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[vrdantwind]

"Hey, this is Claude! Pretty sure I'm doing this correctly. You can leave me a message here, and I'll get to it as soon as I can. Talk to you soon~."

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Birthday Boy

[silky_bearing]

It's not as extravagant as he'd like but they're all working with the bare minimum here. There are only so many options. Lorenz knows better than to have put his hands anywhere near the food, he can't cook to save his life, but the picnic is rather simple anyway. Muffins and salad and mochi... more light snacks as he's rather sure one of the others will be treating him to a proper dinner, especially as he's made a point to tell them he has Plans for the night.

It's the location more than anything that makes it special. Nothing too far away, Lorenz doesn't trust himself to be able to manage too much travel but his sneasler has been eager to help even if she acts horribly standoffish. She likes Claude, despite herself. Not unlike how her owner once felt. There's a rather sizable hill within the valley of the Floaro Gardens area, not too far from the camp. An impeccable place to watch the colors of the sunset paint the surrounding mountains orange and gold, making the stone itself seem to glow and flashing off the many tumblestone deposits in the area.

It's lovely and has a gorgeous unobstructed view of the night sky. It is also, he's found, rather safe. Few of the more aggressive pokemon of the area can make it up the steep hillside but Sneasler has no trouble making the climb and helping her trainer set up a lovely little surprise for his boyfriend's birthday.

Still the venture there is significant enough that he does have to tell Claude ahead of time that it is something he has for his birthday... and that they won't be coming back to the main camp. Because once they arrive it's clear that he's actually taken one of the Ginkgo Guild tents and set it up with a few lanterns and cushions to sit on and... a rather impressive mound of pillows and blankets inside as well. Cushions Lorenz is quick to guide Claude over to, beaming and hopeful and perhaps more than a little nervous.

[vrdantwind]

Really, just being told that Lorenz is taking him outside the town and they'll be spending the night out there is surprise enough. He can't think of an ending to that which isn't rather scandalous, at least from Lorenz's perspective. But finding out that Lorenz has set up a special tent for them out in a pretty little valley...Lorenz really has upped his game, Claude has to admit.

One of the people in his life who used to be among the easiest to read and predict is becoming increasingly less so. On one hand, that does leave Claude a bit at a loss...but honestly, all the changes have been so positive, and he trusts Lorenz so completely, that he can hardly bring himself to feel anxious about it. Instead, it's just exciting.

He lets Lorenz sit him down on the cushions, grinning up at him, even as Claude's Zoroark prowls curiously around the campsite. "You know, if you'd told me back at Garreg Mach that Lorenz Hellman Gloucester would one day go camping by choice, I'd never have believed it." No one in their right minds would consider Lorenz the rugged outdoorsman, roughing-it type.

[silky_bearing]

The main camp the Ginkgo Guild has provided hardly counts as "town" but it still offers far more amenities than this. But there are more people, less privacy, more light and less of a clear view of the stars overhead. Lorenz' sneasler wanders over to nudge Claude's zoroark along. Yes yes exploration and keeping them safe is all well and good but kindly stay out of sight.

Between Claude's commentary and Anouk's obvious fussing Lorenz is blushing scarlet by the time he settles into the little nest of pillows beside his boyfriend. A gentle nudge to Claude's shoulder, not quite looking at him. "Well there aren't exactly any other options in our current circumstances so... I thought a picnic... under the stars..."

He blushes harder, enough so that in the fading light his face seems to positively glow. "It was meant to be romantic..." Though he's sincerely beginning to doubt it had the desired impact.

[vrdantwind]

"Oh, it's incredibly romantic," Claude agrees, looking up at the sky. "So much so I have to deflect from it. I have an allergic reaction to too much earnest sweetness at once, hasn't Dimitri told you?"

He's serious, too. Or as serious as a man can be while cracking jokes in self-defense. It really is almost too genuine, in ways where Claude feels like he has to lighten the mood before he gets sucked in too deep. Lorenz and Dimitri seem to thrive at those depths, but Claude's most at home in the shallows.

At least he's self-aware.

[silky_bearing]

The admission is, at least, enough to ease some of Lorenz' anxieties. If Claude needs to be flippant for his own sake he can't fault him too much. As long as it's not a misstep he's made.

