Eryk Nero, from Pokémon: Atonement, a roleplay on RPG

Eryk Nero's Story

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#2020-06-03 06:06:49, as written by Aethyia

April 22nd
Ana's House - Evening - Rain
Anastasia Asher

Ana's arms shook a little as she mounted the steps to her front door. There was no way she was going to be able to unlock or open it thus burdened, but she didn't want to bother Eryk if he was resting, either. She knew he did little enough of it. So she glanced around, finding, as expected, no one there. The rain was still light, but the weather forecast had called for thunderstorms overnight, and those could get intense in tropical places like this one.

With a thought, she lifted her house key out of her pocket and fitted it to the lock, turning it with her mind and feeling the catch give way. Pushing it open with her elbow, she was glad to see that the hall lights were already on, allowing her to make her way to the kitchen without risking tripping over anything.

Some effort later, she'd put the paper bags she was carrying on the counter, but her hands were still shaking. Squeezing them into fists, she pushed out a shaky breath. Now was really not the time for her body to be failing her, but she honestly couldn't tell if it was because she was sick or because she was stressed. The phone call this afternoon on top of everything was...

She swallowed. It was no use thinking about it right now anyway.

Eryk walked in not more than a minute later. It always seemed that he knew when she'd return from a trip either from the grocery store, or wherever else she went without him. He had Icarus on his shoulder, and the espurr tilted his head in Ana's direction. He seemed curious about something, however; he slid down Eryk's shoulder and made his way out of the kitchen, perhaps to go back to Eryk's room or sit in the living room as he was prone to do sometimes.

Eryk, however, remained and furrowed his brows together as he regarded her with a soft gaze. “Is everything alright, Ana?" he asked, concern evident in his voice. “You should have told me you were home, I would have helped," he continued, glancing in the direction of the bags.

She gave him a small smile in response, thinner and a little less convincing than she'd have liked, but that was hardly surprising. "I know," she said, "but I didn't want to be a bother; they aren't that heavy." What was more, they were not exactly essential groceries.

Ana was not, in general, one to drink to forget or anything like that, but after the day she'd had, she didn't think a cocktail or two would be an inapt response. Honestly, as long as she didn't end up bawling like a baby she'd consider herself reasonably successful in coping—today was just one of those days when everything seemed like too much somehow.

"Do you want something to drink? I'm making myself one anyway." He didn't like to impose, she knew, and while she wanted to tell him that she doubted he was capable of imposing on her, it was easier just to point out that it wasn't much harder to make two drinks than one.

He didn't immediately respond. He was studying her face, it seemed before his shoulders slumped lightly and he sighed. “You know you're not a bother to me," he said in a quiet tone, moving so that he could grab two cups for the both of them, it seemed. “You look..." he paused, furrowing his brows slightly as he seemed to contemplate his next words.

“You look troubled," he finally stated as he set the cups down next to her. “If... something is bothering you," he began, keeping his gaze on her, “you can tell me."

He really was the sweetest person she'd ever met. Maybe that was why she felt like she had to try her hardest not to take advantage of that kindness. It would be all too easy to lean on him—he wouldn't even make her feel bad about it. But Ana couldn't do that, for a lot of reasons, not the least of which being that she was lying to him.

Or, well, perhaps just avoiding the truth.

She set about making their drinks, a relatively simple process because she didn't want to do anything too complicated this time, and right as she finished she heard the first rumble of thunder overhead. "Do you want to go outside and watch the rain?" she asked. There was a porch swing under the awning in the back. "I'll tell you either way, just..." She wasn't sure how to finish the sentence, so she handed him his glass instead.

Eryk nodded his head as a way of responding, and took the offered glass. He followed her outside towards the porch swing, taking a seat and glancing in her direction before turning it back towards the cup in his hand. “If you'd rather not talk about it, you don't have to," he stated, taking a drink from the glass.

Did she want to talk about it? Ana wasn't sure. On the one hand she didn't especially want to think about it, but... she found that she did sort of want to tell him. Not from any expectation that there was anything he could do, but just because she—

Taking a seat next to Eryk on the swing, she took a large swallow of her drink, feeling the sting on the way down. She'd made it kind of strong; probably a little too strong for her normal preferences. But that seemed to suit. "One of my relatives called today," she said. It hardly mattered which—they were all kind of the same past a certain point, except Auntie Miranda. "After this term is over, they're revoking my scholarship."

Ana could understand why. Or at least, she could justify it in her own head. Anything like that was, ultimately, wasted on her. Someone like Brenda might not be any smarter than she was, but she'd get much more use out of an education. And that was even before anything about her supposed 'lifestyle' came into it.

She took another few swallows. "Fuck them, anyway," she said, furrowing her brows and frowning. "I like you more than all of them put together, so they can take a hike."

Eryk sighed softly and reached over with his free hand to grab hers. He gave it a gentle squeeze and softly smiled at her. “You're right, you know," he began, lifting her hand to brush his lips against the back of it. “They do not deserve to have you in their family if they are going to keep treating you this way. If..." he paused.

“If you want to continue your studies, I would like to help you with them, if you'll let me. You don't have to, but... if it's important to you, then it's important to me." He kept his hand laced with hers as he took another drink.

“I suppose families like ours are just... shit."

