[IC] ᴘᴋᴍɴ : Quest for Life and Death

[Yankee]

Lumiose City at night was a very different place than it was during the day. Shops closed and clubs opened up, various kinds of pulsing music spreading throughout the most popular streets as the sun went down. People congregated by the canal, watching the city's shimmering reflection in the water and enjoying more intimate boat rides. Nocturnal Pokémon ventured out, trying their luck at snatching food from trendy pedestrians, and the battle cafes got all the louder once tourists moved on and locals came to really give them a challenge.

It was never truly dark in the City of Light, but come nightfall each and every street was cast in warm yellow glows crisscrossed with stark shadows. It made the whole place look almost like a painting.

Honestly, Auguste had grown to like it.

He only wished that most of his night life wasn't spent tailing people or cooped up in an office checking city records. Or behind a camera lens, which is where he currently was. Granted the brand new Lumiose Contest Hall was a better spot to hang out than the alleys on North Boulevard.

The city had spared little expense in the hall's construction. Its exterior was the same elegant, refined stonework that could be found in may historical parts of Lumiose, though the glittering lights both inside and out set it apart from older buildings. The interior was the definition of opulent; crystal chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling held up by carved pillars, plush armchairs and chaise lounges were tastefully placed in the lobby and hallways, and expensive rugs on marble floors laid paths toward the audience seating in the theaters at the rear of the building. In the main hall where most of the opening's attendees congregated was the pièce de résistance - a gorgeous crystal centerpiece in the shape of a tree, ringed by thick marble around the trunk to prevent anyone from getting too close. The tree reached up tall, its bare branches spread wide over the guests' heads.

It was absolutely beautiful. And instead of admiring it closely, what was Auguste doing?

Following some supposed fraudster around, while trying not to look sketchy doing it. This whole job had started off poorly. Auguste didn't really dislike his client, but the man had a way of appearing meek while being pushy and passive aggressive at the same time. Not to mention even getting into this event had been a hassle. The soiree throw for the contest hall's opening was public in that the general public could attend through lottery. Wealthy funders, local politicians, Kalosian celebrities and contest stars from other regions could and would be attendance, so the average citizen would have to rely on luck to get an invitation. Naturally Auguste hadn't been lucky, so he'd had to jump through some hoops to get a journalist pass to attend once they'd learned his mark was going to be there.

And on top of everything, the upfront pay was pretty low.

Oh well. It could be worse. And at least he'd snapped a photo of the centerpiece to admire later.

[Crimson Flame]

Julien, was able to score an invite to the grand opening of the Lumiose Contest Hall through his work in the fashion world. Though he hadn’t yet achieved the level of stardom he dreamed of, his budding modeling career had earned him some level of recognition. One of the designers he worked with had noticed his potential and got him an invitation to add some glamour to the crowd.

The event was the perfect stage for Julien to shine, and he wasn’t about to let the opportunity go to waste. Dressed in a pink and gold ensemble that caught the light with every step, he glided through the opulent hall with the confidence of someone born to be a star. His long gold scarf trailed dramatically behind him as he moved.

With Bijou, his Flabébé floating gracefully beside him, Julien made his way toward the crystal tree, a smile already forming on his face. “Bijou, darling, look at this! It’s perfect, no?” he cooed to his Pokémon, gesturing to the crystal tree with an excited flourish. “What better backdrop for a little photoshoot?”

Bijou chirped softly in response, her tiny body bobbing as if in agreement.

He scanned the room for someone who could take the perfect shot. His eyes landed on a man standing nearby, seemingly blending into the background, his camera in hand. Julien cocked his head slightly—he wasn’t one of the press photographers, at least not one he recognized, and he didn’t look like he belonged to the crowd of contest elites. He looked…out of place.

Still, he had a camera. That was good enough for Julien.

Without hesitation, Julien strode up to the man, with the confidence of someone who had never heard the word "no." He flashed a dazzling smile as he approached, his golden scarf trailing behind him.

“Excuse me, darling,” Julien said. “You’ve got the perfect camera. Would you mind taking a picture of me and my little Bijou here?” He gestured grandly to his Flabébé, who floated happily beside him.

[Yankee]

Even with so many people milling about the spacious lobby, Auguste could tell when he had eyes on him. It was a sixth sense he'd developed as a kid, when pitying stares followed him around after the disappearance of his father. And it was pretty invaluable now in his professional life. So when that dull, prickling feeling started spreading from the base of his neck, Auguste slowly lowered his camera. His own eyes quickly found the flamboyantly dressed man approaching him, and he didn't know what to make of it at first. Had he been found out and this was an intern sent to tell him off or something? Maybe not, since the guy was smiling instead of fuming.

By the time the stranger spoke, Auguste was genuinely curious what he'd have to say.

"...huh, really?"

He wants his photo taken? There was no lack of photographers at the event, but it was just Auguste's luck that out of all of them, he was the one that would be singled out. Well, whatever. It couldn't hurt, and maybe it would help him blend in better. Plus it technically was a party. Auguste held the camera up to his eye, first snapping a quick photo of the stranger and his Flabébé before they even had a chance to pose.

"Are you a local celebrity or something?" he asked from behind the lens. The other man definitely looked the part... or looked like he was trying to look the part, anyway, from how he was dressed.