Mt Pyre had done a number on the inexperienced Councilwoman.
[break][break]

From her dual against Rocket's underboss, Cillian Quinn, to her stand-off against two masked grunts (Isaac Merlo + Ashley Shepard), all levels of exhaustion had flooded her systems, depleting every spec of energy until darkness clouded her vision.
[break][break]

It had taken up until the taxi cab slowed in front of their complex for her to stir back into consciousness. Ebbing pain welcomed her back to reality, sparking jolts up her legs and torso.
[break][break]

'what happened?'
[break][break]

She felt the shuffling of her own body and heavy, warm hands leading hers around his neck as they lifted her up into their arms. The light of the sun pricked her eyelids and Penelope softly shifted in the person's arms, turning her body further into his. Only after hearing the hard knock of knuckles against wood did she finally let her eyes peek open.
[break][break]

"hmm?"

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales CIAN MAHER[break]


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

after finishing up his duties in both rustboro and petalburg, cian returns home to ever grande where is forced to wait an excruciating amount of time before the person he cares about most in the world finally returns.[break][break]

he's restless when he opens the door, worry paints across his features as he takes in the two before him.[break][break]

"what the—is she okay?"[break][break]

it's not jealousy that shows but genuine concern as he reaches for her.[break][break]

"are you okay?"

[attr="class","ooc"]PENELOPE LIVY ollie morales[break]

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

it's a silent climb up to her apartment, somewhat of a morose one. part of him still can't believe everything that had happened at mt. pyre had actually happened.

[break][break] time rifts opening, people coming back to life. prior to the attack, the thing that he had been worried most about was his relationship with PENELOPE LIVY or lacktherof. now, everything that was between him and penny seemed silly in comparison to events that were literally life ending.

[break][break] she rises just as he knocks on the door, and he inclines his head to look back at her. he can tell that she's barely awake, which is why it makes it easy to look down at her with a soft smile, but his head turns back when another man opens the door.

[break][break] he swallows.

[break][break] "hey. yeah — she's okay."

[break][break] even if it's everything he expected, it still doesn't make it any easier.

[break][break] ollie crouches, letting the councilwoman drop from his shoulders and onto the floor so that she can be gathered in her boyfriend's arms.

[break][break] "she's pretty out of it, though. we all kind of are. were things — here — okay?" ollie isn't his sister. he isn't exactly well-versed on the details of war, but he's sure that even outside of pyre, things weren't all that easy here.

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY CIAN MAHER [break]


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

The colors of life came back to her in sparse, heavy blinks. Each one offered another peep into what awaited her.
[break][break]
"Ollie...?"
[break][break]
The dusty name softly slipped from her cracked lips as she looked up at the man who held books worth of shared history behind his green eyes. But, before she could ask any questions, the door squealed open, and out came another familiar voice. One who made Penelope's beating heart bleed from yearning.
[break][break]
"I'm okay," she murmured. With a heavy grunt, her feet greeted the floor as Ollie gingerly dropped her back down. It took a second of balancing between him and the doorframe before she could keep herself steady, but once she did, Penelope wouldn't hesitate to inch toward Cian.
[break][break]
Like a newborn fawn struggling to take its first steps into the wildness, Penelope crumpled within the first two steps taken, forcing Cian to either catch her or let her fall to her knees.
[break][break]
"S-sorry, sorry."
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales + CIAN MAHER[break]


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

"here?"[break][break]

unsure whether ollie morales is referring to ever grande or hoenn in general (it would be weird if it were the latter as mount pyre is still in hoenn), cian makes an assumption with what little attention he's able to give the man.[break][break]

"uh, yeah, i think pretty chill in comparison."[break][break]

he's downplaying it by a lot but he can't be bothered to go into detail right now. especially not when he's forced to catch PENELOPE LIVY when she falters.[break][break]

"fuck, okay, don't worry about it babe. let's get you over to the couch."[break][break]

which is what he tries to do. he doesn't even look over his shoulder at ollie by the door (should he still be there).

[attr="class","ooc"]PENELOPE LIVY ollie morales[break]

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

he watches as she falls into CIAN MAHER's grip, fumbling like a freshly-born fawn. the sight is pitiful, and enough to make something flash across his gaze, but it's gone almost as soon as it appears.

[break][break] instead, he breaths a sigh of relief.

[break][break] "that's good."

[break][break] he worries over evergrande too. in fact, he worries for all the rangers that may have been caught in the cross-fire. with everything that happened at mt. pyre, it wouldn't have been stupid to assume that something equally insane had happened there...

[break][break] ollie is torn between wanting to leave and feeling like he should stay. not that he doesn't trust CIAN MAHER — more like, he just wanted to make sure penny was alright.

[break][break] he follows a bit more slowly, rubbing his neck.

[break][break] "uh — is there anything i can do?"

