It wasn't long into the night before Harley and Soledad reached the said amethyst-haired man's apartment – a reasonable-sized space that appeared to be on the 37th floor of a tall building that overlooked the city from its place in the middle of it. Of course, Soledad hadn't really paid much attention during the whole walk there, despite that they had passed through crowded streets, traveling on foot for what seemed like an hour, and then took a monorail train to the center of Slateport – which housed structures of both short buildings, to towering skyscrapers.

When they had entered the tall apartment building that reached up dozens of stories, Soledad was surprised from the elegant architecture that occupied the inside – such as the cathedral-size entrance that contained a professionally-crafted chandelier, and the plush red carpeting that covered every single inch of the floor. The walls were decorated with beautiful designs, covered in pictures that showed various Legendary Pokemon, as well as stunning landscapes that even had little philosophical quotes below the paintings. Even the elevators shined with large, clean mirrors, the flooring inside consisting of granite tile and the gold railings free of any dirt or grime.

Needless to say, Soledad wondered if Harley was of royal ancestry, or at least insanely rich.

To her shock, though, his actual apartment wasn't as elegant as the building's main rooms. It appeared to be of simple design – dark wallpaper, normal flooring, and furniture that could be seen at an everyday construction store; although, if one looked through one of the average windows, they were given a good overhead view of the city, perhaps even feel slightly acrophobic when they gazed down at the miniature-sized people below. The lamps in the apartment were already switched on, causing any nightly darkness that tried to bleed into the room to dissipate completely.

As Harley locked the door behind him, hanging his keys and jacket on the hooks by it, he made his way into the kitchen, which, Soledad could see from her view by the door, looked pretty average as well – wooden cabinets, granite tabletops, and tiled flooring that appeared somewhat glossy. She remained silent, slowly placing her bag to the side of her, but deciding not to move unless Harley gave some sort of signal that she could (manners when in someone else's home was always the first for her). She allowed her eyes to wander, catching sight of the ceiling fan that hung over the indigo couch in the middle of the floor, as well as the opened doorways along the walls that broke off into separate rooms. Despite that this was her first time there and the lingering scent of fresh furniture was new to her, she already felt that the apartment was indeed homey.

"Soledad?"

Soledad shook her thoughts away, turning her eyes to Harley's mature face as he poked his head through the kitchen doorway. His metallic blue-green eyes were bright with friendliness, although a frown of slight bewilderment covered his lips. "You can, you know, go check out the guest bedroom…" he then muttered, raising his eyebrow. As if finally realizing this, Soledad chuckled somewhat nervously, embarrassed that she had been standing there like an idiot for the past few minutes, and quickly gathered her things before walking towards the designated room that the amethyst-haired man was pointing to.

When she entered the small room, turning on the overhead light via the switch by the door, she noticed that it was no simpler than the rest of the apartment – the walls had been painted a dark green, the average bed in the corner all made up with two small pillows that rested amongst its blue comforter; and a small drawer stood by its side, a reading light sitting on top of it. She hummed in approval before placing her bag on the bed, sitting down beside it to rest her tired muscles. She had had a long, exhausting trip, and therefore was ready to fall into the plushness of the mattress and go to sleep then and there. Of course, she was interested in what Harley was doing, so, taking a quick peak of outside through the room's single window, left and made her way towards the kitchen.

As she got closer she heard the amethyst-haired man's voice flutter through the air in a whispering manner, as if he was secretly talking to another person in the culinary. She slowed her movement, having been unaware that someone else was present, and didn't want to barge in if it was a private matter. Then again, she was curious to know who it was, which convinced her to peek into the kitchen from behind the wall–

"Wait, no! Cacturne!" suddenly came Harley's hesitant voice.

Soledad arched her eyebrow. 'Cacturne'?

