Welcome to Gaia! ::

It had been a while since Mau left. Too long really. But work had to be done. When one is told get on the next boat to- you have your bags packed in less then 10 seconds and you're on that boat. But at least now Mau was returning to base. The place he'd been calling home for almost 2 years now. He had a stock of 'ecological samples' for the lab some things to further make his room seem like a jungle -he hoped that the pokemon he left had taken care of his plants- and a few other items. Gifts, you might call them.

The flight from the docks had been quicker than he expected. Even with Ran being loaded down with supplies like she was, it was still quick. With the assistance of Mai, now a Venusaur, Aki, his vaporeon, and Ire the Jolteon, they were able to cart his equipment inside rather quickly. How much had changed while he was gone?

First thing first. Mau dropped off the samples he'd gathered to the lab. He couldn't help but look for a dandilion-head among the beakers. He should find Nyx.

Mau had been about to leave when he heard the sound of footsteps. Oh, was that Nadja perhaps? He should probably inform her that he had returned. He turned to head towards the footfalls, and Nadja's office, only to spot a cloud of white at the last second. Mau's hand reached out and rested on Nyx's shoulders just before impact. A startled "Whoa" escaped the tall scientist as he stopped to register who this was.

... And what that thing was on her head.

"Nyx?"

Mau was about to tap her chin to close her mouth when the tiny scientist hugged him. He laughed a little and returned the embrace, mindful of the thing that had moved from her head. One hand rested on the back of Nyx's head, the other around her shoulders. "About 15 minutes ago." He offered. He wasn't sure. It was probably closer to an hour. Who cared though? He looked down at her and blinked a moment. ... Did she start raiding Nadja's closet?

"You look good, but what's with the outfit?" Tact? What was that?

"Promoted? Gee, I'm falling behind!" He laughed. Mau spun a finger in the air, as if asking her to do a twirl so he could see front and back. It may have been inappropriate, but he wasn't on duty yet. What did he care? "Sinnoh? It was cold." Of course it was cold. Much of the region was snowy. Of course the desert-born man wouldn't care for the cold. "But I got some good samples. Already delivered them too. Otherwise the trip was pretty boring. Nothing nearly as exciting as what goes on around here."

Mau thought about fluffing her hair a little, but debated against it. "You know, I'm not going to call you Ma'am, or Miss Nyx." He teased. "When are you off?" I have presents. He had surprises for her in particular.

Mau laughed a little. The idea of Nyx writing him up, or punishing him was pretty funny. When she twirled, he nodded a little. "I guess the promotion suits you, hmm? Haven't gone mad with power yet?" At least he could tease her right back.

"Settled... no no." She missed his intention completely. "It's been months since I've seen you, Nyx. I was thinking more along the lines of dinner, catching up. I've got stories, and I'm sure you do too, right?"

"Sure thing. I'm going to hop up to my room and change. I'll meet you... Um." He sort of shrugged. "Where would you like to meet? And what would you want to eat? We could swing by the cafe..."

He returned the wave. Nyx didn't seem to have changed at all. Even with the promotion. He watched her walk off, trying to inspect the blue thing on her back. Was that... No, that wasn't Darwin. Nyx was out of sight before he could tell what that was. He shrugged it off and returned to his room, changing out his traveling clothes and washing up a little. He knew he needed to shave, but for now, he'd just live with the scruff on his face.

When Nyx joined him, he grabbed one of his bags and walked her to the cafe. It really did feel good to be back. Of course, just like he always was, Mau insisted on paying for whatever it was Nyx was ordering. Force of habit, it was a date, I asked you. Those were all valid reasons to pay, right? Of course the cafe was too crowded to find a place to sit. The cafeteria would be just as bad, and wasn't really a good place to sit and talk. So aimless wandering brought them to a rec room. No one was there, the TV was off. Perfect!

Mau watched the spider pokemon a moment. So that's what it was. Well, that was neat. He had no idea Nyx liked bugs. "Ah, would you like to hear about when Aki pushed me into lake Valor? Or when I was stuck in the center of lake acuity for 3 days?" He started gently, sliding his bag to the floor before sitting beside Nyx. He looked at the spider pokemon again and smiled. "I also have some gifts." He said off handedly before starting to eat. Time to tease her.