'serious as always, huh?' he thinks, slightly bemused.

[break][break] despite the melancholy situation he was currently facing in rocket, caden couldn't help but be grateful of Lulu Flint . she could've ejected him from her lab, could've beat his face in the way THEO BECKETT did, could've destroyed him from the inside out.

[break][break] instead she called him here.

[break][break] "of course, dr. flint."

[break][break] caden wears a dark grey trench coat, fingers wrapped in bandages that he hides by shoving his hands into his pockets. he'll never get used to the way shadows seem to follow her, but luckily, they didn't seem to be present today.

[break][break] "why are we here?"

[attr="class","ooc"] Lulu Flint [break]


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

the shadows were always lurking, sure as the blotted out sun. though most things had smoothed into gray, the edges were there, dark and colder than ever.[break][break]

”you’re from here, aren’t you?” she paused, eyes lingering on him before scanning the underwhelming dullness of their surroundings. ”you and your brothers.”[break][break]

there was a moment that hung vaguely, left to interpretation.[break][break]

”i know how busy you are. i thought you might like the break to appreciate it under the snow.”

[attr="class","ooc"]caden maher [break]

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

his head jerks, startled at the mention.

[break][break] as grateful as he was to Lulu Flint for sparing his life, he was reminded of the fact of who she was. a rocket. not just any rocket either.

[break][break] "my father," he says instead, as the snowflakes rain down from the sky. "he raised us here."

[break][break] caden wondered how much lulu interacted with their father, or how much she'd known bo before he left. or cian. most of his interactions with her had been under the ruse of the work - work that he respected her for - but it occurred to him that he didn't know much about her. or her feelings.

[break][break] did she hate him too? she couldn't have distrusted him entirely — or she would've had him chained up somewhere.

[break][break] "thank you," he says after a moment, pushing his hands into his pockets. "can't say i'm busy much these days, though. since i lost my job."

[break][break] pause.

[break][break] "do you like the snow, dr. flint?"

[attr="class","ooc"] Lulu Flint [break]


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

she didn’t comment on his father. she didn’t know him. furthermore, rustboro was lulu’s least favorite place in hoenn. not only was it ugly, but she’d almost died there.[break][break]
with no good things to say about either his family or his hometown, silence filled the void. it persisted, even at the mention of his loss of job. she was quiet until he finally asked about the snow.[break][break]
”i do.” the snowflakes fell and they reminded her of some place like a home very long ago. the memories were just as cold, but there was some self-existing warmth that came with the sensation of nostalgia.[break][break]
”where i’m from, it snows all the time.”[break][break]
another few steps. she was leisurely in her pacing.[break][break]
”are you looking for work?”

[attr="class","ooc"]caden maher [break]

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

caden hated rustboro too.

[break][break] it was why, the first moment that he had been able to, he had applied to any university he could that would get him out of that god-awful town. it was luck and his father's good word that allowed him to sign up for the university's medical curriculum, and he'd been climbing higher — and higher — until he came fucking crashing down.

[break][break] "are you offering?"

[break][break] his lips curve into a smile, but he winces before the pain hits. his cut lip burns whenever he tries to smile, and the cold only makes it worse.

[break][break] shoving his hands deeper into his pockets, he lets out a sigh. there's not much else that he can say of his current situation, but he's still grateful that Lulu Flint still kept him under his wing. even if he had no job, at least he could help in her experiments or whatever stupid shit she needed him to take care of around the lab.

[break][break] "i doubt anyone'll hire me now," he says with a bitter laugh. "my record's stained."

[break][break] both rocket and public record both.

[break][break] CIAN MAHER really fucked him over.

[attr="class","ooc"] Lulu Flint [break]


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

there was silence at first, accompanied only by the crunch of snow.[break][break]
”i may be offering,” she finally said, deciding to give the doctor a modicum of comfort for all he’d been through. he’d clearly had it rough—though she still wasn’t aware it had been THEO BECKETT to put the marks on his face.[break][break]
”i’m shifting more of my focus to my dream project.” caden would be aware of at least her sleep studies on various rockets, having been recruited to help in the past; but so far, the ultimate goal of these studies had been vague. secret. ”as my research becomes more intensive, your expertise would be welcome.”[break][break]
a pause, before she turned her head to look him in the eye with a sharpness which had killed before, would kill again.[break][break]
”the only question is, would it be the right investment of my trust?” not that she ever really trusted anyone.

[attr="class","ooc"]caden maher [break]

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

a flicker of surprise enters his gaze before it shutters away. even beaten and bruised, caden is reluctant to give up any secrets that haven't been expressly asked of him.

