mediate [c]

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino
he/him
36
october 28th
circhester, galar
demisexual
the harbinger
underboss
creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.
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7,760 posts
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Cillian Quinn
mediate [c]
POSTED ON Apr 30, 2021 8:03:36 GMT
Cillian Quinn Avatar
In the largest of Rocket's boardrooms, meant for a large number to gather, Lugia's imposing presence dominates the room. The shadowed legend appears to slumber, breath slow and eyes closed, but the stirring of movement sees its red eyes open, narrow. It feeds off the tension of its avatar, who paces in favour of sitting. There is too much energy in his muscles, miasma in his lungs that exits with every breath like dragon's smoke.

He moves too quickly when the door opens, as if expecting a fight, but forcibly relaxes upon seeing his intended visitor.

"Katherine." He had half expected her not to show; it's encouraging that she does, gives him hope that had been mistaken. She could have gone rogue in a heartbeat with the League as her protectors. "I assume you know what this is about?"

He doesn't intend to be cryptic; rather, he gives 's intelligence the benefit of the doubt. They're not long out of the excursion.
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played by

dani

the malevolent / kat
she/her
twenty three
october 7
sootopolis city
heterosexual
full-time bitch
council member
good girls go to heaven, bad girls rule the world
awards
2,258 posts
part of
TAG WITH @katherine
Katherine Fairburne
mediate [c]
POSTED ON Apr 30, 2021 8:42:49 GMT
Katherine Fairburne Avatar

[attr="class","katherine"]
[attr="class","katherinepokes"]

Timid reluctance accompanies Katherine's steps inside the submarine. Not because this wasn't a place she belonged to - for she did - but more thanks to the large number of people she didn't see herself blending in with anymore. It wasn't an issue she faced just in the headquarters of Rocket, but also in the League, the other organization she happened to work for.

Living a double life came with such inner struggles that one had to face. Fortunately, Katherine didn't have to face such turmoil by herself.

"Gavin," his name is spoken in kind, the slightest of smiles gracing the woman's lips as she proceeds to claim a seat for herself. Lugia is paid a lengthy glance as well, but her attention is soon to divert back to its Avatar.

"Mm... Yes." Once more, she glances around the room and searches with her eyes for another Underboss, the one who was most likely the reason behind this meeting.

"He isn't here, is he?" That much seemed obvious. "Ah. Still in the hospital, I presume?"


notes:

[attr="class","katherinetag"]


[newclass=.katherine] width: 330px; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify; color: #a3a3a3; padding: 20px; line-height: 12pt; margin-top: -10px; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherine b] color: #D5B259; font-size: 12px; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinetag] text-align:right; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinetag a] background: #2e2e2e; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #252525; text-transform: uppercase!important; font-family: 'roboto'; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; color: #aaa; letter-spacing: 1px!important; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinepokes] text-align:right; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinepokes img] padding: 0px 5px 5px 0px; background: #2e2e2e; border: solid 1px #252525; [/newclass]
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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino
he/him
36
october 28th
circhester, galar
demisexual
the harbinger
underboss
creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.
awards
7,760 posts
part of
TAG WITH @gavin
Cillian Quinn
mediate [c]
POSTED ON Apr 30, 2021 8:56:03 GMT
Cillian Quinn Avatar
Lugia stares back as eyes it. The legendary does not appear hostile, blinking its red eyes and shifting its wings. When Katherine turns her gaze to its avatar, so too does the leviathan.

Gavin does not return the smile, but neither is he hostile or accusatory. He shakes his head at the question.

"No, he's not here. He's recovered, and he'll join us later, but I wanted to hear your side of things first." Much as Choi was his friend and he felt a fierce protectiveness toward his fellow underboss, he was obligated to be as neutral as he could. That was his job. "So, talk me through it. What happened before the explosion? The first one."
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played by

dani

the malevolent / kat
she/her
twenty three
october 7
sootopolis city
heterosexual
full-time bitch
council member
good girls go to heaven, bad girls rule the world
awards
2,258 posts
part of
TAG WITH @katherine
Katherine Fairburne
mediate [c]
POSTED ON Apr 30, 2021 9:13:59 GMT
Katherine Fairburne Avatar

[attr="class","katherine"]
[attr="class","katherinepokes"]

"The one he set off, you mean?"

There's an important distinction to make there, for it was Chu-e - or another member of Rocket who was operating under his name - who set it off. It wasn't the League. It wasn't Fernando, Zac Ramsay or even the now-revealed Pokkenger. It was one of her own.

"I told them that I was going in. No one was going to suspect a thing if I went inside to snoop around, so I did just that. Fernando Silph was also there. We talked for less than a minute before the bomb went off."