Ana could feel her skin prickle when he kissed the back of her hand, heat spreading over her face. Between that and the drink, she was sure she was red as a beet, and swallowed thickly. The words only made it worse, really, and she bit her lip, torn between smiling and... she didn't know what, honestly.

The rain fell around them, striking the leaves of her plants with soft patters, but just now it felt like the rest of the world might as well not exist. She squeezed Eryk's hand when he lowered them, the smile finally winning out at the comment he made about their families. She leaned a little against his arm, settling her cheek there. He was very tall—even seated she couldn't reach his shoulder with it.

"I don't know what I want yet," she admitted softly. "I wish... I wish this could last. More than anything else." On her birthday, she'd wished for one more year. Ana didn't think she could be content with that, anymore. Now—now she wanted too much. For the first time in her life, she wanted something beyond the next year, and it was at once the best and the worst thing that had ever happened to her.

Eryk sighed softly, taking another drink and remained quiet for a moment. “I do as well," he finally stated. “I don't... I don't know if there's anything I've ever really wanted for myself, but now," he paused to expell a soft breath. “I want a future. Away from my family; away from the politics of arranged marriages; away from NTR. I just... this is the first place I've been to that makes me feel like I'm doing something right."

He huffed softly and shook his head. “I... there is something I want to tell you, but I do not know how." He seemed serious if the way he regarded her was anything to go by.

Ana finished her glass, setting it down on the wicker end table next to the swing, and squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment. Guilt was a familiar emotion, but she didn't think she'd ever felt it as strongly as she did now. Tell him, Ana. You owe him the truth. Even if it shattered this wonderful, comfortable thing they had.

Because even if she had no future to live for, he did, and she didn't want him to decide otherwise. Ever.

"I... I have something to tell you, too," she said softly. "A lot of things. And a lot of apologies to make."

He merely smiled at her, though, one of those soft ones that looked like he was apologizing a head of time. “As do I," he stated softly. “I have not been entirely forthright with you. There is something that I want to tell you. About myself and my family," he began, his hand giving another gentle squeeze to hers.

“But since it seems we both have things to say, things to seemingly apologize for..." he trailed off, making it obvious what he was trying to get at. He was letting her decide which one of them should say what they needed to, first.

She tilted her head up to meet his eyes. "Nothing you tell me will make me think less of you," she said, a quiet, firm conviction to the words. "Whoever you've been, whatever you've had to do—it doesn't matter to me, because I know who you are now." She shifted so his hand was in both of hers, and squeezed gently. "So you can tell me anything you want to, or feel like you need to, but... but please know that first."

“I do not deserve someone like you," he said in a quiet tone, so quiet that she might have not heard him if she wasn't sitting so close to him. Taking in a breath, his hand squeezed hers once more, but he lifted it so that both of their hands were resting on his legs.

“I am... technically engaged," he began, a light furrow in his brows. “My family is archaic; my mother tried to arrange a marriage between myself and another woman in my clan, so distant that we are not related," he stated as he pursed his lips together. “I didn't have a choice, but... she is not who I am engaged to."

“The one that I am... I did it to save her because she was trying to save me. It was the last free choice that I made. It was the reason I was never able to go on my own journey, to compete in the gym challenges like the others. I do not regret it, though, nor do I resent her for it. I... don't think I ever could. Our engagement is for convenience, if anything, and we both have accepted that, however," he paused to glance at Ana, his eyes taking on a more serious tone than they had before.

“It does not change how I feel about you. That I feel anything at all like I do is... not something I would have thought capable. I didn't know I still could, and she knows it, because..." he trailed off, glancing down at their hands. “Because it's Cyrilla."

Cyrilla?

Ana blinked; at first the news was simply so surprising she didn't know what to do with it, exactly. It hadn't escaped her that they were close, obviously, but never once had they struck her as a couple in any way. But of course, that was because they weren't, as he said. She understood enough about arranged marriages to understand how that might be the case.

Slowly, Ana shook her head. "That's nothing you need to apologize for," she said, the words easy to her tongue. "You were protecting each other. I think... I think it was the best thing you could have done, in that situation." It saved them both from arranged marriages with other people; even Ana was familiar with that particular terrifying specter. It had been discussed for her, before her diagnosis. "And I think you're a wonderful person, for doing it. For thinking about how you could help each other inside those constraints."

“It's... a little more complicated than that, I think," he stated softly and shook his head. “But it is something we still shouldn't have kept from you. You... deserved to know," he added as his hand relaxed around hers. “I want to leave them, too," he stated suddenly, his hand gripping hers again, perhaps a little tighter than he'd intended to because he winced.

“Sorry," he muttered softly, his hand relaxing.

It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but it didn't hurt. Ana shook her head. "It's okay," she murmured.

Her eyes fell away from his face to where their hands were joined and resting on his leg. "I... I'm dying," she whispered. "I have an autoimmune disease called Everett's. I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but... it's genetically-linked, and most people who have it don't live past twenty."

