The sun was barely even rising when Cynthia made her way over to Hearthome City. She had another long day ahead of her, and there was a lot she had to get to. Filming would be fine without her, and she even informed Hugo ahead of time she wouldn't be attending. She got put on 'read' when she texted him that, but that was about as positive of a response she would ever get out of him anyway. It was progress.
Cynthia spared a quick glance at her phone, checking the photo she took of a file to see if she had gotten the address correct. It looked about right, and Cynthia just slipped her phone into her pocket and let out a sigh, steeling herself for what was to come. If her past experiences told anything, it meant that this may not be a pretty scene. She went in with low expectations. She rapped her knuckles against the front door of the house she was standing in front of, taking a step back and placing her hands on her hips as she waited.
Within a few minutes the door opened, and Cynthia just tilted her head with a smile. "Jupiter." She greeted, voice playful. She needed some way to enjoy this interaction if it was going to play out like the two others, so she just forced herself to smile.
Surprisingly enough, a grin crossed Jupiter's lips and she leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms. She was a lot less moody than the other two commanders, that was for sure. "Please, it's Eileen. Now… what brings the Champion to my humble doorstep?"
Cynthia started to ease up at that. This wouldn't be as painful as the other two. "Official Champion business. I'm here on behalf of the Veilstone City Police Department." Cynthia quirked an eyebrow teasingly, "I have a few questions to ask."
"Is that so?" Eileen mirrored that mischievous air, "Well then… Ask away."
"What do you know about a Team Galactic revival?"
"That it would be pointless, amongst other things." Eileen said in a droll, laughing beneath her breath. Though, she soon sent Cynthia a confused look, "Why? What's going on?"
"There's been activity in both the Eterna Galactic Building as well as the Galactic HQ in Veilstone City. We've managed to apprehend a few of the grunts involved, but they haven't been talking." Cynthia explained, "We've been trying to find out about the revival in other ways. I figured we'd approach the commanders about it. Why not."
Eileen just nodded, "I see… Well, I'll have you know, I'm not involved in the slightest. I've cleaned my hands of those extremists. I wouldn't want to see any of them or their ugly blue bowl-cuts ever again in my life."
"Understandable." Cynthia grinned, letting out a soft laugh, "Have you been asked by any of the remaining members to join this revival?"
"Nope. Fortunately so, too. I would've done a little more than just say 'no' if any of them ever approached me again…" Eileen cut off at that, instead just flashing a smile.
Cynthia wasn't going to press on that further, "Er...Alright then. Well, thanks for your help, Eileen. If you learn anything new, you know who to call." She forced a grin, nodding slightly.
Pushing herself off the doorframe, Eileen tilted her head and took ahold of the doorknob, still smiling, "Of course. I'll keep that in mind, Champion Cynthia. See you around." She shut the door after that.
Cynthia just let out a sigh. That wasn't as unpleasant and painful as getting information out of the other two, but it didn't get her a single lead. Spinning on her heel and walking away, Cynthia pulled out her phone to report to Looker about her conversation with Jupiter.
Meanwhile… From behind the door, Eileen grabbed her own phone and walked further into her house, dialing a number and sitting down on her couch before the other line picked up.
"You'll never believe who just showed up at my doorstep…" Eileen began as soon as the other line answered, "The Champion is looking for answers about a Team Galactic revival…" She paused, and a smile curved her lips, "I think you know what we must do. I'll relay the message, so don't you worry your pretty little head about it. I'll be seeing you shortly."
Eileen hung up after that, and that grin of hers still lingered on her lips. She was going to have fun soon…
[Fantina:] Cynthia, mon chou, à quelle heure allez-vous arriver pour le déjeuner?
[Cynthia:] I really hate how you make me translate everything before I can text back. I'll be there in twenty minutes. I gotta pick her up first.
[Cynthia:] And did you just call me a cabbage?!
[Fantina:] CREAMPUFF. Ça veut dire CREAMPUFF.
[Cynthia:] Web translators don't lie! I know it means cabbage!
[Fantina:] Zut alors. Tu es ridicule.
[Cynthia:] I'm never escaping your Franglais, am I?
[Fantina:] Jamais.
[Cynthia:] Oh là là…
Cynthia just shook her head and locked her phone with a sigh. Fantina loved to torment Cynthia however she could, and Cynthia absolutely hated it. Sometimes she couldn't catch a break with the League's constant teasing. Perhaps that was the price of being the strongest in the nation.
She had been texting Fantina as she waited for filming to wrap, and soon enough Diantha met up with Cynthia as promised, and Cynthia just held out her phone for Diantha to see.
