant! It's not like it would be busy or anything! Ugh…

Balancing plates of seafood in her hands, the Galarian made her way across the various tables to serve hungry patrons their food, offering up the best smile she could really only barely manage at 10pm. She was already preparing to drown her exhaustion in partially melted ice cream and doomscrollling until she fell asleep, because that was definitely the best way to spend a Tuesday evening, yep.

Picking up a small handful of menus for the recent arrival of new customers, she stood up on the balls of her feet, scanning the dining area until spotting a woman clothed in a lab coat and long, slightly unkempt blonde hair, standing out rather significantly from the other patrons — that must be Oleana, the girl she had been talking to over Rotomblr for the past few hours. A part of her was surprised that they managed to actually spend more than five minutes talking to each other. That's how it usually went with Ryver, and she didn't mind it. Maybe friends just weren't her thing; Oleana felt different somehow, though she couldn't quite put her finger on the exact reason.

She dropped off some of the menus at other tables before finally making her way over to Oleana's, straightening her slightly squished posture and preparing herself to awkwardly smile like she had been all night, looking like a dumbass. At least the dumbass was getting paid; not a lot, but it was better than, y'know, not being paid.

"Hey, nice t'meetcha in person this time," she addressed the other girl, trying to strike up some casual conversation as she put a menu down in front of her. " If you're looking for something good, my boss keeps goin' on about the Seafood Pasta he loves making. I wouldn't know, since I barely eat anything from here anyways — as nice as it smells, being surrounded by seafood for long enough ends up garnering the opposite effect—"

She stopped herself, her brain finally getting a proper chance to catch up with her mouth that wouldn't stop running. Was she rambling just now? And about seafood of all things? Arceus, she looked like such a fool, didn't she? The two had just met and she was already fucking it up.

No, try to stay positive. Maybe she's used to someone like this.

"Er… but pick what you want; I'm not the judge. I better… swing by the other tables to see if everything's alright. I'll be here whenever you're ready."

That was weird. I need to get a grip, and fast…

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s nervous thought stopped for a brief moment as she watched Ryver take orders and deliver food. Despite how she usually talked about herself online, she looked… beautiful. The way her hair flowed, her soft lips, her plain outfit, her-

Wait, what am I doing?! I can’t think about Ryver like that, I-I just met her!

She snapped herself out of her daze as she saw Ryver come over to her table. “U-Um, hi Ryver! Great to see you in-person too!” Oleana stared at her as she listened to Ryver ramble about seafood to her. Truthfully, it eventually just became a blur as she focused more on her lovely face…

Ugh, stop it Oleana! You came here just to talk to her, don’t go in trying to get a girlfriiiieeeeend!

“W-Well, um…” Oleana’s face reddened as she tried to think of something to say to Ryver. “A-Are you on the menu~?”

WHY DID I SAY THAT, WHY DID I SAY THAAAAAAT?!?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH-

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver almost had to stop in place at her words — so much for trying to slip away to collect herself… She couldn't just leave Oleana hanging and embarrass her — maybe she could play along.

"Well, not usually… Were you expecting me to be?" She asked, slowly pulling herself back to the table.

Wow, she sounded wayyyy too flirtatious; she didn't expect to come in swinging like that, it sort of just… happened. No one had ever flirted with her like this before, and she kind of didn't know what to do with herself. What was even normal in this kind of situation?! She swallowed and decided to just keep things rolling, even though she could feel her boss' eyes drillng into the back of her head; it was like he had the sight of a Braviary sometimes.

"I'm not on sale at the moment, but… after hours maybe?" Yeah, that sounded good enough right? Wait, was she really flirting with a customer right now…? It felt a little wrong, but there was just something, a tiny little something, that felt right.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s face reddened even more after hearing Ryver’s response to her… extremely flirtatious comment. “I-I, um… maybe, yeah.”

She noticed Ryver’s boss glaring at her, and proceeded to glare back, along with grinning and showing off her surprisingly sharp teeth, almost as if she was trying to say give her a damn break, or something along the lines of that.

“Um, s-sure! Whenever you have a break, let me know…” Oleana felt… surprisingly at ease around Ryver. It felt weird, normally most people either annoyed her or were annoyed by her. But… she didn’t feel that with Ryver.

…Maybe there was something more there.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver casted a sidewards glance, noticing her boss suddenly backtrack, focusing on something else for a change — man, she's good. There was that hint of confidence she had just now, literally baring her fangs, but then it slipped right back into that cautious nervousness she could relate to just a little too well. It was like looking at herself from a different point of view almost, but she couldn't be entirely certain; she could just not be as confident in making first impressions or something like that. More importantly, why the hell was she psycho-analyzing this girl? Even if it was just in her head, it felt a little creepy since she wasn't actually saying anything for a few minutes.

Hearing her speak up again, she smiled — the only genuine one she had shown this whole shift. "I'll be working for about an hour longer until we close up. I could sneak you into the stockroom after my boss is gone and grab a couple of drinks 'on the house'," she answered, finding the words easier and easier to come out of her mouth. Talking with Oleana, even if in short bursts, just felt so… natural.

She was going to open her mouth again, until a menu was suddenly shoved against her chest by one of the other servers, a silent warning to "get the fuck back to work". Ryver rolled her eyes and stood up straight again, tucking the menu under her arm.

"I wish I could get paid minimum wage to just sit around, but unfortunately I'm still on company time… if you need more time to order, I can just swing back 'round."

[trubbishtime]

Oleana felt herself getting less and less anxious as she talked to Ryver. Something about her just made her feel less… guarded. She didn’t feel like she had to hide everything from her, or keep herself safe. Just being around her made her feel all happy and fuzzy inside.

Maybe I’m just overthinking it though… could just be nothing.

“…Y’know what, sure! That sounds good to me.” Oleana smiled warmly towards Ryver. “Just say the word and I’ll be there.”

She saw the server shove a menu towards Ryver, staring at them as they walked away and growling, not too dissimilar to an angry Yamper.

“Um…” Oleana started messing around with her hair as she tried to think of what she wanted. “J-Just what you suggested earlier, I suppose.”

[hulburyryversyde]

"Great, uhm, be back in a sec…"

Once Ryver was far enough away from her, she had a minute to pull herself together again while getting back into the flow of her work, giving her the chace to fully grasp and collect her thoughts. A part of her was still shocked she had even done that in the first place; was that what flirting was like…? A little stressful, honestly, but the rigidness felt like it had smoothed itself out over time. Maybe this was something different for once, someone she could genuinely feel comfortable around without having to put up some kind of wall to show she was keeping things together, while really that couldn't be further from the truth.

You don't know that yet. She could just blow you off after tonight.

…No. She and Oleana were making good conversation. They had to have a friendship or something start to form, right? Maybe Ryver just hadn't told her enough about herself — yeah, that was it!

Spill too much and she'll get uncomfortable — that's happened before, dipshit. But of course you'll let it happen again.

Fine, new option! They agreed to talk some more after she finished work, right? That has to mean something, right? This could be the start of a real friendship!

Or just as a way for her to make fun of you behind your back once she gets enough info.

Why was her mind like this?!

She was so lost in thought, she almost ran right into a patron, quickly swerving out of the way, though stumbling on her feet a little before focusing her attention back to where she was going again, doing a quick lap around the tables until returning to Oleana's.

