[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]fernando seems like the type to eat pizza with a knife and fork. not that there's anything wrong with that; it's the cleaner way, after all. but she's never been one to mind getting her hands dirty.

"that'll likely be past our time, unfortunately."

or fortunately.

"i assume you've made arrangements for when you pass?"

FERNANDO SILPH

MOONFALL

TWILIGHT BORN IN UNFIT ARMS

A FORK PUNCTURES the surface of a roll. it finds a place on his plate, slowly deflating until his knife cuts across its surface. it’s takes more effort but it’s cleaner that way. anything to keep his hands stainless.

“perhaps.”

his concern is elsewhere. while she may be coming to terms with the news of his eventual death, he’s long come to term. ever since the fated day that summer.

“ten years is a lot of time, stone.”

but the answer should be obvious. if not for that, then for the very real possibility that he could die any day now. ideally, he avoids it like the plague. anything to squeeze a second more—but the thought is there.

“i’m sure you’ll have more pressing concerns by that time.”

ANA STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]ten years is certainly a lot of time, but her concerns are elsewhere at the moment.

"i have more pressing concerns right now, fernando."

she rips a roll into two, taking a bite from one half.

"i'm thankful devon was bought out, of course, but there's no denying how it's a mere shell of what it used to be."

by design.

FERNANDO SILPH

MOONFALL

TWILIGHT BORN IN UNFIT ARMS

“INDEED.”

which is all he has to say, followed by a short pause to let her continue.

it goes without saying, silph co. is in a position to devour devon whole. the relationship between them is abusive, parasitic. but devon’s not the one draining value out of the other. the ability to use hoenn’s premiere household name as both a front and a shell is worth more than any buyout capital.

the fact it spits on the stone legacy makes his roll extra flaky.

the problem is, feeling outstanding, buying out devon is still the correct move. for any business with the chance to do so should, evident in the way fernando waited for GMH to make the first move before scooping up what remains.

ANA STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]"then there is no reason to keep it around."

the other half of her roll is placed back down, abandoned as her eyes find his.

"i'll be bringing up devon's dissolution in the next board meeting."

FERNANDO SILPH

MOONFALL

TWILIGHT BORN IN UNFIT ARMS

THERE IS A FEROCITY he finds in her audaciousness. in another world, another timeline, it would’ve been admirable. attractive, even. but the circumstance of their odds makes that all but impossible.

“the board rejects your offer,” he states plainly and matter-of-factly.

“there are easier ways of resigning, stone.”

ANA STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]"that's a shame."

devon serves both of them similarly. for her, it's a means for reintroducing her presence in hoenn as one of their own, and nothing else. it'll never become what it was, and so she sees no point in investing further time into it.

still, she isn't going to step away. devon belongs to the stones, and should it end, then it should be done so out of their own volition.

FERNANDO SILPH

MOONFALL

TWILIGHT BORN IN UNFIT ARMS

“PERHAPS.”

he sets down his cutlery now that his plate is empty. the thin shine of oil coats his knife, makes it shine in gasoline colors as he wipes his clean hands against a perfectly folded cloth napkin. it never breaks shape.

“although i’d love to see you sell the notion that hundred of people should resign to losing their jobs overnight. i'm sure it'll resonate with those in rustboro.”

ANA STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]"they'll be compensated well, of course, as well as given enough notice to find other ventures — ones that have a future beyond simply existing."

she reaches for the other half of the roll, tearing a bit off.

"what would you do? if you were in my shoes."

FERNANDO SILPH

MOONFALL

TWILIGHT BORN IN UNFIT ARMS

THE WAY HE SCOFFS ends with flared nostrils and the sound of his exhale blowing off her answer. “if i had to pick between a severance package and career, it’d pick the later.” which is why the answer will be no. there is no one else to agree to it. not when devon remains profitable and the alternative benefits no one else.

“if i were in your shoes i wouldn’t have the gall to tell a board of directors they should stop being rich in exchange for… well, nothing.”

his eyes settle on hers, judging.

“and i’d be thinking of a very engaging tale to tell the media. dear HNN, it was imperative to lay off hundreds of people for the sole sake of—"

ANA STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]his judgment bounces off the curtain of indifference she wears, feigned or otherwise.

"—preserving our legacy. sounds like something my brother would say, wouldn't you agree?"

at least now she can say she's tried to.

FERNANDO SILPH

MOONFALL

TWILIGHT BORN IN UNFIT ARMS

“ALEXANDER WAS A MAN OF THE PEOPLE.”

after all, he died for them, didn’t he? among all the reason he has to hate him, even fernando must succeed to the one realm stone always triumphed.

people trusted him.

liked him.

and that’s how he got their loyalty. the same way he had freya morningstar poised to betray her ex-colleague in a bid to take silph down before his power became unmatched. unfortunately, he took too long.

“his legacy is the people of hoenn. their livelihoods and prosperity are the only things i have left to honor him. and i will not let it be tarnished.”

accusation is the vile reversal that sits on his tongue. it becomes so much more delicious now that the performance is real.

in his heart, for all his spite, fernando doesn’t mean a word of it. alexander can rot in the prison of the next lunar cycle. but to play the act of his greatest companion, the bleeding heart that lost their champion—to do it so genuine and authentically, tickles that insidious pettiness that still rife with a need to get even.

“i waited for months for DAPHNE STONE to blunder so i could salvage what was left of devon away such incompetence. if you try to sully his name as well, i won’t think twice of having you removed.”

there is a firm warning before furrowed brows. it helps that the less savvy of the stones builds a great affective memory.

ANA STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]"if you want to honor him, fernando, you are more than welcome to visit rustboro. but let's not pretend like you truly care for his legacy and what he stood for. i don't either."

their conversation is interrupted briefly by the approaching staff carrying trays of food. they line them up neatly on the table, showcasing a wide variety of dishes from different cuisines.

she reaches for her glass of wine.

"all i'm saying is that we're quite alike, you and i."

FERNANDO SILPH