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TAG WITH @jayden

POSTED ON Dec 22, 2020 18:21:17 GMT

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JAYDEN CROSS

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'Kid, you're hilarious. Freaking hilarious.'

[break][break]

The boy walked through the park with relative ease. If one did not know any better, they would not have presumed Jayden was any different than any of the other high-living citizens of Slateport City. However, upon closer inspection, they would find that his dark-blue coat was used and bare, threaded at the seems. Dark bags rested underneath his eyes, the story of many sleepless nights, as he fidgeted with an oversized pullover. His fingers pulled at each other, incessantly, heart beating in his ears. Anxious.

[break][break]

'You think this is going to change anything? Change how much of a loser you are?' [break][break]

And of course, there was the voice.

[break][break]

Jayden wasn't entirely sure when it had started or where it had come from. He remembered that the starter that his mother had gifted him on his fourteenth birthday had not always been like this. Veles had once been just like any other pokemon, a Shuppet who spoke in undistinguishable pokemon tongues.

[break][break]

And then one day, it began to talk. To him.

[break][break]

In his head. Or so, Jayden thought. He figured that no one else could hear him — no one else seemed to be privy to the kinds of thoughts in his head, either unkind or simply mocking. Sometimes, they were downright sinister. Sometimes, they overlapped with the voice of Father, sometimes his brother. Rarely, his mother.

[break][break]

'Stupid little brat, you got lost in your own head again didn't you?' the voice snickered inside his head, and Jayden flinched. He paused in his trek through the park, the snow seeping into his sneakers. He shivered against the cold, pulling his scarf closer around him. Perhaps he should have worn something else— something warmer. However, underneath his jacket, he wore a turtle neck and his best slacks, his best dress shirt. It was the kind of thing that certainly even father would have approved of. Dmitri was, if nothing, thorough in making sure that his family was polished to perfection. [break][break]

'And you,' the voice sneered relentlessly. The Shuppet floated near him, it's beady eyes domineering. 'Are his son. His pathetic, sniveling coward of a son. Imagine that.' [break][break]

Jayden pulled his scarf closer around him, puffing a breath of cold air. He wrung his hands into the warm, cobalt-colored cloth over his mouth, as if doing so would somehow make the voice disappear. And it did — or maybe it was pure coincidence. 'Someone's here,' he thought, hearing the familiar crunch of snow behind him, as he turned. The dark shadow that was Veles disappeared in a flicker of light, as it so often did when the ghost no longer wanted to be there. He disappeared into Jayden's backpack which, like much of his attire, was dusted with snow. [break][break]

He blinked as a figure approached. "Gavin?" he breathed, his voice cautious. [break][break]

The invitation from the informant lay crumpled in his hand. [break][break]

It couldn't be... couldn't it?

— Cillian Quinn [break]
p.s. jayden's birthday is on the 25th

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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.

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TAG WITH @gavin

POSTED ON Dec 22, 2020 19:02:43 GMT

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The artificial snowy atmosphere of the park is, at least, convincing enough to remind Gavin of—[break][break]

Just when had he stopped thinking of Circhester as home, and started thinking of it as where he grew up? The realisation jars him as he stops to button up his coat, breath misting in the air thanks to the labor of so many ice-types. He has no time for such emotions, not now, not here, and so he brushes them away with the snowflakes from his hair.[break][break]

The vetting process for new recruits could be long, arduous, and yet he's still careful in his approach. If they brought League along with them, if this was a setup, then he would not allow himself to get close enough to be identified as the mystery recruiter. That's why they were meeting here, in an open public space full of strangers minding their own business, instead of in the nearby restaurant affiliated with their people.
[break][break]
He doesn't recognize Jayden, not at first.[break][break]

It's his own name that gets his attention; they weren't meant to use names. That was the point of an anonymous meet up! He's fanning the embers of a rage that'll be directed at his idiot associate for outing him when he takes in the details of the not-quite-stranger, the familiarity in his voice and of that voice, to Gavin's ears.[break][break]

"I thought you were dead, Cross."[break][break]

Though his tone registers as flat surprise, resentment bubbles in his chest. Why didn't you reach out?

