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POSTED ON Dec 21, 2020 22:06:30 GMT

After leafing through the various reports that had piled up and were passed around to the higher-ups in the League, Alexei finally managed to figure out the ‘mysterious’ captain of the ship that had led through the rough waters of Lilycove and had ultimately resulted in—well, things.

While he hadn’t set foot on the boat for reasons purely and entirely his own, the fact of the matter was that he had something to give to the captain.

But of course, maybe it was safe to talk over a few drinks as well before revealing the reason of his visit.

In his free hand he had a paper bag, where the clinking of several bottles were heard. He’d also made sure to pack along some shot glasses just in case the person he was going to visit didn’t have any.

Now that he was down at the harbor—where could he find them? Looking around, he wondered if the ‘mysterious captain’ had acquired a boat of their own, seeing as the one they’d commandeered during the war was just one of the empty boats floating at the harbor.

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POSTED ON Dec 23, 2020 12:57:04 GMT

Skyler massaged her shoulder gently, rolling it back as the aches from a day of work piled up, especially since - between the League's efforts to heal Hoenn and her own job as a treasure hunter - she'd barely been able to keep up.

So as the sun settled over the horizon, casting shades of pink and gold over the ocean waters, all Skyler could think of was the meal waiting for her at home - one a certain blue-eyed troublemaker had generously cooked for her the other day.

The harbor itself was mostly empty, most sailors and fishermen having already traded their boats for the nearby pubs and drinking holes - empty, that is, except for the lone blond man looking around in apparent confusion.

Skyler furrowed her brows - was the man lost? The harbor could be confusing to newcomers.

Reaching a decision, the captain strode her way across the harbor, curls swinging wildly as she approached the man. "You look a little lost there." A smirk pulled at her lips, cheerful playfulness sparkling in her eyes. "Can I help?"

● tag: Alexei Ivanov
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POSTED ON Dec 27, 2020 18:30:27 GMT

Alexei couldn’t blame himself—he looked totally out of place at the harbor. What’s more, the sound of lapping water was more than enough for him to do a concern because holy shit he was not liking being so close to the water.

There was just—something—about the depths that frightened him. Especially when it came to the fact that—no, today was not going to be that day!

“Yes, I am—extremely lost, and that’s a light way of putting it,” he chuckled as he turned to face the lady that had spoken to him—while he wasn’t too sure if this was the same person who had led the charge during the war for Lilycove, there was something that was tipping him off about her.

“Say—do you know someone called Skyler Dross?” he asked. If he remembered his Ranger friend’s notes right—the person he was looking for had hair as wild as a summer breeze and was absolutely curly. Or frizzy—he wasn’t too sure about the specifics.

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POSTED ON Dec 28, 2020 18:35:40 GMT

"Not a lot of places to go from here, I'm afraid. Either the seaside restaurants, a boat or, well, the ocean." The man certainly looked uncomfortable standing about in the harbor, though Skyler supposed being lost could do that to a person. The sailor could easily walk around this place blindfolded, being long used to its sometimes twisting paths and the soft splashing of water.

It was only when the man mentioned her name that Skyler gave the blond more of her attention, silver eyes narrowing slightly. Something about his face seemed... familiar, though she couldn't really tell where she knew him from. She was sure she'd seen his face before though. "It's your lucky day, then." Her hand reached out to his for a handshake, a curious light flashing in her eyes. "Skyler Dross, ship captain and treasure hunter."

She noticed the bag grasped in his hand, the clinking of glass betraying some sort of bottle - a drink? "And who might you be?" Skyler's head tilted slightly as she studied him. "I swear I've seen you before."

● tag: Alexei Ivanov
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POSTED ON Dec 28, 2020 20:30:33 GMT

At the mention of the ‘ocean’, a visible flutter of fright crossed his features. There was a very good reason why he didn’t board that boat during the battle.

“Oh, so it’s you!” he exclaimed, reaching over and returning the offered handshake.

“Well, you may not have recognized me but… remember the ship? That saved those people on the island? I was the guy on the Salamence tailing that ship and protecting the ship from up in the air. I was the one who practically yelled at everyone to ‘hang onto your underwear’ before we blasted our way forward and away from those tentacle… things,” he added a few moments later.

Hopefully that rang some bells… or if it didn’t, well—

“A friend of mine told me you were around the harbor area, so…” he trailed off, raising his hand and making a triangular-like shape from his forehead. “Ranger? Shiny Metagross?” he offered, hoping that she would recognize who he was talking about!