"Does this or does this not say 'cabbage?'" Cynthia asked, her phone showing the texts from Fantina. Her tone of voice was quite commanding.
Diantha looked a little startled at the sudden request, but she read over the text messages and glanced at Cynthia, "It says 'creampuff.'"
"No!" Cynthia stomped her foot, "I know this says 'cabbage!'"
Squinting her eyes, Diantha thought it over for a moment, "Well, it's complicated… 'Chou' can mean both 'cabbage' and 'creampuff,' but in that context, it means 'creampuff.' It's a term of endearment… Or in this case, extreme mockery." Diantha grinned slightly, "I normally stick to 'chérie.' It doesn't have any second meanings, unlike 'chou.' It just means 'sweetheart.'"
Cynthia narrowed her eyes at her phone, shaking her head in exasperation, "I knew she called me a cabbage. It's just like her." More of Diantha's words caught up to her then, and then Cynthia just tilted her head in realization, "Wait… So you've been calling me 'sweetheart' all this time?"
"Eh?" Diantha froze at that, and she just flashed a nervous grin and waved her hands to dismiss the thought, "A-Ah… Don't think too much of it! It isn't as, er… amorous in French as it is in other languages! Friends use it all the time for one another!"
Cynthia raised an eyebrow teasingly, a playful smile forming on her lips. She had no idea she could get Diantha so flustered that easily. Placing a hand on her hip, Cynthia just let out a low, smug laugh as she looked Diantha over, "Sure, sure… and I bet 'mon amour' is just another way for friends to address each other in French too, right?" She teased, enjoying this a bit too much for her own good.
Diantha let out a stubborn huff, glancing off to the side and scratching her cheek, "You won't be hearing that one out of me, trust me…"
Shrugging, Cynthia mellowed out a bit and motioned for Diantha to follow her, "Come on. We wouldn't want to keep Fantina waiting. I have a feeling she'd cuss me out in French if that happened."
Diantha calmed at the topic change, and she followed Cynthia's lead as they walked out for lunch, "She sounds like a handful."
"She's a performer." Cynthia joked, glancing over her shoulder, "She knows how to be dramatic."
Cynthia brought Diantha to the diner that she and Fantina agreed on: a quaint place with a vintage aesthetic. Fantina was very easy to spot, and even Diantha could have guessed who she was based on the fact that Fantina was dressed as extravagantly as always with her purple hair in four buns and wearing that purple sequin dress of hers. Fantina lit up the second she saw Cynthia and Diantha, and she stood up from her booth and walked over, a wide grin on her face.
"Cynthia, mon chou!" Fantina began, and Cynthia growled at the petname, "Vous arrivez!" Her attention went to Diantha, and Fantina's smile only got brighter if that were possible and she held out her hand, "Ahh, Diantha, n'est-ce pas? Cynthia m'a beaucoup parlé de toi! C'est moi, Fantina!"
Cynthia only sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes, "So it begins…"
"Ouais, je suis Diantha!" She shook Fantina's hand excitedly, glad to be able to speak in her native language with someone else, "Je suis heureuse de faire votre connaissance, vraiment! Elle m'a dit beaucoup sur toi aussi!"
"Enchanté aussi." Fantina finally looked over at Cynthia in that point, a teasing look on her face, "Ah, but I suppose it's only fair to include darling Cynthia in the conversation. I'll stop with the Franglais for now."
"How considerate… I'm finally invited in on this fun now." Cynthia said sarcastically, and she shot Diantha a look, "Don't enable her. She confuses me with her French enough without someone who understands her being around."
Diantha just nodded guiltily, "I get it. Sorry, it's just-... It's exciting to have someone around who speaks it too, you know? I've been fluent in English for years, but I feel much more at ease speaking in French."
Fantina placed her hands on her hips, nodding along to Diantha's words, "She's got a point! I understand the same sentiment as well. I don't get to speak French much over here in Sinnoh either!"
"Then why is it that you only speak English to me once a century?" Cynthia muttered.
Fantina rested her gloved hands on Cynthia's face playfully, "Because you're easy to bother, darling."
Cynthia puffed out her cheeks and shot Fantina a glare. Diantha figured it was about time for her to intervene, and she placed her hand on Fantina's arm, "So, did you find us a booth while you were waiting for us?"
"Ouais! C'est là bas." Fantina pointed over towards a booth halfway down the restaurant, but suddenly she looked back at Cynthia, "Oh, my mistake. Yes, it's over there!" She made sure to say that as obnoxiously as possible for Cynthia to understand.