Before she could ponder on it, she was suddenly pushed to the floor by a tall creature, feeling the said being's arms wrap around her tightly in the form of an affectionate embrace. She struggled to regain her surroundings, in the process the creature that had pounced on her standing up, leaving her to stare at its blurry scarecrowlike countenance that now towered before her. Eventually her sight became focused and she shook confusion from her head before leaning forward to learn of who had rammed into her, hugged her, and then pulled back to watch her recover.

It was…a Cacturne?

No, it wasn't just a Cacturne – Soledad could recognize the big, cheesy grin this specific Cacturne was known to hold.

It was Harley's Cacturne, whom he had used in his coordinating days and usually dressed up as during the whole thing. Now, however, the said Pokemon was standing right in front of her, a look of pure joy glistening from his somewhat-concealed eyes, and the grin across his green face was bigger than usual.

"Eh, sorry about that…" Harley suddenly chuckled nervously as he exited from the kitchen. He had even placed his hand on the back of his head to amplify his embarrassment, his features slightly flushed. "I always let my Cacturne run lose when I'm gone from the apartment so he can watch over the place." He smiled himself, despite that it was obvious he was trying to persuade her into look at the humor of the moment. "He's always been social, though, so that's why he gets so damn excited every time we have company. Since he knows you, he's even happier than usual." His eyes gained a soft hue. "I guess it's obvious that he's missed you…"

Soledad, who had been displaying bewilderment rather than anger from the unexpected pounce and hug, turned her eyes to Cacturne, who shrugged bashfully, appearing embarrassed as well. Of course, the pink-red-haired woman only brought a friendly smile to her lips as she took in Harley's words. "That's alright," she then said, her voice soft. "I've missed you, too, Cacturne."

Cacturne grinned with glee before stepping away as Harley came over and held out his hand for her to take. She nodded slightly while doing so, using the amethyst-haired man's support to hoist herself to her feet; although, when she did just that, she was pulled forward a little too fast…

…and therefore right into Harley's chest.

Her eyes slightly widened as she felt her cheek come in contact with the warm skin at the base of his neck, feeling the hot breath from his mouth dance across her forehead. Harley seemed to freeze in place, and as Soledad blushed from the accidental touch, she slowly pulled away, her hands still on his arms. Of course, then she noticed how close they were, and rose her eyes to meet his metallic blue-green ones, which were also slightly bright with shock, his mouth hanging open just a bit.

She was…so close.

She could smell the cologne that had been patted across his cheeks earlier that day. She could see the field of stubble that ran across his jaw line, as well as smell the lingering scent of men's shampoo that radiated from his hair. She could see the maturity that graced his facial features, somewhat amplifying the handsomeness that she already mentally declared he had. She was tempted to allow her finger to reach out and feel the smoothness of his facial skin, or bring him into a hug where she could then breathe in the heavenly fumes that hung above him like a veil.

She was tempted to lean in and kiss him, feeling the softness of his lips upon her own–

Ding!

Soledad blinked, as did Harley, and as if the timer among the oven had been the key to breaking the awkward silence they had just been in – the moment where they had been gazing into each other's eyes and were too lost in thought to pay attention – the amethyst-haired coordinator pulled away, turning his attention to the kitchen. "Uh…food's done," he then mumbled, sounding slightly nervous, although as Soledad took her hands off his arms, he made his way to the designated room. The pink-red-haired woman, blushing as she thought over the confusing moment that had just happened, as well as the urges and thoughts she had had during it, turned her eyes to Cacturne, who had been watching the entire scene with his own quirked eyebrow.

Soledad's cheeks grew redder as she realized his presence during the whole…'incident'.

"Hey, Cacturne?" Harley's voice called from the kitchen. His tone had returned to normal, as if he had forced himself to forget about the awkward moment that happened only minutes ago, or simply wasn't finding it as much a big deal as Soledad was. "What were you cooking in here anyway?"

As Cacturne turned his attention to the culinary, the grass and dark type scurried over to his master's assistance, leaving Soledad to allow her blush to fade away as new information brought bewilderment to her expression. "Cacturne cooks?" she questioned out, slight disbelief gracing her tone, and after a series of loud sounds that included clashing pots and plates emitted from the kitchen, Harley emerged from it with blue oven mitts covering his hands.

