MARCH UPDATE

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TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Feb 21, 2022 23:39:14 GMT

bryan delarosa, Elisabeth Fiorelli, and 1 more like this

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Winter's cold has a way of stealing a flower’s will to bloom, the beauty of blossoms often remaining hidden until the passing of the vernal equinox. She always looked forward to it, Mars remembers it well; to those first days of spring when life would return to the gardens.
[break][break]
Up in Sinnoh, this always rang true, but here, in tropical Hoenn, life fills Petalburg Woods even during this winter of unusual frost brought by past wars…
[break][break]
It could almost be called ironic, since not far from here, hidden in the woods, is one of the entrances to the underground smuggling complex he had overtaken along with bryan delarosa months ago – a place with blood to paint its walls.
[break][break]
Ironic, since that’s the place he steps out of when heading over to the location where he had agreed to meet Elisabeth Fiorelli.
[break][break]
Flowers. Seeds. Promises for spring.
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Why does he feel so nostalgic about all of it?
[break][break]
”Elisabeth.” None of those feelings show themselves when he finally meets her, naturally. He smiles with calm and ease, his hands remaining within the pockets of an elegant coat. It’s cold. ”I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”
[break][break]
He’s right on time, that much he knows for sure.

[attr="class","textwttag"]Elisabeth Fiorelli

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notes

♡

[attr="class","textwtpokes"]

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Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

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TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Feb 22, 2022 10:00:51 GMT

Martín del Mar likes this

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A ROSE BY[break]
ANY NAME

would remain as sweet and thorned

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Martín del Mar

+Outfit[break]
+Hairstyle

[attr="class","bgtk-lyric2"]A Flowering Gracidea

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Nature had always been equivalent to freedom for Elisabeth.[break][break]

Flowers did not flourish well in stone walls, and for the past decade, her heart had withered on its stem, devoid of the sunlight of others' company and deluged with a flood of misery. Nothing could grow in such a place aside from a small seed of spite, thorny and hardy as it kept her rooted and sane in a place where compassion was too fragile too take hold.[break][break]

In a place like Petalburg Woods, Elisabeth could recall running with reckless abandon in the lush gardens of her family manor in Camphrier Town; her mother, painting watercolours of the flowers in full bloom, a gentle smile on her lips; her father's vineyard, fruitful and abundant, drawing countless Wurmples that Elisabeth adamantly defended from harm at the expense of many a grapevine. Spring was eternal there, for so it always was wherever love was found.[break][break]

Those gardens she had so loved as a child had been dug up and desecrated by her late husband, one whose manor she had in retribution burned to the ground before selling the acres to the first bidder.[break][break]

Winter's frost had barely touched the woods that had become Elisabeth's new residence, and yet the thorns choking her heart had not abated, even as she cautiously allowed Hoenn's warmth to nurture the kinder, gentler side of the person she had been into flourishing anew.[break][break]

Rocket didn't value her for compassion, but for her strength. Something it had in common with the rest of the world.[break][break]

"You must be Mr. del Mar." Elisabeth extended a hand in greeting, a polite smile on her lips. "A singular pleasure to meet a man of your renown."[break][break]

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even in the ruins, flowers blossom and flourish

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Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

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TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Feb 23, 2022 12:10:56 GMT

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Rocket values strength, but Elisabeth Fiorelli’s strength is not the reason why Mars called her out to the woods today. Not in the obvious manner, at least. For, the fact of the matter is that strength can express itself in all sorts of ways, and there are more subtle abilities that are just as valuable (if not more) than those that are often sought after.
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Leave it to a man who named himself after a deity of war to be aware of things like those.
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Still, today he’s not here to cause strife or start any battles.
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”That would be me.” The handshake he gives her is firm; the type that belongs to a successful businessman who’s all too used to such interactions. ”Martín is fine, though. Mars if you struggle with the pronunciation, although I don’t imagine you would. Enchanté.”
[break][break]
A single word spoken in perfect Kalosian marks common ground. ’Nice to meet you’ said in an accent that, to trained ears, would be reminiscent of South-Western Kalos. He smiles at her, hand returning to the pocket of his coat to retrieve something.
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A small bag of seeds.The rare type that had been for sale recently. Gracideas.
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”I called you here today because I want to talk to you about these.”
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It’s probably not what she had expected to hear, and he knows this.

