Gotta get this to Father, Janine thought anxiously, carrying a small metal box in her hands while dashing through the hallways of the Indigo Plateau. Her pink ninja scarf flailed in the wind as she rushed past numerous people, pushing door after door open until finally reaching her father's room. The room was not unlike that of a forest; grass covered the floor and moss adorned the walls around the room. The sides of the room were decorated with the shadows of trees while stone tiles graced the floor. In the center of the room stood an older man who was in deep concentration. This man possessed spiky hair that was of a greying teal hue. He wore a black ninja uniform, a fishnet undershirt, a red scarf, silver leg plates, and black tabi socks.
"Hello, Father!" Janine shouted quickly, bowing her head while gasping for breath. Standing next to her father, the similarity in their outfits became more noticeable.
Koga slowly opened his eyes. A small smile crept onto his lips. "Afternoon, Janine," he greeted in a tone that was serious but also relaxed. His eyes locked onto the metal box. "I suppose that is my lunch," he assumed with a smirk.
Janine nodded eagerly, placing the box in her father's hands. When the two stood side by side, she realized how similar her attire was compared to his. She wore a black ninja uniform with baggy pants that bore an incredible resemblance towards Koga's, a pink sash and matching scarf, a brown undershirt that enveloped her shoulders, purple-and-pink wristbands and anklets, and white tabi socks. She kept her purple hair tied up with a yellow ribbon, giving the back of her hair a far spikier appearance. "I made your favorite," she said eagerly, hoping her cooking would not disappoint.
Koga chuckled as he opened the box, revealing an assortment of meats, vegetables, and rice. "Thank you, Janine," he said, using his left hand to ruffle her hair.
Janine smiled, placing her hands together and performing a respectful bow. "You're welcome," she stated proudly.
"It's always good to know how to cook," Koga admitted with a chuckle. "The food around here isn't particularly good for my health."
"That's what you got me for," Janine replied happily.
Koga's smile contorted into a frown. "Are you sure you don't mind bringing me lunch every day?" he asked, observing the fact that Janine was panting. "You don't have to if you don't want to..."
"Nah, it's fine," Janine stated between gasps, waving her left hand in refusal. "I like seeing you every day."
"I know that, but there are less exhausting ways to get to the League," Koga retorted, placing the metal box on the ground. "You always run here everyday. I know it's pretty easy to cross the towns in this region, but it's got to be tiring at some point. Why not just have Crobat fly you here?" he suggested, referring to the poison-and-flying type Pokémon that Janine had used as her battling partner.
Janine shook her head. "It's part of my training, Father," she replied. "I want to get stronger than you and I can't do that by taking shortcuts."
Koga sighed. "You're as stubborn as I used to be," he said with a smile, crossing his arms. He remembered back when he was a teenager, always rushing around while searching for new training methods. The only thing that made him stop and slow down for a while was becoming a father at seventeen years old. It did not help matters that he was a single parent as well. He had raised Janine as he continued to train, giving her his fighting spirit and the need to become stronger. He always made sure that she was well fed, even if he usually relied on take out. He considered himself lucky that one of Janine's school classes taught her how to cook, although that instilled a sense of guilt in himself for never being able to teach her himself. Looking at where he was now at thirty-seven years old, mostly keeping to himself and usually interacting only with his daughter, he supposed he still possessed an iota of stubborness.
Janine grinned. "Like father, like daughter," she stated.
"You put a lot of training in your own skills," Koga observed, which was music to his daughter's ears. "However," he stated, raising his right index finger and startling Janine slightly. "You need to make sure you don't overdo it," he commanded, causing Janine to groan.
"Come on, Father," Janine complained. "I'm not doing anything you wouldn't have," she pointed out.
"True," Koga admitted. "But I've been on this planet for much longer than you have, so I know quite a bit more than you do."
"You wouldn't be my inspiration if you didn't have so much knowledge," Janine replied, rubbing the back of her hair happily.
Koga sighed. "I appreciate the kind words," he stated, attempting to regain his composure. "But I need you to take these words to heart: there are other ways to train. You'll lose yourself if you become stuck only training your body. Relaxation is another form of training, you know. At the moment, your mind and soul are still weak."
Janine's eyes widened in surprise. She knew that she was not the strongest around, but she had not expected her father to outright call her weak. "What are you talking about, Father?" she questioned. "I can relax! And how is my mind and soul weak?"