"Sorry for the wait. Heh…"

What, were you expecting her to wait for you?

She pushed the thought aside with an internal grumble.

"Figured out what you wanna order yet?"

[trubbishtime]

“O-Ok! See you in a sec!”

As Oleana watched Ryver walk away from her, she almost immediately started having anxious thoughts fill her mind.

O-Oh sweet Arceus, why did I say any of that?! She’s gonna think I’m weird, or a creep, o-or an idiot! Ohhhhhh, what am I gonna do?! I can’t think of anything to say to her…

As Oleana’s mind wrestled with her inner thoughts, one of the servers walked over to her. “Excuse me ma’am, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Oleana looked up at him with a surprised face. “B-But I reserved this table yesterday, a-and I’m supposed to be here to meet a-” “Be that as it may, the boss said that you were leering at him, and we don’t allow that kind of behavior here. Now, I’ll escort you out, young lady.”

The young server grabbed Oleana by the arm and started dragging her out of the restaurant. “H-Hey, what are you doing?! Let go of me!”

Some people started glaring at her, while some laughed and even pointed. They seemed to just see her as entertainment.

She looked like she was about to cry.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver stopped, as if all of time had frozen around her.

What the fuck were they doing?

She had just met this girl, but she was prepared to fight tooth and nail to put her back in that seat, even if it cost her a job; she'd just find another one if she had to. She walked past the rows of jeering, clearly entertained individuals, her smile completely shifted to a blazing scowl. She stood in front of the server, folding her arms.

"What's going on?" she asked, barely trying to keep her voice from screaming at him.

"The boss told me to get rid of her," he answered casually. It infuriated her, most especially because she would answer the same way with any other person they had to get rid of; but Oleana was different, and she wouldn't let this stand.

"Put her back," she growled.

"Boss' orders. Take it up with him," he retaliated.

"I don't care what he does. She's not leaving."

She spotted her boss staring daggers into her chest, but promptly ignored him; she had bigger things to deal with right now. She knew the man would probably be prepared to make an intervention on the matter; she had to get Oleana to somewhere safe, or at least far from him. The place was busy enough — if they lied low, they could slip by. The storeroom was nearby; it'd have to do.

Taking Oleana's hand, she pulled her in a new direction, crouched down and moving quietly through the lines of tables and customers, occasionally poking her head up to make sure her boss hadn't caught up to them. She pulled open the door to the storeroom, hurrying the both of them inside before shutting the door and locking it behind them.

Ryver slumped against the door with an annoyed huff. "Sorry about all this trouble; I wasn't expecting them to throw you out all of a sudden like that. My boss can be a real prick sometimes."

Stop making this about you for one second, idiot!

"O-Oh! Are you… are you ok? I kind of just dragged you along and—" she trailed off into unsure mumbles as the words tangled in her throat.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana tried not to cry as she saw Ryver and the server arguing about her.

And of course, you aren’t even standing up for yourself, you idiot.

She didn’t want to think about it.

She’s putting her job on the line for you, and all you can do is whimper and cry like a little baby.

She felt her eyes watering up with tears.

She’ll leave you, just like the rest of them. Why would she want to be with you anyways?!

Oleana’s breathing got heavier and faster. It felt like the whole world was collapsing around her.

You’re useless. You’re an idiot, a good-for-nothing hack. You. Are. NOTHING.

Oleana snapped out of her panic as Ryver spoke to her, taking a few moments to calm down and ground herself. “It’s… it’s ok. I’m fine, s-see?”

She was clearly not fine.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver's face softened, knowing that look Oleana was giving her all too well; it felt like looking in a mirror almost…

"This probably wasn't your idea of a nice dinner at all, huh?" she said, standing up to flick on the dim, buzzing lights of the storeroom.

Assorted boxes littered the floor, some opened, the rest sealed or slightly dented as if they were just thrown in there without much care. Wine bottles of various flavors and styles were lined up on racks, Ryver reaching for one to slide out of it.

"Why don't I help you take the edge off? You've had this stuff before, haven't you?" She bit down on the cork, and with a grunt of effort, pulled it off with a pop. "Hope you don't mind sharing a bottle; I couldn't exactly grab some glasses on such short notice."

She brought the bottle to her lips and downed a decent amount, wiping her mouth with a finger and offering the bottle to Oleana.

"So, what's the deal with you? I guess I never really got the chance to ask anything about you. Best thing I had was your Rotomblr page… Never took you for a researcher type. Always left that to the old folks."

She paused, shrugging off her words. "Er— well, I mean, it's still ok if you're into that kinda thing, obviously."

Smooth moves, jackass.

[trubbishtime]

“No, not really… sorry it turned out this way, Ryv…” Oleana wiped some of her tears away as she took a few seconds to try and calm herself down.

She watched Ryver go through the wine bottles, seeing lots of logos and flavors that she didn’t recognize. “Nope, I’ve never had wine before. This would be my first time, I guess.”

Oleana took the bottle after Ryver drank some of it… and proceeded to down the entire rest of it. She let put a small hiccup shortly afterwards.

“W-Well, um… I’ve been researching…” She looked a bit anxious for a moment, before regaining her composure. “…Nnnevermind. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“…Heh. Fuck, I don’t even know what to talk about…”

[hulburyryversyde]

"Don't apologize, Oleana," Ryver said, pausing before saying her name. It felt a little... foreign on her tongue, considering this was the first time she had actually said it in-person. She contemplated on whether or not she should give her a nickname of her own; would that be weird? They just met like twenty minutes ago. Though to be fair, if Oleana did… eh, whatever, this wasn't worth intense thought over. She would've offered a hand on the shoulder or something like that, but then she'd be overthinking decisions all over again.

Her eyes widened a little seeing Oleana drink the rest of the bottle, feeling a bit of a smile tug at her lips in surprise. For someone who'd never had alcohol before, she was definitely good at emptying bottles… "Careful with that," she warned lightly, sitting on the floor and leaning back on her hands.

She nodded in understanding as she changed her mind about talking about the research thing. She couldn't blame her; the last thing she would want to do around other people was talk about her shitty day at a seafood restaurant.

"Anything you do want to talk about?" she asked instead.

[trubbishtime]

"...I guess." She sighed as she tried to think of something else to say. Her mind was running around again and it felt like her heart was racing. ...Or maybe that was just the alcohol.

Oleana hiccuped again, looking at the bottle with wide eyes. "Ooooookay, maybe I won't drink that much again."

Oleana looked at Ryver for a little while, slowly getting lost in her dark, shadowy eyes. "...You're so pretty, Ryver." She started giggling a little, smiling warmly towards her. "Like, y-you're sooooo beautiful, Ryv~"

[hulburyryversyde]

"Yeah, good idea," Ryver said, taking the bottle from her and setting it aside, untying the tie around her neck with an exhale.

She raised a quizzical eyebrow as Oleana had stopped talking, instead just… looking. A little creepy, but she assumed it was because of the alcohol starting to kick in a little.

Then hearing her compliment, Ryver almost choked. Yeah, definitely the alcohol. She didn't even know how to respond, especially when she did it TWICE. Her face heated up before she could even stop it, and she tried to force the thoughts and sudden emotions down before they could completely burst to the surface.