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY CIAN MAHER [break]


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

Pain embedded across her forehead and legs, forcing her dizzy and complacent. Not even the ground felt solid beneath her feet. Rather, it was moldable to her very touch, bending and twisting in ways her mind couldn't comprehend. Her fingers tightly dug further into the wrinkles of Cian's shirt as he led her to the couch, only loosening once she could feel the cushion beneath her body and the weight of standing lifted.
[break][break]

"Water, can I have some water?"
[break][break]

Her answer was neither directed toward Cian, who was still swaddled around her, or her ex, who loomed over them, desperate to help in any way he could. It was just an aimless string of words, tied together by a question her dry throat begged her to choke out.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales CIAN MAHER [break]


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

"water! yes, water."[break][break]

even though penny isn't necessarily in an injured state, at least not with visible wounds unlike some of the other responders he's seen, her state of mind worries him, and it's enough to get him to have trouble focusing.[break][break]

when he stands back up and sees ollie still hovering over them, he's confused for a moment, then remembers their complicated dynamic.[break][break]

"i think i got it from here, man."[break][break]

he slaps the ranger on the shoulder in a playful manner before rushing over to the kitchen.

[attr="class","ooc"]PENELOPE LIVY ollie morales[break]

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

his brow furrows as he watches over the barely conscious form of PENELOPE LIVY. a churn of complicated emotions rise up in him, but most of them, is concern for her well-being.

[break][break] at the very least, it seemed like her boyfriend had it handled.

[break][break] "okay," he says, after a minute, before suddenly grabbing a nearby pen and sticky note. he scribbles his number on the side of it, before handing it over to the blond. "if you need anything — and i mean anything — give me a call, okay? let me know how she - how you guys are doing."

[break][break] they were both still evergrande citizens too, which made him all the more concerned.

[break][break] ollie steps back from the duo and heads towards the door. he turns, briefly, once. the image of CIAN MAHER's body crouched over his ex-girlfriend burns itself in his mind, before the door clicks behind him.

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY CIAN MAHER [break]


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

The sound of ollie morales nearly faded away as the prospect of getting water took control of her mind. It wasn't until she could feel her hand around the cool glass that reality would become to solidify back around her, but by then, he was already long gone.
[break][break]

"Thank you," she croaked behind several gulps of water. "I love you."
[break][break]

After a few more desperate gulps, she'd finally placed down the glass and wiped the stray strain of liquid with the back of her arm.
[break][break]

"You're okay...right?"
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] CIAN MAHER[break]


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

"sure! no prob."[break][break]

the moment the door clicks shut, cian discards the sticky note on the counter without giving it another thought because, really, if they do need anything, ollie morales would likely be the last person cian would think of calling.[break][break]

"i love you too."[break][break]

he crouches down beside her, coming to the same eye level.[break][break]

"i'm okay. the primal point at petalburg fired without a problem."[break][break]

sighing, he leans in close to kiss her forehead.[break][break]

"i'm just glad you're home safe."

[attr="class","ooc"]PENELOPE LIVY[break]

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

She made a handful of small nods as relief washed through her system.
[break][break]

Cian wasn't harmed.
[break][break]

Petalburg was safe.
[break][break]

Everything was alright.
[break][break]

Everything was alright.
[break][break]

These thoughts kept filtering through her mind, spiraling and spiraling, until they crammed against for her forehead in one large, crippling heap, creating a ball of heat that seeped down to the rest of her face.
[break][break]

"Yeah, I'm fine," She confirmed, though, her words were soft and broken by a harsh curl at the end. "I'm..."
[break][break]

A sudden tear spilled out from one eye, trickling down to the center of her cheek, before another one follow suite, pushing forward the small carving of emotion.
[break][break]

"I'm..."
[break][break]

The repeated word came out hoarse, broken. No ending was meant to follow it, as in it's stead, more tears came spilling from her other eye, flowing into a downpour of heavy heaves and shuddering shoulders.
[break][break]

Gone was the councilwoman who commanded the league along Mt Pyre's steep mountainscape.
[break][break]

Gone was the trainer who faced the horrors of The harbringer Cillian Quinn, and his similar-minded masses, one of whom had captured Penelope as a momentary hostage.
[break][break]

Gone was the woman who was fine.
[break][break]

Because here, housed within the sanctuary of Cian's arms, Penelope Livy was not okay.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] CIAN MAHER[break]


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

the contrast between the two of them is stark and unexpected when it really shouldn't have
been if cian had enough insight to peer past the surface. so when the tears fall, he's taken aback for a moment but he snaps right back a moment later, arms already pulling her in for an embrace.[break][break]

he presses her head against his chest, holding her tight.[break][break]

"it's okay, penny."[break][break]

his voice lowers.[break][break]

"it's okay. you're home now. i got you."

[attr="class","ooc"]PENELOPE LIVY[break]

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