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tonight the winds of change are blowing wild and free

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POSTED ON Feb 19, 2019 22:18:49 GMT

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THAT LOVE IS LIKE A GHOST. OH, AND THE MOONLIGHT BABY SHOWS YOU WHAT'S REAL. THERE AIN'T A LANGUAGE FOR THE THINGS THAT I FEEL, AND IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU, THAN NO ONE EVER WILL. I DON'T FEEL IT TILL IT HURTS. YES, I KNOW THAT LOVE IS LIKE A GHOST.

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It was supposed to be a team building exercise–members of the league gathered on a weekend, using one of the community kitchens as they tarnished the clean counters with their messy confections. Chocolate dripped onto the granite tables, solidifying like a shell over an ice cream cone. Powdered sugar was just as disastrous, clutching to the clothes of anyone that dared to tamper with it.[break][break]

The sink was overflowing with metal bowls and whisks; the running water only making the chocolate cold and harder to scrub away.[break][break]

Bailey Cooper had been invited to participate, but the officer spent more time scrolling through her phone than interacting with the others. Fellow officers tended to their confections, making treats for the superiors that Bailey never bothered to aquatint herself with. On occasion, they would glance in her direction or try to speak with her–pity seemed to emanate from their voices, regardless of what was said.[break][break]

It made her bristle, falling deeper into the rotten mood that continued to haunt her. Swallowing it down was bitter–almost made the sight of the chocolates look tempting to try. It was the same urge as someone wanting to eat away their sorrows. Bailey Cooper had been tempted, envisioning herself in sweatpants on a couch eating strawberry ice cream straight from the pint... preferably with a shovel.[break][break]

Chubs the Spheal poked out from her jacket, occasionally looking up to his trainer as a child would look to their mother. Concern was clear in his eyes, but Bailey was unable to see it... her hand stroking the round dome of his body, even when his flippers flailed, trying to escape the confines of her jacket. “What's up?” But it was a question she asked him without looking at him–eyes glued to the bright white of her screen, seeking it as a distraction. “You want to be set down?”[break][break]

He released a loud cry, a waaaah of protest that could have melted the heart of even the coldest of men.[break][break]

Her phone rang. It vibrated in her hand. When she saw the name of the contact, a torn expression seemed to pull at her face–only for a moment. “Don't want you hearing this,” and the Officer picked herself up from her seat, scanning the sea of league participants.[break][break]

She saw white. “Perse. Can you watch him? I got a call to take. Thanks,” and Bailey set the rotund pokemon onto the table as she accepted the call, walking out of the kitchens without another word, without waiting to see what would have been said–it had been the first time she had spoken to someone today.

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persephone amavi ; [mission page]

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perse

she / her

twenty-four

november 23

sootopolis

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lorekeeper / elite four

elite four

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my own blood pains me, the salt as much as the vein

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POSTED ON Feb 20, 2019 18:10:17 GMT

Bailey Cooper likes this

she can never handle grief; not her own, not other's. persephone is aware of it, the heaviness almost physically palpable, but doesn't know how to offer comfort without it being oppressive.

she does the only thing she can, really — she works alongside bailey in silence, neatly completing row after row of chocolate treats, as perfectly rounded as chubs himself.

bailey leaves him in her charge, and persephone can't help but break into a radiant smile. "hey chubs, how are you? you want to help?"

yes, evidently he does. chubs makes a purposeful beeline from the spot bailey placed him to persephone's bench, only very narrowly skirting some trays of chocolate truffles. he stops next to an empty bowl, shuffles cautiously over and seems to attempt to peer in — only to dip too far in.

chubs falls in head-first. he gives a squeal, flails his flippers, but remains helplessly stuck.

persephone has to suppress a guilty smile because it is nothing if not both adorable and amusing in that kind of pitiable way. she reaches forward to gentle fish the pokemon out of the bowl and places him upright.

"how about you show me what you need and i'll do it for you," she suggests, arcing a brow. "deal?"

here's the critical thing: spheal are not designed to hold whisks, and this one seems determined to do so regardless of whatever deal persephone attempts to strike.

she watches for a long moment, wide-eyed with awe, as the tiny pokemon struggles to, first, clasp the whisk in his little flipper-like hand, and then tries to maneuver it into a bowl filled with warm chocolate. he even manages to swirl it around — once.

honestly, she hadn't even expected to see him get this far.

persephone reaches to take the whisk from him, but he makes a small high-pitched noise in protests that turns heads from nearby benches, forcing her to snatch her hand back quickly.

