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POSTED ON Jan 29, 2019 1:59:28 GMT

[attr="class","freypost"]before her promotion, her primary assignments had kept her on the ground, as per her request. she'd always considered her talents more effective in the field, but she could only do so much on her own. so fieldwork moved to administrative work, which gave her the credentials she needed to seize the job that could shoulder the weight of her potential.

except, it's been almost two months now since her new status and she's only ever corresponded with her council peers through emails and minute-long phone calls. they've all had a lot on their shoulders, what with the blow that came from the slateport invasion, and the commissioner's disappearance certainly hasn't helped.

she shakes her head, scattering the thoughts that chase themselves in circles around her head. moxie, lounging across her shoulders, flexes her body and attempts to work out some of the tenseness in freya's frame. she blinks gratefully, raises a hand to lovingly dapple the snake's head with her fingertips.

her hair streams behind her, bright in the glaring winter sunlight. lyune circles, a monstrous form in the sky, and descends unto the earth. his knees bend, strong legs absorbing the shock of his heavy landing. freya moves with his own motions, slides like liquid off of his neck and kisses him affectionately on the cheek before returning him to his ball.

moxie's yellow eyes take in everything around her, tongue flicking fervently as she tastes for any sign of danger. "relax," frey says, speaking both to the snake and to herself.

she pulls out her phone and checks his email one more time. while she considers herself a traveler, she's devoted more of her attentions to the local flora and fauna that lie on the outskirts of hoenn's more populated cities. on paper, she can rattle facts and give you directions, but she finds herself overwhelmed in the present, watching as lilycove's busy workday makes itself apparent around her.

a couple of slow breaths later and she's walking, each step more confident than the last. when she comes upon the address provided, she's regained control of her anxieties. moxie still stays on alert, tail coiled against her chest.

"i have an appointment with councilman silph," she says in greeting to an attendant.

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POSTED ON Jan 30, 2019 3:41:30 GMT

freya morningstar likes this

"your name?"

the attendant is none other then @perry . a girl barely old enough to elicit a job of her own yet here she is working under one of hoenn's most powerful figures. the signs, while subtle, are all around them; the league is in dire straits. they're starving for resources, namely capable individuals.

that's why fernando has called upon her. while their tasks and objectives are different, divvied up to play to their strengths, he doesn't dare stick to something so singular. his eyes are on the prize and that requires assessing the situation at large. if he's to use freya to the fullest of her potential then he'll have to study her, to understand her, to know her.

it takes a moment for perenelle to recognize that she's addressing none other then freya morningstar. "o-oh!" she's caught stammering, stuttering in a wild embarrassment, caught in a fit of anxiety when she realizes the status of the person she's addressing. "miss morningstar! mr. silph is in the outside courtyard!" she points to the door on her left which will lead freya deeper into league hq.

"h-he's expecting you!" she chirps before freya leave her earshot, catching herself from forgetting the inconsequential piece of information.

league headquarters is no different in structure than the one in slateport. past the doors is a long hall way that feeds into a main lobby that allows occupants to enter a variety of rooms or ascend onto the second floor from a multitude of stairs. even further is the sight of a courtyard, glances of the outdoors peering from the arches that make up the main lobby.

the courtyard is no longer for decoration. the vegetation is trimmed, proper, and most importantly out of the way. several trainer are engaged in battle, each one surrounded by several of their pokemon as they participate in what seems to be a battle royal. odd enough, there's a dozen of pokemon that are participating, taking up the mantle of antagonists against the trainers, yet left without a trainer in sight. some attack in unison, others operate on their own.

with his back turned toward freya, fernando observes the scene, scribbling down on a small notepad held between his fingers.

freya morningstar

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POSTED ON Jan 30, 2019 21:34:09 GMT

[attr="class","freypost"]i wonder why she's so nervous.

there's a chance it's just the woman's personality, but she's witnessed the behaviors of those in poor working conditions. and as soon as she thinks of the possibility, she frowns, chiding herself for assuming the worst. this man is trusted by the league, is one of their council members. and she's yet to even meet him.

it must be her anxieties unearthing themselves. she stops when the attendant says something else to her; she lingers there awkwardly, mouth half open, unsure of how to respond because she isn't even sure what had been said, and then she just decides to nod, politely give a thank you, and walk through the directed door.

she'd spent most of her time reporting at the league headquarters in slateport, but she realizes quickly that the layout here is not much different. so she moves quickly down the hall, scouting for an exit to the courtyard.

it eases her a bit, to know that their meeting won't be held in some stuffy conference room. not when there's work to be done. and that relief turns to something...different when she steps out onto the courtyard greens.

a dozen pokemon fight among one another and at first freya is alarmed, but given her background, she recognizes the training spars almost immediately. moxie, having sensed her brief moment of panic, ripples slightly and forks her tongue out in annoyance. freya idly lifts a hand to calm her, gaze traveling from the fighting to the only other trainer around them.

she steadies herself, finds her roots, and strides forward, coming to a halt beside fernando. she keeps her eyes on the pokemon when she speaks. "an interesting way to train them. do you ever call commands?"