She remembered the cataclysmic flames that scorched the councilman's body. She remembered witnessing it all from within the fire itself, unharmed. Giratina's blessing kept her alive, and by proxy, Fernando too. After all, she was the only one who could tend to him at the time.


notes:

[attr="class","katherinetag"]


[newclass=.katherine] width: 330px; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify; color: #a3a3a3; padding: 20px; line-height: 12pt; margin-top: -10px; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherine b] color: #D5B259; font-size: 12px; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinetag] text-align:right; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinetag a] background: #2e2e2e; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #252525; text-transform: uppercase!important; font-family: 'roboto'; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; color: #aaa; letter-spacing: 1px!important; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinepokes] text-align:right; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinepokes img] padding: 0px 5px 5px 0px; background: #2e2e2e; border: solid 1px #252525; [/newclass]
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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino
he/him
36
october 28th
circhester, galar
demisexual
the harbinger
underboss
creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.
awards
7,760 posts
part of
TAG WITH @gavin
Cillian Quinn
mediate [c]
POSTED ON Apr 30, 2021 9:23:13 GMT
Cillian Quinn Avatar
Gavin's lips purse. "Yes, that one."

His dissatisfaction is genuine; Choi often presented several plans and solutions for a situation, explosives included, but it was a rare thing to see their own agents get caught in the crossfire. Of course, this crossfire hadn't been intended. Choi had told him as much, that he wasn't the one to detonate the blast, but that didn't explain who did.

Gavin, evidently, does not approve of its detonation.

"What did you talk about with Silph?"
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played by

dani

the malevolent / kat
she/her
twenty three
october 7
sootopolis city
heterosexual
full-time bitch
council member
good girls go to heaven, bad girls rule the world
awards
2,258 posts
part of
TAG WITH @katherine
Katherine Fairburne
mediate [c]
POSTED ON Apr 30, 2021 9:33:24 GMT
Katherine Fairburne Avatar

[attr="class","katherine"]
[attr="class","katherinepokes"]

"His sunglasses."

She wasn't lying, nor was this said with the intent of insulting Gavin's intelligence. They did speak about his sunglasses, or rather, she mentioned that she liked them. "I said that they look good on him, and honestly, they did."

Her hand moves and a series of slow-paced taps on the table is performed by one of her digits.

"That's about it. He only got to say hello and thank me for the compliment before the bomb went off."


notes:

[attr="class","katherinetag"]


[newclass=.katherine] width: 330px; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify; color: #a3a3a3; padding: 20px; line-height: 12pt; margin-top: -10px; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherine b] color: #D5B259; font-size: 12px; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinetag] text-align:right; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinetag a] background: #2e2e2e; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #252525; text-transform: uppercase!important; font-family: 'roboto'; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; color: #aaa; letter-spacing: 1px!important; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinepokes] text-align:right; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinepokes img] padding: 0px 5px 5px 0px; background: #2e2e2e; border: solid 1px #252525; [/newclass]
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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino
he/him
36
october 28th
circhester, galar
demisexual
the harbinger
underboss
creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.
awards
7,760 posts
part of
TAG WITH @gavin
Cillian Quinn
mediate [c]
POSTED ON Apr 30, 2021 9:41:52 GMT
Cillian Quinn Avatar
Gavin has watched the short clip inside the glass workshop enough times to memorize it, enough times for his stomach to turn as he pictures her hand sliding down the councilman's chest. She isn't lying about the sunglasses.

"That's it?" he prods, brows vanishing beneath his fringe. "Nothing else?"

His gaze finds her hand on the table, mind counting the rhythm of her taps. Rocket has made him paranoid in his attention to detail and Lugia's overwhelming influence doesn't help.
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played by

dani

the malevolent / kat
she/her
twenty three
october 7
sootopolis city
heterosexual
full-time bitch
council member
good girls go to heaven, bad girls rule the world
awards
2,258 posts
part of
TAG WITH @katherine
Katherine Fairburne
mediate [c]
POSTED ON Apr 30, 2021 10:07:45 GMT
Katherine Fairburne Avatar

[attr="class","katherine"]
[attr="class","katherinepokes"]

"Nothing else."

She may have managed to slip in a comment or two about the friends that were waiting for them outside, but Gavin didn't need to know about that. It'll only serve to drive him further away from her side and closer into Chu-e's arms.

The tapping continues, still following the same slow, drawn-out rhythm. Whether if a hidden meaning to it remains beneath the surface level seems to remain relatively unknown.