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jayden cross

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milky

jayden

he/him

december 25

ballonlea, galar

bisexual

wyndon ceo

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5'10" height

we'll never get free, lamb to the slaughter

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TAG WITH @jayden

POSTED ON Dec 23, 2020 7:39:22 GMT

Cillian Quinn likes this

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JAYDEN CROSS

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The moment that Gavin Merlino approached — and the moment that Jayden realized it was Gavin Merlino — rendered Jayden speechless. It felt like a sucker-punch to the gut. The acquaintance that had informed him of the Team Rocket had failed to give any names. Though, that was probably intentional. After all, what was the point of an anonymous meet-up if not anonymous? It was supposed to be for the safety for both parties involved. Yet there was little point in such a meet-up when the two involved knew each other, and such a personal level at that.

[break][break] Of all higher-ups that he could have met with, it had to have been the man that he considered family.

[break][break] The memories of the past year suddenly came rushing past and with it, unbidden, a rush of emotion. The chaos that had erupted with the news of their fall at Fallarbor and Verdenturf, as the rest of the Team Rocket scattered like roaches in an attempt to regain whatever sense of unity they had now that their leader had fallen. Though, Silas could hardly be called that— not when so many Rockets at the time either operated on bloodlust or fear, and not at all loyalty. Jayden had been among them, swept up in the crowd, in the chaos, in the disaster. It was not long before he was being shoved into a cold, bright room, not long before a file containing the failure of his father's company was being slid across a long, glass table towards him. Not long at all before Jayden was being handed something even worse than a death sentence — the amount of loans, the amount of debt, was enough to suffocate a man.

[break][break] And nearly, that was how Jayden had spent the remainder of the year. Either broken down from attempting to make ends meet, to avoiding greedy loan sharks, to not drown in his own hate and self-loathing. All the while when he was supposed to be mourning the supposed death of his parents. His family.

[break][break] 'But are they really?' the thought came unbidden to his mind, filled with enough emotion to make him feel suffocated. He grasped the edge of his scarf, dark-blue gaze drawn to the man before him. Gavin Merlino stood before him then, more of a man and more of a family than Dmitri had ever been.

[break][break] "I thought you were dead, Cross."

[break][break] The words — harsh and unyielding in their viciousness — made Jayden flinch. He was dropped back into reality, like being dunked in freezing bathwater. The icy cold tone, the lack of a first name that was spoken like an expletive, the glowering gaze fixated on him. None of it escaped Jayden, no matter how subtle it was in reality.

[break][break] The informant's crumpled letter fell to the ground, unbidden, buried into snow.

[break][break] "I — sorry, sir," he said, ducking his head slightly. He knew when he was being chastised. Jayden knew— he knew he had mis-stepped, speaking Gavin's name. His name was a privileged — one that had been thusly revoked.

[break][break] He stared down at the floor, consumed by guilt.

[break][break] Veles didn't even have to intervene — Jayden did it all on his own.

[break][break]

— Cillian Quinn

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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.

awards

7,856 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @gavin

POSTED ON Dec 26, 2020 2:22:41 GMT

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Gavin scoffs, the sound expelled with a cloud of misty air. It's easier to be bitter, to be angry, than it is to admit how much it stung to realize that the kid he'd come to view as a brother hadn't cared to contact him at all.[break][break]

No, he'd contacted a stranger. His ire toward the middle-man abates as he connects the dots, bending down to snatch the snow-damp letter before the wind can send it on its way. It would doubtless be anything more than a meeting place, but you could never be too careful in their line of work. He holds out it to Jayden without a word, expecting him to take it.[break][break]

"Let's get out of the cold. We can talk more inside."[break][break]

