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Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

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POSTED ON Oct 17, 2022 14:38:58 GMT

skyler dross likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]Everything had become so Much lately. Even thinking about it left Isaac's head pounding. Even with Harmony pruning at his subconscious, the scars of the past and enormity of the future hit his dreams in a vicious two pronged strike. And what would forgetting it do for him, anyway? What happened still happened. What would happen still would happen.[break][break]

There were people in his life. People who cared about him. In some ways, that helped. In other ways, that just haunted him more. Their care meant they'd worry. If anything bad happened to him, they'd be hurt. Because of him. He'd be hurting them. And with the path Isaac walked, there was no chance in hell he could avoid such a fate.[break][break]

War was coming. He would hurt. He would be hurt. And he was screaming for something, anything to make it all worth it.[break][break]

No. The people he liked were good people. They couldn't help him with this. They were just like him, prisoners of their own device. In some ways, Rocket was the only thing they could count on. In other ways, Rocket was the worst thing to ever happen to them. If they thought they could skirt on the periphery as a bunch of charming rogues, Walsh's dreams of iron fisted conquest squashed that hope flat. However Rocket sold themselves to them, now it demanded the buy-in. Now it demanded commitment.[break][break]

Maybe the good people he'd come to adore would be able to justify it, whisper false comforts in Isaac's ears, assure him that everything was okay. Maybe they'd be in the same boat he was; mounting horror at what was coming eclipsed only by their hatred of what laid behind them. Or maybe, worst of all, he'd find them gleefully sinking into the corruption.[break][break]

Isaac didn't need good people right now. He needed an unabashed monster.[break][break]

Zev had been different since the news Isaac had reported to him. There was a new edge to him, which was impressive considering the man was already a mass of rough edges tucked beneath the veneer of an upstanding citizen. But one of those rough edges pushed against the surface just hard enough to leave marks. It was new, and novelty was not something Isaac expected from Zev. It almost made him reconsider his decision.[break][break]

It didn't matter. A little change didn't stop Zev from being the devil he knew. Standing at the gates of hell, Isaac gave the door to Zev's apartment a quiet knock.

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Zev Harcourt

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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gunsmile

The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

hitman

rocket beast

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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part of

TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Oct 17, 2022 15:02:12 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","zevpost"]

[attr="class","zevposttext"]

[attr="class","zevpostpkmn"]

Lycanroc (Luna)

Isaac was right. Whatever doubts, concerns, and fears plagued him, Zev did not share it.[break][break]

Instead, the hitman was deep in preparations for war. On that day, the inside of his apartment was not the pristine magazine cover Isaac would recognize. Zev had drawn the curtains of his windows, preventing prying eyes from peering into his work. Behind the blinds, the balcony door was wide open, allowing plenty of fresh air to flow into the residence. In the absence of natural sunlight, all the main lights were on.[break][break]

At the large coffee table situated between the couch and the TV, Zev was cleaning his guns. Twin pistols lay disassembled on protective cloth, their empty magazines placed carefully at the edge of the table. Various cleaning tools scattered between the pieces. The strong scent of gun oil filled the air, the reason for sufficient air circulation.[break][break]

A map of Littleroot, heavily marked with key weak points and defensible locations, spread out on the couch to Zev's left. Luna, his Lycanroc, curled up against his right, her head tucked against his thigh. At the knock on the door, however, she lifted her head, her ears perking up.[break][break]

"Who is it?" Zev asked, his voice devoid of curiosity or interest.[break][break]

Luna sniffed and caught a familiar scent through the door. Her tail started wagging with furious excitement. She bounded off the couch and barked at Zev, demanding that he open it.[break][break]

With a heavy sigh, Zev put down the rag he was holding, peeled off a pair of latex gloves, and walked over to peer into the peephole. Isaac. Not who he was expecting based on Luna's reaction, but she did like the blonde man well enough.[break][break]

Zev opened the door. "What is it?" he demanded, though his tone carried neither annoyance nor anger.