She chuckled nervously, trying to downplay it. "Er, thanks? You're not so bad yourself, heh…"

[trubbishtime]

Oleana started cackling as she looked over at Ryver, hiccuping and giggling over and over. “You’re so cuute girll, like…”

Her face went from being dazed and lightheaded to calm and collected, at least for a short while. “I dunno, you’re just kind, and strong, and pretty, a-and I can’t atop thinking about you, I just wanna m-make out with you right now!”

Her face heated up almost immediately after finishing her sentence, quickly trying to hide her face from embarassment. “I-I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have- *hic* said t-that!”

[hulburyryversyde]

More of a lightweight than I thought…

Ryver knew it was just the alcohol talking, but those endearing words really meant something to her, probably because not many people went out of their way to do something like that for her. Finding friends — real friends — was always a hard thing to do for her; Oleana was that breath of fresh air she didn't know she needed.

Kind? Strong? Funny? She didn't think she was any of those things at all… though if someone else thought so, it couldn't be too far from the truth, could it?

She was ready to say something in return, but when Oleana declared she wanted to make out?! Hoooooly shit. How would she even respond to that? Her face heated briefly in tandem to the researcher's, and her lips trembled trying to form a response after she had apologized.

"I— uh, wow…" she murmured finally, still trying to wrap her head around the fact this was actually happening. "I-It's ok! Uhm, that's…" she clammed up again, trying to fully get her point across.

Do I want to make out with her?

The thought alone made her heart race a little again. She had never made out with someone before! Was there a right way to do it? Things to look out for? Arceus, why was this so confusing? The best she could go off of was hearing her co-workers talk about that sort of thing in passing, but that was really it.

Maybe she should just take the plunge. What's the worst that could happen…?

"What if we did?" She blurted out, instantly wanting to take her words back.

That plunge just turned into a belly flop...

[israthebugspecialist]

so i’m in galar now

also i’m officially a ranger! the only one there! at the moment!

…i’m gonna overwork myself so much, aren’t i, fuuuuuuuck-

[hulburyryversyde]

welcome to hell(?)

it grows on you

[trubbishtime]

//RP thread with @hulburyryversyde <3

Oleana sat down at her table in the Captain's Table, waiting patiently for Ryver to meet with her. Her body and mind still felt tired and drained, but... regardless, she decided she'd rather stay here. After all, Ryver was her friend. At least, she was pretty sure she was.

Even so, it didn't matter. She was actually outside of her lab for once, and it was somewhat nice. Even if the amount of people here was stressing her out. Even if she kept on getting weird looks. Even if she could've sworn she saw a weird guy in shorts and sunglasses leering at her.

It didn't matter, right?

[hulburyryversyde]

Way to go, Ryver, invite a potential friend to the restaurant! It's not like it would be busy or anything! Ugh…

Balancing plates of seafood in her hands, the Galarian made her way across the various tables to serve hungry patrons their food, offering up the best smile she could really only barely manage at 10pm. She was already preparing to drown her exhaustion in partially melted ice cream and doomscrollling until she fell asleep, because that was definitely the best way to spend a Tuesday evening, yep.

Picking up a small handful of menus for the recent arrival of new customers, she stood up on the balls of her feet, scanning the dining area until spotting a woman clothed in a lab coat and long, slightly unkempt blonde hair, standing out rather significantly from the other patrons — that must be Oleana, the girl she had been talking to over Rotomblr for the past few hours. A part of her was surprised that they managed to actually spend more than five minutes talking to each other. That's how it usually went with Ryver, and she didn't mind it. Maybe friends just weren't her thing; Oleana felt different somehow, though she couldn't quite put her finger on the exact reason.

She dropped off some of the menus at other tables before finally making her way over to Oleana's, straightening her slightly squished posture and preparing herself to awkwardly smile like she had been all night, looking like a dumbass. At least the dumbass was getting paid; not a lot, but it was better than, y'know, not being paid.

"Hey, nice t'meetcha in person this time," she addressed the other girl, trying to strike up some casual conversation as she put a menu down in front of her. " If you're looking for something good, my boss keeps goin' on about the Seafood Pasta he loves making. I wouldn't know, since I barely eat anything from here anyways — as nice as it smells, being surrounded by seafood for long enough ends up garnering the opposite effect—"

She stopped herself, her brain finally getting a proper chance to catch up with her mouth that wouldn't stop running. Was she rambling just now? And about seafood of all things? Arceus, she looked like such a fool, didn't she? The two had just met and she was already fucking it up.

No, try to stay positive. Maybe she's used to someone like this.

"Er… but pick what you want; I'm not the judge. I better… swing by the other tables to see if everything's alright. I'll be here whenever you're ready."

That was weird. I need to get a grip, and fast…

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s nervous thought stopped for a brief moment as she watched Ryver take orders and deliver food. Despite how she usually talked about herself online, she looked… beautiful. The way her hair flowed, her soft lips, her plain outfit, her-

Wait, what am I doing?! I can’t think about Ryver like that, I-I just met her!

She snapped herself out of her daze as she saw Ryver come over to her table. “U-Um, hi Ryver! Great to see you in-person too!” Oleana stared at her as she listened to Ryver ramble about seafood to her. Truthfully, it eventually just became a blur as she focused more on her lovely face…

Ugh, stop it Oleana! You came here just to talk to her, don’t go in trying to get a girlfriiiieeeeend!

“W-Well, um…” Oleana’s face reddened as she tried to think of something to say to Ryver. “A-Are you on the menu~?”

WHY DID I SAY THAT, WHY DID I SAY THAAAAAAT?!?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH-

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver almost had to stop in place at her words — so much for trying to slip away to collect herself… She couldn't just leave Oleana hanging and embarrass her — maybe she could play along.

"Well, not usually… Were you expecting me to be?" She asked, slowly pulling herself back to the table.

Wow, she sounded wayyyy too flirtatious; she didn't expect to come in swinging like that, it sort of just… happened. No one had ever flirted with her like this before, and she kind of didn't know what to do with herself. What was even normal in this kind of situation?! She swallowed and decided to just keep things rolling, even though she could feel her boss' eyes drillng into the back of her head; it was like he had the sight of a Braviary sometimes.

"I'm not on sale at the moment, but… after hours maybe?" Yeah, that sounded good enough right? Wait, was she really flirting with a customer right now…? It felt a little wrong, but there was just something, a tiny little something, that felt right.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s face reddened even more after hearing Ryver’s response to her… extremely flirtatious comment. “I-I, um… maybe, yeah.”

She noticed Ryver’s boss glaring at her, and proceeded to glare back, along with grinning and showing off her surprisingly sharp teeth, almost as if she was trying to say give her a damn break, or something along the lines of that.

“Um, s-sure! Whenever you have a break, let me know…” Oleana felt… surprisingly at ease around Ryver. It felt weird, normally most people either annoyed her or were annoyed by her. But… she didn’t feel that with Ryver.

…Maybe there was something more there.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver casted a sidewards glance, noticing her boss suddenly backtrack, focusing on something else for a change — man, she's good. There was that hint of confidence she had just now, literally baring her fangs, but then it slipped right back into that cautious nervousness she could relate to just a little too well. It was like looking at herself from a different point of view almost, but she couldn't be entirely certain; she could just not be as confident in making first impressions or something like that. More importantly, why the hell was she psycho-analyzing this girl? Even if it was just in her head, it felt a little creepy since she wasn't actually saying anything for a few minutes.

