dahlia shakes her head and like a fox's tail, a golden curl loosens and swings. despite the other's decorations, this meeting, this moment is separate from all others: an isolated encounter that removes past and potential.

for now.

"i received a report that says you were involved in an attack on route 113's glass workshop. during this incident, you assisted unknown assailants." dahlia speaks cleanly with little flair, "is this true?"

Kazimir Wynter

"so, we can confirm that you were, indeed, on the route that day."

dahlia picks up a retractable pen, pushes its button with a crisp click before gliding its tip across a notepad. she does not look down at her paper.

"does helping a few folks include assisting them with their assault on the workshop?" the pen drops as her hands and forearms flatten against the desk. leaning forward, she says, "i'll let you unmask your side of the story. how does that sound?"

Kazimir Wynter

"so you admit you were reckless." dahlia fakes personable eye contact for scrutiny. the handsome blond before her does little to shake the commissioner from her air of business. "kazimir, i trust my elite four very much. Katherine Fairburne saw the pokkenger in the thick of battle."

she pauses.

"she saw you." dahlia stands, her heels hitting the floor with punctuated clacks.

she walks over to the blond, one hand clasping the curve of the chair's headrest.

"how important is the secrecy of your identity?"

Kazimir Wynter

it's almost endearing. the defenseless is teeters close to childlike— but not immaturity. her heels are persian claws. they pierce needle thin against the floor as she walks around the chair.

"in other words, you came onto the scene with little contextual knowledge. acted impulsively." dahlia's lips come together sharply before she speaks again in multiple choice. "or perhaps, you thought it was a decisive action. a heroic launch into the unknown."

she brings her heels together with a single step.

"you're rough around the edges, kazimir." dahlia says. "but not without potential. what you did, frankly, was reckless. unacceptable. i could have you strung up."

she softens the cut of her voice.

"but we can make other arrangements. are you interested?"

Kazimir Wynter

"depends on your perspective." dahlia says, shoes still pointed together. "i call it community service."

finally, she breaks from her stance. leaning over to her desk, she unsheathes the first slip of her notepad. below, an altered contract is unearthed.

"for a period of time, the pokkenger will act as a proxy of the aqua initiative." dahlia lifts herself onto the desk with her palms. with legs crossed, she sets the stack of papers on her lap. "use of his services, his image... community service."

Kazimir Wynter

"for avatars, yes. however, you would act as an auxiliary figure. i've tasked members of the initiative to look for promising trainers anyway."

she says, flipping through the leaves of her paperwork. they whisper as they billow up and down before settling underneath the weight of previous pages.

"if you agree to this opportunity, there is one stipulation you must know." dahlia's hand smooths out the top title page. "should you become an avatar, you must report to me— and be assigned as a member of the initiative. the choice is yours, pokkenger."

Kazimir Wynter