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POSTED ON Dec 28, 2020 21:32:02 GMT

Huh. Was this man afraid of the ocean? Skyler wasn't exactly the best at reading other people (she was actually rubbish at it), but she'd seen that look often enough to recognize it.

His grip was strong and Skyler returned the handshake enthusiastically, curiosity building up in her like an unstoppable tide. Just who was this man?

The mention of the war cast a dark shadow over Skyler's expression, her natural cheer dimming for a short length of time as memories she'd rather forget floated up to the surface. Blood being washed away by salt water, screaming and broken bodies, the looming of colossal, nightmare-esque creatures... The sailor clenched her jaw and blinked the images away, breathing deeply as she focused on the violet eyes peering at her.

Wait, the guy on the Salamence?

"Feather guy?!" Despite having fought together in the same battle, there were people Skyler hadn't seen again. "I remember you! You saved our asses several times!" Her enthusiasm was infectious.

The last of her haunted expression was quickly washed away by the triangle shape the man did with his free hand. Skyler's face brightened up immediately. "You're friends with Lars?" The wide, lively smile that curled her lips was heartfelt. Her arm went around the guy's shoulders unabashedly. "Well then! If you're Lars' friend, you're mine as well! Did you need anything?"

Her eyes suddenly narrowed. "... Is Lars in trouble?"

● tag: Alexei Ivanov
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POSTED ON Dec 31, 2020 19:48:04 GMT

“Yep, that’s me,” he admitted with a sheepish scratching of the back of his head. “I only ever touched back down on the ground when we got to the little island. Thank hell we managed to get there in one piece,” he added a few moments later.

The moment he’d done the triangular motion from his forehead, he watched her demeanor totally crack up. Yes, this was the person he was looking for!

“You’re just as enthusiastic as he says you are. And I have good word that you like drinking too?” he inquired, shaking the contents of the paper bag her way, the clinking of the bottles and the shot glasses inside maybe catching her attention.

“Nah, he’s not in trouble. I just figured, why not ask him where I could find you,” he reassured her. “Besides, if he was in trouble—you’d know, seeing as how much poetic he’s waxed about you two drinking together somewhere and liking the challenge, so to speak.”

Although, for a few moments he had to stand his ground on the harbor because holy shit…

“Do you… do you live on your ship?” he asked nervously. Oh, crap.

Note to self: try to overcome this stupid-ass fear of the deep starting next year! He thought, his mind a panicked mess as he mentally made an advanced New Year’s resolution, still eyeing the boat as it sat in the water…

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POSTED ON Jan 1, 2021 16:20:13 GMT

Her smile grew a few degrees warmer at his confirmation that he'd been the one on the Salamence. "I'm not sure we could've made it to the island without your assistance, to be honest. I don't even know your name - unless you'd prefer being called Feather guy?" Playfulness weaved itself into her words, Skyler's natural cheer lighting up her eyes despite the dark shadows beneath.

The clinking of glass coming from the paper bag surprised a laugh out of her, and there was no disguising the sudden eagerness that took hold of the sailor. "Oh? Have you come all the way to the Lilycove harbor to challenge me to a drinking contest?" She was teasing Alexei, of course; whatever had brought the man here, she knew, must have something to do with the war. "And if Lars is not the one in trouble - am I?"

As they spoke, Skyler used the arm around the man's shoulders to guide him towards the former war ship, now known as the Sotally Tober. "I- yeah. This is the same ship you saw in the war - it's mine now. I converted part of it into an apartment." The sailor peered at the nervous expression on the guy's face, every inch of his posture screaming out his reluctance.

"Look, the ship's anchored to the harbor, the waters aren't very deep. And, well, you'll be going into the ship with the ship's captain. That's the safest you'll ever be on a ship." Her finger poked the glass bottle within the bag. "And if that's too much - we can always start our drinking contest a little early."

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POSTED ON Jan 6, 2021 0:56:44 GMT

If he could sink into the ground, he would’ve done so now.

“Holy shit he didn’t tell you my name—“ Alexei began, aghast. Good grief, was he going to have to do this himself?! Oy.

“Well, feather guy’s one way of putting it—but alas that is not my true name. It’s Alexei,” he continued, finally laying the groundwork. “Seeing as he already told me your name, of course it’s only fair I set the record straight for mine as well.”

At the mention of trouble, he waved his hand.

