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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Jun 13, 2019 21:07:09 GMT

her hands had begun shaking the moment she had approached his door. the way to his office was easily remembered by the young woman due to her having approached it many times over in recent memory. cait had made those bi-monthly appointments in the past and arrived early to each - unwilling to keep mister silph waiting.

'how is this any different?'

in many ways it was. for example - the prior encounters involved her presenting him with information directly related to the health of her respective city. she had shared with him detailed reports that involved slateport and any activity occurring at the border they had the misfortune of sharing. it was all quite bland and perhaps even dry but she had enjoyed partaking in her superior's company. cait gladly accepted his criticisms and adjusted accordingly when he took an almost immediate notice to a flaw present within her carefully crafted system.

but this meeting related to her taking direct advantage of the league's 'open door policy'; which basically meant this particular encounter would be far more personal in nature.

"sir?"

she had knocked upon his door before making her entrance, dressed formally in dark green for the occasion. cait was thankful her voice remained steady as she made her entrance, her painted lips managing a thin smile as she greeted her superior.

"i apologize if i'm a bit early," she said.

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silph

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TAG WITH @silph

POSTED ON Jun 14, 2019 7:41:00 GMT

"yes."

the increasing dread in his voice reflects the state of affairs for councilman silph. while the league collectively is met with their own hindrances there is none that take it more personal than fernando himself. his goals lie beyond the league and that means every step back is multiplied to a magnitude that becomes unbearably oppressive. project avalon is still in sight but progress has been lackluster—to put it simply.

cait catches him on a good day. the bags are present but the lack of attention to his facial hair is not. the messy arrangements of paper makes it clear that's he's been in the office for a while. his eyes gravitate toward the door, peering at his would be guest.

"miss alfric. to what do i owe the pleasure?"

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Jun 14, 2019 8:58:28 GMT

he appeared worn down - visibly so. but she didn't dare to comment, preferring not to distract herself or delay the inevitable. without having to be told to do so the woman claimed a seat for herself, fearing she'd bolt if she was allowed to stand for a prolonged period of time.

'breathe.'

she inhaled deeply and released it in a quiet rush of air.

"i -... fear things have grown overwhelmingly complicated these past few months."

cait managed to replicate a formal air, the gym leader visibly stiff as she began to address fernando and present him with what was now a poorly kept secret.

"i've had an encounter with a creature of legend recently."

the young woman attempted to remain eloquent and poised but the nervous edge present within her tone of voice ruined the carefully put together facade. still her gaze remained steady upon his face, her eyes slightly round.

"with a god," she elaborated. "my god."

she whispered the last few words as though she was in the midst of uttering a prayer.

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TAG WITH @silph

POSTED ON Jun 14, 2019 9:38:50 GMT

he already knows that he's in for bad news by her body language. still, he grants her the acknowledgement of being able to confess without judgement with whatever she feels the need to confront him about. she exhales and opens up with an understatement that fernando feels tug at his heart. little does he know, she's not talking about mossdeep or verdanturf.

no. he has no clue just how grave the situation is. not until the truth comes out and even then he's puzzled. unsurprisingly, his eye brow raises, questioningly at the mention of a legend. then she mentions the god and he's completely lost.

'what the fuck is she talking about?'

naturally, what comes out of his mouth is more eloquent than that.

"whatever do you mean?"

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Jun 14, 2019 18:04:28 GMT

she could either press forward with the topic and lay herself bare or fib and make it less than it actually was. but cait felt as though she should remain honest with mister silph, certain that he deserved nothing less at that crucial moment.

"i've been blessed," she claimed.

the woman reached into the slim pocket of her jacket, pulling free what appeared to be a tiny and ordinary little seed.

"watch," she instructed.

cait's slim fingers closed around the pod, the woman reliant upon her gift to gently and lovingly encourage its growth. it was at its beginning that she served as its sun, its soil, its water and its air. her digits peeled open to reveal the tiny seed that was being nurtured, its shell thoroughly cracked as a healthy green stalk emerged and unraveled before their eyes.

"there we are," she murmured, softly.

despite having witnessed this process multiple times over she remained a combination of awed and humbled. a daisy experienced its usual cycle within less than a minute, its petals startling white and its length of stalk dark green and reassuringly strong. cait handled it with the utmost care, her smile warm as she brought it to her nose and discreetly relished its scent.

'i think i'll plant you outside.'

she checked its delicate roots, visibly distracted as she made sure they were in good enough shape to be replanted.

