♠ Riley :D
♠ :Your muse adjusting their jewelry/neck tie/ etc.
The next time Leaf came to Sinnoh, Riley invited her for a tour of Canalave City.
At the time, dire circumstances made her visit an unpleasant one, chocked full of mystery and a race against the clock. Now that the situation had calmed down – and he had more or less recovered from the trauma – he figured that he could show her the city that he grew up in. Besides, there was someone that would love to meet her. So, when Leaf expressed her intentions to visit Sinnoh once more, Riley jumped at the chance and weeks later, he was standing in front of the city’s entrance, eyes peeled for a white hat.
He didn’t have to wait for long. Riley plastered on a warm smile when Leaf emerged from a distance. He returned her cheery wave with one of his own. When she was within reach, he pulled her in for a brief hug. Riley took a step back, hands still on her shoulders.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Leaf. I hope the journey here was a peaceful one.” He gestured at the city behind them. “Come on. I want to show you around.”
With that, the pair strode past the entrance and into the city. For the next hour or so, Riley pointed out all of the attractions that she didn’t have time to admire previously, answering all of her questions and providing a bit of lore to some of the more impressive looking ones. She had also asked, in a quieter voice, of how the citizens and himself were faring.
“Well, it’s getting easier to sleep at night. That’s always good news,” was his reply. Riley did not want the good mood to be ruined so he directed her to one of the houses. It was designed like all the others but this one had a few potted plants lining at the front. He went up to the door, rapped on it a few times before stepping back, his hands clasped behind his back. It wasn’t long before the door opened to reveal a kind looking woman with short black hair and blue eyes.
“Ah Gen-chan!” With that greeting, he leaned down so she could kiss him on the cheeks. Riley returned the gesture fondly before his mother noticed Leaf’s presence.
“Oh my! Who’s this beautiful young lady?”
His smile became softer. “This is her, mom. The girl that helped me.”
Understanding flashed in her eyes before her gaze flickered to Leaf. Catherine slowly approached her, an unreadable look on her face. It then melts into one of gratitude as she pulled Leaf into a hug.
“Thank you. For saving my son,” she said, voice warbling slightly. The embrace lasted for a few more seconds and then she promptly invites everyone inside for some cookies and tea.
Tea time was a pleasant affair, filled with riveting tales of adventure from Leaf and embarrassing childhood stories from Catherine. Throughout it all, Riley had wished for the ground to swallow him up a couple of times. He loved his mother dearly but could she not share some of his less than proud moments with others?
“I was a kid at that time…” Riley muttered dejectedly after a particularly embarrassing tale. At some point, the fedora that he placed on the table had fallen to the ground but he couldn’t find it in him to pick it up just yet. It seemed that he didn’t have to.
Before he knew it, his hat was back in place courtesy of Leaf. Riley stared in mild surprise when she tweaked the position, her lips quirked in a friendly smile.
“Your mom said that you looked like a sad Shinx,” was her giggly reply. “She asked me to cheer you up while she makes us some more tea.”
“And this helps, how?” Riley couldn’t stop himself from asking.
Leaf’s smile morphed into a cheeky grin. “You don’t look sad anymore.”
When she put it that way, he couldn’t deny her odd logic. Riley merely shook his head lightly, picked up his hat and placed it back on the table. “Thanks, I suppose. I wouldn’t have been ‘sad’ in the first place if you haven’t laughed at my mom’s tales.”
The playful teases started up again and at that moment, Riley felt like all was right with the world.