There's an unspoken demand in those words, but they're all Gavin offers before he starts off toward the quiet restaurant across the street. It wasn't a particularly popular joint, but boasted enough business to see a few tables occupied. Inside the cramped front lobby, one of the staff approaches to seat them with a bored chime of, "Table for two?"[break][break]

Gavin taps fake snow from his boots, adopting an air of indifference. "We'd like a more private booth, if there's one available?"[break][break]

His word choice is deliberate, and the man's bored expression sharpens. There's a nervous energy to him that's easily missed, and the slouch is gone as he leads the pair to the back of the restaurant with seats away from the windows. There's no one else nearby, and Gavin knows there won't be until their business is concluded. No one comes to take their order.[break][break]

Sliding into the booth across from Jayden, Gavin pins him with his stare.[break][break]

"Where have you been?"

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jayden cross

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played by

milky

jayden

he/him

december 25

ballonlea, galar

bisexual

wyndon ceo

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5'10" height

we'll never get free, lamb to the slaughter

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part of

TAG WITH @jayden

POSTED ON Dec 26, 2020 2:46:39 GMT

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JAYDEN CROSS

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Jayden bit his lip.

[break][break] If Gavin had known his thoughts, he would know exactly why contacting Gavin of all people would have been an unsurmountable effort. Gavin, who he considered an older brother and a superior all in one. It would have been impossible to talk to him and ask for help, to burden him with the grave of his own making. His suffering was not a problem of anyone elses — Gavin least of all.

[break][break] The young man looked up as the blond spoke again, his voice no less cutting or blunt as it had been earlier. Jayden blinked as the piece of paper was offered to him, and it was only after a moment that he took it, realizing it for what it was. He stuffed the slightly wet pamphlet into his pocket, obediently following Gavin across the park and into what seemed to be a quiet restaurant.

[break][break] As Gavin tapped fake snow from his boots and asked for quiet table, Jayden found himself shrugging off his jacket and brushing the false snow off of it. He glanced around at the small establishment — small enough to be private, but not enough to be dangerous. It was not soon before they were led to a table and left to their business — just the two of them. There wasn't going to be someone to take their order anytime soon.

[break][break] Jayden was perfectly aware.

[break][break] He was also perfectly aware of the pin-point gaze that Gavin gave him, asking him of his whereabouts but also asking so much more. He swallowed thickly, drumming his hands lightly against the wooden countertop. His finger pricked against something sharp, and he winced, pulling back. It would leave a splinter.

[break][break] The boy looked up at Gavin, swallowing. "I — " he hesitated. His eyes burned a turbulent, stormy-blue. How much did he want to burden Gavin with? How much did Gavin already know? He sighed. There was no point in trying to run. "My parents — they... died. A lawyer contacted me — "" He winced. "And the debtors did too."

[break][break] He stared down at the table, hard, as emotions welled in his chest.

[break][break] His other hand, not the one on the table, gripped his knee. His fingers dug into his flesh, hard enough to hurt. He swallowed. "There was — too much. I —" He looked up at Gavin, whose face was unreadable. "I'm — sorry. I need help."

[break][break] To another, it might have seemed like he was apologizing for the same thing again. To the trained eye, perhaps even to Gavin's eyes, they would know he was apologizing for something entirely different. Apologizing for needing help. Apologizing for burdening him, once again.

— Cillian Quinn

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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.

awards

7,856 posts

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TAG WITH @gavin

POSTED ON Dec 26, 2020 2:59:36 GMT

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Though his cold exterior betrayed nothing of his thoughts, Gavin wished nothing more than to punch Jayden in the face and then pull him into a crushing hug. He was angry, and yet he was also relieved beyond measure to know that the kid was safe, alive, that he hadn't fallen to the same fate as his parents.[break][break]

They're brought up, naturally, and he is glad Jayden does not try to lie.[break][break]

"I know," he says, of their deaths, then shakes his head at mention of debtors. "But not about that."[break][break]