[break]

[attr="class","zevpostooc"]

BY GUNSMILE

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

awards

4,317 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Oct 17, 2022 16:05:45 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]Isaac smiled down at the excitable Lycanroc, leaning to the door to give her a pet the way Matt Vice had shown him before. Find the right angle, and don't go against the grain of a Lycanrock's rocklike fur, and you didn't even risk any punctures! It was a very normal sight. Just a man and his dog, standing in the doorframe to great an old friend.[break][break]

Then the smell of gun oil hit Isaac's nose. Right. None of this was normal. None of this was ever going to be normal. And he had no reason to complain, because that was the whole reason why he went to Zev in the first place. Because Zev was not normal. He wasn't normal. No amount of their pretending would ever change that fact.[break][break]

And yet the ways in which they weren't normal couldn't be more different from one another. Funny, that.[break][break]

Zev's question was a simple one. No feelings. No questions. Only purpose. This was exactly why Isaac had come to him. Other Rockets might make him examine himself. They might make him tap into all of those pesky thoughts and worries and concerns. All that stuff he's trying his damndest to run away from. But Zev? Zev didn't give two shits about him, and right now that was all Isaac wanted.[break][break]

"Guess this is really happening, huh?" he said. Isaac knew Zev wouldn't mind this. A chance to shed his skin and let the beast within reign was exactly what he was looking forward to. He could shed the pretense, stop hiding, and indulge in his one true passion with reckless abandon.[break][break]

No, that wasn't what Isaac scanned Zev's features for. Instead, it was surprise. Did Rocket's increasingly violent, ambitious, and arguably reckless moves catch him off guard? Or was this all something he expected? So many people at the Rocket summit seemed caught off guard by what had happened. But Zev wasn't most people.[break][break]

"How are we doing this?"

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Zev Harcourt

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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played by

gunsmile

The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

hitman

rocket beast

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

awards

2,669 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Oct 17, 2022 16:18:02 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","zevpost"]

[attr="class","zevposttext"]

[attr="class","zevpostpkmn"]

Lycanroc (Luna)

The way Isaac's bright smile for Luna fell away as stone cold reality reminded him of itself did not phase or concern Zev. He simply waited for the other man's reply. Which, of course, came out as a vague reference to the three missions declan walsh had assigned Team Rocket.[break][break]

The meteor. Mt. Pyre. Littleroot.[break][break]

Zev leaned past Isaac to look down both ends of the hallway, making sure there were no pesky neighbors loitering within it. Then he ushered Isaac inside, closing and locking the door behind him.[break][break]

"It's happening," Zev confirmed, returning to the couch to resume his work. Luna stayed at Isaac's side, her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth as she panted happily at him.[break][break]

If he wished to sit, the armchair was empty.[break][break]

Zev pulled the latex gloves back on. "We're gathering as much intel as we can to do the best job that we can, as usual," he continued matter-of-factly, his fingers gripping a small part of one handgun with delicate care as he applied oil to lubricate it.

[break]

[attr="class","zevpostooc"]

BY GUNSMILE

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

awards

4,317 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Oct 17, 2022 17:36:17 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]Nothing written on Zev's face. However, his room had gone from normal bachelor pad to the war room in a manner of moments. The decision was as much news to Zev as it was to anyone else, but it was an eventuality he wasn't unprepared for. A change, but not surprising. Interesting.[break][break]

Rather than sit, Isaac opted to stand. If there was intel to be gathered, then there was intel to be read. He made his way over to the war map, looking down to try and see what defensible locations and weak spots were present in the town. There was a lot of information jotted down. Perhaps more than a podunk town like Littleroot deserved.[break][break]

The more smoothly the invasion went, the less lives would have to be caught up in the struggle. If the battle got drawn out and protracted, things could start getting messy. This wasn't the meteor, a quick jaunt into space where their only foe would be the environment. This wasn't Mt. Pyre, a job like any other with a target, a goal, and an exit strategy. This was conquest. This was the town suffering until only one side was left standing.[break][break]

It was really no surprise Zev was going there.[break][break]

"What did you find so far?" Isaac asked, trying to make sense of the man's notation. "And are we going to be going in with the main group? Or is this going to be all Zev-style?" Something about lining up in a ranked battlefield seemed anathema to Zev's usual tactics. He was a lone wolf. An independent op. A scalpel.[break][break]

For all he sought control and obedience, even he was a tool. And every tool had its function.