Hearing her speak up again, she smiled — the only genuine one she had shown this whole shift. "I'll be working for about an hour longer until we close up. I could sneak you into the stockroom after my boss is gone and grab a couple of drinks 'on the house'," she answered, finding the words easier and easier to come out of her mouth. Talking with Oleana, even if in short bursts, just felt so… natural.

She was going to open her mouth again, until a menu was suddenly shoved against her chest by one of the other servers, a silent warning to "get the fuck back to work". Ryver rolled her eyes and stood up straight again, tucking the menu under her arm.

"I wish I could get paid minimum wage to just sit around, but unfortunately I'm still on company time… if you need more time to order, I can just swing back 'round."

[trubbishtime]

Oleana felt herself getting less and less anxious as she talked to Ryver. Something about her just made her feel less… guarded. She didn’t feel like she had to hide everything from her, or keep herself safe. Just being around her made her feel all happy and fuzzy inside.

Maybe I’m just overthinking it though… could just be nothing.

“…Y’know what, sure! That sounds good to me.” Oleana smiled warmly towards Ryver. “Just say the word and I’ll be there.”

She saw the server shove a menu towards Ryver, staring at them as they walked away and growling, not too dissimilar to an angry Yamper.

“Um…” Oleana started messing around with her hair as she tried to think of what she wanted. “J-Just what you suggested earlier, I suppose.”

[hulburyryversyde]

"Great, uhm, be back in a sec…"

Once Ryver was far enough away from her, she had a minute to pull herself together again while getting back into the flow of her work, giving her the chace to fully grasp and collect her thoughts. A part of her was still shocked she had even done that in the first place; was that what flirting was like…? A little stressful, honestly, but the rigidness felt like it had smoothed itself out over time. Maybe this was something different for once, someone she could genuinely feel comfortable around without having to put up some kind of wall to show she was keeping things together, while really that couldn't be further from the truth.

You don't know that yet. She could just blow you off after tonight.

…No. She and Oleana were making good conversation. They had to have a friendship or something start to form, right? Maybe Ryver just hadn't told her enough about herself — yeah, that was it!

Spill too much and she'll get uncomfortable — that's happened before, dipshit. But of course you'll let it happen again.

Fine, new option! They agreed to talk some more after she finished work, right? That has to mean something, right? This could be the start of a real friendship!

Or just as a way for her to make fun of you behind your back once she gets enough info.

Why was her mind like this?!

She was so lost in thought, she almost ran right into a patron, quickly swerving out of the way, though stumbling on her feet a little before focusing her attention back to where she was going again, doing a quick lap around the tables until returning to Oleana's.

"Sorry for the wait. Heh…"

What, were you expecting her to wait for you?

She pushed the thought aside with an internal grumble.

"Figured out what you wanna order yet?"

[trubbishtime]

“O-Ok! See you in a sec!”

As Oleana watched Ryver walk away from her, she almost immediately started having anxious thoughts fill her mind.

O-Oh sweet Arceus, why did I say any of that?! She’s gonna think I’m weird, or a creep, o-or an idiot! Ohhhhhh, what am I gonna do?! I can’t think of anything to say to her…

As Oleana’s mind wrestled with her inner thoughts, one of the servers walked over to her. “Excuse me ma’am, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Oleana looked up at him with a surprised face. “B-But I reserved this table yesterday, a-and I’m supposed to be here to meet a-” “Be that as it may, the boss said that you were leering at him, and we don’t allow that kind of behavior here. Now, I’ll escort you out, young lady.”

The young server grabbed Oleana by the arm and started dragging her out of the restaurant. “H-Hey, what are you doing?! Let go of me!”

Some people started glaring at her, while some laughed and even pointed. They seemed to just see her as entertainment.

She looked like she was about to cry.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver stopped, as if all of time had frozen around her.

What the fuck were they doing?

She had just met this girl, but she was prepared to fight tooth and nail to put her back in that seat, even if it cost her a job; she'd just find another one if she had to. She walked past the rows of jeering, clearly entertained individuals, her smile completely shifted to a blazing scowl. She stood in front of the server, folding her arms.

"What's going on?" she asked, barely trying to keep her voice from screaming at him.

"The boss told me to get rid of her," he answered casually. It infuriated her, most especially because she would answer the same way with any other person they had to get rid of; but Oleana was different, and she wouldn't let this stand.

"Put her back," she growled.

"Boss' orders. Take it up with him," he retaliated.

"I don't care what he does. She's not leaving."

She spotted her boss staring daggers into her chest, but promptly ignored him; she had bigger things to deal with right now. She knew the man would probably be prepared to make an intervention on the matter; she had to get Oleana to somewhere safe, or at least far from him. The place was busy enough — if they lied low, they could slip by. The storeroom was nearby; it'd have to do.

Taking Oleana's hand, she pulled her in a new direction, crouched down and moving quietly through the lines of tables and customers, occasionally poking her head up to make sure her boss hadn't caught up to them. She pulled open the door to the storeroom, hurrying the both of them inside before shutting the door and locking it behind them.

Ryver slumped against the door with an annoyed huff. "Sorry about all this trouble; I wasn't expecting them to throw you out all of a sudden like that. My boss can be a real prick sometimes."

Stop making this about you for one second, idiot!

"O-Oh! Are you… are you ok? I kind of just dragged you along and—" she trailed off into unsure mumbles as the words tangled in her throat.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana tried not to cry as she saw Ryver and the server arguing about her.

And of course, you aren’t even standing up for yourself, you idiot.

She didn’t want to think about it.

She’s putting her job on the line for you, and all you can do is whimper and cry like a little baby.

She felt her eyes watering up with tears.

She’ll leave you, just like the rest of them. Why would she want to be with you anyways?!

Oleana’s breathing got heavier and faster. It felt like the whole world was collapsing around her.

You’re useless. You’re an idiot, a good-for-nothing hack. You. Are. NOTHING.

Oleana snapped out of her panic as Ryver spoke to her, taking a few moments to calm down and ground herself. “It’s… it’s ok. I’m fine, s-see?”

She was clearly not fine.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver's face softened, knowing that look Oleana was giving her all too well; it felt like looking in a mirror almost…

"This probably wasn't your idea of a nice dinner at all, huh?" she said, standing up to flick on the dim, buzzing lights of the storeroom.

Assorted boxes littered the floor, some opened, the rest sealed or slightly dented as if they were just thrown in there without much care. Wine bottles of various flavors and styles were lined up on racks, Ryver reaching for one to slide out of it.

"Why don't I help you take the edge off? You've had this stuff before, haven't you?" She bit down on the cork, and with a grunt of effort, pulled it off with a pop. "Hope you don't mind sharing a bottle; I couldn't exactly grab some glasses on such short notice."

She brought the bottle to her lips and downed a decent amount, wiping her mouth with a finger and offering the bottle to Oleana.

"So, what's the deal with you? I guess I never really got the chance to ask anything about you. Best thing I had was your Rotomblr page… Never took you for a researcher type. Always left that to the old folks."

She paused, shrugging off her words. "Er— well, I mean, it's still ok if you're into that kinda thing, obviously."

Smooth moves, jackass.

[trubbishtime]

“No, not really… sorry it turned out this way, Ryv…” Oleana wiped some of her tears away as she took a few seconds to try and calm herself down.