“No, not really, there’s no trouble. In fact I came here to not just challenge you to a drinking showdown—I’m pretty sure he already told you that I can drink a lot of people under the table and then some—but I also came to give you something.”

That is, if they both made it through the evening drinking!

The moment he saw what the ship had been named, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Who suggested the name? Lars did? Or was it something you came up with on your own?” he chuckled. Either it was an intentional misspelling or there was something wrong with how he was reading the name.

As for the hesitance on boarding… well…

“Let’s just say… well… I hope it doesn’t rain tonight. You see, I—” he stammered a few moments later. At least the captain was here to calm him down, he hoped!

“Deep water and me don’t e-e-exactly… go together…”

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POSTED ON Jan 6, 2021 16:14:29 GMT

"Drink a lot of people under the table, eh?" The curl of the sea captain's lips intensified, turning her warm smile into something a little bit more mischievous. The sudden sparkle in her eyes betrayed her excitement at the challenge in Alexei's words - or at least what she took to be a challenge regardless of the man's intentions. "We'll see about that."

Curiosity unfurled in the depths of Sky's mind, the woman tilting her head to the side as she wondered what the pale-haired man could possibly have to give her.

"Free drinks and a gift? Alex, I already like you." The toothy grin grew a little bit gentler as Skyler guided the nervous man into the ship proper. She spoke as they walked in an attempt to distract him. "Hah! Lars wishes he'd come up with the name! Nah, this one's all on me. Heard it said once by the docks and - well, the name stuck."

They didn't stay long on the deck. Skyler swiftly led them down to a corridor, walking the length of it and unlocking the door at the very end. "Home sweet home." The apartment itself was on the smaller end, kitchen and living room in one. But it was - cozy.

"You can leave your coat by the entrance." The captain was already making herself at home, haphazardly throwing her jacket and her trainers to the side and padding over to the kitchen. "Pour us some drinks, will ya? Ah!" Her head popped out from behind the open fridge door. "Do you want something to eat?"

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POSTED ON Jan 8, 2021 1:01:45 GMT

“I’ve done that, and more—mix drinks and drink people under. Not kidding there,” he chuckled as he allowed Skyler to lead him below deck. Gods, the last time he’d been on a ship—he was seasick the entire way. It was… an experience he didn’t want to relive not too easily.

Even if it was almost a decade ago now.

Anywho…

“Oh, how comfortable!” he continued as they made their way into the living quarters.

“Don’t mind if I do,” he went on as he kicked off his boots and clambered over to the living room area. Reaching into the paper bag he had with him, he set down several bottles of alcoholic drinks along with two shot glasses.

“Rum? Tequila?” he ventured, pulling out a bottle of vodka as well and pouring himself the first shot. Much as he wanted to drink straight from the bottle, he had to rein it in and get used to drinking from a glass again.

At the mention of the ship’s name, he laughed. “Well whoever that person was should be lucky their words have now been immortalized on such a worthy vessel.”

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POSTED ON Jan 8, 2021 18:07:47 GMT

Skyler soon joined Alexei in the living room, sitting cross-legged on the couch with a bowl of steaming spaghetti bolognese in her lap. Hmmm... She really should get angelo vestri to come over more often.

Peering curiously at the arrangement of drinks, the captain's grin widened with each bottle that made its way to the coffee table. "Got your bases covered, didn't ya?" Taking a bite of the delicious pasta, she leaned her torso forward, curious fingers poking at the tequila. "As a sailor I should probably go for the rum," or so she'd been told, "but I find that I'm more partial to tequila."

Shot in hand, Skyler threw Alexei a daring smirk before downing the alcohol in one swift motion. It burned a familiar path down her throat and settled in her stomach warmly. A forkful of spaghetti followed soon after.

The sea captain poured the next round - for both of them. She made sure to fill the shot glasses to the rim.

"The Sotally Tober is a survivor." As Alexei probably knew. He'd been there to witness the horrors they'd all, somehow, survived. "And I owe it my life, so might as well give it a fitting name." Eyes gleaming, Skyler reached for her shot glass, presenting it to Alexei with raised eyebrows. "To surviving, eh?"

She exhaled sharply as the warmth of the tequila settled into her bones pleasantly. "Where d'you get this anyway? This is the good stuff."

● tag: Alexei Ivanov
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POSTED ON Jan 26, 2021 9:34:26 GMT

Eyeing the shot glasses filled all the way to the top, he knew he was in for a good challenge.

