[attr="class","jaytop"]

[attr="class","littlejay"]

the aftermath of both littleroot and mt. pyre brings with them all sorts of responsibilities. paperwork piled upon paperwork as he is forced to sift through all the rocket reports of the event. people who have reported the disappearance of Chu-e Choi — his insides twist at the thought — or the appearance of black-list men such as MATIAS SILPH.

[break][break] palkia. dialga. rayquaza. chef quanto. father winter.

[break][break] the words on the page are endless, and if he didn't have Felix Gallagher and the other admins to split the work with, it would've consumed him entirely.

[break][break] it's why he has decided to take breaks like this to visit the members that are still in recovery. part of him wants to visit fern, but it would be a waste considering that he is more than keenly aware of the other's injuries and how they are developing. it's people such as Isaac Merlo that he is less than sure about, a grunt who's experience at mt. pyre were way less detailed than he expected.

[break][break] the cold, stale air of the hospital fills his lungs as he steps through it's hallways. jayden wears a long black coat and scarf hung loosely around his neck, gloved hands wrapped around a bag of baked goods that fern delaney helped him pack the night before.

[break][break] as he approaches the room, he knocks twice for courtesy before stepping in.

[break][break] "Isaac Merlo," he says.

[break][break] even his experience in kanto didn't quite prepare him for this. for the site of Isaac Merlo, and his lone eye clawed out unforgivingly. bile rises in his throat at the sight — he vowed that he would get the league back for this, no matter the cost.

[break][break] luckily for jayden, he was well-practiced in the art of looking impassive. he crosses the threshold of the room as he does so, pulling out a small cardboard box and placing it on the tray-table. he unfolds it, revealing the smell of various cookies — chocolate fudge, sugar cookie, and red velvet.

[break][break] "i baked these yesterday."

[break][break] isaac would see nothing abnormal about the admin, as most of his wounds were hidden beneath his coat and sweater, with the exception of his bandaged fingers and the gauze wrapped around his cheek, purple bruises blooming where pale skin used to be.

[attr="class","ooc"] Isaac Merlo

☉

[attr="class","jaytop"]

[attr="class","littlejay"]

jay.

[break][break] his expression inexplicably tightens, locking up in the most microscopic of ways. the discomfort he feels, however, is a full-body experience. the only person in rocket who is able to call him that name so casually without facing the repercussions of it was Cillian Quinn.

[break][break] and then, there was Chu-e Choi, but he was dead. or at least that version of chu-e was.

[break][break] "jayden is fine," he says stiffly. "or admin cross."

[break][break] while there were certainly many in the organization that didn't care much for formalities — Isaac Merlo likely among them — the same was not said for jayden.

[break][break] but there was a time for discipline, and a time for letting things go, and today jayden decided on the latter. he turns around, using the moment to smooth his expression over as he slips the scarf from his neck and places it on a nearby chair. he unbuttons his coat as well, but doesn't take it off just yet.

[break][break] "but yes, i did. hopefully you enjoy them. i wasn't sure which flavor you would have liked." and there it is again - expression a bit softer, as he regards Isaac Merlo. this time it is of the ordinary affection that he would treat any other fellow rocket — a member of the family that he has so craftily created.

[break][break] "how are you doing?"

[break][break] his polteageist floats out from behind him, just as he grabs two empty paper cups from the tray table, and soon enough, hot tea is being poured into them.

[attr="class","ooc"] Isaac Merlo

☉

[attr="class","jaytop"]

[attr="class","littlejay"]

"no need to thank me."

[break][break] he was always happy to visit other rockets, especially ones that were hospitalized, but it made it better than it was one that he was a tad more familiar with. less awkward — well, except for that slight misstep.

[break][break] the cheerful 'horrible!' that was returned could only be explained as one of those isaac-isms, not that jayden expected any different. of all the recruits in rocket, isaac was one of the most spirited — which made this entire situation all that worse.

[break][break] "i'm glad to see you in one piece," he says, as he grabs a cup of warmed tea and bring it to his lips. "i'm sure your wounds will heal in a matter of no time." after all, their teams were state-of-the-art.

[break][break] "i'm fine," he says. "nothing compares to kanto, but this is relatively close." at the very least, being kicked in the face by a legendary was — "though, some days, i feel like i've been kicked in the face by a horse."

[break][break] which — technically — he was.

[break][break] "i read your report, but i also came to visit just in case there was anything else you wanted to add to it. how was the league?"

[break][break] a flash of disdain flashes over his face.

[break][break] "other than your eye, hopefully they didn't give you too much trouble?"

[attr="class","ooc"] Isaac Merlo

☉

[attr="class","jaytop"]

[attr="class","littlejay"]

he frowns.

[break][break] it wasn't anything that he didn't know. he had read the reports, had looked into the status of Isaac Merlo's case, yet it was still just as sad to see one of their agents fallen.

[break][break] "we'll get them back," he says, with a conviction and clarity that can only be given from a man such as jayden cross. a loyalist through and through, his gaze gleams with determination and a tinge of bitterness. "i'll take one of their eyes and give it back to you, merlo."

[break][break] as Isaac Merlo spins the story about his interactions with the league, he commits it to memory. the league was not a unified front. it was not information he wasn't already aware of, but he was glad to hear that even the grunts could see it for themselves. it was why rocket needed to save hoenn, why they needed to do everything that the league could not. if this one interaction did not speak for isaac, he was sure any new ones would.

[break][break] "i'm glad to hear that, merlo. rocket will always have your back," he says with a finalized nod. "if you need anything, let me know."

[break][break] he reaches into the box and pulls out a cookie for himself to inspect it.

[break][break] "is there anything else you would like to report? or ask?"

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Isaac Merlo

☉

[attr="class","jaytop"]

[attr="class","littlejay"]

"that bodyguard? give me a name, and i will —"

[break][break] his words are cut off as multiple events happen simultaneously. someone steps into the room, Isaac Merlo falls suddenly and deeply into SLEEP, and jayden finds his violet gaze cutting straight to the pale-faced boy that had left him in kanto years ago.

[break][break] the one that he had left at the top of a lighthouse tower, barely breathing.

[break][break] his best friend. or ex-best friend.

[break][break] "ash."

[break][break] the frighteningly cold and maybe even-violent look in Ashley Shepard's eyes was brushed away in favor of his disrespectful tone, which made jayden narrow his eyes. the admin might have taken words against it, had they not been in a public place.

[break][break] "i came to visit isaac," he said, plainly. "i've been visiting all the grunts in my spare time." his eyes shift towards the other as he stands up, bringing the box of sweet-smelling cookies towards him.

[break][break] "would you like one?"

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Isaac Merlo

☉

[attr="class","jaytop"]

[attr="class","littlejay"]

jayden blinks as the other takes his offered treat, even satisfied in the fact that the other had taken it. it always pleased jayden when others ate his creations; he watched in curiosity as Ashley Shepard nibbled on said treat, trying to discern his expression, before he decides to step back.

[break][break] before he can do so, however, a mutter escapes the other's lips:

[break][break] 'murderer.'

[break][break] huh. what a strange thing for him to say. weren't they all murderers? he and Ashley Shepard especially. considering their upbringing, where they came from.

[break][break] the sordid history that lay between them.

[break][break] he glanced briefly towards Isaac Merlo, who seemed to be snoozing peacefully, before he decided to walk over to the other. he'd read their reports, of course, but it was always good to get the information first hand.

[break][break] "how are your injuries?" he asks politely.

[attr="class","ooc"] Isaac Merlo Ashley Shepard

☉