"You're too easily angered, for one," Koga retorted, making veins on Janine's head twitch even more. "Janine, just take a deep breath," he said sternly.
Janine goraned before she let oxygen fill and deplete her lungs quickly. "There," she stated.
"You did it too fast," Koga observed, making Janine groan even more. "Your mind is weak because you only focus on training yourself, and to an excessive degree. Your bond with your Pokémon is very weak. How many times have you been defeated at your own gym?"
"Uh..." Janine murmured, losing the ability to speak.
"How many times?" Koga questioned, making Janine bite her tongue.
"Too many times!" Janine finally blurted out loud. "I'm sorry, Father!" The more she thought about it, the more she realized how right he was. Even her Crobat, which could evolve from a Golbat through friendship, had been neglected over the years in favor of her own training. She had believed that an emphasis on her own training would pass down onto her partners and strengthen them as well, but she now saw that she had ignored their training.
"It's fine as long as you can rectify the mistake," Koga assured her. "With your soul, it's too corrupted by your obsession to be like me."
Janine raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" she questioned.
"I appreciate your respect for me, but you need to carve your own path," Koga suggested. "Do you want to live in my shadow forever?" he asked.
"No," Janine murmured, understanding completely what he meant. Most places she went, she was recognized as Koga's daughter, not as the Gym Leader of Fuchsia City nor as just Janine. She had usually viewed being seen as Koga's daughter to be an accomplishment, but now she was not so sure. Her father consumed her life entirely, being the inspiration of her wardrobe and Pokémon style. "I just want to become stronger than you, Father."
"And why is that?" Koga questioned.
Janine froze, trying to think of a somewhat competent answer. "I... don't know..." she choked up, fighting back tears. "I guess I wanted to make you proud..."
Koga sighed. "You should do it to make yourself proud," he suggested, ruffling her hair once more. "I've always been proud of you, Janine. You're a remarkable young woman, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement."
"I don't feel remarkable," Janine admitted, rubbing her wet eyes. "You make everything look natural. How do you do it?"
"I've always been focused on the goal of self-improvement," Koga answered confidently. "You're still young, so you don't have as much experience as I do. When you're young, you feel like you're invincible and that feeling is great, but it's not something you should latch onto. Your goals in life should reflect upon you, not me nor anybody else."
Janine took a deep breath and nodded. "I understand, Father," she stated.
"Are you going to take those words to heart?" he asked, prompting another nod.
"I promise I will," she assured him.
A door behind them opened, revealing a woman of similar age to Koga. This woman had pale skin like Janine and Koga did and long silvery-blue hair that reached past her waist. She wore a yellow spaghetti strap cropped tank top that exposed her midriff, white knee-length pants with yellow beads, and yellow high heels. Her tank top possessed four straps, two on each side that strapped over her bare shoulders. The thirty-five year old woman strut through the room, walking up to the man and his daughter. "Long time no see, Janine," she greeted cooly, giving a slow wave to the young woman. "It's rare that anybody sees you here. You're usually gone before anybody can see you." Her eyes locked onto Koga. "You're aging well, Koga," she joked, observing his greying hair.
Koga grimaced. "You don't have to rub it in," he muttered.
Janine chuckled nervously. "Hey, Karen," she greeted, hoping she had regained some of her lost composure from her conversation with her father. "How's it going?" she asked the Elite Four member. Karen ranked even higher in terms of power within the Elite Four, being even stronger than her father.
"Well, just a bit bored without any challengers," Karen admitted. "I don't suppose you want to challenge me, do you?" she asked with a devious smirk.
Janine immediately shook her head. "No thanks!" she shouted, making Koga and Karen laugh. "I... need to train more..."
"That's fine," Karn said warmly. "Don't want to bite off more than you can chew." Her eyes caught onto the box of food sitting on the ground. "Speaking of which... Koga, were you intending to share that?"
Koga laughed nervously. "You weren't supposed to see that..." he murmured, picking up the box.
Karen's eyes locked onto Janine's. "It seems you've been hiding your cook from us," she joked, playfully poking Janine's ribs with her left elbow. "Can you make me something? I've been dying for something actually good around these parts."
"Uh..." Janine murmured, unsure of how to respond. She had never spoken to Karen before, only seeing her briefly every once in a while. Karen was aware of her existence, having met Janine briefly when she was still a teenager as her father was crowned as a member of the Elite Four a few years ago. Janine tried to think of something clever, hoping that she would look the least bit cool in front of one of the greatest trainers of her time. "How much are you willing to pay for it?" she asked nervously. Ah! I screwed it up! she wanted to shout.
