the blanket of snow covers his approach, making his light footsteps even lighter, like a spirit floating through the air until he eventually stops at the sight of a familiar face.[break][break]

he tugs his hood back, not worried about revealing his identity.[break][break]

"ah. it's you again."[break][break]

from the bank incident and later the protest.[break][break]

"i take it that's yours?"[break][break]

he gestures at the mega salamence encased in the GLACIATE.

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau[break]

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

The dragon-costumed girl's body tensed up, a familiar, bone-chilling voice ringing behind her. "Mr. Theo...?" She muttered. Chomper hissed threateningly at the Rocket underboss, but the girl herself remained curious about his motives for being there.

"Yeah, he's mine..." The draconic cosplayer sullenly replied, becoming somewhat at ease, but not completely. "You're not here to do... bad things, are you?" She figured she might as well ask him directly. Theo Beckett was an extremely reticent and clandestine man, but he had yet to tell a lie to her, as far as she knew.

There was the possibility that he was there on Team Rocket business. This wasteland filled with frozen statues ripe for the taking was a poacher's paradise, after all. If that was indeed the case, Andrea wouldn't stand for it. Those Pokémon's trainers had already suffered enough. She narrowed her eyes, staring at him resolutely, while awaiting an answer.

THEO BECKETT //mission

☉

"i'm sorry for your loss."[break][break]

his own salazzle remains encased in ice not too far away from them. in fact, its white scales can just about be seen through the shimmering GLACIATE if he were to look towards the left.[break][break]

a cincinno pokes out of his coat, hanging behind his neck to peer at the hissing hydreigon.[break][break]

"and what bad things might i do?"[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau[break]

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

Andrea was taken aback. She hadn't expected him to express his genuine condolences. "Thank you..." She solemnly muttered. The Cincinno that popped out of the man's coat also surprised her. So fluffy... No irredeemable bad guy would ever own such a cute and cuddly critter.

Unable to come up with a good rebuttal for Theo's question, the young PokéManiac turned her wistful gaze back at her eternally frozen Mega Salamence. "I guess I don't want anyone else to hurt him." She sighed. "This is my fault, you know... If I hadn't gotten involved, Meatloaf would still..." She pursed her lips. Why was she admitting all this to him?

THEO BECKETT //mission

☉

it's curious how the salamence still remains in its mega-evolved form when it would've reverted under normal freezes. it just goes to show the power of kyurem's GLACIATE and kyurem itself.[break][break]

"you were simply doing your part."[break][break]

for andrea and others, it was for the sake of the region. for others, it varies.[break][break]

"we all were."

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau[break]

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

"It was Lord Rayquaza that saved Hoenn. What was my part?" The girl pondered aloud, wrapping her arms around her torso to keep herself warm. "Unless... Are you saying we all have a role to play? That if even one of us wasn't exactly where they needed to be, things would've gone differently? That the DRK Triad would have won? I guess you might be right..."

Of course, Theo hadn't used quite as many words. His succinctness had inspired Andrea to voice what was already on her mind. Just saying, if that whole life of crime didn't pay off, he could have a promising career as a therapist.

"But then... Why are you here?" She asked him once more, deeply curious.

THEO BECKETT //mission

☉

theo was saying that, yes, but he chooses not to affirm nor deny it after andrea so accurately surmises it. instead, he focuses on the question she asks, gaze shifting to the GLACIATE before them.[break][break]

"i wanted to revisit to see if anything could be done about...this."[break][break]

a gesture to the ice that stretched the icelands.[break][break]

"and to pay my respects to those we lost."

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau[break]

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

"I don't know what can be done. Fire moves don't seem to work at all." The dragon-hooded girl mused, giving a meaningful nod Chomper's way.

As if to demonstrate her point, the shiny Hydreigon bit into one of the protruding icicles with jaws coated in flames. The fiery attack didn't so much as leave a scratch. Verily it had been dubbed never-melt ice for a reason.

The girl's gaze shifted back to the Rocket underboss as he used the 'we' pronoun. "Mr. Theo, did you... lose a friend too?" She didn't mean to pry, but she was morbidly curious.

Could Theo feel sad? Could Theo feel? The man was like a pillar of ice - much like the ones that surrounded them - but he was still human.

THEO BECKETT //mission

☉

"i'm afraid nothing can be done."[break][break]

that's the conclusion he's drawn up after repeated visits to study the GLACIATE. no attack he's thrown at it was able to even leave a dent. he wonders if rayquaza could break the ice, but even then, it would just be freeing the bodies of dead pokemon.[break][break]

by friend, he assumes she means a pokemon. he points down the left at a white-scaled salazzle, forked tongue sticking out as though it had breathed out its final FLAMETHROWER.[break][break]

"i lost my salazzle."

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau[break]

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

"I'm really sorry for your loss..." The young woman said, her sorrowful gaze also drawn to the shiny Salazzle. "She looks beautiful..." She muttered.

Silence hung in the frigid air, as Andrea stared at Theo with visible trepidation, pursing her lips. Finally, she took hold of the bottle that had been left by her frozen Salamence's feet, and poured a cup of sake, which she offered to the man.

"Here. You can drink in her honor. It's an old Hoennian tradition." The eccentric trainer explained.

THEO BECKETT //mission

☉

as odd as it may seem, condolences are hard to come by because loss is almost commonplace in their line of work. so when he's met with it, he's unsure of what else to do other than to dip his head in a nod and say: "thank you."[break][break]

consider his surprise when she not longer offer her condolences, but also an offering of tradition.[break][break]

he looks at the cup for a moment before reaching for it, accepting it with both hands. he holds it up, not drinking it yet.[break][break]

"do you pray?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau[break]

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

Andrea tilted her dragon-hooded head confusedly. "I-it's not that kind of tradition. Do I pray in general? Sometimes... I used to pray for Lord Rayquaza to keep the people of Hoenn safe and healthy. I guess I kinda got my prayers answered, huh?" She mustered a small chuckle.

There was yet another moment of silence. Andrea quietly wondered if reaching some sort of mutual understanding was even possible. Eventually, she spoke up again. "Mr. Theo, do you like Hoenn?" The girl asked.

THEO BECKETT //mission

☉

he was asking more so whether he needed to pray as part of the tradition but he listens to her all the same. the cup of sake is tipped back, clear liquor flowing down his throat without much resistance. he extends the cup back to her after.[break][break]

"not when i first arrived, i have to admit. but i have grown fond of it."[break][break]

be it the place or the people, he finds himself rather attached to hoenn.[break][break]

"it's not my intention to destroy it, if that's what you're asking."

[attr="class","ooc"]Andrea Vaneau[break]

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