It was her turn to squeeze his hand, as if the warmth of it might drive away the chill of saying this out loud for the first time in... years, at least. "I... I've never really had friends before. I didn't know how to tell anyone, or when. Before I knew it, you all mattered so much to me and I just... I didn't want to think about it. I wanted to pretend we had as long as we wanted. And more than that, you—"

She swallowed, forcing her eyes up even though her chest felt tight. "No one's ever made me feel like you do. And I just wanted... I just wanted to keep this as long as I could." Her sickness tainted every relationship she'd ever had, the ticking clock in the back of everyone's mind. Her relatives would never say it directly, but she knew some of them thought it was pointless to educate a family member who'd be dead in a couple of years at maximum. Even her Auntie had to come to terms with the fact that she was going to outlive a child she'd mostly raised.

"But it's not fair to you. It's... it's not fair at all, and I'm so sorry." Tears pricked her eyes as her voice caught, barely a whisper past the lump in her throat.

Whatever words he might have said never made it out of his mouth. It was open like he wanted to say something, but the look in his eyes wasn't one that he'd ever had before. His eyes were slightly wide, as if he were shocked or surprised, but there was something behind them. Something that looked almost like despair, or hurt or pain. Without saying anything, he placed his arm around her, and pulled her towards him and wrapped his other arm around her. It was almost as if he were trying to encase her, and his head rested near her shoulder.

His own were shaking, and there was a faint moist feeling coming through her blouse. “I'm sorry," he stated so softly that it sounded like a whisper. “It's not fair at all. Not to you," he continued, hugging her tighter against him. “I'm sorry," he stated again, and fell silent, his shoulders still shaking.

She hugged him as tight as her limbs would allow, sinking into his hold with a feeling that was half-guilt, half-relief. Because for all that this hurt, for all that it would always hurt, his response had not been to push her away, but to pull her closer. It was the first time that had ever happened, and even as one hand moved up to card its fingers gently through his hair, she felt a warmth, a slow-blooming something in her heart that could not be crushed by the pain of confronting what her condition really meant, now that there were so many more things in the world she did not want to lose.

He wept for her. And somehow that knowledge loosed her tears from behind her eyes as well, and Ana sobbed softly, into the fabric of his shirt, where she'd turned her face partway into his neck. Her cheek pressed against the scars on his, but the rough feeling of them did nothing but remind her whose arms enfolded her, and there was nothing but sweet comfort in that.

She threw a leg over both of his so they could sit more comfortably, curling her fingers against his nape. She wished there was something she could say, something that could make it better, but Ana had learned the bitter truth that some things in life were just awful, and had no silver linings, and this was one of them.

And she trembled in his hold like he trembled in hers.

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#2020-06-13 06:31:33, as written by Nemeseia

April 27th
Cerulean - Afternoon - Warm
Eryk Nero

Eryk sighed softly, running a hand through his hair and careful not to jostle Nova on his shoulder. He needed to get his head on straight. He hadn't quite been the same after the news Ana had given him. How was he supposed to concentrate when all he could think about was her and her impending death? That she was still alive thus far was nothing short of what Ryk would consider a miracle if he believed in them.

But he didn't.

He didn't believe in miracles or things like that because they were hard to believe in. He let out a heavy sigh, running his hand through his hair again before dropping it to his side. He needed to focus on this mission. He needed to keep a more level head. When did that become so difficult? Wasn't he usually the one who was calm, who could take things as they came in stride? Why was he so anxious? He chanced a glance in Kas's direction.

“Have everything you need?" he asked, trying to focus on something else other than her. It was hard, though, but he needed to do this. Needed it to be right and finished so he could go home.

"Yup," Kas replied, opening the briefcase he was carrying. He removed a tiny earpiece and a wire. "If you'd be so kind as to keep these on, you can get in touch with me whenever you need something. It's a resort hotel, as you can see—" he gestured out the window of the van to where the large building sat near the waterfront, all pale stone and glass to let in the light. "So I imagine you'll mostly have the run of the place, but if you need to get into someone's room to dig through their stuff or something, that's why I'm here."

He grinned a bit, patting Eryk on the shoulder. "Now let's get this weekend over with so you can get home to your cute girlfriend, huh?"

Eryk gave Kas a flat look at his statement. “At least I have one," he murmured before rolling his eyes slightly. He wouldn't say it out loud, of course, but Eryk agreed with Kas's statement. The sooner he could get this over with, the sooner he could go back home. That's all that mattered to him at the moment.

For all he cared, this mission he was on could go to hell because it wasn't important to him. He pushed a heavy sigh through his nose. He shouldn't think of it that way. It was important. “Is there anywhere I should start, first?" he asked. He didn't know the layout of the building, and he didn't know what he was looking for, specifically. Information, yes, but Eryk hadn't been paying much attention to anything else, recently. His entire focus had been on her.

"Well we're not here for anything in particular yet, so just... follow the programming. It's a retreat, so they probably have a schedule and stuff for you at the front desk, or someone to check in with. Just... do what they recommend doing, and see if anything sticks out. Y'know, normal preliminary recon stuff. The wire will record what goes on around you, audio at least, so don't worry about remembering absolutely everything. Just go with the flow."

Kas grinned, like he knew it was easier said than done. "Have a little fun, if you can. I bet Nova wouldn't mind a few practice matches."

The umbreon on Eryk's shoulder seemed to smile. I do enjoy winning.

Kas snorted. "That's the spirit. Or close enough, anyway."