Bowing her head, Cynthia put on a fake smile, "Merci." She teased, following after Fantina to the table. The waitress came by soon enough to take their drink orders, and seeing as they were in a diner with a vintage aesthetic, they all settled for some sort of milkshake. It was only fitting.
Cynthia swirled her straw around, hand resting in her chin as she watched Diantha and Fantina go back and forth about- well, Cynthia didn't know what they were talking about, honestly. All she knew was that it was quite the passionate conversation, done completely in a language foreign to Cynthia. She kind of felt like a third wheel, but to be fair, whenever Cynthia met up with someone in the region with Diantha around, Diantha seemed to always be the third wheel there. At least now Diantha was able to talk to someone with similar interests and experiences, especially in her native language, so Cynthia put up with the slight awkwardness of being the third wheel for Diantha's sake. It was the least she could do.
A few minutes into a conversation about some strange encounters they've all had with challengers of the Pokémon League, Cynthia's phone started to ring loudly, and Cynthia just let out a disappointed sigh.
"Sorry." Cynthia shook her head apologetically, glancing at the caller ID. "I should take this. I'll be right back." Sliding out of the booth, Cynthia answered her phone and walked out of the diner so she could hear better.
Diantha and Fantina were left to themselves, and Diantha just sipped from her milkshake, and she spotted the slightly smug look on Fantina's face. "...Qu'est-ce que c'est?" She asked. What is it?
Fantina glanced over to where Cynthia walked off to then glanced back at Diantha, "Toi… Tu es sa petite amie, non?" You two are dating, aren't you?
"Quoi?" Diantha blinked a few times before shaking her head frantically, "Non, non, c'est pas comme ça! Nous sommes amies, ouais, mais c'est tout! Il n'y a rien de plus entre nous!" It isn't like that! We're friends but that's it! There's nothing else to it!
Letting out a knowing laugh, Fantina just quirked an eyebrow, "Vraiment? C'est tout? Bah, je peux pas te croire, tu sais…" Really? That's all? You know, I'm having a hard time believing you…
"Oui, c'est vrai!" Diantha suddenly grew less defensive, averting her gaze and taking another sip from her milkshake, "Alors… Je sais pas vraiment… C'est difficile à expliquer…" Yes, really! Well… I don't know actually… It's difficult to explain…
"Je le savais.." Fantina said pridefully, but soon that smug air to her vanished. She took on a more sympathetic expression, reaching her hand out across the table, "Je suis très observatrice, en fait. Je peux le voir." I knew it. I'm quite observant, actually. I could see it.
"Zut alors…" Diantha muttered, shifting in her seat, "C'est si evident?" Dammit… Is it that obvious?
Fantina thought it over for a moment before nodding, "Un peu, mais c'est pas ta faute mais la faute de Cynthia. Elle te regarde comme personne d'autre. C'est mignonne, bien sûr." A little, but more so from Cynthia. She looks at you like she looks at nobody else. It's certainly cute.
Diantha just blinked, letting out a sigh as she listened. It was weird hearing about this from somebody else, because it made things all too...real.
Fantina continued on in Diantha's silence, "Cette expression sur sa visage… Le seule autre temps que j'ai la vu était quand elle mange la glace. Et je ne suis pas stupide. C'est amour dans les yeux de Cynthia." That look on her face… The only other time I've seen her like that is when she eats ice cream. I'm not stupid. That's love in her eyes.
The breath was knocked right out of Diantha's lungs at that, she was caught so off-guard. Not only was this being made real in Diantha's eyes, but the fact that Fantina jumped to such an extreme… That was all too shocking and hard to swallow. Of course Diantha was able to sense that between them, and she had her own feelings to sort through, but… could Cynthia's truly be like that? Diantha didn't have much more time to dwell over it, as she was jolted from her thoughts by a voice.
"Alright…" Cynthia muttered, hands on her hips and her foot tapping against the tile floor, "I just heard 'stupid' and my name in the same sentence… You two better not be talking trash about me in a language I can't understand!"
"C-Cynthia!" Diantha jumped, realizing that Cynthia had been standing right next to the table and had been listening in on her conversation with Fantina. Thank god Cynthia didn't speak French, or else that would have been very, very awkward. "H-How long have you been standing there?!"
"Long enough!" Cynthia just shook her head with a sigh, "I really hate you two. I hope you know that."
"Bah… You love me!" Fantina teased, stifling a laugh, "And I know you love her too."
Diantha nearly choked on her milkshake at that comment, coughing awkwardly. In context, it seemed innocuous enough, but Diantha knew what Fantina really meant…
Cynthia just mumbled something over her breath while she slid into the booth next to Diantha, "At least tell me you two jerks decided on what to order…"
"I think we're decided!" Fantina nodded and looked at Diantha, "Isn't that right?"
