"I don't like Bill/Daisy shipping unless it's in a threesome with Lanette or something." - JX Valentine (obviously paraphrased =P)
I decided that what people really want are fics about their favourite characters! So here's a fic about Bill. Also, it's silly, most likely OOC and serves very little purpose. It's only like, 3000 words long though, so it won't take long to read ;D
For Jax, because I was bored.
A Social Visit
Bill.
A man so well known and respected, he didn't even need a second name. Most people weren't sure if he actually did have one and many rumours persist that he legally changed his name to just 'Bill'.
After all, if one reinvents the wheel, they tend to get noticed.
The wheel in question was an invaluable tool known to every person across all continents as the Pokémon PC Storage System. It's first iteration was cold and at times seemed to actively dislike the user, making it as difficult and laborious a process as possible. This was however, merely a proof of concept, Bill and his team knew now that they could fully imagine their dream. The lesser known members of his team, Lanette, Bebe, Amanita and Fennel pooled together their creativity and ingenuity and helped build a truly user friendly system that would change the world.
Well... for trainers at least.
Bill had worked on other projects since then, but none as popular or as pokémon related. As a person, he merely wanted to keep doing what he wanted to do and that was all anybody asked of him. He had a great mind but he fell to pieces under pressure. Unfortunately that meant the scientific community had to respect his procrastination if they wanted any results at all.
In short, the scientific community both loved and despised Bill, but mostly despised him,
One such member of the scientific community who fell on the former side of the fence was one Professor Samuel Oak, head researcher of the Pallet Laboratory complex. Professor Oak had called upon Bill to visit him, not for any academic reasons, but merely to have a chat. It wasn't often that Bill went somewhere just for a social visit and especially not to Professor Oak's place. They had become friends over the years, but it had always seemed to be an academic relationship where they would exchange pleasantries so they could work easier with each other.
Bill had actually never visited the Pallet Laboratory without some intention to discuss scientific methodology or some such business. He was rather dreading this visit, what would he talk about? His recent battle with athlete's foot and the irony of him contracting such an infection? That film everyone seems to be talking about? Bill couldn't even remember the last time he'd read a book that wasn't a scientific journal of some kind.
Hopefully as the guest in this social event, he would be free of the obligation to engage the conversational topics. Besides, Professor Oak was friendly enough, everything should be fine.
–
For a visit that was supposed to be fine, it certainly didn't start that way.
As Bill walked up the small slope that lead to the laboratory, he was hit by a sudden realisation that he hadn't been to visit for any reason in a long time. He had almost forgotten the lab's ranch like feel, with the acres of space for pokémon of varying types to roam around to their hearts content. At the front of the complex was a simple looking house where Bill had imagined the living quarters were situated, although he had never been in there. Every time Bill had visited he had taken a small dirt path past the house and around to the other entrance where the science happened. This was where Bill went, knocking on the door and waiting patiently.
An aide spotted him through the glass and rushed over, quickly opening the door. “Good afternoon, Bill... this, erm... this is a surprise visit.” The man adjusted the thick glasses on his nose and rooted through the pockets of his lab coat for a small PDA. As he scanned whatever was on the screen, he became more agitated. “No record of a visit in the schedule.” He mentioned, looking at Bill in confusion.
Bill ran a hand through his brown hair, smiling awkwardly. “Oh, it's nothing really, the Professor invited me around for a social visit, nothing more. I can understand why you wouldn't have something like that in your schedule.”
“A er... social visit? That must account for the one hour break he planned.” This seemed to calm the aide down as he took a deep breath and smiled slightly. “If you're just here for that, then why did you come to the laboratory? Professor Oak is up at the house.”
“Oh.” Bill blushed embarrassedly. “This is always where Samuel has told me to meet him, so I just assumed...”
“Of course, never mind. I'll show you through, shall I?”
As Bill and the aide walked through the laboratory, the brown haired researcher saw heads looking up from their stations and staring at him. The attention made him somewhat uncomfortable, maybe it was because he didn't know if they were staring at him because he was Bill or because he'd just made an idiot out of himself. Either way, Bill wasn't very good at handling attention.
They went through a few more doors and the aide stopped at an unassuming wooden door at the end of an equally unassuming corridor. “The main house is through here, the Professor is probably waiting in the living room, you can't miss it.”
Bill thanked the aide quietly and proceeded through the door. He entered what must have been the main foyer, if the door to his left was indeed the front door to the main house. It was a moderately sized room with wooden panelling along the lower half of the walls and understated wallpaper covering the top half. There was a staircase at the back of the room and a potted plant sat on an end table where it met the wall.
