SCORN

FROM THE CONCERN OF DOTING PARENTS

LOVE DOES NOT EXIST. it is a human construct given tangible meaning by creatures that understand little about the universe. they use it to explain irrational feelings and incorrect decisions. it is a boogeyman for their excuses.

and that is why fernando will never love again. not the way he used to. not in the way he was groomed to know and accept.

because no one can replace elysia.

no one.

the rfit she left in her passing puts the silph in fernando silph. cemented by the very fabric of perfect linen cloth that suits the man he tried to escape from. a cold exterior that understands that humans, and by extension their constructs, are oh so fragile.

which is why anya fowl is set up for failure.

on paper, she is his perfect match. beautiful. sexy. sly with just enough charm to set him off in ways indescribable. and underneath the sultry smoke and mirrors is a brilliant mind that eclipses his own.

they have an understanding. of what must be done. of just how much they must accomplish in their short and finite lifetimes. an understanding that in just a few generations their names will be forgotten and their work stashed into a textbook left unread except by the purposeful.

even that is not enough to earn his love. the pure and unadulterated compassion that would have him die for her a million times over. the one that would elope across the multiverse as he settles for drawing out just a moment longer with her.

that love does not exist anymore.

so she gets that bastardized version. the tainted derivative that pumps through his heart and lies through his teeth.

“then have me.”

knowing this does not prevent it. being self aware does not lessen the blow. fernando silph, a human despite all rumors and allegations, falls under the same trap that all other mortals find themselves hoodwinked by.

“and i will give you all of me.”

as much as she can fit.

as much as she can handle.

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
anya fowl

SCORN

FROM THE CONCERN OF DOTING PARENTS

FOR THE FIRST TIME in a long time, fernando silph sleeps peacefully. his body goes limp and his dreams become something tangible. when he wakes up, he can remember bits and pieces. an unfamiliar phenomenon that’s kept at bay by a demanding schedule.

it takes anya fowl to tucker him out. one of the few people in this universe that can wring him dry until he submits under her prowess. a true lion tamer by every measure of the word.

but fernando is not a lion. he is not a subservient pyroar that she keeps two paces behind. he merely adopts the role when needed. ever shifting. a true ditto.

when the soft alarm of his computer blears from the living room, he slithers out of bed, appreciating her with a soft kiss on the forehead.

duty calls and there is much to do.

the projection on the walls show a new piece of hoenn. closer to littleroot. underneath it, two files have opened up on their own. the first, a silhouette of angelo vestri’s LATIAS. not confirmed but registered under the TOWER OF BABEL. beside it, is the DEERLING Antoinette Spina witnessed being consumed.

two down. the rest of the pokemon world to go.

fernando smiles.

seek out all pokemon.

then, they’ll be able to restart.

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
anya fowl

SCORN

FROM THE CONCERN OF DOTING PARENTS

“AND?”

that’s all he gives her. grants her the floor to expand her ideas and annunciate her words.

because he needs time. time to process this. time to internalize the millions of questions that birthed from one simple revelation.

what she doesn’t mention is the first thing to slip into his mind.

how?

they had been immaculate in covering up her existence. no expense spared. no method of which they could find her.

the league doesn’t know. team rocket shouldn’t know. even glass should be unaware. no one should know that anya fowl still exists.

this is the promise he kept to her. something he had risked it all, just to ensure she would remain safe.

unless she slipped. unless this was purposeful. unless she let her selfishness come before their sacred pledge.

all this happens in a couple of seconds. buried under a cold exterior that looks more apathetic than shocked or upset. beneath the mask, he stares at her, no more alive than the case files behind him.

“what are you thoughts?”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
anya fowl

SCORN

FROM THE CONCERN OF DOTING PARENTS

“FOWL.”

he turns to her. straight but uncertain. rigid but flexible.

“you mean a lot to me. more than you could ever know. but i know better than to control you.”

he doesn’t expect her to believe him but he doesn’t care. sometimes words have to be said for the sake of being spoken. to entrench lies deep within the psyche so that they may resurface later.

consistency is what builds a narrative. no matter how wild or farfetched the story, as long as there is consistency, the human mind will find a way to make it make sense.

“going back proves risky. a risk i’m not in favor of.”

his pupils roll in deep thought. he mulls their options.

“you joke that i would be the one to kill you. but they might actually do it.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
anya fowl

SCORN

FROM THE CONCERN OF DOTING PARENTS

“THEN I TRUST YOU,” is his final conclusion. she’s important but far from essential enough to worth sullying their relationship. now that mewtwo is complete, the rest will come in due time. after all, his wish has yet to be granted in whole.

not yet.

“ah.”

he swings back in the direction of the projections.

“if there was a universe where kyogre killed groudon, what do you think would happen?”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
anya fowl

SCORN

FROM THE CONCERN OF DOTING PARENTS

“INCONCLUSIVE,” he repeats in satisfaction.

half her charm is her wit. and being shrewd enough to admit not knowing is clever in itself. it’s what makes her so appealing. why he trusts her.

a true scientist by every measure of the word.

“correct—” he leads. “in theory.”

with the perfect hook comes the sinker of his proposed scenario. for what she lacks in his outline has been confirmed by his very eyes. some of it is postulation but who’s to refute him? no one who’s visited sea hoenn has the brains to contest him.

“we visited an alternate world where kyogre had raised the sea level. why groudon failed to prevent this, we do not know, but ultimately, the results speak for themselves.”

which brings him back to his main point.

“the world needs a contingency to prevent this. for when pokemon fail to carry out their duty.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
anya fowl