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POSTED ON Jan 31, 2019 2:08:09 GMT

her presence is not unnoticed. he never catches her hesitation, too engrossed in the flurry of moves and bodies in front of him, but can't miss the looming figure that enters his peripheral vision. like herself, fernando never turns to greet her. the only change in behavior is that he shuts the notebook, hiding its contents from prying eyes.

"only on the field and only when necessary. the more wild ones - the fresh ones, require direct commands due to their unfamiliarity with interacting with a trainer. we try to ween them off quickly and use their natural instincts to develop autonomy."

in a turn of events, the pair of electabuzz and electivire conjoin their efforts to DISCHARGE a burst of electric energy catching multiple pokemon out in the blast. what's notable is how fernando's own pokemon are caught in the crossfire and no one reacts. the resentment behind the pokemon can be gleamed from their actions but they do not turn on each other. not when there's still other opponents on the field.

one of the trainers is starting to get beaten back, giving up ground as the pokemon advance on what they deem to be a weak point.

rhydon's DRILL RUN bulldozes through their formation, splitting them off and his pair of fighting types are quick to pick off the stranded pokemon. a combination of BLAZE KICK and HIGH JUMP KICK shatter bones and punish the pokemon for being caught alone. the act may seem barbaric but this is the reality they faced in slateport.

fernando turns away, looking further down the courtyard.

"it's about time we've met, miss morningstar."

freya morningstar

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POSTED ON Jan 31, 2019 2:26:41 GMT

[attr="class","freypost"]they launch into easy conversation, as freya had expected, and it gives her time to watch the ensuing battle with more detail. she is, at first, enraptured by it--the ruthlessness of it all isn't something unseen, but it's strange to bear witness to it in such a controlled environment. moxie's discomfort is what makes her look at the going-ons more critically.

the snake coils when the electric-types release a well-timed discharge, threatening to take down some of their teammates in the process. she knows the body language of dragons and so certain pokemon's actions are foreign to her, but this--the shuddering, muscles tensing, labored breathing--is universal. they are in pain. and not just normal trainer battle pain.

she flinches when she hears bones crunch, feels a sickness in her stomach as moxie squirms. her fingers twitch, habit telling her to stroke the snake to calm her, but she resists, taking mental notes of the situation that she can assess at a later time, when she's not being watched by the very man she wishes to study.

"our meeting has been postponed long enough," she agrees. "i've been doing what i can on the ground, making sure the people know the league is still on their side." she trails off, collecting her thoughts. "but i moved into this position for a reason. i need to be doing more. we need to be doing more."

passion eats her professionalism and she purses her lips before she rambles on. this isn't a game. if the enemy isn't going to fight fair, then we can't afford to either. she holds her tongue, cracks her neck in an attempt to get moxie to loosen her hold a bit. the snake relaxes and noses her way under freya's jacket collar.

FERNANDO SILPH

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POSTED ON Jan 31, 2019 2:45:12 GMT

fernando can hear the grunt from the other trainer. he can feel her frustration. but he cannot and will not empathize with a loser. the fact that the pokemon isn't immediately called back causes him to break off from their conversation. the timing is perfect, coinciding with freya's last comment.

"recall your pokemon! don't be stubborn. that is an order, cadet!"

with a dejected reluctance, the pokemon is given space by his own, allowed to writhe in pain before being rescued back to its pokeball. once the pokemon is successfully returned, his features return to apathy, breaking back to the direction he was facing.

"tch."

he starts his stroll, slow, purposeful, waiting for freya to follow.

"while i don't disagree, i must admit i'm curious as to what you think we should be doing."

freya morningstar

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POSTED ON Jan 31, 2019 2:59:24 GMT

[attr="class","freypost"]she wonders, as fernando deals with the situation with a calm that informs her this happens on the daily, if this is all a show. there are always ulterior motives, regardless of political alliances. no, she's here right now for a reason. she's not only here to witness this; she's here to be studied, watched as she watches.

her mother and father preened her for this. she was always meant to do something great. and now, in the thick of it, matched with sharp-tongued skills and an ambition like fire, she feels invigorated. she feels powerful.

so perhaps it's rash of her to speak her mind. "we are standing at the maw of a blood hungry dragon with words as our weapons, slow-burn court trials as our justice. a creature like this can't be slain by words alone.