[break][break] "that's high praise," he comments, but something is pleased that despite everything, someone is at least able to see him past his family's crimes. for the first time in a long time, he's not stuck in the shadow of his twin.

[break][break] in the cold snow, caden maher arches a brow.

[break][break] "only you can answer that question, ma'am." he licks his lip, wincing at his tongue flicks against the cut. "but ask around. i'm sure you know i have nothing to gain from betraying you."

[break][break] he had nothing left, after all.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Lulu Flint [break]


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

”indeed.”[break][break]

and then, as he turned the question back, the smallest laugh left her.[break][break]

”i’m asking you.” step, step. ”don’t take me for a fool, maher. you have plenty to gain.” because he had nothing. his family was already under the protection of the league, were they not? if he betrayed more information, more research, he would surely find himself under that same protection.[break][break]

”but you also stand to gain much more from working beside me, and so i will do what i can to protect that, granted i can be assured it will not bite me in the ass.”[break][break]

she looked at him pointedly, before the tension left her stride and she sighed, a puff of steam into the air.[break][break]
”who beat you?”

[attr="class","ooc"]caden maher [break]

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

he presses his lips together.

[break][break] she steps up to him and he meets her gaze, but rather than the stubborn glint he had given CIAN MAHER, had given THEO BECKETT, there was nothing but defeat in his eyes.

[break][break] she may have believed that he had things to gain from defecting, but he didn't. not when his brother had betrayed them all, not when he'd had to —

[break][break] "i won't betray you."

[break][break] a pause — this time, caden's caught off-guard. he blinks.

[break][break] "you don't know?"

[break][break] another pause.

[break][break] "underboss THEO BECKETT."

[attr="class","ooc"] Lulu Flint [break]


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

”good.”[break][break]

THEO BECKETT . there was the slightest stall in her step, but it fell into the same leisurely rhythm again, despite the twist of annoyance. abuse of her colleague, without mentioning it? it was rare that she felt their power imbalance.[break][break]

”i see.”[break][break]

following almost any other name, protection would have been offered. instead, she was quiet for a few steps, contemplating.[break][break]

”they’ve given their warning. no one should bother you again, if your word is good; although i'd suggest keeping to the labs at headquarters.” or theo would not be the only threat. the maher name wasn't a good one to have in their organization anymore.

[attr="class","ooc"]caden maher [break]

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

he doesn't notice the stall in her step, because a fierce wind blows past and he's forced to throw his hands up against the blistering cold. it ripples his jacket collar, and only when it settles does he look back at her again.

[break][break] "you seem surprised."

[break][break] but he was more surprised that she didn't seem to already know.

[break][break] "yes ma'am," he says obediently, letting his feet drag through the snow behind her.

[break][break] "is that why you called me out here?"

[break][break] his smile is wry. bitter.

[break][break] "the lab would've sufficed."

[attr="class","ooc"] Lulu Flint [break]


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

”i wouldn’t call it that.”[break][break]

if anything, THEO BECKETT made sense. she’d somehow briefly forgotten the ruthlessness and purpose of the man she spent her evenings with, which did not end at the threshold of her realm simply because she held power in the labs. his power stretched, more encompassing, and over her head when it came to rocket’s disciplinary measures.[break][break]

in regards to the location of their meeting, her expression remained flat as her tone, ”no, it wouldn’t have.”[break][break]

of course, she didn’t know the extent of the torture caden had been subjected him to, or just what he’d lost. she imagined that, while she wasn’t about to give him a black eye, a certain amount of fear was still necessary to instill.[break][break]

”because i need you to know what all is at stake for you, even with all you’ve lost." family. past. relationships close to him. rustboro would never be his safe place, just as it was foolish for the other two maher brothers to remain there. "there’s always more to take, and the organization will never hesitate.”[break][break]

she took a deeper breath of cold air, and then cleared her throat lightly of the old familiar sting of winter.[break][break]

”but i’m very glad to know that we can continue our work together, and that i can trust you.”

[attr="class","ooc"]caden maher [break]

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

he pauses.

[break][break] "are you threatening me, ma'am?"

[break][break] a chill ran through him, and not just because of the wintery weather that was all around them.

[break][break] but despite everything, he knew that she was right. it was why he hadn't left yet. why he agreed to stay in the first place, no matter how much it shattered his pride.

[break][break] "of course, ma'am," he repeats, voice hollow, as he tucks his hand into his pockets. "i'm honored to work alongside you too."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Lulu Flint [break]


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