"okay... just don't get your fur dirty, alright?

Bailey Cooper

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POSTED ON Feb 23, 2019 21:55:11 GMT

persephone amavi likes this

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He would get his fur dirty. It would be inevitable.[break][break]

Chubs was eager to get back to his stirring, even if he struggled to achieve an ounce of progress. With each slow stir, sometimes chocolate would slosh up the rim of the wobbly bowl, drenching the bottom of his flippers. “Waa, waa!” He sounded like he was proud of his progress, holding up the chocolate drenched whisk as if to say: look, I did it![break][break]

And then, he would get back to his stirring, imitating the progress of everyone else. Some were already selecting their molds, ready to have their chocolate set into soft, heart-shaped chunks of sweetness.[break][break]

The Spheal would notice the trays, glancing between the molds and the door where Bailey's silhouette could be seen—still talking on the phone, her back leaned to the door. It would take her a while to come back. He seemed to know that as he pointed a flipper to one of the molds. The hearts.[break][break]

“Waaa?” It sounded like a question. It sounded like he was being polite. It was amazing what a small, round pokemon could convey with such simple sounds. Would she like it? Would hearts be a good shape?

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perse

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twenty-four

november 23

sootopolis

good q

lorekeeper / elite four

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185 height

my own blood pains me, the salt as much as the vein

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POSTED ON Feb 25, 2019 20:05:04 GMT

he spilled it. he spilled it again. persephone watches the chocolate spray and splatter inelegantly from the sides of the bowl. there's chocolate flecking his fur.

she blinks rapidly and thanks every pokemon god and every pokemon spirit that his short fur is designed to deal with wet and cold conditions. in other words, all it takes is a damp cloth to restore him to peak physical condition.

chubs asks for the heart molds and it takes persephone a moment to respond because she is in awe and the tiny pokemon's sheer, raw talent. who knew chubs was a natural in the kitchen. she could just see him on television screens, wearing a tiny little chef's hat—

he's waiting for an answer, inquisitive little eyes peering up at her. she feels a crushing guilt at keeping him waiting in the pit of her stomach.

"the heart molds? absolutely," persephone says, stretching over to gently place one in front of the spheal. she places another in front of her own bowl, intending to imitate chubs' process in case his doesn't work — she wants to be able to present bailey with at least something in the end, one way or another.

oh, what the hell, she'll give him all the other molds as well; roses, luvdiscs, some nondescript geometrical figures. for chubs? she'll make them all.

Bailey Cooper

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rascal

the volatile

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August 15th

lavaridge

straight

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tonight the winds of change are blowing wild and free

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POSTED ON Feb 25, 2019 21:11:13 GMT

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He dribbled the chocolate into the molds.[break][break]

Chubs inevitably spilled more chocolate than he poured, leaving each mold a sloppy, wet mess... but it was the thought that counted as he did his best to let the chocolate flow from the whisk into the tiny, cut out shapes. The heart was malformed. The luvdisc had too many bumps. The star was unrecognizable. The sight of the mess did not faze the Spheal. He was like a child making their first piece of artwork. It was sloppy. It was a mess.[break][break]

But he was damn proud of it.[break][break]

“Waa!” and his chocolate flippers slapped against one another in joy as he waited for the candies to harden... and he turned his attention to Persephone, watching with wide eyes as she filled her molds with a level of precision that he was unable to imitate.

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perse

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twenty-four

november 23

sootopolis

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lorekeeper / elite four

elite four

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my own blood pains me, the salt as much as the vein

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POSTED ON Feb 26, 2019 6:31:54 GMT

it is adorable, persephone keeps a careful eye on chubs as he gets to work filling the molds and causing a complete mess on the bench. at one point, she tries to subtly replace his chocolate bowl with another one because, in truth, a good portion of the chocolate had been spilled.

hearing the clap of his flippers, persephone turns to chubs, her eyes bright with awe, to marvel at his handiwork. "wow! you did this all by yourself? have you secretly been practicing cooking or something?"

she gives him an affectionate pat on the head.

