wkward for some, but not for him. arian moseyed down the path toward the hotel. wearing only the finest of suits, his hands were placed in his pockets. "y'know," he broke the ice, "you don't have to be nervous." he watched her from the peripheral vision of a single eye, his other closed. "i don't bite unlike my mentor." referring to FERNANDO SILPH, he was unaware of the relation she had with fernando. but he kept his nose clean.

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on occasion he saw the duo together. so he merely took it as a sign that they were coworkers. it was none of his business of course, but, "hey, do you like FERNANDO SILPH?" he'd bluntly ask. a cheeky grin given toward the caramel toned female.

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party:
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mission: ---[break]
tag: persephone amavi
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notes: gimme my eevee you wench! :AngryPepe:

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i don't bite like my mentor, should be an innocuous, innocent statement but persephone stills for a moment and inclining her head to look at arian more closely. it's not uneasiness, it's more like curiosity.

the follow-up gives her pause, and she lets a smile linger across her lips for a moment before replying; something borderline self-conscious whenever her relationship with FERNANDO SILPH is brought up.

"i've known him for a long time, he's like family."

wait, that's a questionable way to put it, but it's too late to take the words back. persephone opens her mouth as though to clarify further, but a shade behind arian piques her interest. it's not his shadow, it's moving erratically and has odd wisps attached to it

at least it's an opportunity to display her zoroark.

she's quick to release the pokemon from its capsule, and for a moment, it takes the form of a lycanroc, lunging forward to attack with foul play. the gastly is surprised at the assault, and materialises with an expression of sheer shock on its face. persephone takes the opportunity to throw an empty ball, hitting it on its head with a bonk.

arian coin + capture attempt at gastly

cry of absorption sounded. he was captured by surprise, turning only to see the girl grasping hold of a gastly. backing a few feet away. he'd stare with a look of shock, "a-ah...ah..." his faced exhibited the image of fear. was it of her? no, it wasn't. the expression wasn't right. what this male possessed was not fear; rather, it was exaltation. "y-you...have a lyncaroc!!"

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he hadn't seen the true form of zoroark, but that's fine. it was still a lycanroc nonetheless. arian began to examine the creature from all sides: back, front, left, right. he didn't miss a chance to skim every nook and cranny of the pokemon. he was now on the ground, butt wiggling in the air, as he examined the creature from underneath. "hey, hey, let me ask you a question!" sitting up, he'd ask, "you just lied, didn't you?" arian bluntly stated. a childish snicker followed.


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party:
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mission: ---[break]
tag: persephone amavi
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notes: gimme my ditto you wench! :AngryPepe:

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the zoroark-lycanroc lets itself be examined, but bristles as though offended at being compared to a "lesser" canine. the second arian turns away to address its trainer, the zoroark shifts into an illusory version of "arian", charming smile and all. this arian isn't very convincing, because fluttering somewhere overhead catches his attention and he gives chase.

persephone watches, one eyebrow quirked, as zoroark-arian runs after a togetic, disturbed from its sleep by the commotion, leaps unusually high in the air to catch it and bounds back to present it to her like an offering. the pokemon looks too sleepy to struggle and persephone tosses a second pokeball at it as if it is an afterthought.

being caught out in a lie doesn't faze her, if only because she made such a poor show of concealing the truth this time. and of course, either by his nature or by his proximity to fernando, arian is perceptive enough to see through her.

persephone smiles coyly, and waits a a heartbeat before replying because she needs to think of a reply.

"i did lie. sort of," she admits, grin unfaltering. the next part of her statement is presumptuous but it needs to be said because she wants to know about fernando's protegee.

"i think we might two of the few people who see his softer side?"

arian coin + capture attempt at togetic!

e'd fall upon his butt out of shock. "t-that's me!" no way, it was a zoroark! a real life, actual zoroark! arian stood watching the zoroark-arian prancing around. his attention returned to persephone, but before he'd grace persephone with a response. arian, without hesitation, summoned seviper from his ball. "seviper, poison tail; coil!" slithering past the female without waste, a klefki would come to be assaulted by seviper's poisonous blade.