She watched Ryver go through the wine bottles, seeing lots of logos and flavors that she didn’t recognize. “Nope, I’ve never had wine before. This would be my first time, I guess.”

Oleana took the bottle after Ryver drank some of it… and proceeded to down the entire rest of it. She let put a small hiccup shortly afterwards.

“W-Well, um… I’ve been researching…” She looked a bit anxious for a moment, before regaining her composure. “…Nnnevermind. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“…Heh. Fuck, I don’t even know what to talk about…”

[hulburyryversyde]

"Don't apologize, Oleana," Ryver said, pausing before saying her name. It felt a little... foreign on her tongue, considering this was the first time she had actually said it in-person. She contemplated on whether or not she should give her a nickname of her own; would that be weird? They just met like twenty minutes ago. Though to be fair, if Oleana did… eh, whatever, this wasn't worth intense thought over. She would've offered a hand on the shoulder or something like that, but then she'd be overthinking decisions all over again.

Her eyes widened a little seeing Oleana drink the rest of the bottle, feeling a bit of a smile tug at her lips in surprise. For someone who'd never had alcohol before, she was definitely good at emptying bottles… "Careful with that," she warned lightly, sitting on the floor and leaning back on her hands.

She nodded in understanding as she changed her mind about talking about the research thing. She couldn't blame her; the last thing she would want to do around other people was talk about her shitty day at a seafood restaurant.

"Anything you do want to talk about?" she asked instead.

[trubbishtime]

"...I guess." She sighed as she tried to think of something else to say. Her mind was running around again and it felt like her heart was racing. ...Or maybe that was just the alcohol.

Oleana hiccuped again, looking at the bottle with wide eyes. "Ooooookay, maybe I won't drink that much again."

Oleana looked at Ryver for a little while, slowly getting lost in her dark, shadowy eyes. "...You're so pretty, Ryver." She started giggling a little, smiling warmly towards her. "Like, y-you're sooooo beautiful, Ryv~"

[hulburyryversyde]

"Yeah, good idea," Ryver said, taking the bottle from her and setting it aside, untying the tie around her neck with an exhale.

She raised a quizzical eyebrow as Oleana had stopped talking, instead just… looking. A little creepy, but she assumed it was because of the alcohol starting to kick in a little.

Then hearing her compliment, Ryver almost choked. Yeah, definitely the alcohol. She didn't even know how to respond, especially when she did it TWICE. Her face heated up before she could even stop it, and she tried to force the thoughts and sudden emotions down before they could completely burst to the surface.

She chuckled nervously, trying to downplay it. "Er, thanks? You're not so bad yourself, heh…"

[trubbishtime]

//RP thread with @hulburyryversyde <3

Oleana sat down at her table in the Captain's Table, waiting patiently for Ryver to meet with her. Her body and mind still felt tired and drained, but... regardless, she decided she'd rather stay here. After all, Ryver was her friend. At least, she was pretty sure she was.

Even so, it didn't matter. She was actually outside of her lab for once, and it was somewhat nice. Even if the amount of people here was stressing her out. Even if she kept on getting weird looks. Even if she could've sworn she saw a weird guy in shorts and sunglasses leering at her.

It didn't matter, right?

[hulburyryversyde]

Way to go, Ryver, invite a potential friend to the restaurant! It's not like it would be busy or anything! Ugh…

Balancing plates of seafood in her hands, the Galarian made her way across the various tables to serve hungry patrons their food, offering up the best smile she could really only barely manage at 10pm. She was already preparing to drown her exhaustion in partially melted ice cream and doomscrollling until she fell asleep, because that was definitely the best way to spend a Tuesday evening, yep.

Picking up a small handful of menus for the recent arrival of new customers, she stood up on the balls of her feet, scanning the dining area until spotting a woman clothed in a lab coat and long, slightly unkempt blonde hair, standing out rather significantly from the other patrons — that must be Oleana, the girl she had been talking to over Rotomblr for the past few hours. A part of her was surprised that they managed to actually spend more than five minutes talking to each other. That's how it usually went with Ryver, and she didn't mind it. Maybe friends just weren't her thing; Oleana felt different somehow, though she couldn't quite put her finger on the exact reason.

She dropped off some of the menus at other tables before finally making her way over to Oleana's, straightening her slightly squished posture and preparing herself to awkwardly smile like she had been all night, looking like a dumbass. At least the dumbass was getting paid; not a lot, but it was better than, y'know, not being paid.

"Hey, nice t'meetcha in person this time," she addressed the other girl, trying to strike up some casual conversation as she put a menu down in front of her. " If you're looking for something good, my boss keeps goin' on about the Seafood Pasta he loves making. I wouldn't know, since I barely eat anything from here anyways — as nice as it smells, being surrounded by seafood for long enough ends up garnering the opposite effect—"

She stopped herself, her brain finally getting a proper chance to catch up with her mouth that wouldn't stop running. Was she rambling just now? And about seafood of all things? Arceus, she looked like such a fool, didn't she? The two had just met and she was already fucking it up.

No, try to stay positive. Maybe she's used to someone like this.

"Er… but pick what you want; I'm not the judge. I better… swing by the other tables to see if everything's alright. I'll be here whenever you're ready."

That was weird. I need to get a grip, and fast…

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s nervous thought stopped for a brief moment as she watched Ryver take orders and deliver food. Despite how she usually talked about herself online, she looked… beautiful. The way her hair flowed, her soft lips, her plain outfit, her-

Wait, what am I doing?! I can’t think about Ryver like that, I-I just met her!

She snapped herself out of her daze as she saw Ryver come over to her table. “U-Um, hi Ryver! Great to see you in-person too!” Oleana stared at her as she listened to Ryver ramble about seafood to her. Truthfully, it eventually just became a blur as she focused more on her lovely face…

Ugh, stop it Oleana! You came here just to talk to her, don’t go in trying to get a girlfriiiieeeeend!

“W-Well, um…” Oleana’s face reddened as she tried to think of something to say to Ryver. “A-Are you on the menu~?”

WHY DID I SAY THAT, WHY DID I SAY THAAAAAAT?!?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH-

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver almost had to stop in place at her words — so much for trying to slip away to collect herself… She couldn't just leave Oleana hanging and embarrass her — maybe she could play along.

"Well, not usually… Were you expecting me to be?" She asked, slowly pulling herself back to the table.

Wow, she sounded wayyyy too flirtatious; she didn't expect to come in swinging like that, it sort of just… happened. No one had ever flirted with her like this before, and she kind of didn't know what to do with herself. What was even normal in this kind of situation?! She swallowed and decided to just keep things rolling, even though she could feel her boss' eyes drillng into the back of her head; it was like he had the sight of a Braviary sometimes.

"I'm not on sale at the moment, but… after hours maybe?" Yeah, that sounded good enough right? Wait, was she really flirting with a customer right now…? It felt a little wrong, but there was just something, a tiny little something, that felt right.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s face reddened even more after hearing Ryver’s response to her… extremely flirtatious comment. “I-I, um… maybe, yeah.”

She noticed Ryver’s boss glaring at her, and proceeded to glare back, along with grinning and showing off her surprisingly sharp teeth, almost as if she was trying to say give her a damn break, or something along the lines of that.

“Um, s-sure! Whenever you have a break, let me know…” Oleana felt… surprisingly at ease around Ryver. It felt weird, normally most people either annoyed her or were annoyed by her. But… she didn’t feel that with Ryver.

