[color=pink]"Uh-huh. Yeah. Ok, thanks Dad."[/color]

[b]"Should I wait –"[/b]

[color=pink]"Nope. No, we're good. I can take it from here. Bye Dad."[/color]

[b]"And you'll call, right? The –"[/b]

[color=pink]"Yeah. Bye Dad."[/color]

Cerise was not having a good day. It started off well enough, when her mom had waved her off on the train for Lumiose. It'd taken a good deal longer than Cerise would've liked, what with the older woman and her new boyfriend insisting on pictures and postcards and demanding a call every time Cerise got a new gym badge. (Cerise didn't even [i]want[/i] to take on the pokemon league. It was just the only way her mom, a former trainer, would let her leave home. It was either the league or staying with her dad, and [i]that[/i] was certainly out of the question.)

The train ride was long, but uneventful. Her day started to sour when she disembarked to see her dad, a beaming smile on his face. As Mr. Dahmani lived in the city, bonding time with him was both obligatory and unavoidable. He got her a galette and they walked around the city for a bit. She'd managed to avoid talking about anything personal, so it wasn't [i]totally[/i] unbearable. Just annoying and uncomfortable. Then they'd tried to walk into a boutique (or at least, Cerise'd tried to drag her father into it) when the staff had the [i]nerve[/i] to tell her she wasn't fashionable enough to shop there. Was… was that for real?? Her temper flared from just thinking about it. Honestly, who were [i]they[/i], in their tacky, overly priced outfits, to tell [i]her[/i] she didn't have style? The nerve. She was going to file a complaint.

And now they were here, outside the pokemon lab. Cerise's dad was still buzzing around her like a beedrill, fussing over her like she was a child. 

(To be fair, she still most definitely looked the part. But that was [i]his[/i] fault. Him and his short genes.)

[b]"And don't try to take on people you're not ready for –"[/b]

[color=pink]"Wasn't [i]Mom[/i] the trainer? I'll be fine."[/color] Her dad seemed to deflate a bit at that. Cerise averted her eyes, guilt slowly bubbling up inside. [color=pink]"I'll call, ok?"[/color] she promised. [color=pink]"I gotta go now. They're gonna give out the pokemon soon."[/color] Cerise shifted a bit, knowing what she had to say but hesitating. 

[color=pink]"…Love you, Dad. I'll see you later."[/color] Her dad's smile grew soft and he pulled her into a tight hug.

[b]"I love you too."[/b] He placed a kiss on her forehead and Cerise pulled away as soon as she could without hurting his feelings. [b]"Oh, before you go, I need a picture!"[/b] he announced. Desperate to finally end this chapter of her day, Cerise looked over her shoulder to see the crowd congregating inside the lab.

[color=pink]"Ah, sorry Dad!"[/color] she said quickly. [color=pink]"I see my friend there."[/color] Cerise waved her hand at a random person and turned back. [color=pink]"They've been waiting for me. Ok, bye love you!"[/color] With that she dashed off to the unfortunate bystander and linked her arm tightly around theirs. [color=pink]"Hey!"[/color] she said with false cheer. [color=pink]"Please just go with it,"[/color] she whispered before looking back at her dad and waving. She didn't stop until her dad had finally walked away.

[color=pink]"Sorry,"[/color] she said with an embarrassed laugh when her dad had finally turned the corner. [color=pink]"Just, uh… needed an excuse."[/color] She disentangled her arm from the strangers and gave a sweet smile. [color=pink]"Thanks, though."[/color]