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coiling its tail around the key ringed pokemon, another command was, then, given, "toss it!" the pokemon was thrown into the air. "here i go, haha!" tossing the pokeball. the ball, slamming into klefki, would absorb the fairy-type with haste. catching it and placing the ball into his pocket, seviper slithered back to arian's side. patting the snake, he'd respond, "not really! mr. fernando's a great mentor, but he's very cold at times. it's like he's always on edge yet trying not to show it. i don't know much about mr. fernando, but i know enough that he has his moments of where you can see a different side of him." arian casually tossed seviper's ball in his hand.
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"i hear a lot of women talk amongst the casino about how 'councilman fernando is so brave' and how 'councilman fernando is so handsome', it's nice to know there are people that admire him for his flaws and all. i just admire him because he's an interesting guy!" catching seviper's ball in his hand once more, he'd raise it to the sky. "do you know what the word 'inhibition' means?" arian would ask persephone.


[break][break]
party:
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mission: ---[break]
tag: persephone amavi
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notes: gimme my ditto you wench! :AngryPepe:

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she beams when arian neatly catches the klefki, and even more so when he lays praise on fernando. even if its second-hand repetition of what other people have said, it's nice to hear glowing recognition associated with his name.

not to mention interesting guy doesn't even begin to cut it.

it's the second part of the statement that makes her pause. persephone hesitates for a long moment, fingers resting on her cheek, deep in thought. she watches lickilicky and and herdier run across the plaza, playing together. the absurdity of it doesn't quite register as she processes arian's words.

"'inhibition'?" persephone repeats slowly, as though testing the word to see if the meaning becomes clearer with vocalised. "is it like a restrained impulse?" it seems like a logical guess, a plausible pastiche of a definition pulled together from memory.

arian coin + skipping

is right hand gestured to take the shape of a gun's barrel, his left, actingly, held the invisible rifle at her. "bullseye," arian said. she hit the mark. "my seviper here is a prime example. battling is in its blood." a caressing hand stroked the venomous snake's under chin. laying his head softly against the large creatures own whom coiled around his body.

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"this slippery guy has to restrain himself when a zangoose, or any pokemon really of great strength, is insight." the seviper locked eyes with the herdier from across the street, lingering for its next battle. "it can't do anything unless i, its trainer, am provoked. as my pokemon it can't falter, it can't break form or else that will show i'm an incompetent trainer..." arian's eyes once held a light in them, only to become hollow-like the next.

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"go."

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seviper made haste. slithering its way toward herdier, "coil." a soft voice spoke, smiling toward the poisonous snake. "poison jab." tossing the herdier into the air after having wrapped itself around the herdier's body with a tightened grip. the herdier was sent into the air, and with his tail a poisonous glow, it would come to be met swiftly with a sharpened jab upon the center of its stomach. rendering the pup unconscious. as herdier was held in the air upon the tip of seviper's blade-like tail, a pokeball was thrown to capture the normal dog.

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once inside of the ball seviper, returning with the ball and balancing it upon its tail, came slithering back and delivering the goods. "mr. fernando can't afford to make a mistake. he can't afford to allow himself to slip." fingers caressed the pokeball of herdier, a hollow gaze fixated upon the red orb. "anyone would agree that fernando is a strong man and fit to be champion, would they not? with the stories heard of his feats and actions, a man like him must be hiding something." nuzzling his new friend, he'd add, "ahn, just thinking about what he's hiding is exciting!" placing the ball within his pocket, those hollow orbs became saturated within a vibrant cerulean tone.

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placing a finger over his left eye, he'd pull the under eyelid down, "my eye can see all! humans give away a lot of information just by standing still: attitude, gaze, blinking, gestures, sweat, pupils, and pulse. all of these are hints to finding out what you're really thinking. such a technique can be used on the sharpest of minds and even the greatest of trainers; it can even help you in battle. i like to call this gift of mine by a simple name: the king's eye." sticking out his tongue, it was as if, for a split second, his eye became hollow; whereas, for the other, his right eye remained vibrant.