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Zev Harcourt

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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played by

gunsmile

The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

hitman

rocket beast

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

awards

2,669 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Oct 17, 2022 18:02:07 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","zevpost"]

[attr="class","zevposttext"]

[attr="class","zevpostpkmn"]

Lycanroc (Luna)

Zev did not glance over even as Isaac picked up his annotated map, the gun holding his attention more strongly than whatever the blonde could do in his presence. Luna made her way back to her master's side, flopping down on the couch beside him, as lazy as any Lycanroc could be. The scent of gun oil and the sight of the weapons in pieces did not seem to bother her, as evidenced by the way her tail continued to wag, albeit more leisurely.[break][break]

"Well, Littleroot is surrounded on all sides by dense woodland. That will actually make an approach easier because of all the cover," Zev explained patiently, the military officer in him resurfacing once more. "A stealthy approach under the cover of darkness would help us position our forces for an attack when the town least expects it. Dawn would be best, or predawn."[break][break]

Zev reassembled the first pistol with all the fluid, practiced movement of a man who had done it a thousand times before. He pulled back the slide to make sure it moved smoothly on its rails, then released it. It snapped back into place with a loud clack.[break][break]

"A takeover is best conducted with everyone acting in unison. That's how Rocket took over Kanto in just a few, brutal days. But if I see Caleb, I'm going after him. The chaos of battle will be the perfect opportunity to rescue him."[break][break]

Zev set the gun aside and turned to consider Isaac at last before speaking his next words.[break][break]

"You should go to Mt. Pyre."

[break]

[attr="class","zevpostooc"]

BY GUNSMILE

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

awards

4,317 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Oct 17, 2022 19:10:23 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]That made sense. Littleroot's forest surroundings were basically their only natural defense. While they didn't offer a ton in the way of protection, they were perfect for attacking out of the shadows. And for a town as small and unassuming as Littleroot, the League likely wouldn't be running many patrols through the woods. As dubious as Isaac was about their chances of actually holding the city, invading it in the first place should be a breeze.[break][break]

Really, there didn't seem to be many hidden surprises. Only sensible pieces of advice. Attack from cover, strike in the darkness, hit your foe where they least expect it. It was simple. It was reliable. And it was how Rocket apparently took another region over in just a few days.[break][break]

Okay. Now that was surprising. "A few days? How the heck did that happen?" Isaac asked, shock in his voice. An unspoken question dwelled underneath the first; if that was how Rocket won Kanto, why were they handling Hoenn how they did now? Wouldn't it be better to wait in the safety of Sootopolis until they could strike like that again?[break][break]

That wasn't the only surprise Zev had for Isaac, though. Apparently, they'd be going to different halves of the warfront. Isaac had kinda taken for granted that, time and time again, Zev would pressgang him into going where he pleased. He'd already resigned himself to the fact that he'd be dragged along to the Littleroot front, and have to watch the most unassuming town in Hoenn be put under siege until the atrocities put some hair on his chest. Instead, Zev suggested he take a different direction.[break][break]

Isaac blinked a few times, trying to process it all. "Are you sure?" he asked. Frankly, the Mt. Pyre mission was far more Isaac's style anyway. But he didn't expect to even be given the chance. "I mean, if that's the case, you can bet your ass I'll be giving it my all. But . . . what if you need backup?"[break][break]

Was he broaching the topic of obedience couched within a safe question? Or was he genuinely concerned? With how his brow knit at the mention of Caleb, it seemed to be a little of each.