It made sense. They'd gone under after the fall, like so many others with clear Rocket ties. Gavin had been grateful for his anonymity, sequestered as he'd been within seedy laboratories. Had he held the rank of underboss back then, he'd have been hunted with the rest.[break][break]

He has sympathy for Jayden, but he doesn't express it. His expression is carefully neutral as, predictably, the kid asks for help. He'd be drowning in the sea of mistakes that hadn't been his to make. Gavin knew. He shakes his head.[break][break]

"We look out for our own. You know that." Hadn't he looked out for him, so many times before? "But you left. You expect us to welcome you back with open arms, take care of all your problems? That's not how this works."[break][break]

There are things he wishes he could say: I'm sorry. I've missed you.

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jayden cross

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played by

milky

jayden

he/him

december 25

ballonlea, galar

bisexual

wyndon ceo

admin

5'10" height

we'll never get free, lamb to the slaughter

awards

4,140 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @jayden

POSTED ON Dec 26, 2020 3:20:19 GMT

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JAYDEN CROSS

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Even sitting across the table from the man that he considered family more than the ones who had just passed, the recent death of his parents still felt like a fresh wound. But, it was a wound, a hurt, that not even Jayden could explain if asked. He should have been relieved to finally feel out of their grasp, should have been thrilled. Yet, it wasn't even about the debtors chasing him, that had made his life difficult. There were so many complicated emotions tied in with his parents' death that he couldn't even begin to explain.

[break][break] Maybe — it had to do with the fact that he didn't believe it. But that wasn't a can of worms he was willing to open. Instead:

[break][break]"I know," he said, lips pressed together. "They didn't put it in the papers." Gavin not knowing was intentional. Not reaching out to any of the Rockets was intentional. His family's mistakes had been his own, and he'd been unwilling to subject anyone else to them. Even Gavin. "But there were lawsuits, claims, depositions," he said. He paused. "But not jail." At one point — it had been close. But somehow, Jayden had managed to snake out of it. Still, he shared his family's burdens like weights on his shoulders, chains once again clamped around his ankles.

[break][break]

We look out for our own. You know that.

[break][break] Hope thrummed like a humming bird in his chest — [break][break]

But you left. You expect us to welcome you back with open arms, take care of all your problems? That's not how this works." [break][break]

— and came crashing down, just as sharply.

[break][break] At Gavin's words, Jayden's eyes widened, only just a fraction, before he shook his head vehemently. "No, of course not! That wasn't — I wasn't — " He took a breath. "I thought you — it— had died." He wasn't talking about Gavin. "I was just told — he said I could get help, not that — " He gestured, hopelessly, unsure. His words failed him. Jayden inclined his head towards Gavin, blinking. Team Rocket was alive? His family — his real family — was still alive?

[break][break] Once again, unbidden, hope fluttered in his chest.

— Cillian Quinn

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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.

awards

7,856 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @gavin

POSTED ON Dec 26, 2020 3:37:42 GMT

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So he'd managed to avoid jail. "Good."[break][break]

Not only did it look good for Rocket, but prison was an experience that Jayden didn't deserve. His childhood had been enough of a jail sentence without literal chains to join those of metaphor and burden.[break][break]

The underboss narrows his eyes, frowns. That he'd assumed Rocket's downfall had been intentional; they'd gone to ground, and hadn't sought those who stayed away in the aftermath. It was by design, and yet—[break][break]

"Our mutual friend, the one that sent you here, what did you think you were getting into?" How naïve he must have been. No, not naïve... desperate, grasping at the last straws of hope. "Why do you think I'm here?"[break][break]

Had he expected a different group of criminals than the one he'd left?

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jayden cross

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played by

milky

jayden

he/him

december 25

ballonlea, galar

bisexual

wyndon ceo

admin

5'10" height

we'll never get free, lamb to the slaughter

awards

4,140 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @jayden

POSTED ON Dec 26, 2020 4:00:14 GMT

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JAYDEN CROSS

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Their mutual friend.