[attr="class","textwttag"]Elisabeth Fiorelli

[attr="class","textwtnotes"]

notes

♡

[attr="class","textwtpokes"]

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played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

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4,406 posts

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TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Feb 23, 2022 12:52:35 GMT

Martín del Mar likes this

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A ROSE BY[break]
ANY NAME

would remain as sweet and thorned

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Martín del Mar

+Outfit[break]
+Hairstyle

[attr="class","bgtk-lyric2"]A Flowering Gracidea

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"Martín, then." Her handshake, too, was equal to his: firm despite the gentle touch of her hands, deceptively made so with a vigorous skin care regime to account for so many years of gardening. There was a sense of a pact being struck between them with this simple action, though Elisabeth could not put a finger as to its purpose.[break][break]

A subtle distinction in his Kalosian accent marked him as one from her region, though likely a far way from the quiet likes of Camphrier Town. Was such common ground a positive thing, given their ties now in Rocket? In some ways, the farther away she was from Kalos, the less she wished to be reminded of it.[break][break]

There was a nostalgia to the language that she cherished nonetheless.[break][break]

Elisabeth's eyebrows rose slightly at the sight of the Gracidea seed taken from his coat, the flower one she had only recently come into contact with herself. A brief memory of FERNANDO SILPH -- the Shaymin he had brought with him, and the exchange of the Gracidea before they parted ways -- flashed through her mind.[break][break]

"You come to me as a florist today, I see." She kept her voice calm and even, the question spoken as a statement as she pressed her hands before herself. "Very well. I shall offer my expertise to the best of my abilities in that area."[break][break]

Strange, wasn't it, that the work she did to maintain an honest living had so many unexpected uses.

[attr="class","bgtk-bot"]

even in the ruins, flowers blossom and flourish

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played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

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4,525 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Feb 24, 2022 0:11:35 GMT

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Every flower dies. Every seed perishes.

[break]
When Azelf had given him these words, it had not meant actual flowers and seeds, and Mars had known as much from the moment he first heard the Willpower Pokémon’s prophecy. However, all these thoughts of flowers bring inevitable memories of her, and what are those if not a reminder that every flower he touches truly does meet its bitter end? The seed they had sowed too had perished, and with it all their dreams of a happy life together – all of it gone as if victims to the merciless winter of Sinnoh.
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His façade is perfect, not once betraying him despite the grim thoughts that overtake him.
[break][break]
”That I am. See… I have a garden back at my residence in Mauville, but I thought this would be a better place to plant these.”
[break][break]
Gracideas. Flowers of gratitude. Here, right over the place where he had drawn blood to let Sinnoh's syndicate know he would make them pay for what they’ve done.
[break][break]
Is it a sick joke only Mars understands?
[break][break]
Or, is it perhaps gratitude because he’s finally breaking free from the shackles that have bound him to their will since he was a child…
[break][break]

Think bigger than the binds of blood.

[attr="class","textwttag"]Elisabeth Fiorelli

[attr="class","textwtnotes"]

notes

♡

[attr="class","textwtpokes"]

close tab

played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

awards

4,406 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Feb 25, 2022 0:43:01 GMT

[nospaces]

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A ROSE BY[break]
ANY NAME

would remain as sweet and thorned

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[attr="class","bgtk-mid2"]

[attr="class","bgtk-img"]

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Martín del Mar

+Outfit[break]
+Hairstyle

[attr="class","bgtk-lyric2"]A Flowering Gracidea

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A smile, faint but nonetheless sincere, creased Elisabeth's lips. "Though I am certain your garden in Mauville is lovely, I can see why you chose Petalburg Woods. I have grown flowers of every shape and colour in my gardens on the outskirts of town, and they have flourished beautifully."[break][break]

She had not shed blood here, as Martín del Mar had, unbeknownst to her. This flowering place was devoid of such bitter memories, and Elisabeth left her cottage windows open to afford full view of it and all its possibility. She imagined her mother would have liked it here; Georgiana Fiorelli's watercolours of such a place would have been inspired. [break][break]

"Gracideas are flowers of gratitude, it is said," she continued, her gaze taking in the entirety of the loveliness of the landscape before turning her full attention to Martín del Mar. "I have much to be grateful for here, so I confess I am partial to the location you have chosen for that reason as well."[break][break]

A fresh start, dug anew from the dirt of her husband's early grave. The intrusive thought was dismissed as swiftly as it came. [break][break]

When she studied the Rocket admin, however, he did not seem to mirror her emotions regarding the woods here. There was a subtle reticence to his posture, a distracted nature that Elisabeth could not put a name to. "May I ask what the significance of this place is to you?" she asked politely, delicate in her careful phrasing.