Karen merely giggled. "That's the spirit," she replied, snapping her fingers. "If you are good at something, never do it for free."
Koga raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked, flabbergasted. "What kind of values are you trying to teach my daughter?"
Karen chuckled apprehensively, quickly shaking her head. "I'm only kidding!" she insisted. She returned her gaze to Janine. "So how much do you charge?"
"Karen!" Koga snapped.
"Sorry," Karen apologized with a grin. "You're so tense, Koga. Don't you ever talk to anybody besides your daughter?"
"I'll just leave you to it, then," Janine murmured, sidestepping her way out the door. She quickly dashed away as she could hear Koga shouting while Karen was merely laughing.
Falkner. Janine's only friend. The blue-haired twenty-two year old stood within the Celadon Department Store. He wore a white sash, some indigo shorts, black-and-red wristbands, a white-outlined blue jacket decorated with four white buttons, white socks and black shoes. His blue hair covered his right eye, causing him to try to blow it out of the way. He stood between two shelves of numerous items on the fourth floor, waiting for a certain somebody to show up. He tapped his left foot against the ground. Where is she? he wondered, beginning to whistle to kill the time.
"Are you really whistling?" a voice dripping with sarcasm asked. He looked to his left and nearly jumped upon seeing Janine standing inches away from his face.
"Ah!" he yelled, bumping into the shelf to his right.
Janine giggled. "What, did I scare you?" she asked with a mirthful grin.
"No," Falkner insisted, readjusting himself to the lack of breathing room. He had known Janine for a few months, the two having met in the same spot as they both stood now. He raised an eyebrow upon noticing an anxious look on Janine's face. "You doing okay?" he asked.
Janine nodded. "Never better," she stated quickly. "So what's been going on with you, bird brain?" she questioned, crossing her arms. She loved to make reference to his obsession with training bird-themed Pokémon, knowing full well that the term annoyed him.
Falkner chuckled to hide his annoyance. "Don't call me that, you snake," he retorted with a grin.
"Very creative," Janine retorted with a pout. Their last few conversations usually had the duo discussing their fathers. Much like Janine, Falkner had inherited his status as a Gym Leader from his father. Unlike Janine, Falkner resided in the Johto region, which rested alongside the Kanto region that the ninja took residence in. The two would always meet in this spot to chat every Monday, usually finding a new way to talk about one's father was better than the other's.
"What do you got on your mind?" he asked, noticing Janine's eyes shifting around. "Is something wrong?"
"It's nothing," she assured him. "What do you want to talk about today?"
"Oh! Uh..." Falkner scratched his chin, hoping to create an icebreaker. "Anything exciting happen with your dad?"
"Yeah, I guess..." Janine murmured, looking down at her feet.
Falkner tilted his head in confusion. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.
Janine sighed. "Maybe later," she said with a sigh. "What's been up with you?"
Falkner shrugged. "Just taking care of the gym back home," he surmised. "Although I can't say my trainers love me enough to dress up as me," he joked, referring to the trainers inside Janine's gym who would dress up as the ninja to confuse challengers.
"I suppose I'm not really original that way," Janine joked, rubbing her shoulders furiously.
"Everything okay?" Falkner asked, noticing the anxiety in her motions. "You seem really tense."
"A little," Janine conceded, rubbing her hands together. "I've been kind of stressed out lately." She let out another sigh. "I've got a lot of things on my mind right now. Can you give me a few minutes?"
"Uh... sure," Falkner replied, scratching his head.
"Thanks," Janine stated, dashing away and running down the escalators. She soon found herself resting her back against the outside wall of the store. Dang it, she wanted to say. How could I screw things up like that? She hated to keep her friend waiting, but she could not find the willpower to speak to him.
"Hey, what's wrong?" a cheerful voice asked, startling her. She looked to her left to see a young woman only two years younger than her. This person had pink hair pulled into two ponytails and two small yellow barrettes that helped hold it back. She wore a white shirt with red stripes over the end of the sleeves and down the middle with gold buttons, denim shorts, a black undershirt, and long black-and-blue striped socks that nearly covered her entire shins. Her right arm possessed a red wristband and her shoes had the same red and white pattern as her shirt.
