Announcements: Cutting Costs (2024) » January 2024 Copyfraud Attack » Finding Universes to Join (and making yours more visible!) » Guide To Universes On RPG » Member Shoutout Thread » Starter Locations & Prompts for Newcomers » RPG Chat — the official app » Frequently Asked Questions » Suggestions & Requests: THE MASTER THREAD »

Latest Discussions: Adapa Adapa's for adapa » To the Rich Men North of Richmond » Shake Senora » Good Morning RPG! » Ramblings of a Madman: American History Unkempt » Site Revitalization » Map Making Resources » Lost Poetry » Wishes » Ring of Invisibility » Seeking Roleplayer for Rumple/Mr. Gold from Once Upon a Time » Some political parody for these trying times » What dinosaur are you? » So, I have an Etsy » Train Poetry I » Joker » D&D Alignment Chart: How To Get A Theorem Named After You » Dungeon23 : Creative Challenge » Returning User - Is it dead? » Twelve Days of Christmas »

Players Wanted: Serious Anime Crossover Roleplay (semi-literate) » Looking for a long term partner! » JoJo or Mha roleplay » Seeking long-term rp partners for MxM » [MxF] Ruining Beauty / Beauty x Bastard » Minecraft Rp Help Wanted » CALL FOR WITNESSES: The Public v Zosimos » Social Immortal: A Vampire Only Soiree [The Multiverse] » XENOMORPH EDM TOUR Feat. Synthe Gridd: Get Your Tickets! » Aishna: Tower of Desire » Looking for fellow RPGers/Characters » looking for a RP partner (ABO/BL) » Looking for a long term roleplay partner » Explore the World of Boruto with Our Roleplaying Group on FB » More Jedi, Sith, and Imperials needed! » Role-player's Wanted » OSR Armchair Warrior looking for Kin » Friday the 13th Fun, Anyone? » Writers Wanted! » Long term partner to play an older male wanted »

0
followers
follow

Cyrilla Niav

Neo Team Rocket Executive: Suicune

0 · 2,375 views · located in Kanto Region

a character in “Pokémon: Atonement”, as played by Nemeseia

Description

.

.

.

.

.
.

.

.

.

.
xxImageImageImagexxxxxCyrillaRheinallt
xxxxxxx◙◙◙◙* Female xxxx◙◙◙◙* 24 xxxx◙◙◙◙* 5'4" xxxx◙◙◙◙* 115 lbs. xxxx◙◙◙◙* TR Exec: Suicune

AAFIT x ▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌ AAARES x ▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌
AAINT x ▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌ AAACHA x ▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌
AABTL x ▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌ AAAMED x ▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌
AACON x ▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌ AAAKNO x ▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌


--Image- ESPIONAGE good at collecting data; infiltration, and stealth
CHEMIST can concoct poisons and some bombs
PRODIGY exceptionally skilled with various things—quick learner



Image Lying is hard and the truth comes out anyway
- - - - - - - you're going way too far / gonna drop dead at this rate .


ImageImageImageImageImageImage
Life in the Koga clan isn't easy, and that proved quite true for Cyrilla Niav. She was born into the lower branch of the clan, and wasn't exactly expected to shoulder a lot of burdens like those in the main, however; there were certain expectations her parents had. Expectations she wouldn't be able to live up to due to things beyond her control. Her parents shunned her simply for the color of her hair—white as virgin snow instead of the signature black or purple. It wasn't easy growing up with that kind of resentment, but Cyrilla did her best to earn her family's approval, and hopeful that one day she would earn their love. She never would, and she came to resent them for it.

When she was old enough to begin training in other areas, Cyrilla felt disgusted with herself. Learning the art of seduction was not something she wanted to do, nor learn how to properly entice someone. It left her feeling... dirty. She learned rather quickly that what she did was a means to an end—a way to collect needed information. She eventually lost herself to it, numbed what little part of her still cared, and she was good at it—good at killing what little kindness and warmth and innocence she had left.

It wasn't until she met Eryk, heir to the Koga Clan and Koga's grandson, that things seemed to be a little brighter. He was like her in so many ways, a gentle soul in an otherwise unforgiving world, but she came to love him in a fierce way. Her parents saw that as an opportunity to rise up in the family, become members of the main house if Cyrilla married Eryk, and they arranged for it. Eryk had, surprisingly, agreed under the notion that it was better to marry Cyrilla rather than Katia, and she's earned a lot of flak from the other members of the clan. She knows that it won't be easy being his fiancée, but she treasures him greatly and will do her best to take it one day at a time.

And while she misses the person she used to be... she knows that that person is dangerous. A person who cares too much for a world that doesn't really give a damn about her. For now, she'll continue to be the ever obedient daughter who rises through the ranks of Neo Team Rocket. At least until she can find a way to leave the clan with Eryk so they can finally be free...


Image I did it to myself / tried to be someone else
- - - - - - - I'll make the same mistakes / I'll never know who I was before.


Image
Image

ImageImageImageImage
NOCTIS QUIET
-Image
DIVA SASSY
-Image

Image

ImageImage
ZERO JOLLY
-Image
ZEPHYR LAX
-Image

Image

ImageImage
SIRI QUIRKY
-ImageImage
MILA MILD
-Image

Image

Image
Image



So begins...

Cyrilla Niav's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Nevena Solomon Character Portrait: Anastasia Asher Character Portrait: Rocket Files
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK



April 13th
Cinnabar Shopping Center - Afternoon - Clear
Nevena Solomon


“I've never really gone to the beach just to go," Nev stated as she glanced at the others. Mel had invited all of them to go to the beach in a few days, and had suggested that they go shopping for the proper beach attire. Nev had gone to the beach before, but it was mostly because the boat she needed to take was docked at a pier. She'd watched people enjoy themselves, but this would be her actual first trip. The summer festival didn't count. That wasn't enjoying the sand or water. She was looking forward to it, though, but not the shopping. She didn't know what she needed, or if there was anything in particular that was considered proper.

“I take it that means you don't have a swimsuit, then?" Cyrilla stated more than questioned, arching a brow in Nev's direction.

“I don't," Nev murmured softly.

“That's alright," Cyrilla stated as she clicked her tongue. “The store we're going to has just about everything you'll need."

Mel nodded. "Swimsuits, comfortable stuff to wear over one, and hats and stuff if you'd like one, too. You should also definitely get sunscreen from the pharmacy, if you don't already own some."

Ana raised her hand a little sheepishly. "SPF 100," she said, clearing her throat. "I work enough outdoors that I wear it every day just in case. Make sure you get the waterproof kind."

“Well I suppose it can't hurt to stock up on some," Nev stated with a smile. She spent most of her time inside, and didn't think she needed it. If they were going to spend all day outside, then it would be a good idea to get more sunscreen.

“So, Nev, Ana, Mel," Cyrilla started, glancing in their direction. “What kind of swimsuits do you prefer?" she asked, tilting her head a bit. Nev blinked before contemplating the question. She didn't really have a preference, but she knew that if she'd said that, Cyrilla was likely to take the initiative and grab something that Nev wouldn't be comfortable in.

“I don't know, honestly. I've never owned a swimsuit outside of gym class in high school," it was best to be honest, she supposed. “But maybe once we get to the store, I might find something I like?" she wasn't entirely sure why it came out like a question. Cyrilla merely nodded her head and turned towards Ana and Mel.

"I, um... have one, actually," Ana said, shifting in a way that conveyed a hint of discomfort. "And a thing to wear over it. I was hoping to find a proper sundress, too, but... I'm not sure if this store is really my kind of place." They'd walked into the place, a stylish boutique outfitted for an island summer, and she did look rather out of place, in ripped black skinny jeans, a loose black tank over a striped camisole, and, of all things, the heels they'd bought to accompany her dress in Saffron.

Even this was rather a departure from the way she'd dressed when they first met, all except for the color. She was, very slowly, seeming to get comfortable with articles that fit her, instead of ones that were a couple sizes too large, quite different from the shirt, which was made to hang loosely so the shirt under it would be partly visible.

"You better not be talking about that wetsuit I saw in your closet," Mel said, though she sounded amused rather than genuinely annoyed. If Ana wanted to wear a wetsuit, Nev knew Mel wouldn't protest at all.

Ana shook her head, though. "Um... no. Not that. Though maybe I should? If there's going to be surfing...?"

There was a sly smile on Cyrilla's face. “I'm sure Ryk would find her attractive in just about anything, or nothing at all," she stated the last part lowly that Nev almost didn't hear it. She cleared her own throat, awkwardly. “But that's actually not a bad call. Ryk and Kas have surfboards now, and Drake has a couple, right?" she glanced in Mel's direction.

Nev wasn't so sure about that, though. She didn't know the first thing about surfing. “I think I'll just spectate. Besides, Mel mentioned something about volleyball, too. We should probably get something that will be good for both swimming and that," she stated, earning a light chuckle from Cyrilla.

“That's the point of a swimsuit, Nev. You can wear it in the water or out; it's multipurpose."

"To answer your original question, Cy, I usually stick to one-pieces. I have some scars I'm not super comfortable with, so that's just easier." Mel shrugged. "They also tend to be the conservative option, if you're inclined that way." The last part seemed to be directed at Nev.

Ana, red-faced and very clearly trying not to sputter, took the opportunity presented by the topic reversal. "Um... mine's a... tankini, I think they're called. Functionally almost the same, but in two pieces instead of one."

Nev might have thought the falter in Cyrilla's smile at Mel's statement was just a trick of the eyes, but they all knew the scars Mel was referring to. “Hm, understandable. I think this might be the first year I'll be wearing something similar," she stated as she glanced in Nev's direction. “So I guess that means we're all going to match in one way or another," she stated a little excitedly.

“I suppose so?" Nev didn't know what she was going to get. There were so many options to choose from, and then there was the sundress to think about, and maybe a hat? Wait, no, she had a sun hat that could work.

“Alright, ladies, let's go find ourselves an outfit! Nev, do you want help with yours?" Cyrilla asked as she glanced towards Nev.

“Maybe?"

"I can go with you, Nev?" Ana offered softly. "Since I already have everything I need. If I find a sundress that's nice, but I'm not really here for one, so I'm free."

“Really? That would be a big help," Nev replied, offering Ana a small smile. “I don't know the first thing about this, and since you already have something, I'd appreciate your insight," she continued. It wasn't that she didn't think Mel or Cy could offer the same help, but they would be getting their own stuff, and she didn't want to intrude or interrupt them.

“Well, you two enjoy yourselves," Cyrilla stated as she linked her arm with Mel's. “Melly and I are going to go pick out our stuff and meet you back in ten?"

“Sure thing," Nev replied as she glanced at Ana. “You said you had a tankini, right? Will you help me find one, too?" she asked. If it was similar to a one piece, it might be beneficial to get one since they were going to be doing other things and not just swimming.

"Sure!" Ana said, making her way towards the back of the store with the click of her heels. "Do you have any particular color or feel in mind? Cute? Mature? Er... sexy? Sorry; I still feel a little weird saying that word, but now I'm just being awkward." She smiled a little sheepishly.

Nev honestly couldn't blame her. She wasn't sure that was ever a word to describe herself, and it just... well, she'd never really had a reason to say it out loud, either. “Er, well, I guess something more along the lines of what would be practical?" she wasn't sure what she was looking for. “Uh, but maybe something in the lines of blues and purples? Oh! Maybe pinks?" since pink was her favorite color, after all. She should probably get something like that.

Ana huffed a little. "Swimsuits aren't practical," she said, shaking her head. "Wetsuits are practical, but those are for like... well I use mine for rescue dives and things. Really, though, with a regular swimsuit no matter what you do there's lots of skin. It's really just sort of a question of whether you want to minimize that or lean into it. Even then minimizing is hard. Even mine has a decorated cutout right—here." She gestured to her sternum, tracing a line on her shirt that indicated a fair amount of cleavage would be visible.

Clearing her throat, Ana pinkened slightly. "I might have been a little tipsy when I ordered it but I do think it's pretty. It's just... kind of bold for me. Anything in here would be too, though."

“But what matters is that you like it, right?" Nev asked as they made their way towards a rack of swimsuits. “I guess if they aren't practical..." she trailed off as she glanced at the first swimsuit. It was a cobalt blue color, and a bikini. Nev wasn't too sure if she was willing to reveal that much skin. She didn't have scars, or anything like that to be mindful of, but... she'd always been a large child, and some things were harder to get over than most.

But maybe... if she did this one thing, maybe it would be a first step in a direction that would make her more confident in herself? “I guess I want to try something different, then," she stated, pulling out a two piece. It was a bold red color, and she wasn't sure it would suit her. It wasn't the same red as Aidan's hair, perhaps just a tad more bold and... well it was too loud for her coloration, she supposed.

"You know, I bet you'd look great in a bikini," Ana said, nodding with approval. "If you're comfortable with the idea. The whole concept is plenty, uh... mature on its own, so if you didn't want to wear just some scraps of fabric maybe the ones over here would fit better?" She gestured to a rack near herself.

"But if you want to do the skimpy thing, that's a valid choice too." Still, she seemed to have caught on to Nev's discomfort, hence the suggestion.

Nev smiled a little at Ana's statement and nodded her head. She skimmed the rack that Ana had pointed to, grabbing one every so often and inspecting it. One particular outfit was barely an outfit at all. It looked like a thin strap that would barely cover her chest and the bottom portion looked... well, it didn't look like it would cover much. She found another one, a pale blue color that was labeled as a bandage bikini, but the size wasn't what she was looking for.

“Oh," she stated when she pulled a suit from the rack. “What do you think about this one?" she asked Ana, holding it up so that Ana could see it. It was white in color, and had a long sarong attached to it. The halter top was a little more exposed at the top, but Arceus, she wanted to try something new. Something that would... she pushed the thought out of her mind and felt her face heat up.

"Oh..." Ana's eyes widened a little; she smiled brightly. "I think you'd look amazing in that! Would you like to try it on?"

“We can try them on?" Nev asked as her eyes widened a little. She hadn't known that. Usually she just found whatever was in her size, and bought it. “I suppose it wouldn't hurt?" she continued, glancing around for a fitting room. She would be able to see how it looked and how it made her feel. If she liked it well-enough, she could get it, and would have an outfit for the day. She made her way to the fitting room once she spotted it and turned back to Ana.

“Alright, I'll go try this on," she stated, taking in a deep breath before walking into the room. Once the door was secured, she stripped her shirt and pants, placing them neatly on the seat inside and pulled the swimsuit from its hanger. Once she'd managed to pull it on, she glanced at the tall mirror and blinked in surprise. Was... that really what it looked like? On her? Swallowing thickly, she peeked out the door, hoping no one else was near as she called out to Ana.

“How... how does it look?" she asked. It felt comfortable, but it was a lot of skin that was showing. Still... it was new, and she liked it.

Ana bounced a little on her toes, giving her a thumbs-up. "You look amazing," she said, beaming a smile at Nev. "But the most important question is: how do you feel?"

“It feels comfortable for starters," she began, glancing down at herself. “I don't... feel too uncomfortable, and it's not like I can't get a summer cardigan to go over it," she added. She wasn't sure she wanted to cover it, though. It was manageable the way it was, and she would still be able to move when they were playing volleyball. She could even tie the bottom part higher if she needed to.

“I like it," she stated with a smile.

"Then you should absolutely get it." Mel and Cyrilla reappeared, the former flashing Nev a smile. A multicolored swimsuit was thrown over one arm, along with what seemed to be a white cover-up. "You look smokin', and if you like the way that feels, you should definitely take it for a spin. See if you still like it with other eyes around. I think you might." She winked, a playful gesture if anything.

It didn't stop the flush from appearing on Nev's face, though, and she coughed awkwardly. “I agree with Mel," Cyrilla stated, grinning broadly at Nev. She had a black swimsuit in her hand, and what looked like a goldeen colored, white and coral pink, cover-up as well. “You look like you're ready to tackle your next big thing. You could have been a model, Nev, looking like you do," she continued, causing the blush to darken.

“Thanks, guys," Nev spoke sheepishly as she ducked back into the dressing room. Once she was dressed properly, she folded the swimsuit over her arm and smiled at the other three. “Where to, next?" she asked. She really did like the swimsuit, and she hoped that it wouldn't be too awkward when they went to the beach.

She was looking forward to it.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Kasimir Rheinallt
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Aethyia


April 16th
The Cloyster - Afternoon - Sunny
Kasimir Rheinallt


“—a year. Anyone else and I'd have you extracted and demoted for incompetence, Rheinallt."

Kas reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He could feel his chest tightening with an uncomfortable anxiety response, and focused on his breathing. Deep and slow. Deep and slow. He hadn't had a proper anxiety attack since he was a teenager, but he was on the verge of one now, he could feel it. It was a gradual numbing thing, for him, like he was detaching from his own body, only distantly aware of the fact that he was getting the chills, that his head was light, a strange floaty dizziness only lending to the surreal feeling of it.

And still, Steele was talking. He knew what she wanted. It was the same thing she'd always wanted, and he couldn't give it to her. Even the most recent update, with the new information on Project Nebula, only seemed to irritate her, and he knew why. It was because on the surface of it, the only remotely illegal part of what was happening was the theft to obtain the power source.

It was true that something of that kind could be used to arrest many of the high ranking members of NTR—including all his friends. But the way the political and legal systems worked? They'd end up with dropped charges or at best slaps on the wrist. And they weren't who she was after. Gregorovich could easily claim ignorance and let Aidan take the fall for ordering it. Something Kas knew the other man would be willing to do.

“—listening to me? Rheinallt?"

"Sorry, gotta go. Door's opening." It wasn't—Cy wasn't due home for a while yet, which was why he'd taken the call in the first place. But he couldn't exactly tell his boss he was in the middle of an episode; they frowned on that kind of thing in high-stress jobs like this one. He'd had to get loads of papers signed by doctors certifying that his childhood anxiety disorder had gone away and wouldn't be a problem for him anymore.

All for the sake of a goal he wasn't sure he believed in anymore.

Hanging up, he threw his phone down on the couch next to him, ignoring it when it lit up with an incoming call. Steele might not be done chewing him out, but he was damn well done listening.

His breath shook as he inhaled, scrubbing both hands down his face. Grounding—he needed grounding. Three things he could see, two things he could hear, one thing he could feel. Three he could—

Fuck.

It wasn't long after he'd hung up with Steele that the door to the apartment opened. “Hey, Kas, I'm home early!" Cyrilla called from the doorway. He could hear her moving around before she poked her head into the living room. “They didn't have any tajin seasoning at the store so I couldn't pick any up for you," she stated, moving to head towards the kitchen, it seemed, before she stopped.

“Hey," she called out suddenly. “Are you alright?"

He heard her.

It was a simple thing, honestly. Perhaps even an inconsequential one. But that distant part of himself that was still functioning recognized her voice and heard her, not in the fuzzy, in-and-out way he'd heard Steele, not in the oppressive way he could hear his own breathing, but clear as a bell and... not sharp, exactly, but firm somehow.

That did not, however, amount to being able to talk back. He parted his lips, only for nothing at all to come out. Words failed, his voice failed, and it was all he could do to shake his head and wonder if she saw. His eyes, still fixed on the corner of their rug, could not lift to be sure; it felt like holding his head up with his palms to his brow was the most he could do right now at all.

She must have seen, though, since she crossed the room and positioned herself on his side to wrap her arms around him. It was a little awkward the way she hugged him, but she wasn't sitting in the seat. She was kneeling so that she could move her hands around his head and pulling him closer towards her. She placed her head to the side of his and took an even breath.

“Hey, it'll be alright. I don't know what's wrong, but... tell me or show me how to help," she stated softly, running her fingers through his hair.

It was stiffly that his arms moved, slowly and painstakingly unlocking from their positions to wind around her back, instead. She felt as solid and real as her words had sounded.

Three things he could see.

There was a wisp of her hair in front of his eyes, almost translucent in its perfect depigmentation. When he exhaled, it fluttered. Behind her shoulder, there was her feet, still in her shoes, where she hadn't taken them off yet, and there beneath her the corner of the rug.

Two things he could hear.

Her breathing was slow and steady; he tried to match his to it, like he did sometimes when she'd fallen asleep and he was trying to get there, chin tucked atop her head and arms wrapped loosely around her. He was afraid to tell her he didn't know if he could sleep alone anymore. Afraid of what she might think. Of what it might mean.

One thing he could feel.

She didn't run as warm as he did, but she felt warm against him now; his fingers curled slightly into the fabric of her blouse. He swallowed thickly. His voice wavered as he spoke, just long enough to tell her what he needed.

"Stay."

“Of course," she replied softly. “Anything you need, just name it, Kas," she continued, her arms wrapping a little tighter against him. “You're my best friend and I love you, so... whatever you need," she stated. He could feel one of her arms rubbing against his back in a slow, circular motion.

“I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

If he'd been in a better frame of mind, he might have been able to consider what the words meant. Or rather, on what level she meant them. But as it was, he couldn't do anything more than cling to her, turning his head to bury his face in her neck and inhale, another piece of grounding in the sense most strongly tied to memory.

Slowly, his shaking faded, his breathing evened out, and the lightheaded, floaty feeling subsided. He stayed where he was for a minute more, wanting to make sure it was over, before he took a deep breath and loosened his hold. It was not very often that Kas truly felt awkward, but he did right now, his face burning and his eyes finding some fixed point over her shoulder.

"I uh—" he cleared his throat. "Sorry about that."

She furrowed her brows at him, though, and moved both of her hands so that they were cupping his face. She held his gaze for a moment before her lips pursed together. “You don't have to apologize for that, Kas," she said softly, keeping her hands on his face. “I told you, whatever you need," she began before pushing out a sigh. She tilted his head slightly as she leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on his forehead before pulling back.

“Just say it and I'll do what I can, alright? Do you need a distraction? Do you want something to drink?" it sounded like she was just listing off things of what he might want.

He found it hard not to smile, something coming through the haze of memory sharp as a knife. "Because you love me, right?" he murmured, reaching up with one of his hands to hold her own in place on his cheek. He turned in to face it and kissed the inside of her wrist.

He was being unfair. It wasn't good of him to bring up something she'd said while he was like that—she'd been trying to soothe him, an innocent intention if ever there was one. And an innocent love to go with. He knew he should let it be that. If he pressed, he could probably get her to admit—well. He knew what she'd probably say. What her feelings probably were. But it was better for them both if they never said it, surely. Hard as it was to live in this uncertain in-between place where they were friends but not just that, removing the ambiguity would only be worse.

"I'm lucky, to have such a good best friend as you." He nudged his own words firmly back over the line, smiling a little sadly at her. "I really do appreciate it, Cy. But a distraction and a drink both sound good. Should we head to the backisland?"

There was a faint flush on her face, but she merely stared at him. She didn't immediately say anything, and it seemed as if she were searching his face and contemplating something. Without so much as a warning, she pulled his face closer to hers, gently pressing her lips to his before pulling back. The flush on her face had darkened, but she smiled at him.

“How's that for a start of a distraction?" she stated as she stood from the couch. “I think there's still some left over vodka and rum from two nights ago."

She was magnetic, really. Utterly enchanting. It wasn't so much his own will that moved him to respond as it was a force of nature, so he could hardly be blamed for it.

Or rather... he could tell himself that, and believe it just long enough to act.

"Entirely unsatisfying," he replied, ignoring her comment to answer the question instead. He reached out on a damnable reflex, winding an arm around her waist and tugging even as he leaned back, pulling her back down and into his body in a tangle of limbs. "Now all I can think about is how I'm ever going to get another of those." He said it lightly, but the look with which he regarded her was completely serious, and he used his free hand to tilt her chin up with a finger.

"Are you the sort who wants me to ask nicely, or would you prefer it if I just took what I wanted? I can't quite work it out." He had a guess, of course, but it was always better to ask these kinds of things. Plus, well, there was always the chance she'd tell him to shove off, which would be perfectly within her rights.

He was really, really hoping she wouldn't, though.

It was obvious that she'd been caught off guard by that. She'd blinked in a surprised fashion before her face turned a dark red. He could see her swallow past a lump in her throat before she arched a brow at him in an amused fashion. “Well, that just means I haven't been doing a very good job if you can't work it out," she finally stated.“Because I thought I'd made it quite obvious: you don't need to ask."

“Just take it, whatever you want. As long as it's just you, and no one else, I don't mind," she added, smiling a little sheepishly at him.

Fortunately, that worked out perfectly well for him as well. Kasimir knew well enough when words would just be a waste, and so he spent none of them here, leaning down to press his lips to hers, an action with considerably more heat than the gentle, fleeting thing hers had been. He intended neither with his own—she'd told him to do as he pleased, and what he wanted, more than he could remember wanting anything for such a long time, was to show her what her words did to him.

What she did to him.

He speared his free hand into her hair, cupping the back of her head in the cradle of his fingers, smooth strands of white caught between them, and kissed her until his lungs demanded air. Even then, he pulled back only a fraction, speaking practically against her mouth. "You say things like that, I can't promise I'll stop."

He would, if she asked him. Always. But damn if she wasn't making it hard to even conceive of the possibility.

“And if I didn't want you to stop?" she retorted, the challenge clear in her tone. “What would you do about it, then, hm?" she asked, reaching up with her free hand to gently grab hold of the back of his head.

“Because I'm not sure that is a viable option, anyhow. Why stop when either of us doesn't want to?" she stated. She pulled back a little bit more so that there was more than a hairsbreadth between their lips. “I don't want you to stop, and I don't want to stop. Problem solved."

It was such a bad idea, for so many reasons, but as pressing as Kas sometimes found those reasons—he must have found them pressing at some point, right?—he just couldn't bring himself to care right now. He was not the kind of man who could take a challenge like that sitting down. Not from her.

So he stood, bringing her with him, fully intent on marching her to the nearer bedroom. He didn't bother differentiating between which was technically his and which hers—they only differed in whose clothes were in the closet at this point. He only made it a few steps before remembering that he really didn't care about keeping this kind of thing to bedrooms, and so instead he pressed her back to the wall, supporting her with one arm banded underneath her. She was so small it didn't take more than that, which was good, because it meant he had a free hand.

That found its way under her blouse, fingertips dragging across her warm, bare skin. He felt like an arceusdamn teenager again, hot all over and barely in control of himself. His lips shifted to her neck, trailing down towards the line of her shirt. "I wanted this the day I met you," he admitted, almost mumbling the words against her skin. It had been the way she so boldly threw all of his banter and innuendo right back at him, nothing but playful, sure, but enough even so to pique his interest. "Wanted it even worse ever since."

Because she'd been beautiful and witty the day they met. But she was so much more now, both to him and as a person, herself. She'd changed, and he'd seen it. How could anyone witness a metamorphosis like hers and not want her? His addled mind couldn't make sense of it, really.

She shivered slightly at his touch, and one of her hands moved, almost instinctively towards his free one before she moved it back to his shoulder. There, on her back, were two raised scars that trailed up to her shoulder blades diagonally. “I don't know when I started," she began, speaking out in a hushed tone. “Maybe it was when we first met. Maybe it was when... you became my friend."

“Or maybe it was when I realized that I actually mattered to someone. That I mattered to you," she continued, still speaking in a soft tone. “Maybe it was when you helped me realize that I didn't have to stay with the Koga. That I could leave NTR and not have to look back. Maybe it was when you helped me realize that I didn't have to be afraid of my family, that I could have a new one that was better. That I could be better than I was."

“It's because of you that I've been able to feel what I feel now, to know that they're real and that..." she paused to suck in a breath, “I want this perhaps just as much as you do."

His fingers mindlessly traced the scars as she spoke. He knew where they had to be from. He'd noticed that her wardrobe had changed since she'd returned from Fuchsia, but he'd thought it more to do with the season than anything. He should have noticed. He promised himself he'd kiss the both of them, so many times she'd forget any pain that had put them there. And if that was impossible, well, he'd just have to keep trying.

