Calemine sat at a table in a very red café, wondering how someone as intelligent, as talented, and as driven as it takes to become a Regional Professor at Sycamore's age-she didn't remember the number off hand, but it couldn't be much over thirty-could also be so incredibly dense.

Earlier, when she'd been called on her Holo by Sycamore just after defeating Clemont, she couldn't quite believe her ears. "Café Lysandre? Prof, have you seen the suits that hang around there, I don't-"

"Oh, I suppose it's a bit fancy, but you'll be fine, mon amie," said Sycamore, his little hologram waving nonchalantly at nothing. "If you're that woried, though, the boutique isn't far, non? Take your time, Cale, if you must, but not too long. A plus tard, mon ami!" And the hologram had clicked off without giving Calem a chance to get a word in edgewise. She remembered thinking the professor seemed a bit off, but who was she to say-they had only spoken in person a few times, with most of their communication via text and files sent, one-way.

Of course, she didn't buy anything at the Lumiose Boutique, though she did go check it out. She was balking at the price tags visible on the window displays to begin with. While she was more likely to go for men's wear, which she thought she could see in the second story -or, wait, was that the 'first' in Kalos?-she wasn't confident that it would be much less than the fare on ground. Even so, Calemine was surprised when she entered the store and the clerk turned her out without a second glance. She wasn't very proud of the insults she flung at the poor woman, but at least no one else seemed to notice.

So she ended up just wearing the nicest thing she already had with her, and made her way to Lysandre's extremely suspicious Café in a rather wrinkly pants suit and a less than stunning necklace and bracelet pair, with a matching clip to keep her lately-rather-shaggy bangs out of her face.

There weren't too many people inside the café-and most of them did not seem particularly fancy. In fact, she didn't see a single other Team Flare member after passing the one standing outside. She rather felt overdressed, but by the time she'd decided that, she'd already seen Sycamore sharing a table with Lysandre himself-and had been seen. Lysandre even beckoned her over. So she walked and sat down at one of the chairs, and was greeted with, "Calem, mon amie, you look... strange."

Before she could answer, though, Lysandre added, "Well, this is an improvement from last time, at least, even if that necklace is... interesting."

"Well, I do apologize for being proud of stones I found and jewelry I made myself," Calemine responded with false politeness, though she eyed their wine glasses and the half-empty bottle between the two two men in front of her, and wondered if the sarcasm wasn't lost on them.

Sycamore looked at Lysandre in surprise, and started, "You knew he was-ah..." but was glared down rather quickly by both of his companions. After a few moments of silence, Sycamore finally said,"So, you... have been a woman this entire time, oui?"

Calemine took a deep breath. "Yes. Well, 'woman' feels a little old, but yeah, that's the right gender. But that's not the point. You called me here for a reason?"

Sycamore shook his head. "Non, nothing in particular. I just heard you and Lysandre were both in town, and I wanted to spend temps de qualité with mes amis, oui? You have perfect timing, even. I was just talking to Lysandre about Mega Evolution, wasn't I, Lys?"

"Yes, yes," Lysandre answered, and turned to Calem to continue, "And I wanted to cornga-con-gra-tu-late you, as well. I hope to achieve Mega Evolution myself someday."

Calemine waited for Lysandre to say more, but after several seconds it became apparent that was all there was. "Thanks?"

"You know," Sycamore said, "Lysandre is actually of-of royal ancestry. He is, truly... a chosen one."

The two went on like that for a while-Calemine felt they were only a drink or so away from the 'I love you man' point, but they never said anything quite so funny; it was mostly just bragging about the other friend there. Calem rather felt like a third wheel, though she supposed that these two lovebirds wouldn't have an audience otherwise.

Lysandre eventually shifted into the philosophical drunk, and said some things that were very alarming to Calemine, about a legend of a king and his ultimate weapon, and stating directly that he thought it was terrible, but indirectly seemed to support it-"washed the world clean of the era's filth" were the exact words, if she recalled (and heard) that correctly.

So she sat, and stared at the King's Rock Lysandre had given her when he left. If he were just any man, that drunken ramble would mean next to nothing-but Lysandre was a powerful man, and she couldn't understand how Sycamore could sit there and just call him 'passionate'.

"Proff Suh-Sycamore," Calem started, internally cursing her low alcohol tolerance.

Sycamore put a hand out and cut her off, saying, "Call me Augustine, mon amie? At least while not in the lab?"

Calemine nodded. "Au-gush-time." Even without the drink it felt a bit weird, but oh, well. "But serioushly, your friend there needs help."

Sycamore-Augustine-whatever his name was-shrugged. "It's his way of looking at things. Of course, it's not the ONLY way to think. Calem!" She jumped at the sudden force behind his voice when he said her name. "What is truly important, now, what's imporant mon amie is the time you spend with others! Treasure these moments you spend traveling the Kalos region, and don't forget to take time for yourself, on occasion."

Calem raised an eyebrow. "Like you're doing, sir?"

Nodding, Sycamore replied, "Yes, just as I am. ...Well, perhaps minus the wine that was supposed to be for you, to celebrate your acceptance of your intern application by my surperiors."

Eyebrow still high, Calemine put her elbow on the table and her chin in the hand above it, asking, "Serperiors? So you've got three regions' worth of Starter Pokémon now, have you?" The Professor rolled his eyes, and Calem continued, "But s-sher-sero- but really, thass awesome. Jus' kin'a wish I was making a be'er impression on my future director, or whatever."

Sycamore put his hand forward on the table and patted it lightly, saying, "Non, mon-er, ma?-chérie, I'm the one who should apologize for the impression. Lysandre and I helped ourselves to this long before you were here, this hardly counts as your party, hm? 'M afraid I cannot spare much time outside of Lumiose lately, but next time you are here, I shall treat you properly, oui? For now-for now, you may do as you wish, be it stay or go. I should be most obliged if you'd stay, though. Help me finish off the rest of the bottle, maybe? It would be shuch a shame for it to go to waste."

Calemine chose to stay, and they spoke about many things-most of which Calem had forgotten quickly, due to the wine. She smiled and laughed and did enjoy herself, but her foot was tapping more and more as the wine in the bottle dwindled. When Sycamore poured the last of the bottle into Calemine's glass-it wasn't even filled up halfway-he asked her, smiling, "I have a tab here, shall we order another bottle?"

One blink from Calemine, and the glowing smile on her face dimmed-it still hung about her mouth, but the warmth had left her eyes. She held out her wrist as if to check the time, barely glancing at the mega ring that had replaced her watch. "My, look at the time!" she said, standing up. "You take this," she said, moving her glass closer to his side of the table, "I don't, ah, think I can finish it. I really must be going though. Smell-hrm. No, no, not that. Ah, how about, 'au revior?' Yes, that's good. Au revoir!" And she was out of the café before Sycamore had even fully processed what happened.

To be honest, Calemine wasn't sure quite what had happened either, but she did know that she wouldn't make it anywhere alone. In a flash of red light, her Lucario, Marius, materialized, and helped her find her way back to the Pokémon Center to sleep.