[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]it's become a rarity to be summoned to the calcifet draciary. given their... lack of relations, it almost comes as much of a surprise as the last encounter.

and yet, she accepts despite herself.

the pursuit of knowledge, the incessant need to quench her curious thirst draws her out of a lab. he promised an investigation and she's played like a fiddle into trailing behind him.

at least her automaton is nicer... this time, anyway.

"no worries," she murmurs. hesitation clings in her movements, persistent long after she has seated herself beside him. and eventually, a soft tinkering laugh escapes. "i wouldn't dare rush a dragon." she knows, as well as he does, they're fickle creatures.

and damn is her work cut out for her if she wants a sample out of this legendary beast.

Remiel Calcifet

Perhaps, much like DEUS with Remiel, Zekrom remains... cautious of Illeana. The legendary dragon certainly wasn't shy, after all. Though it could just as easily be playing coy up there, too. In the presence of others, Zekrom could be a bit of a showboat sometimes.

Considering that it could most likely be a blend of the two scenarios, the prince understood just as Illeana did that a dragon was not to be rushed. He would come down when he wanted to, and not any sooner or later.

"You must have experience running these kind of tests on Pokémon, don't you?" Remiel suddenly asks, turning to set his gaze upon her. Once upon a time, he'd looked over her shoulder and peered at documents saying as much. Though he'd never asked for detail.

EX-DIM PLASMA + illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]she gives him an incredulous look, head tilting to the side.

"you... do realize that's the foundation of my position, right?"

an almost too amused laugh escapes at the thought but she continues nonetheless. at some point, her eyes drift back to the sky as if gazing up will summon the dragon. it won't but it's worth a try.

"yes, i'm experienced," she murmurs. her eyes return for a moment and they're sincere. "don't worry, remiel."

Remiel Calcifet

Remiel meets her eyes with his own when she asks, then smiles. "Perhaps I just needed the... reassurance. This is something the two of us have been trying to have fixed for some time now..."

And it's hard not to worry, quite frankly.

His responsibilities as ambassador, admin, and 'exalted' one were his weight to bear— and, unlike his status as heir apparent to the Galarian throne, these were weights he'd chosen. But if he failed Zekrom, then what would that mean for the rest? Would his life simply devolve into a domino effect of disaster?

"Sometimes I think I'm not putting in enough effort..." He admits, his gaze settling back into a veil of nonchalance as he gazes upwards at the clouded sky. There's a pause, then he blinks, looking back at Illeana. "For Zekrom, I mean... sometimes I wonder if he doesn't just see the rest of my life as distractions."

And, sometimes, he wonders if they really are.

EX-DIM PLASMA + illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]his worries have a solid foundation but...

"you'll drive yourself mad if you focus too much on things you can't change." trust me, she's done it. the what ifs and what could've been plague and poison the mind until it's all you know, all you see.

she flashes a smile, surprisingly warm. frigid composure does them no good here.

"i get it, remiel." she thinks of tapu lele, of the trivial events it witnessed at her side. fights with a boyfriend, working herself to the bone in an empty lab, struggling to be more. and she knows now... the life she lives was more amusing to the island deity than anything. "but... don't you think that's a human trait more than a legend's?"

humans denote things as trivial follies or necessary actions. the gods? somehow, she doubts they care half as much.

"i think working to bond with zekrom means more than anything," she murmurs. "just as inviting me here to find out what's wrong is a meaningful choice."

it's the little things anyway... isn't it?

Remiel Calcifet

Remiel utters an amused little snort. Then he's surprised to see her warm smile when he shifts his gaze to look at her. It hardly takes a second for him to be convinced she really understands. Embellished lies and pity-born comforts have found no root in her words or expression.

It isn't long before he looks away again, however: spooked by the ghost of a spark in her eyes that they'd snuffed out together. Afraid they might convince themselves it still lived, even if they didn't say as much out loud.

"I don't know..." He mutters. "Sometimes he'd talk to me. But lately, he's been quiet. Whether that's a result of our bond or a cause of his affliction, I'm not certain... perhaps it is both. At any rate, I—"

Suddenly, a roar closes in.

As wings of deep black peek out from the clouds above, Remiel stands and reaches out his hand to help Illeana up as well. ZEKROM has finally chosen to descend.

It's time.