Diantha cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure, "Right… Yeah, I have something in mind." She paused for a moment, "What was the call about?"
"Official Champion business. You know the deal." Cynthia explained with a sigh.
Diantha just nodded. That she did.
Lunch went on fairly smoothly after that. Fantina thankfully dropped the subject of Diantha and Cynthia's complicated relationship, and things were substantially less awkward from then on out. They found other things to talk about, and Cynthia got included in the conversation this time around, mostly as an apology because Fantina and Diantha were playing along with the fact they were 'making fun of' Cynthia behind her back rather than admit outright what they were actually talking about while she was gone. Soon, though, they had to wrap up lunch so Diantha could get back to filming. Fantina and Cynthia walked Diantha back to the set afterwards.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, truly." Fantina said with a grin, holding her arms out for a hug.
Diantha nodded, smiling back and hugging Fantina goodbye, "Of course! If you ever come back to Kalos, please let me know. There are perks to traveling throughout the region alongside a Champion, you know."
"Ah, trust me, mon chou!" Fantina beamed while she pulled away, and she pointed her thumb at Cynthia, "I already know how it works!"
Diantha let out a laugh, and her attention went back to Cynthia, "Our next shoot is in Snowpoint City. I recall you telling me you wanted to show me the lake up there as well."
Cynthia nodded, "Yeah. I'll be sure to show it to you when you arrive. Dress warmly. It's really cold up north."
"You don't have to tell me twice." Diantha laughed again, spinning around to walk back to the set, "I'll see you two around!"
Fantina waved as she left, calling after her, "Au revoir! Think over what I told you!"
Cynthia exhaled slowly, placing her hands on her hips and watching as Diantha walked out of sight, "She's pretty nice, isn't she? Really humble for a superstar."
"Bien sûr!" Fantina agreed, nodding her head, "She was a pleasure to talk to." She paused for a moment, turning her head to face Cynthia, "So, when are you gonna make a move on her?"
"HUH?!" Cynthia blurted out, though she managed to compose herself after that outburst by shaking her head, "W-What do you mean?!"
Furrowing her eyebrows, Fantina tilted her head, "I'm pretty sure you know what I mean. At least, I hope 'make a move on someone' means what I think it does…"
Cynthia shakily pointed her finger towards where Diantha once stood, "Y-You're not saying that I should date her, right?"
"Oh, that is exactly what I am saying." Fantina clicked her tongue, "Is my English really that terrible? I thought I was being clear about that."
Crossing her arms with a huff, Cynthia just turned her head away from Fantina, "You're being almost too clear… Who's to say I even want to date her, Fantina? She's a superstar. Maybe I don't want the paparazzi drawbacks in that kind of that relationship."
"Yet you still spend so much time with her despite that risk." Fantina pointed out, "Bah, d'accord, maybe it is not my place… But still, I think you got a shot here." A smile curved her lips in that moment, "Besides… you're heading to Lake Acuity together soon, non? Would that not be the perfect place? Think of it… It's cold, she's pressed against your side for warmth… You're both gazing out at the gorgeous lake, and a light snowfall frames the picture… She is admiring the lake's beauty, even talking about the lake's beauty, but you cannot take your eyes off of her. She wonders what's wrong, but you suddenly whisper to her, 'Diantha, I am in lo-'"
Cynthia just let out a flustered groan at that to cut Fantina off, not wanting to know what came next. She had her face buried in her hands, and her cheeks were beet red after that, "E-Enough of that… I don't… I don't need that image running through my head right now…"
"Oh, I only tease." Fantina laughed softly, "Like I said, I think this is something worth pursuing. What is there to lose?"
"A friendship. A working relationship. I could possibly jeopardize a multi-million dollar movie production." Cynthia muttered from behind her hands.
Fantina shook her head, "Cynthia, perhaps you think you have too much of an impact on things. I doubt it would ruin the movie, or your friendship. If you two were truly friends, you two would find a way to deal even if a romance did not play out. Live a little, mon chou. There's no shame in trying."
Cynthia sighed, dropping her hands from her face. She checked the time on her phone, and she just swallowed harshly, "I… I should go. I'll talk to you later, Fantina."
Fantina nodded, "Come back anytime, mon chou! Perhaps I'll even pay for lunch the next time!"
"Yeah, thanks again for shoving that bill on me…" Cynthia said playfully.
"What can I say?" Fantina grinned and shrugged, "It's what I do!"