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Zev Harcourt

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

close tab

played by

gunsmile

The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

hitman

rocket beast

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

awards

2,669 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Oct 17, 2022 19:39:38 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","zevpost"]

[attr="class","zevposttext"]

[attr="class","zevpostpkmn"]

Lycanroc (Luna)

Isaac's curiosity about Kanto brought the memories of those fateful days to the fore of Zev's mind. He himself had not been present on the frontline but had helped with the elimination of certain targets leading up to the takeover. Then, in the long months that followed, much of his contract work had involved the assassination of rebel leaders.[break][break]

"In a very different way than what we're doing in Hoenn," the hitman eventually replied. "When you conquer a whole region, you need the manpower to hit multiple locations at once without doubting the chance of your success. And in Kanto, one of those was the seat of the government. If you want to cut the head off a beast, you go for the throat."[break][break]

Zev peeled off his gloves once more and stood, jostling Luna with the movement.[break][break]

"And as much as it's good to have ambition — really? Ever Grande City?"[break][break]

For the first time during the conversation, the black-haired man graced his younger associate with a non-neutral expression. His brow furrowed and lips flattened into a line, a display of open skepticism.[break][break]

Without waiting for a response, Zev walked into his kitchen, his Lycanroc following at his heels. After washing his hands and grabbing two bottles of beer from the fridge, he returned to the living room and handed one of them to Isaac.[break][break]

The confusion and concern on the blonde man's face was amusing, even a little endearing. The little Ducklett did not want to stray far from his master.[break][break]

"Don't worry about me," Zev reassured him, his mouth twisting into a humorless grin. "Your skills are more suited for the operation at Mt. Pyre. You will excel there, while you may be more of a liability than an asset at Littleroot."[break][break]

There was little doubt in Zev's mind that Isaac's team was strong enough to participate in the conquest of the small town. No, it was Isaac himself and his bleeding heart that might get in the way.

[break]

[attr="class","zevpostooc"]

BY GUNSMILE

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

awards

4,317 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Oct 17, 2022 21:00:14 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]Shit. Isaac was kind of hoping that Eris' outburst meant everyone would forget about that.[break][break]

"Is it really more of a gamble than risking a battle for some mystery energy? Because some alien with a vested interest in getting his hands on it told us we should do it?" Isaac asked. "The way I see it, anything we do's going to piss off the League and ramp up efforts against us. Once we strike, we can't hide behind Sootopolis being more trouble than it's worth anymore. They'll be coming for us, and they've got a lot more to hit us with than we do. At least if we owned the oceans, we'd be closer to Ever Grande than they are, you know? It's a long shot, I know, but . . . I . . ."[break][break]

"I'm scared that there's no coming back from this." Zev had to have some perspective he was missing here, right? "That we're doing too much, too soon. Stepping into an all-out war outmanned, outgunned, and outmuscled. What do we do from there?"[break][break]

ana fell would hold him tight and assure him that everything was okay. But if anyone had actual, practical answers, it'd be Zev.[break][break]

A backhanded compliment continued this string of showing weakness. Part of Isaac wanted to push against the accusation, just as he at least tried to defend the Ever Grande plan. At the same time, Zev was right. Isaac wasn't a conqueror. Isaac wasn't the type to crush his enemies and see them driven before him. The greatest cruelties Isaac had wrought onto others were accidents and dumb luck.[break][break]

"You're right. I should play to my strengths," Isaac said as he took the offered beer. He at least had enough pride to not call himself a liability. "Slip in. Raise hell. Get out and leave the mess behind. It's served me well this far, and I'm not about to stop a good thing while it's working."[break][break]

Was he natural Rocket material? Maybe not. But every tool had its function.