"Yeah, it's kind of a habit he picked up over the times I left him to watch over the place," he answered, eyeing the mitts on his hands with confusion before slipping them off and tossing them onto the dinner table beside him. "I guess he got it from me, despite that I haven't really cooked anything in a while because...I've had no reason to." He shrugged it away. "He's actually pretty good; then again, I'm just glad he hasn't burned the place down yet…"

The said Pokemon poked his head from the kitchen doorway, his narrowed eyes glued to Harley in the form of a piercing glare. "Cacturne!" he then growled, his own Pokemon language coming out as a simple mutter of his name to human ears, regardless that it was obvious he was offended by the amethyst-haired man's comment. Soon a pouting look covered his mouth, seeming to emotionalize his mixture of anger and sadness even more.

Harley rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying…and if it makes you feel better - no offense."

Cacturne shot him one last deathly glare before disappearing into the kitchen, muttering his own name some more, and no doubt to Pokemon ears was it a curse word of some sort. Soledad, finding slight humor in the childish antics between the coordinator and his Pokemon, chuckled behind her barricading palm, which allowed it to go unnoticed by Harley as he began to set the dinner table.


"So…what did you want to see first?"

Harley arched his eyebrow as he stared at the contemplating expression of Soledad, who was sitting across the oak wood table from him, her gaze focused on the small, unlit candle that was placed on the middle of it. Their dinner of steak had ended not too long ago, and Cacturne had come in after finishing his own meal in the kitchen to pick up their plates and begin cleaning up. Soledad was surprised that the food had tasted that good, as well as the fact that, unlike most chefs, Cacturne actually didn't mind picking up after himself and everybody else. He was acting really kind and generous, which was different from the 'evil' schemes Harley had made him do back in the coordinating days.

Of course, all old habits from the amethyst-haired adult seemed to had vanished, and therefore so did the rude personality his grass and dark type Pokemon carried. Then again, Soledad still somewhat thought that the way they both acted out on the field was just a façade – different than from how they actually lived when no one was watching.

The pink-red-haired woman turned her eyes to Harley, who had yet again been forced to stare at her and wait for her to emit an answer of some sort, proving that he indeed held some patience. Soledad blushed slightly, embarrassed once again, although it was all from the fact that looking into his metallic blue-green eyes (no matter what the distance between them) reminded her of the accidental incident that had happened an hour ago. She was somewhat surprised that he wasn't bringing it up, or at least mumbling a late sorry for it since it was obvious he had pulled her up a little too hard, causing her to fall into his chest as if they were about to embrace each other affectionately.

To tell the truth, she kind of wanted to…hug him, but kept this unexplained thought inside her head and decided to do what he was doing: ignore it and pretend like it wasn't a big deal or that it simply never happened.

His earlier question slowly rang through her head, and she blinked as she thought about an answer. There were lots of things in Slateport she always wanted to see, but the hard part amongst these vacations had always been choosing what to experience first. She knew she was in good hands when it came to a tour guide – she could tell Harley wasn't kidding when he said he knew all about the place, seeing as how it was his hometown where he had spent most of his life growing up. Though, when she thought about it, he didn't seem to be much of a city-boy like Drew was, appearing unnatural in a place where one was lucky if the person they talked to a day before even remembered their name the next.

"We can always start with the beach," he then suggested out of the blue, placing his elbow on the table so he could lean his cheek against his fist. When she looked at him with slight curiosity gracing her eyes, he shrugged with casualness occupying his expression. "I don't know, I'm just saying…" he added, voice mellow. "I mean, Slateport City is not just known for the buyer's market, but also for its vast beaches that are perfect for relaxing."

She blinked.

"It's your choice," he muttered, eyes wandering away from hers as if dropping himself out of the conversation. Soledad hummed in thought of it, turning her attention to Cacturne when he entered the room, a white apron tied around his waist that said 'Kiss the 'Mon' across it in red font. The pink-red-haired woman rolled her eyes at this, and the only thing Cacturne did was rub the back of his head bashfully, although his grin returned when he then started to nod.

