There really was a labor shortage huh? Perhaps the most current of Hoenn's strange phenomena was getting people to quit, or perhaps they were losing them in the throws of these strange phenomena. Regardless, Paxton is designated to help pick up the work load. Standing in for someone else, he found himself in the Slateport PD with limited access and designated to take care of another VIP. Thank the Gods though its not those annoying fucking reporters, PENELOPE LIVY and BARNABY FINCH . He couldn't stand their bickering or enormous personalities for very long. [break][break]

"Mornin' Ma'a-... good morning Professor Morales." he began, correcting himself quickly enough as he stood from his seat. The cup of coffee he'd been nursing while waiting forgotten as he grabbed his cap and gave the blonde a small nod. "I'm Officer Concordas, I'll be assisting your movements through the precinct." He was more or less babysitting again to keep evidence or records to get too messed up. [break][break]

Everyone else was probably busy with actual crimes, events, or guarding the crystal bloom patch quarantines. "I was told I would be facilitating your research on the Walker Case." Despite her hesitation, Paxton is straight to the point, though he kept his voice low. "Would you like a coffee or water before we head to the body? Or...perhaps an overview of the notes on where she was found?" he asked.

[break][break]

+ Eva Morales [break][break]


[break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Paxton seemed to be right there! Eva glanced up from her phone immediately, shooting the officer a smile, “Hi there Officer Concordas! It’s nice to meet you!” she extends a hand to properly greet the young man, “You came highly recommended by Commissioner Goode!” After the formalities are finished, she tucks her thumbs around the strap of her back pack again, “And you can just call me Eva,” she has never been one for formalities.

“The Walker Case’. Eva wasn’t too close with Ruby, but she did interview her to assist at the lab. She was quite the impressive candidate and eat out the others by miles. She never had the opportunity to start. Her death is quite the loss to Hoenn as a whole.

“Yes, the Walker Case,” she confirms, slipping into an unbiased, scientific realm. In a way, not growing close with Ruby helped her keep a more unbiased approach when investigating. Her attention returns to her phone, “I believe I’m supposed to examine three of her pokemon: A Hatterene, Indeedee, and shiny Gardevoir.”

The phone suddenly shoots out of her hand, buzzing to life. The RotomPhone chirped happily at Paxton before turning it’s attention back to Eva, “Let’s review the evidence first before examining the bodies,” a review of the details would give her a clue as to what to focus on during the necropsies.

“Lead the way!” she smiles, ready to follow the Officer when prompted.

---

The Investigation of Ruby Walker’s death
paxton concordas

Despite the macabre nature of the case, the professor can still keep a pretty upbeat perspective. It's admirable, but perhaps her specialty dealt with corpses every day. He nodded, shaking her hand while replying back, "Likewise Prof- Miss Eva. I'm glad I could make a good impression on the Comissioner." Any soldier would've done the same though. He's almost a little embarrassed, but he knew better than to fight the praise that was put on him from time to time. [break][break]

He's momentarily taken aback as the Rotom phone popped to life, eyes widening before he let out a small snicker and nod in greeting at the ghost. "As you wish. We'll head out to the Records Room first to pull the files. I believe they said they'd been finished compiling the relevant facts a couple of days ago, so it should be there for access now." he explained. Hopefully it wasn't something they had to run around the precinct for. After all, what a bad impression that would leave the scientist. Of this place anyway. Lillycove had its shit together.[break][break]

"Are you by any chance a forensic scientist?" he asked trying to make conversation with the blonde. He looked over at her noting there's a familiarity to her that itched his brain a little. He wondered if she'd been on tv recently.

[break][break]

+ Eva Morales [break][break]


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Eva followed Paxton down the corridor and through the halls of the police station. Everyone was busy at work, paying little attention to their passing. The RotomPhone bobbed alongside the Professor, happily awaiting its next task.

As they turned towards the records room, Eva looks up at Paxton with a small smile, “Oh, no, not really. At least not by proper training,” Eva was sure there were some proper classes and a degree for that, “I’m just a veterinarian, but we do get a little but of training in it during school – for abuse cases and such,” not the most light hearted subject but they were about to go examine dead bodies, “We do get quite a bit of training in pathology though,” which is what helped her examine the remains of Piggy Smalls and describe Primal Energy Intoxication.

She really needed to publish that paper.

When they arrived at the record’s room, she let Paxton take the lead, waiting patiently to get her hands on those files.