[attr="class","bgtk-bot"]

even in the ruins, flowers blossom and flourish

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played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Feb 26, 2022 0:09:53 GMT

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Elisabeth Fiorelli speaks in pretty ways about pretty things, and as Mars listens to her, an ever so slight smile tugs at his lips. She brings him reminders all too bittersweet, awakening both welcome and unwelcome memories. Not of Cosima, but of something much different…
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”Hmm… A talent with nature, wit, and breathtaking beauty. Bards would have once called you a dryad and written poems about your ethereal grace, Miss Fiorelli.”
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It’s as if his words are his own musings spoken out loud, yet, if only for a moment, his gaze holds hers... Only to then turn his attention to the woods around them.
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Evergreens mixed with bare trees, a ground covered in both frost and the remnants of autumnal leaves. A forest in winter. One perhaps not meant for blooms and gratitude. But, when has Mars ever let anyone but himself define what the things he wants are meant to be?
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”You want me to speak of my motives?”
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Why Petalburg Woods?
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Why not somewhere he actually frequents, where he would get to enjoy the sight of the gracideas so much more often?
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”I’m grateful to this forest.” Words spoken with no hesitation, even though in truth he had just come to such a conclusion. And, after calmly scanning their surroundings one last time, his gaze falls upon Elisabeth once more. ”Perhaps one day we can exchange stories as to why, hm?” He smirks playfully at that, for Mars is as curious as the cats that are beloved mascots to the bank he runs, and it’s with only a few that he gives without getting just as much back.

[attr="class","textwttag"]Elisabeth Fiorelli

[attr="class","textwtnotes"]

notes

♡

[attr="class","textwtpokes"]

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played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

awards

4,406 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Feb 26, 2022 12:28:55 GMT

[nospaces]

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A ROSE BY[break]
ANY NAME

would remain as sweet and thorned

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Martín del Mar

+Outfit[break]
+Hairstyle[break][break]

AMARANTH (♀) LIGHT METAL: DOUBLE HIT, IRON DEFENSE, FURY CUTTER, BULLET PUNCH

[attr="class","bgtk-lyric2"]A Flowering Gracidea

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A dryad? Hah. The comparison earned a soft laugh as the Kalosian noblewoman raised her eyebrows with faint incredulity. Of all impressions she had anticipated having on such a powerful man in Team Rocket, it had not been to be compared to beautiful nymphs petrified forevermore in the woods, desperate to escape unwanted suitors.[break][break]

Perhaps there was some dark merit to the metaphor.[break][break]

"For the best, I suppose. The last man to say such things married me, and he sorely regretted it."[break][break]

The words were no confession, merely a long-accepted truth. [break][break]

Elisabeth, too, possessed the irresistible urge to pry about her companion's inner thoughts... although she liked to think she knew better than to voice such things aloud, particularly to such a dangerous and powerful man. Recent events, however, had her doubting even that small sliver of self-preservation remained within her. Certainly, she had dove in headfirst just now when the opportunity presented itself, hadn't she?[break][break]

Rather than comment on this, Elisabeth threw a Pokeball in the air, summoning her Scizor in a burst of red light.[break][break]

"Amaranth," she said, her order to the Pokemon soft but stern, "begin digging with FURY CUTTER, if you wouldn't mind."[break][break]

The grass beneath their feet was tenderly and carefully shoveled by Amaranth's gleaming crimson pincers, breaking through the roots and weeds to find the wealth of fertile soil buried underneath. It was then that Elisabeth turned to Mars, his voicing of their mutual curiosity resulting in an amused, wry smile.[break][break]

Elisabeth did not flatter herself. She was not a particularly compelling member of Rocket -- a quiet and unassuming presence, truth be told -- and one more grunt among the masses. If anything, she was just an idle curiosity: a pretty bauble imported from an unexpected place, tasked to work unsuited for noble hands. [break][break]

He was humoring her, that was all.[break][break]

"Oh? I suspect your tale would be far more interesting than mine."

