[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]"did you expect otherwise?" there's the hint of a smile resting on her features, the concept bringing a mild amusement the longer she dwells on it. she'd like to say her own company would provide more resources for such a task but... FERNANDO SILPH dishing out money on lowly pirates? next joke please.

waves beat against the pillars of a pier, water breaking around wood. soothing to the ears, calming on the mind. perhaps they'll need the calm before the shitshow.

a hand finds its way to her hip, plucking a pokeball from the belt hastily thrown over bikini bottoms. where he releases a pokemon, she quickly follows suit with one of her own. blastoise and kingdra, quite the duo.

"ready," she murmurs, flashing a smile when their eyes meet. and where he steps on, she jumps in. the water's cool, earning a soft squeak from the scientist. "you lead, we'll follow."

Greyson Connors

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]smile meets smile until they're comfortable. an ease settles between them as if there's nothing to be awkward about... she's grateful, in an odd sort of way. it's better than an unsettled feeling moments before jumping into the thick of things. tension carried in the shoulders slowly begins to dissipate the longer they linger, the longer they stay side by side.

the resulting splash of his entrance darts toward her, peppering her face with water droplets. she doesn't bother to brush it away. they're only going to get wetter, anyway, where's the harm?

"is that a challenge?" laughter bubbles, escapes, and bleeds into a matching smirk. for as much as she has grown, there is a part of her that will never back down. he presents a goal to surpass and she'll rise to the occasion. a hand reaches, grasps onto the head of her kingdra, and she's shifting to settle onto the water dragon's back. it's easier this way, she reasons. less limbs in the way of altum's path, right?

while they begin to move, her eyes wander to greyson. idly, one of her hands fiddles with the knotted string at her neck. adjusting straps, readjusting again and again as if she's attempting to occupy her mind. it doesn't work. "so," she murmurs, the start of prying into his business already settling between them. her kingdra shifts close enough for teammates to be within arms reach. "do you normally ambush pirates in your spare time?"

Greyson Connors

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]"i can," she huffs, as if the thought of being left in the dust is beneath her. it isn't, really, but she'll be damned if he thinks he'll get rid of her that easily. as if mirroring her, the kingdra snorts and shifts to close any distance he sees.

said distance is, realistically, not much. it dissolves in moments until there's no leading, only side by side travelling. the pace is comfortable, peaceful, almost soothing.

eventually, she leaves the straps of her bikini top alone in favor of not accidentally undoing it. the feeling of fabric against her skin becomes more comfortable the longer she leaves it undisturbed, the longer it strays from her mind. his blush goes mostly unnoticed but the darting of eyes doesn't quite leave her attention. did she do something? her head tilts at the thought, as if digging through files to find the source. the endeavor is abandoned when he answers, however.

"oh, really?" she flashes a soft smile. "what made you decide to take on pirates? sense of duty?" not everyone wants to go toe to toe with the bandits of the sea. somehow, she's more curious of his reasons than her own.

"technically, no," the memory almost feels like a distant dream given the amount of time that has passed. fondly, she thinks of her partner at the time. hopefully Kaida Adachi is still alive and well... she hasn't heard much from the woman since returning. "first time going to them, though, if that counts!"

Greyson Connors

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]"you're the reckless type of fun, then?" she flashes a coy smile, as if she understands it more than she lets on. in some ways, she's the same. her version is a little different, however... more carnal than dirty pirates can necessarily offer.

it's her turn to appear bashful. the laugh that escapes is awkward, sheepish, almost like she said too much and she isn't sure where to start on the story.

"yes," she murmurs, tucking a wet strand of hair behind an ear. "it was an ambush." flashes of memory rise, sting, and burn. the smell of blood almost feels real but she knows it's nothing more than a figment of her imagination. nothing more than a recollection...

her eyes dart to the horizon, voice dropping to a soft whisper. somehow, the sea breeze carries it to him anyway.

