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"Heh."
It was a one word response to Acacia's observation on Tambrey's lack of ability when it came to deception. Tambrey knew she sometimes struggled with such a skill and it seriously worried her about the performance she gave as a Team Rocket Grunt.
If she couldn't lie properly, how long would it be before she blew a cover or let out something she shouldn't? It was something, a true worry, that she was determined to become better at and something she didn't like people to notice or find out, but for now her focus remained mostly upon the grunt in front of her.
'Scrubbed herself raw' echoed again in her head.
It wasn't so much pity as true concern that prompted her thoughts or guided her actions; she found she couldn't pity Ace, even though she'd known her just a short time. This was a friend and a friend deserved a 'proper' emotion like concern.
She listened carefully, eyes flicking to Acacia's hands as appropriate but remainly mostly in contact with the pale woman's red gaze.
The bookish grunt had heard much jesting over the subject of OCD and even read a little on the subject out of curiosity, but she was a little bit unsure of how the disorder was best handled; she'd read a tiny snippet about 'treatment being available', but she knew little of the specifics.
"W-well, I know that it's supposed to be impossible to control without help, but, uh, there is help... like treatments available, right?" She was sure that Acacia would know a lot more on the subject than she could think of. "And... ya can always ask someone... like me, for one... if there was something I could do to help."
It was about all she could think to offer; it was sincere and she felt a little glad to offer it even if she wasn't sure how she -could- help.

She was glad to move onto that made the other woman smirk and smile again, though her own cheeks felt the flush of red spread over them once more as the stomach rumble was properly fussed over.
"No, no. As wonderful as your snacks probably would be, I'd not want to eat before the main meal. Being this hungry is a good thing- it'll mean I'll properly appreciate the meal as food as well as taste."
Tam' smiled, then laughed sheepishly at the next part.
"Ya know... I actually don't really know how I'd act drunk... I mean. Honestly," She paused, figeted and fussed for a moment "It's only happened the once before- me being drunk I mean. I got in so much trouble... Oh my. If we ended up in bed..." She smirked and shook her head, not taking the statement further- she was still a bit unsure of how she was reading things.
The bookish grunt reminisced and then blinked as Acacia inquired after her mother.
"Eeh. Um. She's... nice? 'Homely', I'd guess ya'd call her, but... she does have a temper when appropriate. Not... Not much for ambition." The grunt admitted after a moment, regretfully, then nodded. "Her eyes are different; more brown. She doesn't wear glasses, except for driving. But, otherwise yes; I've been said to look just like her. We do not dress the same though." She chewed her bottom lip, then nodded again.
"Sometimes. I... find a payphone and give her a call, send a letter- stuff like that. Not often at all though. She.." A pause followed and a very slight guilty smile "She thinks I'm doing some travelling. Like a late pokemon journey or... a really long work experience quest."

"I can see how, when it's just something you'd do, you might be seeing it as normal, and thus not a problem... But, Ace, you rubbed your skin until it bled." Tam' noted softly, listening, but still a little concerned; kind, if worried smile still gracing her lips.

She listened, nodding a little as Acacia explained the problem and the things that might knock her out of doing things like over-washing and hurting herself.
"Ah. But no music and Ampule in his ball meant very few distractions or prompts in that kitchen... That door made it basically a trap," The bookish researcher glanced at it, almost though she was somewhat annoyed the door was there to block off the room beyond.
"Right. Well, we can solve that easy enough for today. The next time you go into the kitchen for anything, or anywhere else during this meal time then I'll come in with you. It's no effort at all and I'd rather make sure you aren't zoned out at the sink injuring yourself."

As the slim medic drank from her wine, the action coerced Tambrey into doing the same, finishing her sip just as Acacia began to talk and describe her mother and father and the traits she'd gotten from the pair of them.
"Well... I rather like your smile and your eyes really are wonderful, but I think I'll agree with you if you got the rest of your looks from your mother; still say you're definitely hot."
Again Tam' found herself drinking when Acacia did, but this time she didn't fully copy and drain her own glass, instead taking a long sip before she stood with the aid of her friend's chair-pulling skills.
"I don't know; tipsy could be cute." Tam' teased and noted as she rose, before following after the other grunt; the snort of laughter once again quirking her lips up into a little grin.

"Set the table. Got it." She replied, throwing out a little salute. Of course, she had no clue when it came to fine dining and the correct placement of cutlery in higher class settings, but she could place a knife, fork, spoon and napkin in a way that didn't look untidy.

"But... pleny of people haven't had a proper kiss yet, Ace, and come on, I don't think you're actually all that much older than me... And if you are, then you don't look it 'cuz you're hot. Don't need to have had someone kiss you before do proove whether you're hot or not... You're kissable, honestly; I'll bet its just that no one's been brave 'nough to do it yet..."

The bookworm spent only little time finding some paper cloth to double as napkins should they be wanted, along with eating utensils for the two trainers. All the while she kept one hand occupied with her wine glass, sipping down until she was nearly finished once more.

Tambrey grinned, working quickly enough as she arranged cutlery around the places. She wrinkled her nose a little, trying to remember whether Acacia had said which hand she favoured to eat with.
The dark-haired grunt actually spent a few moments softly chewing on her bottom lip trying to remember if Ace had mentioned it, but failing to remember any mention, the grunt found herself arranging the eating equipement above (closer to the cnter of the table) where the plates would be placed.

"Ooh! It looks so good!" Tam' exclaimed, and sniffed too as it was placed on the table. "Smells too good not to eat and looks too good to eat. I guess I'll just have to shut my eyes when we do."
Tam' smiled as she sat, then gulped the last from her wine glass.

"Oh, when he sees it's food like this, I'm sure he'll forgive ya right off? And, no, I think ya had it right off from the beginning kinda? Because, like you said, you came to be part of a group and our pokemon are part of our family really anyway... So, though it's Team Rocket, that's kind of a family right?" She left off to watch as Ampule was released still snoozing from his pokeball.
"Aaw..." Tambrey beamed happily at the little croc' then held up Palu's pokeball, clicking to release the bird. "Palu'll wake him up if ya want?"

"Hrrm."
Tambrey tilted her head as she watched Acacia in the process of waking up the little Totodile.
"Ya know," She ventured through a smirk "Saying you don't or won't believe me won't make me stop saying such things. I'll just have to spring them on you when you aren't expecting them or can't reply or something; and say it differently and/or often enough that you start to accept it."
She fell silent then, smiling somewhat goofily to watch the blue pokemon wake up.

"He-ey Ampule," Tambrey greeted the croc', reaching down with one hand to offter a quick petting to the Totodile's head, goofy smile remained present as now both her new friends were awake.
She tilted her head up to look back after Acacia had, apparently, just fallen into nuzzling her hair. She didn't seem bothered at all by that, though she did seem worried as the taller grunt then proceeded to stagger backward.

"Careful!" Tambrey chirped, in unison with the first part of Ampule's warning shrieks, though her worried look became smile once more after witnessing Acacia's reaction to the little water type.
"I think it'll save us both a heart attack if you sit and eat, yes." She fell silent to listen to what Ace said next, grinned at the last of the family speech and then held up the pokeball again, taking her finger from the release mechanism finally. "Just the one of us missing now."

A glow of red light and a happy warble heralded Palu's re-emergence from her pokeball; the bird pokemon had clearly awoken at some point, and was very happy to be released once more and to see company. She circled the table twice before coming to land not far from Ampule.
"Pi-ohtoh!"

"No, I don't say grace... Uh. I'm just... not religious in anything really. But if you do, then please I'm not going to be offended or stop you or anything. I may not be very spiritual, but I can respect the rituals that people might have..."

She didn't quite catch the all of the more quietly spoken words, but perhaps she got the drift; a slight blush coloured her cheeks yet again, though that could simply have been from the compliment.
"High praise from the actual chef."

Tambrey reached to stroke at the hand before it was retracted, aiming to caress the pale wrist gently as she looked down, at first somewhat surprised by the hand upon her knee; it was a pleasant gesture, she found- rather reassuring.

"Oh, I am sure you will get a kiss sooner rather than later," The dark-haired grunt reassured. "And then I will look forward to hearing you admit that I'm right and you are hot. Once you have that kiss, ya'll have lost that excuse to protest y'are not." She grinned and then shook her head, with an inquisitive look. "Your kind?" She prompted than shook her head again. "I... just don't really find the notion of religion to be an attractive one."
She then listened, smirked and waved a hand at the idea of having done all the cooking.
"No, no. I think it's more special if we can call this a joint effort." Another grin "I may have done my fair share of the cooking and prep', but it really was under your direction and supervision and I couldn't have known what I was doing without you to make sure it was all going right, hm?"

Palu coo'd happily as her friend snuggled her feathers and she turned her head to scratch his softly with her beak in affection.
While Ampule drooled over his plate, she cast a keen eye over her offerings and found herself very impressed.
She was even more pleased as she heard Acacia's praise and compliments directed toward her and found herself puffing up and holding her head high- feathers preened and puffed to display just how right Acacia was in believing her to be such an important bird. The Pidgeotto seemed highly pleased that someone had recognised that she should be fed something befitting of her, clearly high-class, status.
"Piidge! Pidgeotto!"

"Don't get used to it; can't have this every night, but enjoy it- Ace made it especially for you, so remember to be grateful." Tambrey tried not to sound like she was scolding the bird, not that Palu actually took any notice of her anyway. She was focusing on the plate before her, also waiting only for the command to tuck in.
Tambrey was still a little blushing from Acacia's words as the slim, light-haired medic began to make a series of quick little noises. The bookworm blinked, watching with a surprised little smirk.
'/Cute/'
She found herself staring and then blinked as the other woman declared they should eat.

"Oh. Uh. Yes." She beamed "Time to eat before it gets cold."
Still blushing a tiny bit, and with thoughts of the day's events thus far going back and forth in her head, Tam' put her cutlery to action upon the cuisine in front of her, beaming with pleasure at the first mouthful.