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POSTED ON Jun 7, 2021 23:09:18 GMT

years ago
in the region of kanto,
at the pokémon tower...
...a young man was tending to one of the more fresh gravesites.

The grave belonged to a woman, whose name was not provided, as were many other nameless bodies that were buried or cremated on the grounds. This one in particular, however, Sam had noticed needed a bit of work done on the etchwork. He wasn't a sculpture by any means, but he did dabble in etching the information they were given onto the grave along with whatever last message they wanted sent.

As he backed away and looked at his work, he glanced back at his gastly who was keeping watch, and headed over to whatever the gastly was looking at. One of the graves had a big of vandalism on it and it had Sam frowning. These days there was no telling if it was league or rocket, but it was uncalled for.

This was hallowed ground, in a way. This was neutral ground. No sides were to be taken in the Pokémon Tower, and seeing this disgraceful mess had Sam immediately pulling his hoodie off, leaving him in just a v-neck shirt, to clean the wet paint up as much as he could.

"Go get my cleaning supplies, would you?"

As his gastly sauntered off to retrieve the cleaning supplies, he continued to scrub. He was just about ten, fifteen feet from the grave he had been working on, sighing as he cleaned this other grave. A male, a name, and a decent message.

Disrespectful assholes.
KING WAYLAND

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Wayland

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POSTED ON Jun 10, 2021 6:51:02 GMT

MATIAS SILPH likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","king"]

KANTO. ONE WEEK BEFORE BETRAYAL...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
king stood in front of a grey, emotionless slab that now stood in place of the woman he loved. his expression was blank, his soul hollow.
[break][break]

he had gone over the events with MATIAS SILPH a dozen times and in a dozen different ways. yet, it didn't feel real. matias said he would protect her and... he lied. he failed. worse of all, he played dumb, as if king didn't know what he had been up to behind his back.
[break][break]

rage flowed freely through his veins; a red hot magma that burned indiscriminately. anger at matias. anger at himself for not being there. anger at the league for constantly fucking failing. king breathe quickened, and heart began to race as a panic attack began to claw to the surface. by sheer force of will he stemmed the tide in his chest, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
[break][break]

he looked desperately around to make sure no one had witnessed his weakness. his cowardice. then, he turned back towards the gravestone.

[break][break]
the dejected league veteran suppressed the urge to shatter the memorial. to rip it from the roots and deny what he knew couldn't possibly be real.
[break][break]

but it was. and there was no changing that fact.
[break][break]

nor what he would do next.
[break][break]

his head turns in the direction of a nearby voice, spotting a man likely near his age— younger?
[break][break]

"oi. can we get some more fuckin' flowers for this one?"
[break][break]

he tapped the grey slab with the toe of his shoe, hands comfortably resting in his pockets. it meant nothing. it was nothing.
[break][break]
so why did he care if it had flowers?
[break][break]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

[newclass=.king]color:var(--accent);[/newclass]
[newclass=.king]color:var(--accent);[/newclass]
[newclass=.king .pokesprite]color:#32a852; background:rgba(0,0,0,0.1);border:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.2); margin-right:10px; margin-top:5px; padding:5px; filter:grayscale(90%); transition:0.5s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.king .pkspr:hover]background:rgba(0,0,0,0.2); filter:none; transition:0.5s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.king .pokeclass]text-align:right; width:520px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.king .pokeclass img]background:#2b2b2b;border-radius:100px; border:1px solid #solid 1px #232323; border:1px solid #232323; margin-top:-30px; padding-bottom:12px; transition:1.5s; margin-left:8px; box-shadow:2px 2px transparent;[/newclass]
[newclass=.king .pokeclass img:hover]background:var(--accent); transition:1s all; box-shadow:2px 2px #232323 [/newclass]
[newclass=.king]position:relative;[/newclass]
[newclass=.king .credit]font:bold 15px poppins; transform:rotate(90deg); position:absolute; bottom:55px; right:45px; color:rgb(65,65,65); text-shadow: -1px -1px 0 #232323, 1px -1px 0 #232323, -1px 1px 0 #232323, 1px 1px 0 #232323;[/newclass]
[break]
[newclass=.king .setting]background-image:url(https://i.ibb.co/fQc7W8n/grimmy5.png); background-size:cover; background-position: bottom; filter:saturate(110%); height:150px; width:400px; margin:10px auto 20px; [/newclass]

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the ferryman

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october fourteenth

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POSTED ON Jun 10, 2021 14:18:33 GMT

KING WAYLAND likes this

"Hm?"

Said young man turned his attention to a man with striking blue hair and sharp features. Rugged, war reflected in the way he presented himself. Or so Sam had come to realize. Everybody responded differently to the way the war had touched them.