EX-DIM PLASMA + illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]her stare lingers a little too long, even after he looks away. she's committing something to memory: an expression, a thought, a feeling. whatever it is... it's tucked away to live or die another day.

and while she doesn't remember any talking with tapu lele, she remembers the bond. the sensation of knowing, of understanding, of connection. it feels melancholy to dwell on it now after the bond has been broken and left to exist only in ruins. the crumbled structure serves her well for times like these but god, sometimes she wishes it were different.

"it could be both or simply... a lack of time spent together?" she takes a stab in the dark, blindly feeling her way through explanations until one feels right. their lives have become busy, perhaps too busy to cultivate more bonds than they already have. and those still there can suffer...

a roar interrupts any other thought from escaping. he rises, then, and an extended hand follows. she takes it tentatively, fingers coiling around his to hoist herself up.

the contact drops quickly, almost as if prolonged contact burns her skin. sometimes, she wonders if it does.

and without waiting for him, she steps forward to meet the dragon of legend.

Remiel Calcifet

Her theory does not fall on deaf ears.

Remiel did not take his patron lightly. To be partnered with such a legend, after he'd spent most of life only reading about it in books, was something he treated with the utmost respect. Though it was for that very reason that they hadn't grown as close as they might have.

One didn't make 'friends' with a god, a holier-than-thou voice in the back of his mind told him. One revered it.

And that voice sounds louder than ever before as ZEKROM descends from the clouds smoothly, like a four-winged archangel announcing the end of the world with rumbling thunder. Artificial sunlight gleams off its greenish-black scales: the unnatural tinge a telltale sign of its taint.

Though the plasma blue eyes that glare down at the two puny humans do well enough to communicate that something is different— not quite like the traditional depiction of the 'Deep Black' Pokémon. 

Remiel steps forward, guiding Illeana near the edge of the cliff where Zekrom has lowered himself to. The dragon's clawed feet touch the ground below and it reaches eye-level with the pair, sniffing them from afar with a single sharp inhale and snort. Then it stares sternly as its avatar approaches, coming to a stop just a meter away before politely bowing.

"Zekrom, this is illeana reyes . She's come to help heal your affliction." He explains as peers back into its draconic, plasma blue eyes. When he senses some hint of vague approval, however, Remiel turns over his shoulder to look at Illeana and nod. "You're free to introduce yourself now. He understands what we're saying." Though he might suggest she wait to build up a bit more familiarity with the dragon before commencing with the test.

EX-DIM PLASMA + illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]she's come face to face with many dragons before.

and yet, none are quite as grandiose as the one staring her down.

a creature of legend, of myth, of dreams. she can't fight off the smile of awe that quickly rises to her lips.

remiel introduces her with ease. and when he breathes her name, she bends slightly at the waist in a makeshift curtsy. it's an awkward movement for the scientist but it's the thought that counts...

"okay," she murmurs.

how exactly does one introduce themselves to a god, however?

she starts with her still wide smile and righting herself to make eye contact with zekrom. after a moment of collecting her thoughts, or her nerves, she begins small.

"it's nice to meet you."

is that right?

she keeps going regardless of right or wrong.

"i'd like to help you feel better if i'm able to. would... that be alright?"

Remiel Calcifet

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]she flashes a relieved smile, eyes darting to remiel for a moment.

"honestly... i wasn't sure i'd earn zekrom's trust."

the dragon, however, seems to understand something she does not. whatever it is, she is not entitled to know. she offers a grateful nod to the dragon regardless.

and when remiel mentions blood samples, the illusion of acceptance almost shatters. electricity comes to life around zekrom and like clockwork, a faint pearly pink begins to curl off her body in misty wisps.

"blood samples would be ideal but," she pauses, eyes focusing on zekrom and the grumble it lets out. "i can start with checking vitals if that's more comfortable for you."

Remiel Calcifet

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]zekrom's hand is extended. offered like a stairway to ascension. and as she steps forward, taking remiel's hand in the process, she keeps her eyes focused on the dragon's face instead of where she's walking.

"good to know..."

she breathes it out softly in a heap of air. it's light, distracted.

and her free hand begins to dig into one of her pockets for her stethoscope. the piece of equipment is dragged out and hung loosely around her neck, more a resting place than a noose.

"have you noticed anything in particular? changes in behavioral pattern or any lethargy?"

she probes in an attempt to narrow down signs without drawing blood just yet.

Remiel Calcifet