What she said brought him clarity, enough at least that the heat of the moment was swamped by a different warmth, a peculiar one that he'd never felt in a moment like this before. He didn't know how to express it—not in words. In actions, however... he had a pretty good idea of where to start.

Carefully, Kas set her down, dropping to his knees and wrapping his arms around her hips. He lifted her shirt enough to press a kiss to one of them, then tipped his head up, resting his chin on her stomach and regarding her with soft eyes. "You're incredible," he said simply.

And right now, he was going to show her just how much he appreciated that.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aidan Klein Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Eryk Nero Character Portrait: Kasimir Rheinallt Character Portrait: Nevena Solomon Character Portrait: Anastasia Asher
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK



April 19th
Cinnabar Beach - Late Afternoon - Warm
Eryk Nero


Eryk sighed softly as the wingull overhead cried out. The sun was still out, but it was close to the time where it would be setting soon, bathing the ocean in front of them in sunset colors of orange, purple, and pink hues. It was, he'd admit, a beautiful sight to witness, perhaps the second most beautiful thing he'd been able to recognize. Beauty was a subjective thing to him, and he didn't particularly care to differentiate between what he considered beautiful, and what others thought.

Shifting the surfboard under his arm, he glanced down towards Ana who was walking beside him. She had on a large sun hat, but otherwise mostly black, as was her preference, though... the lace swimsuit cover was translucent in a lot of places and left her shoulders bare, which was not something she usually did. She smiled back up at him when she noticed his regard.

They were meeting the others on another part of the beach, but Eryk was, for once in his life, running a little behind. Stella had wanted to go with them, but it wasn't a feasible thing for her. It took some convincing on his part before she reluctantly stayed. He promised her he would take her to see the ocean, proper, before... he shoved the thought to the back of his mind as he sighed, again.

It wasn't much longer before they reached the designated area, and everyone seemed to still be setting things up. There were a few umbrellas littered about, and it looked like Drake was setting up the volleyball net. Nev was setting up one of the picnic tables, and it looked like Mel and Cyrilla were setting up the grill. Drake was wearing a coral pink shirt and a pair of dark blue swimshorts, and had his hair pulled into a half tail. His hair wasn't long enough for a full tail. Nev was wearing a white cardigan coverup over her swimsuit, presumably. It was tied at the moment. Cyrilla was wearing her swimsuit, a black one piece with a kimono coverup that looked almost like a goldeen. Coral pinks and white. Mel's white cover was untied and loose around her shoulders, the swimsuit underneath easily being the most colorful of the lot, rainbow as it was. There were several other surfboards stuck in the sand nearby, including a bright teal one that was probably hers.

“Oh, look who decided to finally show up!" Cyrilla stated as she waved in their direction, causing Eryk to roll his eyes a bit. She only smiled before turning back towards Mel to help her with the food.

“Hey, Ryk, Ana!" Nev greeted as she waved at them as well.

Kas, mint-green shirt untucked and halfway unbuttoned, appeared to be sorting the drinks in the cooler; he looked up long enough to grin at them before getting back to it. Aidan was, as yet, nowhere to be found.

"Aidan's grabbing a few things we forgot from the bodega," Mel said, perhaps anticipating the obvious question. She smiled brightly at the two of them, her eyes narrowing slightly when they fell on Ana. "You look cute."

"Thank you," Ana replied softly. "I really like the suit you picked, too."

Eryk wasn't entirely sure cute was the right word for Ana, but he refrained from saying that out loud. Instead, he made his way towards the other surfboards, and dug his into the sand before making his way back towards the group.

“Alright, net is set up!" Drake stated as he made his way towards the group as well. He stood closer to Mel, though, and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Do we want to play volleyball first before the light dies down?" he asked as Eryk contemplated it. They were, from what Mel had said, going to play volleyball, eat, surf, and... he forgot the last thing they were going to do. Stargaze? Was that it?

“That doesn't sound too bad. It'll give the food enough time to cook while people are playing," Nev stated as she pursed her lips together. “Although I don't know how that would work because we couldn't take turns like in jenga," she added.

"Sure we can," Kas replied, closing the cooler and dragging it over to the grill set-up. "Beach volleyball can have any number of people on a team, and we can substitute people in when a game ends. So if the first match is three on three, that leaves two of us to cook. Or we could to it two-on-two, and the extras can surf or whatever else they want to do. It's not like this has to be some fancy official setup, you know."

Re-rolling a sleeve so it sat better on his arm, he glanced at the others. "Anyone want to do anything especially?"

"Mm, I want to surf a little before it gets dark," Mel replied, shrugging off her cover and setting it over one of the numerous beach chairs. "But I can wait if someone really needs their ass kicked at volleyball."

"I can take care of the food," Ana volunteered. "I'm, um... a little under the weather today, so I didn't bring a board or anything anyhow. And I've never been very good at sports."

“If you're not feeling well, Ana, you can just sit and relax. Wouldn't want you to overtax yourself and make it worse," Cyrilla stated as she frowned a little in Ana's direction. Eryk was inclined to agree; if he'd known that she wasn't feeling too well, he would have cancelled the beach gathering. Or at least tried to have it moved to another day.

"Oh, it's not that big a deal," she said, waving a hand nonchalantly. "Just probably better if I stay away from the really active things, you know?"

“Personally I'd like to see you try and kick my ass at volleyball," Drake stated, arching a brow in Mel's direction as he grinned. “I'm all for volleyball first, and then surfing!" Eryk rolled his eyes a bit, and glanced in Ana's direction.

“I can help with the food if you'd like," he stated. He wasn't a good cook, but the food they were making was relatively simple: hot dogs and burgers. All they required was flipping, and they wouldn't take too long to cook.

She nodded a little, a tiny smile at the corner of her mouth. "I don't want you to miss out, so just do whatever you'd most like to do." From the sound of it, she expected he might prefer to avoid anything too rowdy, as the game might well become.

“I haven't played volleyball in a long time, so I might be a little rusty. It wouldn't hurt to try and get back into it, though," Nev stated as she smiled in Drake and Mel's direction.

“Alright, well if Ana and Ryk watch the food, the rest of us can play volleyball, three on three. Assuming Big Bro wants to play, too."

The sound of a motor in the distance cut off; it would seem Aidan had arrived, a large beach umbrella and a couple of paper bags strapped behind him on his motorbike. He hadn't dressed much differently from usual, except wearing shorts instead of pants and a white shirt instead of a black one. Leaving his helmet behind on the bike, he replaced it with his sunglasses, as the light was still bright enough to warrant them, then hefted the umbrella over his shoulder and grabbed the bags.

"I feel like I've just been volunteered for something else," he quipped, lifting an eyebrow and scanning the group.

Cyrilla snorted softly as Drake shook his head. “Not exactly," he said as his hand dropped to lace with Mel's hand. “We were just saying that we were going to play volleyball: three on three. But that was if you wanted in on the game. Otherwise we'd have to take turns and switch out," he continued as Nev nodded her head.

“I don't mind being the one who switches in and out if you'd rather not play, though," Nev stated as she smiled sheepishly. “I haven't played in awhile so it... well, it doesn't matter either way?"

“Ana and I were going to watch the food. That's why you were being volunteered," Eryk said as a means of explanation. It wasn't that Aidan needed one; he could figure it out simply by looking at them. Eryk just shrugged his shoulders.

He nodded, handing the unbrella off to Kas and setting the bags down near the grill. "Sure, I don't mind. How're we splitting the teams? I'm gonna institute a rule that there can only be a maximum of one Rheinallt per side."

"Smart man," Mel quipped. "Since Drake here was doubting my skills, how about we put him with Cy and Kas, and I'll be on a team with you and Nev?"

He considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Sounds reasonable."

“Agreed," Drake replied as he moved towards Cyrilla and Kasimir. This was going to be interesting, Eryk supposed. If Drake was as good at volleyball as he was playing darts or dancing, well... it would be entertaining either way.

“I promise I won't let you guys down," Nev stated as she grinned at Mel and Aidan.

Eryk shook his head as the group made their way towards the net, and he turned his attention back towards Ana. “Are you sure you're going to be alright?" he asked softly, his hand twitching softly before he reached out towards hers and gave it a light squeeze. He'd never initiated contact like that, before, mostly because he was afraid that he might accidentally hurt her. There were not a lot of things in his life that made him afraid, but that one, simple thing terrified him in ways he couldn't explain.

Even if it was accidental, he didn't want to hurt her.

She tilted her head up to smile at him, squeezing his hand right back. Much like the rest of her, her hands were small and thin, but there was warmth in the gesture nevertheless. "I'll be fine, I promise," she said, before her brows furrowed and she sighed quietly. "Anyway, we should probably see about dinner, right? I think Kas already lit the fire..."

Ahead of them, the teams split off, Mel serving overhand to Kas, who sent it right back over the net. Aidan bumped it before it hit the ground, lobbing it gently towards Nev.

Eryk pushed a soft sigh through his nose as he nodded his head. “Yeah," he replied as he made his way towards the makeshift grill. There was one every half-mile or so, probably so that tourists and other people could use them if they didn't have their own. This was, perhaps, the only part of the island that had them. There weren't many, which Eryk presumed was because most of the tourists weren't there for the beach. A majority of them were trainers trying to get their next badge from Drake.

Nev, however, tried to hit the ball back over. She didn't catch it quite right, though, and it ended up hitting the net, causing her to frown slightly.

“Point for us!" Drake stated a little too excitedly.

“Drake, did it ever occur to you that maybe some people need to warm up before they kick your ass?" Cyrilla replied, grinning slightly as she rolled her eyes. Eryk was almost hoping Drake would get his ass kicked, but he kept that thought to himself.

“Here's the packet of hot dogs and it looks like they've already made the hamburger patties and seasoned them," Eryk stated as he turned his attention towards Ana, and held up the packet of hot dogs.

"Okay, let's start with a few of each, then. And—oh good, Aidan brought the pineapple and the skewers." Ana retrieved a few items from the bag, including what seemed to be pre-sliced pineapple and a box of wooden sticks, setting them down at the side and opening the grill-top. The fire flared a little, and she skittered away from it with a soft laugh.

"I think these are burning a little too well," she observed, taking one of the pokers next to the grill and shifting the coals underneath so they were a little more even. "That should do it—feel free to put them on. Somewhere around the center is probably best for the meat, outside for veggies and fruit."

The match continued—it was pretty abundantly clear that neither Drake nor Nev was exceptionally good at it, but their teammates passed to them nevertheless, keeping things fairly even.

Eryk nodded as he placed the meats down, first, and helped Ana put the skewers together with the pineapple and mushrooms. There were a few bell peppers, red and green, as well as a yellow one, and Eryk pursed his lips softly when he noticed a few jalapeños. Probably for both Rheinallts, though he was almost surprised they didn't have at least one gengar pepper.

“The burgers will take longer to cook depending on what everyone wants theirs to be," he murmured softly. Some people liked their burgers well-done, which he assumed Drake would want his like that. Then there were people who liked it medium-well and so on and so forth. Eryk supposed, if he really had to have a preference, it fell on the medium-rare side. He knew Cy liked hers like that as well, but he wasn't so sure about the others.

Maybe he should have paid a little more attention to everyone's choices when they went out to eat? Nev managed to finally get a ball over the net, and it looked like Drake had panicked for a second before missing the ball.

"Mhm, but it's all right. I know how everyone likes them," Ana replied. "Plus usually at an event like this it's not a big deal if eating is staggered, or people will have hot dogs if they're waiting. At least, I think so. I'm... not exactly an expert in um..." She used her hand to gesture in such a way as to encompass the whole situation, then smiled wryly.

"Usually when I'm near the water it's because I'm at the pier to get on a boat and do a rescue dive. I've been surfing a few times, just by myself, and once with, uh, a former friend I suppose. But never in a group like this."

Eryk hummed a soft note and nodded his head. “I haven't been surfing in..." he paused and furrowed his brows. “I don't remember," he finally spoke after a moment. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been surfing. Maybe it was less than five years ago, but he knew it wasn't because he wanted to do it. It was a mission, just like... he shoved the thought away before reaching up and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“It's not something that I've found myself wanting to do, but... maybe eventually it would be alright to learn it again," he continued. He could see some of the other islanders on their surfboards, smiles on their faces even when they fell. It looked like something he could enjoy, even if he wasn't that good at it.

"Well," Ana replied softly, presumably so that the others would not hear if the game lapsed for a moment, "if you ever decide you want to try again but don't feel comfortable with an audience, let me know. We could do it like bowling, right?" They'd been going weekly by themselves, every Monday night when the place was all but guaranteed to be empty, and she'd been teaching him what she knew.

She used the tongs in one had to carefully rotate the skewers and hot dogs, but left the burgers alone. "Of course, I can understand if you'd rather keep a hobby for yourself, too, so it's not like you have to tell me or anything."

Eryk huffed lightly, but he could feel the corners of his mouth lifting slightly into a soft smile. It was becoming easier to do that. He hadn't smiled like that in over a decade. He was, maybe ten the last time he'd ever actually smiled, and that had been when he wanted to be a trainer, not some member of the Koga clan. Or some member of NTR.

“Oh my arceus, Drake are you alright!?" Nev shouted, causing Eryk to turn his attention towards the volleyball game. Cyrilla was almost doubled over with laughter, and Nev was making her way towards Drake who had a large red spot on his face.

“I'm fine, Nev. Really," he replied, rubbing his cheek slightly. “I just got distracted is all," he continued as Nev kneeled down as if to check his face.

“What could possibly have distracted you?" Cyrilla managed between laughs.

“Eryk smiled. I've never seen him smile before," was Drake's reply, causing Eryk to roll his eyes.

"Ah, yeah." Kas nodded as if with understanding. "Leave those two alone long enough and it's bound to happen." He winked over at them; Ana pinked in the face a little.

"Ugh, stop being adorable. And you, stop poking fun at them." Mel threw a volleyball at her brother's head, but he caught it with a hand, laughing.

"Fine, fine. Back to the game it is then."

“Idiots," Eryk mumbled lightly, but the smile stayed on his face. He enjoyed his friends, perhaps a little more than he should. By the time the food was done, the game ended with Mel, Aidan, and Nev as the victors. They'd won by one point, which was apparently fairly good considering that by the time they were half-way into the game, it seemed that Nev's muscle memory was coming back, and she'd managed to score a few points on her own.

They'd all gathered by the table, he and Ana putting the burgers and hot dogs on a plate so the others could get their food and whatever they wanted to put on it. Maybe they should do things like this more often? As long as it was just this group, just the eight of them, it wouldn't be so bad? Eryk wasn't exactly a person who thought himself as the type to enjoy the company of others, but... well, they were making it very hard to conceive of a life without them.

And that... that wasn't something he'd ever have thought possible.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aidan Klein Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Eryk Nero Character Portrait: Kasimir Rheinallt Character Portrait: Rocket Files
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Aethyia


Image


May 2nd
Field Office 9 - Morning - Warm
Aidan Klein


"—so, as you can tell, that was more than enough excitement for them for the month," Gregorovich sat back in his chair, rolling his eyes such that the camera picked up on it.

Aidan snorted. "They're just getting crotchety in their old age, like you," he replied with a chuckle, smiling around the cigarette in his mouth. Just a social one, today, and probably the only one he'd have.

Gregorovich lit one of his own, laughing along with him. "Well I daresay for a bunch of old farts, we still managed to rather thoroughly thrash the assessor. Who knew requiring everyone in the organization to take battle assessments would be so... amusing?"

"Bet Remi didn't like that much," Aidan said, shaking his head.

"I imagine not, but one must occasionally remind the most impertinent of one's subordinates who is in charge," the older man drawled. Clearly, he'd enjoyed his battle assessment a great deal.

Aidan would have to run those for the field office later this year; HQ was always the first to do them, to set an example.

"I confess I'm a little glad you weren't around to do it. I think you might well have me beat, Aidan." Gregorovich sounded as pleased by this as anything, and smiled a bit as he took a drag from his cigarette.

But Aidan scoffed. "There's a trap if I ever heard one. Dunno, though, old man. Some of the kids up this way are shaping up pretty formidable themselves. Remi and Katia might have some serious competition if Rheinallt and Nero keep improving like they are."

Gregorovich listened with interest, head tilted slightly to the side. "Good," he said simply. "A little competition is welcome, and frankly if they do turn out to be better, I will be most pleased to have three stable administrators instead of one and a half." He rolled his eyes, even as Aidan's chuckles filled his office.

"A whole half for Katia? That's generous."

"Yes, well," Gregorovich smiled wryly. "I'm a generous man, what can I say?"

Aidan grinned, shaking his head a little. There was something nagging at the back of his mind. Something he wasn't sure he should bring up, and it must have pulled his expression down sooner than he thought, because it didn't take long for the boss to pick up on it.

"Something on your mind?"

Aidan blew a breath out, unsure how to broach the topic. "You're gonna laugh at me," he said, grimacing.

If anything that only seemed to make Gregorovich more intrigued; his eyes were keen behind his glasses. "Oh? Something must really be under your skin. I'm so curious." He smiled. "It's not everyday my flawless right hand finds himself in a situation that flusters him."

Rolling his eyes, Aidan sighed again, heavier this time. Exaggerations aside, this really wasn't normal for him, and probably that was why he felt the need to consult the boss about it. His gramps wasn't around anymore, and he'd never had a dad. No clue where his mom was, either, or whether she was alive or dead. That left him really short on people he could ask for this kind of advice.

"I uh... think I might be in love with Doc."

Onscreen, Gregorovich blinked. He didn't look that surprised, something Aidan immediately caught onto.

"You knew."

"Suspected," he corrected, taking another long draw. "Honestly if anything I'm just surprised you told me. Acting on such an attraction would be rather against NTR fraternization policy."

"Only if I stay her direct supervisor," Aidan replied.

At that point, Gregorovich did chuckle. "You want me to assign someone else?"

That was the rub; doing that would likely mean Aidan would be assigned away from Cinnabar, with someone else to replace him, making the whole thing... pretty moot. He knew it, Gregorovich knew it, and they knew that about each other.

"No," Aidan said at last. "I can keep a lid on it."

For a moment, Gregorovich's eyes pierced him through the monitor. "I'm sure you could," he said at last. "But who am I to let dry company policy stand in the way of something like this?"

Aidan lifted an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're a romantic," he said. "I don't buy it for a second."

The older man laughed aloud. "Certainly not. But..." His eyes softened. "I do play favorites, and you are my favorite." The admission was delivered matter-of-factly, which was fair enough. It was something they both knew, deep down. The same sentiment that meant Aidan would tell Gregorovich that he might be in love was echoed, such that the other man would want it to go well for him. Theirs had never been a strictly professional relationship.

"I'll reorganize some structure. That way if something does happen, it won't be breaking the rules. From your reports, it is clear that Dr. Solomon doesn't require such close oversight in the first place. I'm sure she would not mind a little more autonomy."





After disconnecting the call, Aidan made his way to the conference room, finding Rheinallt already present and working his way through a cup of black coffee. He saluted with the mug.

"Mornin', boss."

"Morning, peon," Aidan shot back.

Rheinallt winced as if in pain.

Nero was the next to arrive, stifling a yawn as he spared a glance towards Rheinallt and then Aidan. “Aidan, Kas," he greeted as he took a seat in his usual spot. The only one left to arrive was Cyrilla, but she seemed to be running a little late.

It was a few minutes more before she finally arrived, holding a large bag in one hand before she set it down in the middle of the table. “Sorry. Didn't mean to run behind. I wasn't expecting the lines to be so long for breakfast," she murmured softly before taking a seat in her spot. Eryk huffed slightly but took a pastry from the bag. It looked like she'd brought breakfast from the patisserie down the street called Ellie's.

"No sweat, little ninja," Aidan said, noting her unusually subdued demeanor. She also didn't smell like Rheinallt lately. Aidan had figured they were sleeping together, but now he wondered if maybe there was something souring there. It might be worth asking about—chances were it was some kind of misunderstanding, with those two. He didn't think he'd met two people more suited for each other than they obviously were, but damn if they both weren't fucking idiots about it sometimes.

He wondered when he'd acquired the desire to meddle.

Probably about the same time they'd become his friends. This lot were the best ones he'd ever had, never mind that they were all younger than him, to the point that he felt like a brother sometimes. It wasn't the worst feeling at all.

"All right. Nero, you're up first. What'd you get from the retreat?"

“Too much unwanted information and then some," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. There was a little uptick at the corner of his mouth, though, as if he were slightly joking. “But there was information nonetheless about what we're looking for," he added, glancing in Kas's direction before turning back towards Aidan.

“Nova and I were invited to a backroom after a couple of battles with some of the other people at the retreat," he began, sighing softly before shaking his head. “People like talking a little too much in those private rooms."

“What did they say?" Cyrilla asked, glancing briefly in Rheinallt's direction before glancing back to Nero.

“Want to play a recording?" Nero stated in Rheinallt's direction.

"Sure." Rheinallt, doubtless prepared for this eventuality, opened his laptop. "The gist is they very sneakily talked abut high end nutritional supplements, in really vague terms until Ryk here indicated his interest. Nothing strictly illegal went down at all, and the supplements he got from one of the others are just that—supplements. But it's not like they'd throw the illegal stuff at a new guy. My guess is they were testing him. The good news is, we know which company's making them now."

He paused to play the recording; Aidan took some notes down for Gregorovich, but no doubt the whole thing would be in the official report. When it ended, he nodded.

"Nice work, you two. I think the next step is to look into this company—Erhardt Pharmaceuticals? Never heard of them, but then that's not surprising. They're probably a shell for something. Rheinallt, I want you and the tech team to figure out where they're located, and prep us for an infiltration. Both electronic and in person. Little ninja, put your game face on, because it's your turn this time."

“Oh, good. I was beginning to think I was being left out," she drawled, smiling thinly in Aidan's direction. “And I'm always wearing my game face, see?" she stated, placing her index finger on her cheek, and grinning slightly. Nero rolled his eyes slightly and shook his head.

“I don't think that's what he meant, Cy," he stated, causing Cyrilla to roll her eyes.

“Of course it isn't, Ryk. I was just being facetious," she replied before turning back towards Aidan. “So... who am I infiltrating as? A secretary, the housekeeper?" she stated, listing off a couple of things, it seemed.

Aidan shrugged. "Dunno yet. Depends on what kind of opening Rheinallt can find you. If the secretary's always the same, that's not gonna work, but the more security clearance the better, all else equal." He glanced over at the other man, who nodded as he typed something down.

"Cover for Cy's going on the to-do-list," he said, ceasing the motion of his hands and glancing up. "Anything else?"

"Nothing too major," Aidan said. "Just be aware that battle evals will be official this year; HQ's already working on theirs. There might be a little bit of position shuffling going on, but I don't expect it'll really change much. Oh, and Gregorovich says thanks for all your hard work. Which isn't just words—all of you are getting a pretty big bonus at the end of the quarter."

"The best way to say thank you," Rheinallt joked.

Nero scoffed lightly but shook his head. Cyrilla sighed softly, though and shook her head. “Between the three of you, I haven't had much in terms of getting any training in. I feel like a loose third wheel, here," she stated, smiling a little wryly.

“If you want to get some training in, Aidan's the best coach there is," Nero stated as he arched a brow in Aidan's direction.

“You know, I get the feeling Big Bro has his hands full with the two of you. I'll see if Mel wants to be my part time trainer, or even Drake if he has time," she stated as she gave Nero a flat look. He just shrugged his shoulders.

Aidan was oddly pleased to get the compliment from Nero, and nodded his thanks for it at the other man. When Cyrilla suggested Drake and Mel though, he figured it wasn't a bad idea.

Rheinallt seemed to confirm. "Melly's always looking for the practice," he said with a soft huff. "I think now that she's really decided to go for her League run, she's like those old trainers in the stories that can't refuse a challenge."

“Good to know. I'll have to text her about it and see if we can set up a couple of dates and times," she replied, sinking a little into her chair. “I imagine the evals won't be for another month or so, right?" she stated, arching a brow in Aidan's direction. “I guess between prepping for that and this infiltration of sorts, it's going to be a fun month," she murmured softly.

Nero snorted softly. “Anything else on the agenda today?" he asked, turning his attention to Aidan.

"That should do it," Aidan said, flipping his notes closed. "We're getting better at this fast meetings thing."

Rheinallt snorted. "Lots of practice."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Rocket Files
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Aethyia


May 10th
Backisland Beach - Afternoon - Sunny
Melody Rheinallt


Mel staked their umbrella in the sand, opening the canvas as Cyrilla spread their towels out. They had a small cooler of drinks, but mostly they were just here to enjoy the sun and each others' company. The others were all pretty occupied today—Eryk and Ana were giving the shelter a deep clean, Kas and Aidan were somewhere training, and Drake had a few gym challenges to take, though she'd made him promise to come take a break with them once he was done. Nev was presumably working, as it was a weekday afternoon and all, but hadn't answered her phone when Mel called her.

"They're gonna be sorry they missed this," Mel declared. "The weather's perfect."

“They really are," Cyrilla seemed to agree as she grabbed one of the drinks from the cooler. “We can always just take pictures and send them to the others with captions that say 'you missed this' or whatever might make them jealous," she added before taking a seat on one of the towels.

“Speaking of perfect weather," she stated, arching a brow in Mel's direction, “how goes things with Drake? Movie night the other night was hilarious given that Ana decided to play horror movies and he just kept clinging to you," she snickered softly.

Mel laughed; that had been hilarious and kind of cute. It had been a new thing to discover about him—she'd known he wasn't a big horror fan, but she didn't know it was because he jump-scared so easily. Ana, on the other hand, had seemed to love them. Especially the more creepy, suspenseful ones. People could really be different than they seemed, not that Mel had needed the reminder as such.

"In general?" she asked, figuring the answer was affirmative. "Things are great. He uh..." she smiled, a little sheepishly. "We said 'I love you' a little while back. It felt... really nice. Things are still going slow, but I think we both need that, so it's been really good."

She knew what the automatic assumption would be, if they were living together, but it wasn't like that. Of course, if anyone would understand, it was probably this bunch, Cy included. Eryk and Ana were living together, and Mel had never even seen them kiss. It could be that they were just very private about it, but she didn't think so. Point being, the order of things didn't matter if both parties were happy and comfortable with it.

Cyrilla's eyes widened slightly as she smiled. “That's great, though. I mean, even if you are both taking it slow, to even admit that at this stage in your relationship..." she trailed off, the smile on her face faltering for just a second that it was hard to tell if it actually did. “I guess things are going pretty well."

She took a slow drink before setting it down beside her. “Not going to lie, I'm a little jealous. Not that it's going slow, but... well, that you and Drake have a really great, stable relationship right now. I'm happy for you, given the shit you've been through," she said, giving Mel a small smile before shaking her head.

“Anyway, I've something to ask you. I keep forgetting about it because it's not for another couple of months, but," she began, arching a brow at Mel. “Do you think you'll have enough time to train with me? The company has battle evaluations coming up and between Kas and Ryk, I'm the only one not getting any training in."

Mel's eyebrows lifted; she was a little surprised to be asked, but on second thought it sort of made sense. Mirmir and Ryk were training for a probattling season, so no doubt they were in ship-shape and only going to get better. Aidan's time was likely spent coaching them. Drake had the gym, and neither Nev nor Ana was really too much of a battler.

All things considered, Mel figured she was a good choice, given that.

"Of course I'll help," she said immediately. "I usually train in the mornings, but I can switch to afternoons if you need to work or whatever." Or, more likely, just do both.

“Either work for me but I might be able to request some time off for proper training. It'll be a big help if I do that, all things considered. Eryk is the one who likes to battle. Me, not so much. I mean, I'll do it because I have to, but... well, I think Diva's going to complain about all of it," Cy stated as her lips quirked up a bit.

“Why don't we start next week? That way, it'll give us both time to prepare, and I can see about submitting the paper work for that time?"