“Right to the top, no mercy at all,” he chuckled as he picked up his shot glass raised it in a salute. Oh, goodness, this was just him getting started.

“To living,” he agreed, clinking the glass against hers and downing the contents in one go. Once both were empty, he took the bottle and poured them their next round.

“Believe it or not, some place in Rustboro. Lilycove has a lot of liquor stores, but Rustboro’s got this little gem, hidden down an alley way—dunno if Lars mentioned it to you. Think it was called the Stray, or something,” he mused.

Mischievous eyes looked over her way, before he reached into one of his jacket’s inner pockets and unzipped it, but didn’t reveal the contents—at least, not yet.

“Allow me to get to the point, then. I came down here after asking for permission from the higher-ups, and they said I could do this for one person. There were two of you I was considering, actually—however my choice ultimately ended up being you.”

Reaching into the pocket, he pulled out something small, seemingly inconsequential—at least to him, it was.

“As Gym Leaders, we can choose to award individuals our badges by other criteria. The way you took the lead in the war, fearless and facing death head-on—let’s just say this fine vessel you have,” he gestured around him for a few moments, “…really does deserve it’s name, and so much more.”

Downing his shot, he poured himself another one.

“You led the charge, from start to finish. It was a wild ride out there on the battlefield, yes. Bravery and courage—you have that in spades. Keep that with you. It’s something that you can bank on regardless of whatever shit comes hurtling your way.”

Setting it on the table, he left it there, between them both.

“It’s the Skyrider Badge.”

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POSTED ON Feb 13, 2021 16:40:44 GMT

Eyebrows quirked up at Alexei's nonchalant downing of the strong alcoholic beverage, the knowledge that she was about to face a challenge greater than what she'd been expecting settling over her bones. It brought a wide smile to her lips, edged with wilderness, before the clear liquid within her own shot glass disappeared between her lips.

"The Stray? Yeah, I'm familiar. Been there a couple of times with Lars. Owned by his boyfriend, right? I'm a fan." The bar had a wide range of alcoholic drinks, many of which Skyler had at the very least tasted. She hadn't been there lately though. "I would go there more often, but it's a bit far from my usual route." Said route being usually somewhere out on the ocean.

The sound of a zipper caught Skyler's attention. She'd been filling their glasses to the brink again, the bowl of pasta forgotten and empty on the table. A calloused hand twitched as Alexei talked, more instinct than anything else. A reaction honed due to the recent war and which Skyler did her best to stop. "Permission from the higher-ups?" The captain tensed, downing a shot before Alexei could say anything else.

It was somewhat disconcerting that the higher-ups even knew of her existence. Nevermind that she'd already gotten a ship because of it.

The captain wasn't sure she liked this sudden interest in her person.

Alexei's words washed over her, though they had to fight their way through the pounding of her heart to make themselves heard. There was an utter stillness to her body, wholly unlike her usual cheerful, restless self - especially when she caught the glint of a small piece of metal being set on the table.

"Shit - you're a Gym Leader?"

Another shot was downed. There wasn't much thought to the action. Just a rising need to drown out encroaching memories, framed in blood, violence and salt water. "Let's hope that whatever shit comes hurtling our way doesn't involve a war. Been there, done that. No need to repeat, eh?" Her next breath was shaky, and she moved to fill their glasses again. At this rate she wouldn't be getting up from the couch.

"But if it does happen again - maybe I'll get a second ship?" Whatever shadows had been swimming in her silver eyes seemed to draw back slightly, stomped down by something far some stubborn.

Skyler finally moved to pluck the badge from the table, moving it slowly between her fingers, studying it intensely.

"Thanks, Alex." Her lips twitched, playful. "I'm afraid I don't a badge of my own to return the favor."

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POSTED ON Feb 26, 2021 17:49:37 GMT

“Never again, and I’m sure everyone would agree that war is the single worst thing that can ever happen to a region,” he nodded as he took his glass and downed the fiery liquid in one go.

“And I thought war was just something you read about in history books. Now that we’ve lived through one. Never again,” he repeated as he took the bottle and poured himself another shot.

As for the mention of his title—

“I don’t wave it around so callously, because I’d like to keep that within the Gym grounds only. Outside of Fortree, I’m just another person who lives here.”

He knocked back the shot again and poured himself another one, yet left this glass on the table this time. He needed some time to stew.

“No need for a badge in exchange—really. I don’t know if anyone else is planning to do what I did just now. But honestly, League shenanigans aside, you deserve it.”