he doesn’t know why he’s here.

except — he had heard about theo beckett’s arrest in the news; read the posts discussing the circumstances of his apprehension. kept tabs on the brewing unrest and discontent, that had, eventually, come to a head with this: a call to action. and nagi had come to… what? satisfy his morbid curiosity? stick his nose where it could get cut off?

the mob seethes and boils around him. he ricochets off shoulders and elbows, jostled about the crowd as it swarms the entrance of the ranger headquarters. he curls his hand tighter around his phone in his pocket — if he drops it here, he’s never picking it back up in one piece.

it’s nauseating.

go home.

coward. nagi feels eyes bore into him, as he squeezes his way backwards, turning against the flow. the transition from the suffocating press of bodies into the late spring air is sudden — resistance, and then nothing. he stumbles, catching himself on his hands.

and then he looks up, to an unexpected, familiar face in an unmistakably familiar dragon onesie.

“... andrea?”

Andrea Vaneau , THEO BECKETT

☉

any sane person would realize that there is more to theo beckett than being affiliated with rocket. theo beckett is a dangerous man. theo beckett is a wanted man. and most importantly — theo beckett is a war criminal.[break][break]

all these facts combined should have been more than enough to lock him away for life.[break][break]

but hoenn is neither simple nor sane. hoenn is complex, full of ever-changing politics and beliefs that make it so much more difficult to convict a man who by all means should be dead for his sins.[break][break]

it's why theo beckett is currently being escorted out of the building. but until then, andrea and nagi are free to interact.

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau nagi miwa[break]

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

The draconic cosplayer blinked her eyes in shock. "Nagi? What are you doing here?" She crouched down, offering a hand to help her fellow megane up. "I was flying on Meatloaf's back when we noticed this commotion and figured that something dodgy was going on". She explained.

"RELEASE THEO BECKETT NOW!!" The protesters kept chanting, their voices getting louder and louder, while some of them edged dangerously close to the building, looking for a way in.

"Oh... They're here for Mr. Theo..." Andrea hung her head down pensively, seemingly having some history with the man in question. "We should probably tell them to back away, or they might end up hurting themselves." She proposed.

"HEY YOU WITH THE SALAMENCE! HELP US GET IN!" A bulky man who wore a baseball hat with the Rocket logo on it hollered at Andrea.

"M-me?!" The dragon-hooded girl stuttered, clearly uncomfortable to suddenly be put under the spotlight.

nagi miwa, THEO BECKETT

☉

what is he doing here?

nagi scrambles to his feet, waving andrea's outstretched hand away and trying to ward her backward as he does. "doesn't matter."

whatever wry composure he had held onto throughout the tea room challenges is a threadbare veneer now. his eyes widen at the familiar mention of mr. theo, eyes snapping up to andrea's face in surprise — but he shakes his head. no time now, ask later.

"forget about them. it's not safe here. you should get—"

away. even before he says that, he hears the hollered demand from behind him.

he reaches out to tug at one sleeve of andrea's onesie, trying to pull her stumblingly away from the yelling man. but he's not fast enough; while the main body of the mob remains clustered by the entrance, sections of it break off, surging around to enclose them.

there's something almost thirsty in their eyes, as they stare at andrea and him. that thrumming tension he had felt pressing into him in the midst of the mob intensifies — a sea of fuel hungry for a spark.

and just like that evening, days ago, he is rooted to the spot.

Andrea Vaneau , THEO BECKETT

☉

the spark never comes.[break][break]

the doors to the station open, and from it comes their lifeline. theo beckett, kanto war criminal, is a free man.[break][break]

how?[break][break]

flanked on both sides by officers, theo is escorted down the steps towards the thick of the mob that rush towards him. he puts on a bare smile, nodding in their direction.[break][break]

but his attention is elsewhere.[break][break]

slowly, carefully, theo starts making his way over to the pair.

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau nagi miwa[break]

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

Acting just like the white knight protagonist of his isekai novel, Nagi tried to pull the beautiful maiden out of harm's way, but unfortunately the livid mob caught up with the two and completely surrounded them. They seemed to have picked up on the fact that those kids did not belong there...

Before things could escalate, Theo Beckett himself emerged from the building, accompanied by two officers, one of whom had the name 'Norman' emblazoned on his badge. The crowd erupted with booming cheers for the release of their celebrated hero, forgetting all about Nagi and Andrea.

