MARCH UPDATE

POSTED ON May 15, 2021 1:49:01 GMT

Lulu Flint likes this

It was only a matter of time before he found this place. Giona Ferrara was made a line cook at a restaurant, two thirds of which were technically a safehouse for Rocket activity. Even the parking lot was a den of scum and villainy at certain hours of the day. It was only a matter of time before he was sent to some run-down warehouse to repurpose it for smuggling, like a weed slowly taking over a neglected plot of land.

He'd spared no real mental bandwidth to the rumored ghosts in the warehouse. Could've been a figure of speech. A concept of the people Rockets murdered or simply allowed to die here in years prior doing more than just paint the interior. He wasn't scared of ghosts either way, the biggest scare of his life so far was staring down the barrel of a 13 year sentence in Fortree.

"Well, here goes nothing." He grabbed onto the door on the side, not bothering with the wide steel shutter so heavy that it was on wheels. This place used to store tools for stress-testing boats, as well as outright spare parts for fishing vessels. He pulled the pin from a cheap lighter in one of his pockets and felt around inside the lock on the door, pushing up a succession of ridges meant for a key. He then reassembled his lighter and grabbed the doorhandle. It swung open with a high pitched 'reeeeEEEE' as if the hinges hadn't been oiled in years.

Truth be told, he flinched when he heard a stranger approach. Everything seems 15% louder in the dead of night. A chill ran up his spine, and he turned to face her, propping the door open with one of his heavy grey boots. He then fumbled around with his lighter and a thin yet bendable cigarette you'd see in an anime. Giona put it in his mouth and pocketed the lighter. His eyes couldn't hide it though, he looked like he'd already seen a ghost when he heard her.

TL;DR: It's the paranormal activity mission. The mission where paranormal activity interferes with their actual stated goal.

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played by

mad

saoirse quinn

she/her

october 27

circhester, galar

bisexual

physicist / inventor

head scientist

5’8” height

every night i burn, dream the black crow dream

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POSTED ON May 16, 2021 2:16:00 GMT

giona ferrara

Lulu was scared of ghosts. Sure, it manifested in anger in the labs, but the truth was right there in the sweat no one saw beneath a big white coat.

Ghosts could deaden technology. Tear apart her work and (usually) laugh about it. They could pass through her body, immune to punches or bullets. What the fuck?

Good thing there weren’t any yet.

Just this guy.

She was here to look for something. Stumbling upon him was by chance, and Lulu rarely felt intimidated by the presence of anyone anymore, having the ability to disappear into the night at whim.

Part-drunk on tequila, she regarded the man. Her Galarian voice came out from a partly shaded face. “That’s a good trick.”

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planetofthevapes

catello casimiro

he him

twenty-four

june 20th

Mauville City

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rocket member

executive

125 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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POSTED ON May 16, 2021 3:35:20 GMT

noah faber and Lulu Flint like this

Giona took a long drag from his cigarette. Not only did it puncture the fresh sea-salt scent of the air with a cool and earthy aroma; like someone made a fragrance based on mint chocolate chip ice cream, but it also illuminated his face in the dark. It appeared as though there was a gleam in his eyes, though they merely reflected the reddish-orange light mere inches from his face.

"Well, thanks. It's not that hard to get a pin inside a lock, you just have to buy a cheap lighter and pick it apart. Do it slowly, or you'll have new fingerprints for a while, haha!" He admitted, thinking back to all the attempts at this that she DIDN'T see, wherein he warped his fingers, or set something on fire on accident. Giona gave a toothy grin, and narrowed his eyes to try and zero in on the face obscured by the shade, and the hair framing it so well.

He then pulled the personnel door open, and patted around in the dark inside the doorway for a rock to prop open the door. He then entered the building, his arm beckoning her in as his body was swallowed by the shade. He had just a bit of light, and his eyes would adjust soon enough.

Lulu Flint

TL;DR: It's the paranormal activity mission. The mission where paranormal activity interferes with their actual stated goal.

