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TAG WITH @matias

POSTED ON Mar 21, 2022 13:48:28 GMT

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sweaty but not tired, matias reaches the end of the seminar. just by gauging the room, he can tell most found it enjoyable, some informative, but he wonders just how useful this actually is should another war break loose.[break][break]

it'll likely be a battle of whose pokemon is stronger, and from what he's seen, they have a lot of work to do. but that's a concern for another seminar, perhaps.[break][break]

matias lingers at the end, making sure to stay present just in case anyone has any questions.

[attr="class","ooc"]Talia Celes[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-virizion"]

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Tali, Celes

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TAG WITH @talia

POSTED ON Mar 21, 2022 14:45:46 GMT

i'll chase the light of that distant star

This seminar was one of many that Talia had slotted into her schedule as part of her efforts to better integrate into the defensive efforts of the League.

She and her Dragonair, Lyra, were no stranger to hard work. Dance had been a physically demanding background as well; battling, however, channeled that energy in a new way. Faintly flushed from the exertion of the exercise, Talia smiled at her Pokemon at the completion of their task. "We're getting better, aren't we?" she said quietly to the blue dragon, pleased for them both.

What made this seminar different, however, was the man running it: MATIAS SILPH. She mulled over the wisdom of bothering him, given his rank in the Elite Four and experience in warfare. To her surprise, however, the class ended with him being willing to entertain questions.

A certain timidity presented itself as Talia stepped forward, before she decidedly pushed it aside. This was no time for modesty or manners, but for receiving valid, essential information.

"I did have a question, actually," Talia voiced at last, steeling herself. "In your experience, if Hoenn were to experience an invasion like Johto or Kanto, then..." She inhaled, then exhaled, focusing herself as she finished the question: "Do you think the region would be ready? And if not, what do you think we need to do to be ready?"

Talia didn't feel ready herself, not in the slightest. This was the question that had haunted her in each seminar, however, and during every training exercise: are we doing enough? Her heart said no.

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POSTED ON Mar 22, 2022 16:50:36 GMT

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finally, a question comes.[break][break]

the smile he wears is practiced, presented, and it flickers for a moment as he considers how to respond.[break][break]

his manager luka chêne would likely tell him to be vague or to deflect because doing otherwise would make his stance on the matter really clear. it'd potentially isolate him.[break][break]

"we're nowhere near ready, no."[break][break]

good enough?[break][break]

"but i believe we can get there. hoenn has many capable trainers — like yourselves. you just need a bit of guidance."

[attr="class","ooc"]Talia Celes[break]

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TAG WITH @talia

POSTED ON Mar 22, 2022 19:52:50 GMT

i'll chase the light of that distant star

Hm. Was it really so simple?

Talia frowned, her inner conflict reflected plainly on her face. For better or worse, she entirely lacked the ability to bluff.

"To be honest, I don't think we are ready, either. It worries me." She looked up at MATIAS SILPH, saying candidly, "Johto had many talented trainers, but the casualties were great. Kanto, too, had many capable trainers, but... I don't think it's enough, to work hard. You have to work intelligently."

Was it belligerent to say so? It was honest, at least. Talia had no publicist to tell her to mince her words, or public image to concern herself with. The fact that the man across from her had both these things to consider hadn't even crossed her mind, so removed was it from her own life experience.

Talia bit her lip, mulling her thoughts over a moment more, before concluding: "Where would be the best place to find that guidance?"

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TAG WITH @matias

POSTED ON Mar 23, 2022 5:05:04 GMT

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"good. it should worry you."[break][break]

too many in this region are too casual, too nonchalant about the dangers they will inevitably face. but ignorance is bliss, apparently.[break][break]

where can talia and other talented trainers find that guidance? matias bites his tongue but is unable to resist.[break][break]

"with me."

[attr="class","ooc"]Talia Celes[break]

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TAG WITH @talia

POSTED ON Mar 23, 2022 15:24:33 GMT

i'll chase the light of that distant star

With me.

So much meaning was loaded in those two words. @bronze had said something once about this, hadn't he? How strength was uncovered by pitting oneself against the strong. MATIAS SILPH certainly was strong, given his rank in the Elite Four, but he meant something different entirely.

"You mean the military." The assumption was swift, the glint of knowledge in her emerald eyes set. "Are too few of us soldiers?"

Or is there simply no place for anyone else to protect Hoenn? Those who keep the peace, such as the rangers. And civilians... Were they simply lambs to the slaughter, protected only by the thin barrier the military presented?

"Is that the only place where we trainers can make a difference?"