The researcher suddenly became self conscious and took off his shoes, placing them near the front door next to a decorative umbrella stand. Bill wasn't sure whether the Professor preferred that guests take their shoes off or not, but it was better to be safe than sorry. He was immediately glad he took his shoes off when he stepped onto a soft rug in the middle of the room. Just as he was enjoying the comfort a voice from the top of the stairs said, “aha!”
Professor Oak was stood there, wearing his usual red shirt, tan slacks and a pristine lab coat. His hair was greying and you could easily see a few wrinkles, but the researcher had a youthful look in his eyes and a refreshingly positive outlook on life. “I thought I heard noises from down here. Just go through to the living room and I'll be right with you.”
Bill took one last look at the Professor and was glad to see that he was wearing a pair of white socks. He sighed in relief and went into a room to his right, the main feature of which was a coffee table surrounded by some sofas and armchairs. There was a television at the side of the room, but it was turned off.
As Bill took a seat, he looked around at the walls, the majority of which were covered by bookshelves and cabinets, but through the windows he could see out across the ranch. Pokémon were playing, having fun and whilst not strictly in their natural environment, it was still enriching to watch them for a while.
“I see you enjoy pokémon watching as much as I do.”
Bill turned to see the Professor enter the room, his ever-present smile on his face. Bill returned a smile that was more nervous than anything else. “I think it was you who said you can learn more about pokémon from watching them play than you can from invasive scientific research. I agree with that statement, to get into the mind of an intelligent creature, you need to know how it behaves.”
“I believe you're more well versed about getting into the mind of a pokémon than I am, Bill.” Professor Oak laughed heartily and sank into one of the armchairs.
“What do you mean, Samuel?” Bill walked away from the window and chose a seat on one of the sofas. When he sat down he took note of how comfortable it was, quite obviously the Professor enjoyed comfort over style.
“I do believe I refer to that one time a young trainer helped you out of a bind you had found yourself in.” The Professor put his hands either side of his head and mimicked a set of ears. “I hear you make a rather cute clefairy.”
Bill laughed nervously, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. “Ah yes... I'd forgotten about that, or at least I hoped I had. How did you find out about that incident anyway?”
“The young trainer was one of my research assistants... well, in so far that I gave him a pokédex and told him to collect data for me. He told me all about it after you were kind enough to share some of your data on eevee and a few of its evolutions.”
“It was the least I could do, seriously. Pokémon bodies are incredibly difficult to get used to and aren't very useful when trying to operate machines and gadgets.” A small silence followed this pronouncement. It only lasted a few seconds but Bill couldn't mistake the look in Professor Oak's eyes, the warmth had disappeared momentarily and had been replaced with a calculating expression, as if the older researcher was trying to read Bill's mind.
Mere seconds later, he slapped his hands against his thighs and moved slightly in his seat, his jovial demeanour returning. “Would you like some tea, Bill?”
“If it's not too much trouble, then I wouldn't mind.” Bill couldn't help but notice the change, but he put it out of his mind for now.
“Of course it isn't. You'll be having the usual, I take it?” Professor Oak stood up and began a slow walk over to the door.
“Yes, black no sugar. Thank you.” Bill watched Professor Oak leave and suddenly became self conscious again. It was hard to know what to do when you're alone in someone else's house. Should you get up and wander around, looking at things? Should you just stay seated and pry as little as possible? Bill opted for a middle ground, staying seated, yet staring at everything he could reasonably turn his head to look at.
He could see scientific journals, several notebooks with labels written in the professor's own hand, awards for excellence in varying fields, but none of those things really caught Bill's attention. They were all just things. Then Bill noticed something, in this room full of achievement and knowledge was a picture that stood out amongst all the rest. In the other photos, Bill could see the professor standing with notable scientific names, even notable names in the fields of politics and pokémon battling. This one picture however, it was unassuming, it's frame was plain and quite worn, the glass had a thumb print on the side as if it had been repeatedly taken off the wall and handled.
It showed Professor Oak, laughing with four other people. Two younger adults; the woman, fair-haired and graceful, the man, dark-haired and confident. Two young children; the girl, slightly older and a spitting image the woman, the boy, happy and dark-haired like the man.
Bill stood up and walked over to take a closer look at the picture. Everyone in it looked so happy and at peace with each other. It reminded him a lot of his own family, his sister, his mother and his father. Even though they haven't always gotten along, they had loved each other all the same.
The sound of teacups on coasters snapped Bill from his memories. The professor had brought the tea and Bill hadn't even noticed him come in.
“That's probably my most treasured possession in this entire room.” He said, taking a sip of his own tea. “Awards, trophies, important research... they're nothing when it comes down to it. As long as we are surrounded by the ones we love and care about, life is worth living.”
“Who are they?” Bill took his seat again and took a small sip of tea, smiling in thanks to the professor.
Oak was silent for a few moments as he studied the picture himself. Then he picked up the picture frame in his right hand, his thumb in the exact same place as the smudge. “My son, his wife and my grandchildren. We had this taken about ten years ago.”
Bill raised an eyebrow in thought. “Your grandson? I heard he was recently made the permanent gym leader at the Viridian City gym. They had been going through a lot of temporaries after Giovanni took off.”
“Ah yes, my grandson.” Oak laughed but seemed to cut it off half way through. “What was his name again?”
Bill, half way through a sip of tea, almost choked trying to stifle a laugh.
“Oh yes, I remember. I know Blue can be slightly arrogant at times, but he's mellowed out a lot over the past three years. I believe this sense of responsibility and permanence will be good for him, allow him to grow into a better man.” Oak turned back to Bill and sat in his armchair again. “It's nice that he lives so close as well, I often visit when I go to pick up supplies in Viridian.”
“Family really is important. I can sometimes forget that when I busy myself with research.” Bill sighed. “I really should visit my sister more often.”
The professor chuckled. “Yes, whilst you still have the youth to travel without worry.”
Bill laughed nervously, unsure of how to properly react to the self-deprecating statement. “So er... if those are your grandchildren, the girl must be-”
“Daisy, yes.” The calculating look had found its way into Professor Oak's eyes again. “Actually, she's the reason I called you over for this little visit.”
Bill felt his teacup shaking so he placed it on the coaster before he spilled any of it. His hand didn't stop though, Professor Oak's glare was rather menacing. “Why might that be?” He asked nervously.
Oak tented his fingers. “I've noticed you've been spending a fair bit of time with her recently. I just want to know what your intentions are regarding her.” Had this come from anyone else, Bill would have probably assumed he had just been asked a question and had a right to answer however he pleased. The way the professor said it though, it was clear that he was demanding an honest answer. “As you might have guessed, I'm very protective of my family and I couldn't stand to see my granddaughter's heart get broken.”
Had Bill been drinking his tea, he would have surely sprayed some of it onto the professor. “Broken heart!? What..? No... no, it's nothing like that!”
“Oh?” The professor seemed unconvinced. “Would you kindly explain then?”
Bill had a hand clutched over his heart, he could feel it beating like crazy. “It's nothing like that, I get terrible back pains sometimes when I work and I can't keep going when I have them. Last time I visited your lab, Daisy noticed and offered to give me a massage to ease the pain. It helped a lot, so every time it gets painful again, I give her a call and she invites me to her place for the massage. That's what you must have been noticing.”
“So instead of thinking that you were merely nursing a burgeoning relationship, I'm to believe that she is instead massaging you?” Oak raised an eyebrow. “Tell me, Bill, how is that supposed to make me feel better?”
By this point, the red in Bill's cheeks had devoured his entire face and his speech had descending into desperate mumbling. “Th-that came out wrong...” Bill decided that trying to explain things in his condition was useless, so he took a deep breath, a sip of tea and closed his eyes for a small bit of meditation.
“Daisy's a nice girl and I'm sure she'll make someone very happy, but that person isn't me.” Bill opened his eyes and stared directly at the professor, his gaze was serious. “You're a friend, Samuel and I want you to know that I'd never go behind your back like that.”
Oak's eyebrow never moved, but his face softened and the carefree smile returned to his lips. “You're a fine man, Bill. Daisy would be lucky to have someone like you.” He got up and offered his hand, which Bill shook. “I'm sorry for bringing you down here and ambushing you like that, but I'm sure you understand that I was only looking out for my granddaughters best interests.”
“Of course, Samuel.” Bill laughed nervously, but at least it was over. In the end, this little social visit did turn out to be fine, even if it didn't look that way at the start.
“I should get back to work, Bill.”
“I probably should as well.”
–
Bill left Pallet Town that day with a smile on his face. Social visits weren't that bad, all things considered.
'I really should give my sister a call.'
***
Oh man! Do you how liberating it is to write a fic where you don't have to constantly check whether you referenced human anatomy instead of pony anatomy?
I decided that what people really want are fics about their favourite characters! So here's a fic about Bill. Also, it's silly, most likely OOC and serves very little purpose. It's only like, 3000 words long though, so it won't take long to read ;D
For Jax, because I was bored.
A Social Visit
Bill.
A man so well known and respected, he didn't even need a second name. Most people weren't sure if he actually did have one and many rumours persist that he legally changed his name to just 'Bill'.
After all, if one reinvents the wheel, they tend to get noticed.
The wheel in question was an invaluable tool known to every person across all continents as the Pokémon PC Storage System. It's first iteration was cold and at times seemed to actively dislike the user, making it as difficult and laborious a process as possible. This was however, merely a proof of concept, Bill and his team knew now that they could fully imagine their dream. The lesser known members of his team, Lanette, Bebe, Amanita and Fennel pooled together their creativity and ingenuity and helped build a truly user friendly system that would change the world.
Well... for trainers at least.
Bill had worked on other projects since then, but none as popular or as pokémon related. As a person, he merely wanted to keep doing what he wanted to do and that was all anybody asked of him. He had a great mind but he fell to pieces under pressure. Unfortunately that meant the scientific community had to respect his procrastination if they wanted any results at all.
In short, the scientific community both loved and despised Bill, but mostly despised him,
One such member of the scientific community who fell on the former side of the fence was one Professor Samuel Oak, head researcher of the Pallet Laboratory complex. Professor Oak had called upon Bill to visit him, not for any academic reasons, but merely to have a chat. It wasn't often that Bill went somewhere just for a social visit and especially not to Professor Oak's place. They had become friends over the years, but it had always seemed to be an academic relationship where they would exchange pleasantries so they could work easier with each other.
Bill had actually never visited the Pallet Laboratory without some intention to discuss scientific methodology or some such business. He was rather dreading this visit, what would he talk about? His recent battle with athlete's foot and the irony of him contracting such an infection? That film everyone seems to be talking about? Bill couldn't even remember the last time he'd read a book that wasn't a scientific journal of some kind.
Hopefully as the guest in this social event, he would be free of the obligation to engage the conversational topics. Besides, Professor Oak was friendly enough, everything should be fine.
–
For a visit that was supposed to be fine, it certainly didn't start that way.
As Bill walked up the small slope that lead to the laboratory, he was hit by a sudden realisation that he hadn't been to visit for any reason in a long time. He had almost forgotten the lab's ranch like feel, with the acres of space for pokémon of varying types to roam around to their hearts content. At the front of the complex was a simple looking house where Bill had imagined the living quarters were situated, although he had never been in there. Every time Bill had visited he had taken a small dirt path past the house and around to the other entrance where the science happened. This was where Bill went, knocking on the door and waiting patiently.
An aide spotted him through the glass and rushed over, quickly opening the door. “Good afternoon, Bill... this, erm... this is a surprise visit.” The man adjusted the thick glasses on his nose and rooted through the pockets of his lab coat for a small PDA. As he scanned whatever was on the screen, he became more agitated. “No record of a visit in the schedule.” He mentioned, looking at Bill in confusion.
Bill ran a hand through his brown hair, smiling awkwardly. “Oh, it's nothing really, the Professor invited me around for a social visit, nothing more. I can understand why you wouldn't have something like that in your schedule.”
“A er... social visit? That must account for the one hour break he planned.” This seemed to calm the aide down as he took a deep breath and smiled slightly. “If you're just here for that, then why did you come to the laboratory? Professor Oak is up at the house.”
“Oh.” Bill blushed embarrassedly. “This is always where Samuel has told me to meet him, so I just assumed...”
“Of course, never mind. I'll show you through, shall I?”
As Bill and the aide walked through the laboratory, the brown haired researcher saw heads looking up from their stations and staring at him. The attention made him somewhat uncomfortable, maybe it was because he didn't know if they were staring at him because he was Bill or because he'd just made an idiot out of himself. Either way, Bill wasn't very good at handling attention.
They went through a few more doors and the aide stopped at an unassuming wooden door at the end of an equally unassuming corridor. “The main house is through here, the Professor is probably waiting in the living room, you can't miss it.”
Bill thanked the aide quietly and proceeded through the door. He entered what must have been the main foyer, if the door to his left was indeed the front door to the main house. It was a moderately sized room with wooden panelling along the lower half of the walls and understated wallpaper covering the top half. There was a staircase at the back of the room and a potted plant sat on an end table where it met the wall.
The researcher suddenly became self conscious and took off his shoes, placing them near the front door next to a decorative umbrella stand. Bill wasn't sure whether the Professor preferred that guests take their shoes off or not, but it was better to be safe than sorry. He was immediately glad he took his shoes off when he stepped onto a soft rug in the middle of the room. Just as he was enjoying the comfort a voice from the top of the stairs said, “aha!”
Professor Oak was stood there, wearing his usual red shirt, tan slacks and a pristine lab coat. His hair was greying and you could easily see a few wrinkles, but the researcher had a youthful look in his eyes and a refreshingly positive outlook on life. “I thought I heard noises from down here. Just go through to the living room and I'll be right with you.”
Bill took one last look at the Professor and was glad to see that he was wearing a pair of white socks. He sighed in relief and went into a room to his right, the main feature of which was a coffee table surrounded by some sofas and armchairs. There was a television at the side of the room, but it was turned off.
As Bill took a seat, he looked around at the walls, the majority of which were covered by bookshelves and cabinets, but through the windows he could see out across the ranch. Pokémon were playing, having fun and whilst not strictly in their natural environment, it was still enriching to watch them for a while.
“I see you enjoy pokémon watching as much as I do.”
Bill turned to see the Professor enter the room, his ever-present smile on his face. Bill returned a smile that was more nervous than anything else. “I think it was you who said you can learn more about pokémon from watching them play than you can from invasive scientific research. I agree with that statement, to get into the mind of an intelligent creature, you need to know how it behaves.”
“I believe you're more well versed about getting into the mind of a pokémon than I am, Bill.” Professor Oak laughed heartily and sank into one of the armchairs.
“What do you mean, Samuel?” Bill walked away from the window and chose a seat on one of the sofas. When he sat down he took note of how comfortable it was, quite obviously the Professor enjoyed comfort over style.
“I do believe I refer to that one time a young trainer helped you out of a bind you had found yourself in.” The Professor put his hands either side of his head and mimicked a set of ears. “I hear you make a rather cute clefairy.”
Bill laughed nervously, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. “Ah yes... I'd forgotten about that, or at least I hoped I had. How did you find out about that incident anyway?”
“The young trainer was one of my research assistants... well, in so far that I gave him a pokédex and told him to collect data for me. He told me all about it after you were kind enough to share some of your data on eevee and a few of its evolutions.”
“It was the least I could do, seriously. Pokémon bodies are incredibly difficult to get used to and aren't very useful when trying to operate machines and gadgets.” A small silence followed this pronouncement. It only lasted a few seconds but Bill couldn't mistake the look in Professor Oak's eyes, the warmth had disappeared momentarily and had been replaced with a calculating expression, as if the older researcher was trying to read Bill's mind.
Mere seconds later, he slapped his hands against his thighs and moved slightly in his seat, his jovial demeanour returning. “Would you like some tea, Bill?”
“If it's not too much trouble, then I wouldn't mind.” Bill couldn't help but notice the change, but he put it out of his mind for now.
“Of course it isn't. You'll be having the usual, I take it?” Professor Oak stood up and began a slow walk over to the door.
“Yes, black no sugar. Thank you.” Bill watched Professor Oak leave and suddenly became self conscious again. It was hard to know what to do when you're alone in someone else's house. Should you get up and wander around, looking at things? Should you just stay seated and pry as little as possible? Bill opted for a middle ground, staying seated, yet staring at everything he could reasonably turn his head to look at.
He could see scientific journals, several notebooks with labels written in the professor's own hand, awards for excellence in varying fields, but none of those things really caught Bill's attention. They were all just things. Then Bill noticed something, in this room full of achievement and knowledge was a picture that stood out amongst all the rest. In the other photos, Bill could see the professor standing with notable scientific names, even notable names in the fields of politics and pokémon battling. This one picture however, it was unassuming, it's frame was plain and quite worn, the glass had a thumb print on the side as if it had been repeatedly taken off the wall and handled.
It showed Professor Oak, laughing with four other people. Two younger adults; the woman, fair-haired and graceful, the man, dark-haired and confident. Two young children; the girl, slightly older and a spitting image the woman, the boy, happy and dark-haired like the man.
Bill stood up and walked over to take a closer look at the picture. Everyone in it looked so happy and at peace with each other. It reminded him a lot of his own family, his sister, his mother and his father. Even though they haven't always gotten along, they had loved each other all the same.