This one seemed to show it mostly in impatience.

"My apologies," Sam quickly made his way over, tossing the dirtied hoodie onto a small trolly that held flowers. "I've many. Is there a specific message you want to get across with your flowers?"

Each type of flower meant something different. Most of the time, even color meant something different. Sam had each and every one memorized from a book he'd read in his youth which had been gifted to them from their usual flower couple.
KING WAYLAND

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Wayland

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POSTED ON Jun 10, 2021 21:08:51 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","king"]

KANTO. ONE WEEK BEFORE BETRAYAL...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
"the fuck ya' starin' at?"
[break][break]
he roars at the other man, staring him down beneath a furrowed brow. but, his lips twitches, chest deflates, and the attack dog stands down.
[break][break]

"tch. whatever."
[break][break]

as the odd man drags the trolley over, covered in a myriad of flower-types and colors, king's jaw steeled.
[break][break]

"fuck."
[break][break]

frustration was on the edge of his tongue. it threatened to slip and fall out— to destroy everything in it's path.
[break][break]

"just pick. fuck if i know."

[attr="class","credit"]milky

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POSTED ON Jun 13, 2021 18:48:32 GMT

"With respect, fuck if I know as well."

Sometimes he sounded like an android and he really didn't even realize it. The lack of emotion in his tone when he played others words back at them, completely stoic and monotoned.

"Are you here out of respect for the fallen, or out of guilt for how they were taken?"

Oddly enough, as bad as he was at the whole 'showing his empathy' thing, he was very good at deciphering it. Or at least, channeling the conversation and directing it in a way that would lead to self reflection and an attempt to move on.

Because often times, the ghost of the past is within and it takes personally moving on to help the ghost pass into a realm of peace.
KING WAYLAND

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Wayland

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POSTED ON Jun 16, 2021 8:17:11 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","king"]

KANTO. ONE WEEK BEFORE BETRAYAL...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
"tch. whatever, kid."
[break][break]
king didn't have the energy to shove his boot up the kid's ass. not today. she'd be disappointed in him more than enough in the next week. let him just savor how he felt now.
[break][break]
"both."
[break][break]
his lip twitches, threatning to curl into a snarl. not at sam. himself. arceus how he hated himself.
[break][break]
"the fuck 'ya doin' workin' in a depressin' ass place as this anyways?"
[break][break]
he looks at sam with a scrutinizing gaze.
[break][break]
"seems fuckin' weird s'all."
[break]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

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POSTED ON Jun 17, 2021 14:16:12 GMT

KING WAYLAND likes this

"I've grown up here helping my mother keep the grounds."

He'd worked there his whole life. Since birth, he and his mother were busy with the grounds. With funerals of all sorts, from burials to cremations. When he first helped her it was emotionally, as somebody for her to use to remind herself that life was a good thing even when death was the ultimate ending. As he got older he was able to take the load off of her and, more recently, he was looking into branching out their way of doing things in Kanto into other regions, beginning with Hoenn, as the caretaker was rumored to be getting a bit old and looking for something that was a bit of a flare to retire with.

Like hiring a young man to take over; what a contrast.

Sam took out a few purple hyacinths, symbolizing regret. He paired them then with red carnations, symbolizing a deep admiration or love for whoever was buried there. With both in hand, he brought them over to the rather bold man and held them out.

"Regret, and admiration."

He wouldn't be touching the grave unless the man asked him to place the flowers there for him. Most preferred doing it themselves.
KING WAYLAND

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Wayland

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POSTED ON Jun 24, 2021 7:56:04 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","king"]

KANTO. ONE WEEK BEFORE BETRAYAL...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
cocktail-blue hues watch him sort flowers. he wouldn't admit it, but there was a slight edge of curiosity. the type that you got when you passed a car wreck; curious of its origin, but soon forgotten to the abyss of indifference.
[break][break]
"ye i guess these'll do."
[break][break]

regret and admiration. both things he had in droves for the woman. but even they were mere drops in an ocean of emotions. hatred. grief. confusion. so much more. too many to name.
[break][break]

he doesn't accept the flowers, instead he turns towards the grey slab.
[break][break]

"ye can just toss 'em on there. i'm sure the dead don' give much of a fuck."
[break][break]

he burning gaze returns onto sam. he does it best to stifle the growing emotions that he's spent so many hours choking on.
[break][break]

"so this place is some family fuckin' business then, eh? arceus that's depressin'."
[break][break]

king sizes the man up.
[break][break]

"enjoy what ye do, kid?"

[attr="class","credit"]milky

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POSTED ON Jun 25, 2021 14:41:31 GMT

[attr="class","sambam"]

When told to 'toss the flowers,' Sam really thought about literally throwing them at the gravestone. Not because he was being spiteful, but because he was incredibly literal and that's what he'd been told.