"Sure," Mel said with a little nod, stretching her legs out in front of her. She'd never felt the need to tan, being naturally dark, but she did love the way the sun felt on her skin. "My schedule's pretty open, so whatever works for you works for me."

She left it there for a bit, leaning back against her hands, just enjoying the weather. "I didn't know you guys did battle evaluations. Is it mostly a formality, or does stuff actually depend on it?" Mel rolled her eyes at a couple of guys a bit down the beach. They were surfing, but it was pretty clear they were trying to look cool; she snorted under her breath when one of them wiped out.

Cy snorted softly and nodded her head. “Depends, really. Grunts have battle evals to make sure they're at least adequate, but for admins like myself, it's to make sure we can handle our positions. I guess... in a way you could think of admins as Gym Leaders," she chuckled a little at the comparison. “Drake goes through them, too, but I think it's a little different. If any of us fail our evals, we get demoted and sent somewhere else and someone replaces us."

“It's also a way to make sure the admins are capable should anything happen in the office we're at," she shrugged her shoulders a bit as if she weren't entirely sure. Her lips pursed together when a couple of the guys down the beach waved in their direction, almost as if calling them over. She rolled her eyes, intent on ignoring them, apparently.

“To be honest," she began, glancing down as if to stare at the towel she was sitting on, “I only have my position because of my family. Or... well, Ryk, really," she seemed to confess, sighing heavily. “But... I think maybe if I lose the evals this year, I can just put in my notice and quit."

That was an interesting way of putting it. "Do you want to quit?" Mel asked opening the cooler and taking out a lemonade. "Because if you ask me, if you want to you should just... quit. No point worrying about evals in that case, right?" Mel didn't know why Cy wanted to do that, but then she didn't know a whole lot about NTR in general. She'd asked Mirmir about it a few times, but his answers had been very vague and general, and she'd gotten the sense that there was a lot he wasn't allowed to talk about, so she'd never pressed.

She never understood why he'd wanted to join NTR; he hadn't exactly had the best experiences with them as a kid. But she'd figured he must have his reasons, and he'd tell her if he could.

“It's not that easy to quit," Cy replied softly, shaking her head a little. “I, uh... never told you this, did I?" it was more of a statement from the way Cy regarded her. “I'm technically... well, there's no easy way to say this: I'm engaged to Eryk. It's a stupid family thing but," she paused to take a breath, “because I'm engaged to him, I'm required to stay. Our family has always been part of Team Rocket, and we're trained from a young age to believe that it's our only way of life. That Team Rocket is the only thing we'll ever be good enough for and that we need to follow it no matter what."

“Even though I left my family name of Niav, I'd eventually be a Nero which meant that I would have to stay in order to support Ryk, but... I..." something seemed to hitch in her throat as she swallowed past a lump it seemed. “I don't want to. I love Ryk; he's been my best friend since the beginning, but I don't love him like that. I don't want to marry him and..." she shuddered lightly as she shook her head from some unpleasant thought, it seemed.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to just dump all of this on you. I guess to put it into perspective, Ryk and I are from the Koga family, and it's archaic as hell."

That was... a lot to digest. Mel knew a thing or two about the advantages of having a fancy family with an old name. Derek had, and it was one of the reasons she'd never bothered to bring charges against him. Her mom had insisted they could win if they prepared right, if that was what she wanted, but Mel hadn't wanted to take the risk. That she'd lay all that horrible history out there and be told he wasn't guilty of anything. And she didn't want to put her family through it, either. Not when telling the whole truth might get Mirmir in trouble of his own.

Still, she wasn't exactly shocked to hear there was a downside, either. The form it took was... a little more surprising. "Damn," she said, tone sympathetic. "That's..." she didn't know what that was, except, well. "That has to make life really complicated sometimes," she finished, ignoring that one of the beach bros was staring at her.

She smiled thinly. “It does, especially since..." she trailed off, sitting so that she could hug her knees. There was a faint red dusting her cheeks, and it was easy to see with her pale complexion. “I don't know what it is that I feel, exactly, for Kas," she admitted softly, not glancing in Mel's direction.

“It's been weird lately between us and I think... I think it might be my fault."

"Unlikely," Mel said immediately, and though there was a lightness to it, she was completely serious. "For real though, Cy. Mirmir... I love him, but he's kind of an idiot, and... well, that's not really fair. He's got a history like anyone and it can make him weird sometimes." That was a much better way to say it.

"You want to talk about it? I might be able to help you figure it out, if you're not sure what's up with him." And she wanted to—Mel had known her brother long enough to know that Cy was different for him. That there was a potential there Kas probably didn't know what to do with. It wasn't his fault, really, but it wasn't Cy's either, and if Mel's insight could help, she wanted to.

Cy blinked a little surprised at Mel's statement, it seemed. “I... uh, really?" she asked almost hesitantly. She let go of her knees and sat a little straighter, studying Mel for a moment before a small smile appeared. “I... really don't know where to begin. I'm not used to talking to people about these kinds of things. Never really had anyone to talk to about them," she began, running a hand through her hair before slumping her shoulders a bit.

“Well, I guess I can start by telling you a little about myself, first. I used to sleep around with people because... it felt like it was the only power I really had in my life," she began, dropping her gaze again. “But then... I kind of stopped. I didn't want to anymore because I had a friend who was showing me that it was okay to just... be myself. That it was okay to want other things and be selfish for myself and... I don't know when it really started to change for me. Slowly, Kas was becoming important to me, so much that it was a little scary. I'd never felt like that about someone before, and he just made it so easy."

“We started sleeping in the same bed, together and it just felt... like it was safer with him there. And then last month we... well, this might be more information about your brother than you'd like, but we slept together," she admitted softly, the faint blush returning to her face. “Ever since then, though, he's been... he acts like nothing has changed. That it might not really have meant anything to him and that..." she paused and clutched at the front of her shirt where her heart was.

“It hurts because it meant something to me. It was the first time I slept with someone and it meant something." There was a faint glistening near the corners of her eyes when she said that.

Mel wasn't the sort of person to think it was super-gross or inappropriate to discuss her brother's sex life; Kas had always been frank with her, and she with him. Honestly she thought most people would benefit from being able to talk about that kind of thing a little more freely. She could tell it wasn't the easiest for Cyrilla right now, though, so she refrained from inquiring after details or anything. It clearly wasn't the encounter itself that was the problem, and that was enough.

She grimaced at the description of his behavior, her eyes narrowing sympathetically when Cy described how she felt. It was no wonder—there had to be hella mixed messages in that. "Well for starters," she said, figuring they had the time to work through this slowly. "There's no right way or wrong way to talk about your feelings. Helping you figure it out is kinda the point of having the conversation, so don't worry about that." She smiled a little in what she hoped was a comforting way, and handed Cy a napkin from inside the cooler so she could dab her eyes if she wanted.

"Secondly, my brother's being a dumbass. I'd offer to beat him up for you, but unfortunately I think this kind of dumbass really does have to do with his own... hangups, I guess you could say. Can you uh... can you tell me more about how exactly you ended up sleeping together? Was it a drunk thing, or...?" She doubted Kas would have ever done something like that if Cy was drunk and he'd known it, but sometimes when both people were it was a lot harder to keep boundaries clear, and she didn't want to rule it out without confirmation.

She took the napkin but didn't immediately use it. Instead, she shook her head slowly as her brows furrowed. “I came home and he looked like he was in the middle of some kind of episode. A panic attack maybe?" she began, sighing softly. “I just... I didn't know what was wrong so the only thing I could think to do was try and comfort him. I ended up hugging him until it passed and... well, I'd asked if he wanted a distraction and a drink. He said he could do with both, and that maybe we should go to the backisland, but..." she paused to rub at her eyes sans the napkin.

“I don't know what I was thinking, but I ended up kissing him as a sort of distraction. I didn't think anything of it at the time because I wasn't really thinking. I just... it was something I wanted to do and I thought it was the best way to distract someone. Sometimes a kiss can make someone stop thinking altogether and whatever he had on his mind, I kind of thought it would help him."

“I... also might have told him I loved him, but I don't think he took it to mean anything. The way I told him was more of a comforting gesture; he wasn't doing so well and I wanted him to know that I was there for him."

Mel was quiet for a bit as she digested all of that. There was certainly a lot to parse out; not surprising that it hadn't been a straightforward invitation and acceptance. She furrowed her brows. "Most likely it was a panic attack, yeah. He used to get them a lot when we were kids. I think it's been a while, but you don't exactly stop being at risk for those. He... doesn't like to talk about it."

Shifting her lemonade bottle back and forth a couple times to dig it into the sand, she pursed her lips. There was a story she could tell that would make a lot of this easier for Cy to understand, but she wasn't sure she should tell it. Maybe she could make the same point without.

"I'm thinking... emotion was really high for both of you right then. I'm not sure Mirmir really knows what to make of that. He's probably scared, Cy. Scared that it happened because things were weird. Scared of what it might—or might not—have meant. Especially if it was sudden like that. Not that that's an excuse, but he's probably trying to give you space. In case you regret it. It's clumsy as hell, but I think it might be a good sign, actually."

Her eyes widened a little as if in realization. “That... I don't regret it, though," she murmured softly as she smiled thinly. “I guess I just don't know how these things work. I've never really had an actual relationship with someone and I guess, when you put it that way, it was a little sudden. I mean, not that we are in a relationship, but I don't regret it. Not when it was him."

She sniffled softly before grabbing her drink and taking a sip. “I'd do it again if it showed him that I don't. That I meant it all that night," she continued, swallowing a little thickly. “But I guess in a way, I'm scared, too. I know it's stupid to think of all the what ifs, but it's kind of hard not to think of them. What if it didn't mean anything? What if we're just screwing up our friendship with this?" she listed off.

“But at the same time, it's a risk I'm willing to make because I do. For someone like me, I've never really known what it was like to love someone, or to feel like I'm capable of it or receiving it. But with him, I think I do. I think I know what it's finally like to care about someone. To love them and want just good for them."

"That seems like something you need to be telling him, and not just me," Mel noted, smiling a little. "I know it's not... easy, especially not when it feels new and fragile. But as good as he is at some things, he genuinely probably hasn't realized most of this. Mirmir is..." she sighed quietly. "He's been deceived before. I don't think he believes you're doing that, but it makes him think he can't... trust his own interpretation of things. Which is why, even if you're giving off all the 'no regrets' signals in the world, he probably needs to be told."

She sighed. "I'm not saying it's your job alone to make sure the conversation happens, but..." Mel shrugged a bit. "Can I ask you something? You said you guys aren't in a relationship, and that's fine, but... what would you want, if it was up to you? Forget your family and all that shit for a second. Just, if nothing was in the way, what kind of arrangement would you want to have with him?"

She blinked, but pursed her lips together as if in deep thought. “Don't... think me childish for saying this but," she paused, rubbing her arms as if she were cold. “I can see a life with him. Some people might think I'm too young for thinking something like that, but if nothing was in the way, if it was up to me, I could see a life with him." She sighed softly and shook her head.

“Doesn't answer your question, though, so... the kind of arrangement I want with him is one where we didn't have to be scared about our feelings, or doubt them. That they were all out in the open and nothing hidden. What I want is to be with him for however long he'd want me."

"That's pretty much the opposite of childish, Cy," Mel said gently. "And I'm glad, honestly. Glad that someone amazing sees my brother that way. If it's what you want... don't give up on it. He can be difficult in some strange ways, but between you and me, I'm pretty sure he loves you, too."

She tilted her head. "But if you want my advice about how to approach him, use more concrete terms for now. From the sounds of it, you want something long term, not a fling or something that ends whenever. You can say that. But there are other ways people describe relationships. Open or closed, romantic, sexual, or both, that kind of thing. So for example, Drake knows I'm looking for something that's long-term, closed, and both eventually, but mostly just romantic for now. If you can tell him really clearly what you want, he won't have to worry so much about whether he's reading you right, y'see?"

Cyrilla smiled at that and huffed lightly. “I suppose you've a point there. I just don't know how to approach him about that kind of thing. I might look confident as shit, but really," she paused to chuckle at herself, “I'm a little self-conscious."

“Thanks for listening and putting things into perspective for me. It's not going to be easy, but I guess it's the first time I'm willing to put an effort into it. I guess I'll just have to find the right moment to talk to him about it, too. The sooner the better because I want to clear things up with him," she continued, smiling a little more in Mel's direction.

"No problem, Cy—I'm glad I was helpful." Mel might've said something else, about how if Kas started talking about Cy being too good for him that all he needed was a good punch in the gut, but she was interrupted when a pair of shadows fell over them.

Mel turned around. Oh great, beach bros. “Hey ladies," said the one on the left. He was tall, blonde, and good-looking enough that he probably assumed this was going to go well for him. “You two here all alone?"

Mel rolled her eyes. "Not looking to get picked up, Ace."

Cyrilla just arched a brow at them and leaned closer to Mel. “Does it even look like we're alone? It's quite obvious we're here on a date, and now it's being soured. Please move along so that I can enjoy my beautiful girlfriend in peace." She made a vague shooing motion with her hand as she spoke.

Beach bro wore that super stereotypical look that straight guys got when considering two girls who were into each other: a mixture of being put off and that prurient curiosity that meant he was probably thinking about a threesome. Fucking gross.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Mel cut him off. "Lesbians," she clarified, hoping Cyrilla didn't mind when she ran a hand through her hair. "Not going to kiss in front of you either, so please leave."

Beach bro looked at his friend, who shrugged. “Pretty clear no, dude." He smiled at them. “Have a nice day, ladies." He dragged the other one off.

Mel managed to wait until they were out of earshot before she laughed.

Cyrilla joined Mel in her laughter, wiping at her eye as her laughs died down. “That was a lot easier than they'd ever been," she stated. “You know, though," she began, smirking just slightly, “if it weren't for the fact that I respect Drake, I'd have liked that kiss." It was obvious enough that she was joking, especially when she started laughing again.

“Anyway, yes. You were very helpful in a variety of ways today, it seemed," she stated with a light chuckle. “You'd make a really great sis-in-law, though. Just saying," she shrugged her shoulders lightly. “Think of all the mayhem we could cause."

"So, so much mayhem."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aidan Klein Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Eryk Nero Character Portrait: Kasimir Rheinallt Character Portrait: Nevena Solomon Character Portrait: Anastasia Asher
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK



May 13th
Cinnabar Gym - Evening - Clear
Cyrilla Klein


She couldn't be mad at them, really.

Even if she tried, her friends had been thoughtful enough to throw her a birthday party. Cyrilla was honestly surprised that they'd even remembered. She had told Nev and Ana a year ago, but it was too late to do anything about it, then. Not that she had really cared; she and Ryk both disliked their birthdays for obvious reasons, however; she couldn't say that she hated it, now.

She was with people she loved; people who'd been there for her when no one else really had, and she loved every single one of them. Eryk, Ana, Aidan, Drake, Nev, Mel, Kas.

The fact that Drake let them use his gym as a place to throw the party was even more hilarious than Cyrilla thought it could be. Currently, everyone's pokémon were running about, though some of them stuck together. Typhoon, Drake's salamence, was currently nestled up to Argent, Mel's sylveon, which was adorable to Cyrilla. She'd never really seen a match like that before, but she supposed there were weirder ones. Diva was living up to her name, whining every so often when she wasn't getting enough attention from Noctis or if Ziggy was trying to eat her stubby tail. Cyrilla found that hilarious, actually.

“Happy birthday, Cyrilla!" Drake nearly shouted, startling Cy from her thoughts. “Sorry, sorry," he apologized, waving his hands in front of him.

“Thanks, Drake. Also, how in the world did they convince you to use the gym for this?" she asked, watching as Drake blinked slowly.

“Well that was easy. Ana and Mel suggested we use it since we had so many people, and the gym is big enough for everyone to let their pokémon out. Plus, the gym has a pool and a jacuzzi and... uh, one other thing I keep forgetting," he replied. That made sense, she supposed. Why not have a party where everyone had enough space that they wouldn't be crowded together.

Plus, it made it easier for introverts like Ana and Ryk to have their space if they wanted it. Big crowds were still a little uneasy for Ryk, she knew, but he seemed to do okay when it was just the eight of them.

Basically all the pokémon were out, too, including, hilariously, Aidan's lapras, Skiff, who seemed to make Drake nervous for some reason. Fortunately, he was confined to the pool, which at the moment no one was using.

There were a few small presents on the table Mel had dragged out from the kitchen, but by mutual consensus they all saved the really major gift-giving for winter, so they could do it together. Ana arrived a little after everyone else, and it was immediately obvious why: she was carrying a rather large, three-tiered cake, with what seemed to be a thick layer of buttercream frosting. The whole thing was decorated as if three giant strawberries had been balanced atop each other, including the frosting being dyed red and painted with little black dots.

"Happy birthday!" she said, smiling a little. "I, um, made you a cake. Eryk helped!"

Eryk was frowning slightly, mostly at Ana's statement. Cyrilla didn't know why, but she could speculate it was because he probably didn't help much with the cake. She knew Eryk wasn't the best at cooking or baking, but she smiled nonetheless. It was the thought that mattered, and the cake really did look good.

“All I did was burn the first attempt," he replied, pursing his lips together in a way that Cyrilla thought he was pouting.

“You didn't have to, you know," she stated, smiling a little at them. “It almost looks too good to eat, really. I'll be kind of sad to cut into it," she was mostly joking, though. A cake that looked that good was probably just as tasty.

“You don't have to eat it, but we will," Eryk stated as Cyrilla furrowed her brows.

“You wouldn't dare."

“I would."

Ana laughed, putting the cake down on the table alongside a little package she took out of her pants pocket, wrapped in pretty silver paper. "Anyway," she said, shaking her head a little. "What are we doing today, anyway? I know there's options, but it really should be you who decides, Cyrilla."

Cyrilla shook her head. “Nope, I am not going to be the delegator of things to do. It might be my birthday, but I want everyone to just enjoy themselves. If you want to go swimming, or go in the jacuzzi or play air hockey, be my guest. Honestly, as long as everyone is having fun, I'm having fun, too," she replied with what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

“I don't think that's how it's supposed to work, though. We're supposed to be doing something fun with you," Nev interjected as she appeared, causing Cyrilla to snort softly.

“You missed the point, Nev. If everyone is having fun, then I'm having fun." Nev just furrowed her brows deeper, causing Cyrilla to sigh in defeat. “Fine, let's go play some air hockey."

Kas chuckled quietly at her concession. "Somehow, I have a feeling I already know how this is going to end up," he said, rubbing at his nose a little.

"How's that, Rheinallt?" Aidan asked, carrying the bag of tortilla chips with him. He didn't seem to be dipping them in anything—just eating them plain from the bag.

"Nope, not telling. It has something to do with you, and you'll act differently just to be contrary."

Aidan snorted.

Cyrilla chuckled lightly and shook her head. Drake, however, thought it was funnier than it was, for some reason, and was laughing.

“Did someone spike his drink?" Eryk deadpanned, causing Drake to furrow his brows and quiet his laughing a bit.

“I don't think anyone would do that except for you, Ryk," Cyrilla responded, rolling her eyes when he just shrugged his shoulders. She knew he wasn't going to deny it because it was Ryk, and he would do that.

“Alright, let's settle this, then," he stated, pointing an accusatory finger at Eryk. “You and me, first," he stated, all but running towards the air hockey table. Cyrilla smiled softly at how excited he seemed to be. Eryk didn't seem to mind, though, and positioned himself around the opposite side of Drake.

“Well, since Eryk and Drake are first, we'll just play the winner per round," Cyrilla suggested. Drake had two tables, after all, and if they wanted, they could do it in turns or pairs. If they did it in two teams, two people could face off with each other. It was up to them how they wanted to play, though. Like she said, Cyrilla wasn't going to dictate or delegate anything to anyone. She just wanted them to enjoy themselves.

Aidan shrugged, taking up a spot on the side of the table to watch the match. Kas disappeared back into the kitchen for some reason, and Mel sidled up next to Aidan. He immediately tilted the bag of chips towards her. With a happy noise, she took several. "You're like... psychic or something, I swear."

Next to Cyrilla, Ana tensed slightly, but relaxed again immediately when Aidan snorted.

"Nothing that complicated," he replied with a shrug.

“Big Bro is just really good at reading people," Cyrilla stated, glancing towards the kitchen where Kas disappeared to. Part of her wondered if maybe she should use this opportunity to go talk to him, but... well, there was just a small little bout of fear in her chest that kept her where she was.

Ryk and Drake both grabbed their respective strikers before Drake grabbed the puck and set it on the table. “Alright, first one to get ten goals, wins," he stated. Eryk shrugged as if he were agreeing, and readied his striker.

“I honestly don't know how to play air hockey. I've never played many games before, as you all know," Nev confessed slightly as she frowned slightly. Cyrilla snorted softly and shook her head.

“It's really not that complicated. If you watch Ryk and Drake's match, you'll see it's basically just hitting the puck back and forth as strategically as possible. Why don't you go next, Nev?"

“Really?" she asked, a little unsure of herself.

“You'll never know how to play unless you experience it first hand."

"Not until you've got a couple drinks in you," Aidan advised, regarding Nev from the corner of his eye. There was a little smile at the edges of his mouth. "Your coordination improves a lot right between buzzed and shitfaced."

Ana giggled softly. "That explains bowling."

Nev gave Aidan a flat look, but looked like she was also pouting. Cyrilla chuckled and rolled her eyes. “You know he means well, Nev. No need to pout like that," she stated as Nev turned towards Cy.

“I'm not pouting."

“Yes you are."

"S'cute," Aidan said simply, returning his attention to the match and eating another tortilla chip.

Ana and Mel both snapped their eyes to Nev, though, obviously intent on her reaction to that statement.

Cyrilla was quite interested as well, tilting her head slightly in Nev's direction. The older woman, however, seemed to be at a loss for words. Her mouth was slightly open and her face had turned such a deep red that Cy didn't know people could blush like that. It was obvious that no one had ever said the word cute to Nev before, at least not like that, and Cyrilla thought it was adorable.

“I think you broke her, Aidan," Cyrilla stated as Nev just swallowed thickly and turned her attention towards the match. So far Ryk had managed to score three points, and Drake had only scored one. It was apparent who was going to win the first round, but it was still fun to watch.

“Nev, do you want me to go get you a drink?" Cy asked as Nev merely nodded her head. Cy chuckled before making her way towards the kitchen, only momentarily remembering that Kas was also there. It was fine, though. She'd find the courage to talk to him about it, another day, but today, they were going to enjoy the party, and watching their favorite people make fun of themselves.

“Hey, Kas, where'd they put the drinks at? The ones that were meant specifically for Nev because you just missed Aidan breaking her," she stated, rounding the corner to the kitchen.

"Ah, hey Cy. I was just getting some for everyone, actually. By this point I think I know what everyone orders," he said, lifting his top half out of where it'd been partway in the fridge, holding several bottle-necks between his fingers. He set them all on the counter.

"Also, what'd he do?"

“You know Nev hasn't really had much of a life, and she wants to learn how to play air hockey," she began, because he needed the context to the what. “I told her she could play the winner of the round between Ryk and Drake, but Aidan told her to get shitfaced," not exactly in that phrasing even if it was one of the words he used, “first. She started pouting, tried to deny she was pouting, and Aidan told her it was cute."

“She's speechless at the moment."

Kas lifted a hand to cover his mouth, but it didn't much help him suppress his laughter. "Damn, I'm sorry I missed it," he said, once the laughter had faded to a bright grin that narrowed his eyes at the corners. "Sometimes I think he's actually the most merciless of all of us, but better at hiding it."

“You might be right," she had to agree, feeling herself smile a little wider before inwardly rolling her eyes at herself. “We should get back before we miss any more of it. Need help carrying any of that?" she asked, tilting her head in the direction of the drinks.

He shook his head, but did push a glass towards her. This one was an electric pink color. "Just carry yours," he said, tilting his head a little. "I made you a rum runner. Dunno if you've had one before, but I thought you might like it." With a little shrug, he picked up the rest of the drinks and headed out, almost a little too quickly.

Cyrilla blinked as he left, glancing at her glass for a moment before grabbing it. Was he... trying to avoid her now? She felt her brows furrow slightly, and something in her stomach drop. Maybe he regretted it? If that was the case, maybe she was better off not saying anything about it? Maybe she shouldn't tell him what she wanted, because wouldn't that be selfish of her? Sighing a bit too heavily, she pushed the voices in her head, out, as best as she could.

She had to pretend nothing was wrong. She had to hold her head up high, or else Big Bro might catch on because he was scarily good at reading people. She took a drink of the rum runner that Kas had made her, and smiled. It was good.

When she made it back to the group, Nev's face was still slightly red, like she couldn't stop blushing, and Cy snickered softly. Eryk had won the first round, it seemed, and was waiting on the next challenger. “Well, since Nev isn't quite shitfaced, yet, how about Mel next?" she suggested. Eryk merely arched a brow at Mel, almost as if he was challenging her.

Mel hummed, as though giving this some consideration, then nodded, handing her drink off to Drake with a kiss on the cheek, for his effort, apparently. She laced her fingers together and stretched her hands away from her body. "Time to try my luck against a ninja, I guess," she said with a little grin. "Though if it's anything like bowling, he's about to get his ass handed to him."

Both Aidan and Kas chuckled at that.

Ana, though, smiled. "I don't know if that's so true anymore," she said simply, bringing her straw to her mouth and taking a sip of her drink.

Eryk just gave Mel a flat look. “Air hockey and bowling are two completely different things," he replied as he rolled his eyes, but there was the faintest smile on his face. Cyrilla shook her head as she glanced in Nev's direction.

“Well that's one way to get shitfaced," she stated as Nev seemed to be chugging her drink. “Don't drink it so fast or you'll..." she wasn't able to finish since Nev started coughing a bit.

“Choke."

“I'm good," Nev stated as she pat her chest.

Ana patted her back for her at the same time, smiling sympathetically. Aidan, for his part, shot her a brief look of concern, but then went back to pretending not to notice her embarrassment, probably the most merciful thing to do in this situation.

The puck flew back and forth across the table with a multitude of clatters; Mel was clearly more coordinated than Drake had been, and actually managed to score the first point on Eryk.

“Come on, Mel, kick his ass!" Drake stated, clearly cheering for Mel as they started the next round. Eryk seemed pleased, though, that Mel was faring better than Drake was, if the small smirk on his face was anything to go by.

“I feel like you don't have any other choice but to cheer for Mel. She's your girlfriend after all," Cy stated as Drake just grinned. “I almost feel obligated to cheer for her, too, since she was temporarily my girlfriend a few days ago," she stated, watching as the confusion flashed across his face before it dawned on him what she'd said.

“Wait, what?" he asked. Cy just shrugged her shoulders and took a drink of her rum runner, trying to hide the grin on her face as Drake pursed his lips together.

"Now this sounds like a story," Kas remarked. "Melly, don't tell me you did me dirty." He wore his typical lackadaisical grin, but there was something just a little different about his eyes.

Whatever it was, it made Mel smile smugly at him even though Eryk had won the point. "Can't do you dirty if you never shoot your shot, Mirmir," she replied airily, smiling wider when he frowned a little.

"I'm confused," Ana admitted.

Cyrilla had to admit she was a little confused, too, but she merely grinned and blinked as innocently as she could in Drake's direction. “Mel and I were temporarily dating for all of five minutes. Don't worry, Drake, I promise you I didn't steal her little heart away from you," she stated as Nev looked vaguely confused as well.

“Why would you date Mel, even if it was temporary, if she's dating Drake? Is that how some relationships work?" Nev asked, clearly trying to figure things out, but it was obvious enough that she was a little drunk already. Cyrilla sighed dramatically, and rolled her eyes a bit. How was it that this woman had no tolerance to alcohol?

“Don't worry too much about it, Nev, otherwise you'll just give yourself a headache. If you really must know, though, every relationship is different," she explained only a little, and shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't exactly give that kind of advice, not when she was dealing with relationship problems of her own.

