A/N: Pre-player character winning the league.
Coquelicot
poppy red; brilliant red
#1: Introduction
…
He gets to the meeting terribly, terribly late.
And yet, Steven is impressed because she takes his hand and shakes it strongly, with a chipper smile adorning her pretty face.
Steven, already used to business meetings with poker-faced old men, immediately notices the strain in her smile, the nervous timbre of her voice when she introduces herself. He thinks it's cute that she's trying to be a little more confident and whatnot, but he can't help but to tease her about it: "Are you nervous?"
Flannery stares at her shoes and bites down on her lip until he places a hand on her shoulder. He is undecided – squeeze reassuringly or not to – but in the end decides to tighten. She brings her bright reds to his grey and looks at him like she's expecting something.
"There's no reason to be nervous." He lets his hand fall. "Becoming a gym leader is a joyous occasion. I know that you won't get a confirmation from a certificate, but I can assure you that you are ready."
She steps back, sits on the small couch. The lobby of the League building is empty; there is a thin layer of confetti paving the marble floor, and he hears it shuffling under her feet when she moves to sit. Everyone has gone home save for Wallace and Sidney, and the two men are by the pokécenter counter, cheerfully chatting over a card game. Steven sits beside her, and takes care not to have their thighs touch.
He's sure that there are fifteen million questions in her head: Will I ever be half the leader my grandfather was? Will I be good enough? Will I fail? He knows because he's been there. Arguing with his father since the age of eleven makes him fairly knowledgeable about issues regarding confidence. The problem is that he doesn't bend to anyone's will, and his father has recognized it. Flannery isn't him, of course, and she's fairly younger as well, which makes her nothing but a competent trainer in a world of elites. He understands.
There is a slight silence, but it's a comfortable one. He's almost sorry to break it. Steven knows that sharing a comfortable silence is something rare and precious, at least in his world.
"It's not just fun and games. You have to work, and you have to train. As a gym leader, you are a role model for every single young trainer that challenges you. Being a gym leader is … I won't lie, it's hard. But it's fulfilling—" he glances towards Wallace and smiles softly, "—or so I have been told."
Flannery lets out a small giggle and when Steven shifts to glance at her, he finds her relatively more relaxed. She pulls closer to the sofa and sighs, and before he can say anything, she opens her mouth and lets out a torrent: "This party was stressful. I was nervous. I didn't know anyone. I drank a little too much fruit punch. I think it was spiked. … I'm blabbing."
Flannery buries her face in her hands and leans back.
"It gets better from here on. You get experience. You have fun. You meet interesting people." He remembers a small teen, with brown hair and blue eyes, who manoeuvred pokémon more beautifully than Wallace, and goes on. "You don't have to face this as a responsibility. However, you mustn't forget it still is one."
Flannery lets her hands drop until they're settled beside her hips, and Steven feels a little uncomfortable when he feels her fingers brush his. He tries not to think much of it, but the heat in his face warns him that he's failed at indifference.