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Zev Harcourt

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

close tab

played by

gunsmile

The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

hitman

rocket beast

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

awards

2,669 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Oct 17, 2022 23:31:19 GMT

SPIRAL likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","zevpost"]

[attr="class","zevposttext"]

[attr="class","zevpostpkmn"]

Lycanroc (Luna)

While Isaac rambled, his fears spilling out with increasing rapidity, Zev picked out a bag of Pokémon treats from a shelf. His Lycanroc's entire demeanor perked up another notch, her ears swiveling toward her master and her tail wagging hard. Isaac finished his outburst, his final question hanging in the air between the two men, while Zev knelt in front of Luna with a treat in the palm of his hand.[break][break]

"Just one," he murmured to her as she gobbled up the treat. His hand now free, he reached out and petted the wolf's scruff. Yet his expression was pensive, unreadable.[break][break]

The silence stretched on until, just as it seemed like he was ignoring Isaac, Zev looked up at the other man. Kneeling, the six-foot-three assassin was, for once, at a lower height. But the steel in his eyes and the sharpness in his face did not allow such a thing to diminish him at all.[break][break]

"There's already no coming back. We're criminals, Isaac."[break][break]

Luna dared to interrupt by licking Zev's face, but he only ruffled her fur again before slowly rising to his full height. In that apartment that smelled of oil and gunpowder, he towered.[break][break]

"Piss off the League? They're already mad. Hide in Sootopolis? We're already fighting the League, killing their people, and stealing their resources across Hoenn. How do you think I earn my keep? How do you think you earn yours?"[break][break]

A tense, pointed pause.[break][break]

"Wake up, Isaac. Team Rocket is already at war."

[break]

[attr="class","zevpostooc"]

BY GUNSMILE

close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

awards

4,317 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Oct 18, 2022 0:29:11 GMT

SPIRAL likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]There was no dancing around it. Zev was right. Since the moment he joined Rocket, he was a criminal. He wasn't just any criminal. He was a marked man, a member of an organization that had taken over an entire region. And while he didn't have the stomach for Rocket's dirtier work, everything he did directly funded it. There didn't have to be an active war for there to be blood on Isaac's hands.[break][break]

And yet, there was an active war, wasn't there? Sootopolis didn't come out of the ocean under Rocket control. No, Rocket had already dealt the first blow. Granted, it was the smartest blow they could have dealt. Sootopolis was a ridiculous difficult nut to crack. Had it been any other city, Isaac was fairly certain they'd have already been overrun. But just because Sootopolis was hard, it didn't mean the League would ignore it forever. And even if they didn't, Rocket had already conquered one region. How could any League ignore them entirely?[break][break]

Rocket's days had been numbered since before Isaac even got here.[break][break]

"I know we are," Isaac said. "Rocket's very existence is war to them. But wars have stages. They get hot. They get cold. They have terms and accords. And they have priorities, especially when the League's got a whole lot more than us on their plate. The Megalopians. Sea Hoenn. The meteor. And, if it's true the Primal Points swap stuff around, whatever the hell ends up taking the meteor's place. If we kept to the shadows, building our strength while disasters chipped at them for us . . ."[break][break]

He sighed. Maybe Rocket was being too reckless. Or maybe their luck was running out, and the League's reckoning was at hand one way or another. "I get it. One way or another, this was happening. Just . . ." He sighed. He closed his eyes. And when they opened again, they were sharpened with newfound focus. "If the League's going to put us through hell, we'll need all of our strength. We'd better not be wasting it on a failed test of strength."

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Zev Harcourt

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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gunsmile

The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

hitman

rocket beast

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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POSTED ON Oct 18, 2022 0:51:04 GMT

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[attr="class","zevpost"]

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[attr="class","zevpostpkmn"]

Lycanroc (Luna)

Another ramble. Zev walked past Isaac to resume his seat on the couch, setting down his bottle of beer in a space recently vacated by the mechanisms of a gun. Once more, he put his gloves back on to continue cleaning.[break][break]

"We won't fail if we're smart," Zev replied when Isaac had finished. The tone in the younger man's voice had changed, bearing chords of acceptance alongside the nervousness and fear. "That means intel. That means the right tool for the job. That means keeping a clear head when things go south."[break][break]