Eryk managed to score another shot against Mel, though.

She rolled her eyes and retrieved the puck. "Yeah, all of them are different," she said with a little shake of her head, "but in this case, Cy and I were just pretending so some bro at the beach would go away. No actual dating involved."

Ana nodded, accepting this readily, but she still looked a little confused about something, and tilted her head briefly in Kas's direction before she shrugged and seemed to let it go.

The match went to Ryk, though Mel managed eight points before he got to ten, so it wasn't completely one-sided.

"I'll go next," Aidan said, handing his chips to Mel and setting his beer down. "Hope you're not tired yet, Nero."

“Not even in the slightest," Ryk replied, and Cy could have sworn he sounded almost smug, and sort of challenging. Arceus he was an idiot sometimes, wasn't he?

“I have a feeling we're going to be here all night, aren't we?" Cyrilla stated, rolling her eyes when Ryk placed the puck down.

“You could have called one of us, you know, if someone was bothering you," Drake stated as he pursed his lips together.

“And what? You don't think we can't take care of ourselves?" Cyrilla shot back, but she stated it in a light manner, and didn't want Drake to think she was accusing him of something.

“No, of course not! I mean, yeah, I know you can take care of yourselves and all, but..." he trailed off, causing Cy to feel a little bad.

“Hey, no worries, Drake, I'm just kidding. It was fine. We got a few laughs in about it and they didn't come back to bother us once we made it clear we weren't interested," she tried to explain.

“Can we eat cake while we watch Aidan and Eryk play?" Nev stated suddenly, glancing in Ana's direction.

"Oh, of course!" Ana shook her head, apparently at herself for forgetting. "I have candles if you want to do that part, Cyrilla?"

“Sure, let's go put candles on the cake," she replied, smiling at Ana and Nev. This was going to go down as one of the best birthdays she'd ever had.

And she was okay with that.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Eryk Nero
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK



May 17th
The Cloyster - Early Evening - Overcast
Cyrilla Klein


Cyrilla sighed softly as she ran her hand through Diva's tuft of fur, earning a short huff of approval from the lycanroc. It'd been almost a week since she talked with Mel, and it had been rather enlightening. She understood what Mel was saying, and honestly, she couldn't really blame Kas for acting the way he was. If she'd had hangups, she'd probably be doing the same thing. Still, it didn't make it hurt any less, but she could at least weather it a little better. At least she hoped she could, especially since her birthday. She couldn't tell if he was avoiding her or not, but... well, she hoped he wasn't.

She certainly wasn't helping, either, if the way she was acting was anything to go by. Cyrilla wasn't used to these kinds of things, these kinds of emotions. She and Eryk had to deaden themselves to such things at such a young age that it was surprising to learn they could even feel what they did, now.

A soft growling sound pulled Cyrilla from her thoughts as Noctis appeared, glancing at her and Diva before rolling his eyes. “He's not going to take your spot, if that's what you're worried about," she stated, purposefully tussling Diva's mane as the lycanroc let out a short bark of disapproval. Noctis, however, made his way towards the front door, causing Cyrilla to think that maybe Kas was coming home already. He'd stayed at the office a little late, presumably to finish up some things.

She needed to find a way to approach him, though, to talk to him about that night in April. She really meant everything she told Mel, but finding a way to tell Kas was proving to be a little more difficult than it should. Sighing softly, she prepared herself mentally as well as she could. She would talk to him tonight; she had to or else she might not find the courage again. At least not for awhile. The door opened, however; it was Noctis who opened it, and huffed slightly.

“Hey, Kas..." she immediately called out, eyes widening slightly when the person turned out to be Eryk, and not Kas. “Ryk? What brings you here?" she asked a little dumbfoundedly. “Not that you can't be here; this was your home at one time, too."

Eryk just gave her a flat look before placing a hand on Noctis' head and making his way towards her. “I'm here to talk to you," he responded as he took a seat on the couch on the left side of the one she was sitting by on the floor. Pokemon weren't allowed on the couch, but sometimes Cyrilla made exceptions. She just had to clean the couches thoroughly from their hair since Diva shed an insane amount of fur.

Eryk stared at her briefly before sighing, leaning back into his seat and resting a hand on Noctis' head when the zoroark sat on the otherside of the armrest. “Kas told me the both of you slept together," he stated as bluntly as ever. Cyrilla could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, however; she wasn't sure if it was because Eryk knew, or because Kas had told him. It didn't bother her that Kas told him about it, but that Eryk was coming to see her about it wasn't a good thing.

At least she didn't think it was a good thing.

“We did," she confirmed, glancing down at her feet. “Look, I know you said not to—"

“I'm not here to chastise you or get angry, Cy," he said in a soft tone. It wasn't one Cyrilla ever heard him use. “I'm here to ask what you want," he continued, keeping his gaze with hers when she finally glanced back up. “As it stands, our contract is still in effect; you and I are engaged," he began, causing something to pull in her chest.

“I know," she replied softly.

“So what do you want to do about it?" he asked, causing her to furrow her brows in confusion.

“Ryk... you know I can't," she began once the meaning finally dawned on her. “If I did, that would put you at risk for Marah and Katia. I made a promise to you that I wouldn't let you suffer like that," she continued. She could see Eryk's lip twitch a little upward.

“You're not answering the question, Cy. What. Do. You. Want?" he put an emphasis on the last word as he spoke slowly. She pursed her lips together. What did she want?

She wanted a lot of things. She wanted to quit NTR and start a new life. She wanted to be open with the people she cared about, and not have to lie to Ana. Even now, thinking about it, they weren't really lying to her. What they were doing was keeping the secret that they befriended her because their boss thought she was a psychic. Cyrilla didn't think they would have grown so fond of her, or that Eryk would come to fall in love with her.

What she wanted was Kas. What she wanted was to clear up whatever misunderstanding they had so that she could tell him how she felt. She wasn't as naive as she used to be; she knew that the chance she was taking wouldn't be easy, and that if, somehow he shared the same sentiment, they were going to have to work for it. As much as she did want to be with him, she knew her own insecurities well enough that it might occasionally create problems. They might argue, they might fight, but... well, wasn't that just part of working it out? Of putting out all of their thoughts and feelings so they could work through them together?

Cyrilla didn't know the first thing about how relationships worked, but she knew that each one was different. She could see it in Mel and Drake's, in Ana and Ryk's. They were all in love, but they were each different in their own ways. What worked for Eryk and Ana might not work for Mel and Drake, and vice versa.

“What about you, though? If Marah finds out... you know she'll stop at nothing to bring Katia back into the mix. You know she'll try and make things hard for you so that you'll have no choice but to accept her. Ryk... I love you. You mean the world to me," she started, furrowing her brows slightly. “I did this because you're my first and last friend. You're my brother and I don't want you to suffer in an arrangement with Katia."

He smiled softly.

“But what about you, Cy? You're suffering either way you look at it, too. If push comes to shove, you'd be married to me. You'd still be part of NTR and you won't be able to start a new life. You'd be chained to the family again." He was right, and they both knew it. As much as she wanted all of those things, she'd be forced back into the family after she fought so hard to get out of it.

“It's alright to be selfish, Cy. Whatever you chose, I won't think any less of you. I'm..." he paused as if he were unsure how to say what he wanted to, and Cyrilla felt a strange sort of panic well in her chest. “I'm proud of you, for the person you are becoming."

He was...

“I'm proud of you, too, Ryk. You're... you're almost like how you used to be, and I think I know why," she replied softly, feeling a warmth behind her eyes. “As much as I love you, I don't want to marry you. I don't want to be part of the family again, and I don't want to have to stay with NTR."

“Alright," he stated, holding out his hand. “We'll consider our engagement null. We both want different things, now... and I don't want this to be something that holds either of us back. Just so you know... about Kas," he began, trailing off a little as he arched a brow at Cyrilla. “You have my blessings." Cyrilla gave him a dumbfounded look. She was sure she was, because her eyes were slightly wide and she could feel a strange bubbling sensation in her chest.

“Oh? Thanks dad," she retorted, causing Ryk to huff slightly in what she assumed was a chuckle. She laughed softly as well, however; the look she gave him was serious. “Even if it's null, even if we're breaking it," she began, referring to their engagement. “Let's not tell Marah, or anyone else in the family. If they get wind of it, you know she'll be on you like a houndoom on a bone. For now, let's keep it to ourselves, and... maybe our friends."

If Marah found out, there's no telling what she would do, but it wouldn't be good.

He huffed slightly but nodded his head. “Alright. Besides, it's not like they would go tell our family what we're doing. They... dislike them as much as we do," he stated, a small grin—at least Cyrilla thought it was a grin—forming on his lips.

“That's because our friends actually love us, though I'm not sure why. We can't be good for their health," Cyrilla stated as she smiled at Ryk. He just rolled his eyes, though, as Cyrilla stood from the floor. “You should get back to Ana, though. I'm sure she misses you already for being gone so long. Did you even tell her you were coming here?" she asked, arching a brow in his direction. Eryk just gave her a flat look.

“I'm not a complete idiot, Cy. She knows why I'm here; I told her about it," he responded dryly.

“You told her about us?" Cyrilla asked as she blinked slowly at him.

“Yes. She also knows the reason why we did it, and she understands." Ana really was a sweetheart wasn't she?

“She's a keeper, I hope you know that," Cyrilla replied, shaking her head.

He smiled.

“I know."

Smug bastard.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aidan Klein Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Kasimir Rheinallt
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK



May 28th
Erhardt Pharmaceuticals - Mid Morning - Clear
Cyrilla Klein


It wasn't the first time Cyrilla had to don a disguise for a mission. That didn't mean it felt any less strange. The person staring back at her in the mirror was always someone different. Sometimes it was a woman with blue hair, cut pixie short with vibrant green eyes, or a young woman with strawberry red pigtails and dull grey eyes. She wore whatever guise was demanded of her, and this time would be no different. Her hair was tucked beneath a black wig, the length falling down to her waist, and she wore a pair of thin glasses on her face.

The contacts she elected to wear were a medium brown color that blended with the red of her eyes, creating a shade that was close to Eryk's carmine. It wasn't quite that deep red, but it was close enough. Whatever helped her maintain a different identity was all she really needed. White hair was rare in the world to begin with, and she didn't need to leave any evidence of that kind, behind. Smoothing out her formal blazer, she sighed softly. She was supposed to be an employee from one of Erhardt's many sponsors. Juri Sato was the name she'd been given, and the name that Kas had been able to secure for her.

Currently, it was just Kas, Aidan, and herself. This mission required a certain sort of finesse that Eryk didn't have, and three people would be more than enough to accomplish this. She was a little more stealthy than Ryk, and he stood out like a sore thumb for multiple reasons, however; she also had more people skills than he did. She could pull this off without a hitch.

Or at least that's what she kept telling herself.

“Alright, so..." she began, glancing towards her companions, “what exactly am I going to be dealing with?"

"Hopefully not much." Kas's voice was quiet, and he picked a small briefcase up off the floor, withdrawing a smaller box from inside. In that was a small, sensible pair of stud earrings. "Your comms," he said, handing the box over to her and flipping the briefcase around so she can see the rest of its contents.

"Key card," he said, pointing to a plain white plastic card with a magnetic strip. "It'll get you through most of the doors, but you don't want to show it to anyone because they aren't supposed to be blank." He moved his hand to an ID with a picture of her in the same wig and glasses, taken about a week earlier. "ID, obviously. Wear it somewhere prominent. The rest of this is considerably more covert. There's your lockpicks of course, in case of a manual lock. If you hit anything electronic the card won't get you through, that's up to me."

He sighed quietly, smiling with a hint of wryness. "Malware." He pulled a USB stick from the case and handed it to her. "When you get to the server room, there should be some kind of console in the back. Boot it up like any old computer, but don't do anything else. Just put the stick in the USB port on the tower and I have the rest. You are, unfortunately, going to have to navigate your way there yourself. We don't have blueprints for this place; it's pretty secure."

“Shouldn't be too difficult," she replied as she slipped on the earrings. The building wasn't too large, thankfully, but that was only on the outside. Most places that dealt with illegal things usually had basements or lower-leveled floors, ones that required a certain kind of access to that not just anyone could get. She would know, the Koga had places like that just about every where. Even in other regions. This place didn't really give off that kind of depth, but she couldn't be too sure about it.

“How much time am I going to need for the malware to do its thing? I am confident in my abilities, but if there's a chance that it'll take longer than a few minutes, I need to be prepared for just-in-case scenarios." She didn't want to be caught with her hand in the metaphorical cookie jar, after all.

"Depends on what kind of security we're dealing with," Kas admitted. "From what I've been able to tell, it shouldn't be more than a minute or two, but they could be hiding the good stuff behind defenses I haven't seen yet. I'll go as fast as I can, but this stuff isn't magic."

"Well, if it takes longer than you can handle and you need an emergency distraction, that's what I'm here for," Aidan added. He was dressed unusually for him, in beat-up blue jeans and a dark red hooded sweatshirt. He looked very much like the kind of street gang type who might break into a building like this hoping for drugs or something. "So don't hesitate to use the safewords."

In case she was in conversation, all she needed to do was mention the bathroom, which should be easy enough to do but wouldn't normally come up, making it about right for their purposes.

“Understood," she replied. Kas was good, she knew, with the technological aspect of things so she wasn't too worried about that. She understood that he would only be able to do what he could, and that it would be up to her to make up a distraction on the offchance she got caught. Of course, even with Aidan making an emergency one, it wouldn't necessarily be that easy. Depending on how he created a distraction, some people might not be his fan, exactly. She pursed her lips into a fine line and glanced towards the both of them.

“I'm not saying it's a big chance," she began. Cyrilla knew her limits and what she was capable of. “If it doesn't go as we plan, I want you both to leave. If I get caught, I don't want the two of you two risk yourselves getting caught as well." She wasn't an escape artist, per se, but she knew how to get herself out of a bind.

“I'll be fine if that happens."

Kas scoffed at the same time as Aidan chuckled. "Wasn't aware you were in charge of the op now, little ninja." His tone wasn't offended, only amused. "You worry about you, and we'll get us figured out. We're not that unreliable."

“It's because you're too reliable. That's why I said it," she retorted, snorting softly, but nodded her head. “Both of you be careful. I mean it or else I will kick both of your asses if something happens to you," she stated before walking off. Straightening her glasses, she made her way towards the building.

The first part of it wasn't as difficult as she'd thought it would be. She just flashed a smile at the receptionist, and showed him the ID card she had. He didn't really bother checking it closely, keeping eye contact with her as she briefly talked with him. She momentarily wondered how people could keep their jobs like that. She wouldn't be the only one in trouble if she got caught, especially in a place like that. Security could not be that lax. She wasn't going to dwell on it for too long, though. The receptionist was not her concern, only the data that this place had. If they succeeded, almost everyone here would be out of a job, and some small part of her felt bad about that.

She passed by a few more workers, being polite enough to tell them good morning, before making her way down the hall. So far so good, she thought, glancing briefly into one of the rooms. It was just a conference room by the looks of it. There was a large u-shaped desk inside with chairs around it, almost similar to the meeting room back in Cinnabar. She clicked her tongue behind her teeth and continued her trek.

It would be easier if I could get Siri to echolocate the damn room. She couldn't risk it, though. Sending out a pokémon would definitely make her look suspicious in an area that explicitely had No Pokémon signs on it. That might have been a good thing, though. If pokémon weren't allowed in this area, it might be where they kept samples or tests. Data and information, from her experience, was always kept close to the samples and test objects. It made it easier to locate and reference, especially if they were on the verge of a break through or something of that nature.

She might have also been overthinking. The server room could be in the opposite direction for all she knew, but... maybe it was her gut feeling that she was headed the right way? Sighing softly, she continued forward.

Rounding a corner, she came face-to-face with a woman in a white lab coat, frowning behind much thicker glasses than Cyrilla's own. “I wasn't aware we hired a new tech," she said, brows furrowing.

Ah, fuck.

It would be her luck, wouldn't it, to run into a person? Cyrilla smiled, though, and shook her head. “Repair, actually," she stated. Luckily there had been an incident a couple of days ago that she could use to her advantage. She didn't know much about tech repair, though, which was the reason she silently thanked Arceus that Kas was reachable. Even if she couldn't directly ask him about something, she could indirectly make an observation.

“I was told there was an accident involving a person's pokémon using a move near the server room. It might have jostled the room to the extent that something might have become disloged, and I'm here to make sure everything is in its rightful place."

Maybe she should ask Kas to teach her a few more things about his profession when this was over? It could come in handy in the future.

“Oh, that. I thought they fixed that yesterday." The woman shook her head. “Anyway, down this hallway and to the right." She pointed, then stepped around Cyrilla.

She could hear Kas chuckle in her ear. "Not bad, Cy."

Cyrilla grinned to herself, a little too widely if she were being honest, at Kas's statement. “Well, if you hadn't drilled me so hard on all the information before today, I would have forgotten about that incident," she replied once the woman was out of earshot. Worst case scenario, she'd just look like an idiot who talked to herself.

“I guess I owe you for that, but you're going to have to teach me something about tech when this is done. I might not be quite as savvy as you are, but I promise I'm a capable student," she continued as she walked in the direction of the server room. Once she found it, she took a moment to make sure no one else was around, before entering.

“Alright, Kas," she started, blinking at the sheer size of the room. There were large towers lined up as tightly as high school lockers, each one making a subtle whirring noise. She whistled softly before removing the USB from inside of her blazer. It was nice to have pockets on the inside for cases like this. “Do I just stick it in any of these towers, or is there a specific one I'm looking for?"

Whatever the reason, Kas was laughing over the comm device, the kind of snickering usually reserved for dirty jokes and the like. "Yeah uh... remember how I said there was going to be a monitor around somewhere? Need you to find that, then uh, stick it in the tower attached to that. It should be monitoring server data."

“You can't see my face right now, but just know that I'm giving you a flat look," she stated, having caught on to what he was saying. She hadn't intended to say those things like that. Statements like that were a daily occurrence in their life, after all. It didn't stop her cheeks from puffing out slightly from a contained laugh, though. Once she regained her composure, she glanced around the room, looking for the monitor. It only took her a couple of minutes to locate it, and once she did, she opened the glass panel to the tower it was attatched to.

“Alright Kas, I found it. Brace yourself, I'm going to slide it in and then the rest is up to you and your magic fingers."

This time, it was intentional.

"You know all about what my magic fingers can do, don't you, Cy?" He all but purred it over the comm, immediately followed by a disgusted noise from Aidan.

"PG might be a bit much to ask from you two, but can we try and keep the mission comms PG-13? People do listen to these sometimes, you know?"

It took a lot of effort not to laugh.

“I don't know, Big Bro," she started, slipping the USB into the port. “Have you seen Kas's finger paintings? They're pretty remarkable."

Both of them cracked up at that, though she also heard Aidan sigh. "Yeah, yeah, you two should do standup. But let's keep it moving, huh?"

“Aye, aye," she replied, trying to contain the snickering to a minimum. “Alright, Kas, everything is set. It's time to work your magic."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aidan Klein Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Eryk Nero Character Portrait: Kasimir Rheinallt
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Aethyia


Image


June 3rd
Field Office 9 - Midafternoon - Warm
Aidan Klein


Hey boss. I have all the data we need.

Aidan hummed when he got the text, well aware that Rheinallt had been hauling ass since the infiltration to decrypt and sort everything Cyrilla had pulled from Eckhardt. Years of financial records, research notes—he didn't think he knew anyone else who'd be able to understand all of it. Doc could do the science, and he might be okay with the financials, but the other way around? Not likely.

But if he said he was done, Aidan believed him.

Nice work. Bring them to the conference room. We'll have a meeting as quick as we can and then you're off for a minimum of two days.

Don't have to tell me twice.

Aidan notified the other two, then headed to the conference room himself. Rheinallt was already there, looking like death slightly warmed over. There was a large mug of coffee on the table next to him; furious typing and clicking corresponded to things changing on the overhead screen as he added notes into whatever he'd pulled to show them, pausing only to take several swallows of coffee before getting back to it.

Nero arrived five minutes later, trademark frown in place as he took a seat. “Aidan, Kas," he stated, nodding slightly in their direction. It was his customary way of greeting them every time their was a meeting, or if they were out at Marna's and he'd been the last one to arrive.

Cyrilla entered a few minutes after Nero had, holding a large bag and a cup carrier with three large containers. There was a smaller one, as well, that was probably hers. “Figured I'd get lunch since we skipped breakfast this morning," she explained, holding up the bag and handing Nero and Rheinallt their drinks. She passed Aidan his before taking her seat next to Nero.

“Do we have what we need?" Nero asked, glancing in Aidan and Rheinallt's direction.

Rheinallt swapped his receding mug of coffee for the new stuff, but seemed to ignore the food for the moment. Aidan grabbed himself a sandwich, unwrapping it as the other guy got started.

"I mean, there's no document that says 'here's our illegal pokémon steroid formulas,' but short of that... basically, yeah. There's a lot of research in here, and while we can't prove they ever made any of the things they developed, or distributed them, we do have the company pretty much pinned, I think. Thing is... this is illegally-obtained data, and not everyone's going to be all right with that. It won't hold up in court, for one."

Aidan nodded. He'd expected that much. "Well, not in a court of law," he said. "But the court of public opinion is another story. Spread this wide enough and the whole business will tank, at least."

Rheinallt made a vague grunt of agreement. "I think I know what to do with it," he said. "I uh... know this reporter. I think if I give her a copy of everything, she can get it out there, and her sources are protected by confidentiality, even more if they're anonymous to begin with."

Nero narrowed his eyes for a moment before reaching for one of the sandwiches. “How credible is she, though?" he asked, keeping his attention on Rheinallt. “Are you certain that she won't try to use this against us somehow?" he added, unwrapping his sandwich and taking a bite of it. Cyrilla arched her brow at Rheinallt, though, as if she knew who he was speaking of.

“Worst case scenario is that Kas, Aidan and myself will take that hit. Sure, we're affiliated with NTR, but there are ways around that," she stated, shrugging her shoulders lightly.

"Well like I said, I'll send it anonymously," Rheinallt said, shrugging his shoulders tiredly. "I think she's a pretty good person with a sense of ethics, and this would also be an opportunity for her. Her site's independent news, and middling as far as those types go. But she's won a couple awards, and this could set her up for something major. It's a big scoop—she wouldn't have much reason not to publish, if she determines the information to be credible. If she doesn't... we try something else."

Aidan nodded again. "All right, we'll try that first. Send me her information, too, just so I know what I'm telling Gregorovich."

“So... things like that usually take awhile, right?" Cyrilla stated, glancing towards Aidan. “Does that mean once the whole thing gets exposed, Ryk and Kas won't have to do tournaments?" asked, arching a brow at him. The question seemed to peek Nero's interest, his brow arching just faintly as he glanced in Aidan's direction as well.

“It would be strange if we just suddenly dropped out of the competitions, Cy. Even moreso if it seemed we were trying to lose intentionaly."

“It wasn't meant like that, you know. I know how much they mean to you outside of this," she gestured vaguely to the entire room.

"Not necessarily," Aidan replied, shaking his head. "We've tracked one supply to the source. Chances are there are more, and even if we bust the company, the distributors and middle-people involved aren't given their due punishment. Boss knows we have the data, and still wants us to keep going. Speaking of which." He smiles a little to himself.

"Double assignment for the end of the month. We're headed to Hoenn. There's a tournament in Rustboro you're both entered in, and while we're there, Gregorvich wants us to check out an old research facility."

"Wait what? Why?"

Aidan shrugged. "Apparently he had it shut down when the reports were obscuring something. Nerds cleared out real quick; no one's quite sure what the hell they were doing on top of the sanctioned work. It's a long shot, but he thinks the old building might have some kind of clue in it. We're going to be in the right part of the world anyway, so."

Cyrilla's eyes widened slightly in surprise. “Oo, we get to go to Hoenn," she stated in an excited manner. Nero pursed his lips together as he narrowed his eyes at her.

“You say that as if you've never been. This will be the third time you've gone to Hoenn."

“Correction, it would be my fifth time. Besides, Hoenn's a nice region and they have great food. Not that Kantonian food is bad, but Hoennian food is really good." There was a sudden mischievous look in Cyrilla's eyes when she turned her attention towards Aidan, though. “Does that mean it's going to be the three of us, or are Ana and Nev allowed to go? Because if they are... we should probably let them know and see if they want to come with us."

"Well they can't come on NTR's dime, but I don't think that's much of a concern. Was gonna ask Doc if she wanted to schedule the time off; you figure Ana will be able to sort something for the shelter, Nero?"

“I would pressume so, yes. There are people who volunteer regularly at the shelter who know enough to handle a week or two. Bellamy can also help out for a day or two," he replied, shrugging his shoulders lightly. “It depends on the timing, though. When are we scheduled to leave?"

"We've got an overnight flight on the 12th," Aidan replied. "Still plenty of seats available, if we need to book extra. And since this is all for tournament stuff, we all have separate rooms, so if there's no more room there—and there probably won't be—we can shuffle some people around and share, I suppose."

Nero seemed to contemplate for a moment before nodding his head. “I will ask her and see what she says. I'm... certain she'll want to go," he seemed almost confident in that remark. Cyrilla smiled and nodded her head in an enthusiastic manner.

“Well, we know Nev won't say no to a tournament. She loves those things, and if you're certain Ana will want to go, we might as well make sure we book an extra room just in case. Kas and Ryk can have their own room since they'll be the ones in the tournament, and if it makes Nev and Ana uncomfortable to share a room with you," she glanced in Aidan's direction, “I'll volunteer for that since you're Big Bro and all."

"Again, it's sort of if they have the extra laying around," Aidan replied with a shrug. "It's a pretty big event for this point in the season, so a lot of the hotels get booked out months in advance. We'll work something out, anyway—worst case I don't mind someone's couch."

He pretty much lived on Doc's anyway.

"If everyone's good with that, we can probably call this meeting adjourned."

“We could just share the rooms like our living conditions. Would make it easier that way," Nero stated as he nodded his head. “Either way I'm good."

“Same. I've got no qualms whose room I stay in."

"All right. We'll get it figured out. In the meantime, Rheinallt, go home and sleep. The rest of you... go back to whatever you were doing." Aidan smiles a little, feigning a dismissive gesture.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aidan Klein Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Eryk Nero Character Portrait: Kasimir Rheinallt Character Portrait: Nevena Solomon Character Portrait: Anastasia Asher
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK



June 13th
Hoenn Airport - Mid Morning - Clear
Cyrilla Klein


“Ah, Hoenn."

Cyrilla couldn't keep the grin off her face as they exited the airport. Eryk was still inside, trying to find his bag since it had, apparently, been misplaced. He was cranky, she knew, because he didn't like flying. At least not in planes. Something about the turbulence and how often it shook were the reasons he'd cited, but they were flying in first class. Heights didn't bother him, she knew, but maybe he'd just been restless? This was, after all, rather large for him, and he was excited even if he didn't show it. She was really happy for him, honestly. She pulled the front of the shirt she was wearing, flapping it a few times to remove any debris that might have fallen inside when she had snacked on the plane.

The shirt was obviously too big for her. She'd taken it out of Kas's closet before they stopped sleeping in each other's bed, and she'd been rather fond of it. It was so comfortable, even if the color was a bit brighter than she was used to, and it had a picture of a herd of sleeping mareep. It might have been one of Kas's sleeping shirts, but she didn't care. She had it tied with a thin belt to keep it from looking too large on her, and didn't swallow the khaki capri's she was wearing.

Drake was standing to her left, glancing at his phone with a somewhat worried look on his face. He had dropped it moments ago and Cy supposed he was checking for cracks. He was dressed in a salmon colored shirt with a snorlax on it. If that didn't scream tourist for him, she didn't know what else could, but it was sort of adorable in a way. He glanced up, gave her a sheepish smile, and turned back towards the entrance of the airport.