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played by

mad

saoirse quinn

she/her

october 27

circhester, galar

bisexual

physicist / inventor

head scientist

5’8” height

every night i burn, dream the black crow dream

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TAG WITH @lulu

POSTED ON May 17, 2021 1:40:45 GMT

giona ferrara likes this

giona ferrara

It wafted: the scent of minty paul walls. Through a ribbon a smoke, her amber eyes watched him with utter ease and the smallest curling of shaded features. She liked people like this one. Genuinely. Lulu didn't like many people, especially not right off the bat.

The scientist knew little tricks like these. She’d started off tinkering with the smallest objects. Lighters had been some of the first to be disassembled and investigated in her teen years. How could all of these parts be used for something else? This was one of the most basic questions to ever exist in her mind.

New fingerprints. She could deal with that. A light laugh came from the bottom of her tired chest at his spirited grin.

He was welcoming her in; a stranger who had just appeared out of the night, unannounced, lingering behind him. He wasn’t taken aback. Was that stupidity, or was there more to this character? Instead, he chose to teach her something—or at least, as far as he knew. She followed. She wouldn’t sleep for days. She had all the time in the world.

“What’re you doing here?” It wasn’t threatening or foreboding, just genuinely curious.

Lulu had no idea about the mission. She was here to look for something. She also, of course, had no idea he was on the same team.

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planetofthevapes

catello casimiro

he him

twenty-four

june 20th

Mauville City

ask him

rocket member

executive

125 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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POSTED ON May 17, 2021 2:12:01 GMT

Lulu Flint likes this

Through the thick ribbon of smoke, she trained her eyes on him. He could feel them, like someone peering over his shoulder. With the door propped open, he descended the concrete stairs, small and tightly packed together. His rhythm as he caught himself instead of eating shit on the concrete seemed to mimic a tap-dancing routine. Hello my baby, hello my honey, etc.

She seemed to admire his gusto, his productive use of his restless nature. A little laugh escaped Lulu as he explained the lighter trick. She lingered there, outside the doorway. No matter! He would simply finish descending the stairs and move closer, so as to avoid yelling. Everything seemed 15% louder at night, and he wouldn't dare push his luck with the cops being called again. He took a drag off his cigarette, and an adidas-lace sized line of ash fell between his shoes.

Was it confidence? Stupidity? Either way, he broke down his trick to try and cut the tension. To put himself out there, regardless of if she was here to rat him out. He looked up at her, and whispered. "I think I can trust you, for whatever reason. You would've bagged and tagged me already if you were an officer, watching me trespass. I'm here on orders from Team Rocket to scout out this haunted warehouse, so we can use it to smuggle shit. I'll... look the other way, if you help yourself to something nice in there."

He offered to her, in the same manner that a cat would tell you to help yourself to the rat it fetches for you. He dug around in his chest pocket, offering her one of his cheap, fragrant cigarettes. It was a thin white tube, the kind of bendable and match-like cigarette you'd see in an anime.

Lulu Flint

TL;DR: He's a clown! A fool! He'd already been arrested once!

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played by

mad

saoirse quinn

she/her

october 27

circhester, galar

bisexual

physicist / inventor

head scientist

5’8” height

every night i burn, dream the black crow dream

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TAG WITH @lulu

POSTED ON May 17, 2021 4:53:44 GMT

giona ferrara

He was close, yet she remained, tequila wafting off her own breath. Lazy eyes stared at him, never leaving as he went on, but clearly devoid of full attention.

The benevolence turned to sharp ice at the mention of Rocket. He had given it away so easily. Sure, they were taking over—but Lulu hadn’t been here for long. She wasn’t used to being ‘out’ like this. Lulu was used to being in the Dragons. Her protectiveness was a mouth full of teeth.

She became something darker: a snake with an eye on prey. How dare he be so brazen? This was her family. She slithered, following behind, quietly.

“Oh, will you? That’s nice.”

Amber eyes stared at him with sleepless patience. All things with time.

“You know what’s haunting this shithole?”

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played by

planetofthevapes

catello casimiro

he him

twenty-four

june 20th

Mauville City

ask him

rocket member

executive

125 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @jonah

POSTED ON May 17, 2021 21:20:54 GMT

Though the scent of tequila was on her breath, he could just barely make it out over his cheap, fragrant cigarettes. She had a lazy look on her face, which could pose its own problem with regards to the mission.