Eryk rolled his eyes at both Kas and Nova. “Fine," he replied, shrugging slightly to jostle Nova on his shoulder. “I'll do what I can, just don't blame me if you accidentally get lost," he directed the last part towards Nova, though he wouldn't really lose the umbreon. He wouldn't do that to Ana, after all. He took the earpiece Kas had given him, and fit it into his ear before frowning at the wire.

“Where should I put this if I don't want it to be discovered?" he asked. He didn't know why he was asking Kas, but he figured Kas might know something. He was the tech guy, surely they knew where to put things so they weren't in plain sight? He didn't think the resort would check him for wires, though. It would be strange and out of place, he thought, but he'd rather be on the safer side of things.

He didn't need to blow this mission.

Kas snorted softly. "Well you can hide the earpiece with your hair. If someone asks about it, just say it's bluetooth. As for the wire, under the top layer of your clothes. If you're only wearing one layer we can secure it with medical tape." He tilted his head to the side. "Have you really not worn a wire before?"

“No," Eryk replied. “Never really needed to," he added as he fixed the wire to his shirt. He was wearing his longcoat, the one they had given him for the tournaments, and the dress shirt underneath it had another sleeveless shirt underneath. Once it was fashioned, he gave Kas a quick nod, and exited the van, turning his attention briefly to Nova.

“Let's get this over and done with," he stated, making his way towards the building. He really didn't like over-the-top buildings like this one. It was partially the reason why he wanted to leave the Cloyster. They always made him feel uncomfortable. Out of place. The Koga compound had been a little more complex, retaining much of its appearance from two hundred years ago. As Eryk knew it, it had only been remodeled twice in that entire span, and only had maintenance on it if it was needed.

Pushing that thought from his mind, he made it to the service counter and pursed his lips together as he stared at the person behind it. “I'm here for Murk," he stated, perhaps a little too harshly. He didn't intend to sound irritable, but he kind of was.

The person, probably a few years younger than him and with a blond undercut and a small nose stud, looked taken aback for a moment, blinking before they regained their composure. “Sure." reaching under the table, they produced a folder with the logo of some company Eryk had never heard of. “This is your welcome packet; your room key is inside. Can I have your name, please? I need to check you off the list."

Eryk furrowed his brows slightly. Wasn't he the only one representing Murk? Shouldn't they have his name already? He sighed softly and nodded his head. “Eryk Nero," he stated, giving the young person his name. He stared at the folder for a moment before opening it. There wasn't anything interesting or of note. The brochure was a little too extravagant for Eryk's tastes. It was a picture of the ocean, painted in teals and sapphires, and the resort looked to be in the middle of it, even if it wasn't actually in the ocean.

Perhaps because it was located in Cerulean which was basically the water capitol of Kanto.

The list in question, however, seemed to literally just be a list of names; the clerk struck through his with a highlighter. “All right, you're good to go. Your room is 127, here on the first floor, on the other side of the pool deck. Several of our other guests for this event are there now, but nothing official begins until 7pm, when I believe the people running the retreat want you all gathered here in the lobby, so please feel free to relax and enjoy yourself until then." They smiled, a little skeptically, and stowed the list back under the counter.

Wanna go pick a fight? Nova asked.

Eryk snorted softly. You'd like that, wouldn't you? he moreso stated than asked. Nova was like that, he supposed, always eager for a fight. He was the complete opposite of Moira who loathed fighting. She'd never really wanted to, and had been a little frightened of battles at first. She eventually did, but now that she didn't have to, Eryk supposed she might have been a little happier for it.

Let's go pick a fight, then, he continued, rolling his eyes lightly as he made his way towards the pool deck. There were several people gathered already. Several people too many for Ryk's comfort, but he supposed he could weather it for now. You want first pick? he asked Nova, arching a brow as he did.

I think I do, the pokémon replied, a little smugly. Now let's see...

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#2020-06-14 04:18:06, as written by Aethyia

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."

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#2020-06-15 03:32:57, as written by Nemeseia

May 7th
Marna's - Evening - Light Rain
Eryk Nero

“Thanks, Marna," Eryk stated when she placed the plate of nachos down in front of him. She'd left the bottles of vodka and whiskey on the table per his request, and he poured his first shot of whiskey. He stared at it for a moment. Kasimir, Aidan, and himself were at Marna's mostly because Ryk asked if they wanted to go, and partly because Ana had the girls and Drake over for movies. While she'd told him he could stay, he didn't want to intrude on her time with her friends. He knew that time was precious to her, and that it would have meant a great deal more to her if he'd stayed, but... he felt that she needed that time with them, too.

It seemed a little surreal thinking about it, how she might not be here in a few months, or days or weeks. He'd tried not to let that bother him; to let it consume most of his thoughts, but he had failed. There were times he caught himself thinking that he'd wished she hadn't told him that, but he reminded himself that it must have been hard for her to tell him. To say that her time was limited with him. She had not told the others yet, and Eryk wasn't going to be the one to do it.

If she wanted them to know, she would tell them.

Still... he sighed softly, throwing back the first shot and glanced at the other two. Eryk wasn't Aidan; he couldn't exactly read people the same way the red-haired man could, but he could tell that there was something bothering the both of them, too. He just didn't know what it was. He figured if they wanted to talk about it, they would. They had all come to that understanding, having been friends for nearly a year, now.

