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POSTED ON Jan 2, 2021 8:57:03 GMT

He sat quietly as the heated water opened his pores.

Half here and half not.

It had taken him a while to even make it to the hot springs from the actual bathhouse. He'd felt so dirty coming in he rinsed and then lathered and scrubbed away with a vigorous psychosis before repeating again. He rubbed shampoo into his scalp so intensely it was more like scratching near the end; he winced from the pain the cold water running over the raw skin of his crown.

Co-ed hot springs weren't common anywhere, let alone in Hoenn, yet here they were.

There was a listing for such a place in Lavaridge; a city world famous for their Hot Springs. It was tempting but this was the better choice, the scarce ashes falling down from Mt. Chimney gave this hot spring a certain visual charm Lavaridge couldn't offer.

With the Magcargo Swarm he was tasked to guard having made it through Meteor Falls without incident, the Ranger was already roughly in the area.

He leaned back his head back against a rock, sitting upon a larger rock like a king on a throne; submerged from the throat down.

● tags: cait alfric
● notes: Mission Specs

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y o y o

cai

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twenty-three

may 15

fortree

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POSTED ON Jan 2, 2021 9:44:31 GMT

she'd enter the hot springs a few moments after he had gotten settled, washing off whatever grime or sweat had accumulated prior to her arrival. cait arrived with her mane damp and a hint of weariness present within her features; covered in naught more than a towel as her bare feet lightly smacked against trimmed stone.

the fluffy cloth that had been provided would eventually be stripped and tucked away, a toe tentatively dipped into the waters before its owner slipped in little by little. eventually the water rose to her bosom, a little sigh escaping parted lips. she lacked her usual makeup, the flesh of her face bare as the steam rose and rolled pleasantly over freckled skin.

it was rare to see her without, her freckles more prominent and her lips unpainted. though her beau had seen her in such a state multiple times over, having witnessed her prior to her morning rituals where she donned the paint and powder.

she smoothly settled at sénon's side, serving as the queen to his kingly majesty.

"looks like we have the springs all to ourselves," she remarked, casually. "for now, at least."

cait peer around the enclosed area, noting that it was entirely vacant.

"i have plans for this new year."

her tone was vaguely conspiratorial, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

"i'll be switching up my degree," she continued. "political science. something to help me in the long run."

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slowe

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Thirty One

November 13

Cinnabar Island

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POSTED ON Jan 2, 2021 10:31:19 GMT

As Cait joined his side he slipped a hand around her to gently grasp at her side, perhaps subconsciously afraid she would drift away if he let go.

He listened in peace to the running water and the sound of his own deep breathing. When Cait began to speak, those focuses went to her instead.

He didn't open his eyes, his mind still partially elsewhere he maintained some vague half meditation. The other half that wasn't meditating pondered his lover and what changes in her would cause for a redirection in her academic endeavors.

Of course that meant a quiet life in the woods wouldn't be very practical and the realization of that caused him to sit up and look into her gaze, his sense of hearing not being enough to verify her certainty. "It'd be a dumb question for me to ask if that's really what you want." It wasn't for him to question her change, only to support it. Still, he would need to find some understanding.

He didn't like the idea of Cait becoming more of public figure if that's where the new direction was headed but it wasn't the end of the world. If his fears of her becoming a bigger and more accessible target came to pass, he would just have to resign himself to becoming a more swift executioner of those who aim at her.

As much as he loathed politics he could understand how others might find it fascinating and if nothing else it would eventually pay off to have someone as invested in him as herself navigating the political landscape of Hoenn, if she chose to apply the knowledge that way.

"I'd recommend Game of Thrones for some passive studying." He settled back against the rock again. "Best political maneuvering ever put to a television screen."

● tags: cait alfric
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cai

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POSTED ON Jan 2, 2021 10:58:48 GMT

she easily detected the underlying worry present within his tone of voice. and her laughter was genuine as he referenced the outrageously bloody 'game of thrones', the woman pressing herself against his side as she chortled. a familiar gesture that involved her running her fingers through his crimson mane followed, her touch its usual amount of reverent.

"i want to enact change, baby. and i can't do that from a cozy little shop in fortree."

perhaps as a gym leader she'd have managed as much. but a seat on the council would allow her to aid in crafting a finely-tuned region. hoenn was in desperate need of reform, the league proving largely ineffective in various ways.

"it's not going to stop me from becoming a mama. i may travel a lot more than i'd personally fancy - but there's a price to everything we do."

even if she had to travel with babes and a protective mate in tow, she'd do it.

"i want a future where we won't have to constantly worry about losing everything."

she'd reach to caress his face, moving to gingerly turn it so she could press a loving kiss to his lips.