"Who are you?" Janine questioned, keeping on her toes. She supposed there was a certain irony in a ninja being startled, but she was not about to say that out loud.
"Name's Whitney," the eager young lady replied. "I couldn't help but noticed you were pretty upset when you were talking to your boyfriend. If you want, you can talk to me," she offered. "I'm a good listener."
Janine raised an eyebrow. While was happy to take the offer, there was a certain something about what Whitney said that bothered her. "He's… not my boyfriend," she stated sternly, her cheeks becoming crimson.
Whitney chuckled. "Sure he isn't," she said with a wink. "I know Falkner. We're both Gym Leaders back in Johto. He wouldn't just visit some girl in another region unless something was going on between them."
"Uh... I don't know..." Janine muttered, looking down at the ground. "I can't imagine that many guys liking me."
Whitney tilted her head in confusion. "Why's that?" she questioned.
"I'm... too stubborn..." Janine murmured, losing confidence in her voice.
"Eh, some people find that attractive," Whitney replied with a shrug.
"It's not that," Janine muttered. "It's my father."
"You're dating your dad?" Whitney asked, surprised by such an idea. "That's... kind of weird."
Janine's eyes widened in terror. She held out her hands and shook them frantically. "No! I'm not dating my father!" she shouted. "And I'm not dating bird brain, either!"
"Is that your pet name for him?" Whitney asked, now sporting a devious grin. "What does he call you?"
Janine sighed. "You're not going to drop this, are you?" she asked.
"Probably not," Whitney admitted with a giggle. She held up her left index finger. "But first, let's talk about your dad. What's going on with him?"
Janine rubbed her shoulders nervously. "It's hard to explain..."
"Then explain it slowly," Whitney suggested. "That'll make it easier."
"Okay," Janine stated, taking a deep breath. "My father is Koga."
"Yeah, I know," Whitney replied. "Everyone knows who your dad is."
"Let me finish," Janine demanded.
"Sorry," Whitney apologized, scratching her head sheepishly.
"He told me that I need to train myself in a new way," Janine began. "I'm too much like him and he wants me to carve my own path."
"I see..." Whitney murmured, intrigued by Janine's inner turmoil.
"My entire life, he was my inspiration and now he tells me that I need to inspire myself," Janine continued, looking down at her attire. She had modeled her outfit after her father's, which was something she used to be quite proud of. "Everything I've ever done in my life was because of him. I don't know how to do things my way. I just wanted to make him proud and he tells me to try doing something that makes me happy." She nearly puked saying that last sentence. "Him being happy made me happy! How am I supposed to be happy on my own?"
"What about Falkner?" Whitney asked. "You didn't talk to him because of your dad. You talked to him because you wanted to."
"Even then, we still talked about my father," Janine murmured weakly. "I'm obsessed with him. He's my hero... or at least, he was... I mean, he still is, but..."
"Maybe you should do something that'll take your mind off it," Whitney suggested. "How about a one-on-one Pokémon battle?" she asked, pulling out a Poké Ball.
"Okay, but if I win, you're going to stop asking me questions about bird brain," Janine replied with a smirk, pulling out her own Poké Ball.
"Okay, but if I win, you and Falkner are going out at a restaurant back in my home city," Whitney replied with a smug grin. "I know all the best restaurants there."
Janine chuckled. "That isn't going to happen. You're on." She tossed her Poké Ball onto the ground, watching it open and releasing Crobat. Her partner was a purple, bat-like Pokémon with a small, round body. She had long, pointed ears, yellow eyes with red pupils, and a small mouth that had her teeth bared. On her body were two pairs of wings: an upper pair that was slightly larger and a lower pair that developed from her legs. Both pairs have green-blue membranes, but the lower pair's membranes were only visible from the back. The upper wings had two claw-like fingers near the middle. On the bottom of her body were a pair of stubby feet or tufts of fur. Don't fail me now, Janine thought to her Crobat.
Whitney gave an underhanded softball toss, releasing her Miltank. The normal type Pokémon was bipedal and bovine. Her body was mostly pink, with a yellow belly and black, angular markings along her back. A black hood-like marking surrounds its face with a pink, triangular mark on its forehead. There were two small horns on top of her head. She possessed large, blue eyes, a black nose, a wide mouth, as well as long, black, floppy ears with yellow insides. She had a yellow udder with four pink teats. All four of her limbs ended in black, cloven hooves, and her long tail is tipped with a black sphere. "I'm warning you, I'm good," Whitney stated, feeling her bond with Miltank surge with exuberance.