Nev stepped out, first, smiling rather broadly. Cyrilla knew she was excited for this. Nev loved battles, even if she didn't seem the type to do so. It had surprised her when they first found out about it, but the novelty faded as they became friends. She was wearing a white sundress with a black ribbon belt. It looked cute on her, and Cyrilla grinned.

“Oh, I'm excited," Nev stated, the smile on her face widening. Cyrilla couldn't help herself.

“Excited about the tournament or excited to be spending time with your idol at said tournaments?" she teased, watching a faint color appear on Nev's cheeks.

“Both." She was rather firm in her answer, a sign that she was not going to let the teasing get to her. Cyrilla chuckled softly.

Ana had gone with Eryk to look for his bag, not because she was any better at dealing with large numbers of people but more likely because she was worried about him needing to do so alone.

Mel and Kas had apparently found their bags at the same time, because they approached together now. Mel was dressed in a fitted teal racerback tank top and mid-thigh denim shorts with wedge sandals, the looser half-sleeved white shirt over the top of her tank had its ends tied around her middle. Kas had grabbed hold of her long, raven ponytail and was shaking it back and forth with a grin on his face, presumably teasing her about something, though the thread of conversation dropped as they drew nearer to the group.

He'd opted for extremely casual for the flight: an orange-cream colored t-shirt with a graphic white outline of a torchic wrapped partway around his left side and vertical striped board shorts in a few different colors with his sandals and sunglasses, which were for the moment tucked into the v of the t-shirt's neck.

"Ryk hasn't got his bag figured out yet, huh?"

“Nope," Drake replied, first. “I think his bag was swiped," he added, glancing in Kas and Mel's direction, and grinning broadly at them for some reason.

“Well, if that's the case, I feel sorry for whoever swiped it if it was intentional," Cyrilla replied, rolling her eyes softly. “What about Big Bro? Did he get swamped by all the people that may have recognized him?" she asked.

“I think I saw him headed towards the bathroom before I came out," Nev replied, smoothing out her dress, even though it really didn't need it. She was probably nervous for some reason, but it made Cy smile a bit.

Aidan appeared about thirty seconds later, handing some paperwork off to Cyrilla. "That's printed copies of our schedules and a buncha taxi vouchers and stuff, in case we need the flexibility," he explained. "Since NTR's handling the expenses, I just bought a bunch in advance so there wasn't any need to worry about anyone paying for a service. Hand them out as you see fit."

Most of them would have been able to afford as many taxi rides as necessary and then get reimbursed, but it was easy enough to suspect that he mostly had the others in mind, as buying vouchers meant he didn't have to specify who would use them.

“And this is why we shouldn't go anywhere without you," Cy stated, taking the vouchers. She'd pass them out when everyone was present so that she didn't have to go through multiple explanations. Not more than two minutes later, Eryk appeared with Ana, a slight sour look on his face. The black bag he'd brought with him looked a little worn out, moreso than it usually did. It wasn't hard to guess why he was upset, but his expression smoothed over when he approached the group.

“Where are we going?" he asked, causing Cyrilla to roll her eyes a bit.

“Well, first we should go check in at the Hotel we have our rooms at. Get settled in and all that fun stuff."

“But I wanted to go sightseeing! The tournament is in two weeks!" Drake stated, looking slightly down.

“Do you really want to go sightseeing with your luggage?"

“Point taken."

Mel snickered, clearly amused by this exchange, and patted his back consolingly. "There will be plenty of time to see the sights, Drake. Let's see what kind of digs Cyrilla got us first, yeah?"

“Only the best for my future champs."

They all piled into a 'taxi,' which in this case turned out to be a large van. Aidan took the front to give directions to the driver, and it didn't take long for them to reach their destination.

“Welcome to the Budew!" Cyrilla stated once everyone was out of the van. The Hotel had been rather new, but Cyrilla had done her research on it. It was a five star hotel, and it had the best privacy rooms. While Cyrilla knew that the privacy they needed wasn't for anything so intimate, she knew her friends enough to know that they liked their privacy. Eryk, especially, was sensitive to large crowds, and Ana was as well. This was an important event for everyone, and she wanted everyone to enjoy their stay. She could poke fun of them later for it.

“Because rooms were limited, I was only able to get four. Two of them were obviously for Ryk and Kas, but the other two are up for grabs."

“So that means we have to share, right?" Drake stated rather than questioned. Cyrilla nodded her head and smirked a little.

“I am merciful, though, so we can all decide who rooms with who. I'm in favor of keeping it the way it already is. After all, everyone pretty much lives in each other's beds at the moment."

Well, everyone except Nev and Big Bro. She could see the color flush on Nev's face briefly, and snickered, causing Eryk to roll his eyes a bit. “Oh, but don't worry, everyone has a double bed in their room so you're not really sharing a bed."

“I have no qualms sharing a room with Ana, however," he paused and glanced at her, “I will leave it up to you with what's most comfortable to you."

Ana looked more than a little pink in the face herself, though more for what Cyrilla had said initially than what Eryk's response had been, it seemed, because she nodded slightly at him. "I don't mind," she said, almost too quietly for anyone to hear but him. Cyrilla managed to catch it, though—and it was made all the more obvious by the way she tentatively took his hand and smiled faintly up at him. Eryk smiled softly at Ana, and squeezed her hand.

"I guess I'd better stick close to Cy," Kas said with a small snort. "Just in case she decides to steal more of my clothes." He'd obviously noticed earlier that morning, but this was the first time he'd said anything about it, and the way he looked at her had a touch of something intent to it, narrow-eyed and thoughtful.

"Fine by me," Aidan said with a shrug, though he did smack Kas in the shoulder, breaking him out of the former expression and making him grin instead. "Come share with us if this shithead bothers you, Little Ninja."

Mel laughed softly, then shrugged, and looked to Drake. "It works for me if it works for you," she said with a little nudge.

“Of course it works for me. What makes you think I'd wanna share a room with any of them? Eryk would likely make me sleep on the floor, and Kas would probably hog the bed all to himself," Drake replied with a pout on his face.

“You wouldn't even sleep in the same room as me," was Eryk's reply. Cyrilla chuckled lightly but nodded her head at Aidan.

“That settles it, then. We'll just need to go get the cards; they're all under my name so once we get them, we can settle in and think about what we want to do in the afternoon." She walked ahead of them so she could get their key cards, whistling softly as she entered the lobby. It certainly looked like a five star hotel, marbled flooring with white columns and drapes that looked too expensive for even someone like her.

Once she picked up the cards and handed them to everyone, she smiled brightly at the group. She opened her mouth to say something, however; Nev seemed distracted by something.

“Isn't that the young man who helped us in Saffron?" Cyrilla glanced in the direction Nev was staring at, squinting her eyes to better focus them and huffed lightly. It was almost a year ago that they met him; Nev had a pretty good memory if she was able to recognize him.

The man was perhaps a touch older than they were, slim and of moderate height, with black hair and dark blue eyes. He was dressed sharply, in a well-tailored suit that was nevertheless more business than formal, and wore thin, wire-framed glasses. His brows were furrowed down at a folder in his hands.

Approaching the desk, he exchanged a few words with the woman behind it, then frowned and moved away as if to exit the lobby. His eyes lifted from the folder to find the door, and alighted on the group—or more specifically, Ana, Cyrilla, and Nev. He blinked, drawing to a stop, and tilted his head.

“Forgive me," he said, in a smooth tenor. “But I believe we've met?"

Cyrilla would have snickered at the expression on Eryk's face, however; she kept her attention on Silas and nodded. “Giorgio's back in Saffron. You helped dress us for our dates," she replied.

“It's nice to see you again, Silas. What brings you here?" Nev asked, as she tilted her head.

“Who is this?" Eryk narrowed his eyes slightly in Silas's direction with the question. He looked a little jealous if Cyrilla was reading his expression properly, though she didn't understand why. Maybe because Silas was handsome and he knew Ana?

His eyes lit with recognition, and he smiled a little. “Ah, so it is. Ana, Cyrilla, and Nev, as I recall." He inclined his head slightly at the others, too, a different kind of recognition seeming to rigger when he got a better look at Aidan and Drake, but he tactfully did not mention it.

“Silas Bianchi," he replied to Eryk's question, then elaborated. “I'm in Rustboro for a tournament, actually."

"Oh, so are we," Ana said, either not noticing Ryk's expression or interpreting it differently from how Cyrilla did. "Eryk, Kasimir, and Mel are participating. Are you also?"

He nodded. “Well... that's the idea. Unfortunately there seems to have been an error in my paperwork. I was headed to the stadium administration office to see if I might be able to resolve it."

Eryk seemed to relax slightly when Silas introduced himself, and Cyrilla resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

“Oh, well, hopefully it'll get resolved soon. I hope you don't mind me saying, but you don't look like the kind of person who battles," Nev stated, causing Cyrilla to choke lightly on her own spit. Eryk snorted softly almost as if he'd found it amusing, and Drake looked mildly confused.

“Oh my Arceus, Nev. You can't just say that to people," she stated.

“I suppose I don't," Silas replied with a shrug. He seemed slightly offended, but clearly was planning to let it go. “Nevertheless, I hope the matter will be resolved, as I've been looking forward to participating for quite some time. If you'll excuse me, I wish you all the best of luck." He dipped his head again and started for the door.

Nev had come a long way from being the socially awkward person she was, however; it looked like she still had a long way to go.

“Oh, wait, Silas," Nev called out, walking to catch up to him. “We'll be here for the next two weeks, and since you were such a great help back in Saffron, why don't you join us?"

“I think that's a good idea, actually. Why don't you join us as we explore and prepare for the tournament? I'm sure you and the guys could use this opportunity to train together. I mean, it's fine if you'd rather keep your teams and strageties a secret from each other." Cyrilla wasn't entirely sure if that was what Silas wanted to do. She hadn't seen him in any of the other tournaments before, but that didn't mean he wasn't as good as Kas, Mel, or Ryk. Or any of the other trainers for that matter.

“I don't mind if he joins. The more the merrier!" Drake chimed in, grinning slightly in Silas's direction.

He paused, then sighed slightly. “531," he says. “Is where I'm staying. I don't mind, but I do have to get this sorted immediately or the whole point will be moot." With another crisp nod, he resumed his pace, and exited.

Kas grinned. "I think he likes us."

“Correction, he loves us. Who do you think it was that helped Ana, Nev, and yours truly prep for that dinner date at Arnaud's?" Cyrilla stated, grinning up at Kas before playfully rolling her eyes.

“Can we at least get our own rooms sorted before we think about anything else? I'd like to put my bag away," Eryk stated, giving them a flat look.

"Yeah, let's," Aidan replied, ushering them all towards the elevator.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aidan Klein Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Eryk Nero Character Portrait: Kasimir Rheinallt Character Portrait: Nevena Solomon Character Portrait: Anastasia Asher
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Aethyia


June 15th
Rustboro City Pokémon Park - Afternoon - Sticky
Kasimir Rheinallt


Kas stretched, throwing his arms up towards the sky. The pokémon park here was a nice one, a lot larger and fancier than the one on Cinnabar, as he'd expect of a major city. It was rated for pokémon of size classes 1-7, too, which meant about the only things not allowed were the real monsters, like wailords and the like. Not that he knew anyone who'd actually competitively trained a freaking wailord. Issues of communicating with it aside, it was too big for most standard tournament arenas, especially the ones that couldn't convert fully into pools, which was most of them.

So, not much of an issue really.

Though Sis's rather ungraceful comment the other day had been somewhat offensive, Silas didn't seem to be holding it against her, and though he was a bit on the droll and aloof side, he was easy enough to get along with. Presently, he, Melly, and boss were off getting a round of refreshments while the rest of them found a likely spot to let their pokémon out.

It seemed, in other words, like a safe time to ask, since he'd already run things by Aidan for approval.

"So," he started, clapping his hands together. "My sister's getting married. Er, not Melly," he amended when Ana snapped her eyes to Drake looking vaguely boggled.

She relaxed, and he continued.

"Chryssie, I mean. Crystal, my older sister. Still lives on the Island, which is where the ceremony will be, and long story short is, you're all invited."

Ana blinked, then. "Oh, well that's lovely news, and very kind of you and her, Kasimir. When is this?"

"They're thinking February," Kas replied. "So plenty of time for you all to put in for vacation time, which boss says he'll grant if you want it." He felt a little stab of guilt—if his mission was finished by then, it might turn out that the party would be a lot smaller than this. He hoped that, if nothing else, his other sister's relationship with Drake would survive the fallout, but...

He couldn't think about that kind of thing right now. Aidan might be a bit away, but he'd be back soon, and Kas couldn't risk being subjected to that level of insight with dangerous things at the forefront of his mind.

Ana frowned slightly, looking up at Ryk for some reason. Kas didn't think she was asking for permission—their relationship was not at all like that, thank arceus. But it did leave him baffled. Maybe she was worried about crowds?

"There's going to be a fair number of people, I won't lie," he said, "but also a lot of space. Outside the ceremony itself, there won't be much mandatory crowding or anything."

Eryk glanced back at Ana, his expression softening for a moment, before giving her a reassuring nod. “I don't mind," he replied, glancing back towards Kas. “If I can survive... this," he gestured vaguely towards the area they were in, and was probably referencing the tournaments, “a family gathering will not be much trouble." There was a slight smirk on his face before he leaned down towards Ana and seemed to whisper something in her ear.

She giggled softly, turning a little pink at the proximity. Kas had the distinct impression he was being mocked, but the scene was too sweet for him to begrudge it even jokingly, so he pretended not to notice.

“Oh, I've always wanted to go to the Orange Islands," Cyrilla stated, grinning slightly as Siri chirped in her arms. She'd been carrying the noibat ever since they left the hotel room, however; she didn't seem to mind the weight. “I hear they have the best spicy food around."

“Is food all you ever think about?" Drake asked as he arched a brow. She grinned at him before tilting her head in Kas's direction.

“Well, Kas, too, but that's pretty much it."

"Woman after my own heart," Kas replied without missing a beat. Even knowing it was a joke though, his heart lurched in his chest. He was so screwed.

“We can put in for the time off when we get back to Cinnabar. Better to do it now than to wait later," Eryk stated as he shrugged his shoulders.

“Agreed. I think I can get someone to cover the Gym for... how long will we be on the island?" Drake asked, furrowing his brows lightly.

"Better give it a week," Kas replied with a grin. "The actual wedding's actually not that long, but it's traditional to party the night before and the night after, and I'm sure my family would love having all of you around for the preparations. Especially you, Drake." His eyes glittered with amusement, and he grinned broadly.

"They're going to want to know all about you."

Drake made a sound that sounded like he was being strangled and also choking on something. “What!? But... but why!? I don't think I'm ready for that!" he stated, his eyes wide as Ryk snickered softly.

“What? Meeting the family? It's not going to be that bad, Drake," Cyrilla said as she tapped Drake's shoulder softly.

“But you don't understand, Cy! It's... I'm... it's such a big, huge step and," he trailed off, causing Cy to roll her eyes.

“You and Mel have been together for a few months now, Drake. It was going to happen eventually. You'll be fine," Eryk stated, rolling his eyes as well. “Besides, you haven't done anything to warrant an interrogation of any ill-intent. We would know," Ryk's eyes narrowed slightly at Drake before he turned his attention back towards Ana.

"Mirmir, you better not be picking on my boyfriend," Mel said, scowling at him as she started to hand out refreshments to those who had ordered them, assisted by Silas and Aidan.

"Hey, how come you always assume I'm the one doing that kind of stuff? Ryk and Cy make fun of people all the time, too."

She gave him a flat look. "Yes, but you're an instigator. Ryk retaliates. I suppose Cyrilla could have instigated, but I like her, so I'm going to assume things are your fault until given a good reason to do otherwise." She handed Drake his drink, running her fingers casually through the fringe of his hair.

"You okay?" she asked quietly.

In spite of his tendencies, Kas was actually not a complete asshole so he decided to redirect attention away from where his sister was checking in in Drake so it wouldn't be awkward. "Okay, raise your hand if you know how to dance, by the way."

Ana raised hers tentatively when Kas put his up. Mel did too, but her attention was still on her boyfriend. Boss grumbled something and made a so-so motion with his hand.

"I have no idea what's going on, but sure," Silas added drolly, lifting his own as well.

Cyrilla was the only other person who raised their hand at Kas's statement. “Ryk has two left feet and can't dance for shit," she stated. Ryk responded with a flat look and shook his head.

“It's because I never bothered to learn. Dancing meant interacting with people and you know how much I hated it at the time," he stated in a simple manner. He didn't seem upset by the admission, though. If anything, he seemed to be agreeing that he couldn't dance.

“You all saw my horrible dancing at the last party. I can't dance, either." Drake mumbled softly, furrowing his brows slightly.

“I've... I never really had time to learn, either. I was always busy in labs so I never got out much," Nev admitted sheepishly. “I also never had any dance partners to learn from."

"Ugh, you guys," Kas whined. "You can't not know how to dance and an island wedding. My family's already going to make fun of me for how many mainlanders I brought. Save my good name here!"

Mel whacked him in the arm at his exaggerated nonsense, rolling her eyes.

"I'm a mainlander," she reminded him. "Technically speaking."

"Eh, like half. Besides Mel, look at them. They're going to blind everyone with how white they are. Wouldn't it be cool if they could actually dance and surprise everyone?"

In spite of herself, she chuckled a bit.

“Technically, Ryk's more tanned than the rest of us," Drake murmured softly, his lips pursing into a fine line. Eryk looked like he was about to say something, however; he was interrupted by a pom-pom styled Oricorio. It chirped up at Eryk, causing the man to narrow his eyes slightly at it.

“She's right, you know!" a voice stated, as a young man around Kas's age walked up to the group. His platinum blond hair was pulled back into a low tail, and he had an unlit cigarette between his lips. He was dressed in a similar manner to how Aidan dressed, a black jacket over a white shirt, and a pair of torn black pants to go with it. He looked like he could belong to one of the biker gangs, but the grin on his face seemed to say otherwise. “It's a shame that you don't know how to dance, especially if it's going to be island style dancing. With forms like the ones you have," the man gestured towards Ryk, Nev, and Drake, “it's a waste!"

“Uh... okay?" Drake seemed vaguely confused.

“Who are you?" Eryk asked, eyes still narrowed in a suspicious manner. The man didn't seem fazed by it, and his grin only broadened.

“Name's Leslie de Luca and I'm going to be your dance instructor."

Kas's brows were arching towards his hairline, but he was liking what this guy was putting down already, and he figured it'd be fun to see where it went if nothing else. So before Ryk or someone could try to shut anything down, he folded his arms, nodding several times. The guy probably wanted to be paid of course, but if his business model included picking up random clients in the park Kas was willing to go with it.

"See? Leslie knows what's up. And he can instruct so I don't have to, which is very convenient for all of you, because I'm a lot more hands-on than some of you would be comfortable with." He grinned wickedly, tipping Cyrilla in particular a wink, even though she was not one of the people in need of such instruction.

"Do you regularly approach strangers and declare yourself their dance instructor?" Silas asked skeptically, pushing his glasses up his nose with a sour expression.

“Only the ones who show potential," Leslie responded without missing a beat. “And they certainly have it. I mean, look at them. Sure that one might be a little tall and lanky," he pointed towards Drake, “and that one might seem a little stiff," he directed towards Eryk, “and she's definitely got the build for it, but there's potential. I could give you a few lessons, too." He winked in Silas's direction fairly fast before turning back towards the group.

“It is a shame to not know how to dance with legs like those, and frames like that. Certainly I have to teach them. They can learn with Poppy, here," he pointed towards the oricorio who chirped in response.

“How do we know you can teach them properly, though? We've never seen you dance, how do we even know you can?" Cyrilla asked, almost as amused as Kas was, it seemed. Leslie's grin turned almost dark.

“I can show you if you'd like," he replied casually, causing Cyrilla to snort.

“Sorry, love, but he's my only dance instructor," she replied, tilting her head towards Kas. It seemed to amuse Leslie, though, as he chuckled softly.

Kas threw his arm around her shoulder and gave her a small squeeze. "Promise? he asked in a low, teasing tone.

“All is fair in love and war, but I know how to pick my battles. Regardless, the three of you are in need of a teacher, and though I may not be a formal teacher, I do know island dances. Poppy here can also show you a few steps since she's been practicing for the annual Alolan Oricorio competition."

“Are you going to want to dance?" Eryk asked as he turned towards Ana. It seemed as if he was giving it some thought if that was what Ana wanted.

"Uh, well, I don't know what kind they do on the Orange Islands?" Ana admitted, pursing her lips. "I can do some ballroom things, but..."

Mel snorted. "Aside from one or two really traditional big group things, 'island dancing' is basically the same as dancing everywhere else. Some ballroom, some street, some club, but I think what Leslie here means is that islanders like to tango and salsa and flamenco and things, and those tend to not get much attention in traditional ballroom settings."

Ana's eyes widened. "Oh, but those all look so fun. I can salsa a little, but I've never learned the other two. May I join the lessons too?"

“Of course! I would be honored," Leslie replied as he bowed in her direction, reminiscent to the way a butler would. “It'll be thrilling, to say the least. Since you said you have experience with some dancing, you can help me instruct the other three as well. Salsa and tango are almost similar in a way, but you'll be able to pick up on it quickly with your experience. It'll be teaching those without it that will be a little more difficult. I do love a challenge, though."

“If that is what you wish to do," Eryk began, glancing in Ana's direction, “I suppose it wouldn't hurt to learn something new with you." He squeezed her hand softly before glancing back towards Leslie.

“This will be fun, then!" Nev stated happily, smiling brightly as Drake seemed to slump his shoulders. He didn't seem too excited about it, but he didn't seem like he was going to complain about it, either.

“Would any of you like to participate as well?" Leslie asked as he glanced towards the others.

“Already have a dance partner so I'm good," Cy stated, winking back up at Kas.

“What about you two?" Leslie asked as he glanced in Aidan and Mel's direction.

"Well I'm happy to be a practice partner or help with demos, too," Mel said with a little grin. "This sounds like too much fun to miss."

Aidan shrugged. "I don't really dance," he admitted. "I learned how, but that was a while ago."

“All you would need is a refresher, then. If you learned a while ago, you're body will still have some muscle memory. It'll just need to be coaxed back into remembering it properly. I leave it up to you whether or not you'd like to relearn," Leslie stated with a light grin.

“I've got plenty of people to work with, now. And with your help," he glanced in Mel's direction, “it'll be a class to remember."

“Somehow I feel like I wouldn't want to remember it," Drake muttered, still pouting.

"What?" Mel teased. "You don't want to remember learning to dance with me?" she pouted in a way Kas recognized as somewhat disingenuous but also very good, and he chuckled. His sister didn't play anymore fair than he did; she just didn't let that side out of her as often.

Drake's face turned a light pink at her teasing. “That's not it. I just don't want to embarrass you," he murmured.

"What about you, Silas? Would you like to learn, too?" Ana asked.

He looked a little surprised to be included, but then shot a glance at Leslie and shook his head. "I already know how, thank you. Besides, it is probably best that I focus on the tournament for the foreseeable future."

“Yeah, but the tournament is in a week or so. You could do both, actually. Practice your dancing while also practicing your battling techniques. I'm here for the tournament, too. You're looking at the future Mauville Gym Leader. I could always use a good battle," Leslie stated, grinning too broadly at Silas.

"Hmph. We will see, I suppose."

Kas thought he might actually like Leslie, too.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aidan Klein Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Eryk Nero Character Portrait: Kasimir Rheinallt Character Portrait: Nevena Solomon Character Portrait: Anastasia Asher
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK



June 17th
Dance Studio - Afternoon - Balmy
Nevena Solomon


Nev wasn't entirely sure how Leslie could afford to rent out an entire dance studio, but she wasn't familiar how things like that, worked. Currently, she and the others were in a large room filled with mirrors and places that seemed to have metal bars. Leslie explained that some of the dancers used them to warm up, to stretch their muscles so they would be limber enough for the moves that required a certain kind of grace.

Nev was, by no means, a graceful person. She tripped over her own two feet, for Arceus' sake. Yet here she was, trying to learn. She'd heard about the tango and salsa, and dances of that nature, but she never would have guessed she would be learning them. They were far too intimate for her, and it wasn't like she had anyone who would dance with her like that. Well... there was one person she could think of, however; her face immediately flushed, which earned her a low chuckle from Leslie.

“Am I that handsome that the very sight of me makes you blush?" he asked, dipping in front of her with an outstretched hand.

“Oh, no. I mean, yes, but that's not why..." she trailed off, realizing belatedly that he was only teasing her. “I've never danced before so I don't know how well I'll do," she responded, smiling a little awkwardly.

“It's not like you have to," Eryk murmured, the frown on his face a little deeper. It was obvious that he wasn't up to the idea of dancing, but since Ana was going to be his dance partner, Nev assumed he would be fine. “No one has to dance," he added, earning a soft snort from Cyrilla.

“He's right about that, but Ryk, she looks like she wants to, and that's all that matters," she replied, causing Eryk to roll his eyes.

“She's not wrong," Nev murmured. She wanted to dance because it looked like fun, and Nev was tired of missing out on things like this. Even if she was just going to embarrass herself, it was a new experience, and she found them enjoyable.

"Sucking at something to begin with is how you eventually stop sucking at stuff anyway," Aidan said with a shrug. He was there, but the jury was out on whether he'd actually be participating. "That's nothing to be self-conscious about."

"I was terrible when I started dancing," Ana added, a slight frown on her face. "IT felt like I couldn't do anything right. Partly because I was in awful shape at the time, but more than that I was very uncoordinated."

"I've always been awesome at everything," Kas said, so ostentatiously that it had to be a joke.

Mel laughed at him outright. "You keep telling yourself that, Mirmir."

“Honestly, I don't think anyone can be as bad as me. You've all seen it, the horribleness that was," Drake stated, visibly shuddering. Nev couldn't help but smile at her friends. They were always supporting her in one way or another. She really couldn't put into words how much she valued them.

“Yes... we were all there to witness it, Drake. Nearly had to wash my eyes out with bleach," Eryk responded a bit dryly, but that was just his way of joking. At least that's how it seemed to Nev.

“I'm actually surprised you didn't."

“Would have been too wasteful."

“Well, now that those pleasantries are out of the way, those of you who already know how to dance, either pair up or shush. Ryk, and Drake, pick the partners you want to help you with this. I'm only one person so I can't dance with everyone without pausing every few minutes. You'll all be following my instructions, but you'll also be following the lead of your partner," Leslie stated.

Nev surmised that Leslie was going to be her partner since he didn't tell her to pick one. She was alright with that, she supposed.

“What are we learning, first?" She almost regretted the question when the grin blossomed on Leslie's face.

“Tango."

“Wouldn't it make more sense to begin with a demonstration?" Silas asked blandly, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Might not be the worst idea," Kas agreed, then grinned. "You volunteering, Silas?"

The other man pursed his lips.

“I agree with Kasimir, it's actually a good idea. Care to be my volunteer?" Leslie stated as he grinned. Nev thought she might have seen a hint of mischief behind it, but that might be because she's been around her friends.

“I can ask one of the others, but since you suggested it, you should be the one to help with the demonstration."

Silas's eyes narrowed. “Very well," he replied coolly, “surely if you are the competent instructor you claim to be you know how to follow, yes? I will lead."

For some reason, Kas's grin widened at this, and he chose to lean back against the wall next to Aidan, saying something too low for Nev to hear. Aidan snorted softly in response and shook his head.

“Sweetheart, I'm a ditto," Leslie began, grinning in that same wicked manner Nev was used to seeing on her friends, “I'll be whatever you want me to be." At that, Cyrilla let loose a laugh she seemed to be containing, and Nev couldn't help herself, either. She snickered at the reference, even if she might not have understood the underlying meaning behind it. Ditto, she knew, were versatile creatures who could turn into whatever their genetic structure allowed them to.