"You planning to have any of this, boss?" Kas asked, pointing to a nearly-full bottle of tequila.

Aidan gave him a look that was mostly incredulous. "If I say no, are you planning to drink the whole thing yourself?"

Kas appeared to consider this for a moment. "Yeah, pretty much."

"I'm not taking you to the hospital."

Grabbing the bottle by the neck, Kas poured himself a shot, downed it, and immediately poured another. "You're a good guy, boss."

Aidan sighed and shot Ryk a look.

Eryk arched a brow at Aidan before turning his attention to Kas. Eryk wasn't planning on getting too drunk, even though he kind of wanted to. The way Kas was going, it seemed he wanted to get wasted as fast as possible.

“We have mostly all night, Kas. You don't have to drink it like it's water," Eryk murmured as he took another shot of his own drink. Hypocrisy at its best, he supposed, considering he was almost doing the same thing. He glanced in Aidan's direction, though.

“What are you drinking?"

Aidan shrugged. "Beer." He held up the ubiquitous brown glass bottle. It was hard to pick out exactly what was up with him, but it certainly didn't seem to be the same thing as Kasimir, who was now three shots in and finally deigning to at least mix his tequila with something in a glass.

"Rheinallt, what the fuck is eating you?" Aidan asked, eying his discontent expression with apparent concern.

Kas frowned outright. "Nothing I can talk about sober," he admitted, gesturing to the bottle. "Give me a bit and I might figure out how to say it."

Eryk blinked slowly.

“Must be pretty bad if you gotta be drunk, first," he stated, downing his third shot. Admittedly, Eryk was kind of curious as to what it could be. It wasn't often that things bothered Kas, but then again, Eryk just might not have been able to tell. That was Aidan's forte, not his. Eryk supposed he could almost sympathize with Kas, though. If asked, he wouldn't even be able to explain what was eating him.

It wasn't his place to say, and he wasn't going to.

“What about you?" he decided to ask Aidan. He and Kas weren't dealing with the same thing, apparently, but Eryk supposed these kinds of things could be talked about with friends. A twinge of guilt pulled at his chest as he took a slow drink of his fourth shot.

Aidan sighed. "It's dumb," he said, frowning down at his food. "You'd think I was fuckin' fourteen if I told you."

Kas managed a snort at that. "I can relate. Maybe more like eighteen in my case, though. Depending."

The frown on Aidan's face only deepened. "—withdoc." The words came out mostly as an incomprehensible mumble.

Kas blinked, picking up his glass. "Maybe I'm drunk already but I didn't catch a word of that." He took a large swallow, clearly not actually worried about his level of inebriation.

Aidan picked at the label of his bottle, leaned all the way back in his chair and blank-faced. "I have a thing for Doc," he repeated, this time about as quietly but a little more clearly.

"Well duh," Kas replied, brows knitting. "This isn't new, is it?"

"No, but that restructuring the boss is doing? It'll mean I'm not her direct supervisor anymore." The label gave with a tearing sound.

Eryk furrowed his brows in confusion. “I thought you two were already together," he stated, tilting his head somewhat. “Just... not as open about it because of the whole... company policy," he added. Eryk thought that they had moved in together because they wanted it as a cover for the fact that they were dating.

Company policy, however, didn't allow coworkers to date each other, which was understandable as to why they would want to keep it from everyone. He hadn't known they weren't dating.

“Sorry," though he wasn't entirely sure what he was apologizing for.

Kas snickered; Aidan made a complicated expression that mostly consisted of a grimace.

"We're not... no." He sighed.

"Well this means you could be yes, right?" Kas asked, slurring a little and lifting a brow to go with his lopsided smile.

"I don't know how good an idea that is," Aidan replied, clearly skeptical.

Eryk supposed he could understand. He'd been almost in the same boat not too long ago, however; it wasn't quite the same thing. Ana had started out as a mission. When that had changed for him, he didn't know, and that was a dangerous thing. He would be considered compromised if anyone found out about it, but for Aidan, he was just Solomon's supervisor. It wasn't like he could jeopardize much other than his career. Now that that was being fixed, he supposed there really wasn't much else to worry about.

“So what's holding you back?" Eryk stated, a little surprised at his own words. “What makes you think it's not a good idea?" he decided to clarify.

"It can't be her, surely?" Kas said, peering at Aidan with narrowed eyes. "A blind idiot could see she has it bad for you."

Aidan cleared his throat, then shook his head. "She thinks she does," he said, taking a long draw from the beer. "But... I dunno. The shine'll wear off, you know? I'm not all I'm cracked up to be; definitely not good enough for a woman like that."

Kas looked at him flatly. "In full acknowledgment of my hypocrisy here: that's bullshit, boss. You're a stand-up guy, and the hype and fame and shit is totally justified."

Eryk huffed slightly. Now that he could understand, not being good enough for a woman like that. There were times when he thought he wasn't good enough for Ana, but... well, she made it easier each day to see that maybe he was.

“What Kas said," Eryk stated as he took another drink of his shot. He was still on his fourth one, drinking it a little slower even if it was meant to be downed in one go. “If you hadn't told me otherwise, I would have thought the two of you were together. It's clear she likes you well-enough to want to live with you. She's the one who asked you, wasn't she?"