[attr="class","bgtk-bot"]

even in the ruins, flowers blossom and flourish

close tab

played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Feb 26, 2022 16:43:06 GMT

[nospaces]

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The devil’s in the details.
[break][break]
This is something Mars has always believed, and his penchant for perfectionism may just be one of his defining qualities. Understanding people, noticing small changes in demeanour, and remembering even the smallest bit of information shared during the most casual of conversations – all of those things are done almost as if by instinct. So, why is it that he feels no surprise when learning that the woman before him was once married, and unhappily so, at that? Well, a perfectionist is also often someone who is prepared, and Mars doesn’t schedule meetings with anyone without first doing his due diligence…
[break][break]
Elisabeth Fiorelli, formerly Elisabeth Bortiforte, twenty-nine, Kalosian, widowed, suspected by media to have murdered said “sorely regretful” former husband of hers.
[break][break]
Is there irony in the fact that she’s the person he called here today?
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”Is that so? Then perhaps he should have listened to the warnings in the things he was saying, since most tales about dryads are actually about people attempting to claim their beauty for themselves and the horrible consequences of such mistakes… Muses are not meant to belong to mortal men.” There’s a note of amusement in his tone as he speaks, holding Elisabeth’s gaze as if truly meaning every single word said to her. Metaphors flow with ease, for Mars has always had a fondness for poetry, even if it’s not just anyone that sparks that in him. He smiles at her then. ”Don’t take from the forest what was never meant to leave.”
[break][break]
A dryad. A creature of divine beauty. Not a helpless fairy at the mercy of someone else’s will.
[break][break]
But, of course, if this is how highly Mars can speak of a woman he only met a moment ago, regardless of how fond of her he might be, it leaves one to wonder exactly what he thinks of himself. Or, perhaps there’s no need to wonder. It’s right there in his name.
[break][break]
And speaking of names…
[break][break]
”Amaranth. Good choice. Would you like the help of any of my pokémon?”
[break][break]
Not like Mars is against simply supervising while others work, but he’s also not against doing things in the most efficient way possible. Still, it’s soon that he finds himself distracted from watching the Scizor dig, amber eyes falling on Elisabeth once more.
[break][break]
”Who knows? There’s only one way to find out… It’s rare for me to be disappointed by the things that manage to spark my curiosity.”
[break][break]
There, if only for a second or two, the way he looks at her is as if nothing else in the world matters, and on his lips there’s that same playful smirk that showed itself previously.
[break][break]
His attention, his curiousity, those are things not everyone manages to earn, and Mars makes that clear.
[break][break]
To him, Elisabeth is interesting.

[attr="class","textwttag"]Elisabeth Fiorelli

[attr="class","textwtnotes"]

notes

♡

[attr="class","textwtpokes"]

close tab

played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

awards

4,406 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Feb 27, 2022 11:49:35 GMT

Martín del Mar likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","bgtk"]

[attr="class","bgtk-top"]

[attr="class","bgtk-top2"]

A ROSE BY[break]
ANY NAME

would remain as sweet and thorned

[attr="class","bgtk-mid"]

[attr="class","bgtk-mid2"]

[attr="class","bgtk-img"]

[attr="class","bgtk-left"]

Martín del Mar

+Outfit[break]
+Hairstyle[break][break]

AMARANTH (♀) LIGHT METAL: DOUBLE HIT, IRON DEFENSE, FURY CUTTER, BULLET PUNCH

[break]

Primrose (♀) POISON POINT: Petal Blizzard, Synthesis, Aromatherapy, Giga Drain, Magical Leaf, Toxic

[attr="class","bgtk-lyric2"]A Flowering Gracidea

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"How much poetry exists purely to flatter and beguile, do you think?" Elisabeth asked drily. A careful lock on memories she did not wish to dwell on -- the warmth of a fireplace, her head on her once-beloved's shoulder, listening as he read her from the books his young wife so adored -- unfastened, if only for a moment, before it clicked back into place to gather dust and decay. [break][break]

"Muses are not meant to belong to mortal men."[break][break]

A man who called himself Mars had surely imagined himself the larger-than-life hero of the tales of his youth -- for he had not settled for men like Achilles and Hercules, either. His was a name Divine in its majesty, inherently magnetic in its pull, drawing others into his orbit whether or not they could feel that subtle string take hold. [break][break]

Elisabeth had grown up on ancient tales, too -- though in hers, she did not imagine herself a deity, taking on the mantle of something larger than herself. Far different stories and images came to mind. [break][break]

