[attr="class","beck"]theo arrives punctual, not a second late.

the thick metal doors may prove imposing to some, but its threat is lost on him as he reaches for the handle. he pushes, not even thinking to knock, and enters.

"merlino."

[attr="class","noodles"]Cillian Quinn

There is no resistance to the door beyond its weight; it opens inward to the space beyond.

The office lacks personality, all cold metal tones but for the wooden desk in the center. Yet it speaks to the ghost of the man Gavin had learned it from, and Gavin's presence heralds a similar sense of dread.

He sits behind the desk, cants his head. Stares.

"I don't recall inviting you in."

[attr="class","beck"]discomfort floods the moment he enters the room, instinctual. it's drab, lacks personality, but reminds him of too much. he's already tensing by the time he stops by merlino's desk.

his eyes flick over to the chair but he doesn't sit.

"may i?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Cillian Quinn

Gavin barely moves, but his eyes follow Theo as he steps further into the room. The power is intoxicating; he senses discomfort like a Sharpedo senses blood, lets it sink into his pores like satisfaction.

He has come farther than he'd dared to dream, then.

For a moment he considers pettiness, but memories see him relent.

Gavin inclines his head. "Sit."

There is one hint as to the man behind the desk that Blackwell's office had sported, too: a Pokémon. Beyond a circular portal to the ocean's depths, the red-eyed legend swims in silent audience to a long-awaited reunion.

"What made you come back?"

[attr="class","beck"]he sits, and no matter how much he shifts, he knows comfort will not be found here. especially not when a pair of red-eyes loom just outside the porthole. he blinks, looks away, does his best to ignore it.

"i never really left."

the meaning behind the words are left to be pondered. he offers a simpler one.

"rocket seemed to have a more stable leadership now. in kanto, at least."

[attr="class","noodles"]Cillian Quinn

Theo's right; it had been Gavin to leave, though it had not been by choice.

Rocket was a mindset as much as it was a lifestyle. Though there had been a time where Theo had shaken his chains, the fetters of the past were quick to cinch tight.

Gavin knew only too well; his leash has changed hands, his collar loosened, but he remains Rocket's bitch.

He's changed, in the years they've spent apart, but only so much.

His brow lifts at the implication.

"And in Hoenn?"

[attr="class","beck"]"i asked to be transferred here."

a beat.

"so you tell me."

[attr="class","noodles"]Cillian Quinn

Gavin's eyes narrow.

"You're not an admin here, Beckett."

His tone has gone cold, a warning. Unbidden, miasma swirls at the tips of his fingers. He has not forgotten their excursion to Mt. Pyre.

"I ask you a question, you'll answer it."

[attr="class","beck"]there is defiance in his gaze, in the way he hesitates to answer. he bites it down, swallows it, and nods.

"hoenn is in good hands, all things considered."

[attr="class","noodles"]Cillian Quinn

Gavin meets defiance with an unwavering stare, practically begging the challenge.

Wisely, Theo backs down.

Gavin, having leaned forward with his implied threat, settles back into his chair. Comfortable leather creaks beneath his weight.

"Walsh is Kanto stock." His tone suggests that's good. "Not all of them are."

Kanto was a world he'd hoped not to return to, but the underboss sees merit in its soldiers' obedience. It's why when he sees the spark of defiance in Theo's eyes, he's pleased when the former admin snuffs it out.

[attr="class","beck"]"clearly."

it slips before he's able to catch it. he forces himself to look away, forces the acceptance of their dynamic. it's more difficult than he had thought.

[attr="class","noodles"]Cillian Quinn

"If you have a problem, Beckett, I expect you to speak plainly."

Like an alpha, Gavin bares his teeth. But when he speaks, it is with his own cool cadence, with none of Blackwell's endless fire.

"I am not Blackwell. I will not punish honesty. I expect your obedience, but I do not want it blind. I'd hope you know me better than that."

After all these years, Theo still knew him better than most.

[attr="class","beck"]old habits are difficult to shake, especially ones that were beaten and conditioned. he exhales, returns his gaze.

"your rocket is soft."

[attr="class","noodles"]Cillian Quinn