MOONFALL

TWILIGHT BORN IN UNFIT ARMS

HE DOESN’T BAT AN EYE. An expensive date, reservations taken out weeks ahead of time, meeting close to his 'special time' of the month, the urge to pilfer an ice pick from behind the bar to wedge it straight through his skull. None of them have any real effect on him, he tells himself.

Weird.

That last thought comes off more morbid than usual. He has no choice but to dismiss it as a side effect of the WISH TAG as the itch crawls up his arm. He can feel it bubble underneath his skin, invisible boils that threaten to pop if left untreated.

“It’s never about what we have to do,” he murmurs, volume raising with every word. “It’s about what you should do.”

Only now does he reach an audible level.

“How are you faring, Stone?”

ANA STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]his words cascade up in volume, pulling her in bit by bit, and by the end of it, she's leaning just that much closer into the table, towards him.

"well, it's sweet."

her eyes leave him if only to gloss over the menu chalked full of overpriced dishes. fine dining, they call it. there's even a dish that uses an apricorn.

"quite well. everyone has been really accommodating."

a soft smile.

"yourself? anything exciting happen since lavaridge?"

FERNANDO SILPH

MOONFALL

TWILIGHT BORN IN UNFIT ARMS

“GOOD TO HEAR THAT,” he answers absentmindedly.

His own eyes flower over the menu’s spine but he never reaches for it. There’s no reason to pivot from the Silph Special: whatever the waiter recommends. Choice paralysis is a real affliction and he circumvents it by putting the responsibility on someone else—a textbook play.

“No.” His attention diverts to a table behind them. His eyes trace the gaze between several people he doesn’t recognize, surprisingly engrossed by their interaction.

“I’m not sure what constitutes exciting anymore.”

He’s long been desensitized.

ANA STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]no.

it doesn't surprise her for she's found little to be excited over either. it's almost disappointing how this dinner's the most exciting thing that's happened thus far.

"constant exposure to things tend to have that effect, i find."

she shrugs.

"i hear people have been crazily searching for unowns. something about a report?"

FERNANDO SILPH

MOONFALL

TWILIGHT BORN IN UNFIT ARMS

SHE SHRUGS. He nods. A constant ebb and flow that dictates a ‘normal’ conversation between Hoenn’s financial elite. For an ambiance littered with gaudy decorations that prioritize fashion over form, their conversation is bare naked in comparison.

Until she strikes up something of interest.

“Ah. Indeed.” Fernando thinks nothing of it or the words that roll of his tongue. “A syndicate of assassins are crowdsourcing their homework to the general populace.”

He’s impartial to something he can neither control or prevent.

“And they’re doing quite well for themselves.”

ANA STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]"so i've heard."

even if she doesn't possess the device or the report, she knows 'quite well' is an understatement. the uptick in trainers searching for unowns is telling enough. gods forbid the unown go extinct because of it.

"i'm sorry to hear about your sister. i hope she's recovering well after the soiree."

FERNANDO SILPH

MOONFALL

TWILIGHT BORN IN UNFIT ARMS

“SHE’S FINE,” he dismisses with impunity.

if Stormy Silph cannot survive without moltres then she’s not worth saving. it goes against the whole basis of her training—disregards the time and effort he put into her. before an avatar, she is still a capable trainer.

lavaridge’s gym leader.

hoenn’s elite four.

the crippling dependency and importance of avatars is a blight that must be eliminated. it’s why he despises those not within his grasp, as well as the AQUA INITIATIVE as a whole.

but in front of ana, the most he portrays is a gloss over her concern.

“and very much capable. but i’ll let he know you wish her well.”

ANA STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]nothing else is said on the matter of fernando's sister. ana dips her head in response, allowing the moment to pass.

"and how about you, fernando?"

she presses.

"are you not worried of losing tapu fini?"

FERNANDO SILPH

MOONFALL

TWILIGHT BORN IN UNFIT ARMS

“LOSE TAPU FINI?”

his eyes narrow in as if to address an offensive presumption—one she made but it’s not an unnatural one to apply. in a flash, his eyebrows raise, painting an expression of questioning before he addresses her own.

“tapu fini is not mine to lose. it is not some domesticated pokemon or property i own. it comes and goes as it sees fit.”

and with the proper respect laid out on the table, his lips twitch into a smile.

“but no. not in the slightest. dependency on pokemon and titles have always brought weak men to their knees. those who can remain standing after having everything stripped away are those who know their worth.”

ANA STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]"is that what happened with tapu lele, then?"

though her encounter with illeana reyes was brief at best, she vividly remembers the pink mist that coated the surface of the hot springs that night. she wonders if fernando's would linger, too, after tapu fini leaves.

"and how long do you think you have? until it goes."

FERNANDO SILPH

MOONFALL

TWILIGHT BORN IN UNFIT ARMS

IS IT? even fernando doesn’t know. nor does he pretend to. while faux confidence in certain matters have never been something he’s strayed away from, pretending to know something that could and probably will backfire is something he knows to avoid. again, he shakes his head in light dismissal.

“perhaps,” the guess riddles the air. dampens the assertiveness behind his earlier claims.

“but i wouldn’t know that.”

her subsequent question could be taken offensively. and, coming from the right person, he would’ve perceived it as such. but where does ana sit—indeed a stone, but not one that has raised her hand against him.

not yet.

“our goal is the same; until that changes, indefinitely until i die.”

an appetizer comes out and interrupts. a basket covered in elaborate cloth sits between the two of them.

“so around ten years, plus or minus a margin of error.”

ANA STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]she hadn't meant it as a threat, no. just genuine curiosity on a topic she's otherwise unfamiliar with. it's the same curiosity that leads to her next question.

"and what goal is that?"

she plucks at the cloth, revealing their appetizer.

"something achievable within ten years?"

FERNANDO SILPH

MOONFALL

TWILIGHT BORN IN UNFIT ARMS

“TO MAINTAIN BALANCE,” as with all things.

steam billows from the reveal. inside are several baked rolls. decorated with a fine sprinkle of melted cheese, cooked right into the outer layer. a simple start but house made and left for presentation more so than actual fulfillment.

“a status quo we intend to keep until the avatarship eats up the rest of my life force.”

ANA STONE