The answer to that was obvious enough. They all knew it.

“I don't think she thinks she likes you. You're her fucking idol for arceus' sake," Eryk felt his lip quirk up a bit. “She has your figurine, after all. If she didn't have it, as Kas put it, bad for you, she wouldn't collect your shit, nor would she want to live with you and play video games. And don't say it's just admiration because any idiot can see it's a little more than that. I see it and I'm about as emotionally stunted as the rest of you." This time, Eryk downed the rest of his drink.

But Aidan's grimace didn't let up. "See, that's part of the problem. The uh, idol thing." He shifted a bit uncomfortably in his seat. "I'm not... that guy, you know? It was a long time ago and I'm definitely not the same person I was back then. If that's the part of me she likes, then... there's nothing there but smoke."

"Give her some credit, man," Kas said with a frown. "If that was all she liked about you, you'd both know it by now. The figurine thing is hilarious, but we all know it's not the important part. It's not like your relationship is built on that."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just..." he snorted. "I dunno when I got pathetic, but I'm scared. I'd given up on this shit, you know? Figured it'd never happen."

Eryk nodded his head in understanding.

“But you'll never know unless you try," he decided to say, shrugging his shoulders lightly. “I didn't have the whole idol problem with Ana, but I understand about the never happening part. Didn't think it'd happen, either," because honestly, he'd always thought he'd fulfill his end of the bargain with his family and marry Cy. As much as he didn't want to, as they didn't want to, he knew that it would have been an eventual thing. Now... now he wasn't so sure.

It was for convenience for the both of them, but if he let her go... she would be free to live her new life. He, however, would likely have to marry someone else. His mother would have to go through the whole ordeal of rearranging another match, but it's not like it would be difficult. His mother already had some she wanted him to marry. Pushing that thought away, he turned to Kas.

“Drunk enough to explain your problem?" he asked, arching a brow. He hadn't seen Kas with anyone, lately which led him to surmise Kas's problem was something else entirely.

Kas groaned softly. "Not yet," he admitted. "So your turn. Trouble in paradise or what?"

Eryk snorted softly. “Not exactly, no," he stated in a simple tone. While it was true that there wasn't any trouble, there was the matter of troubling news. “More like stress from socializing with people for so long," he decided to say. It was true, after all. The retreat had taken a lot out of him, which was a little strange. He would have thought he'd be used to it by now.

His group of friends were eight people strong. He could have handled that a lot better, but... well, it was all said and done already.

Aidan gave him a measuring look, but didn't push. He'd probably noticed that wasn't all there was to it, but he was pretty good about knowing when to let something drop.

Kas, on the other hand, frowned at him for a long moment before shrugging. "Fair enough, I guess. As for me—" he took a shot this time, expelling a long breath once he'd swallowed. "I'm just a colossal idiot, nothing to see here."

“That's nothing new," Eryk retorted, rolling his eyes a bit. “Aidan shared his troubles, I've shared mine," even if it was only briefly, “now it's your turn, ass." Normally, Eryk wouldn't have pushed. He wasn't the type to push people into telling him things that bothered them, but these weren't just any people. These were his friends, and as loath as he was to admit it, he cared about them.

And maybe the alcohol in his system made him care just a little more than he had a right to.

"No," Kas said, heaving a sigh. "It's definitely new this time." He frowned about as deeply as Eryk had ever seen him do. "Don't kill me, okay? I uh..." he cleared his throat and took another drink, speaking as the glass returned to the wooden tabletop with a thunk. "I slept with Cy."

It took a minute for the words to register for Eryk. The actual meaning behind them hadn't caught up with him, but once they did, Eryk just shook his head. “And?" he questioned. It wasn't lost on him that Cy and Kas were close, but the fact that they slept together wasn't something new to Eryk. That's just who they were, though frankly he was a bit surprised. After she returned from Fuchsia, she hadn't really been with anyone, or at least she hadn't told him.

“How is it exactly new if that's just the kind of people she and yourself are?" Eryk decided to ask.

"Good to know neither of you is remotely surprised," Kas drawled, rolling his eyes. "For your information if it was just us doing what we 'usually' do, we wouldn't have waited this long to do it." He seemed almost sour about this, scowling over at the both of them.

Aidan snorted. "I thought it was ongoing? You've come to work smelling the same more than a few times."

Kas blinked. "Oh, that." He cleared his throat again, this time almost sheepishly. "We weren't actually—well, we were sleeping together, but only in the most literal sense."

This time, Aidan's eyes widened slightly in comprehension. "Ah. Now I understand why this is a big deal."

Eryk furrowed his brows a little as he sighed softly. He downed another shot, whiskey this time, and glanced towards Kas. “Alright," he began, suddenly feeling a little strange. He felt a little guilty for phrasing it the way he did. If he'd known that, he wouldn't have said what he did so casually. It was clear that it bothered Kas, but Eryk wasn't entirely sure how it bothered him. Was it because they felt like Eryk did with Ana? Did they care about each other that way, thus making it awkward?

He didn't know.