"We work together, Gavin. I talk to him whenever we see each other. A man who is as powerful as Fernando Silph is a man you want to stay on the good side of."


notes:

[attr="class","katherinetag"]


[newclass=.katherine] width: 330px; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify; color: #a3a3a3; padding: 20px; line-height: 12pt; margin-top: -10px; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherine b] color: #D5B259; font-size: 12px; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinetag] text-align:right; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinetag a] background: #2e2e2e; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #252525; text-transform: uppercase!important; font-family: 'roboto'; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; color: #aaa; letter-spacing: 1px!important; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinepokes] text-align:right; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinepokes img] padding: 0px 5px 5px 0px; background: #2e2e2e; border: solid 1px #252525; [/newclass]
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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino
he/him
36
october 28th
circhester, galar
demisexual
the harbinger
underboss
creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.
awards
7,760 posts
part of
TAG WITH @gavin
Cillian Quinn
mediate [c]
POSTED ON Apr 30, 2021 11:29:32 GMT
Cillian Quinn Avatar
"Mm."

His expression turns grim. The rhythmic tapping of Katherine's fingers is interrupted by a muted thump as Lugia's tail thuds against the floor. It can sense the spike in its avatar's mood, feeds off him just as he had fed off it in their excursion to Route 113.

He has since stopped pacing, channeling his excess energy into their conversation.

"Choi didn't detonate that bomb."
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played by

dani

the malevolent / kat
she/her
twenty three
october 7
sootopolis city
heterosexual
full-time bitch
council member
good girls go to heaven, bad girls rule the world
awards
2,258 posts
part of
TAG WITH @katherine
Katherine Fairburne
mediate [c]
POSTED ON Apr 30, 2021 13:04:51 GMT
Katherine Fairburne Avatar

[attr="class","katherine"]
[attr="class","katherinepokes"]

"Oh?"

As much as that could solve their problems so easily, she won't fall for what she perceives to be a lie so quickly. "Then who did, Gavin? Am I expected to believe that it was the mad bitch with the gun or the grunt they came along with?"

And even if it had been one of those two, they must've done it under orders from Chu-e. He was the most senior among the group, so the decision must've been his. "Go on, I assume you've summoned me because you already know what did happen. So, please, enlighten me. What happened? What caused one of them to make the decision to gamble on my life?"

Katherine wasn't meant to survive such an explosion, that much was certain. If someone had set it off intentionally, then they have done it with the purpose of getting rid of her.


notes:

[attr="class","katherinetag"]


[newclass=.katherine] width: 330px; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify; color: #a3a3a3; padding: 20px; line-height: 12pt; margin-top: -10px; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherine b] color: #D5B259; font-size: 12px; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinetag] text-align:right; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinetag a] background: #2e2e2e; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #252525; text-transform: uppercase!important; font-family: 'roboto'; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; color: #aaa; letter-spacing: 1px!important; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinepokes] text-align:right; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinepokes img] padding: 0px 5px 5px 0px; background: #2e2e2e; border: solid 1px #252525; [/newclass]
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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino
he/him
36
october 28th
circhester, galar
demisexual
the harbinger
underboss
creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.
awards
7,760 posts
part of
TAG WITH @gavin
Cillian Quinn
mediate [c]
POSTED ON Apr 30, 2021 13:28:37 GMT
Cillian Quinn Avatar
He expects her to be combative, braces for it. The insult against rolls off his expression as easily as the rest, though internally he feels a spark of outrage.

"If I knew what happened, you wouldn't be here. You'd be dealing with Walsh, or Choi would." Though they were equals, Gavin wasn't above pulling the boss in to solve conflict with his counterpart if he felt it warranted. "Choi seems to think it was you, because you got out relatively unscathed. From what I hear, Silph was seriously wounded."

He also knew Silph had made it out alive, regrettably.

"But I want to hear it from you: why weren't you hurt?"
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played by

dani

the malevolent / kat
she/her
twenty three
october 7
sootopolis city
heterosexual
full-time bitch
council member
good girls go to heaven, bad girls rule the world
awards
2,258 posts
part of
TAG WITH @katherine
Katherine Fairburne
mediate [c]
POSTED ON Apr 30, 2021 13:48:21 GMT
Katherine Fairburne Avatar

[attr="class","katherine"]
[attr="class","katherinepokes"]

As much as Katherine wanted to take credit for this, ultimately, it was only thanks to Giratina that she was alive today. The God who chose to nest itself inside her made a decision to intervene that day and protect what is his: her.

"He was, yes. He almost died."

Which nearly gave her a heart attack, all things considered.

"Because, unlike Tapu Fini, Giratina prides itself as a god with no equal," after all, she'd seen it with her own eyes. Fernando's partner was slow to arrive, and it nearly cost the life of its avatar. If it wasn't for her, maybe it would have.