"my partner and i managed to save everyone on board the ship but," a pause, dripping with hesitation. she swallows. "we had to kill a few pirates in the process." she still remembers the screams, the sound of a ninetales ripping into skin. a necessary deed, she told herself. she knows better now.

Greyson Connors

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]"yeah," she chimes. it's soft, like she's faraway in an experience. "i feel the same way." something about lambs being led to slaughter burrows beneath her skin, eating at wounds she doesn't show.

sometimes, it's nice to know another person shares her thoughts, her feelings. and sometimes, it's sad.

her shoulders roll with a shrug, as if that had been another time, another existence. "it's in the past," she offers, as if anything in the past doesn't haunt the present. it does, it always will. "nothing i couldn't handle." if she couldn't handle anything, she wouldn't be here.

pain makes her as strong as it makes her weak. what a cycle.

she flashes a small smile. it almost feels bitter, the way it curls into her cheeks.

"hopefully it doesn't come to that," something in her says careful what you wish for. she pushes it down and her smile grows in response to his own. there's a comfort in him she appreciates. "thank you, i'm glad to tag along for this." softer, she adds, "glad to meet you, too."

Greyson Connors

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]she understands the frustration he speaks of, almost too well. the good in the world doesn't seem to outweigh the bad. and perhaps it's all about checks and balances, duality making the world continue to turn. or maybe it's nothing more than darkness seeping between spaces, burrowing beneath the skin until everything is tainted.

there's a bitterness to be touched upon in frustration over bad things, sure, but does it ever truly last? that she can't be sure of.

"it's okay," illeana murmurs. there's reassurance laced between syllables, settling firmly in the spaces left behind. "it makes sense to me." a smile rises, curling at her cheeks.

"unfortunately, there's always going to be bad things to balance out the good," her gaze drifts to the horizon for a moment, drawn back when his hand rises to pat at his hair. it tugs her smile a little wider. "if there's too much of one thing, the equilibrium is thrown out of balance. i wish it could be different, sometimes, but perhaps it's necessary."

nothing is ever truly necessary as far as the battle of good and bad but sometimes, she likes to think each trial acts as a phoenix's resurrection: killing old versions of themselves to rise again better. stronger, more resilient. it's a nice thought when the world crashes, anyway.

as the shadow on the horizon becomes firmer and defined, her body tenses. and yet, there's a comfort to be passed between them. good company is hard to come by, never mind the pact made. self preservation lives in the bones of too many people, sure, but she's firm in the belief that it doesn't find any life here.

"i'll have your back as well," she reaffirms, peeking over at him for a moment before her kingdra snorts and begins to drift closer.

danger has a specific energy to it, as she's unfortunately come to recognize. the first sign is a knot in the stomach, instinct screaming to turn back. and as they swim closer, she inhales, pushes the feeling down, and exhales a faint puff of pink.

Greyson Connors

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]it's enough. he's a shining light against the darkness creeping up over society. there's a goodness in him, a kindness that proves infectious. and just being in his presence makes her feel whole again, good and righteous and not rotting from the inside out.

her gaze is intense even as silence swallows her.

the best way to approach... is there a right or wrong path? either way, they're jumping head first into danger. which one is less likely to get them killed? she thinks of green hair and a warm smile for a moment, the familiar facial structure popping into her mind's eye before it's written over by stern features and dark slicked back hair.

right and wrong, good and evil. the lines and faces blur until she's standing in a middle ground she doesn't recognize.

"if one of us gets overpowered?" she turns to face him with an almost eerily indifferent face. "what then?" she's focused, mapping out places in her mind on a makeshift board. and then the pawns shift into position. her fingers twitch as if itching to move them around.

"should one of us provide aerial cover on one side for a better advantage?" even just sending out a pokemon capable of flight could help prevent disaster. she thinks of her golurk. the discolored automaton could even merge into the shadows to cover blind spots they can't possibly see right now...

Greyson Connors