“Oh, this ought to be great," Cyrilla stated as she seemed to make herself comfortable. Even Eryk had the faintest smile on his face when Leslie had spoken.

“Ready when you are," Leslie stated, winking and holding out his hand towards Silas.

“Oh really?" Silas replied, sounding at best skeptical. Nevertheless, however, he took the offered hand, immediately using his grip to steer Leslie into a close starting position, one hand at his waist, faces inches apart. The slight bit of height Silas had on the other man was something he was apparently using to his advantage, tilting his chin up in a slightly-haughty manner.

Ana, eyes wide, pressed play on the music.

Nev wasn't entirely sure why she blushed while Leslie remained unfazed by it. It was a rather intimate position to be in, but Leslie didn't seem at all disturbed by it. In fact, he almost seemed to take it as a challenge of sorts, and grinned largely. Nev wasn't sure how someone could grin so broadly like that without hurting their face.

“Watch closely now, lovelies, and see how the masters work," Leslie stated as the music started. He didn't seem to have any problems following Silas's lead, flowing smoothly with the music. How was Nev supposed to dance something like that without dying of embarrassment first? Cyrilla and Kasimir might be fine with dancing that way, and maybe Mel and Drake as well, but herself? Or even Eryk? That was a bit... too much hands on.

Kas looked thoroughly entertained, though there was an assessing sort of cast to his features, too, as if studying the footwork. He certainly didn't seem fazed by the idea of touching a partner so much, and Aidan's face was completely neutral, too.

Ana was blushing lightly, but it was hard to tell if it was for the exact same reason as Nev or not.

Silas, for his part, remained stoic through the whole thing, save a slight, intense narrowing of his dark blue eyes. Most of the artful flourishes and the like seemed to be something the follower did, but the lead had to work just as hard—and it seemed to require a lot of control and physical strength as well. Not to mention there was just as much touching either way.

The exchange ended in a low dip, held for only a moment before Silas abruptly straightened and stepped back, neatening his shirt.

Kas, Mel, and Ana applauded enthusiastically; even Aidan half smiled and added a few claps.

Eryk huffed lightly in an amused fashion, and Cyrilla had joined the others in their clapping. Nev, however, stood wide-eyed, a large smile on her face. It looked like it was so much fun, but she wasn't sure if she could do something like that, that required so much touching. She wasn't against it, but... well, she supposed it wouldn't be too bad if she danced with someone she knew. Leslie had bowed in Silas's direction once the dance had ended, grinning just as broadly as he had when they started.

“And here I thought you were just as stiff as you looked. I was wrong," he stated before turning towards the group. “Now that you've all seen the demonstration," he began, glancing towards the others, “would you like to give it a try? The studio is, obviously, big enough for everyone to have room."

“I'll give it a try!" Nev stated, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. She was excited, she wouldn't deny that. Even if she might not be good at it, even if she messed up, it was okay. She was learning something new, something that seemed fun.

“If you're uncomfortable with it, we can do something a little less intense," Leslie stated, his grin turning into a softer smile. “The waltz is, perhaps, easier and doesn't require so much this," he reached out and clenched his hands in front of her, indicating he meant so much touch. Nev shook her head, though.

“I want to give it a try. I may just be learning, even at my age, but it looks like fun and I want to try," she replied. Leslie snorted softly.

“Darling, it's never too late to learn anything, regardless of age. The fact that you even want to learn is endearing," he stated, causing a light blush on Nev's face. “So, who's up for a little dancing?"

"Oh, me for sure!" Mel raised her hand. "Put me in, coach!"

Kas laughed. "I don't mind evening things out if we need a spare for another pair," he said. "I'll dance with anyone but her, because she's my sister." They made simultaneous faces of disgust at each other, but considering they immediately started laughing, it was clearly fine.

Ana looked up at Eryk and tilted her head in query. "W-we can um... we can wait for the next one if you don't want to—with this one."

“I suppose that means you'll be Drake's partner, then," Cy stated, grinning at Kas as she walked towards Mel. “There's no way we're not dancing, either, so I guess you've lucked out," she added as Drake pouted somewhat.

“But I wanted to dance with Melly," he murmured. Cyrilla huffed softly and shook her head, patting Drake's shoulder.

“Fine, you can dance with Melly, and I'll dance with my Mirmir," she stated almost in a soft manner as if she were whispering it to Drake. He brightened at it, though.

Eryk shook his head, though, at Ana's statement. “I don't mind," he stated, reaching for her hand and giving it a small squeeze. Nev almost died on how sweet the gesture was. “Unless any of it makes you uncomfortable."

Her face went red as a beet, but she shook her head. "I-I wouldn't say uncomfortable exactly," she mumbled, a smile twitching at the corner of her lips. "Let's do it. For the experience, you know?"

"That's the spirit, Ana!" Kas said, taking up Cyrilla's hand and leading her in a twirl. It ended—quite stylishly—with his hand at her waist and the two of them all but pressed together, and he smiled a slow, lazy smirk at her. He leaned forward to speak directly down into her ear, though Nev couldn't hear what he said.

"You in, Aidan?" Mel asked, tilting her head. "Everyone's dancing but you."

He pulled a face. "Nobody wants my hands all over 'em, Rheinallt-the-younger."

“I wouldn't mind," Nev murmured to herself, but it seemed that Leslie heard her, and he laughed.

“Come now, there's nothing to be ashamed of saying that, Nevena," he stated, giving her a wink. She could feel her face turning about as red as Ana's was, and cleared her throat. “But if Aidan insists on sitting out, then I suppose I can be your partner. Sorry Si, you're going to have to sit this one out with Aidan."

"Oh don't worry I was planning on it." Silas made his way over to the wall, giving Aidan a nod and receiving one in return.

"Have fun, kids."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aidan Klein Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Eryk Nero Character Portrait: Kasimir Rheinallt Character Portrait: Nevena Solomon Character Portrait: Anastasia Asher
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK



June 25th
Rustboro Stadium - Afternoon - Bright
Eryk Nero


Eryk furrowed his brows, glancing at his opponent. Both Silas and himself had made it to the semi-finals, and they were currently each others opponent. Eryk had nothing against the man; this was a tournament battle, and he wasn't going to lose. They were on their second pokémon each, Eryk with Orion and Silas with his Altaria. Narrowing his eyes a little further, he made his next command.

“Use Heat Wave." Orion took a deep breath, and expelled the fire attack.

"Dragon Dance." Silas was a methodical, rational rainer who never seemed to let much of anything get under his skin. So when his Altaria took the brunt of the fire attack, he simply let it, trusting its draconic defenses to see it through. "Now Dragon Breath!"

Flapping its slightly-singed cottony wings, the pokémon gained altitude, breathing a torrent of blue-purple flames down towards Orion.

Eryk made a tsk sound, and winced slightly when the attack landed. It knocked Orion down to the ground, leaving him momentarily open. That was fine, though. Orion could use that to his advantage.

“Twister."

The pidgeot spread his wings as wide as he could before whipping up the tornado-like attack.

That one hit a lot harder, and sent Altaria to the ground as well. It expelled another cone of breath, but this one was weaker. One more solid hit like the last and he'd probably have it.

Orion weathered the attack as best as he could, shaking out his feathers as Eryk gave the next command, “Mirror move." Orion released the same attack Silas' altaria had, using Dragon Breath as his last attack.

It was just enough to send the altaria to the ground. Silas clicked his tongue against his teeth, recalling the bird with a quiet sigh. Hooking that ball back to the belt under his blazer, he drew the last one off—3v3 matches were the format of this particular tournament. With a toss, he released a massive steelix into the ring.

Before Orion could even think about an overheat, the huge mineral snake's tail was glowing, whistling through the air with a heavy sound.

It landed with a heavy thud, sending Orion back, defeated. Eryk recalled the bird into his pokéball and placed it back on his belt. He glanced at Nova who had been resting on his shoulder. You want to take that on? he asked, arching a brow. If Nova didn't feel up to it, he could use Runt in Nova's place. The tyrantrum hadn't battled yet, after all, but neither had Nova.

You have to ask? It's like you don't even know me at all, the umbreon replied, hopping down from Eryk's shoulder to the railing in front of him, then dropping down into the arena.

Wasn't sure if you wanted to waste your time with it, he replied, smirking slightly to himself. Nova was like that; confident beyond all things in his own abilities.

“And stepping in now is Mr. Nero's umbreon!" the announcer calls overhead. “It's quite a size mismatch, but we've seen this pokémon's sturdiness in action before. What remains to be seen is whether it will stack up to an actual steel carapace, in this, the last matchup of the set!"

Nova fllicked his tail, one ear turning back towards Eryk as if to catch anything he said, but of course that kind of communication was not strictly necessary between them.

It would be an unfair advantage if he resorted to using their telepathic link, though. Silas was proving to be a challenge. He'd taken out Imp rather early, and his altaria had given Orion some trouble. His steelix was formidable in size, but the one thing it and Nova had in common was their high defense. It was going to take some time to wear it down if they just used physical attacks. Luckily, Nova had speed on his side.

“Dig, then follow up with Shadow Ball."

Nova went in fact to dig, but no sooner had he made it undergroud than Silas commanded his steelix to use earthquake, and he was forced to abandon the effort quickly or take heavy damage beneath the ground. Without being asked, he shifted tactics, following up with the shadow ball, which hit solidly if not with devastating force.

His speed proved helpful enough, though, to get him out of the way of the next attempt at an iron tail.

Use Sand-attack and follow it up with a Throat Chop. It wouldn't be much, but if Nova could at least temporarily blind the steelix, he'd have an advantage over it. Nova leaped, kicking up a cascalde of dirt on a hard, skidding landing, and was immediately in the air again. As the battle continued, it was obvious to Eryk that both participants were on their last legs of strength. The steelix was more sluggish, and Nova was panting slightly.

Let's finish this, Nova, he stated, glancing towards Silas. “Hyper Beam," it wouldn't be that effective on Steelix, but it was all that would be needed to finish the job.

Got it. Despite the mighty effort he'd put in already, Nova picked up speed again, darting forward and leaping atop one of steelix's slower joints, climbing the rest in a series of swift jumps as it tried to dislodge him and finally leaping high off its head.


It had been more than enough time for the beam to gather energy, and he released it point-blank, the force of the blast propelling him well clear of steelix. It mightn't have been enough at further range, but right in its face, the attack made it sway in the air, and Silas recalled it before it could crash to the ground and shake the stands.

"The winner of the match is Eryk Nero!"

Eryk smirked as he descended the podium, scooping up Nova as he did and placed him back on his shoulder. Great job, he started, rubbing between Nova's ears. When we get back to Cinnabar, I'll make sure to send you to the spa and then see if Ana will make those things you like so much, he continued. He'd send all of the pokemon that battled today to get destressed, but for now, he should congratulate Silas.

“Well done," he stated, nodding in Silas's direction. “It was close," he added. It was true, if Nova hadn't managed to land the Hyper Beam so close, he was almost certain Silas would have won.

"And to you as well," Silas replied, formally but not quite as stiffly as he'd been at first. "Your pokémon are quite something."

“As are yours," Eryk replied. “We should head back to the others." They were no doubt waiting to congratulate them.

Nova made an agreeable noise, and they headed out the competitor's exit, to a smallish anteroom that was usually pretty quiet. At the moment, however, it was quickly filling with people, albeit people he actually liked.

Anastasia was first through the door, and she didn't stop running until she'd run right into him, albeit lightly, her arms wrapping around his middle. "You did it!" she said, muffled against his shirt, and drew back with a brilliant smile, reaching up with one hand to pet Nova but leaving her other around him.

"You're in the finals," she continued, a little more calmly.

He pushed a soft gust of air out, slightly amused and nodded his head. We're in the finals," he stated softly, smiling just as soft at her. She always managed to do that, bring out the softer side of him. The side he thought he'd lost long ago. He wrapped his arms lightly around her and gave her a squeeze. He loosened his arms, but they remained wrapped around Ana.

“You did great, Ryk! You too, Nova," Cyrilla congratulated, grinning in Eryk's direction. He merely rolled his eyes and leaned down to press a soft kiss to the top of Ana's head. He didn't care that his friends were around because right now, he could only seem to focus on the small woman in his arms.

She turned just ever so slightly pink, but her smile didn't fade, her eyes narrowing in a pleased sort of way before she closed them altogether and rested her forehead against his chest. He could feel the warm gust of a sigh as she exhaled.

"Now I feel like we're just intruding," Kas joked. He'd been knocked out in his semifinal earlier, but hadn't seemed too concerned about it. "Anyway, congrats, Ryk. Just gotta bring it home now, right?"

"Easier said than done," Aidan noted. The other finalist, Kristoff Hastings, had taken out both Mel and Kas, after all. But Eryk's type matchups were also better, so it wasn't like there was no chance.

“Hm," Eryk responded. He wasn't too worried, though. Even if he did lose, he'd come very far in the tournament, further than he'd ever thought was possible. Most of it was due to Aidan's trainings, and the pokemon he had. He would have to treat them all to something once this was over, but he wasn't entirely sure how.

How did you show proper thanks to the people who helped and supported you? Eryk had no clue; he'd never really had that kind of support before. The kind that came from people who believed in him to this extent and wanted something good for him. He was... thankful.

“It's going to be awesome," Drake stated, grinning probably just as large as his face would allow him to. “Wish I could have seen you in the finals, though," he murmured towards Mel, furrowing his brows slightly.

Mel shook her head a little, bumping his shoulder with hers. "It's all good practice for what I'm really after," she said with a smile. "Besides, the better the boys do now the cooler it'll be when I beat them later, you know?" It was true that she and Kas had both earned themselves enough points over the season to qualify for the finals this year. He had too, actually, with the results of that last match, so for long-term purposes the results of this one didn't matter much.

“Still," he murmured, still pouting. “I guess you're right in that sense," he stated, grinning at her. Eryk huffed lightly and turned towards the others.

“I'll remember that" he stated in Mel's direction. “Nova will welcome the challenge," he added. He was looking forward to it in all honesty.

“Well, when this is all said and done, let's go get a victory dinner! There's a local joint that is supposedly really good. They even have nachos and hamburgers," Cyrilla stated, emphasizing both foods. Drake's eyes nearly lit up at the hamburgers, and Eryk rolled his eyes at her.

“Just because they're my favorite food doesn't mean you should subject everyone else to it," he stated, causing her to give him a flat look.

“They have other foods, too, Ryk. Not just burgers and nachos."

"Works for me," Aidan said, to a round of nods from the others. "Now the rest of you get outta here. I have coaching to do, and Nero, you've got one more match to go."

"Good luck," Anastasia whispered, loosening her arms and releasing him.

Eryk released a soft grunt, reluctant to let her go. “Thank you," he stated just as softly before fully releasing her as well.

“Kick their ass, Ryk, quickly so we can go eat!" Drake stated, grabbing hold of Mel's hand and walked away. Cyrilla chuckled softly but mirrored Drake in grabbing Kas's hand and gave Ryk a thumbs up.

Eryk felt a small smile tug on his face. He had a coach to listen to, and a match to win.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Kasimir Rheinallt
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Aethyia


June 28th
Old Laboratory - Evening - Muggy
Kasimir Rheinallt


Kas picked his way over a partly-fallen beam, frowning up at the collapsed section of ceiling. The former laboratory was in a pretty rundown section of Rustboro, something that had once been zoned for stuff like this but had over time fallen in to dereliction and disrepair. He wasn't exactly sure what the boss expected them to be able to find here, but it might be more a cursory check than anything.

At the moment, it's just him and Cyrilla inside the building; they'd decided it wasn't really necessary for everyone to go, especially with everyone else being around. Besides, Ryk still had a victory to celebrate, and while he didn't exactly think the guy was going to do that the way Kas would, even he probably didn't need to be made to come search a grimy, falling-apart lab when he could be spending time with his adorable girlfriend and other friends and so on.

"Gotta love the slasher-movie ambiance," he joked, checking the frame of the first inside door they encountered before shouldering it open. "You think there are ghosts in here? Maybe I could catch a misdreavus or something. Finally complete the team."

Not that he was doing too badly for himself, even with only five to most professionals' minimum of six.

“Hm, I don't know," she hummed, moving around a pile of rubble. “Haunter seems more your type, but then again, so does the sensu style oricorio," she stated with a light grin. “If you want it to have more authentic slasher vibes, though, I could always let Diva run wild, maybe even Noc. It's been awhile since they've had some fun like that," she huffed lightly and grabbed one of the pokéballs as if to emphasize her point.

“Speaking of, though," she began, pausing only to step over what looked like a fallen file cabinet, “you did a hell of a job during the tournament. Meep was adorable as ever, as was Cinders. Though I'm not sure you'd call a charizard of her size, adorable. Captivating seems more like the right word, all things considered."

Kas chuckled. "Honestly I think she'd prefer badass. Besides, captivating is a word I reserve for one person only."

He moved into the next room, which might once have been a conference area, from the remnants of the large table and several tipped-over chairs. "Couldn't do a haunter though—Ryk has Imp and I'd feel like an imitation. Hardly my style." He grinned at her, clearing one of the chairs out of their way with a sweep of his leg.

“True," she replied, pausing to tap a thoughtful finger to her chin. “I mean, you could always take Diva; I'm sure she'd love the chance to fight. Midnight Lycanrocs always love a good battle, but I'm not sure if I'd be willing to completely part with her. She's my first and well, if you take her, you'll have to take me along," she stated, grinning in a way that indicated she was just teasing him.

“I'm sure you'll find something to complete your team, although your team is good as it is. You've got a badass charizard and lucario, an adorable mareep and vaporeon, and a very cool flygon. In any case, your team is well-rounded. Adding anything else is just... oh, what's the expression, icing on the cake?" She shrugged lightly and continued walking.

“When we get back to Cinnabar, the two of us need to properly celebrate you getting into the finals. Back island drinks?" she suggested, glancing up at him from her spot.

Kas chuckled softly. "I could go for that," he agreed readily. There were, of course, at least a good half a dozen jokes on the tip of his tongue about taking her places, but he elected to make none of them for now.

They made their way through an old laboratory, Kas trying an old computer only to find that it had been wiped back to factory settings. "Huh. I didn't expect them to leave loads of data behind or anything, but this is still a little odd. Why take your data but not your equipment? Unless they left in a hurry or something."

“Possibly," Cyrilla stated, clicking her tongue as she glanced around. “From the way the place looks, I'd say that they left in a hurry, but not so much that they had time to download all of the data. There has to be a backup that they missed. Maybe a paper trail of some sort," she continued, opening one of the filing cabinets nearby, and pursing her lips together.

“This might be a little easier with Siri. She might be able to see if there's at least something worth of note with her echolocation," she murmured, pushing out a soft sigh.

"Well you're welcome to let her out," Kas replied, "but we can see filing cabinets and computers just fine, and that's where anything like that's likely to be." He opened another cabinet himself, finding it to contain nothing more interesting than mostly-intact glassware.

Humming, he went to close it over, pausing abruptly when he heard something. It was a soft sound, not unlike the scuff of a foot on the floor. Eyes narrowing, Kas darted his eyes to Cyrilla and lifted a finger to his lips, reaching for one of the pokéballs on his belt. It could in fact be a ghost of some kind, but there might also be something else alive in here.

If so, he wasn't going to just assume it was friendly.

Cyrilla didn't say anything, and quietly made her way towards the sound. She peered through one of the open doors and quickly pulled back, eyes slightly wide as she glanced at Kas. He could see her mouth, “what the hell," as she made her way back towards him.

“I don't know what it is, but there is something big in that hallway. I've never seen anything like it, but it doesn't look good," she stated in a hushed whisper. “It's almost as tall as Zero, if not taller, and it looks like it's standing on all four legs," she added, furrowing her brows and pulling one of her own pokéballs from the belt at her side.

Kas furrowed his brows, pinching one of the balls off his belt and giving it a toss. Sigrún emerged from it, attentive and ready, her eyes turned towards him. He nodded slightly and signaled her through the door, darting out after her.

And there it was. Quadrupedal, like Cyrilla had said, but unlike anything he'd ever seen or heard of. Its front legs were taloned, almost avian, while the back ones had paws he'd call leonine, maybe. Its tail was almost finlike, and a large metal contraption covered most of its head and neck, obviously quite heavy from the way it moved. It seemed to be some combination of muzzle and… he wasn't sure what.

Since it was unclear to him how the creature ate, Kas was left to assume that maybe it didn't, or else it ate something unusual, like energy or something particulate or fluid.

It spotted him and Sigrún almost immediately, swinging to face them with a ponderous arc of its head.

When it lunged towards them with a claw, she interceded, blocking with crossed arms. The impact was hard enough to crack the tiles under her feet with how hard she had to dig in to fend it off, and Kas clicked his tongue. It'd been a while since he'd done this sort of thing, for sure. Fortunately, he was pretty prepared.

"Aura Sphere," He commanded, and Sigrún nodded, her outline taking on a bluish glow that expanded and slammed into the other pokémon, forcing it back several paces. Kas wasn't totally sure if it was a normal-type or a steel-type or what, but the fighting move seemed to be quite effective.

"Hey Cy—there's a ball in my bag. Can you grab it for me?" He felt like he really shouldn't take his eyes off the battle, even if Sigrún was already following up without needing to be told.

“Covered," she replied, moving towards his bag. He could hear her rummage through it before she seemed to find it, and placed it in his hand. “Zephyr, use Hypnosis," she stated, tossing the ball that contained her pokémon into the fray. The persian emerged and trilled in the other creatures direction before the gem on her forehead seemed to glow.

There was a soft wave that emitted from it, however; the creature didn't seem to be affected much by it. It almost looked like it was trying to resist the attack, and Cyrilla bit her bottom lip. “Thunder Wave, Zeph." There was a crackling sound, but before Zephyr could get her attack in, she was forced to stop and dodge due to the creature using what looked to be Dragon Claw.

"Hey, relax," Kas said, taking the ball and hitting the center button to expand it. "Sigrún and I have this. Didn't anyone ever teach you it's bad manners to interfere when a trainer's trying to capture something?" He grinned, keeping the words light, though in truth he was a little worried about her pokémon. This thing hit like a truck, and while his were trained to probattling levels, hers weren't—she just had other specialties.

The creature let out an earsplitting, metallic screeching noise, sending everyone reeling, and Kas snapped his focus back to the battle.

"Power up punch!"

Sigrún leaped in, delivering a rhythmic succession of blows to the creature. Her focus returned, but that didn't stop her from taking the brunt of a heavy air slash that sent her down the hallway. Kas physically caught her, most of the breath leaving him at the impact of the blow, and he looked down. She nodded—they couldn't leave the Zephyr in there unprotected.

Hurling her forward with all his might, Kasimir followed at a sprint, jumping over the persian even as Sigrún slammed full force into their opponent. Kas leaped again, channeling his momentum to vault onto the pokémon's back. The heavy contraption on its head was slowing it down, and he intended to do more of the same, clamping tightly with his legs and locking his arms around its neck in what would be a sleeper hold if there wasn't rigid metal in the way.

"Force Palm!"

The chimeric pokémon, focused on throwing him off by bucking its whole body, wasn't much able to guard against the thrust of Sigrún's paw, and he felt some of its muscles lock up under him as the secondary shockwave passed through and paralyzed it. Still it thrashed, and it was just about all Kasimir could do to hold on with one arm and both legs, mashing the ball against the back of its metal-protected head.

It disappeared in a flash of red light, dropping him to his feet, and he tried to slow his irregular breathing as the ball trembled in his hand. Sigrún watched it keenly, still in a ready stance. It shook hard, and Kas braced for the pokémon to reappear, but then it shuddered and fell still.

"Whew. Let's not do that again."

“Yes, don't ever do that again," Cyrilla stated, her eyes wide and narrowed in what looked between worry and frustration. “You scared the shit out of me when you jumped on its back," she continued, raising her hand as if she were going to hit him on his shoulder, however; she seemed to think otherwise, and it fell back to her side.

“What in Arceus's name is that? It's... obviously a pokémon, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to capture it," she began, pausing as Zephyr came to her side and pushed against her leg, “but I've never seen nor heard about anything like it." Her expression smoothed out into something more like curiosity as she reached into her side pocket. She pulled out her phone, it looked like, and typed something before she stopped.

“Do... you think we should tell the others, first, before reporting it? There might be something else about it here if we keep looking," she asked, glancing up at Kas.

Kas laughed softly, shaking his head. "Whatever it is, I'm guessing there's probably not any more of them. Let's look around and see if we can figure this out ourselves, and then regale them with the story later." He didn't really want to interrupt the celebrating. Besides, it could be an intel opportunity Steele could use—one that wouldn't end up reflecting badly on his friends.

"But first… I demand a hug." He looked at her with an obvious pout. "I almost died and I need to be comforted by a pretty girl."

It was an obvious stretch, but the grin on his face made it clear that he knew that perfectly well, and was just poking fun. He opened his arms, though, dead serious about the hug part.

Cyrilla snorted softly, placing one hand on her hip and arched her brow at him. “Is that how that works, you demanding something and I just giving in to those demands?" she asked, though it was obvious enough that she was amused by his statement. She rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face said she wasn't at all serious, and walked towards him. She wrapped her arms around him as best as she could and gave him a tight squeeze. She loosened her hold after a minute, but she didn't immediately let go. She kept her face buried in his chest and seemed to contemplate something.

“If you want to be comforted in any other ways, just let me know. We do have a room all to ourselves, afterall," she murmured, and from the tone of her voice, Kas could tell it came out almost sheepish.

"Mm, pretty sure it was your determination that I get to have what I want," Kas said, tiptoeing around a more explicit reference to that day. It was the kind of thing they both still sometimes acknowledged sidewardly but never head-on. Cy's joke was the kind she'd have made before, which meant it kind of went under the radar too. It was…

Well, weird, admittedly. But it was what they were doing for now, and Kas didn't want to just take a hammer to that delicate balance. At least not all the time. And more importantly than not wanting to, he wouldn't.

His hold on her was firm, and he didn't quite let go the way he should when she spoke against his shirt. Instead he swallowed thickly, humming and sidestepping again, in the usual way.

"Well then. I might just have to take you up on that. Turn in my carte blanche for some premium cuddles."

She huffed a soft laugh and loosened her hold completely. “I'm pretty sure they also have lavender bubble bath. It's supposedly good for relaxing and after today," she paused and made a wide gesture around them, “I think you might need it. I'll make sure to bring in some food and make you a premium dinner and then you can have premium cuddles after."

“Now let's go see what we can find about this. We'll hold off on telling the others, and... the Boss. Chances are it might be what he wanted us to find, but... I don't know, maybe I'm just putting things together that aren't there," she stated, rolling out her shoulders and furrowing her brows. “Zephyr, go see what you can find, and for the love of all things, don't bring back any dead rattata, okay?"

The persian huffed in a haughty manner, but flicked her tail. “Shall we?" Cy stated, arching a brow at Kas.

"Mm, let's. Sooner this is over, the sooner I get all my excellent free stuff."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aidan Klein Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Eryk Nero Character Portrait: Kasimir Rheinallt
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image


July 2nd
Field Office #9 - Afternoon - Clear
Eryk Nero


Eryk sighed, resting his forehead against the table in the conference room. The others hadn't arrived yet, and he was grateful for the silence. Stella had kept him up mostly all night; her wheezing had been extremely bad and he'd stayed up with her as she was hooked to the breathing machine. He was tired, and if he were being honest with himself, a little cranky. He'd never really thought himself the type to get cranky due to lack of sleep, but he figured it was just him being overworked. He'd get rest after this meeting, but for now, he had to stay awake through it.

It didn't take much longer for the others to arrive, and Cyrilla took a seat next to him, placing a hand on his back before rubbing it in a circular motion. “Are you alright?" she asked, and he could hear the concern in her tone. He forced himself to nod, letting loose a soft sigh in the process.