She snapped awake, staring daggers into him at the mention of the Rockets. Nonetheless, he had a toothy grin across his face. This was certainly better than chaperoning a half-asleep drunk. He'd made grown-ups mad at him before. He turned, facing the warehouse again.

As they ascended the steps together, she posed that question they were both here to answer. He didn't believe in ghosts, in a consciousness without a body to act on the world. Nonetheless! He had to come up with an answer that was sufficient to take the mission seriously. "I don't know for sure, but places like this... places where humanity totally gave up... Ghost types would love to move into such a place. Either way, we'll have to comb through it, so this doesn't blow up in our faces a few months from now."

Lulu Flint

TL;DR: Ghosts??? Ghost types??? Some of them are actually spirits possessing objects, but who's to say if ghosts are real.

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played by

mad

saoirse quinn

she/her

october 27

circhester, galar

bisexual

physicist / inventor

head scientist

5’8” height

every night i burn, dream the black crow dream

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POSTED ON May 18, 2021 3:17:16 GMT

giona ferrara likes this

giona ferrara

The subtle darkening of her features drew familiar sparks of his own. Challenge. This one was brazen. There was, perhaps, a worthwhile lesson to be taught here.

Haunted warehouse missions were frequent. She avoided them, and had she known that this was one, she might’ve avoided this too. Nonetheless, there was something in this warehouse she needed, and here he was: an unknowing friend, too new in the family.

Ghost types would take up residency anywhere if it meant a cruel joke. She was too tired to care tonight. Attention hung on this guy.

“No shit...” lingering on her own misfortune, she was unsuspecting when a Haunter’s tongue across her cheek sent shivers down her spine.

It was large and in charge, and right there.

It disappeared just as quickly again, and she stared at the man existing in reality in front of her. “Fucking Haunter.” They damn sure were on the same team now—at least against them; the ghosts. “Damn it.”

A Lucario appeared out of a red gleam from her fist, mixing with its COUNTER energy, attempting to lash out back, but missing a target. Ghosts were evasive.

She glowered at the man.

“So, Rocket sent you here? That sounds interesting. Tell me about that. Should I be scared?”

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planetofthevapes

catello casimiro

he him

twenty-four

june 20th

Mauville City

ask him

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125 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @jonah

POSTED ON May 18, 2021 5:28:28 GMT

They passed through the threshold. Into the darkness, lit only by whatever faint lights were on their person. Whatever she thought of him... He was stupid as hell, and her friends that met him thus far took a shine to the tenacious 23 year old.

His missions thus far had all been manual labor. He was the person Rocket sent to staff their fronts, or squeezed into places they got protection money from. Under this guise, he'd been a landscaper, a roofer, and now a line-cook. The profession most prone to drinking and smoking to cope with stress.

The jump Lulu got from a Haunter made him flinch. He turned around. The space between them was occupied by a suspiciously purple looking shadow, unaffected by the light of the slowly disintegrating cigarette. It licked her, then flew off.

Nonetheless, she saw fit to draw her Lucario. The hound dutifully put up a Counter, only to be met with silence, all the more tense than the silence preceding this encounter. He could feel her staring at him again, just as intimidating as before. "I'm not even a made man yet. They'd only send me on this assignment if it wasn't worth giving to someone higher up. Are you scared of ghosts, or somethin'?"

Giona then saw fit to dig around in his pockets, drawing a pokeball from it. He'd then send forth from the black capsule a stunning Luxray, in a flash of light that briefly illuminated the room. To greet the two of them, Haunter played a nastier sort of prank. It dislodged a hook stuck in the ceiling, of the sort used to support a boat during a stress-test. The dull hook swung, embedding itself in the concrete wall next to Giona's head, with the sharp sound of metal on concrete right next to his ear. His eyes widened, and he could barely move, out of shock. A chill ran up his spine, and he tripped over his own feet when he tried to step aside. He laid back, propped up by his elbows and looking up.

Luxray used Charge, glowing as it built up electrical energy and steeled its defenses against non-physical attacks. The soft ambient light brought by this hit the entire warehouse floor equally, but Lulu would be able to make out a shadow cast on a sharp corner of the big room that had more of a... purple tint than the others. Furthermore, Giona pointed it out to her, with an outreached finger, just barely within the radius of his cigarette's orange glow.