It made sense why they were acting a little distant with each other as of late, though. “Is that why the two of you are doing this weird little... what's it called, tiptoeing lately?" Eryk asked as he arched a brow at Kas. “Because if it is, the both of you are fucking stupid," he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“It's not like I care what the two of you do but if it's genuine, then..." maybe he could use it as an excuse to absolve the engagement? If that was what she wanted, he would do it in a heartbeat because it meant that, for the first time in a while, she was happy. He was happy with Ana, and the more he thought about it... well, the more he just wanted to spend whatever time she had left, together.

“What's holding you back?" With Aidan, he could almost understand. With Kas, not so much.

Kas made a complicated expression. "It's... hard to explain," he said after a while. "Part of it is just—I've never really done the relationship thing, you know? Well—I did it once, and it went terribly. I dunno, man. I give a shit and that means I don't want to lose what we've got." He held up a hand.

"And don't give me any of this 'but you might get something more isn't that worth it?' bullshit. I'm only halfway sure I even believe relationships can be anything other than friends with benefits with weird possessiveness mixed in, and I'm not about that."

Aidan hummed. "Can't blame you," he said at last. "I think that's what most of them come down to, plus some weird infatuation thing that fades. But not all of them." He shot a look at Eryk, then shrugged.

Eryk huffed slightly but held up both of his hands. “Wasn't going to say that," he admitted, running one of his hands through his hair. “I think that's the whole point of relationships, though," he began, glancing at both Aidan and Kas. “Sure, it might start out as infatuation, but even as it starts to fade, I think it just turns into something more akin to mutual respect for each other. Fuck if I know what love really is, but..." he paused, furrowing his brows.

Ana had a way of making him believe that maybe he was capable of it, and knowing it. “Well that's the whole point. Even if they end terribly, it just means you've learned something new about yourself and what you really want, I guess. Plus, I don't think you give yourselves enough credit. So what if all it comes down to is that your relationship is being friends with benefits? So what if the infatuation fades? You're just getting a new experience every time it fails until maybe... maybe you find something that actually works."

He downed the last of his whiskey and rolled his eyes at himself. “Besides I'm not the only one with a functional relationship. Drake and Mel have had theirs going on what, four months?"

Kas sighed again, shaking his head. It seemed something there had failed to translate, but he wore a small smile anyway. "You're terrible at this, Ryk. But thanks for trying. Really."

Aidan chuckled, and the mood seemed to lift, just a little.

Ryk snorted softly and nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah, well, I'm trying for the first friends I've ever had."

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Kanto Region

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#2023-01-18 01:20:57, as written by Aethyia

July 23rd
Ana's House - Evening - Muggy
Anastasia Asher

Ana breathed out a long breath as she shut the food bin. That should be everything set for the volunteers to take care of the place for a few days. They'd all planned the camping trip to encompass Kas's birthday and a few days after that, but in order to make it happen, she'd needed to get an extra week's worth of work done in advance, so all the volunteers would need to do was feed the pokémon and keep their environments clean, besides the normal things they did with letting them out to move around and play.

She'd written meticulous instructions for their medications, too, but just in case she was actually taking a couple of those with her that needed more complicated things like injections, so she could administer those herself on the trip. It was exhausting work, trying to get ahead like this, but she still doubted she was half as tired as Eryk.

Speaking of which... where had he gotten off to?

Almost as if her thoughts had summoned him, Eryk rounded the corner, holding Stella in one hand and a pack in his other. His shoulders had been slumped as if he'd lost something, however; from the pleased look on Stella's face, it was clear that he'd lost an argument of sorts with the stunky. Eryk glanced in Ana's direction, though, and offered a half-smile.

“Stella doesn't want to be left behind so she's tagging along," he muttered, setting the bag down to his side, and placing Stella on his shoulder. “Is everything ready?" he asked, arching a tired brow at Ana.

A little smile tucked Ana's lips upwards, and she reached up to pat the little pokémon. Her fur was pleasantly soft, these days, and though she was still a bit skinny and in need of medicine about daily, she was really doing much better overall. Certainly, she was fit enough to travel. "I actually think that's a really good idea," she admitted, lowering her hand.

Her brow creased with concern, putting a little line above her nose. "But... no more work for you today, okay? Come sit in the kitchen and let me make you something to eat." While perhaps in most other circumstances she'd have phrased it as a question, she was both comfortable enough with Eryk and worried enough about him that she elected not to give him the implied choice in the matter, and she turned around to move towards the back door inside.

She'd get some good food in him, then put him to bed, and hopefully he could get a decent night's rest for once.

Eryk pursed his lips together in what Ana recognized as a pout, but he did not protest when she mentioned food. He followed her towards the door, cradling Stella back into his arms as she slid from his shoulder. Once they were in the kitchen, Eryk placed Stella on the floor, causing her to grunt in protest but she flopped where she was. Luckily, it was by the chair, and she wouldn't be in Ana's way.

“Do you want me to help you?" Eryk called out, arching a brow in the process. “I... can do something simple if you want me to," he continued, probably recalling belatedly that she had just told him no more work for the day.

Ana turned back over her shoulder to throw him a slightly-grumpy look of her own. "I've got it, promise," she said, her tone pleasant in spite of the attempt she was making to look stern. It had never really been the kind of expression that worked on her face, anyway, never mind alongside the rest of her demeanor. She could be awkward sometimes, for sure, and a bit odd, but most of the time she didn't get anywhere near cranky.