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TAG WITH @matias

POSTED ON Mar 25, 2022 15:28:15 GMT

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"i mean with me."[break][break]

the military is just where he's decided to position himself in hoenn's complicated and evolving political sphere. it's where he's granted most freedom as opposed to being tied down to a particular city or area.[break][break]

"trainers can always make a difference wherever they are. it just so happens that the military is usually where the fight is."[break][break]

a sootopolis detective could have as much of an impact as a war veteran like matias. even a rookie or a cadet has the power to change so much. all it takes is the choice to act — something the majority of hoenn lacks, as he's come to learn.[break][break]

after a breath, he asks:[break][break]

"are you looking to make a difference?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Talia Celes[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-virizion"]

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TAG WITH @talia

POSTED ON Mar 28, 2022 22:57:23 GMT

i'll chase the light of that distant star

The clarification rendered Talia briefly quiet, her emerald eyes bright as she considered this shift in thinking.

"I am," Talia said at last, her chin jutting forwards as she faced him. Her earrings jangled with the movement. "Seeking to make a difference, that is."

It was true that the military was where 'the fight was.' That one day, Talia herself was liable to stand there against forces that would seek to tear peace asunder anew.

"I saw what happened in Johto. It took the life of the person closest to me. I don't want that loss to be in vain."

Even so, there was a nagging hesitation, an uncertainty -- that 'with me.' It felt binding. It felt final. Was that by design, or simply due to how imposing someone like MATIAS SILPH appeared when speaking such words aloud?

"What is it that you are offering, exactly?"

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TAG WITH @matias

POSTED ON Mar 29, 2022 7:53:04 GMT

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war has taken far too many — some close to matias have suffered the same fate. it's why, for a moment, he offers her his sympathy.[break][break]

"i'm sorry for your loss."[break][break]

but he's quick to shift back, determination washing across his features.[break][break]

"a chance to train with me, work with me, and fight with me."[break][break]

and a smile.[break][break]

"when the time comes, you'll be with me on the front lines fighting to defend the region and its people."

[attr="class","ooc"]Talia Celes[break]

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Tali, Celes

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January 21

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TAG WITH @talia

POSTED ON Mar 30, 2022 23:09:24 GMT

i'll chase the light of that distant star

It hadn't been a request for pity, but an explanation -- proof of Talia's conviction, beyond the idle words of a young woman with a tender heart.

And had her admission been a request for pity, Talia would not have expected the battle-hardened man before her to offer it so readily. Death was a constant specter in war, and few were spared proximity to its shadow.

So Matias's sympathy struck a strange note in her, another wrongfooting in this conversation that had not gone quite as planned from the start.

"Thank you," the dancer said at last, choosing to keep her answer succinct as she lowered her gaze. There was no need to dwell on what had happened to her mother and countless others. This was a conversation about the present, and more importantly, the future of Hoenn.

Perhaps war had made Talia paranoid, or wary of soldiers. She had not felt this hesitation with @bronze, when he spoke to her of strength, of power, of fighting for what was right. What MATIAS SILPH offered was different, but at its core, similar in belief.

But different, nonetheless.

Her reply was slow, thoughtful in its intonation: "If you will fight to defend Hoenn, then I shall fight beside you. If your enemy is Rocket, then that is something we share. And if you wish to train us of the League to better accomplish these goals, then yes. It would be prudent to accept."

It was a tiptoeing of words, a pirouette away from anything that held her fast, while nonetheless following a tune that his melody offered.

"I'm certain many of us will need that strength, in the days to come."

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matias

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TAG WITH @matias

POSTED ON Mar 31, 2022 14:43:30 GMT

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though he does not voice it, his enemy is more than rocket. so is hoenn's, for the war to come will not just be against familiar enemies.[break][break]

the three-day war is indication enough that there are more at stake here than just rocket.[break][break]

despite that, he finds a moment in the conversation to reminisce and reflect. his voice lowers an octave, almost somber as he speaks.[break][break]

"i lost my home once."[break][break]

a pause.[break][break]

"i won't let it happen again."

[attr="class","ooc"]Talia Celes[break]

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TAG WITH @talia

POSTED ON Apr 19, 2022 0:01:16 GMT

i'll chase the light of that distant star

This time, it was Talia facing Matias's admission of loss. Empathy stirred within her, taking on the silently expressed grief as she bowed her head in solemn understanding.

"I can't imagine. I am sorry, about what happened in Kanto."

For many reasons, beyond the obvious sympathy for his loss.

Had the fall of Kanto not happened, Johto would not have been sought after so greedily, perhaps, by Rocket. Her mother might not have died. Her life's trajectory would have stayed course, and she wouldn't be here, asking a man like MATIAS SILPH how to prepare for inevitable war.

"I consider Hoenn my home now, as well. I refuse to lose it."

That alone bonded them to a joint cause.

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matias

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TAG WITH @matias

POSTED ON Apr 19, 2022 3:28:16 GMT

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"we won't."[break][break]

bonded to a joint cause, matias nods, reaffirming his stance and claim in the region.[break][break]

he fishes out a name card designed by luka chêne and offers it to talia.[break][break]

"just reach out. doesn't matter if you're an officer, a ranger, or a civilian. reach out, and i'll help."

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Tali, Celes

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Ecruteak City, Johto

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TAG WITH @talia