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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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played by

thorn

the Harbinger
he/him
37
october 28th
circhester, galar
demisexual
underboss
the harbinger
I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.
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8,667 posts
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TAG WITH @gavin
Cillian Quinn
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POSTED ON May 27, 2021 6:19:33 GMT
Cillian Quinn Avatar
Bait is set, but Gavin does not rise to it.

"Feel free."

Should Lugia's lack of cooperation become a problem that he was demanded to address, he would consult his legendary patron in his own time. For now, he leaned on its status as a powerful ally of Rocket to grant it the freedom of choice.

Not illusion, as he'd been given.

He does lead, because he knows where they're going. There had been a time where Rocket's laboratories, though less so in Hoenn, had brought the underboss comfort. Now there is little emotion beyond a crawling dread.
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played by

greyson

nat
she/her
twenty-six
july sixteenth
wyndon city
pansexual
biochemist
irrelevant
workaholic
23 height
23 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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112 posts
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TAG WITH @natalie
natalie fairchild
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POSTED ON May 27, 2021 7:18:02 GMT
natalie fairchild Avatar

for a final time, natalie gives a glance over at the window housing the shadow pokemon. she wonders for a moment, biting the inside of her cheek, but follows in the wake of the underboss. her heels once again stand out in the silence of the hall. like before, she knocks ellis's nameplate down as she passes.

she truly excelled at being petty.

should they make it to the lab with no incident, gavin would find a small team waiting for them. they were professionals, chosen to be nothing more than extra hands when natalie required. they reeked of fear. a single bed stood out from the rest. a hospital gown and large plastic bag in waiting.

"we will need you to remove your personal belongings," she says, walking past the man. at one time this was likely his lab. in a fashion, being an underboss still made that correct. but this was her battlefield. and she rarely relinquished command. "they will run through a series of tests themselves, though returned to you just how they were turned over. do you wish for privacy while you change?"

somehow she knew he would be difficult about this.

excellent.

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played by

thorn

the Harbinger
he/him
37
october 28th
circhester, galar
demisexual
underboss
the harbinger
I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.
awards
8,667 posts
part of
TAG WITH @gavin
Cillian Quinn
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POSTED ON May 27, 2021 7:34:40 GMT
Cillian Quinn Avatar
"I know the procedure."

No difficulty is presented, and neither is there any shame.

He's already removed his cufflinks by the time they pass through the lab doors, long fingers fluttering at his throat as he unbuttons his shirt. Though subtle, there's a stiffness to the moments of his left hand. Should Natalie care to look, she'd note a scar divides the palm.

His body is a canvas for the art of Rocket's tyranny. Scars form brushstrokes across his skin, old and new — faded ink that curls around his left forearm suggests an ancient attempt at a cover-up, but most of his marks are left on macabre display. Most are white with age, grim suggestions as to the reason for his compliance.

He slips on the hospital gown and eyes her expectantly, brow lifted.
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played by

greyson

nat
she/her
twenty-six
july sixteenth
wyndon city
pansexual
biochemist
irrelevant
workaholic
23 height
23 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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112 posts
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TAG WITH @natalie
natalie fairchild
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POSTED ON May 27, 2021 17:19:54 GMT
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while gavin changes, natalie prepares the other items. when she returns, she hands gavin a clipboard with a typical medical questionnaire. nothing too advanced. she saves that for their one on one.

"set-up for the lumbar," she orders the aides, who move to do so. eager to not be sharing the same room as the underboss. natalie on the other hand, would like nothing more.

she waits a minute, to allow him to finish, then she grabs a stool and moves to sit a few feet away.

there's a click of the voice recorder.

"are you ready mr. merlino?"

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played by

thorn

the Harbinger
he/him
37
october 28th
circhester, galar
demisexual
underboss
the harbinger
I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.
awards
8,667 posts
part of
TAG WITH @gavin
Cillian Quinn
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POSTED ON May 27, 2021 17:37:29 GMT
Cillian Quinn Avatar
This information is already on file.

But he fills it out regardless, a flourish to his handwriting only slightly marred by the stiffness. He is quick and purposeful, clearly having done this before.

Amber eyes flick up to meet hers with cool indifference.

"Yes."
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played by

greyson

nat
she/her
twenty-six
july sixteenth
wyndon city
pansexual
biochemist
irrelevant
workaholic
23 height
23 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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112 posts
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TAG WITH @natalie
natalie fairchild
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POSTED ON May 28, 2021 15:21:43 GMT
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natalie takes the completed form, crossing a leg over one knee. her outfit was made complete by the stark opal white doctor's coat. she speaks into the recording, looking at gavin as she does so.

"gavin merlino. avatar of the legendary pokemon, lugia. beginning report."

natalie places the metal device between them on a sleek metal tray.

"i will now ask you a series of questions or prompts, mr. merlino. answer them as truthfully as you can."

a pause.

she continues.

"please state the nature of your relationship with lugia."


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played by

thorn

the Harbinger
he/him
37
october 28th
circhester, galar
demisexual
underboss
the harbinger
I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.
awards
8,667 posts
part of
TAG WITH @gavin
Cillian Quinn
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POSTED ON May 28, 2021 15:32:34 GMT
Cillian Quinn Avatar
If he were the type to roll his eyes, he might've.

You said it yourself.

But he wants nothing more than to get this over with.