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TAG WITH @silph

POSTED ON Jun 17, 2019 2:20:25 GMT

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blessed?

fernando watches with a tempered curiosity as cait reveals a seed from within her pocket. within moments, the seeds cracks and an infant stalk starts to sprout. fernando's eyes narrow but he hides his disappointment behind a facade of heavy thought. so what if she can promote plant growth? such a simple skill is nothing more than a rascal's parlor trick—fit for a clown, for a child's party.

"so you have a green thumb?"

he smiles with a faux enthusiasm that promises her that he's proud of her newfound powers. he nods his head, still studying the plant within her hand.

"that's absolutely fascinating, miss alfric, but i don't think that's anything to be worried about."

cait alfric

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Jun 17, 2019 2:39:25 GMT

cait blinked and shifted her gaze back onto fernando - initially taken aback by his reaction.

'perhaps this wasn't as big of a deal as i thought.'

she visibly brightened, her fingers toying with the dainty petals of the daisy.

"that's a relief," she said. "i was afraid that you'd - that i - "

the woman shook her head, dismissing her own frivolous worries as she pressed onward. it was as though a great weight had lifted itself free of her narrow shoulders and so she allowed her tongue to waggle.

"i was overthinking it. i thought my newfound relationship with celebi would be viewed as - well - unusual? deserving of attention? or at least the wrong kind of attention."

she tittered softly, her gaze shifting back toward the freshly matured flower.

"i really must tell you about how wonderful celebi was and how we met. i never thought i'd have the opportunity to - "

a memory that had remained fresh in her mind resurfaced at that moment.

"regirock!" she blurted. "you were in a cave with councilman cole. and there was... a frightfully large one attacking you, wasn't there?"

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TAG WITH @silph

POSTED ON Jun 17, 2019 3:30:20 GMT

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afraid of what? clearly she's overreacting. fernando's about to reassure her when she spills what she should've opened with. but that makes more sense—that's what she meant by god. the blessing to promote plant growth is just a side effect of their bond, or so he presumes.

"wait, celebii?"

there's a clear look of confusion on fernando's face as he digests the newfound information. his eyes roll upward, pensively staring off as he calculates how this'll factor into his plans. there's a steady expression of concern on his face but that's meant to express his care for cait. there's no reason for her to doubt him and he'll use it against her.

that's what happened to @senri .

shock is temporary and fernando composes himself. there's little need for alarm. celebii may prove more of an annoyance then articuno but as long as its tether is human he has the advantage. for now, his priority is digging further. he's still not sure whether or not cait is a threat.

"i didn't think you meant that you bonded with celebii. that changes everything, miss alfric."

her question is ignored, largely on the back-burner in lieu of his own question—at least until she presses it.

"when you say you were blessed by celebii, just what does that entail?"

cait alfric

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Jun 17, 2019 4:17:53 GMT

she'd fall silent as she pondered over the question. the inquiry was beyond simple, but cait surmised it'd be easy enough to explain.

'should i tell him everything?'

would it truly be wise to expose herself entirely? she found little to no reason to lie but perhaps it would be advantageous in the near or distant future to omit portions of the truth.

'i feel my mind changing already,' she thought.

she had never been this indecisive before and it was a truly frustrating thing to experience.

"i've been given a few gifts as a direct consequence of our - ... bond," she began. "i've become an accomplished healer through touch or presence alone. i've also the power to manipulate plants in various ways - but you've seen that already."

cait felt a familiar surge of anxiety, her lips pressing into a line before it a smile replaced it.

"and - "

'nikolai,' she thought, taking the man into consideration. 'nikolai.'

"that's it. a bit dull, isn't it? but still quite lovely to have."

she appeared pleased as well as satisfied by what she had explained to him thus far.

"i thought it'd be necessary to share my position with at least one person on the council," she said. "but i'd prefer not to make something big out of the whole thing if you get my meaning."

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TAG WITH @silph

POSTED ON Jun 17, 2019 7:03:20 GMT

the extent of her capabilities will determine how noteworthy they are. being able to sprout a seed registers near the bottom of the list. if the same holds true for her other abilities then there's nothing to worry about. however, the association with celebii is always a wild card.

but something comes off as suspicious during her confession. the 'and' as well as the pause afterwards. no one responds with 'and that's it.'; not when listing only two different topics. perhaps he's overthinking it but the silph is set scrutinizing over being caught unaware.