…Maybe there was something more there.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver casted a sidewards glance, noticing her boss suddenly backtrack, focusing on something else for a change — man, she's good. There was that hint of confidence she had just now, literally baring her fangs, but then it slipped right back into that cautious nervousness she could relate to just a little too well. It was like looking at herself from a different point of view almost, but she couldn't be entirely certain; she could just not be as confident in making first impressions or something like that. More importantly, why the hell was she psycho-analyzing this girl? Even if it was just in her head, it felt a little creepy since she wasn't actually saying anything for a few minutes.

Hearing her speak up again, she smiled — the only genuine one she had shown this whole shift. "I'll be working for about an hour longer until we close up. I could sneak you into the stockroom after my boss is gone and grab a couple of drinks 'on the house'," she answered, finding the words easier and easier to come out of her mouth. Talking with Oleana, even if in short bursts, just felt so… natural.

She was going to open her mouth again, until a menu was suddenly shoved against her chest by one of the other servers, a silent warning to "get the fuck back to work". Ryver rolled her eyes and stood up straight again, tucking the menu under her arm.

"I wish I could get paid minimum wage to just sit around, but unfortunately I'm still on company time… if you need more time to order, I can just swing back 'round."

[trubbishtime]

Oleana felt herself getting less and less anxious as she talked to Ryver. Something about her just made her feel less… guarded. She didn’t feel like she had to hide everything from her, or keep herself safe. Just being around her made her feel all happy and fuzzy inside.

Maybe I’m just overthinking it though… could just be nothing.

“…Y’know what, sure! That sounds good to me.” Oleana smiled warmly towards Ryver. “Just say the word and I’ll be there.”

She saw the server shove a menu towards Ryver, staring at them as they walked away and growling, not too dissimilar to an angry Yamper.

“Um…” Oleana started messing around with her hair as she tried to think of what she wanted. “J-Just what you suggested earlier, I suppose.”

[hulburyryversyde]

"Great, uhm, be back in a sec…"

Once Ryver was far enough away from her, she had a minute to pull herself together again while getting back into the flow of her work, giving her the chace to fully grasp and collect her thoughts. A part of her was still shocked she had even done that in the first place; was that what flirting was like…? A little stressful, honestly, but the rigidness felt like it had smoothed itself out over time. Maybe this was something different for once, someone she could genuinely feel comfortable around without having to put up some kind of wall to show she was keeping things together, while really that couldn't be further from the truth.

You don't know that yet. She could just blow you off after tonight.

…No. She and Oleana were making good conversation. They had to have a friendship or something start to form, right? Maybe Ryver just hadn't told her enough about herself — yeah, that was it!

Spill too much and she'll get uncomfortable — that's happened before, dipshit. But of course you'll let it happen again.

Fine, new option! They agreed to talk some more after she finished work, right? That has to mean something, right? This could be the start of a real friendship!

Or just as a way for her to make fun of you behind your back once she gets enough info.

Why was her mind like this?!

She was so lost in thought, she almost ran right into a patron, quickly swerving out of the way, though stumbling on her feet a little before focusing her attention back to where she was going again, doing a quick lap around the tables until returning to Oleana's.

"Sorry for the wait. Heh…"

What, were you expecting her to wait for you?

She pushed the thought aside with an internal grumble.

"Figured out what you wanna order yet?"

[trubbishtime]

“O-Ok! See you in a sec!”

As Oleana watched Ryver walk away from her, she almost immediately started having anxious thoughts fill her mind.

O-Oh sweet Arceus, why did I say any of that?! She’s gonna think I’m weird, or a creep, o-or an idiot! Ohhhhhh, what am I gonna do?! I can’t think of anything to say to her…

As Oleana’s mind wrestled with her inner thoughts, one of the servers walked over to her. “Excuse me ma’am, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Oleana looked up at him with a surprised face. “B-But I reserved this table yesterday, a-and I’m supposed to be here to meet a-” “Be that as it may, the boss said that you were leering at him, and we don’t allow that kind of behavior here. Now, I’ll escort you out, young lady.”

The young server grabbed Oleana by the arm and started dragging her out of the restaurant. “H-Hey, what are you doing?! Let go of me!”

Some people started glaring at her, while some laughed and even pointed. They seemed to just see her as entertainment.

She looked like she was about to cry.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver stopped, as if all of time had frozen around her.

What the fuck were they doing?

She had just met this girl, but she was prepared to fight tooth and nail to put her back in that seat, even if it cost her a job; she'd just find another one if she had to. She walked past the rows of jeering, clearly entertained individuals, her smile completely shifted to a blazing scowl. She stood in front of the server, folding her arms.

"What's going on?" she asked, barely trying to keep her voice from screaming at him.

"The boss told me to get rid of her," he answered casually. It infuriated her, most especially because she would answer the same way with any other person they had to get rid of; but Oleana was different, and she wouldn't let this stand.

"Put her back," she growled.

"Boss' orders. Take it up with him," he retaliated.

"I don't care what he does. She's not leaving."

She spotted her boss staring daggers into her chest, but promptly ignored him; she had bigger things to deal with right now. She knew the man would probably be prepared to make an intervention on the matter; she had to get Oleana to somewhere safe, or at least far from him. The place was busy enough — if they lied low, they could slip by. The storeroom was nearby; it'd have to do.

Taking Oleana's hand, she pulled her in a new direction, crouched down and moving quietly through the lines of tables and customers, occasionally poking her head up to make sure her boss hadn't caught up to them. She pulled open the door to the storeroom, hurrying the both of them inside before shutting the door and locking it behind them.

Ryver slumped against the door with an annoyed huff. "Sorry about all this trouble; I wasn't expecting them to throw you out all of a sudden like that. My boss can be a real prick sometimes."

Stop making this about you for one second, idiot!

"O-Oh! Are you… are you ok? I kind of just dragged you along and—" she trailed off into unsure mumbles as the words tangled in her throat.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana tried not to cry as she saw Ryver and the server arguing about her.

And of course, you aren’t even standing up for yourself, you idiot.

She didn’t want to think about it.

She’s putting her job on the line for you, and all you can do is whimper and cry like a little baby.

She felt her eyes watering up with tears.

She’ll leave you, just like the rest of them. Why would she want to be with you anyways?!

Oleana’s breathing got heavier and faster. It felt like the whole world was collapsing around her.

You’re useless. You’re an idiot, a good-for-nothing hack. You. Are. NOTHING.

Oleana snapped out of her panic as Ryver spoke to her, taking a few moments to calm down and ground herself. “It’s… it’s ok. I’m fine, s-see?”

She was clearly not fine.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver's face softened, knowing that look Oleana was giving her all too well; it felt like looking in a mirror almost…

"This probably wasn't your idea of a nice dinner at all, huh?" she said, standing up to flick on the dim, buzzing lights of the storeroom.

Assorted boxes littered the floor, some opened, the rest sealed or slightly dented as if they were just thrown in there without much care. Wine bottles of various flavors and styles were lined up on racks, Ryver reaching for one to slide out of it.

"Why don't I help you take the edge off? You've had this stuff before, haven't you?" She bit down on the cork, and with a grunt of effort, pulled it off with a pop. "Hope you don't mind sharing a bottle; I couldn't exactly grab some glasses on such short notice."