The figure of a lone maiden, seeking in vain for the stolen feathers that would allow her to wing back home. A blood-stained key, damning a woman for daring to know the monster in her bed. A dismembered finger with a golden ring, providing a warning from a woman who received hers too late. [break][break]

"No? Men forever reach for what they cannot have, in my experience. Far too many are Icarus, when they believe themselves to be Adonis."[break][break]

Had Elisabeth insulted Martín? The realisation dawned too late, the bitter words already spoken into existence, formed around the shadow of that man who lingered on the outside of her every thought, shaping them even now into things small and cruel.[break][break]

"My Pokemon enjoy their labour, as do I," Elisabeth said, her voice softer now with unspoken rebuke. "Once the soil is tilled, we can plant the seed as you like." Her next Pokeball called forth her Roselia, Primrose, who stood before them both with her flowering arms outstretched in a simple bow. "When it is planted, Primrose will gladly offer SYNTHESIS to assist in ensuring an early start for the seedling."[break][break]

Elisabeth could feel his amber eyes upon her, even as she focused the entirety of her attention on Amaranth's work. You did not need to look upon the sun to feel its light on your skin. When a man of such power looked at you as if you were a goddess, you dared to believed him -- and yet, how unhappily the women of Mount Olympus lived who had chosen the company of men. Even Aphrodite was chained to Hephaestus, in the end.[break][break]

"It’s rare for me to be disappointed by the things that manage to spark my curiosity."[break][break]

This, however, drew forth a laugh from her rosy lips.[break][break]

"Far be it from me to deny you Pandora's box, then."[break][break]

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even in the ruins, flowers blossom and flourish

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Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

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TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Feb 27, 2022 13:21:47 GMT

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”Hm? All of it, probably, since what is poetry if not a way to romanticise every aspect of this world? I must say… there’s something amusing about meeting a woman so fond of blooms, yet who seems to have such a distaste for flowery language.”
[break][break]
The dryness of her tone is as if contrasted by the pleasant lilt of his, the amusement he speaks of expressing itself even in the way these words calmly said. It’s obvious that this is all fun to him, a game, and as anyone who has met him would undoubtedly be able to claim: Mars sure loves games.
[break][break]
What is a game, after all, if not a play at combat? Here, in this forest, a war of two minds. Surely, in this battle of words, the man named after divinely belligerent Mars would have the upper hand…
[break][break]
Except that Elisabeth’s next words catch him by surprise, and instead of the offence she may have expected, what she receives as a result is an honest laugh. Mars looks at her, gaze meeting hers, and a questioning eyebrow is then raised. ”Why would anyone ever want to be Adonis? He was no more than a goddess’ boytoy who died foolishly and never achieved much. I’d rather be Icarus: flying for my freedom but cursed to love the sun too close and too much.” But Icarus had been a fool too, and in turn, died a foolish death. Both of these were mortal men, and Mars cares little for comparing himself to either of them.
[break][break]
Then again, he’s also not the God of War and Guardian of the People after whom he calls himself, even if the reasons why Cosima had bestowed the nickname upon him when they were no more than children are still as obvious about him now as they were back then…
[break][break]
Some things never change.
[break][break]
The world around them always will, however, and that’s a thought that lingers in Mars’ mind as he watches her pokémon work. Seeds can be sowed and seedlings can grow, flowers can bloom and thrive too, but in the end, permanence is not a blessing Arceus bestowed upon them. Beauty fades, as had so fittingly been the theme of his performances in a recent pokémon contest. ”Fair enough. Your pokémon seem to be quite skilled at their job, that’s always a good thing to see.”
[break][break]
The praise he offers is honest, for a moment setting their game of words aside, because Mars will always be one to value things like those, especially as one of Team Rocket’s admins speaking to one of its members. If Elisabeth’s pokémon have been so excellently trained to perform these tasks, then they have potential to do much more.
[break][break]
She’s the one who resumes the game before he does, and she does so with a melodious laugh that earns her a smile on his part.
[break][break]
”Fair enough, I’ll heed your warnings, but for the record, I think Pandora gets too much flak… If granted a beautiful gift by the divine, anyone would want to see what’s inside.”
[break][break]
He never looks away from her while saying this, leaving interpretations in her hands.
[break][break]
Azelf’s prophecy, his connection to the Unown Report… Aren’t those as if Mars’ own Pandora’s Box? After all, his desperation for uncovering the mysteries of the former had already almost ended his life once.
[break][break]
Some gifts may be better left not understood, but Mars is not a man who enjoys living in ignorance.