Were Isaac's fears warranted? Yes, of course. The entire plan was downright insane. Mine a meteor? Zev would have preferred that Rocket's head scientists come up with an alternate plan for survival, but then again, he had never understood the organization's greed and lust for expansion. Zev lived a simple life and had simple wants in comparison.[break][break]

But he had voiced his opinion already, back in that plaza in Sootopolis. And he needed Rocket to get Caleb back, just like he needed Isaac to keep cool so that he could survive whatever happened next.[break][break]

Tools were tools, but some were more difficult to replace than others.[break][break]

"And besides, Littleroot and Mt. Pyre are only distractions. Even if we can't conquer Littleroot, as long as we buy enough time for the meteoroid team, we'll succeed. We don't need to kill ourselves over the town."

[break]

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BY GUNSMILE

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Wanderer

The Liberator

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April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

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POSTED ON Oct 18, 2022 2:36:29 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]The message couched in Zev's words was clear. If things went wrong, Isaac needed to keep a clear head. Frankly, Isaac would rather just not do something that would go horribly wrong in the first place. For all people said Littleroot would be easy to take, not a soul had explained how they'd hold it. But, far too late for that, huh?[break][break]

Isaac couldn't do shit to change any of this. He could make it easier for himself, or make it harder for himself. Simple as.[break][break]

Letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, Isaac's expression softened. "Yeah. You're right," Isaac said. It all still sounded crazy. Wasting their first steps on the mainland in what was ultimately a distraction. Sabotaging what Walsh insisted was the only viable plan. Mining a fucking meteor, while on it, and then somehow getting off before the League kicked it into another direction. "Face forward. Eyes on the prize. We'll get through this, one way or another."[break][break]

It was funny. Zev didn't give Isaac faith in some big twist in the plan that would make everything fall into place. Hell, Isaac wasn't even sure if Zev had faith in the plan. Nothing he said refuted his doubts. They only dodged around them. But unlike Isaac, Zev was smart enough to know when to accept his lot in life.[break][break]

Maybe it helped when he knew there was something in it for him. "Where do you think he'll be?" Isaac asked. "Caleb. Something tells me you've been doing intel on him, too." Zev didn't seem the type to leave loose ends so liberally. Especially not ones so important to him.[break][break]

Sometimes, Isaac wondered how much intel Zev had on him. Sometimes he wondered how much he even had to sleuth out. After all, he'd already given so much, so freely.

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Zev Harcourt

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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played by

gunsmile

The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

hitman

rocket beast

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Oct 18, 2022 10:24:22 GMT

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Lycanroc (Luna)

Zev paused at Isaac's question, the bottle of gun oil poised above a mechanism held delicately in his other hand. Isaac was right, of course. Ever since their revelation in early September, Zev had done as much digging as possible to form a picture of Caleb's situation.[break][break]

This is what he knew: That Caleb was enlisted as a Ranger in Slateport City. That he reported to none other than the same Tam Fawley who frequented Howling at the Moon. That Caleb had shown up on the Rangers' roster two years ago, a year after his disappearance from Kanto. Zev had not been able to unearth where Caleb had been before then, but a secret League prison was his best guess.[break][break]

"I am guessing that when we attack Littleroot, the League will send its Rangers and policing forces from the nearest cities to engage us. If you look at a bigger map of Hoenn, that means a pincer movement from both Petalburg and Slateport. Oldale is too small; its forces need to remain in the town to defend it in case of another Rocket attack."[break][break]

Zev started piecing together the second handgun.[break][break]

"Caleb is among the ranks of Rangers in Slateport. His skill as a combatant — both with Pokémon and without — is something the League could not possibly overlook. It would be sufficiently demoralizing to pit him against us, to force him to watch as his captors crush a rebellion. Rocket used similar tactics in Kanto after the takeover."[break][break]

In a few swift movements, the second gun was restored. Zev threw away his gloves, picked up a clean rag, and started wiping the residual oil off both weapons.[break][break]

"I would be very surprised if the League didn't force Caleb to go to Littleroot."

[break]

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BY GUNSMILE

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

awards

4,317 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo