She was right, Barker was absolutely cute. He could agree with that. Excitement was an understatement, perhaps. Sure, it was, but he also felt a mixture of other emotions he couldn't yet place his finger on, or even try to. Overwhelming was a great word he felt at the tip of his tongue, but he also knew he had asked for it by coming to Nauwill.
Had he made the right choice?
Regardless, it was on him now, and he was responsible for himself and Barker. He couldn't mess it up; there wasn't room for that. He had come here of his own volition based on a whim and he was going to have to face that fact, or else Barker could suffer, and that wasn't an option he ever was going to take.
'Oh, he's just a baby!'
Wynmond glanced at the mentioned youngling, exhaling sharply. Yeah, just a baby. His baby. A baby who was absolutely cold-bloo- wait. Wait. Why hadn't he thought of that prior? Of course, Barker was cold-blooded, duh. He was a totodile! It'd be weirder if he wasn't! He'd need to note that when he turned in his research notes, although he doubted they really needed the reminder. No wonder Barker liked to crawl into his skin practically at night.
"The room has been cold lately. I'll have to fix that, won't I?" His voice dipped into a babied coo as his attention shifted mid-sentence towards Barker, who answered by opening one eye for a fraction of a second.
Tori rose and Wynmond glanced down at his legs, running his fingers over the bandaging. She had used a lot of them, but that was on her, he guessed. He placed a hand onto the ground to help push himself upright, only to be stopped as she seized his hands and pulled him upright. Immediately, once he was situated, he jerked his hands back to himself and felt the hot wave of embarrassment rush through him. 'Stop being a fucking weirdo,' was the first thought in his head, aimed directly at himself.
"Uh, I-" 'Compose yourself. It's a simple question.' "I prefer learning on my own, I retain information better that way, but if we're around at the same time...."
Where was that sentence leading to? If she bumped into him he wouldn't run away screaming? Something of that effect. He scooped a sleepy Barker into his arms, gently shifting the reptile until they were gently resting their head on his head. Cute. Cute!
"He probably could use more interactions with people not me," he murmured lowly. "So, maybe, that could work out." As uncomfortable as he was he could see the merit in Barker meeting other trainers not himself, just to be prepared. As much as he was keen on finding an excuse to back out of any further commitment he also was incredibly dedicated to ensuring, at a bare minimum, that Barker lived a fulfilled and enriched life while under Wynmond's care. After all, Barker hadn't asked to be raised by the mess that was Wynmond; he deserved the best that could be offered.
Barker yawned loudly and shifted, grumbling as they struggled to get comfortable. Wynmond chuckled, lifting the edge of their jacked to blanket the sleeping pokemon.
"I am going to head back; he's tired. I'm sorry, again, that he bit you. We're going to work on that... right?" He directed the last word to the totodile, who whined in return. "If you need repaying for the bandages please let me know. I have a kit back at the place."
