i never was good at surprises.
@professormadrone has been hit the heck up!
He had to admit, he was feeling uncharacteristically giddy as he stood in front of the cabin-style home, staring at the door as he worked up the nerve to actually knock and make his presence known.
How long had it been now? A few months? Almost a year? Perhaps even longer since the two professors were able to meet face to face like this. Living in entirely different regions was a big enough hurdle to jump alone, but the added factors of endless paperwork and Noah’s deathly fear of air travel made casual meetups like this near impossible. Limited to emails and texting, and maybe the occasional video call if possible for the longest time, it made what should have been as something simple as saying hello face to face like a big deal.
… Maybe it was also because he had given Odile zero warning that he was arriving in the first place. Smile faltering just a little, Noah braced himself for the potential negative reaction he might get by just showing up like this. The tray of coffee balanced in one hand and the paper bag of sweet pastries he’d picked up along the way tucked under his arm might not suffice as compensation for turning up on the woman’s doorstep out of the blue.
‘HURRY UP.’
The squawked words jolted Noah from his thoughts, his eyes narrowing to throw a petty glare at the Chatot that perched itself on his shoulder. It was only right to bring Noodle along with him, he figured, though now that the baby bird held a stronger grasp on the English language (and a rather hasty personality to go with it) he was starting to regret his decision.
Still… the noisy, brightly colored Pokémon had a point. He couldn’t linger around all day, and his fingers were already twitching for a cigarette his hands were too full to hold. Clearing his throat and straightening his posture, Noah followed the Chatot’s advice and rapped his knuckles against the door, plastering another pleasant smile on his face as he awaited its opening.
For the love of Arceus, please just be happy pleasantly surprised to see him too.