[attr="class","textwttag"]Elisabeth Fiorelli

[attr="class","textwtnotes"]

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Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

awards

4,406 posts

DOLLARS

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TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Feb 27, 2022 14:45:36 GMT

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A ROSE BY[break]
ANY NAME

would remain as sweet and thorned

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Martín del Mar

+Outfit[break]
+Hairstyle[break][break]

AMARANTH (♀) LIGHT METAL: DOUBLE HIT, IRON DEFENSE, FURY CUTTER, BULLET PUNCH

[break]

[attr="class","bgtk-lyric2"]A Flowering Gracidea

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"You mistake me, Mr. del Mar. For I hold a great love of poetry; it is with poets themselves that I sometimes take umbrage." Already Elisabeth found herself falling into the subtle distancing of formality, the safe confine of pretty words that keep true intimacies at bay.[break][break]

A game, was it? Elisabeth had always imagined it as a dance -- two souls, caught in a duet that required grace and finesse from the other, jilted by a single misstep. This was an old song, and one she knew well. Far too many days in isolation with only books for company had ensured it to be so.[break][break]

"Why would anyone ever want to be Adonis?"[break][break]

"Now captured by mortal beauty," Elisabeth recited, her cool blue eyes meeting his amber as she spoke words she knew he recognized by rote, "she cares no more for Cythera's shores, nor revisits Paphos, surrounded by its deep waters, nor Cnidos, the haunt of fish, nor Amathus, rich in mines: she even forgoes the heavens: preferring Adonis to heaven."[break][break]

The seed was planted; Primrose became bright with life-giving energy, the SYNTHESIS of her form causing the nearby environs to soak in rays emitting from her like the gentle caress of morning sunlight.[break][break]

"There are some who believe the god Ares so envied Adonis that he himself set the boar upon the boy," the Kalosian noblewoman said, throwing a sly smile over her shoulder as she brought forth a small watering pail. This part she could do herself, with no help from her faithful Pokemon; they were given a moment's reprieve, able to bask in the praise given by this new visitor. "But surely, no such powerful being would envy such a lowly man, hm?"[break][break]

As the water poured into the ground, Elisabeth continued: "A flower, of the colour of blood, was created such as pomegranates carry, that hide their seeds under a tough rind. But enjoyment of it is brief; for, lightly clinging, and too easily fallen, the winds deflower it, which are likewise responsible for its name, windflower: anemone."[break][break]

The anemone was no Gracidea, no, but a flower of gratitude nonetheless. A marker of a love that had been desecrated by jealousy, but would be remembered for its fleeting beauty.[break][break]

"Perhaps you are right," Elisabeth said, arising from where the dirt had stained her knees in the water-soaked ground. Her hand found itself in her golden curls, brushing stray leaves and soil away. "Although I fear no one mourns poor Icarus in such a fashion as this. Certainly no goddess, at least."[break][break]

A pause, indicative of a moment's thought -- the flicker of her curious gaze upon him, as if assessing him -- calculated what it was Martín del Mar expected from her. "You are a peculiar man, to so spurn the grief of Venus and then to so extol the curiosity of Pandora."[break][break]

Why, indeed?

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even in the ruins, flowers blossom and flourish

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played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

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4,525 posts

DOLLARS

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TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Feb 27, 2022 17:25:18 GMT

