[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]he takes her hand in his, fingers clamping down over skin. and it feels... warm? tingly? something she can't quite place. it elicits a shiver anyway as touch always does.

and when they make it into the space center, the connection is lost in the shuffle.

the clicking of the door shutting them in draws her back into focus. she blinks as the plan settles once more.

"it should be," she murmurs, turning to approach her golurk. deus coos as a clay hand drags the cloth up and away. colors dance as light hits the crystal, as its power is displayed. it paints her in pretty rainbows but beneath the aesthetics lies a snake.

"it's a crystal fragment imbued with primal energy." her head turns to find his eyes. and when she finds purple, there's a sharpness to red. "are you ready to see what it can do?"

it's time. the plan commences.

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he blinks.

[break][break] colors shimmer in front of him in a bright array at sunlight hits the crystal at the proper angles, light reflecting in his chromatic gaze. the sight is mesmerizing, nearly enough to steal his attention away, if not for the curiosity that burrows beneath his skin like a durant.

[break][break] "primal energy?"

[break][break] it's a word he's heard before, but only ever in passing in conversations that are way above his paygrade. the discussions of brass higher up than him, more invested in the politics of hoenn and the league.

[break][break] he'll ask her about it later.

[break][break] jayden's gaze meets hers, unflinchingly. never straying.

[break][break] "yes. show me."

[attr="class","ooc"] illeana reyes

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]he says the magic words...

show me.

and show him she does.

a wild grin rises to her face, painted an array of colors beneath the power of the primal crystal. she motions for her golurk to bring the cage closer and the clay hands extend to shove the crystal up for her.

it's smooth beneath her touch, even as she gathers the giant rock into her arms. the heaviness is expected. her golurk shifts to support the bottom with one hand.

and with a turn, she moves to the center of the room. there, an odd device sits. it's ominous, perhaps... beckoning something unknown.

a soft grunt escapes when she hoists the primal crystal up and into the device. it quickly lights up with life, a mechanical whirring sounding around them. and the crystal... it gleams with a newfound life no cage could provide.

"ready?"

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metal scrapes against the tiled floor of the space center, a ringing screech echoing across the walls of the space akin to nails on a chalkboard. it's enough to make anyone wince — or at the very least, look away. perhaps jayden might, if not for the sight of something far more interesting happening.

[break][break] he's unable to look away — from the crystal, from the rainbow that splashes across illeana reyes's smooth face, everything.

[break][break] drawn to her like a string of fate, he follows a bit more slowly behind her as she lugs the giant crystal towards a pedestal a few feet away. her golurk seems to help her enough, so there's no need for jayden to intervene. not that jayden thought she would ask — she doesn't seem like the type.

[break][break] something whirs in the distance — wind spinning in air currents in front of them — and it takes jayden a minute to realize it's coming from the crystal.

[break][break] he blinks.

[break][break] ready? ready for what?

[break][break] "sure," he says, stepping beside her. "show me, illie."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] illeana reyes

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]she waits until he utters confirmation...

and then, it begins.

the button to turn on the primal node is pushed. the machine whirs with more life, powering up and alerting of its signal. the original purpose is fulfilled... for a moment.

her grin turns wicked, greed turning red eyes green in the rainbow light.

"never-ending nightmare."

the discolored golurk at her side rumbles. the z-move, never-ending nightmare quickly begins to engulf them in shadows. her golurk aims for the primal crystal, striking it with a z-move in an attempt to disrupt space enough to summon what she seeks.

and like a mantra in her mind, she calls for a legend, a myth, a god. palkia, ruler of space.

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the neverending nightmare cracks through the air with such a force that it sucks in all the attention of the room. it's enough to make any ordinary person hold their breath, anticipating the effect it would have. nearly, it seems like a supernatural event.

[break][break] he's not sure what he expects — an explosion, a fight, glass shattering.

[break][break] neither of those things happened.

[break][break] he's not expecting silence — he's sure that illeana reyes wasn't either. he doesn't have to look at her to know the disappointment that likely follows.

[break][break] "is that what you wanted?"

[break][break] he asks anyway.

[attr="class","ooc"] illeana reyes

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]disappointment reigns supreme, unfortunately.

it starts with the siphoning of energy and ends with the shimmering might of a barrier. and in the ashes of her plan, she finds no salvation... the path grows darker the longer she stays, the longer she beats bloody fists against what holds her back.

and in some way, the safety measures engrained into the primal nodes by dahlia goode serve another purpose: keeping her from going too far. she's showing signs of what she seeks, of the gods she's hunting. self-serving actions have consequences and perhaps this is the first of many reminders to come.

her expression tightens, porcelain to steel in moments.

"not at all."

she turns away, then, and avoids his eye. back to the drawing board, it seems... greed rears its ugly head with each step away from the primal crystal, from the power it holds. turn around, figure it out, find the answer, find the god.

and yet, she does nothing.

"sorry to disappoint you."

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he's grown up underneath his father's iron fist. he knows his mother's raw anger when things don't go her way — when she doesn't get her way. even a man like Raphael Pryde likely wears his disappointment like a shield he's loathe to wear.

[break][break] all scientists have their demons, and illeana reyes likely has hers.

[break][break] of the demons that jayden is keenly aware, the young league scientist seems the least volatile of options. sure, disappointment rings true in her expression, but from the way she looks away — jayden classifies her as a non-threat. at least for now.

[break][break] he shakes his head. "nothing lost. even a failure is a success," he says, lips upturning. "it is what our father's taught us, is it not?" he steps forward. "come — let's go grab a bite to eat. i'm hungry."

[break][break] and as he steps towards her, walking with her out the exit his head tilts.

[break][break] "will you tell me more about that crystal?"

[attr="class","ooc"] illeana reyes

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]like jayden's mother, there's anger in being denied her desires.

it's hot, fiery, burning beneath flesh and searing into bone.

and it'll make her hungrier than before, greedier than she'd like to be. the concept of what she seeks being out there, waiting for her... it ignites something in her not easily extinguished. safety features denying her mean nothing in the grand scheme, perhaps.

she's going to keep trying and trying until one scenario in the universe aligns with the planets. when that happens, it'll be the toss of a coin to determine how far gone she is. and really, how far is too far from salvation?

"yeah," she mumbles, leaving the crystal behind in its casing. it shimmers, almost as if mocking her.

"i can tell you over dinner."

the story of the primal crystal, the girl too greedy to stop, and the god she knows is out there.

by the end of this hunt... will jayden still be right? will she be non-lethal, never a threat? or will she become something more? something better, something deadly. the path to hell is paved with good intentions and hers is growing dark fast.

jayden cross
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