Janine raised an eyebrow. "What kind of Pokémon is that?" she asked, observing the cow-like Pokémon.
"Miltank!" Whitney exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "She's my best friend!" Miltank nodded as she stomped her feet against the ground, raring for battle.
"Okay then," Janine murmured, confused by Miltank's bizarre appearance. She had never seen a Pokémon like Miltank, but then again, she had never left the Kanto region to see what other Pokémon existed. Janine pointed her right index at Miltank. "Crobat, use Supersonic!" she commanded. Crobat released yellow sonic waves that quickly approached Miltank. Her intention was to inflict confusion on her opponent, leaving the Miltank helpless as Crobat would tear her to shreds. However, Miltank was not afraid. The cow Pokémon simply grinned, almost mimicking Whitney in that regard.
"You know what to do!" Whitney exclaimed as Miltank sidestepped the attack, horrifying Janine.
Oh no… the ninja murmured inside her thoughts. That was supposed to hit…
"Use rollout!" Whitney shouted, prompting Miltank to curl into a ball and start rolling towards Crobat.
"Get out of the way!" Janine demanded frantically, but it was too late. Crobat's speed was not enough to get away as Miltank bounced off the wall behind Janine's Pokémon and slammed herself into Crobat's back. The poison-and-flying type screeched out in pain, making Janine flinch in horror as she watched Crobat collapse out of the air. Her self-esteem had been shattered enough today already but seeing her Pokémon hurt as much as she did was too much. Miltank bounced her way off Crobat and rolled around the weakened Pokémon, circling around her endlessly.
"Use rollout one more time!" Whitney demanded, holding out her hand to give her command.
"Get back up, Crobat!" Janine pleaded, clenching her fists. "Crobat, I need you to win this! You can do it! Just get back up!" she begged, on the verge of tears. Crobat struggled to pick herself up, barely finding the strength to get back in the air. Her wings ached, shaking constantly as she gasped for air. Miltank bounced into the air and crashed upon Crobat once more, putting her down for the count. This rollout was even stronger than the last one, creating a crater in the ground where Crobat's body lay as Miltank rolled up back to Whitney. "Crobat!" Janine screamed, running over to her unconscious Pokémon. "I'm sorry..." she whimpered as she got on her knees, scooping her partner into her arms.
"Yeah! We did it!" Whitney exclaimed, giving her cheerful Miltank a high five. "Good job!" she stated, proudly patting Miltank on the head, who gave her a happy moo in response. "I knew you could do it!"
Janine gritted her teeth, wanting to say every curse word known to man. How can she beat me so easily? I'm not that weak! Her father's words echoed back into her head, angering her further. Your bond with your Pokémon is very weak. She had been beaten before, but something about this loss stung worse than the rest. She felt like Whitney was simply toying with her the entire time. Other opponents had treated her even somewhat seriously, but Whitney treated their battle as nothing more than a game. It reminded her of her envy for Red and Blue, two fourteen year old trainers who had both managed to become champion before she had even become a gym leader. She envied Red and Blue but she could at least respect their mature attitudes. Although she appreciated Whitney's advice, the latter's lackadaisical attitude infuriated her to no end.
Whitney saw the look of pure rage consuming Janine's face, giving the pink-haired trainer a sense of dread. "Hey, you okay?" she asked, approaching the ninja.
"No," Janine grumbled, rubbing her damp eyes as she returned Crobat to her Poké Ball. "My father was right. My bond with Crobat is terrible."
"You seem really tense," Whitney observed worriedly, making Janine even angrier. "I know your dad means a lot to you, but it might do you some good to not think about him for a bit."
"That's going to be hard," Janine grumbled, seeing pictures of her father flash across her mind.
"Well, you can not think about it tonight when you're on your date," Whitney said, booping Janine on the nose, making Janine growl and Miltank giggle. "Don't forget about our bet."
"Fine," Janine groaned, picking herself up. "But I'm only asking him because I lost."
Whitney grinned as she placed her hands on her hips. "Sure you are," she replied. She took notice of the fact that Janine wore her hair upward through a ribbon. "If you want to get your dad off your mind, maybe try changing your look a bit. Your entire outfit just screams Koga."
"Well, what do I change first?" Janine questioned.