[break][break] Jayden though, briefly, of the fellow informant, the former (or maybe current?) Team Rocket member who had led him here, to this spot, sitting across the table from a man that he hadn't heard from in the better part of a year. Of course, there had been mutterings, but Jayden wasn't the kind to keep his ear close to the pavement. If at all possible, he would have liked to run from it.

[break][break] "Anything," Jayden confessed. He knew that his fellow co-workers had not always had their hobbies tied strictly within the realm of Team Rocket shenanigans. In fact, his father had been a perfect example of that. There was always something else going on that one was not always privy to, and Jayden always knew better than to make assumptions. "Anything is better than —" He thought, briefly, about the last collector who he'd had a run-in with. They had been particularly nasty. "It was getting bad, sir."

[break][break] As for the second question...

[break][break] Honestly, Jayden hadn't any idea. He didn't have time to think about it, not with the shock and guilt having taken up much of his emotional headspace. Now that he could see Gavin Merino in front of him, in the flesh, he still wasn't sure. He thought he might know — but he stopped his thoughts before it could get too far. Before it could get dangerous.

[break][break] 'The most dangerous thing is hope,' his father had once said, slicing a dagger down the side of his cheek to emphasize the point. Absently, the boy reached up to touch his cheek, where the scar had mostly faded.

[break][break] Jayden placed his hand against the counter. He ignored the question, for which he didn't have an answer and swallowing, said instead, "I can — I can go, if you want. Sir."

[break][break] I don't want to bother you again. I'm sorry.

— Cillian Quinn

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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.

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TAG WITH @gavin

POSTED ON Dec 31, 2020 9:28:15 GMT

jayden cross likes this

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UPPER DISTRICT - SOCIAL

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CREATURES OF HABIT

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CARRION FLOWERS

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There's a sharpness to Gavin's scowl, the way he narrows his eyes in clear disapproval. "No," he corrects, "there are plenty of things worse than whatever they'd have done to you. Never underestimate that."[break][break]

No matter how bad things were, they could always be worse. It was a mantra that Gavin oft repeated to himself when he struggled with the early days of Rocket's oppression. They could always get better, as well, and that Jayden was alive was proof enough.[break][break]

"You shouldn't have been so quick to wander into what could very well have been a trap." The distant chimes above the restaurant door announce the presence of others, but they are led far away from this lonely table. "Could have been League, could have been worse than that, and yet you followed a blind promise. You were lucky, this time."[break][break]

He'd need to be smarter if he were to thrive under Rocket's new management, but Gavin doesn't say that, not yet. No need to overwhelm the kid.
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He ignores Jayden's pacifying offer to leave. Instead, he answers his own question. "If I vouch for you, Cross, you'd better be the best grunt Rocket's ever seen. You'd be starting from scratch, no special treatment." For the briefest moment, his gaze softens into something like concern. "If you come back, it's a life sentence. You'd better be sure. Are you?"

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jayden cross

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played by

milky

jayden

he/him

december 25

ballonlea, galar

bisexual

wyndon ceo

admin

5'10" height

we'll never get free, lamb to the slaughter

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TAG WITH @jayden

POSTED ON Jan 4, 2021 4:05:32 GMT

Cillian Quinn and Katherine Fairburne like this

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JAYDEN CROSS

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"There are plenty of things worse - "

[break][break] It is like the words strike him somewhere deep inside, triggering a memory that he would have rather kept hidden. Unbidden, the image of his sharp-faced brother appears, all teeth and knife-sharp smiles. It can always be worse, blue jay. It were words spoken to him more than once, by Alexandre, by Dmitri, by their mother.

[break][break] He looks away, takes a breath. It's true. What the collectors have done to him is nothing in comparison what they could have done.

[break][break] Gavin speaks again, face pinched together, as he gives the boy a warning that he would do well to heed by. Jayden had been foolish to blindly stumble into what could have easily been a trap; he could have just easily been wandering into the mouth of a bear's cave. He would have been taken, naked and defenseless, and been devoured whole. For this, Jayden doesn't have to say anything. The understanding and agreement that hangs heavy in the air is resolution enough.