The man had not forgotten, though, approaching the duo with that eerily calm, unreadable look he was known to have in his eyes. "Hi, Mr. Theo... We meet again, huh?" The dragon-hooded girl greeted him with visible trepidation, but also relief. "How come they let you go? Were you innocent?" She asked with a hopeful expression.

nagi miwa, THEO BECKETT

☉

there is no relief in nagi's expression.

as theo approaches, the roar of the crowd fades to a dull murmur; his vision narrows. his mind overlays the scene before him with another: a yawning alleyway; smoke in the air; a shape on the ground, hidden in the murk.

innocent?

that's not it.

nagi loosens his hand from around andrea's onesie. draws both his fists close to himself, fingers curling into his palms. he spares no hopeful greeting — says nothing at all. just waits for theo to draw nearer; his feet rooted to the ground, eyes raised to theo's face. pale and silent as a spectre.

Andrea Vaneau , THEO BECKETT

☉

"hello. it seems we have."[break][break]

a veil of silence falls over them, blanketing against the chaos of the crowd. his footsteps move against the concrete, scratching, before he finally comes to a stop before the duo.[break][break]

"i committed no crimes so by that definition, yes, i am innocent."[break][break]

he offers andrea a smile before turning his attention to her partner.[break][break]

"are you okay, nathan? you seem tense."

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau nagi miwa[break]

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

There was something... insincere about Theo's response. His particular choice of words made it sound like he'd simply been declared innocent based on a technicality. Andrea wasn't a great judge of character, but even she could tell that something was slightly off.

Meatloaf the Salamence walked up behind her, gently nudging her on the shoulder. It seemed to be the Dragon type's way of telling her not to trust everything that man said. And then there was Nagi's utter silence... He wasn't that talkative to begin with, but one would expect at least a witty comment.

"Well... What are you gonna do now that you're free?" Andrea sheepishly asked the Rocket admin, before tilting her dragon-hooded head confusedly when the latter addressed Nagi as 'Nathan'. "Who's Nathan? You two know each other...?"

nagi miwa, THEO BECKETT

☉

you seem tense, theo says; as if he's a friendly acquaintance making casual small-talk about the weather: lunch was terrible. it seems like it'll rain today. you seem tense.

nagi could laugh, if his windpipe weren't turning into knots on itself.

"i'm nathan."

his voice doesn't waver when he answers andrea. it is a small, futile blessing. he forces himself to straighten up out of his defensive slouch, and uncurls his fists, finger by finger. but even as he unfurls, tension still thrums in his frame, in the rigid set of his shoulders and the deliberate blankness of his expression.

"we've... met. once."

he meets theo's steady, unreadable gaze, and falls silent again. his eyes echo the same question as andrea's — and the same question he had asked theo, evenings before: what now?

Andrea Vaneau , THEO BECKETT

☉

nathan.[break][break]

a nonexistent name for someone who might soon be equally nonexistent. but out of goodwill and kindness, nathan still stands, free, able, and alive.[break][break]

"we'll meet again, i'm sure."[break][break]

his hand raises and lowers atop nathan's shoulder, squeezing once in emphasis. it falls moments later as does his gaze, shifting towards andrea.[break][break]

"what did you think of the incident at the bank?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau nagi miwa[break]

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

Things were getting uncomfortable, what with Theo clenching his hand around Nagi's shoulder, telling him that they would meet again almost as if threatening him. He than asked Andrea what she thought about what had happened back at the Macro Cosmos bank.

"I don't know..." The young PokéManiac responded. "I almost got arrested too that day, even though I was only trying to help. The only reason I wasn't... was because you showed up." She added, looking down and pursing her lips.

"That Ranger had no shame trying to arrest an innocent kid!" One of the protesters angrily chimed in. Right, they were still there.
"The League is trampling on our civil rights!" Another one spat.

While the mob was getting riled up again, Andrea took hold of Nagi's hand and dragged him off to the side. "What's going on here, Nagi? What's actually going on?" She whispered to the stunned youth, staring at him with a concerned look.

nagi miwa, THEO BECKETT

☉

theo's hand descends onto nagi's shoulder, and nagi turns to ice and stone. he moves only when the grip lifts off, taking a step backwards, one hand coming up to dig fingernails into his elbow.

it's a warning. a threat.

he stands there, stock-still, until he feels andrea's onesie-clothed hand grip his. dragged to the side, unresisting, he comes back to himself with a jolt. he withdraws his hand from andrea's, rubbing at his knuckles with his thumb.

what’s actually going on? hell if he knows.

"it's…" he didn't report the murder. kept quiet, went home. would he be considered complicit? — and on the heels of that selfish, despicable thought, his stomach churns, guilt and shame curdling.

around them, the crowd presses in closer. whatever lull had possessed them when theo was released from the compound has passed; their yelling grows more raucous with each passing beat.

“our first meeting went… badly." understatement: there was a corpse, but he's not sure how to work that into a conversation. "he’s not what he seems; you should know that already.” nagi shakes his head, attempts to jostle loose the hesitation and fear. when he meets andrea’s eyes again, his gaze is serious. “it’s not safe here. you — we need to go.”

Andrea Vaneau THEO BECKETT

☉