---

The Investigation of Ruby Walker’s death

paxton concordas

Paxton nodded. "Well, you can pick up skills. Lifelong learning and all that. My degree in university was in archaeology but...I'm a cop now." he said with a small shrug. Fighting and enforcing was all he was good at nowadays. "Pathology...what is that?" he asked, unsure of what she was actually talking about. [break][break]

He excused himself, moving around the blonde before checking the tables for his files before heading over to look at shelves. He figured they would've left it out for them to look over but perhaps they simply archived the information already. "Walker...Walker..." he murmured as his fingers traced through the shelves before he finally pulled out a thin looking binder. The case was hard, with little evidence to include. He tucked it under his arm. "We're allowed to borrow this while in the morgue." he explained as he wrote something down to show he'd been inside before gesturing Eva to the hallway. "Both pokemon and Ruby are here for now. Once we've gathered all evidence she will be transferred back into the custody of her family, if any, for funeral rites."

[break][break]

+ Eva Morales [break][break]


[break]

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Lifelong learning, an important concept many people didn’t adhere to. As a scientist it’s a concept she lived by, living and breathing the opportunity to learn something new. That’s what science was about: discovery.

“Oh! Uhhh Pathology is the science of studying diseases. Like the cause and effect. If you get a disease, what are the consequences on the body? What is the effect? IT can be applied to forensic science as well,” hopefully that made sense to him. She’s never actually had to explain what it meant before.

As patiently as she could, Eva waits for Paxton to obtain the appropriately file. Her emerald gaze trains onto the binder, thin with limited information. This would be a tough one to crack.

“Do you mind if I review it as we walk to the morgue?” Eva extended her hands in hopes of reviewing the binder. Multi-tasking, she could do that better than most – her job insisted on it.

If given permission, she’d open the binder, eyes scanning over the information as they walked towards the morgue.

---

The Investigation of Ruby Walker’s death

paxton concordas

"Oh...ok. I guess I look forward to see what you can pull from this case then." he said, not beginning to have inkling on how it would all work out. But Eva was the professional after all, so he'd just trust the process. [break][break]

"Not at all, you'll probably glean more from it than me." he added handing over the binder without protest. It's not like he can do much with it. He let her review the papers over, carefully leading the woman down to the morgue and making sure she didn't smack into or trip over anything. [break][break]

Once there, he held over the door for here beginning to feel the chill from where he stood. "Here we are, and I have the numbers for the compartments holding the bodies." he informed her before stepping in after her. There's another pause before he piped up once more, curious. Something in the back of his mind itched. "Dr. Morales, what did you do before you assisted the League as Head Scientist?" he asked, signing them in on another clipboard before gesturing at the morgue. It's quiet, and mostly empty. Just them and the corpses.

[break][break]

+ Eva Morales [break][break]


[break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“Thank you,” Eva smiles, accepting the file and flipping it open as they continue toward the morgue. Multi-tasking was higher on her list of skills. The profession required it. Rarely did she actually have the time, or staff, to focus her full attention to one specific thing. Her mind was constantly shifting between questions without answers.

The doctor’s eyes only leave the file briefly when Paxton asks her a question. It’s a loaded one, “Well, in Hoenn I was a Ranger, focusing on conservation and wildlife medicine,” done with her review, snaps the folder shut with one hand, “Before Hoenn, I was in the Kanto army, a frontline doctor,” Unspoken assumption could be made considering the state of Kanto now.

The morgue is her least favorite room. It’s always cold, sterile, and empty. Filled with bodies but little life. Eva shrugs on a nearby lab coat and eyes the box of gloves. She yanks two out before stepping towards the first compartment, “Here we go,” she sighs, grasping the handle of the compartment firmly before yanking it open to slide smoothly out of the wall.

The familiar sight of the Shiny Gardevoir breaks her heart. What’s most disturbing is the state of the pokemon’s cranium, “Begin recording,” she commands, the RotomPhone floating beside her chirps in recognition, a familiar ding initiates the voice recorder.

“Subject one of the Walker Case is Ms. Ruby Walker’s Shiny Gardevoir,” she can’t bring herself to say it’s name, “Overall, body appears intact. Minimal damage to the appendages or core of the pokeom. No evidence of assault is present,” She gently picks up the pokemon’s delicate hand, “No residual foreign material is present that may indicate the use of an attack, no defensive wounds are present,” overall, the body is fairly unremarkable . . . until she reaches the head.