"I lived because it wouldn't let me die."

It's not just the usual vanity that Katherine was molded with, it's the renewed confidence that Giratina inspired in her each time they stood by each other's side. It knows her. It knows everything. What she thinks, what she wants, what she needs.

Today, she could proudly say that they were one.

"But whoever set the bomb off didn't know that, Gavin. Whoever did it expected me to be in the same state as Fernando was."

Dead.


notes:

[attr="class","katherinetag"]


[newclass=.katherine] width: 330px; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify; color: #a3a3a3; padding: 20px; line-height: 12pt; margin-top: -10px; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherine b] color: #D5B259; font-size: 12px; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinetag] text-align:right; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinetag a] background: #2e2e2e; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #252525; text-transform: uppercase!important; font-family: 'roboto'; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; color: #aaa; letter-spacing: 1px!important; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinepokes] text-align:right; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinepokes img] padding: 0px 5px 5px 0px; background: #2e2e2e; border: solid 1px #252525; [/newclass]
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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino
he/him
36
october 28th
circhester, galar
demisexual
the harbinger
underboss
creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.
awards
7,760 posts
part of
TAG WITH @gavin
Cillian Quinn
mediate [c]
POSTED ON Apr 30, 2021 14:32:14 GMT
Cillian Quinn Avatar
So it had been her power as an avatar to save her. Gavin takes note of this, intrigued, but doesn't prod further. They've more important matters at hand than the logistics of her survival: she'd lived, that was what mattered.

"What reason would Choi have to assassinate you?" Gavin shakes his head. "He knew you went ahead. He's impulsive, Katherine, but he's not going to gamble Rocket lives without a damn good reason."

He doesn't intend to imply that there must be a reason, only that he doesn't think Chu-e is the cause for the explosion. His tone, though terse, lacks the fire of accusation.
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played by

dani

the malevolent / kat
she/her
twenty three
october 7
sootopolis city
heterosexual
full-time bitch
council member
good girls go to heaven, bad girls rule the world
awards
2,258 posts
part of
TAG WITH @katherine
Katherine Fairburne
mediate [c]
POSTED ON May 3, 2021 12:21:47 GMT
Katherine Fairburne Avatar

[attr="class","katherine"]
[attr="class","katherinepokes"]

“You haven’t answered my question.”

Calm, collected, and even almost cold - her tone remains monotone. Shouting and yelling at Gavin will achieve nothing. She wants to make sense of the situation and what unfolded, she doesn’t want to doubt his words despite how little she trusts others. “If it wasn’t Chu-e, then who was it?”

Her eyes find his, locking as she stares deep into them.

“Do you expect me to believe that no one did? That the bomb decided to explode against everyone’s wishes?”

Ironically enough, this seemed quite plausible. With the number of scientists Team Rocket fired and hired every few months, bad apples and unreliable technology weren’t too hard to find.


notes:

[attr="class","katherinetag"]


[newclass=.katherine] width: 330px; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify; color: #a3a3a3; padding: 20px; line-height: 12pt; margin-top: -10px; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherine b] color: #D5B259; font-size: 12px; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinetag] text-align:right; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinetag a] background: #2e2e2e; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #252525; text-transform: uppercase!important; font-family: 'roboto'; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; color: #aaa; letter-spacing: 1px!important; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinepokes] text-align:right; [/newclass] [newclass=.katherinepokes img] padding: 0px 5px 5px 0px; background: #2e2e2e; border: solid 1px #252525; [/newclass]
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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino
he/him
36
october 28th
circhester, galar
demisexual
the harbinger
underboss
creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.
awards
7,760 posts
part of
TAG WITH @gavin
Cillian Quinn
mediate [c]
POSTED ON May 3, 2021 12:36:22 GMT
Cillian Quinn Avatar
He appreciates that she does not yell; Gavin, too, maintains his composure throughout. His upbringing in Galar and conditioning within Rocket had taught him that raised voices were not necessary to convey a point.

"I don't know. That's why we're here."

And that's the thing: he doesn't expect a malfunction or misfire. He expects a culprit, but he doesn't believe it to be Choi. He doesn't believe that it's Katherine, either. He doubts she'd have risked her position by turning on Chu-e if she'd been the one to detonate it. But if not them, who?

"Technology malfunctions, but that's not to say it's—"

He's cut off by the sound of the door opening, rough, as his fellow underboss barges into the room. Lugia's curled form shifts as a spike of irritation from Gavin disturbs its lounging, its tail lashing against the metal wall.

"We weren't done." He was fond of Choi, even, but the sharp edge to his tone is all business. "I told you I'd let you know when to join us."