She brought the bottle to her lips and downed a decent amount, wiping her mouth with a finger and offering the bottle to Oleana.

"So, what's the deal with you? I guess I never really got the chance to ask anything about you. Best thing I had was your Rotomblr page… Never took you for a researcher type. Always left that to the old folks."

She paused, shrugging off her words. "Er— well, I mean, it's still ok if you're into that kinda thing, obviously."

Smooth moves, jackass.

[trubbishtime]

“No, not really… sorry it turned out this way, Ryv…” Oleana wiped some of her tears away as she took a few seconds to try and calm herself down.

She watched Ryver go through the wine bottles, seeing lots of logos and flavors that she didn’t recognize. “Nope, I’ve never had wine before. This would be my first time, I guess.”

Oleana took the bottle after Ryver drank some of it… and proceeded to down the entire rest of it. She let put a small hiccup shortly afterwards.

“W-Well, um… I’ve been researching…” She looked a bit anxious for a moment, before regaining her composure. “…Nnnevermind. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“…Heh. Fuck, I don’t even know what to talk about…”

[hulburyryversyde]

"Don't apologize, Oleana," Ryver said, pausing before saying her name. It felt a little... foreign on her tongue, considering this was the first time she had actually said it in-person. She contemplated on whether or not she should give her a nickname of her own; would that be weird? They just met like twenty minutes ago. Though to be fair, if Oleana did… eh, whatever, this wasn't worth intense thought over. She would've offered a hand on the shoulder or something like that, but then she'd be overthinking decisions all over again.

Her eyes widened a little seeing Oleana drink the rest of the bottle, feeling a bit of a smile tug at her lips in surprise. For someone who'd never had alcohol before, she was definitely good at emptying bottles… "Careful with that," she warned lightly, sitting on the floor and leaning back on her hands.

She nodded in understanding as she changed her mind about talking about the research thing. She couldn't blame her; the last thing she would want to do around other people was talk about her shitty day at a seafood restaurant.

"Anything you do want to talk about?" she asked instead.

[trubbishtime]

//RP thread with @hulburyryversyde <3

Oleana sat down at her table in the Captain's Table, waiting patiently for Ryver to meet with her. Her body and mind still felt tired and drained, but... regardless, she decided she'd rather stay here. After all, Ryver was her friend. At least, she was pretty sure she was.

Even so, it didn't matter. She was actually outside of her lab for once, and it was somewhat nice. Even if the amount of people here was stressing her out. Even if she kept on getting weird looks. Even if she could've sworn she saw a weird guy in shorts and sunglasses leering at her.

It didn't matter, right?

[hulburyryversyde]

Way to go, Ryver, invite a potential friend to the restaurant! It's not like it would be busy or anything! Ugh…

Balancing plates of seafood in her hands, the Galarian made her way across the various tables to serve hungry patrons their food, offering up the best smile she could really only barely manage at 10pm. She was already preparing to drown her exhaustion in partially melted ice cream and doomscrollling until she fell asleep, because that was definitely the best way to spend a Tuesday evening, yep.

Picking up a small handful of menus for the recent arrival of new customers, she stood up on the balls of her feet, scanning the dining area until spotting a woman clothed in a lab coat and long, slightly unkempt blonde hair, standing out rather significantly from the other patrons — that must be Oleana, the girl she had been talking to over Rotomblr for the past few hours. A part of her was surprised that they managed to actually spend more than five minutes talking to each other. That's how it usually went with Ryver, and she didn't mind it. Maybe friends just weren't her thing; Oleana felt different somehow, though she couldn't quite put her finger on the exact reason.

She dropped off some of the menus at other tables before finally making her way over to Oleana's, straightening her slightly squished posture and preparing herself to awkwardly smile like she had been all night, looking like a dumbass. At least the dumbass was getting paid; not a lot, but it was better than, y'know, not being paid.

"Hey, nice t'meetcha in person this time," she addressed the other girl, trying to strike up some casual conversation as she put a menu down in front of her. " If you're looking for something good, my boss keeps goin' on about the Seafood Pasta he loves making. I wouldn't know, since I barely eat anything from here anyways — as nice as it smells, being surrounded by seafood for long enough ends up garnering the opposite effect—"

She stopped herself, her brain finally getting a proper chance to catch up with her mouth that wouldn't stop running. Was she rambling just now? And about seafood of all things? Arceus, she looked like such a fool, didn't she? The two had just met and she was already fucking it up.

No, try to stay positive. Maybe she's used to someone like this.

"Er… but pick what you want; I'm not the judge. I better… swing by the other tables to see if everything's alright. I'll be here whenever you're ready."

That was weird. I need to get a grip, and fast…

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s nervous thought stopped for a brief moment as she watched Ryver take orders and deliver food. Despite how she usually talked about herself online, she looked… beautiful. The way her hair flowed, her soft lips, her plain outfit, her-

Wait, what am I doing?! I can’t think about Ryver like that, I-I just met her!

She snapped herself out of her daze as she saw Ryver come over to her table. “U-Um, hi Ryver! Great to see you in-person too!” Oleana stared at her as she listened to Ryver ramble about seafood to her. Truthfully, it eventually just became a blur as she focused more on her lovely face…

Ugh, stop it Oleana! You came here just to talk to her, don’t go in trying to get a girlfriiiieeeeend!

“W-Well, um…” Oleana’s face reddened as she tried to think of something to say to Ryver. “A-Are you on the menu~?”

WHY DID I SAY THAT, WHY DID I SAY THAAAAAAT?!?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH-

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver almost had to stop in place at her words — so much for trying to slip away to collect herself… She couldn't just leave Oleana hanging and embarrass her — maybe she could play along.

"Well, not usually… Were you expecting me to be?" She asked, slowly pulling herself back to the table.

Wow, she sounded wayyyy too flirtatious; she didn't expect to come in swinging like that, it sort of just… happened. No one had ever flirted with her like this before, and she kind of didn't know what to do with herself. What was even normal in this kind of situation?! She swallowed and decided to just keep things rolling, even though she could feel her boss' eyes drillng into the back of her head; it was like he had the sight of a Braviary sometimes.

"I'm not on sale at the moment, but… after hours maybe?" Yeah, that sounded good enough right? Wait, was she really flirting with a customer right now…? It felt a little wrong, but there was just something, a tiny little something, that felt right.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana’s face reddened even more after hearing Ryver’s response to her… extremely flirtatious comment. “I-I, um… maybe, yeah.”

She noticed Ryver’s boss glaring at her, and proceeded to glare back, along with grinning and showing off her surprisingly sharp teeth, almost as if she was trying to say give her a damn break, or something along the lines of that.

“Um, s-sure! Whenever you have a break, let me know…” Oleana felt… surprisingly at ease around Ryver. It felt weird, normally most people either annoyed her or were annoyed by her. But… she didn’t feel that with Ryver.

…Maybe there was something more there.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver casted a sidewards glance, noticing her boss suddenly backtrack, focusing on something else for a change — man, she's good. There was that hint of confidence she had just now, literally baring her fangs, but then it slipped right back into that cautious nervousness she could relate to just a little too well. It was like looking at herself from a different point of view almost, but she couldn't be entirely certain; she could just not be as confident in making first impressions or something like that. More importantly, why the hell was she psycho-analyzing this girl? Even if it was just in her head, it felt a little creepy since she wasn't actually saying anything for a few minutes.

