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Adrian manages to nearly choke on a sip of coffee when Cillian's voice punctuates the air. Where he might've been content to sit here and while away the next few hours, it seemed that would be cut short. Abruptly. Adrian immediately throws out a defensive quip, though it's clear he's on the back foot.[break][break]

"Actually, I'm waiting on something dorian westcliff cooked up..." For all that certainly entailed, Cillian would be able to tell Adrian was markedly not so weary for it, which may have come as a surprise. He would learn in time. For now, he managed to find his peace, even if it had been jostled lightly just now for their arrival.[break][break]

"I haven't seen you around for some time." Adrian wonders how far they have come with the RKS, though ultimately such dives seemed to him pointless. Or they chaffed him too much to be bothered... Perhaps not so obvious to others, he obsessed over his own misgivings.[break][break]

"Everything alright?" He asks less so out of curiosity, and moreso to poke the metaphorical bear, if only to see where it gets him.

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"I should think so." Adrian is usually not one to lie. But Cillian does not seem to press the issue, instead ridiculing Adrian in his own way. But not before plucking a mug for himself from a cabinet, making for the simmering brew that they might share a fresh cup of joe together. It was almost domestic.[break][break]

He finds himself surprised then that Cillian shares the news with him so lightly. He is so far removed as to find almost any news novel, and in this case he is mostly blindsided—though he is not in the least bit surprised the League wants to take back what Rocket had rightfully stolen from them. Still, there is a bitter taste in his mouth that coffee couldn't account for...[break][break]

"Defenses? What do you expect them to try?" Probing questions like this were... Well, they would unsurprisingly raise questions as to which side Adrian found himself on. Though in truth, he wondered how much more entrenched they could be on a remote island crater.[break][break]

He imagined blockading sea routes was the most obvious attempt at defense Rocket would take, but anything beyond that, he failed to consider. They surely had more in store...[break][break]

"Might as well," he responded, rising from his seat to dump and rinse his mug, allowing it to fall into the sink with a faint clatter.

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Adrian manages to nod his head in quiet approval. That sounds as good a contingency as any. Waging war throughout a flooded city wasn't ideal. Literal tides would be turned.[break][break]

It was a solid countermeasure—and something he himself would be thankful for, sporting mostly landlocked pokemon. Following along after them at a brisk pace, he would stop only to sort through a special Rocket terminal, accessing several pokeballs.[break][break]

Yeah, this should work wonders...[break][break]

"...I'm something of a collector."[break][break]

As with all things, Adrian poorly managed an addictive personality—and this extended to capturing many pokemon, arguably too many. Though such a vast collection had supported him through many trials and tribulations, to say that he was able to care for and appreciate each of these pokemon equally and fairly would have of course been a blatant lie.[break][break]

But among these pokemon, some were special. Once upon a time, they had guarded something invaluable atop Mt. Pyre—something he no longer thought necessary to guard, however precious it remained.[break][break]

He would follow Gavin through the submarine, emerging from the exit hatch after them.

[attr="class","bottom"]Cillian Quinn[break]