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that's right. arian was born with the power of observation. he had a knack to decipher those not through simple words, but other varieties. such a skill has always been with him, even against the strong who tried pass over him. arian is, and always, watching; whether intentionally or not. "be honest with me, persephone, wouldn't it be interesting to undress fernando's inhibition and see the man you admire underneath the surface just as you do on?" hands behind his back, arian, faintly, smiled. eyes analyzing her as they speak.


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party:
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mission: ---[break]
tag: persephone amavi
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notes: gimme my eevee you wench! :AngryPepe: also, sorry for the long post, i got to...into it.

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maybe once upon a time the demonstration with the herdier and seviper would have made her skin prickle with goosebumps. persephone isn't sure what the exact source of the change in her expected reaction is, but she regards arian's capture attempt with a dissociated type of admiration.

her smile as he justifies his actions is hesitant at first, but turns increasingly genuine. for a moment, the similarity between him and his seviper is somehow striking. a similar underlying aesthetic, maybe? or perhaps she just knows how to recognise cut-throat ilk. people like him, people like fernando, people like her.

people with masks, people with secrets.

"king's eye?" she echoes, intrigued, cocking her head to one side curiously, not unlike how a herdier would when offered a tasty treat. her interest is piqued, she makes no secret of it. how curious; persephone had spent so long refining secrecy into an art. impassive, concise in speech, economical in movement, and sterile in her interactions with strangers.

and all of it entirely a farce, one long-con attempt at protecting her vulnerabilities.

"a potent skill. the power of observation, of being able to read people like a book, is useful in any context."

how much does he know, then? she swears that for a split second the eye he displays shifts, and she can't help but quirk a brow. persephone remains unmoving, his words making it clear that this may or may not be a test. his mention of fernando only fuels her caution.

"of course," she says, mirroring arian's ghost of a smile. "fernando remains an enigma to me, in many respects. other things? he's very easy to read. but i like him thinking i'm in the dark all the time, too. i imagine it's a mutual delusion of ours — that we're good at secrets."

arian coin + skipping both

eep down inside. the response she'd given arian had been ecstasy. "you're an interesting one, persephone!" leaning in, he'd enclose the distance between the duo. seviper, watching and remaining from his position. rotating his body to bump shoulder-to-shoulder with one another. a titter escaped his throat.

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"you're a woman after my own heart aren't you?" a playful poke, he'd severe their physical connection. arian stood tall. his body swaying forward and back. he was like a giddy child poking fun at the relationship of adults, "you know, there's nothing wrong with admiring someone." arian took a few steps forward, his back facing persephone.

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"but loving them is differently. love can become a strong weapon," he paused to look over his shoulder, "and someones greatest weakness." facing forward, he continued on, "so it begs the question really, is it a good idea to lower the inhibition of fernando? i mean, hypothetically speaking, if you two were to get together. wouldn't that prove disastrous or a bad idea?" he'd turn to face the dark-skinned female.

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arian's facial expression became vacant, blank. he stared with a deadpan look, asking his question, "i mean if something were to happen to you. that could prove disastrous for fernando's well-being, but you that's just one of many theories. excuse me for speaking frankly, but it's truly a scary thing to think about; what if you aren't important to him? what if he went about his life, even though knowing a tragic incident happened to you, acting as if it doesn't--or really at all--effect him? did that mean your feelings weren't reciprocated; did he even care at all about you to begin with? was he using you this entire time?" a hand clamped to arian's face, covering half of his right side but revealing his left.

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"human beings are the greatest threat of all if you think about it, know why? it's 'cause emotions play a big part. and if you became the weakness of someone else...that could spell trouble for others. feelings can cloud our judgement, heighten our emotions, shift our sense of right or wrong; it's amazing really, the greatest gamble worth taking!?" hands brought together as a heinous smile formed upon his face. arian, blushing, shifted his hands in order to make the tip of his fingers, now, touching one another. "do you think fernando would lose himself if he ever lost you or someone close to him? i mean, he lost his father! yet he shows no desire for vengeance; you know what they say, everyone grieves differently i suppose." a playful grin was thrown her way, awaiting for the girl's response.


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party:
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mission: ---[break]
tag: persephone amavi
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notes: skipping both.