The sound of teacups on coasters snapped Bill from his memories. The professor had brought the tea and Bill hadn't even noticed him come in.
“That's probably my most treasured possession in this entire room.” He said, taking a sip of his own tea. “Awards, trophies, important research... they're nothing when it comes down to it. As long as we are surrounded by the ones we love and care about, life is worth living.”
“Who are they?” Bill took his seat again and took a small sip of tea, smiling in thanks to the professor.
Oak was silent for a few moments as he studied the picture himself. Then he picked up the picture frame in his right hand, his thumb in the exact same place as the smudge. “My son, his wife and my grandchildren. We had this taken about ten years ago.”
Bill raised an eyebrow in thought. “Your grandson? I heard he was recently made the permanent gym leader at the Viridian City gym. They had been going through a lot of temporaries after Giovanni took off.”
“Ah yes, my grandson.” Oak laughed but seemed to cut it off half way through. “What was his name again?”
Bill, half way through a sip of tea, almost choked trying to stifle a laugh.
“Oh yes, I remember. I know Blue can be slightly arrogant at times, but he's mellowed out a lot over the past three years. I believe this sense of responsibility and permanence will be good for him, allow him to grow into a better man.” Oak turned back to Bill and sat in his armchair again. “It's nice that he lives so close as well, I often visit when I go to pick up supplies in Viridian.”
“Family really is important. I can sometimes forget that when I busy myself with research.” Bill sighed. “I really should visit my sister more often.”
The professor chuckled. “Yes, whilst you still have the youth to travel without worry.”
Bill laughed nervously, unsure of how to properly react to the self-deprecating statement. “So er... if those are your grandchildren, the girl must be-”
“Daisy, yes.” The calculating look had found its way into Professor Oak's eyes again. “Actually, she's the reason I called you over for this little visit.”
Bill felt his teacup shaking so he placed it on the coaster before he spilled any of it. His hand didn't stop though, Professor Oak's glare was rather menacing. “Why might that be?” He asked nervously.
Oak tented his fingers. “I've noticed you've been spending a fair bit of time with her recently. I just want to know what your intentions are regarding her.” Had this come from anyone else, Bill would have probably assumed he had just been asked a question and had a right to answer however he pleased. The way the professor said it though, it was clear that he was demanding an honest answer. “As you might have guessed, I'm very protective of my family and I couldn't stand to see my granddaughter's heart get broken.”
Had Bill been drinking his tea, he would have surely sprayed some of it onto the professor. “Broken heart!? What..? No... no, it's nothing like that!”
“Oh?” The professor seemed unconvinced. “Would you kindly explain then?”
Bill had a hand clutched over his heart, he could feel it beating like crazy. “It's nothing like that, I get terrible back pains sometimes when I work and I can't keep going when I have them. Last time I visited your lab, Daisy noticed and offered to give me a massage to ease the pain. It helped a lot, so every time it gets painful again, I give her a call and she invites me to her place for the massage. That's what you must have been noticing.”
“So instead of thinking that you were merely nursing a burgeoning relationship, I'm to believe that she is instead massaging you?” Oak raised an eyebrow. “Tell me, Bill, how is that supposed to make me feel better?”
By this point, the red in Bill's cheeks had devoured his entire face and his speech had descending into desperate mumbling. “Th-that came out wrong...” Bill decided that trying to explain things in his condition was useless, so he took a deep breath, a sip of tea and closed his eyes for a small bit of meditation.
“Daisy's a nice girl and I'm sure she'll make someone very happy, but that person isn't me.” Bill opened his eyes and stared directly at the professor, his gaze was serious. “You're a friend, Samuel and I want you to know that I'd never go behind your back like that.”
Oak's eyebrow never moved, but his face softened and the carefree smile returned to his lips. “You're a fine man, Bill. Daisy would be lucky to have someone like you.” He got up and offered his hand, which Bill shook. “I'm sorry for bringing you down here and ambushing you like that, but I'm sure you understand that I was only looking out for my granddaughters best interests.”
“Of course, Samuel.” Bill laughed nervously, but at least it was over. In the end, this little social visit did turn out to be fine, even if it didn't look that way at the start.
“I should get back to work, Bill.”
“I probably should as well.”
–
Bill left Pallet Town that day with a smile on his face. Social visits weren't that bad, all things considered.
'I really should give my sister a call.'
***
Oh man! Do you how liberating it is to write a fic where you don't have to constantly check whether you referenced human anatomy instead of pony anatomy?