[break][break] Anxiety and regret thrums in Jayden's chest as he stares at the man across the table, the man he had once been nearly good enough for, but in the passing months, he knows he has lost Gavin's respect. As to how or why, he is still unsure, but he doesn't know if he has enough in him to ask. If he could ask, even.

[break][break] As the offer to leave hangs in the air, the darkhaired boy waits with baited breath. More than the fact that Gavin is - was once - his superior, he knows that all it would take is Gavin's word to leave and he would be gone. It is not about Gavin being an underboss as much as it is about Gavin being Gavin. A man that he once - that he still - thinks of as family.

[break][break] Gavin's words come - and it isn't a dismissal. It is almost enough for Jayden to be relieved, but there isn't time for it. Instead, coming with Gavin's proposal is a threat, a warning, a mutual understanding between them. Rather than appear reserved and submissive as he had been in the entire conversation as of late, there is something sharp in Jayden's gaze as he looks up to meet the blond man's. There is something reminiscent of the man he used to be, the man that he was raised to be. His eyes are dangerously edged under the low light of the restaurant, like a wolf baring it's teeth.

[break][break] "Of course," his response comes quick and sure. Jayden knows this more than anything he's known his entire life — he is a Team Rocket brat, born and bred. Even if he wanted to rip it from his chest, wanted to slice his skin open and let himself bleed all over the floor — he wouldn't be able to remove the Rocket from him. When the dark-haired boy answers Gavin, his voice rings with nothing but the absolute truth:

[break][break] "You have my life."

— Cillian Quinn

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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.

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TAG WITH @gavin

POSTED ON Jan 16, 2021 13:41:44 GMT

For the first time since their reintroduction, Gavin sees Rocket in Jayden's sharp-eyed stare. Along with a melancholic regret over the men they've both become, the underboss feels relief. They will not lose him again.

He nods, curt.

"Good. Then you're in, effective immediately." He'd normally be more thorough in the questions he asked, but with Jayden there is no need. "You'll work for me until such time as you get settled. You have any issues, you bring them to me."

It occurs to him, not for the first time, that it's not just Rocket's goals that differ from before.

"Ah. We have a proper headquarters, now. How do you like the ocean?"

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played by

milky

jayden

he/him

december 25

ballonlea, galar

bisexual

wyndon ceo

admin

5'10" height

we'll never get free, lamb to the slaughter

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TAG WITH @jayden

POSTED ON Jan 17, 2021 7:17:10 GMT

jayden cross likes this

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JAYDEN CROSS

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It is not only for Gavin's benefit that he speaks his resolve, it's for him to. It brings something like a sense of relief to be able to say those words outloud again, and to feel that they are just as ready and sure as they have always been. There were many things in Jayden's life that were up in the air lately, but his loyalty to rocket was fortunately not one of them. Neither was his loyalty to Gavin.

[break][break] "Of course sir," he responds just as quickly, dipping his head. With his father and mother no longer in the picture, it seemed only sensible that he would report to Gavin, especially given that the man had apparently risen through the ranks the way that he did. The word issues settle in the air, bringing forth old anxieties, but Jayden is quick to push them down. There isn't a need to worry about things that haven't happened yet, and hopefully, at least with the likes of his re-introduction into rocket, there won't be any.

[break][break] The ocean?

[break][break] His eyes speak the question that his lips do not say, though he does incline his head to the side. "I'm not against it," he says, pausing. "I can swim, if that's what you're asking."

[break][break] The memory of Dmitri training him underwater was burned into his memory, but that - too - he pushes down.

[break][break] Instead he asks, "What else is - " Different? Changed? He isn't sure how to word it. "Actually," he says, as if a thought has suddenly come to him. "Would you like to see where I live?"

[break][break] It isn't often that Jayden invites someone into his home but — Cillian Quinn is different.

— Cillian Quinn

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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.

awards

7,856 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @gavin