"I'm its avatar, and it is my... patron, I suppose."
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played by

greyson

nat
she/her
twenty-six
july sixteenth
wyndon city
pansexual
biochemist
irrelevant
workaholic
23 height
23 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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112 posts
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TAG WITH @natalie
natalie fairchild
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POSTED ON May 28, 2021 16:05:28 GMT
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she doesn't stop to write anything, merely picking up from the questions answer.

"your abilities are derived from it's power, correct? would you way you are subservient to lugia? if it ordered you to do something, could it exert it's influence over you to ensure you comply?"
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played by

thorn

the Harbinger
he/him
37
october 28th
circhester, galar
demisexual
underboss
the harbinger
I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.
awards
8,667 posts
part of
TAG WITH @gavin
Cillian Quinn
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POSTED ON May 28, 2021 16:17:03 GMT
Cillian Quinn Avatar
"Correct."

The notion of subservience sees him pause. It reminds him of Kanto, and his skin prickles.

"I don't know. It's never tried."

But he thinks about the excursion to Route 113, where Lugia had emerged from the beast ball against Gavin's wishes. It was certainly no longer subservient to him, and he knew it exerted some form of emotional influence through their bond. He remembers the fury that had surged through his veins when @chloe's Drampa had attacked Lugia. It hadn't been entirely his own.

"If it asked me to do something, I respect it enough to consider it."
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played by

greyson

nat
she/her
twenty-six
july sixteenth
wyndon city
pansexual
biochemist
irrelevant
workaholic
23 height
23 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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112 posts
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natalie fairchild
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POSTED ON May 28, 2021 16:47:25 GMT
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his pause doesn't go unnoticed. but it does go unmentioned.

"and, what if perhaps lugia's course of actions were contrary to rocket's own goals? do you believe that is a possibility?"
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played by

thorn

the Harbinger
he/him
37
october 28th
circhester, galar
demisexual
underboss
the harbinger
I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.
awards
8,667 posts
part of
TAG WITH @gavin
Cillian Quinn
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POSTED ON May 28, 2021 16:52:26 GMT
Cillian Quinn Avatar
This time, his answer is immediate.

"No. Rocket's goals are my goals, and we are a team."
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played by

greyson

nat
she/her
twenty-six
july sixteenth
wyndon city
pansexual
biochemist
irrelevant
workaholic
23 height
23 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
112 posts
part of
TAG WITH @natalie
natalie fairchild
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POSTED ON May 28, 2021 16:55:13 GMT
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natalie smiles, lips pulling back into a grin that shows teeth.

"that's good to hear, mr. merlino." not that she particularly cared. rocket's goals weren't hers. but the illusion of support went a long way.

"please explain, as best you're able, the abilities you've received from your patron."
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played by

thorn

the Harbinger
he/him
37
october 28th
circhester, galar
demisexual
underboss
the harbinger
I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.
awards
8,667 posts
part of
TAG WITH @gavin
Cillian Quinn
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POSTED ON May 28, 2021 17:20:07 GMT
Cillian Quinn Avatar
It goes beyond the fact that she's recording this, that Walsh could access it if he wished. His loyalty to Rocket has been beaten into him, bone-deep and absolute.

"They're mostly centered around this — miasma I can control."

It's an audio recording, but he still lifts his hands and allows the corruption to spill forth from his palms. A thick purple-black fog swirls around him in defiance of the room's natural circulation, as if drawn to him.

"It heightens my adrenaline, from what I can tell. Speeds up my reaction time. It affects Pokemon, too, but only my own."

A few of the aides shy away from the fog as it slowly creeps along the floor, but if Natalie were to allow it to touch her, she'd find it feels like nothing at all.

"My shadow Pokemon have become less aggressive. Stronger."

There's a press of his lips as he thinks.

"The miasma can — possess fainted Pokemon, I believe. I'm not entirely familiar with how it works, but it happened a few times on Mt. Pyre. Perhaps it was simply a strange interaction with how thin the veil is, there; I've not tested it further."
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played by

greyson

nat
she/her
twenty-six
july sixteenth
wyndon city
pansexual
biochemist
irrelevant
workaholic
23 height
23 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
112 posts
part of
TAG WITH @natalie
natalie fairchild
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POSTED ON May 28, 2021 18:13:27 GMT
natalie fairchild Avatar

with eager eyes, she soaks up the sight in front of her, listening keenly. the miasma-like fog that rises from his hands was a truly impressive display.

"let the record go to show gavin merlino is currently producing a fog-like miasma from his palms."

she does indeed reach out to touch it, but realizes it feels no different than the air around her. her eyes widen slightly.

"it's properties resemble that of a ghastly's haze, albeit thicker and more defined. furthermore, there is no notable physical feeling associated with touching it, similar to that of the aforementioned ghost-type pokemon."

she looks back up at the underboss.

"would you say your miasma reacts in similar ways to host-controlling parasites? are the creatures you hold under your control aware of it's actions?"
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played by

thorn

the Harbinger
he/him
37
october 28th
circhester, galar
demisexual
underboss
the harbinger
I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.
awards
8,667 posts
part of
TAG WITH @gavin
Cillian Quinn
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POSTED ON May 29, 2021 9:36:34 GMT
Cillian Quinn Avatar
Wish I knew.

Though he'd attempted to ask for Lugia's assistance in developing his power, it seemed the legend was equally as ignorant of the specific boons it granted. Whether it was due to its nature as a shadow Pokemon or common across all avatars was unknown to him.

"I'm afraid I can't say. They seemed to have little regard for their trainers; they became wholly obedient to my command. So I would guess them to be unaware, or else the miasma to be powerful enough that it overwhelms their conscience."
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