Harley shifted his gaze over to his Pokemon. "I think he's agreeing that we should start with the beach first."

Cacturne mumbled his name happily to signal that he was doing just that.

Soledad emitted a soft chuckle. "Well, you guys are the tour guides here," she then observed, "I'll go with whatever you suggest." She reached into her pocket, pulling out a minimized Pokeball. "Besides, my Lapras could use some exercise in the water."

Harley placed his palms on the table to help hoist himself up. "Then it's settled," he mumbled. His voice was still mellow despite that his eyes had slightly brightened. "Tomorrow, we hit the beach."

Cacturne murmured his name with glee before running off into the kitchen once again like a sugar-high child. It was obvious that the grass and dark type enjoyed the beach, seeing as how a permanent look of joy now covered his eyes. Harley chuckled slightly, as did Soledad, before they both made their way over to the rooms, turning off some of the lights around the apartment in the act of preparing for bed. Soledad could tell it was around ten, and the only thing she could see through one of the windows was an encompassing city illuminated by bright lights, the obsidian sky somewhat reflecting it, and the occasional sounds of thriving pedestrians below could be faintly heard through the walls.

Soledad watched in silence as Harley opened the door into his room and out of curiosity she followed to eye the contents inside. It was quite large, seeing as how it was the master bedroom, and it was pretty clean apart from a few exceptions of thrown clothes in some parts. A large ceiling fan hung directly over the king-sized bed that was draped with black sheets, opposite in color from the white wallpaper and curtains that dangled loosely above the two windows which were located by each side of the mattress's headboard. Small desks were placed against the wall every here and there, a reasonable-sized TV leaning against the one opposite of the bed's. It seemed to be an oversized room if used by only one person, which was why Soledad hadn't even noticed that she had emitted a question similar to the said topic:

"You have anyone...'special'...in your life?"

Harley seemed to stop in movement, turning to look at her as she stood by the doorway into the room, and pivoted his gaze to the bed as if he already knew why she had asked it. After sighing, he shrugged, his tone carrying a hint of sadness, despite that his mellow voice nearly hid it. "Eh, nope – never really bothered to find someone to start a relationship with, pretty much because of my coordinating."

Soledad cleared her throat. "You are…interested in it, though, right?"

Harley nodded, retuning Cacturne to his Pokeball when the said Pokemon entered the room. "Oh, yeah - just not right now, or at least until I find…well…you know, the right person."

Seeing satisfaction in the answer, Soledad turned to leave. She remembered that back in the coordinating days people tended to think that Harley was homosexual, seeing as how he acted more feminine than what was classified to be normal for a gentle, spunky male. She felt quite mean whenever she mentally admitted that she used to think the same thing as well, although, with the way Harley was acting now, it seemed that such thoughts no longer had a reason to exist. She was actually surprised that he hadn't started a relationship with someone yet, despite that she could relate with how coordinating would get in the way of doing so.

After she backtracked to mumble a quick goodnight to the amethyst-haired coordinator, she walked into the guest bedroom, sat herself on the mattress, and leaned back to rest her head against its soft pillows. Her eyes stared monotonically at the ceiling, almost as if she was lost in thought about recent events and conversations. She tried not to think too hard, though, knowing that she would have to get up early if she was to see as much of the city's sights that she possibly could. Regardless that she was staying for quite a while, she somehow felt as if she had little time to do anything.

She breathed out a relaxed sigh, turning off the lamp beside the bed, and therefore allowing darkness from the window to leak in and engulf the room in black. The silvery mist of the towering full moon bled through the glass, painting a bluish silhouette of it against the floor, which Soledad stared at with glowing eyes before allowing herself to succumb to sleep. She didn't bother to change into more comfortable clothes, the muffled sounds of the wide-awake city outside somehow drifting her off to dreamland like a surreal lullaby.