Bailey Cooper

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rascal

the volatile

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August 15th

lavaridge

straight

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tonight the winds of change are blowing wild and free

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TAG WITH @bailey

POSTED ON Feb 26, 2019 7:43:21 GMT

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Her words of encouragement fill his tiny heart with joy—despite being an ice pokemon, Chubs had nothing but warmth to share with the pale haired scientist. His cries of delight make the other League officers clutch at their chests, pained by his affection. His blubber was as soft as a marshmallow beneath her hand.[break][break]

The chocolates harden. As they cool, the small pokemon would attempt to push them out from their molds. Somehow, his flippers do not struggle with this task as each candy is retrieved. Some shapes are messier than others, but as Chubs struggled to arrange them next to Persephone's, the mismatch between neat chocolates and messy chocolates somehow looked... appealing?[break][break]

The door opened and shut. Bailey Cooper returned to the kitchen, setting her phone on a nearby counter.[break][break]

Chubs would immediately glance in Persephone's direction—it was showtime. His chocolate drenched fur almost made the Sergeant glance right over his head.

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persephone amavi

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played by

lyre

perse

she / her

twenty-four

november 23

sootopolis

good q

lorekeeper / elite four

elite four

185 height

my own blood pains me, the salt as much as the vein

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TAG WITH @perse

POSTED ON Feb 26, 2019 17:41:20 GMT

persephone isn't prone to stage-fright or any associated anxieties. being under the microscope has become second nature to her, and yet seeing bailey return back to the room and anticipating her evaluation of their handiwork filled her with a momentary trepidation.

"they're beautiful, i'm sure she'll love them," persephone murmurs to reassure him, raising her hand in front of him to give him a little quick high-five. he slaps her hand back with a flipper, and it's the most accomplished she's felt all weekend.

as bailey reaches them, persephone carefully places the tray in front of chubs, followed by a small almost self-conscious flourish of her hand.

"hey! chubs mostly made these by himself. he's crazy talented."

in spite of herself, persephone holds her breath as she stares at their creations.

Bailey Cooper

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rascal

the volatile

she/her

August 15th

lavaridge

straight

champion

groudon avatar

372 height

tonight the winds of change are blowing wild and free

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850 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @bailey

POSTED ON Feb 28, 2019 18:55:29 GMT

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The “crazy talented” Spheal would glance up at Bailey Cooper with a stare that she was familiar with—eyes that were pleading for her to feel better, pleading that maybe this gift would be enough to coax a smile to her face.[break][break]

It had not been a good phone call. The Sergeant tried to not let that reflect on her features as she looked from Chubs to the neat tray of chocolates that were laid before her—she could tell which ones were Persephone's and which ones were his. It was why she picked one of the messy, deformed hearts from the pile and popped it into her mouth, chewing into the hardened confection.[break][break]

She was not the only one that had been impacted. Her pokemon were dealing with this as well. As hard as Bailey tried to reassure them, she knew that they were keen to her every move. It was impossible to hide anything from them. Sweetness greeted her palate—milk chocolate, her favorite.[break][break]

It was good. It was hard to ruin chocolate, even if the presentation was a little sloppy... but coming from Chubs, she knew that it was the neatest chocolate candy that a Spheal could ever hope to create.[break][break]

“It's perfect,” and she smiled, scooping up the chocolate-drenched pokemon from the table. “I can tell you put a lot of love into it,” and she licked her thumb before pressing it to his fur, trying to smear away the chocolate that had latched to one of his pudgy cheeks.[break][break]

He was crying—small sniffles and watery eyes that he tried to play off, but the Sergeant knew better. “I'm okay, little guy,” and she kissed the top of his head, holding him close as she mouthed thank you to Persephone.[break][break]

This wouldn't be easy for them, but the sight of the messy confections spread before her seemed to say that everything would be just fine. Just had to give it time. “Oh, come on. Cut the waterworks. You can't be sad if you have a bite of one of these,” and she fetched one of Persephone's perfect spheres to hand to her sniffling pokemon.[break][break]

“Looks just like you—not as sweet, though,” and Bailey sniffled, hastily clearing her throat to regain her composure.

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played by

lyre

perse

she / her

twenty-four

november 23

sootopolis

good q

lorekeeper / elite four

elite four

185 height

my own blood pains me, the salt as much as the vein

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651 posts

DOLLARS

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TAG WITH @perse