“I'm fine, Cy. Just a little tired," he replied. “Do me a favour," he began, shifting his head so he could see her, “Go buy me a large coffee with about seven espresso shots in it after the meeting."

“Sure thing, Ryk," she stated, huffing slightly in an amused way. He didn't quite have the energy to roll his eyes, but he supposed he was thankful all the same. At least with coffee in his system, he'd be more awake to do his work so he could leave early.

"Long night, Nero?" Aidan was the next to arrive, a fresh cup of coffee in each hand. He set one down in front of Ryk without another word, moving to his usual spot on the other side of the table.

Kas puttered in a few minutes later, bespectacled and carrying his laptop. He yawned, flopping down into a chair. "Morning, team."

"Mm." Aidan set his coffee cup down with a dull thud. "First off, congratulations again, both of you. You've officially qualified for the big annual probattling championships. Those are a few months down the road yet, but it's a whole different game even than quals, so we'll be ramping up the training between now and then."

Kas groaned.

Eryk let out a heavy groan as well, one that wasn't intentional, but he sat upright and took a sip of the coffee Aidan had given him. “Can we hold off on the training for a day, or year," he stated, furrowing his brows at his own statement. The tournament was in a few months; they wouldn't be able to postpone training for a year. He really wanted to take a nap, now.

“Where are the finals being held? In this region or another?" he asked. Some of the tournaments were held in various regions, but he supposed that might be the same for the annual championship.

“They're actually hosting the championship at the Indigo Plateau this year, Ryk, so we'll be going there. I looked it up a head of time to reserve our hotel rooms and to buy our plane tickets," Cyrilla began, leaning back in her chair. “We'll be landing in Viridian and then boarding a train to the the Plateau itself."

Aidan nodded. "It's the twenty-fifth anniversary of this particular tournament, so they wanted to do it somewhere big and important, and there's no fancier arena in the world then the one they just rebuilt at the Plateau. It's going to be where they host Champion Challenges from here on out, but the finals will be breaking it in."

"Fancy shit, huh?" Kas huffed. "Looks like we've finally hit the big leagues."

"Oh, you've been in those for a while now. It's just not a mission anymore so it's sinking in better." Aidan smiled slightly, a little lopsided, and lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "Yours truly is going to be participating too, actually."

“Is that so?" Eryk stated more than questioned. “Does that mean we might be battling against our mentor? I don't know if I could do that; student surpassing the teacher and all that," Ryk said as he took a casual sip of his coffee.

“I thought you weren't doing that stuff anymore. Why the change of heart?" Cyrilla stated, snorting at Ryk's attempt at a joke, but genuinely interested in Aidan's answer, it seemed.

Aidan shrugged slightly. "They're doing this special side bracket between a lot of people like me: ones who haven't really battled professionally in a while, but who have famous enough names to draw attention. They really wanted as many former champs as they could get. I said no initially, but the boss wanted the PR boost, and I… figured maybe one more go wouldn't be awful. You guys seem to enjoy it."

"Special bracket, huh? We gonna have to get trounced by you early, or do they at least save that shit for the end?"

Aidan huffed at Kas's question. "The brackets don't join up until the end. Us washed-up old people are a separate thing from all of you who qualified on your own. It'll just be an exhibition match, really. Whoever wins your bracket still wins the tournament; ours is just for the anniversary thing. 'Twenty-five years of probattling,' or whatever."

“Ooo, sounds like it's going to be a great year for them. Nev is going to have a field day with this shit, especially if they're gathering up all the former pros," Cyrilla stated, grinning widely. She seemed genuinely happy, though Eryk's muddled mind couldn't make sense why.

“Is there anything for today, or are we good to go?" Eryk asked, feeling just the slightest bit of a quirk in his lip. He couldn't deny that he, too, was excited. For a different reason than Cyrilla was, of course, but nonetheless he was excited.

"Depends. Rheinallt?" Aidan looked to Kas.

He straightened slightly in his seat. "Yeah, boss. Uh…" Eryk knew the exploration of the old lab at the end of the month had resulted in him catching some kind of pokémon, and apparently there were some documents that went with, but beyond that it had all been pretty vague.

"So the records I've pulled seem to indicate that the facility was working on genetic engineering. Sort of a branch off the old Mewtwo stuff, you know? Only the idea was slightly less "uncontrollable clone of a legendary pokémon" and more "how do we make the ideal pokémon for whatever specific purpose?" Only at some point the lab head and some of her underlings went uh… rogue. I'm guessing the reason the facility went derelict has to do with the fact that they put out a distress call to HQ about four years ago and uh… it didn't get answered. Likely because, you know, rogue."

When Aidan nodded slowly, he continued. "Anyway, the one Cy and I found is apparently called Type: Null. Or at least that's how it's referred to in its documents. It's… a really strange integration of gene splicing and tech. The idea was supposedly that you could manipulate its genes with the tech, making its physiology change on the spot. Its genetic code and morphology are supposed to be almost as flexible as a ditto's, and more than an eevee's."

"Supposed to?" Aidan raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah. So I guess the program they wrote to do this didn't work right. They ended up having to stabilize the pokémon with this helmet/muzzle/containment thing it's got on. I'd take it off, but it might be the only reason she's alive, and I don't really want to fuck with that without knowing anything else."

Aidan hummed. "All right. Have Doc give her a checkup just to be sure. See if you can figure out where their program went wrong. I don't know what Gregorovich will want done with her, but I think any more information we can get might be useful. Unethical experiment or not, she exists now. Might as well see what we can learn."

It seemed that the little bit of coffee helped; Ryk was certain he'd have dozed off during the explanation. “Experimental pokémon, probattler championships," he listed off the things covered in the meeting and glanced in Aidan's direction. “If it's alright with you, I'm going to head out early today." It was rare for Eryk to leave early any day, but he felt that he needed to. Even with the coffee, it was only doing so much to keep him functional.

“I can take care of some of your work, Ryk. Mine's all done already," Cyrilla volunteered as she gave him a sympathetic smile. “If you'd like, I can come over to Ana's as well to help out with some chores. Chances are if you didn't get any sleep, neither did she, and the both of you could use a nap."

“Thanks, Cy," he appreciated the thought, if anything.

"I'd help too, but uh…" Kas gestured to his laptop, probably intending to reference the work he was doing figuring out what made the experimental pokémon in question tick.

"You have a report to send Gregorovich and an appointment to schedule with Doc," Aidan finished bluntly, before turning to give Eryk a nod. "Take the rest of the day, Nero. And tomorrow if you need it. Can't imagine all the shelter pokémon get sick on a 9-to-5 schedule." His brows furrowed faintly, but the expression was gone almost as soon at it'd appeared.

“Thanks, Boss," Ryk replied, standing from his chair and making his way towards his office. He made sure everything was where it needed to be, and left the papers that needed to be worked on in a neat pile. Cyrilla would be able to do this a little faster than he could; she'd always been better at paperwork than he had been, but he wasn't going to complain. Once everything was in order, he grabbed his keys and made his way towards the entrance of the building, intent on helping Ana with the last bit of work so that they could take a nap.

He didn't make it four steps outside the door when a familiar presence entered his line of sight. Eryk felt the blood in his body freeze. He knew who that was, the familiar grey-streaked purple hair, the dark violet eyes that were zoned in on him. The one person in the world he didn't want to see ever. The woman who made his life miserable, and the woman who thought she earned the title of mother: Marah. There was no smile, no happiness coming from her, only anger. He could see it in the way her brows were wrinkled, and she marched up to him with something in her hands.

“Eryk Basilius Nero, what is the meaning of this," she shouted. She didn't even have the courtesy to speak in a hushed tone, and Eryk wasn't in the mood for this. Every fiber in his being screamed fear this woman, but the lack of sleep seemed to stave it off. She shoved a newspaper in front of him, one that had a picture of him and Ana on it. At first, he didn't think there was anything wrong with it, but his mind clicked when he saw his and Ana's expression. They were both smiling, and Ana was tinged pink. Their hands were still entwined together, and he could see why it bothered Marah. He was happy.

“What of it?" he replied dryly. “I'm on a mission; she is my target," he hated saying that. Ana was much more than just a target. She was... he paused that thought and narrowed his eyes at Marah. “Do not jeopardize it, Marah," he warned. “This is a mission directly from Gregorovich; he will not take kindly to any interference." He was almost certain Gregorovich would throw Marah to the lycanroc if she did.

“Don't you take that tone with me, Eryk. I'm your mother, and you will respect me," she retorted, but Eryk could not bring himself to care. “Mission or not, you know you're already engaged to someone. Why haven't you already gone through with the marriage? It's been almost a decade since you were engaged," she continued, causing Eryk to cringe. This was about that, wasn't it? It wasn't about the fact that Eryk was happy; it was about his marriage.

“I'm not marrying Cyrilla while I'm on this mission, Marah," he didn't need to explain himself, but he knew she wouldn't take his silence as an answer. “She and I are both working on this."

“You've had enough time, boy. Either you marry her this month, or I'll ask your grandfather to put in a request to annul it and marry you to Katia. Like it should be," he could hear the threat in her voice.

“Don't you fucking dare, Marah. You have no authority in the family; you are just Koga's daughter by marriage," he stated, straightening out his posture. “If you so much as tell Koga anything, if you interfere with anything, including the woman in that picture," he began, feeling the blood in his veins begin to boil, “I will end you."

If he'd been in a right state of mind, he wouldn't have threatened Marah like this. He wouldn't have even talked to her like this, but she was a threat to everything he loved. He wasn't going to let her destroy that, especially not Ana. Marah, however, seemed astonished by his threat, her eyes slightly wide and her mouth agape.

“You better be married to Niav—

Klein."

Niav. You have until the end of this month, Nero, or I will take this to Koga. I'm going to be here for the remainder of this month until you are, so expect to see me around." She threw the paper at him and walked off, causing his jaw to lock in frustration. He didn't need this, not right now.

He just wanted to get home, and take Ana to bed so that they could get some rest. He'd deal with this later.

He had to.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Kasimir Rheinallt
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

1.00 INK



July 5th
The Cloyster - Morning - Muggy
Cyrilla Klein


Cyrilla thought that she might know how Eryk currently felt. She had not been able to sleep at all when he told her Marah was here, and what she was here for. They had broken off their engagement because they both wanted different things, but Marah didn't know that. She was here because of an image in the newspaper, one that showed how happy Eryk was with another woman. Cyrilla was thrilled for him because Eryk loved Ana, or at least she thought he did. He'd become so much more as a person because of Ana, and there was no doubt in Cyrilla's mind that Ana was good for Eryk. Much moreso than either of them deserved.

There were times when Cyrilla still felt like she wasn't good enough, but that would all fade away the moment she saw Kas and she just knew. She knew what it meant, the way her heart fluttered every time, the times where she felt breathless by just his mere presence. She was in love with him for everything he was. Kas was her best friend, the person who let her see who she could be and not be held back by old archaic rules and family. He made her a better person, and she loved him for it, would love him still even if he didn't feel the same way about her.

And they still hadn't talked about that night. It was strange how they'd shifted back into just teasing each other with their words and sometimes when they danced, but... she couldn't find the right opportunity to bring it up. It made things much more confusing than they needed to be, but Cyrilla couldn't quite work up the courage to talk to him about it. What she wanted more than anything was to know what he thought, what he felt. She wasn't going to pretend that she didn't know how she felt, but she didn't want to push him about it, either. If he viewed it as a passing thing, then maybe she should be content that they were at least still friends.

She missed sleeping in the same bed with him, though, and falling asleep to his light breathing and the way he'd hold her...

She sighed softly and pushed the thoughts that threatened to enter her mind, away. She was so far gone, wasn't she? She threw her right arm over her eyes, blocking any sort of light that threatened them until she felt a wet nose nudge her. “Not now, Diva. I'm still moping," she stated, earning a light huffing sound in response. The lycanroc moved Cyrilla's arm from where it was with one of her paws and stared at her.

“Fine, fine. I'll stop moping and get up," she stated, causing Diva to huff in a haughty manner. “Don't you make fun of me, I know that's what you're doing," Cyrilla muttered, but placed a hand in the tuff of fur at the top of Diva's head. The lycanroc released a satisfied huff before moving towards the makeshift bed in the corner of the living room where Noctis was currently sleeping. He grunted a bit when she forcibly placed her self on the other side, and curled up next to him.

“I swear you're horrible," but Diva would always have a special place in Cyrilla's heart. “Now, I should probably make breakfast before Kas comes back from his morning jog. I can think of what to do about Marah and her stupid scheme, later. Now... what to do about breakfast."

It was no secret that Kas ate a lot, but Cy didn't mind. If anything, she actually enjoyed cooking for him. There was just something about watching the way someone she loved enjoy the food she made. It made her feel all warm inside, and she furrowed her brows when she felt her cheeks flush. Once she was able to concentrate, she got to work making breakfast. Waffles, avocado toast, a bowl of dried fruits and berries, some bacon and scrambled eggs, and a smoothie were set out on the table.

“It's excessive isn't it," she stated to herself, shaking her head. Even she had to admit that she might have over cooked. “I guess I could save some and take it to Nev and Big Bro in a bit." That was, of course, assuming Kas didn't it eat all, first. She didn't mind either way.

Kas walked in the door right at the usual time—one thing it was easier to notice having lived with him for so long was that, in spite of his apparent laziness and disdain for work, he was actually pretty punctual. He just had his own schedule, and stuck with it rather than anyone else's. He had a short towel around his neck, his loose athletic tank damp around the neck and in a vee at his chest. He did a full circuit of the island even on the days Big Bro would probably make him do it again in training.

He did a short double-take when he saw breakfast on the table, and grinned at her. "I'm pretty sure you know this, but my birthday's not quite yet," he said, with obvious amusement. It was this month, but not so early in it. "Give me like… five minutes to shower and not be sweaty, and I'll be back out?"

“Yeah, yeah," she stated, making a slight shooing motion with her hands. “I'll reheat the sausage while you shower," she added. It wasn't like she cared if he was sweaty or not. As strange as it was, she liked the way he smelled...

No, no, we're not going there, Cy.

“Enjoy your bath, er, shower," she corrected and waved him off. She could at least make a pot of coffee or something. The sausages didn't need to be reheated, either, since they'd just finished when he walked in, but she'd said it anyway because, what? Because she was nervous? About what? What was there to be nervous about? This was just two friends about to eat breakfast together and probably make a plan on what to do for the next few weeks for the finals.

Marah didn't deserve any place in Cy's thoughts. She didn't want to think of the woman at all, actually. She sighed heavily, perhaps moreso than she should have, and grabbed three plates from the cupboard: two for Kas, one for her. She piled on the food she wanted, and set Kas's plates down so that they would be ready for him when he came back.

He returned, as promised, in about five minutes, freshly dressed and smelling like sandalwood shampoo, as he would considering his hair was still damp. He hummed a low tune under his breath as he piled his plates high, carrying them over to where she sat and settling across from her. "Thanks for all the food, Cy," he said, smiling over at her with narrowed eyes.

"Got me feeling all special." The wink he shot her was cheeky, to say the least, but the appreciation of the food was, she knew, quite genuine.

“Well you should because you are," she replied smoothly, fighting the flush that threatened her face. “Plus with all the training Big Bro has you doing, I figured I might as well start cooking you specialized diets to make sure you're eating properly. Can't have my favourite person dying of hunger or thirst or anything like that. Big Bro puts you all through hell so the least I can do is make sure you're fed." It almost felt like she was rambling now, and she wanted to roll her eyes at herself.

“Speaking of, though," she decided to bring the subject to another topic, one he'd brought up just a few minutes ago. “I know it's kind of a shitty thing with Marah being here this month, but do you want to do anything for your birthday? We can invite the others, too, if you want, or..." she trailed off, glancing down at her plate of food.

“It can just be the two of us if you'd like. Either way, it's up to you," she shoved a piece of pancake in her mouth so she wouldn't say anything else to embarrass herself further.

"Oh, am I hearing that I could get a date out of this?" Kas's grin widened a little. "I might have to reconsider how much I look forward to my birthday." He didn't push it, though, taking another bite of his food and chewing with gusto.

"Seriously though," he said once he'd swallowed, "no need. I figure we can just tack it on to the inevitable celebration once she's gone. I've never met her, and maybe if I'm lucky I won't, but it seems to be stressing you guys out a lot. Anything I can do to help?" He draws his glass close to him, studying her over the rim of it as he takes a drink.

Cyrilla chewed her food, giving her some time to contemplate his statement. “To be honest, I don't know. I would love it if you could help, but..." she paused, pursing her lips together. What could he do to help them? “She wants... she wants me to marry Eryk at the end of this month, but as you know, we're not doing that," she began, furrowing her brows. “We both decided that we wanted different things, and that I didn't want to be tied back to the family, so we called it quits."

“But Marah saw that newspaper with him and Ana on it, and she's going to get suspicious if we don't do something. I'm not marrying Eryk, and it's stupid as hell to think that she can force either him or myself to do it." It made her angry to think that Marah thought she had that kind of control over the both of them.

“It's just..." Marah wouldn't stop. “If we don't go through with it, she won't have any resistance getting our engagement formally annulled, and she'll try to get Katia to marry Ryk. It's archaic to even think of that, now, and... ugh," she groaned, closing her eyes momentarily. All of it was frustrating to think about.

Kas furrowed his brow. "Sounds like a pain," he said slowly. "More than a pain, honestly." He set his glass back down, getting to work on the avocado toast almost contemplatively.

"What about you?" he asked. "Any chance you take backlash from this, too?"

“Probably," she answered, sitting back in her chair and pushing the eggs around with her fork. “It's been a year or so since Aidan officially adopted me as his little sister, but I'm almost certain that my parents will try something else to get me back. They'll likely try to force me to marry Eryk since their status would elevate from the branch family to the main house. If they can't have Eryk, chances are they'll try second-best."

“Not that they could force me to do anything, anyway, but they'll try." And they will try their damnedest. She sighed softly and offered a small smile. “Even if they do try, at least I won't have to face them alone," she stated, feeling relieved by that. “I've never really had anyone take my side or fight for me to get out as hard as Eryk did, and... well, all of you, really. I'm really glad I have you in my life, all of you. I don't... honestly, I don't think I'd have been able to resist this if I didn't."

Cyrilla was positive she'd give in to their demands and go through with something she'd regret for the rest of her life.

Kas considered this for a bit longer, then nodded slightly. "I guess it'd be more convenient if you two were already married to other people," he noted, "but if you have other ways of resisting them nonetheless, that's good. I'm glad you're willing to fight it, Cy. I know this is obvious, but… it's not right, the way they try to control your lives like that. Neither of you deserve it."

“Thanks Kas," she stated, offering him a small smile. “You're right, though. It'd be more convenient if we were already married to other people, but I don't think Eryk would do something like that. He wouldn't marry Ana just because of Marah, and I'm almost certain he wouldn't want to bring her into the family, either. He loves her that much to not want that for her, but... well, we shouldn't be making decisions for other people."

“As for me, well, I couldn't really marry just anyone for obvious reasons," she stated, winking in his direction in a slightly playful manner to change the atmosphere a bit. It was suffocating thinking about that woman and what she was trying to do. Kas was right, though, neither she nor Ryk deserved what their family was trying to do.

“I'll promise you this," she started, leaning forward so she could rest on one of her hands, “If it becomes too much and we can't figure something out, I'll come to you for help, deal?" She reached towards him with her pinky finger extended.

He chuckled, reaching forward with his own hand and winding his little finger around hers. Even this part of him was so much larger than hers, and slightly roughened from what must have been his life before. She knew he sometimes worked out on sandbags with only minimal handwraps, so that might be it, too.

"Sounds like a deal to me."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aidan Klein Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Eryk Nero
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.50 INK

#, as written by Aethyia


July 6th
Field Office #9 - Early Afternoon - Rain
Aidan Klein


Leaning back in his chair to crack the window, Aidan let out a sigh. It'd been a while, but he really needed a cigarette. Unlike a lot of smokers, though, he didn't like the smell to linger anywhere he had to be. Still, he reached into the drawer at his right hand. Little Ninja and Nero were due in his office in a bit, but he still wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to break the news to them.

Flicking his lighter, he held the far end of a new smoke to the end of it, letting it catch and flare before killing the flame. Inhaling, he held a moment, then expelled the smoke through his nose on a long sigh. It wasn't often he managed to feel totally powerless these days, but he figured that his expended social circle made it at once better and worse, somehow.

"What a drag," he muttered.

Frost, curled in the large pokémon bed against the far wall of the office, lifted her head at his tone of voice, tilting her head at him before exiting it with a swish of her fluffy tails. She sat next to his chair with all the grace of a lady, and set her head on his knee.

He rested his free hand at her ruff, petting thoughtlessly.

Nero was the first to arrive, looking about as rested as he'd been the last few days. He still had bags under his eyes, but they weren't as dark as they were the day before. He glanced in Aidan's direction, nodding as his way of acknowledging him, before finding the nearest chair to sit on.

“Cy stopped by the bathroom; she'll be here in a moment," he stated, leaning into the chair almost as if to sink into it. “Tough day?" he asked, arching a tired brow in Aidan's direction.

Aidan cracked the smallest of smiles at that. "What tipped you off?" he asked, wondering if perhaps his 'protégé's' observation talents weren't sharpening a bit. Honestly, though, with Nero it was probably more like… he noticed things when he cared. If he didn't care, he couldn't be bothered to notice. It was a pretty sensible way to go about things, really.

Nero snorted softly and tipped his head in Frost's direction. “She says you need a very long vacation," he replied, sinking further into his chair. “It's been more of a tough week, though, if anything."

Ah, of course. He forgot about that sometimes. Aidan had to admit he was a little jealous in a sense, but on the other hand he wasn't sure he'd want to know what was—or more likely wasn't—going on in Brick's head.

“Hm, but it wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for she-who-shall-not-be-named," Little Ninja stated as she entered Aidan's office. “As intimidating as he is, not even Big Bro can seem to scare her off, and that's saying something about her persistence. She's like a..." she paused as if to find the word she was looking for.

“Joltik, Cy."

“That's an insult to joltik; they're cute, she isn't."

"Yeah I gotta say. My mom was a deadbeat but at least she doesn't hang around and try to act like anything else." He shook his head, running a hand back through his hair and turning to the side to expel some more smoke. He could feel himself relaxing, just a little bit, and this was the exact reason he couldn't quite kick the damn things just yet. He was getting better though. This was his first one in a couple weeks, and he didn't feel the need for a second.

"Anyway, bad news, kids. Gregorovich is staying out of it." He sighed and regarded them both with sympathy. "To be clear, he thinks this shit is stupid, but also that it's family business that has nothing to do with him. If you can make an argument it's interfering with work he might be able to do something, but she's too smart to bother you here, I'd wager."

“Hm, it was worth a shot," Nero stated, pinching the bridge of his nose. Cyrilla gave Nero a sympathetic smile and nodded her head in agreement. “Marah is too smart to interfere with work, here, though she overstepped her bounds when she tried to harass Ana."

“Wait, you didn't mention that, Ryk. She harassed Ana?" Cyrilla stated, her eyes narrowing slightly when Nero nodded his head.

“The other day, she showed up at the shelter and tried to get information or something from her. Moira wasn't sure, either, what Marah was trying to do, but it's obvious that she knows something. It's just a good thing that she hasn't figured anything out, yet." Nero seemed frustrated nonetheless.

“I swear that woman is more persistent than a magikarp trying to climb a waterfall," Cyrilla stated as she shook her head.

Aidan tapped his fingertips against the desk. "Actually, that might be the basis of an argument. If she's trying to push Ana away from you, we can always use the fact that she's technically your assignment to make her back off." He winced a little as he said it—it was a cold way to talk about things, but not untrue.

"But you know, even if Gregorovich could get her to step back on those grounds, is it going to solve your problem? Seems like she might just go after you indirectly in that case, like through Little Ninja, or anyone else she gets an inkling you care about." It was a lot easier to pin down the dynamic here if he just treated Marah more as a nemesis than a mother. Go figure.

“I told her Ana was a mission," Nero winced at the word, perhaps for the same reason Aidan had, “and that caused her to back off a bit." Nero sighed and shook his head. “It might give us more time if I tell her that right now isn't a good time to be married," he began, glancing up in Aidan's direction.

“As much as we all hate saying it, it might actually be good thing that Ana is a mission. If Ryk were married, it'd be hard to convince her that he was single," Little Ninja stated, sighing heavily.

“It'll buy us more time to figure out what to do, and it's a convincing enough argument that she'll believe it."

“Especially since we don't know how long this mission will take. We've been doing this for the better part of a year and some months, now, so... if we tell her we can't get married because of the mission... she might back off," Little Ninja added as she folded her arms.

“But Aidan is right, you know Marah will try and come after me indirectly through you, or anyone else, if we don't do what she wants," Nero stated.

“She will, but Eryk, we need to get this under control. If she tries to come after me as revenge for this, then at least we can figure something out, somehow when it happens. For now, we can see if Gregorovich can get her to step back on the grounds that you need to be single for this. Do you think he'll be able to do it?" she asked, glancing at Aidan.

Aidan shrugged. "She's a Koga, he's the boss," he says, leaning back in his chair and taking another long drag. "You said she's not even a direct blood relation to the old man, right? Gregorovich can handle her."

Stubbing out the remains of his cigarette on the glass ashtray atop his desk, he pursed his lips. "He'll interfere exactly as far as the mission goes, though, guys," he added seriously. "No further. We're going to have to handle whatever she might do after that on our own. Ana might still get some flak. So might you, Little Ninja. Or Rheinallt, or who knows who she picks, you feel me?"

Both Nero and Little Ninja nodded. “I'll do what I can to ensure Ana gets minimal exposure to that woman. Cy, you'll have to find a way to avoid her as well, but..." Nero paused and pursed his lips together before letting out a long sigh, “we both know how persistent she can get. Just do what you can."

“I will, but you know we can't avoid her forever, Ryk. For now, we'll do what Big Bro says. We'll have to handle whatever she might do the best we can," Little Ninja offered a wry smile before turning her attention towards Aidan. “Thanks for the help, we'll be counting on you a lot," she stated, offering him a small grin.

He nodded, very keenly wishing in this moment that there were more he could personally do. But the exact nature of the ties here between the work and the rest kept him pinned, and Gregorovich had been clear that for some reason NTR still needed the Kogas, overall. So there was only so far he could get the woman to step off before it was just… out of his hands.

"I'll do what I can," he said on a sigh, managing a wry smile and ruffling Frost's fur. "Keep me updated if anything changes on your end, too."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Kasimir Rheinallt
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.25 INK



July 9th
Cinnabar Back Island - Dusk - Clear
Cyrilla Klein


Cyrilla threw back the drink a lot quicker than she had intended to, choking a bit as it burned on its way down. Diva placed a heavy paw on Cyrilla's back almost as if she were trying to console her somehow, but there wasn't much the lycanroc could do. Currently, Cy was at the one place Marah didn't know about, the one place she felt safe. She needed some place quiet to collect her thoughts and to stave off the anxiety she was currently feeling.

“It's not fair," she mused out loud, earning a soft huff from Zero as she leaned back against the arcanine. “It's not," she repeated, taking a steady breath. Marah really couldn't leave well-enough alone. Somehow, she'd managed to convince Cyrilla's parents to give her dowry to one of the other Koga members. He wasn't Eryk, who was Koga's direct grandson, however; he was still a member of the main branch. Archaic as it was, that meant that she was going to have to marry someone she didn't know.

Someone she didn't love, and someone who was in the family.

“I tried so hard to get out of it," she murmured softly, pulling her legs to her chest. After everything she did, they had somehow managed to reel her back in.

You'll always be part of this family.

To anyone else, those words might have been comforting to hear, but to Cyrilla, it was the complete opposite. There was no comfort, no warmth or love behind the meaning of those words. It meant that she would always be chained to them no matter what she did. No matter where she went or who she became. The Koga had members just about everywhere, and Cyrilla knew that Marah would do everything in her power just to keep Cy from marrying Eryk.