"Well, you'll have to keep me informed if your hm ~allergies~ keep acting up." But there's a playful sort of chuckle in his voice and Lorenz allows himself to lean a little more fully against Claude. One arm slides around behind the other in a loose embrace and for a moment Lorenz simply follows his gaze, admiring the colors of the sky. But neither of them are people built for quiet, not in the company of others and after a moment of appreciation Lorenz speaks again, idly snatching up a berry as he does.

"The skies are so clear here, and the colors so vibrant. It reminds me of Derdriu." Where one could stand on a balcony and look out over the endless waters. That berry gets popped into his mouth and he's quick to snag another, holding it up scandalously close to Claude's lips. Nerves make his hand tremble ever so slightly but it's not half so bold as other plans he has so it is, at least, a starting point.

[vrdantwind]

Claude lets himself lean against Lorenz's shoulder as the other man draws him close, largely content. (The only things marring that contentment - not knowing how they ended up in this place, missing the nice home Dimitri made for all of them, worrying about his pokémon - have nothing whatsoever to do with Lorenz, and this moment right here. And Claude knows how to set his worries aside to be able to enjoy himself.) He sneaks an arm around Lorenz's waist in return, wondering if he might catch on fire...or if he's started to adjust to Claude's returning his affections enough to not have quite so severe a reaction.

Maybe Lorenz has a few allergies of his own, come to think of it.

"It does remind me of home," he agrees with a smile. "Not even just Derdriu, necessarily, but...our world in general. Like you said...the sky's so clear. As nice as the present day in this world is, all those bright lights...they block out a lot of the stars. It's nice to have them so visible again."

Oh - but then Lorenz is holding a berry up to his mouth, and Claude has to decide on the fly how scandalous he should be. In the end, it's not even really much of a choice; there's not a lot of options for how to take the berry in his mouth. It's mostly just between using his teeth to try to avoid contact with Lorenz's fingers, or using his lips and not even making the attempt. He goes for the latter, and throws in a bit of a smoldering look as he does it, gratis.

[silky_bearing]

Claude's lips against his fingertips certainly is scandalous but Lorenz has worked himself up for weeks, planning and preparing and he's determined not to let himself get too flustered or fall apart. At least not for things that, rare though they may be, have happened before. A certain maddening popsicle comes to mind, for example.

Kisses, light little touches to his face, his lips, his hair... though they are sometimes enough to make him dissolve into flustered blushing he doesn't jerk his hand away. He bites his lip, glances away to not have to meet his boyfriend's gaze, and he's blushing bright enough to match the fiery sky. But he doesn't pull away, doesn't scold Claude for it. Odd though it may be he actually looks the tiniest bit pleased with himself.

Whether it's for not freaking out or actually initiating the gesture to begin with is hard to say. But he's working on it!

"Mmm it's not as bad in CherryGrove as it is in some of the bigger cities, like Olivine. Especially if you go down to the beach at night." Is that another reason he spends so much time there?

[vrdantwind]

Oh, that's cute. Lorenz is letting himself be a little daring here, or at least not freaking out about something closer to risqué than they've ever been able to get before, and it delights Claude to see. It's interesting how as much of it is pride in Lorenz as it is delightful intrigue in regards to the implications for himself. Once again...his ambitious boyfriend is pushing at his own boundaries, challenging his repressions and regressive notions, and it always amazes Claude and warms his heart to see in equal measure.

Still, he wouldn't be Claude if he didn't see how far he can push things. So he plucks up a berry of his own, and now he's the one holding one up to Lorenz's lips. "You really like Cherrygrove, huh?" he asks conversationally, as though nothing particularly sensual is happening between them, but his eyes are dancing. "I'd still prefer it if you were closer at hand...though I guess some of that is paranoia, after what happened the last time I let you out of my sight."

[silky_bearing]

"I cannot be at your side at all times, much as I might wish to be, my love. It is merely a few warps between the two." He smiles gently, trying to be reassuring. The worry that Claude carries makes his heart ache as well. They have both been so damaged by the distance his Father forced between them.

The more serious topic of conversation eases some of his nerves, actually. One hand comes up to hold Claude's gently where he has that berry to his lips before he pulls it from his fingers. He doesn't release the other's hand once he has the berry though, chewing slowly to savor both the berry and the light kisses he presses to Claude's fingertips, his palm, his wrist.

"If you wish it I will stop staying there overnight. Make a day trip of it instead so I can come home to you, delbar.