Hearing her speak up again, she smiled — the only genuine one she had shown this whole shift. "I'll be working for about an hour longer until we close up. I could sneak you into the stockroom after my boss is gone and grab a couple of drinks 'on the house'," she answered, finding the words easier and easier to come out of her mouth. Talking with Oleana, even if in short bursts, just felt so… natural.

She was going to open her mouth again, until a menu was suddenly shoved against her chest by one of the other servers, a silent warning to "get the fuck back to work". Ryver rolled her eyes and stood up straight again, tucking the menu under her arm.

"I wish I could get paid minimum wage to just sit around, but unfortunately I'm still on company time… if you need more time to order, I can just swing back 'round."

[trubbishtime]

Oleana felt herself getting less and less anxious as she talked to Ryver. Something about her just made her feel less… guarded. She didn’t feel like she had to hide everything from her, or keep herself safe. Just being around her made her feel all happy and fuzzy inside.

Maybe I’m just overthinking it though… could just be nothing.

“…Y’know what, sure! That sounds good to me.” Oleana smiled warmly towards Ryver. “Just say the word and I’ll be there.”

She saw the server shove a menu towards Ryver, staring at them as they walked away and growling, not too dissimilar to an angry Yamper.

“Um…” Oleana started messing around with her hair as she tried to think of what she wanted. “J-Just what you suggested earlier, I suppose.”

[hulburyryversyde]

"Great, uhm, be back in a sec…"

Once Ryver was far enough away from her, she had a minute to pull herself together again while getting back into the flow of her work, giving her the chace to fully grasp and collect her thoughts. A part of her was still shocked she had even done that in the first place; was that what flirting was like…? A little stressful, honestly, but the rigidness felt like it had smoothed itself out over time. Maybe this was something different for once, someone she could genuinely feel comfortable around without having to put up some kind of wall to show she was keeping things together, while really that couldn't be further from the truth.

You don't know that yet. She could just blow you off after tonight.

…No. She and Oleana were making good conversation. They had to have a friendship or something start to form, right? Maybe Ryver just hadn't told her enough about herself — yeah, that was it!

Spill too much and she'll get uncomfortable — that's happened before, dipshit. But of course you'll let it happen again.

Fine, new option! They agreed to talk some more after she finished work, right? That has to mean something, right? This could be the start of a real friendship!

Or just as a way for her to make fun of you behind your back once she gets enough info.

Why was her mind like this?!

She was so lost in thought, she almost ran right into a patron, quickly swerving out of the way, though stumbling on her feet a little before focusing her attention back to where she was going again, doing a quick lap around the tables until returning to Oleana's.

"Sorry for the wait. Heh…"

What, were you expecting her to wait for you?

She pushed the thought aside with an internal grumble.

"Figured out what you wanna order yet?"

[trubbishtime]

“O-Ok! See you in a sec!”

As Oleana watched Ryver walk away from her, she almost immediately started having anxious thoughts fill her mind.

O-Oh sweet Arceus, why did I say any of that?! She’s gonna think I’m weird, or a creep, o-or an idiot! Ohhhhhh, what am I gonna do?! I can’t think of anything to say to her…

As Oleana’s mind wrestled with her inner thoughts, one of the servers walked over to her. “Excuse me ma’am, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Oleana looked up at him with a surprised face. “B-But I reserved this table yesterday, a-and I’m supposed to be here to meet a-” “Be that as it may, the boss said that you were leering at him, and we don’t allow that kind of behavior here. Now, I’ll escort you out, young lady.”

The young server grabbed Oleana by the arm and started dragging her out of the restaurant. “H-Hey, what are you doing?! Let go of me!”

Some people started glaring at her, while some laughed and even pointed. They seemed to just see her as entertainment.

She looked like she was about to cry.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver stopped, as if all of time had frozen around her.

What the fuck were they doing?

She had just met this girl, but she was prepared to fight tooth and nail to put her back in that seat, even if it cost her a job; she'd just find another one if she had to. She walked past the rows of jeering, clearly entertained individuals, her smile completely shifted to a blazing scowl. She stood in front of the server, folding her arms.

"What's going on?" she asked, barely trying to keep her voice from screaming at him.

"The boss told me to get rid of her," he answered casually. It infuriated her, most especially because she would answer the same way with any other person they had to get rid of; but Oleana was different, and she wouldn't let this stand.

"Put her back," she growled.

"Boss' orders. Take it up with him," he retaliated.

"I don't care what he does. She's not leaving."

She spotted her boss staring daggers into her chest, but promptly ignored him; she had bigger things to deal with right now. She knew the man would probably be prepared to make an intervention on the matter; she had to get Oleana to somewhere safe, or at least far from him. The place was busy enough — if they lied low, they could slip by. The storeroom was nearby; it'd have to do.

Taking Oleana's hand, she pulled her in a new direction, crouched down and moving quietly through the lines of tables and customers, occasionally poking her head up to make sure her boss hadn't caught up to them. She pulled open the door to the storeroom, hurrying the both of them inside before shutting the door and locking it behind them.

Ryver slumped against the door with an annoyed huff. "Sorry about all this trouble; I wasn't expecting them to throw you out all of a sudden like that. My boss can be a real prick sometimes."

Stop making this about you for one second, idiot!

"O-Oh! Are you… are you ok? I kind of just dragged you along and—" she trailed off into unsure mumbles as the words tangled in her throat.

[trubbishtime]

Oleana tried not to cry as she saw Ryver and the server arguing about her.

And of course, you aren’t even standing up for yourself, you idiot.

She didn’t want to think about it.

She’s putting her job on the line for you, and all you can do is whimper and cry like a little baby.

She felt her eyes watering up with tears.

She’ll leave you, just like the rest of them. Why would she want to be with you anyways?!

Oleana’s breathing got heavier and faster. It felt like the whole world was collapsing around her.

You’re useless. You’re an idiot, a good-for-nothing hack. You. Are. NOTHING.

Oleana snapped out of her panic as Ryver spoke to her, taking a few moments to calm down and ground herself. “It’s… it’s ok. I’m fine, s-see?”

She was clearly not fine.

[hulburyryversyde]

Ryver's face softened, knowing that look Oleana was giving her all too well; it felt like looking in a mirror almost…

"This probably wasn't your idea of a nice dinner at all, huh?" she said, standing up to flick on the dim, buzzing lights of the storeroom.

Assorted boxes littered the floor, some opened, the rest sealed or slightly dented as if they were just thrown in there without much care. Wine bottles of various flavors and styles were lined up on racks, Ryver reaching for one to slide out of it.

"Why don't I help you take the edge off? You've had this stuff before, haven't you?" She bit down on the cork, and with a grunt of effort, pulled it off with a pop. "Hope you don't mind sharing a bottle; I couldn't exactly grab some glasses on such short notice."

She brought the bottle to her lips and downed a decent amount, wiping her mouth with a finger and offering the bottle to Oleana.

"So, what's the deal with you? I guess I never really got the chance to ask anything about you. Best thing I had was your Rotomblr page… Never took you for a researcher type. Always left that to the old folks."

She paused, shrugging off her words. "Er— well, I mean, it's still ok if you're into that kinda thing, obviously."

Smooth moves, jackass.