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”You’re the one who asked how much poetry exists purely to flatter and beguile, Miss Fiorelli.”
[break][break]
Had he perhaps gone too far? Had he offended her Victorian-like sensibilities? Admittedly, while when it comes to business and professional settings Mars is ever mindful of the feelings of those he’s interacting with, this is generally so deals will go smoothly and without any trouble for him. He already has what he wants here, so he may or may have not sought his own amusement at the expense of one Elisabeth Fiorelli.
[break][break]
Does he feel at all guilty for this?
[break][break]
Of course not.
[break][break]
If anything, there’s a certain joy that comes with listening as a beautiful woman recites words he too is fond of and all too familiar with, and he smiles while looking into those eyes as blue as the petals of scorpion grasses. Forget-me-nots. How ironic that she would remind him of flowers like those.
[break][break]
"There are some who believe the god Ares so envied Adonis that he himself set the boar upon the boy.”
[break][break]
Sly.
[break][break]
Clever.
[break][break]
The implications are obvious but easily dismissed, and it’s perhaps at this moments, while listening to her quips and watching her water freshly sowed seeds that Mars decides that he’s actually quite fond of Elisabeth Fiorelli. He had been right before: she’s interesting.
[break][break]
”Hmm… You misinterpret my words. I would never look down upon anyone’s grief.” This time, he’s the one who crouches down as if to inspect her work, amber eyes looking at the darkened soil beneath which Gracidea seeds now grow. ”I don’t care much for Adonis because he’s not remembered for his own accomplishments, but I never said he wasn’t mourned upon his death. No one should be defined by who they love… Not a man who died loving a goddess, and not even the Goddess of Love herself. Or, does your lost love define who you are, Miss Fiorelli? Is it what you wish to be remembered for?” Mars looks at her then, amber eyes intently looking into blue ones.
[break][break]
He stands, and after a short pause and a sigh, his responds to his own question:
[break][break]
”In my case, it’s not. I understand Pandora's curiosity, but that will never mean I’ll deny or hide this grief I feel.”

[attr="class","textwttag"]Elisabeth Fiorelli

[attr="class","textwtnotes"]

notes

♡

[attr="class","textwtpokes"]

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played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

awards

4,406 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Feb 27, 2022 19:46:45 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","bgtk"]

[attr="class","bgtk-top"]

[attr="class","bgtk-top2"]

A ROSE BY[break]
ANY NAME

would remain as sweet and thorned

[attr="class","bgtk-mid"]

[attr="class","bgtk-mid2"]

[attr="class","bgtk-img"]

[attr="class","bgtk-left"]

Martín del Mar

+Outfit[break]
+Hairstyle[break][break]

AMARANTH (♀) LIGHT METAL: DOUBLE HIT, IRON DEFENSE, FURY CUTTER, BULLET PUNCH

[break]

[attr="class","bgtk-lyric2"]A Flowering Gracidea

[attr="class","bgtk-post"]

"I do not see how the two thoughts cannot coexist. Words immortalise what time will erase; there is great power in their use, and such should not be abused, hm?"[break][break]

Distracted by her gardening, it took several moments for Elisabeth to realise that Martín had crouched here beside her, his figure closer than any man had been to her since Elisabeth awakened to a corpse in her bed.[break][break]

The slightest recoil in her shoulders, the briefest revelation of surprise as her eyes widened, the roses blossoming unbidden upon her cheeks -- all betrayed her startlement at a glance, silently shrinking away from his gaze like a violet. However, Mars's amber eyes held hers in place, resolute and unflinching, with the traces of that ever-present smile still upon his lips. [break][break]

He was enjoying this.[break][break]

Though for what, exactly? What weaknesses was a man like Martín del Mar searching for in her, and why?[break][break]

"Or, does your lost love define who you are, Miss Fiorelli? Is it what you wish to be remembered for?"[break][break]

The brief stupor ended as she stumbled to her feet; the confusion abated at the reminder of burials long-past, black gowns, and calla lilies. "It is not often the living get to choose our legacy. Were I to choose mine, however, I cannot say my grief or my love are either worth great commentary upon."[break][break]

Grief for her parents who had died before she could return to their waiting arms. For the girl she had once been, and how she herself had killed that young innocent with her own hands.[break][break]

And love, well. Had it ever existed, if it had been given to a man who only existed in her own mind?[break][break]

"Maybe I don't wish to be remembered at all." No jest. No humour. A deflated, resigned statement, from a flower that will one day fade and wilt the same as any other, and return to the ground from which she came.[break][break]

"I understand Pandora's curiosity, but that will never mean I'll deny or hide this grief I feel."[break][break]

Now as they stood side by side, Elisabeth returned Mars's scrutiny at last. What did she know of this man, besides what little he had shared in this encounter? How strange that she had missed that grief he wore like a second shadow, now seeming so clear and so visible at its utterance.[break][break]

Her words were gentle, almost tender in their sincerity: "My condolences. It is a shame that loss binds so many. Were the Fates kinder, we would share something else in common."

[attr="class","bgtk-bot"]

even in the ruins, flowers blossom and flourish

close tab

played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars