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POWER IS TAKEN, NEVER GIVEN—SO TAKE WHAT YOU ARE OWED

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POSTED ON Apr 2, 2022 1:45:36 GMT

illeana reyes likes this

CURTAIL

AMBITION TAKEN FROM THE VERY HANDS THAT MOLD THEM

VICTORY NEVER COMES CHEAP. there is always a cost.

on good days, it’s time and sweat. on bad days, it’s the blood and tears of those who carry the burden of those they left behind. today, on the cusp of winter, they sit out in the cold, somewhere in the middle.

everyone returns alive. that much is assured in the presence of their champion and elite four. but those that come through the portal are not necessarily the same that embarked on their excursion into another world.

some carry scars that go beyond what the eye can see.

their head scientist, illeana reyes, will remain battered and bruised, even when the lashes and cuts heal. the tears across her back are only skin deep but the gravity of injuries will bleed into her heart. disparaging and damaging; a toxic remnants of her oceanic doppelganger.

others—well, they carry much less.

literally.

“how’s black?”

visiting hours are over. daylight has long escaped the horizon as night brings about closed blinds and the dim husk of artificial lights. the frantic rush of nurses and attendants settle down as they approach midnight.

and that’s when fernando decides to visit.

“hm.”

he waits outside gabriel’s room. he’s not the first to visit the councilman and he certainly won’t be the last. but his timing is impeccable, wedged into the sweet spot of missing the rush of colleagues that come and go as they all check-in for their own individual wounds.

fernando’s own injuries are among the less severe in their party. nothing worse than deep bruises. it lacks the same sympathy as those in bandages or worse—but he houses enough to color him in polka dots underneath his shirt and coat.

he knocks twice before letting himself in.

“nurse said you’re stable.”

now that the stump’s stopped bleeding.

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
GABRIEL BLACK

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POSTED ON Apr 5, 2022 22:14:12 GMT

jayden cross likes this

even in the face of defeat, weakness wasn't an option.

pain racked his body, pulsing through even the medication. it was enough to keep him up at night, tossing and turning, boiling and seething in rage. gabriel was set aflame in anger. the emotion coursed through him, washing his nerves in a prickling sensation that reminded him of running a finger over a BIC flame.

it shows in the flexing of his jaw, and grinding of his teeth. gabriel's shoulders rest stiffly against the frame of the bed and his eyes stick to the view out of his window. it doesn't change, even as a figure walks inside.

"fernando." he says, his voice doing his best to carry the weight of his station. he remembered screaming in pain as he woke, until nothing else remained.

"any casualties?"

other than me.
FERNANDO SILPH

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silph

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POSTED ON Apr 11, 2022 9:33:31 GMT

CURTAIL

AMBITION TAKEN FROM THE VERY HANDS THAT MOLD THEM

“NO.”

there is no pretense of ‘thankfully’ or some other filler of well intentioned sentiments. there is only the truth: plain and simple. the same truth that remains bound to a bed with enough wires to shackle him twice over in medical instruments and measuring devices.

“among us, you suffered the gravest injuries, black.”

which is good for them as a group but terrible for the individual. fernando’s sympathies extend far enough to visit but they end there. his words will not coddle gabriel now that he is a cripple.

a councilman deserves more than that.

“but you’ll be fine.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
GABRIEL BLACK

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POSTED ON Apr 17, 2022 19:30:42 GMT

"good then." gabriel says simply, remaining as stoic and steadfast as FERNANDO SILPH does before him. in the bigger picture this was ideal. the loss of one councilman's arms was negligible; they already weren't designed to be the front-line of the league, save for fernando himself.

his thoughts inevitably fall onto the doppelgangers and their alternate reality. gabriel still remembers the impossibly powerful vice-like grip of his alternate's god-pokemon. he knew fernando out of any of the councilman had the ear of their commissioner more than anyone, so...

"what are we doing about the copies?"
FERNANDO SILPH

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silph

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POSTED ON Apr 24, 2022 6:54:22 GMT

CURTAIL

AMBITION TAKEN FROM THE VERY HANDS THAT MOLD THEM

FERNANDO ISN’T TAKEN ABACK that gabriel keeps his mind on the mission. pleasantly surprised, maybe, but the goal oriented mindset is what sets them apart. it’s a rare trait and serves as the sole reason the council of four has been reduced to three in the past years.

“nothing at the moment.” is both factually true yet deceptively false. plans are made, agendas fulfilled, but nothing of substance takes place. for recovery and assessment of their greatest weapons (and threats) comes first.

“we’ve bought some time though.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
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POSTED ON Apr 30, 2022 14:22:11 GMT

keeping his mind on the goal is the only thing that ensures his sanity. laying here for who knows how much longer would drive him wild; he needed to accomplish something, no matter how small.

more than anything, however, he wishes he had a drink.

"are we expecting them to crossover?" perhaps a better question would be. "do we believe are they responsible for the unown attacks?"
FERNANDO SILPH

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silph

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POSTED ON May 1, 2022 8:14:21 GMT

CURTAIL

AMBITION TAKEN FROM THE VERY HANDS THAT MOLD THEM

“WE DON’T KNOW IF THEY CAN.”

this is the first time they’ve made contact. the only person who knows better than them is olivia abbiati. which effectively means no one since she’s long disappeared.

and just like her gym trainer, she leaves a mess for the rest of the league to clean up. typical.

“but i doubt they’re related with the unown.”

it’s just a conjecture but his hypothesis stems from the basis that they don’t use unown. having witnessed the SYNDICATES power firsthand, he doubts their sea!opponents would refrain from using such abilities. the teleportation, anyway.

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POSTED ON May 7, 2022 19:09:27 GMT

history has proven that the membrane that separates realities could be penetrated. but, fernando had lived through and participated in each of these incursions and strange events. thus, he defers to the other councilman.

"so you believe these events to be separate," he says, voicing his thoughts aloud, "but the going theory is that they do not originate from this... this world, correct?"

gabriel reaches to scratch his face, lifting his missing arm at first, scowling, then moving to use the other. his unshaven face makes it more audible than it normally would've.

"still, both events happening at the same time couldn't be a consequence."
FERNANDO SILPH

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silph

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POSTED ON May 9, 2022 0:05:07 GMT

CURTAIL

AMBITION TAKEN FROM THE VERY HANDS THAT MOLD THEM

“I BELIEVE…”

fernando pauses mid-sentence to reanalyze his words. while there is sledom reason for him to watch what he says around his colleagues, to profess his thinking into permanence reflect more on him than anything else.

“that sea hoenn does not have relation or is involved with the unown anomalies. however, that does not rule out the reverse. the presence of unown in the silver spire, in fact, imply the opposite.”

he comes up with a firm but vague enough answer to sate most palettes. the nod that comes afterwards confirms his second comment.

“perhaps.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
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POSTED ON May 10, 2022 2:22:17 GMT

so, short of speculations, they still had nothing tangible. if it was frustrating for gabriel, perhaps it would be more so for the man who took the defense of hoenn upon his mantle.

"it could be this unknown group wishes to cause strife between our... world and the other. engage us on one front while we're unprepared to defend another." a sound tactic, or so he thinks. gabriel could see a great picture, but made no attempt at pretending to be a grand strategist.

"your next steps?"
FERNANDO SILPH

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silph

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POSTED ON May 16, 2022 19:52:11 GMT

CURTAIL

AMBITION TAKEN FROM THE VERY HANDS THAT MOLD THEM

“THAT’S ONE OF MY LEADING SUSPICIONS.”

their presence alone does not mean much. however, the tangible disappearance of moltres, the presumed assassination of reshiram’s previous avatar (a secret he keeps to this day), and the discovery of sea!hoenn’s avatars, puts their agenda into a single bucket.

“to rest and recuperate.”

his gaze lingers on gabriel’s arm, unsure how to bring up his own agenda. eventually, it extends to the wires that keep him grounded, both physical mentally. for fernando has no doubt that without bed side orders or extensive care, gabriel would push himself back into the field.

“and to put our faith in the science department until they call for us.”

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POSTED ON May 19, 2022 1:41:29 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","gabe"]

despite his words, gabriel didn't feel that fernando was the type of man to simply sit back and wait to be called upon. he catches the other councilman toss a glance to his injured limb, and bites back the venom from his lips.
[break]
[break]

gabe wanted nothing more than to sit up from this bed and jump straight into the action, but, how pathetic must he have looked here? the hum of the machines nearby reminded him of his humanity — his weakness.
[break]
[break]

and so too, did the eyes of fernando silph.
[break]
[break]

"very well then. i'll speak with the commissioner on ways i could assist from my... current station." he works the muscle of his jaw, doing the best to break from the mold of annoyance. "and this... meteor?"

[attr="class","notes"]FERNANDO SILPH[break]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

[newclass=".gabe"] --accent:#b75d5d; [/newclass]

[newclass=".gabe"]margin:0 auto;width:470px;line-height:15px;margin-top:-20px;margin-bottom:50px; text-transform:lowercase; font-size:12px;letter-spacing:0.5px;[/newclass]
[newclass=".gabe blockquote b"] color:var(--accent); font:bold 12px 'Poppins'; } .gabe blockquote i { color:var(--accent); } .gabe blockquote u { letter-spacing:1px; text-decoration:none; border-bottom:1px dotted; [/newclass]
[newclass=".gabe .wizzcredit"]float:right;margin-top:25px;margin-right:-40px;height:12px;width:12px;border-radius:5px;font-size:8px;line-height:12px;padding:1px;[/newclass]
[newclass=".gabe .notes"] margin:25px 30px -15px 30px; text-align:center; padding-top:10px; border-top:1px solid #222; font:11px 'Poppins'; text-transform:uppercase; [/newclass]

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POSTED ON May 26, 2022 1:32:27 GMT

Gwyar Wledig likes this

CURTAIL

AMBITION TAKEN FROM THE VERY HANDS THAT MOLD THEM

“GOODE WILL SAY THE SAME,” because she’s a fucking saint. even someone as eloquent as fernando can’t stoop to that level. and somehow everyone believes the authenticity of her concern.

even him.

“adjusting will take some time.”

but that’s never stopped him. they’re in the same boat—men trying to make a difference while everyone else just cries from the side-lines. that’s why it’s them who rise to power. they have the gall to determine their fate, if only by a sliver.

which is why he appeals to gabe’s sense of logic.

“rest and recovery means you can return without any unseen hindrances.”

the same sentiment which would ground fernando should their situations be reversed.

“the meteor can wait.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
GABRIEL BLACK

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TAG WITH @gabe

POSTED ON May 30, 2022 22:31:27 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","gabe"]

dahlia goode was a woman who gave even gabriel pause. it wasn't intimidation, infatuation, or anything of the sort — no, there was something else there, something that lingered beneath the surface that probed at his curiosity. something that would have to wait.
[break]
[break]
"i see," he says at last, closing his eyes and taking a breath. "i will do as you recommend then." it was only half-a-lie, of course. gabriel wouldn't move from this bed, but not even arceus themselves could keep him from working.
[break]
[break]

lifting up the heavily bandaged stump, gabriel turns his gaze onto it.
[break]
[break]

"any names that could help with... this?"
[attr="class","notes"]FERNANDO SILPH[break]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

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