Lulu Flint

TL;DR: Ghosts??? Ghost types??? Some of them are actually spirits possessing objects, but who's to say if ghosts are real.

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played by

mad

saoirse quinn

she/her

october 27

circhester, galar

bisexual

physicist / inventor

head scientist

5’8” height

every night i burn, dream the black crow dream

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4,787 posts

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TAG WITH @lulu

POSTED ON May 21, 2021 6:29:25 GMT

giona ferrara likes this

giona ferrara

Darkrai loomed close by, somewhere, curious if it would need to intervene.

It was by chance she wasn’t paralyzed. She knew this. She eyed the invisible horizon of the room, anticipating the next attack, and knowing she wouldn’t be able to see it coming.

Should’ve checked out the location in the files first.

Not even a made man yet. Her hunger for blood growled. Mm. But Lulu was scared of ghosts, and this was all unexpected, and it kept her rooted in her spot on the unkempt floor. He was free to go, until…

The Haunter reappeared, and the hook barely missed the man’s head, and Lulu, despite her shock, gave a dark smirk. Served him right. But, they were still on the same team—at least, in here. There was a clear common enemy.

“Lucario!”

An AURA SPHERE was shot up at the Haunter to steal the Luxray’s thunder, but it phased through, ineffective. In fact, come to think of it, Lucario was pretty ineffective here in general. “Fuck.” She reached for another pokeball, and shortly a massive owl appeared swooping through the warehouse from a beam of red. Its ‘hoo’ was a chilling drone, echoing off the eroding walls.

It happened quick. It homed in on the dangerous prankster, speeding in a SKY ATTACK—despite the lack in level—to pin it down. Lulu's face pinched a moment, lip curling, too enthused.

She noticed the new Rocket pointing at something. With the Haunter beneath her Noctowl’s talons, she allowed her attention to turn.

“What’s that?”

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planetofthevapes

catello casimiro

he him

twenty-four

june 20th

Mauville City

ask him

rocket member

executive

125 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

342 posts

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TAG WITH @jonah

POSTED ON May 21, 2021 14:31:40 GMT

He didn’t bother to read the files. Reading is for suckers! Or atleast, the efforts of the intelligence unit were better spent elsewhere. This was the domain of the grunt. The jumped-up little runt ready to prove themselves.

He’d only pointed to gesture in the direction of the purple shadow, her turning and asking him about it defeated the purpose, especially with Noctowl already jumping all over it.

Giona took another long inhale, and another drag off his cigarette. Another line of ash as thick as a shoelace deposited itself between his grey Rocket grunt boots.

Haunter, for its impish nature, seemed ill-suited to defending itself. It used Shadow Punch after being lunged at and pinned, trying in vain to wiggle from the grasp of the owl’s talons. Unlike any fighting type trying to brain the bird, its balled fist passed through the owl, as mismatched as Lucario was earlier.

Luxray was normally so eager to play, and a cat of this size trying to play was enough of a threat for anyone, let alone this ghost playing pranks. Nonetheless, it waited for the two to drag their fight to the ground, tail swishing back and forth. Giona, ever the fool, took time to address his mountain lion. “Huh? Is this... stage fright? You used to be so restless. I bet you weren’t like this with Emma.”

Luxray then dashed into the fray, its canine teeth standing on end and flashing gold. It sunk its teeth into the purple shadow with Thunder Fang, parting it ever so slightly like a cat descending a curtain with its claws out. The sudden stunning effect made Haunter flinch, but it still stood. Giona then managed to stand, backpedaling into a concrete wall. He took another drag, and considered briefly if he was better off throwing his Trapinch at the thing. His big baby that loved talking to itself. The cigarette grew closer to his face as it disintegrated, and he tucked his braid over one ear like an arm on a pair of glasses to avoid the potential fire hazard.

Lulu Flint

TL;DR: Ghosts??? Ghost types??? Some of them are actually spirits possessing objects, but who's to say if ghosts are real.