Moving efficiently about the kitchen, she got her pans down and the like, chopping up some vegetables and protein for a mild form of curry. Letting the meat brown in the pan for a bit, she turned back towards him, leaning against the island on both forearms and catching his eyes with her own. "Has Marah left the island yet?" she asked, knowing well the cause of much of his restlessness.

He frowned in response, knitting his brows together as he stared at his hands folded in front of him. “Yes," he finally responded after a moment. His shoulders seemed to tense for a second before they slumped in what seemed to be relief. He blinked slowly before lifting his gaze to meet hers.

“Not without a fight, though," he added, the knit in his brows returning. “Claimed she would have the marriage nullified or some bullshit like that. I wasn't paying too much attention. Just..." he paused to draw in a soft breath, “be a bit more vigilant? I do not doubt that she will concoct some plan or another to get back at us, in her words." He shook his head and rolled his eyes tiredly.

“Marah doesn't know how to give up when she wants something badly enough. Shares that with Katia, I suppose." He merely shrugged his shoulders.

Ana certainly remembered how unpleasant Katia had been, mostly for the others, of course. She could see the similarities, obvious as they were. It was hard for her to understand the idea that a relative—not even an especially close one, as in the Marah-Cyrilla case—would try to exercise that much control over someone's life. Her own relatives were controlling in some ways, but they were that way from a distance, concerned for the family's reputation and only for her own actions insofar as those might have an effect on it.

"I'll be careful," she promised. Even if she didn't understand it, it was clear to her that his worry was real, and she'd never take that anything less than seriously.

Adding the first few vegetables to the pan, she stirred them around enough to get them cooking, then turned back again. "What would you like to drink?"

He pursed his lips in a thoughtful manner as his brows furrowed slightly. “Hm, do we have any lemonade left?" he asked, his brows furrowing slightly. “No," he breathed out, “it won't taste right with the food."

“I'll take grapefruit juice if we still have any," he stated softly.

Nodding, she retrieved it, carefully sliding a glass across the island to him. The curry was cooking quickly, fortunately, and she spiced it and added the cream sauce within the next few minutes, cooking some rice to go with and setting down a large bowl of the result in front of him. The rest, she put into a smaller one with the intention of eating herself, and hopped up with only minimal difficulty onto the stool next to him.

"Anything in particular you want to do on the camping trip?" she asked, scooping her first bite and softly blowing on it to cool the food. "It's been a while since I camped; and even then it was only Luna, Nova, and I, so I guess I don't really know what people do on trips with friends."

Eryk huffed lightly before taking a drink of his grapefruit juice. “That would make two of us," he replied, setting the cup down. “The only camping experience I have isn't quite the same as you would do with friends, so I've been told," he continued, rolling his eyes a bit as if to himself.

“Missions usually require reconnaissance of some sorts, and sometimes that means camping out," he pursed his lips together before furrowing his brows. “But... if there was something you wanted to do," he trailed off for just a moment, “I wouldn't mind experiencing this new thing together."

Ana smiled at him. "I'm sure our friends will be more than happy to inform us of exactly what we've been missing," she noted. He huffed slightly and shook his head.

Spooning some of the curry along with the rice into her mouth, she knocked him lightly in the arm with her elbow as she chewed, looking at his own plate in a slightly-pointed manner. He did need to eat—and then he could sleep.

“More like tease us about it," he muttered before taking a bite of his food. “You know how much they like to do that," he added, the corner of his lip flickering upwards for a moment in amusement before he returned his attention to his food.

She hummed an agreement, and the two of them worked the rest of the way through their food in companionable silence, at which point Ana picked up the dishes and quickly washed them, leaving them in the drying rack before approaching Eryk's seat and offering her hand.

"Okay," she said. "It's time to sleep now. Don't make me make you." There was a little edge of playfulness to the words.

“Is that right?" he stated, arching a tired brow in her direction. His lip quirked in mild amusement as he took her offered hand, however; he pulled it closer to him and placed a gentle kiss across her knuckles. “As much as I'd like to see you try," he began, huffing lightly and standing from his chair, “it wouldn't take much in my current state."

“I'll only sleep more comfortably if you lay beside me, though," he added, smiling softly at her.

Ana was probably blushing to the roots of her hair, but... well, that was okay. She didn't mind the feeling so much, even if there was a dizziness to it that would otherwise make her worry she was on the cusp of an episode. This was by far the nicer way to feel unmoored and unsteady, especially when his hand was right there to steady her.

"I... that could be arranged," she said, clearing her throat sheepishly. "Just—because sleep is important, and all that."

He huffed softly, his way of showing he was amused by something. "Comfortable sleep is more important, wouldn't you agree?" he stated, lacing his fingers with hers and pulling back slightly. "We have a long weekend ahead of us, and I doubt we will be able to enjoy anything if we're tired," he continued as if to clarify his reasoning.

"Well... yes. I suppose not." She smiled, following when he pulled. She certainly hadn't planned to go to bed with him, but... it was hard to think of it as a bad idea.

In fact, it might be a very, very good one.

Sometimes, she really did think she was in trouble.

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Eryk Nero

0 · 2,301 views · located in Kanto Region

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

Description

So begins...

Eryk Nero's Story

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