"i'd love to live a more domestic lifestyle. but it'll be hard for me to sleep at night knowing i didn't at least try to build something that lasts."

her hands pulled away, the woman idly circling a finger upon his chest. a subtle action she did when she was in the process of mulling over something, her lips pursing ever so slightly and her noise scrunching up cutely in thought.

"i'll be alright, i think. especially if you're coming along for the ride."

she imagined him standing at her side as she did her work, sharply dressed and well-groomed.

'my handsome man,' she thought, her heart aflutter.

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slowe

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Cinnabar Island

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POSTED ON Jan 2, 2021 11:27:14 GMT

It was an easy picture to paint, the two of them all dapper and refined giving the people of Hoenn hope through Caits lawful reforms and his steadfast support of her.

Of course the hidden details of that picture were a mosaic his mind was deciphering as Cait indulged in his hair, his chest, his lips. He was still with her in this moment as much as he could be but the part of his mind was that was meditating a moment before was now taking apart that lovely mental image of a future looming over them.

He was little more than a sphinx as he contemplated everything her new ambitions would put into play.

Aside from all the obvious changes that were to come there two things that served as obstacles things that might push them to their limits as lovers, that would expose the weaknesses they had as a couple.

First and more superficially was the fact that politicians with boyfriends weren't very celebrated while those with husbands were exalted. If he did go along with her into this brave new objective for the region there would come the day when he would have to marry under the weight and prying eyes of the league itself.

It bothered him, the thought of having to bring the law into his love when the two concepts had nothing but popular compulsion connecting them to begin with.

The second problem was the real problem and it caused a frown on his face so carved in that he was glad his eyes had closed already; the shame of the implication of his thoughts would have made it impossible to look at her.

If she was going to use politics to reshape Hoenn and doing so meant she needed him by her side, there would be no one who was free and ready to forcibly take back Kanto the way it had to be taken; with bullets, bombs and blood of the brave and the bold.

No political maneuvering would liberate Lavender Town or save Celadon City.

If he gave himself in support of her saving her region, he would have to let go of his own.

In his mind he tried to balance Cait on one scale against Kanto on the opposing scale and his mind refused to yield a final answer.

He opened his eyes but the frown and furrowed brows wouldn't go away. "I understand." The words were true even if he didn't share with her the full context of them. He wanted the same thing for his home but it made his stomach flip to even consider letting go of Cait to get it back.

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cai

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POSTED ON Jan 2, 2021 11:38:50 GMT

cait pondered over his rudimentary response, a flash of worry causing a familiar spike of anxiety.

"sénon?"

she tilted her head up and peered at his expression as a frown pulled at the corners of her lips, a certain amount of stoniness plaguing his chiseled features. no matter the faces he pulled he remained aesthetically pleasing beneath her gaze, radiating no small amount of masculinity.

"talk to me, baby," she insisted.

openness remained a two-way street, cait remaining entirely honest about her perspective; about her feelings - about her intentions. he was even aware of the sickness which presently plagued her - which had caused partial ruination of her mental faculties. but his presence held her together; kept her well-anchored and at peace.

"is something wrong?"

she grasped at a strand of his hair and gave it a light tug, her brows arching high upon her forehead.

"if you don't think this is a good idea - i want to hear it."

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slowe

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Cinnabar Island

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POSTED ON Jan 2, 2021 16:52:14 GMT

The tugging at his hair was merely a physical reflection of her will tugging at his heart.

Without knowing she pulled him in the direction she herself went. It was easy to go along with until now, their interests never serving to interrupt each other the way they did now.

Even that was more his fault than her own. How was she supposed to know that he intended war if that was what it took to rid Kanto of the Rockets that plagued it; he never told her as much. So much of their time together had been sharing and letting each other in. Though where Cait bore her truths like fruit for Sénon to pluck and savor, although they were seemingly more meager in comparison he dug in with his own truths like a tick burrowing below the skin.

His time as a would-be Rocket during their early years, the death of his childhood starter team when he turned against Rocket, the deaths he wouldn't shy away from causing to remove Rocket from Kanto. He'd told her none of it.

As much he offered her his shoulder and advice, the way he'd been a rock for her to anchor her from the turbulence of her suffering, it crumbled him and made him feel like an imposter that he hadn't truly allowed her to do the same for him.

It was one hell of a bout of emotional whiplash, so severe that despite his chest not trembling and voice not shaking, his eyes welled just the same.

He couldn't leave Cait, he'd done it once before and it only brought him back to her arms. Yet, the thought of leaving behind Kanto, leaving behind his home and giving up on his revenge literally pained (and frustrated) him to tears.

"I think its a fine idea." His speaking voice was baritone and ripe with conviction, he told her no lies, same as always. "Its noble and earnest and something I would be proud to watch."