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played by

mad

saoirse quinn

she/her

october 27

circhester, galar

bisexual

physicist / inventor

head scientist

5’8” height

every night i burn, dream the black crow dream

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POSTED ON May 24, 2021 6:58:47 GMT

giona ferrara likes this

giona ferrara

As the three pokemon scuffled in peripheral view, her attention returned to the character hiding only behind a thin veil smoke. Stupid. Had she not made herself look like such a fool over the course of the last minute, she would have pointed it out.

She needed time to recover. Willing herself to do so, her hand went to a pocket to grasp at a filter and pull it from paper and gold foil. A lighter followed shortly, flashing silver and a short whip of kerosene. Her lungs hissed and she stared, eyes glossed, lids dark.

“Anyways: Rocket. Not a made man yet.” Puff. “What do you suppose’ll make you one? What do you think they’ll do?”

The Noctowl screeched low as the Haunter fell to Rocket’s onslaught. Emboldened, it pushed off the ground with a great ‘whoosh’ and took off to comb above.

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planetofthevapes

catello casimiro

he him

twenty-four

june 20th

Mauville City

ask him

rocket member

executive

125 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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POSTED ON May 25, 2021 3:20:10 GMT

A dimly lit place, with the occasional flash of light as one of the monsters ahead took its day out on the others. Luxray emerged victorious, and Noctowl took to combing over the place. Still... it was only his dwindling cigarette that stopped him from being irritating enough for her to kick his ass. One last thick line of ash fell to his feet, and he discarded it. Giona drew another cheap, fragrant cigarette and lit it with a flash of his lighter.

They both had ribbons of smoke peeling off inches from their face, and a faint orange light. This combination of factors finally illuminated her face, which had up until now been a well-kept secret in its own right.

"The Rockets saved me when I was aimless. 21, without steady work. I'm 23 now. I'm putting in the hours, I'm connecting with the right people. It's gonna happen, I just know it. And... What's up with you?"

This probably wouldn't be satisfactory. Nonetheless, it was true. More hope than willpower. Just charismatic enough for Killian to stick his neck out for him, not enough that another young go-getter would see him as competition to be culled. He took another drag. Two cigarettes would be plenty. He slouched a little and his eyes sat half-lidded, already emotionally past almost being brained by a Haunter playing a prank. Feeling her eyes on him, he forced a toothy grin.

Giona dropped a pokeball, calling a male Unfezant into play. The crested bird, insecurely glancing about, felt perfect for him to have. He whistled for it to do patrols as well. Luxray was then withdrawn.

Lulu Flint

TL;DR: Ghosts??? Ghost types??? Some of them are actually spirits possessing objects, but who's to say if ghosts are real.

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played by

mad

saoirse quinn

she/her

october 27

circhester, galar

bisexual

physicist / inventor

head scientist

5’8” height

every night i burn, dream the black crow dream

awards

4,787 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @lulu

POSTED ON May 26, 2021 3:47:13 GMT

giona ferrara

Shadows began to move on the ground directly around her, seeming attracted, licking up booted ankles. Though already dressed in all black, the dimension of her seemed to vanish as the darkness leisurely spread up her body. She took another drag of her cigarette, perhaps not seeming to notice. Maybe it was a pokemon, playing more tricks.

A moment passed with a cloud of smoke. She ignored his question. “You’ve misunderstood me. I mean: how do you think they might break you in? Make sure you’re the right material?” Her form suddenly disappeared into the shadow on the ground and reappeared out of one right next to him, leaning against the wall as he was, and taking another puff as though nothing had happened. “Everyone gets a test, you know—and flaunting your identity to some strange bitch who pops up at a warehouse isn’t exactly promising.” She finally looked over again with a snakelike smile that perhaps didn’t bode well for him.

“Let me ask you this: what if I had been League, and took you in for questioning? Would those loose lips of yours suddenly tighten up? Because in my experience, people don’t usually work that way—but I still want to know your answer, because lately, people surprise me.”

Her cigarette finished and she flicked the filter to the side off her middle finger, looking back out at her bird as it dove for more prey.

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played by

planetofthevapes

catello casimiro

he him

twenty-four

june 20th

Mauville City

ask him

rocket member

executive

125 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

342 posts

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TAG WITH @jonah