But there was a reverence ingrained into him from his mother that stopped the action and caused him to walk over to the grave and put the flowers gently in the holders at the top and sides.

"My mother worked for the previous caretaker and they fell ill during the war, stress causing other health complications. My mother tended to them and because of her faithful loyalty, he gifted her command over the Pokémon Tower."

So, no, they hadn't inherited it. He had a few companies he could technically make a claim to on his mother's side, through his grandparents, but he didn't care for them because of how they'd treated his mother. And he knew nothing of his father's side. A dead end.

"So I suppose it is a family business now... but I have no intention of offspring."

Which meant it certainly wasn't a family business, not to him anyway.

"I do enjoy it, yes. I'm not sure if that makes me more or less acceptable, but it's soothing to me in many ways."

[newclass=.sambam] [/newclass][newclass=.sambam b] color: #d49736; [/newclass][newclass=.sambam i] color: #d49736; [/newclass][newclass=.sambam u] text-decoration: none;border-bottom: solid 1px #d49736; [/newclass][newclass=.sambam a] text-transform:uppercase!important;font:800 15px Poppins!important; [/newclass]

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Wayland

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TAG WITH @king

POSTED ON Jun 27, 2021 19:22:30 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","king"]

KANTO. ONE WEEK BEFORE BETRAYAL...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
talking to sam was like conversing with an android. his mannerisms, his words; alien, inhuman.
[break][break]
"ah."
[break][break]

it's his only reply. what did you say to that? 'sorry to hear?' king couldn't give less than a shit. but, he did bring flowers. king would spare the kid his anger out of debt.
[break][break]

"who cares if someone accepts ye or not. do the shit that makes ye happy."
[break][break]

another long look towards the gravestone.
[break][break]

"even if it means makin' others less-so."
[break][break]

he shrugs, pulling his gaze away from the slab, placing it anywhere else.
[break][break]

"place could do with some fuckin' color though."

[break]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

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POSTED ON Jun 30, 2021 16:36:39 GMT

[attr="class","sambam"]

"Hence, flowers."

Sam gestures at the wagon and the rest of the stones. One stone, which he had been cleaning before interrupted, fixed his gaze to it. A small anger rose in him and he willed it away, to deal with at another time.

"Perhaps that's the thought process which lead to the graffiti."

Although it seemed as if he was trying to give whoever did the graffiti the benefit of the doubt, his tone said otherwise. Irritation seemed to be lacing his words more, and more.

So he averted his gaze and looked at King.

"I think at times I prefer the dead because I hate people so much."

A character flaw of which he was keenly aware of.

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Wayland

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POSTED ON Jul 2, 2021 17:26:21 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","king"]

KANTO. ONE WEEK BEFORE BETRAYAL...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
his stoicism, mixed with the dry delivery, rose a chuckle in king. one that was quickly subdued by the tightness in his chest, and the heaviness in his heart. he exhales heavily, but side-eyes the vandalized slab of grey.
[break][break]
"people can real assholes."
[break][break]

there's a hint of something more in his tone; something... unreadable. the irony of the statement would come like a tsunami to many in kanto in a weeks time.
[break][break]

but, that was another story.
[break][break]

"doubt that fucker 'll care. nothin' matters once yer rottin'."

[break][break]

the small anger and dismissiveness in his tone is unmistakable.[break]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

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POSTED ON Jul 4, 2021 19:31:04 GMT

[attr="class","sambam"]

"I'm relieved you see it that way."

Sam's words show emotion. It's rare, but it does happen. Relief, for one, was an easier emotion to let show. But the small smile on his face shows his relief is a happier one.

"Not many think of these graves as a placeholder. A reminder, a memento. They see them as a connection... but I just don't believe that. I believe they symbolize a memory of a person who used to walk the earth and no-longer is, no-longer can. The pain of letting somebody go is enough to warrant a grave."

The words are slow, well thought. His opinion on the matter, even in his youth, hasn't changed in present day.

"People die. Pokémon die. It cannot be undone, it is the one truly final thing in life."

For a moment, Sam let's the moment linger, and then his smile widens.

"Death is the most trustworthy thing we have in life."

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Wayland

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POSTED ON Jul 5, 2021 19:47:59 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","king"]

KANTO. ONE WEEK BEFORE BETRAYAL...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
king doesn't interrupt, surprisingly content to allow the man to finish.
[break][break]
"i guess."
[break][break]

he thinks of the idea of death. the sudden void; emptiness. the lack of feeling, thought, or care. how easy it would be. how satisfying.
[break][break]

"it's all a waste of time, if ye ask me. bury 'em in a hole and move on."

[break]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

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TAG WITH @sam