"we're at a disadvantage. it can burn down towns and kill all it likes because it is not restrained. if you want to beat something like that, you can't do it with peaceful negotiations. you have to beat it at its own game, not explain to it the rules of your own." she goes silent.

"i was on the other side of hoenn when the invasion happened. you weren't though, were you? you were there." she finally looks at him, pale blue eyes burning. there is the unspoken question there, a look of desperate validation. is what i'm saying true?

FERNANDO SILPH

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POSTED ON Jan 31, 2019 3:18:43 GMT

kim cole-essam likes this

fernando pauses. the silence is deliberate. it exudes a wisdom that knows when to listen, when to absorb, and more importantly when to respond. underneath the appearance, fernando ponders, taking the moment to gather what the hell she's saying behind the thinly veiled analogy.

the stroll continues and fernando allows the statement to simmer. when it ripens, he answers her call with a statement that will make kim cole-essam cringe.

"i never thought i'd see the day i'd have to defend their viewpoints." the reference toward gilbert valeria and kim cole-essam may go unnoticed. he's not certain whether they've met as well. he doesn't really care.

"but what about the masses? we have to move according to their opinion. we have to make them feel safe." his sarcasm is enunciated to a tip. it sickens him to know those words came out of his mouth even if they're mocking.

freya morningstar

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POSTED ON Jan 31, 2019 3:37:47 GMT

[attr="class","freypost"]the masses. this is the only reason she considers herself underqualified. there is no abstract. there is no scheming or theorizing. there are only hard truths and cold facts and wars are won with steel and blood. every day that they sit by and do nothing means more innocents are corrupted, more lives are lost, and more blood stains hoenn's shores.

"they'll feel safe if they are safe. and right now they're not safe. pacifists and preachers have their place, especially now." she is not hedging towards suggesting an all-out war. she is not suggesting anarchy, fighting tooth and nail over territory like a pack of hungry dogs. she is suggesting a certain level of ruthlessness, a certain operation unshackled by the law, a group of elite forces that can do something.

"slateport was a low blow. the commissioner is gods knows where. the people's trust in us is waning. i know--i've seen it. that's why i'm here."

everything happens for a reason. this is why she had waited. this is why she'd wandered, why she'd felt a stubborn ache in her heart that told her not yet. there's more to see out there. she has seen tension and terror and the evils it can bring in even the hardiest souls.

"i thought i needed your counsel," she continues, "and i think, truthfully, i still do. but i'm here to offer a proposal.

"can we suspend the league's moral code? just for a moment. tell me, councilman silph, if you were in charge, what would you do?"

FERNANDO SILPH

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POSTED ON Jan 31, 2019 3:55:23 GMT

for the first time, inside the league compound, he smiles. her commitment to the cause is enough to stop him in his tracks and face her. his eyes meet hers, unwavering, unapologetic, steely against her own. he soaks her in. beautiful. absolutely beautiful-- not because of her physical appearance. no, hearing that statement, the echoed sentiments that he holds justly, validates his hopes and crushes all doubts.

this is infatuation.

"unfortunately, answering that question would be giving you false hope."

he turns away from her, resuming their stroll.

"the council is made up of several individuals. the others do not share my opinion and while i respectfully disagree, i can understand their misguided viewpoints. the problem is that high ranking individuals concur."

the click of his heels against the tile flooring, the sound of oxfords, rings with a distinctive rhythm.

"if i were in charge there would be no more rocket. not in hoenn, not in kanto."

the scenery changes with distance. the sound of battle fades and is replaced with the constant onomatopoeia of a ball being launched. in another section of the courtyard, the very one they're passing by, a pitching machine is mercilessly pelting a variety of pokemon with balls. several humans overlook the scenery as the pokemon attempt to weave and dodge. some of his own -- most of his own make up their ranks.

freya morningstar

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POSTED ON Jan 31, 2019 4:10:59 GMT

[attr="class","freypost"]her own conviction surprises her. she was raised a morningstar, a daughter of the sun, a servant to the people by daylight's rays. her family is a symbol of honesty, of an unwavering moral code.

it is for the first time in years that she feels her own estrangement, that she remembers that she was born to a weak mother in a shoddy apartment in a small town with nothing to her name and nothing in her future. she has seen frailty and she has witnessed cruelty, and she had seen it all by ten years old.

champion, scientist, council--they're all words. she grinds her teeth (a bad habit that surfaces when she's in a certain mood).

she holds his gaze steadily. there is a hunger there, she realizes--a hunger that lives in the both of them. they understand this now. she does not think herself a god, and she does not think herself better than her peers, but she does think herself right.

she stops beside him, watching pokemon tumble and twist, dirt in their fur and welts on their skin. she still has her doubts about fernando's methods, but she holds her tongue.

a couple of grunts pass by them. she watches them go, heads bowed when they realize she'd been staring. there are ears all around us.