It’s not recognizable as a Gardevoir. The blue crest and ivory skin is crumpled and folded in. It’s a grotesque sight, “Most significant finding is the severe damage to the cranium. Facial features of the Gardevoir are unrecognizable. There is no evidence of blunt force trauma despite the appearance. There is severe collapse of the bony structures inward. Diagnostic imaging confirms severe intracranial trauma, resulting in . . . sudden death,” Eva clears her throat and gently lifts the head to inspect it herself, “Cause of cranial collapse is unknown. The pattern of the damage suggests simultaneous and equal pressure was applied diffusely across the cranium, as if an immense force pulled the bony structures into the cavity. No evidence of external pressure applied,”

Eva’s finding of the remaining pokemon remains are similar, almost a copy and paste evaluation. Not only of each other, but of the coroner’s report of Ruby’s autopsy. It makes her suspicious.

“I have to be missing something,” she sighs, snapping the gloves off her hands and stepping back to peer at the three exposed corpses on the tables.

---

The Investigation of Ruby Walker’s death

paxton concordas

There's an awkward pause as he listened, his brain fuzzy as is sprang forth the memory. Oh- Oh yeah. Kanto doctor- Morales?? That was familiar. "I was also out in Kanto-" he began, only to cut himself off as the Rotom Phone flew up and she began speaking. He let her finish, moving closer to the Gardevoir to assist while she was recording her observations. [break][break]

He listened to her, eyeing the general damages. whatever had happened to the girl and her pokemon, he hoped it was a quick death at least. That was the smallest courtesy they could offer her, killed off so young. "She didn't see it coming." he said to himself based on Eva's thoughts. "Is there- is there any bits missing from inside the skull? Or is it just crushed through?" he asked after he thought it was alright to speak. "I...only ask because Ms. Walker was a valuable asset to the League and well known to Slateport. Perhaps like-...other league personnel, she may have been a target of some strange people." he offered. He'd protected dahlia goode form such enemies before. [break][break]

Though he wasn't sure if Eva was aware, so he kept quiet about anything more specific than that. "I was in a strange incident last November where...these people with Unown started attacking the curator and made objects around her disappear. But they were aiming for her. Later, I was also attacked by similar people again, only they made some crystal blooms disappear. I'm unclear if the flowers were vaporized or transported elsewhere. And they were quick to move, and silent too."


[break][break]

+ Eva Morales [break][break]


[break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Eva peaked over her shoulder to flash Paxton a smile, ”Oh? A fellow Kantonian? We tend to find each other don’t we?” she jests, referring to her relationship with MATIAS SILPH, John Sullivan, Locke Jamison, Eris Halla, CALLISTA MOON, and many other in Hoenn. The shared trauma but mysteriously bind them all.

After she conducted her investigation, Paxton offered a viable hypothesis, “Ahhh the assassins,” there’s distaste in the professor’s tone. She’s been thinking a lot about them . . . and truth be told she had considered it a possibility for Ruby’s death, “I know aaallll about them,” she sighs, shaking her head. She witnessed them on several occasions, perhaps not as intimately as Paxton, though.

“They do seem to have a boner for taking out prominent Hoenn figures, don’t they?” Not the most professional way to put it but she was trapped in a morgue and no one else was listening. That wouldn’t go in her report.

After a moment, she continues, “I do recall that they were attacking with a projectile-like attack, correct? But, Unown are capable of anything, I guess.”

---

The Investigation of Ruby Walker’s death

paxton concordas

Paxton hummed his affirmation. "I think I remember you, is why I ask." he clarified. "I don't recall if you tended to me, but you helped some of my people." he said not really wanting to reminisce. "You also took one of my best back into conflict." he added remembering how CALLISTA MOON had wanted to go back in and stay with Eva Morales . He'd tried to convince her- convince them both otherwise. [break][break]

Before he can say further the conversation shifted to the assassins. So she did know. "Exactly. The Commissioner seemed confused but she is the highest of offices right now." he explained, recalling parts of his crystalbloom outing with dahlia goode and relaying it to the good doctor. "Yes, looked a bit like a quick shot laser beam. When it attacked this museum curator is disappeared entire statues and paintings. When it almost got Dahlia is erased a flower. I didn't see or maybe couldn't see if any dust fell off. Just...gone." [break][break]

A glance at the cadavers and he continued. "Not sure if Unown are capable of any other type of attack...but if it were one, all the corpses would've disappeared I think."

[break][break]

+ Eva Morales [break][break]


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