"I've got an idea," Whitney offered, plucking the ribbon from Janine's head, revealing a messy as well as poofy hairstyle.
"Hey!" Janine snapped, reaching out to snatch the ribbon. "Who said you could do that?"
"Relax," Whitney suggested in a frightful tone, handing the ribbon back to her. "I'm just trying to help you out."
"I can't ask Falkner out like this," Janine barked. "I look silly!"
"That ribbon was cutting off the oxygen to your brain," Whitney joked, suppressing a giggle.
"Shut up," Janine muttered before she looked down at her ribbon. She held it tightly in her hands, pondering what to do next with the material. She took the ribbon and snapped it in half before she tossed the pieces into the trash can on her left. "Maybe you're right..." she murmured to Whitney while heading back into the store.
"Good luck!" Whitney said with a wave.
Janine closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Just don't screw this up you like you do everything else, she told herself while walking up the escalator. She returned back to Falkner, who had started whistling again. "Hey," she greeted.
"Ah!" Falkner shouted, finding the ninja standing by his side again. "Don't do that!" he demanded, grabbing onto his racing heart with his left hand. His eyes caught onto her new hairstyle. "You changed your hair..."
"Yeah," Janine said sheepishly. "Do you like it?"
"Uh... yeah... it's... nice," Falkner said nervously. "Any reason why you changed it?"
"I'm... carving my own path!" Janine said extravagantly as she waved her hands excitedly, hoping that she sounded at least somewhat cool.
Falkner chuckled as he placed the palm of his left hand to his forehead. "It's a good start," he replied. "So do you want to talk about your dad?"
"Let's do it over dinner," Janine offered with a smirk. Good, she told herself. I'm not screwing up for once.
Falkner's cheeks blushed as he realized what she meant. "You mean... like a date?"
"No, like a funeral," Janine snarked. "Yes, a date. What do you say?"
"Uh..." Falkner murmured, unsure of how to answer. Sweat dripped down Janine's cheeks as her heart bounced around her chest like an anxiety attack waiting to happen.
Crap. Did I ask too soon? she wondered frightfully. Maybe I should have waited a couple of days.
"Why the sudden interest in me?" Falkner asked, scratching his head. "I know we're friends, but I didn't think you were into me..."
"Is that a problem?" Janine asked worriedly. "We can just ignore this if you want."
Falkner raised an eyebrow. "Why would you ask me out and then try to back out? I can pay for the meal if you don't have any money," he asked with a nervous smile.
Janine sighed. "It's not that. I don't really... date people. I've dated one or two, but it didn't last long," she stated, looking into Falkner's eyes. "I'm too stubborn to see what I'm doing at times and I don't want to screw up our friendship." She let out a groan, waving him off while turning to walk away. "Forget it. I'm just wasting your time asking."
Falkner crossed his arms, thinking carefully of what to say next. "How about one date and we see where we go from there?" he suggested.
Janine's eyes widened in surprise as she spun around. "Really?" she asked, her jaw dropping.
"Yeah, why not give it a shot?" Falkner suggested. "I'm not doing anything else tonight. Where do you want to do it?"
"Goldenrod City," Janine answered calmly.
"Isn't that back in Johto?" Falkner asked. "You've never been there."
"Somebody I met recently recommended it," Janine explained, hoping Falkner would not push the matter any further.
Falkner gave a shrug. "If that suits you. So do you want to split the bill?"
Janine nodded with a smile. "That works."
"Good," Falkner replied, wrapping his fingers around her left hand. He pressed his lips against her knuckles, prompting a small giggle from Janine.
"What are you doing?" Janine asked between chuckles, running her free hand through her poofy hair. "That's kind of dorky."
"Too soon?" he asked, releasing his hand from hers attempting to hide his red face.
"Mmm…" Janine murmured out loud, thinking of an answer while also blushing. "Maybe, but I don't mind," she said with a smirk. "So when do you want to leave for dinner, bird brain?"
"Whenever you're ready," Falkner replied.
Now's my chance, Janine thought, wrapping her fingers against Falkner's right hand. Her lips landed on his knuckles, making him chuckle while his face was simultaneously becoming red. "I've never kissed anyone before," she admitted, hoping Falkner would be touched by the identical gesture. "Do you think that was a good start?"
"Most people start with the lips or the cheek," Falkner pointed out. "I guess we're both dorks then."
"I guess we are," Janine replied with a smirk. At least I haven't screwed things up this time.