“I'm not even marrying him, and still," she paused when she felt something wet on her cheek. Diva whined softly, raising a paw to Cyrilla's face as if to wipe the moisture away. The gesture was enough to cause Cyrilla's train of thought to disperse as she shook her head. “Today sucks," she stated, earning a slightly amused huff from Diva.

“I need a drinking partner," she said as she reached for her phone. She hesitated for a moment. What if he was busy? What if he was doing something else and didn't want to? After all, things were still a little awkward between the two of them, but...

“Fuck it," she could dwell on that on another time. She sent Kas a text, silently hoping he'd be able to join her.

She received a return text within moments, and after that the minutes ticked by slowly, the sky overhead darkening as night began to settle.

Kas showed up about half an hour later with a paper bag and a weary smile, setting down next to her and reaching back to pat Zero before crossing his legs under him and setting the bag down on the sand in front of him. It proved to, of course, contain more alcohol and mixer options, as well as recyclable plastic cups.

"Rough day?" he asked, pouring himself a liberal amount of tequila and adding some pineapple juice and ice to it, mixing the whole thing with a straw before tipping his head back to take a long drink.

She offered a small smile before shrugging. “I'm not sure if rough is the right word," she stated, reaching for one of the plastic cups and pouring herself a drink. She didn't bother mixing it nor seeing which one it was. She filled the cup, put it to her mouth, and chugged it as best as she could. She regretted it almost instantly, but endured it until it was gone.

“I ran into Marah today," she began, leaning back a little further against Zero's side. She was grateful for the warmth he provided, even if it was already a warm day. Something about it just felt nice. “What about you?" she asked, glancing sideways in Kas's direction.

“You look like you've had an equally rough day. Did Big Bro run the both of you ragged?" She wasn't trying to divert the conversation away from Marah, but she wasn't sure if she should bring it up just yet. Maybe she should since the two of them were still, technically, sober?

"Oof." Kas placed a hand to his heart, as if he'd been wounded. "Way to deal a direct hit to a guy's ego, Cy." He grinned, though, so if there had been any ego damage involved in saying he looked like he'd had a rough day, it was probably minimal. His confidence did seem pretty resilient that way. It made her chuckle, though.

"Work wasn't so bad. It's just busy enough at the moment that anything I want to do with Nora has to be on my own hours, and I'd really prefer to get that contraption off her head sooner rather than later, you know?" He downed the remainder of his drink and poured another, just a doubleshot of tequila this time, it seemed.

"But anyway. Encounter with your would-be mother in law from hell. Sounds like a blast." Kas rolled his eyes, then shook his head and regarded her a little more seriously. "You okay?"

“No," she answered truthfully. How could she be when Marah basically told her that she was going to marry someone and have no say in it? It wasn't fair that those people could dictate her life this way. What gave them the right? They never liked her to begin with, and neither did her parents. They had only seen her as a means to a gain, but now... Cyrilla was among people who did.

She found people who liked her, and loved her in a way she never thought she could be. It was warm, comforting, and... beyond words to describe. She wanted to be with these people, to make them her true family. She knew Ryk wanted the same thing, and they were trying so, so hard.

“Marah... she ruins everything," she began, her voice low and softer than she was used to. “She convinced my parents to give my dowry to someone else in the main branch. Because of that, it basically means," she paused to suck in a sharp breath. “It basically means they've sold me to someone else, and I don't have much of a choice in the matter."

The Koga were everywhere. Even if she didn't want to marry the man they'd supposedly chosen for her, they would make it very difficult for her if she tried to avoid or fight it. They would either forge her signature, or... she didn't want to think about it.

“I don't know what to do, Kas. I'm trying... I'm trying everything I can and yet," she couldn't finish the sentence. She tilted her head back to blink away the tears that were threatening to fall, and took a steady breath. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? It wasn't like she wanted to be born in that family.

He had to process that for a moment, his brows knitting as an uncomfortable expression flitted over his face. Like he had to remember what a dowry even was, and didn't like the recollection. Which was fair, for someone whose family lived in the modern century.

"Fuck's sake," he murmured, a note of disbelief in his tone. It wasn't that he didn't believe her, though, because of course he did. She could see that in the way he looked at her. Not pity, exactly—Kas wasn't the kind of man who pitied people, that she'd seen. But there was definitely sympathy in it, along with a curious, underlying something that looked like anger, a strange heat in the expression she couldn't quite place.

Kas swallowed. "I'm sorry, Cy," he said softly. "Do you—do you want a hug?"

“Please?" she stated, immediately moving towards him and wrapping her arms around him as best as she could. What she needed right now, more than anything, was this hug. It would, she hoped, calm her thoughts and help her process the situation with more clarity.

“Why couldn't I have had a family like yours," she almost jested, but part of her was serious. It wasn't perfect, from what she could recall him telling her about it, but it wasn't them. It wasn't the Koga, and at this point, Cy was willing to believe any family was better than that.

"Hey, let me know if this isn't okay, but—" Kas shifted his arms a bit and lifted her, twisting so she was more or less settled sideways over his folded legs. He'd done this before, and it could definitely be a sexual thing, but it didn't seem that way this time. Honestly from the way his grip changed back again, it seemed like he just wanted to be able to hug her better, and indeed he let out a long sigh when they were both more or less still again, arms still wrapped around her back and his chin atop her head.

It was quiet for a moment, and then she felt his posture stiffen slightly. "Uh. Hm." He hummed, almost as if to himself, the fingers of one hand drawing nonsense patterns where his hand landed on her arm on that side. "So… I just—never mind, that's dumb even for me."

“Kas, you're the smartest guy I know," Cy began, sighing softly as she squeezed her arms a bit around him. “If you have anything, any kind of suggestions that might help, I'd really appreciate it," because at this point, she was willing to do anything to get out of this game Marah was playing.

"Well it's just…" He pursed his lips, one hand moving up and down her back as if automatically. "I can't help but think boss had the right idea, just… not quite far enough. Your adopted brother doesn't really have a say in your marriage but, uh… I can think of one family member who definitely would."

She pulled back far enough so she could look up at him, arching her brow in a confused manner. “Ryk?" she stated more than questioned, really. Eryk was technically part of her family, but she didn't know how much say he actually had in her marriage. He might be the next heir, but even so, she didn't think there was much he could do. He would try, because that's who Eryk was, but... well, there was only so much he could do without outright marrying her.

And even if she was against marrying whoever her family picked, she wouldn't do that to Ryk.

Couldn't.

“I'm not sure if he has any real say," she murmured, furrowing her brows slightly.

"Not exactly what I had in mind, no," he replied, an edge of humor creeping into his tone. It disappeared quickly, though, and Kasimir frowned. "I meant… well, there's one kind of legal protection I can think of that they can't really do anything about. Specifically, if you were, uh…" He trailed off.

It wasn't often that Kas was awkward about anything. He was the kind of person who could breezily talk about things that would trip the average person up more than a little. But he was definitely awkward now.

"If you were already married. Bigamy's illegal, see. And uh… both parties have to sign off on a divorce, so uh—supposing the person you were married to wasn't the kind to fold to pressure, you'd be, well, shielded, in a way." He laughed, the sound faintly strained.

"So… if you can't think of anything else, you could always. Y'know. Marry me instead."

“Wait, really?" she stated in a slightly shocked manner. It wasn't that she was repulsed by the suggestion, she just... well, she didn't think that that would have been a suggestion or solution she would have thought of herself. She could understand now why people said that awkward was contagious. She was certainly feeling it right now.

If she were in a right state of mind, she would have agreed readily enough. She would say they should do it now just to get Marah off her, at least, even if that meant Marah would be taking her frustrations out on someone else. Ryk could handle it, Cyrilla knew, and she also knew that he wouldn't let any harm come to Ana. Big Bro was definitely capable of handling himself, but she wasn't so sure about Nev.

The real problem here was Cyrilla's damn heart. Marrying Kas meant marrying the person she loved for a reason that wasn't traditional, or at least in the sense that most people married for. She wasn't a sentimental person, of course. Cyrilla never really dreamed of her wedding day like most young girls did simply because it wouldn't have been the sort of occasion to look forward to. Hers was, if anything, a forced marriage, however; Kas was giving her another option, something better.

She could marry him and she would still be free. She wouldn't be going back to the family, and she knew Kas wouldn't do anything to make her feel uncomfortable or anything of that sort. Unlike that family, Cyrilla knew Kas respected her. But was that really okay? Was it really fine to marry him simply so she wouldn't have to marry someone else?

“It... it wouldn't be permanent," she stated, lowering her head to avoid his gaze for a moment. “It would just be long enough to keep Marah and the rest of them away. I just... is it..." she couldn't seem to form the words right, and she furrowed her brows before letting a small smile cross her face.

“Thanks, Kas. Give me a few days? To see if there's nothing else? I mean... I hope that doesn't sound like I wouldn't want to marry you. You're my best friend so of course I would, but... it's just," she didn't want to make it seem like a last resort.

Awkward really was contagious, and she was feeling it very keenly now.

It was hard to tell, because of the dark as well as his complexion, but she thought maybe Kas was actually a tad red in the face. "Yeah, uh… not a problem, obviously." He chuckled; it sounded a little strained. "Sort of a lot to hit someone with out of nowhere, so don't feel like… obligated. It's an option there if it… if it would help. That's—that's all I'm trying to do here, Cy. Help however I can, so… yeah. You won't offend me if you decide to go with something else, you know?"

“Thanks, Kas," she replied, leaning so that she could hide her face a bit. He wasn't the only one with a bit of red on their face, but she was, for the first time this month, happy. She didn't feel so strained or stressed about this... whatever it was Marah was trying to do.

Cyrilla had help, and that was more than she could ever ask for.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aidan Klein Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Aethyia


July 11th
Cinnabar Shopping Center - Afternoon - Hot
Aidan Klein


Aidan killed the engine once the bike was comfortably in the parking spot, knocking the kickstand down with a booted heel and setting the same foot on the ground. Unfastening the internal strap of his helmet, he tugged the thing off with a sigh. Thankfully there hadn't been too much time for him to start sweating underneath it—it was a damn furnace out today.

Setting the helmet down, he swung off the bike and ran his fingers through his hair a few times to make sure it was standing up in its usual spikes. He didn't consider himself especially concerned with appearances, but he knew enough not to want helmet hair, anyway. He confirmed he had none in the mirror of his motorcycle, then headed inside.

Cyrilla's text had indicated she was in the food court, and it didn't take long for him to spot the palest head of hair in the room. Making his way towards her, he cleared his throat politely when he was in range, setting a large hand down on her head but not messing her hair up. He knew enough to know that, too.

"Hey, Little Ninja. You want to shop and talk, or eat and talk?"

“Let's eat and talk, I'm kinda starving," she said as she gave him a lazy smile. “I was also craving noodles so I was thinking maybe the new noodle place that just opened up," she stated, nodding her head in the direction of a store named House of Noodles. “They have something called jjamppong and I want to try it. It's supposedly made with a spicy broth."

"Noodles it is, then," Aidan replied, waiting for her to stand before he headed over to the shop in question and got in line. "On me today," he added, lifting his eyes to the menu board to gauge the options. He let her put her order in and got himself some pho, and the two of them made their way to one of the tables in the shop. He figured that was probably better since the bowls seemed to be the reusable kind, so it was probably better not to leave the place with them.

Once he'd slid into a booth seat, Aidan ripped the paper on the disposable chopstick he'd been given, separating them with a soft crack. The top of one ended up bigger than the other, and he frowned slightly, cracking off the extra on the one. No big deal, even if it looked weird.

"So, what's got you in the mood to hang out at the mall with me?" He had a feeling he knew, but it was generally better to let people explain things for themselves even so.

“Oh, you know," she began, cracking her own chopsticks and stirring her bowl for a moment, “it's a public area, people recognize you a little, and less chances of running into Marah by myself. Plus, I feel like we don't get to spend much time together as siblings, y'know?" The small grin on her face belied the stress she seemed to currently be under before she sighed softly.

“I also would like to get your advice on something," she muttered softly, taking a bite of her noodles and chewed in a contemplative manner. Once she swallowed, she seemed to steel herself before glancing up at him. “Marah's managed to get my parents to sell me off to someone else," she began, grimacing slightly at the choice of words it seemed.

It wasn't hard to guess why; that was shitty news and the shitty words were therefore apt to explain it. "Fuckssake," he said, shaking his head. "I don't get any of this shit at all." Expelling a long breath through his nose, Aidan lifted some of his pho with his chopsticks, finishing the bite before he spoke again. "So… basically you're engaged to someone who isn't Nero now? And that means you can't just act like you intend to get around to it eventually."

“Pretty much," she replied, taking another bite of her noodles. “It would be easier if they weren't so archaic, y'know? I'd be able to get around it somehow, but you know the Koga. They're everywhere," she began once she'd finished her bite. She sighed softly and ran a hand through her hair.

“They'd make it damn near impossible to avoid it, and would try and forge my signature or something else. But..." she paused, pursing her lips together as her brows furrowed, “Kas brought up a good point."

“Bigamy is illegal, and..." she paused as if she were trying to think of how she wanted to word her next statment, “they wouldn't be able to do anything to me if I were already married. The only problem with that is finding someone who wouldn't be easily intimidated or swayed by the Family."

“And... well, Kas, he said that I could, y'know, marry him," she spoke almost too quickly at the last part. She didn't seem embarrassed about it, if the expression on her face was anything to go by. She seemed more troubled by it. “I just... you know things are kind of awkward between us, and I don't want to make it any more than it already is. I'm not seeing any other solutions, though. That's why I wanted to run it by you, first. You've always been a big help with that." She offered him a half-smile.

Aidan had to let that one sink in for several seconds. He'd known Rheinallt and Little Ninja had it bad, obviously, despite any and all insistence to the contrary or personal hangups or whatever else. But even he definitely hadn't been expecting something like this.

In a way, it was a very Rheinallt move. Everyone was playing checkers, and that guy was on some completely different board, playing shogi or something similarly much more complicated. On the other hand, it was exactly not the kind of awkward, tentative kid-gloves handling he'd been giving this whole thing since they slept together. He almost wanted to think it meant something had changed, but… something else classically Rheinallt about it was that he'd definitely stick his neck out for a friend in a bind, even if it put him in an awkward position.

Aidan wanted to think he'd do that too, but he'd certainly never had to prove it like this.

He expelled a deep breath, taking another bite of noodles to contemplate it. "Well, it's probably going to be more awkward," he said at last. "But there's no way he didn't know that when he suggested it. So I think you can take that to mean he's willing to accept it. Or to put it another way, he thinks helping you is worth that. So, the question is: do you agree?"

He knew she didn't always, but her confidence had come a long way. Hopefully far enough that she was willing to let herself be helped instead of damning herself to a life she didn't want for the sake of someone else's convenience.

She seemed contemplative for a moment, chewing the bottom of her lip in the same manner. “I do agree," she finally said, but it seemed to trouble her still. “I guess what I'm more worried about than that is..." she paused, furrowing her brows, “I don't honestly know. I think I'm just scared, if I'm being honest. Of what, I don't know." She'd muttered it softly before she took another bite.

“I know he's not the type and I know he can handle himself, but there's still just this small part that's 'what if', you know? What if they do get to him? What if he decides that it's not worth it? I'm just... I know Kas isn't like that, but," she didn't seem to know how to finish that.

“It just feels like I'm doubting him when I know I shouldn't. And he doesn't really deserve that."

Aidan hummed. "Well, it's a pretty outside-the-norm situation, kiddo," he said, shaking his head slightly. "I think in this kind of scenario it's pretty natural to doubt a lot of things. I don't think he'd count it against you, all things considered. But if you're really worried about it, you could always just tell him how you're feeling about it, and see what he says." He didn't sound flippant about it, or talk down to her like it was obvious.

In a sense, of course, communicating was the obvious answer to problems that didn't need to be problems. But it wasn't like there were no genuine issues to worry about here. Even outside the context of her fucking insane family, there was a lot to worry about in deciding to get hitched, he figured. Aidan had avoided anything remotely close for as long as he'd dated, and by default now that he didn't. Also, sometimes communicating itself was much easier given as advice than actually done. There was no unsaying something, after all.

She half smiled at him and nodded her head. “I guess you're right, but even that's a hard can of wurmples to open. I'm sure you've noticed but we're pretty bad at communicating," she seemed to half joke, but she also seemed more resolved to try. “I guess a lot of it is just me worrying about more of the smaller things. Things that don't really matter when it comes to this situation," she paused for a moment as if to gather herself, “things like this wasn't the way I wanted to get married with him."

She laughed almost awkwardly at the statement. “I mean, you know, not the way if somehow we managed to even get that far, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind for a proposal," she smiled a little broader, though, and shook her head. “Thanks, Big Bro. I knew I could count on you and your advice," she said in a more confident manner.

“We'll see how the rest of this goes, I suppose," she chuckled almost as if she found something funny. “Who knows, maybe you'll be getting a brother-in-law. Just make sure you don't pull him any favors just 'cause you'd be related." She was obviously joking, but at least she seemed to smile more genuinely, now.

He was half-tempted to go bother Rheinallt until he did the proposal part more properly, but at the same time Aidan knew they weren't, emotionally, at that kind of point. It'd just make everyone uncomfortable to act like this was a normal situation like that, so he couldn't do much more than hum sympathetically as she spoke.

There was a chuckle when she finished, though, and he shook his head. "Like I'd ever give that guy an easier time of it for anything." His lips quirked into a smile. "I do that, and Nero starts complaining—justifiably, I might add. They both know you're the favorite but I have to treat them the same or it'd be a whole thing." He was half-joking, of course, but he did take treating them equally quite seriously.

Reaching across the table, he ruffled her hair gently. "I think you'll be all right, kid. For whatever that's worth."

Her eyes narrowed with her smile, “It's worth a lot, to me at least." She finished off her noodles before her smile morphed into a grin. “I suppose if we are going to do this thing, I'll have to speak with him about it. What do you think, Big Bro? There was a ring shop a few stores down, want to help me pick something out? The proposal might be shot, but at least I can find something that'll suit him. I'll surprise him with a proposal of my own."

Aidan snorted. "Yeah, all right. I'm game for it."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Kasimir Rheinallt
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Aethyia


July 13th
Cinnabar Backisland - Afternoon - Hot
Kasimir Rhienallt


Perhaps, if Kas had been thinking straight, he might have considered the possibility that a spontaneous invitation for everyone to head to the backisland for a little relaxation would end in a majority of nos. It wasn't as though everyone was always available after all, but everything going on this month had really put a dent in everyone's free time.

So here he was, alone with Cy again.

It wasn't that he minded being alone with Cy. She was amazing, and sometimes he found himself wanting to be alone with her, which for a social being like him was a rare thing to want. It was just that right now, with his 'proposal' still unanswered and a ring burning a hole in his pocket, he wasn't really sure how to handle himself. Maybe if he just acted like everything was normal it'd almost feel like it was.

"So. What's on the agenda? Destroying randos at volleyball? Surfing? Working on your tan?" The last one was a lighthearted joke, made obvious by his grin, because Cyrilla physically could not tan without burning. Actually…

"Did we bring enough sunscreen?"

Cy smiled when he asked about the sunscreen, the corners of her eyes wrinkling almost in a pleased way. “Of course," she replied, holding up a bag in her arm. “Unlike tall, dark, and handsome, I'm pastey white so I have to make sure I wear plenty of it," she added, arching a brow up at him.

“Besides, I'm not going to need a lot of it. I just need enough to cover my arms, legs, and my neck," since she still didn't seem to wear anything that exposed much of her back. “The real question you should be asking, though, is did you bring enough drinks? I have a feeling we're going to need them today," she stated, a hint of mischief in her tone.

Kas pointed at the large cooler under one of his arms with his chin. "Nothing but booze and snacks," he said with a solemn nod. Probably a bad sign if the prospect of being alone with him makes her want to drink, itself, but then he had brought them, so he wasn't sure what that said either.

"Let's get set up." Picking a good spot, he let the cooler down, and the bag in his other arm, then hefted the large umbrella from over his shoulder and staked it into the ground, opening it up to create a large shade circle. There were a couple extra-large ground cover towels in the bag, and he spread those next, setting up the cooler right next to the umbrella rod and stepping out of his sandals and onto the towels.

“Hmm, this is close enough to heaven," Cyrilla stated once everything was set up, and she plopped down onto her towl, giving Kas a small smirk before reaching towards the cooler. “Since it's just going to be you and me today," she began, pausing in the cooler to reach to the other side of her where she'd had a basket stashed, “I brought some of your favorite things to eat. Not entirely sure it'll all go well with the booze, but we'll see."

She set the basket more or less between them, and arched a brow at him. “How are things going with Nora? I know Nev did a check up on her the other day. Anything new come up?" she asked, pulling out one of the ciders in the cooler.

"You remain, as always, the best," he said, pulling a meat bun from the basket with a grin and taking a large bite of it. The pleased groan that came out was almost entirely involuntary; this was one kind of thing that did taste good with alcohol, and on the beach, for that matter.

"Nora's doing okay. She seems to be in pretty good condition, though I'm still not a fan of the helmet. Hard to take it off without risking doing her some real damage, though, so I'm leaving it for now. It at least doesn't seem to hurt her. Still working on figuring out what all her inorganic components do."

The corners of her eyes narrowed as she smiled, listening to what he had to say. She didn't say anything, instead, remaining quiet and taking a sip of her drink. “At least it's not hurting her," she finally stated, huffing lightly before reaching into the basket for one of the buns. She took a bite of it and chewed quietly before she swallowed.

“So, uh," she began in a tentative manner. “I suppose I've let this stew long enough, so,um, I've got something to tell you," she continued, furrowing her brows slightly. “Which... I thought would be easier since no one else is here and all, but nope, I was wrong," she seemed to be rambling at the moment, unsure of what or how to say whatever it was that she wanted to.

“I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for taking so long to finally answer your, uh, suggestion. Mostly because I'm still not used to this kind of help," she smiled ruefully before glancing down at her hands. “And mostly because of the small little fears I have."

Kas chewed his own food thoughtfully. He didn't want to seem like he was trying to change her mind, so maybe it was good that she hadn't really made her decision clear yet. "Well," he said slowly, "if it would help, you could always talk with me about those. I guess maybe there's a lot of stuff to think about that wasn't really at the front of my mind when I made the offer. That's not me taking it back or anything, just—"

He sighed. "There's legitimate reason to have worries and fears and questions and stuff, but if any of them might go more clearly one way or another if you asked about them, just… know you can do that. I won't mind; I'm practically immune to awkwardness." He grinned; it wasn't exactly true, but compared to most people he was certainly resistant to it.

Cyrilla huffed lightly, and shook her head. “You might be immune to it, but it's still an intimate friend of mine," she stated, rolling her eyes at herself, it seemed. She chuckled in a good natured manner, though, and sighed softly. “I guess my main concern is that..." she paused, pushing out a soft breath.

“If we do go through with this, if we do get married, I just don't want you to think that I'll hold it against you if you change your mind. You've dealt with some of our family members and issues, and you know how they can be. I don't want you to get overwhelmed and feel like it's too much pressure just to help me, out."

“This isn't something that should be taken lightly, even if it'll be for a short time. I just want to make sure you're absolutely okay with this, because... well, if you're marrying me, you're going to be marrying into a good amount of trouble for a time. Are you certain this is something you want to do?" Her brows were furrowed into a serious manner as she seemed to try and hold his gaze.

Kas pursed his lips. There was a time when he would have just brushed off concern like that, because he didn't care about that kind of thing and had difficulty believing it would ever touch him in any meaningful way. But that answer didn't seem satisfying anymore, or even correct.

"I get it, you know?" he said after a moment. "I honestly get what kind of people your family are, and I know my life isn't necessarily going to be the same if we do this. It might get a lot harder in some ways. Sometimes I might really feel the difference between being at the outside of things and right in the middle." He huffed softly, finding her eyes with his own.

"But you know… I'm all right with it even so. You're just worth it, Cy. No matter what happens."

She offered him a half-smile, and he could see her lip quiver for a moment. She took a deep breath and turned away from him, sniffling softly as she reached on the other side of her for something. “No matter what happens, I want you to know that if it does get to be too much, you can back out of it. Any time. I'm not... making this permanent in any way you don't want it to be because you're my best friend and I love and respect you."

“You've... been more than anything I could have asked for, honestly and," she paused, huffing slightly with a light blush dusting her cheeks, “I really don't deserve a friend like you. I really don't, but I'm so glad that you are mine and that I haven't scared you off." she seemed to jest at the last part if her huff was anything to go by.

“But... Kasimir Rheinallt," she paused again, holding his gaze more seriously as she brought her hands forward, clasped over something it seemed. “It's not the way I wanted to do this, but... will you do me the honor of allowing me to be your wife?" She unclapsed her hand, producing a smooth, black ring with a dark green strip going around it.

He almost had to laugh, considering what was weighing his pocket down. And in fact he reached for it, somehow the act of her having done the same making it feel easier. "You went and jumped the gun on me, Cy," he said, popping open the little velvet box to show her what he was talking about.

He'd opted for something a little less conventional, for her. He thought diamonds were kind of boring, and he sort of suspected she might understand where he was coming from. So the ring was an antique, one that had been in his family a while but wasn't, at least until now, part of anyone's wedding set. He'd tried to look in stores, but had found that there just wasn't anything that seemed to suit.

The band was white gold, in the shape of a woven strand of vines, with green enamel set into it, almost of a shade with what she'd gotten him. The proper gem, though, was in the shape of a tiny flower, the stone a dilute ruby the color of her eyes. His older sister had taken pictures of all the family pieces, and as soon as he'd seen this one, he'd known it was the right fit. Well—he'd had it sized, so it also now should fit in the literal sense.

"I think I can do that," he said with a grin. "But only if you can stand to be my wife, too."

Cy huffed lightly. “Why wouldn't I be? Honestly, I don't think any woman would want to pass up the opportunity to be your wife," she started, her eyes narrowing slightly with her smile. “But I guess I'm the only one who can stand to be your wife." It was easy to tell she was jesting, but she sighed softly and nodded her head, replacing the box in his hand with the one she'd had.

“I guess... we're really doing this, then. The big 'fuck you' to Marah and the rest of the clan," she said lightly as she slipped the ring on her left hand. She seemed to inspect it for a moment, holding it out in front of her with her fingers spread. “I shouldn't get too attached. Might not want to give this back down the road," she stated in a joking manner, wagging her fingers in front of him before shaking her head.

“In all seriousness, though," she paused, “thanks, Kas. I promise with this, you'll have nothing but the best breakfasts and lunches until this whole thing blows over. Don't know about dinners, though. Might just leave those to you." She grinned, but Kas could tell she was being sincere in her first statement.

He laughed, but it was hard to tell if it was more at what she'd said or the absurdity of the whole situation. Hell, maybe he was just laughing to cover his pretty serious nervousness. It still didn't feel quite real, but it was approaching that in a way it hadn't before.

"Jumping right into chore division, huh? Very practical of you." He nodded, feigning more seriousness than the topic really deserved. "If you take breakfast and lunch, I'll do dinners and laundry. I think whoever doesn't do the dishes should handle the vacuuming…" He trailed off, flashing her a broad smile.

There was something a little inherently ridiculous about all this, but oh well.

Grabbing more of the alcohol, he topped her off and poured another for himself as well. The ring on his finger felt oddly like weight, but he could ignore it. Or get used to it. He wasn't sure which was the better idea, really.

Lifting his glass towards her, he arched an eyebrow. "To the big 'fuck you' we're about to give your entire rich and powerful family?"

“To the big 'Fuck You', because it deserves to be its own title," she replied, clinking her glass to his in a soft manner. “And to our own future," she added, her eyes narrowing lightly with her smile.

"That, too."