“Gintiiiiii,” The whine catches his attention long before Nowi does, but it’s not really surprising to see her hanging upside-down from a tree just outside of the Pokémart. She’s quick to flip back up so she’s sitting on the branch properly where she can kick her legs. Now that she’s got his attention (maybe he should have ignored her) she pouts and whines loudly, “How come you’re always so busy and ignoring me?”

“Because some of us have work,” He replies easily, shouldering his jacket. “Didn’t I tell you not to go out in this kind of weather without a coat?”

She wrinkles her nose. “It’s not that cold.”

“You’re from a desert.”

“I’m not from the desert! Probably.”

Ginti approaches the tree with a sigh and holds out his arms. Nowi’s eyes light up immediately and she drops from the branch without prompting. She lands easily in his arms and even though she’s heavier than she looks, he manages to keep a hold on her. “You’re heavy,” He grunts.

“It’s rude to call a lady heavy, you know!”

“I’ll keep that in mind for the next time I talk to a lady.”

“Gintiiiii,” Nowi whines again, kicking her legs but making no move to wriggle free of his grip, “you’re so mean!”

“Yeah, the meanest, right?”

“The meanest.”

He grunts and moves to drop her, but she’s a little faster. Nowi presses a kiss to his cheek before jumping from his arms to land on her feet. She darts away giggling while he stands there dumbfounded.

“Come on, Ginti! You’re going to have to catch me if you want another one!” She calls over her shoulder.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to play tag for a little bit today, he thinks.