His hands clenched into fists before he could continue on. "But I won't be able to sit watch you better Hoenn while Kanto decays." His expression became a grave one, like nothing she'd seen on him since the first time they met and he reprimanded a spiteful dragon several times his size. "What happens when the righteous things we want force us apart?" When he finally blinked, the tears ran down a short ways before joining the spring water.

● tags: cait alfric
● notes: yikes who saw this coming?

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cai

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may 15

fortree

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POSTED ON Jan 2, 2021 17:18:00 GMT

"oh."

it was a special sort of agony to witness your lover break down little by little. she'd been initially stunned by the sight of his fresh tears, her brow deeply furrowed as she tenderly cupped his cheek with her hand.

'of course he'd think about home.'

hadn't she done the same? wasn't she presently taking the steps to better secure her land and its people? senon wasn't a native; the man birthed on a distant land that had been tainted by rocket's presence. the arceus-cursed lot had thoroughly violated the region he called home, leaving naught more than despair and discord in the wake of their destruction.

'i didn't - '

she felt like such a gods forsaken idiot. cait hadn't truly realized how much it had pained the man, having been fixated on her own dreams.

"i'm sorry," she said.

the woman sought to soothe him with her touch, gingerly wiping at his face and pressing a kiss to his cheek quickly followed by another one.

"i didn't realize - i wasn't thinking about - "

she took a breath, shutting her eyes and steadying herself mentally as she quickly organized her thoughts.

"we'd figure something out. we'd make a plan. but we wouldn't let the simple act of doing the right thing drive us apart."

cait contemplated a future where sénon left with every intention of salvaging his home. she'd worry for him, fearing what rocket would do. it'd be days following his absence - she predicted - that'd she'd agonize over his absence.

"if you left for kanto - "

she swallowed thickly.

"if you left i'd support you. nothing would change. i'd miss you - i'd pray for you everyday."

part of her didn't want to let him go. the woman wanted sénon at her side so they could properly settle. but she refused to be so selfish, smothering that desire to convince him otherwise.

"i..."

she wilts just a little.

"i'm just so afraid something is going to happen to you out there. rocket is -... you know how they are. i just want you safe and happy, sénon."

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slowe

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Thirty One

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POSTED ON Jan 2, 2021 18:23:55 GMT

She broke him with her words of support.

Every loving kiss, every caress to ease his pain, every word of affirmation and commitment was a lance through the heart.

Truly, she was better creature than he. With the water displacing their weight she was as light as air and that made it easier to pull her into straddling his lap.

It wasn't his virility that urged him to pull her close, but rather his vulnerability.

Wrapping his arms around her his crown rested on her collarbone and his nose in her cleavage. He hid from her in his shame needing her strength to shed his doubts. The moment not sexual but sensual.

Who would he become if he returned to those dark days before her? If he'd already given her his heart, what kind of monster would he become if he went back to Kanto without it.

She said all the right things, that they didn't have to choose between being together and doing what was right for their homes, but he wasn't convinced they could both move heaven and earth to fix both regions without sacrificing something in the process. Before long the frustration that moments before made for his clenched fists, now made for his body to tremble and his jaw clenched so tight it felt like he could crack a tooth from the pressure.

Leaving her felt wrong, like a gamble not worth the risk. The fact that he was willing to be wrong in that way made him feel like he didn't deserve her; old traumas and loses rising to the surface. He felt as low as dirt at the idea of separating from her (even if it was only a separation of proximity) to wage a war on Rocket but the idea of not going home to fight for Kanto, made him feel like he was already six feet under.

He tried to talk but his voice was already compromised his throat trying to swallow a slab of shame, confusion and frustration. Instead he held her close trying to find the resolve she had. ". . ." His thumb drawing an endless circle into her thigh.

● tags: cait alfric
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cai

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twenty-three

may 15

fortree

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POSTED ON Jan 3, 2021 6:40:17 GMT

she'd hold him as he held her, gently massaging his scalp with her freshly manicured fingernails. cait happily served as his source of comfort, internally taking care to mind his feelings from this moment onward.

'i don't want him to leave me.'

she feared for his personal wellbeing if decided to take flight in a desperate bid to free his homeland. he belonged here - within reach - safely tucked away beneath the sheets of her bed and nestled deeply within the depths of her heart. here he could father the children she desperately wanted, joining her people once they were united by way of ceremony.

they could be utterly content and perhaps even at peace, once team rocket was properly dealt with.

"we'll figure it out, sénon," she assured. "together."

cait considered her options with care, a thoughtful look settling across her features as she absently stroked his mane.

'stay with me,' she thought. 'i'll give you everything i have - if you just stay by my side.'

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