"have you ever ventured to the morningstar estate?" surely, if the councilman hadn't walked the grounds himself, he would know what she was referring to. the morningstar's claim to fame is its dragon taming history, and the pokemon it supplies to the league's cause. several acres of sparring fields, obstacle courses, and breeding grounds, all nestled into the cave network that rings sootopolis city. home.

the two grunts look curiously back at them and then slip around the corner. she straightens. "i'm not suggesting a coup. i've not yet made my opinions known to the others." she pauses, and adds, "and i'd like to keep it that way.

"i'm suggesting finding like-minded individuals and starting small. we clear out one of slateport's districts, establish dominance. the longer we allow them to linger without repercussion, the more power and control they gain. fear is a terrible weapon."

she stops, touches the circlet adorning her neck. "what else are we to do?"

FERNANDO SILPH

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POSTED ON Jan 31, 2019 4:19:43 GMT

Stormy Silph likes this

"is that an invitation?"

fernando ignores the grunts and only acknowledges them with a slight nod. his eyes turn back to the pokemon and chuckles at her remark. "a coup? strong words for someone only recently elevated. quite bold of you, miss morningstar." he's teasing at best but the mere mention of the word is a taboo that shows at least some sense of trust on her part.

"unfortunately, i believe our thoughts differ on the matter." he pauses, considering how much he should reveal. "i have my own private operation in slateport under works. unfortunately, it was delayed due to some external interference." he doesn't mention stormy silph by name. "but, ultimately, i do not believe in band aids miss morningstar. the deeper the wound the more concerned the patient. eventually, they will buckle and only then will we be able to administer a cure."

he frowns.

"i am willing to wait."

freya morningstar

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POSTED ON Jan 31, 2019 4:36:57 GMT

[attr="class","freypost"]tact! the back of her neck grows hot at fernando's tease, though his warning settles like a premonition in her bones. she is not power hungry. she has no interest in leading. she only believes in doing what's right and it can't possibly be ignoring the slateport invasion and pandering to the tender minds of the masses.

if emma were here, she'd remind her to calm her flames. and the sudden thought of her childhood partner hits her sideways. she stiffens, nearly misses some of fernando's crucial remarks, and has to take a moment to let what he'd said sink in.

he stokes the embers without realizing it and her struggle is clearly visible on her face. freya morningstar is nothing if not calm and collected, but given the situation (i.e, one she's passionate about, heart and soul bent on it) and she can barely hold herself together.

it's moxie that calms her down. the snake lazily stretches around her neck, head reemerging on frey's opposite shoulder, closest to fernando. she flicks a tongue out, getting a taste of the man's smell, and then nestles back against her trainer, watching fernando with unblinking eyes.

frey pinches the bridge of her nose, waiting until all frustration leaves her voice before she says, "i would rather cut off the hand that wields the knife than wait until i'm bled dry."

a sceptile takes a blow to the nose. blood sprays and yet it doesn't stop moving. balls move in a blur around it and freya continues to watch it as it leaps and stumbles its way through the fray.

"i ask only because i'm curious of what you'd think. i'm responsible for a large sum of the operations carried out there now. or, i was, before my promotion." she tilts her head. "we have very different methods." she's still looking at the pokemon as she speaks, but it's clear her words hold more weight.

FERNANDO SILPH

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silph

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POSTED ON Jan 31, 2019 4:51:19 GMT

oh. she breaks. that was surprisingly easy. fernando makes no outright reaction when he notices freya's inner turmoil and waits for it to settle. the serpent is unnerving but that too does little to faze him. he allows the ekans to entrance his smell and return, bringing sanity back to his trainer's nerves.

"and that leaves another hand to try again."

the blow to the sceptile is loud enough to warrant his attention. he observes, noting the pokemon's persistence, before calling out. "sceptile, return. good show." the pokemon breaks away from the projectile's trajectory and finally nurses the wound, rubbing its snout. "gardevoir will tend to your wounds," he reminds the pokemon before it scampers off on all fours.

"my methods are unorthodox to most but statistically and proven to be more effective then anything else i've come across. feel free to correct me." he continues their walk. "i welcome change."

his steps continue but he lets a silence settle before breaking it.

"i think it unfortunate for you but i will stay my hand out of consideration for the others. the faster you can change their mind the sooner i will personally see an end to this war."

freya morningstar

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