"in that case, perhaps you keep this a secret. the more that know the more dangerous it becomes."

he claps his hands, leaning against his desk with his chin resting above his intertwined fingers.

"can you interact with celebii?"

cait alfric

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Jun 18, 2019 3:16:59 GMT

she shrugged.

"to a certain degree."

cait had hoped that would make for a substantial enough answer. it wasn't long before she shook her head, her eyebrows raising high upon her forehead as she continued addressing the man.

"i prefer to not call upon them if i can help it," she said. "they've business elsewhere. and i'm vehemently against involving them in our affairs. i sought them out only to ensure they were well - not to request their direct aid in this war."

she had happily departed the forest following the encounter, glad to see that the fey was as healthy and pure as she had originally imagined.

"it wouldn't be a good idea to involve gods in any of this," she commented.

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TAG WITH @silph

POSTED ON Jun 19, 2019 0:47:04 GMT

"a wise decision, miss alfric."

he pauses, shrinking.

"i may not know the ins and outs of celebii's powers but keeping them an arm lengths away is a precaution that will be as beneficial to you as it is for them."

their intentions may differ but the result is the same. as long as fernando can keep celebii away from his activities then the more finalized they become. the last thing he wants is a deus ex machina to foil what's been decades in the making. project avalon must be completed—no matter the cost.

"from what i remember, celebii has the power to travel through time. be wary of that as well, miss alfric. the last thing we would want is for you to be stuck in the past or to inadvertently change the future for the worst."

cait alfric

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Jun 21, 2019 7:25:39 GMT

cait offered a bland smile that served as an immediate reaction to his concern.

'i did want to bring this up.'

she clung onto the first risk that he had presented to her, deciding to veer the conversation in that direction.

"there are others who could just as easily take my place," she said.

there was an overabundance of league-affiliated individuals that were just as deserving of the position; perhaps even more so if you take into account their age - their experience - as well as their rank. the numbers of lieutenants had increased dramatically since she had originally claimed her seat, after all.

"there's little doubt in my mind," she continued, her tone curious yet surprisingly light. "that rocket just might get away with killing me. we share a border and it's likely they won't bother with prolonging the inevitable."

cait paused, her gaze shifting aimlessly as she appeared to mull over her own words.

"i sound like such a defeatist, don't i?"

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TAG WITH @silph

POSTED ON Jun 22, 2019 22:59:09 GMT

her response is met with an expression of confusion—seemingly out of the blue and uncharacteristic of her. then again, their relationship is only as deep as their interactions, kept at a professional distance with a budding trust between mentor and student.

"alfric?"

fernando stammers, clearing his throat to regather her attention.

"it's okay to be scared. these are very trying times and nothing is certain. but do not let that dissuade you, miss alfric."

fernando raises his head, cracking his neck in the process before sitting upright.

"i will not blame you if you wish to retire somewhere else and to live in a more peaceful region. i just hope your decision is your own, uninfluenced by those around you. do not dwell on your perception of yourself or the opinions of others."

his eyes narrow, affixed onto her own.

"i believe in you and have supported your decisions until now."

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Jun 23, 2019 5:08:08 GMT

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cait visibly stiffened, a strange look coming over the entirety of her freshly made up features.

"i don't - i'm not - "

she panicked for only a moment as her gaze flitted about, the entirety of her body stiffening before she slumped a little; visibly weary.

"i'm not afraid of rocket," she said. "i'm just afraid that i'll... end up disappointing you."

fernando had taken the time to serve as her mentor, the man going out of his way to elevate her to her current position. she felt entirely indebted to the councilman because of it, aware that she'd still be an ordinary run-of-the-mill soldier if he hadn't intervened.

"your opinion matters," she murmured.

from the outside looking in she appeared to be perfectly perfect and utterly content. the public eye only saw a confident young soldier who shouldered the responsibility of an entire city with an astonishing amount of ease. but she was still a twenty year old woman - young with not even a year of experience under her belt. cait pushed herself so that she could maintain that image, taking the moments she had to herself to pray and meditate and hope for the best.

"that's why i came to you first about this. i didn't go to kim cole-essam and i didn't tell freya morningstar because you're - "

cait's mouth snapped shut with a click of her teeth as she cut herself off. she began to collect herself before she moved to stand, visibly embarrassed by her rambling as well as her demeanor as she bowed her head.

"thank you for your time, sir. i should be going now."