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TAG WITH @gavin

POSTED ON Dec 17, 2022 3:28:37 GMT

Killian Decker and Martín del Mar like this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","twtgm"]

[attr="class","main"]While several of the bars he'd visited over the course of the night were unfamiliar to him, Starlight is anything but. It's hard not to be acquainted with it, living in Sootopolis where it dominates the horizon, not to mention the fact that it was owned by two of his fellow underbosses in Killian Decker and Martín del Mar.[break][break]

He doesn't often enter the establishment on a count of his disdain for gambling, but he'd grab the occasional drink if he were in the area.[break][break]

"Ever been here?" he asks Ashley Shepard. He'd invited him out to drink in celebration of surviving Mt. Pyre; poor guy deserved as much and more. Gavin drops his voice. "You might know the owners."[break][break]

A sly smile is offered.[break][break]

He's not disguised, here, because no one can stop a Rocket from operating undisguised in Sootopolis. But he's careful with his words, because the League are similarly unrestricted in their access to the Casino.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Ashley Shepard

[attr="class","pkmn"]

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played by

Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

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TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON Dec 18, 2022 2:25:40 GMT

[attr="class","sawyer"]

tag
Cillian Quinn 
notes
Shades

It was a pleasant invite, and considering how much he really appreciated Gavin for non-verbally taking Ashley under his wing (basically), and without his training session, as well as just his guidance, Ashley didn't think he'd be alive today.

So of course, he said yes, and dressed in casual winter clothes, he'd meet up with the underboss with a wave. After pleasant greetings, Ash thinks. "This isn't the place we went before, right? I was a bit more tipsy than I'd like, so I have trouble recalling details." He made a sheepish smile back.

Something doesn't feel right though.

Gavin was just the man he needed to talk to, after a certain talk with Zev Harcourt , and now was the best time to get answers. Or at the very least, to get reassurance that he wasn't an idiot.

"Who runs the joint?" He asks, around his neck coiled a lovely little Dratini, quietly bouncing his head back and forth, little headphones on his head.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.

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TAG WITH @gavin

POSTED ON Dec 18, 2022 2:47:55 GMT

Lulu Flint likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","twtgm"]

[attr="class","main"]

Winter in the tropical region of Hoenn was nowhere near as cold as winter in Circhester, so while Ashley and others bundle up against the dips in temperature, Gavin revels in the cooler air and rolls up his sleeves to let it kiss his skin.[break][break]

At the question, he shakes his head.[break][break]

"Nah, different part of the city. Starlight's a casino and hotel, the bar's just a bonus. You might fancy the signature drink, it's some cocktail or other."[break][break]

Ashley might expect Gavin to order his usual Scotch-on-the-rocks, but Gavin opts to order the Galaxy himself.[break][break]

"Figure I may as well try it."[break][break]

Tequila has always been more of Lulu Flint's thing, but it's not terrible even if Gavin does prefer Ritual's old-fashioned.[break][break]

"Killian Decker and Martín del Mar. You know those names?"

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Ashley Shepard

[attr="class","pkmn"]

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played by

Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

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TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON Dec 19, 2022 22:45:26 GMT

Martín del Mar likes this

[attr="class","sawyer"]

tag
Cillian Quinn 
notes
Shades

"Huh. Can't say I have then." Ashley's a little less talkative than he was their last bar crawl, and he's definitely quieter. Mt. Pyre is clearly a cause, but he definitely seems more tired than he was in their mission. Meanwhile, the Dratini just keeps bobbing his head back and forth, playing a very jazzy beat. This Dratini liked jazz and blues.

Still. A cocktail was a cocktail, and if this Galaxy was their signature, it was Ashley's duty to drink that strife away.

"Bet. First round is on me then." Least he could do to pay Gavin back after all. So he would do just that; pay for the cocktails. That would save him from putting money on scotch; he still doesn't know how Gavin can just down that liquid nightmare, but he doesn't push it. Different strokes and all.

The name of Killian Decker and Martin Del Mar comes up; one unfamiliar, and the other prompting a turn of his head. "Mars, yeah. Sweet guy. Had a Slowpoke before I joined Rocket, and he gave me some advice. Little guy used to hang on my ceiling fan." Memories of Sushi came back. Good memories. Ash is smiling quietly. "They own the joint?"

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.

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7,889 posts

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TAG WITH @gavin

POSTED ON Dec 23, 2022 1:08:25 GMT

Martín del Mar likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","twtgm"]

[attr="class","main"]

Though he certainly notes the dip in Ashley's energy and mood, Gavin makes no comment this early in the night. They were all drained after Mt. Pyre. Surviving an incoming apocalypse had provided only a brief elation followed by the crushing weight of all the work they had to do in its aftermath. It was back to business as usual.[break][break]

Tonight, at least, was a small vacation from that stress.[break][break]

He nods when Ash offers to buy, not pushing the issue. He had plenty of money but understood the symbolic gesture.[break][break]

"He's very charming, isn't he?" Gavin agrees of Martín del Mar. Taking their conversation away from the bar and any prying ears, he ensures they're alone before he says, "He's also an underboss. Did you know that?"[break][break]

Much of that charm was an act. They all wore their masks.[break][break]

"Decker, too. They own the place, yes."

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Ashley Shepard

[attr="class","pkmn"]

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played by

Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

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TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON Dec 24, 2022 10:02:42 GMT

Martín del Mar likes this

[attr="class","sawyer"]

tag
Cillian Quinn
notes
Shades

Soft-spoken definitely wasn't his typecast, but Gavin let him be that way. That was nice, at least. He didn't focus on the problem, he skated around it, and it was moments like that that had Ashley look up to Gavin like a mentor. Even something as simple as speaking of Mars had his smile back.

"You're telling me. Martín del Mar is really nice. Showed me how cool it is to have a Rotom Phone. Got Pulse literally minutes after meeting him." With a half-genuine chuckle, he follows Gavin to a more secluded spot, looking about the casino. He'd never known this place was even here... he must have been living under a rock.

He pauses at the question. "Yeah. Met him again in the forest by Oldale. Where Meteno touched down. Told me himself." He takes a moment to think about what Matt Vice had said in the hospital room. The Rayquaza coming out, the Kyurem, and freezing everything over.

He has one more thought, but he keeps it out of mind.

"He's good for the role. Think Felix Gallagher would be a good one too, honestly. One of them is just a little more talkative than the other." One mission with Felix was all it took to tell him that much. Really is a good thing Gavin is here. The level of appreciation cannot simply be stated.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.

awards

7,889 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @gavin

POSTED ON Dec 25, 2022 9:02:02 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","twtgm"]

[attr="class","main"]

"They're really handy," Gavin agrees of Rotom phones. "Can't imagine going without mine these days."[break][break]

His Rotom lets out a cheerful buzz from his pocket.[break][break]

Gavin lets out a gruff laugh as Ashley offers his assessment of Mars as underboss.[break][break]

"How do I stack up, then? Be honest."[break][break]

The underbosses shoulders are relaxed, his ordinarily intimidating aura softened by the way his lips tug into a smile. He's not on the clock, right now. He's here to drink and make merry, and though the topic of work so often enters conversation, he's not trying to intimidate Ash into the answer he wants to hear. Truly, what he wants is honesty. No way to improve if you didn't listen to your subordinates from time to time.[break][break]

Gavin raises his glass to Ash, then drinks.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Ashley Shepard

[attr="class","pkmn"]

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played by

Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

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TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON Dec 26, 2022 2:18:20 GMT

[attr="class","sawyer"]

tag
Cillian Quinn  
notes
Shades

"Honestly, same. Think Kep is jealous about Pulse. Thinking I'll get him a Rotom as a birthday present." Ash is at least going to have a good time trading banter. Gavin always seems good at that. It's one of the reasons he admires the guy, after all. Even now, he seems

But when it came time to put Gavin in comparison, Ashley takes a second. At first, he dismisses that impulse, wishing to not judge them when he has had two encounters with Mars, one with Felix, and a handful with the others. But he decides to take the bait.

If only because he wanted to know what Gavin would think.

He takes a breath in, and holds the glass up, taking the chance to do just that; make merry and drink.

"I admire you." It's genuine, he looks forward, not daring to make eye contact. As he has his cocktail now running in his system, he continues. "At first, when we met again outside Trick or Sweet, I thought you would be just like Theo, or Jayden. I had this image in my head, an image that you were going to be a huge prick. That my time in Rocket was going to be hell, and you would set me aflame."

Another sip.

"Lo and behold, you and I did start that way, but then I realized what kind of person you are. You're not like these monsters Rocket made. It's like, you know how to do the job, but you're still you. You're better at this. I envy that."

Another sip.

"Over the past month, I sat in that hospital bed, or laid in bed at home, thinking I can do it, and how to get better. For that... you're like a mentor I want to follow." He sets the glass down. "But... I need someone to show me how to do the things I'm too scared to do. I still want to be an Admin, so... I asked the new beast of Rocket how to get past my fear of death. I can't just rely on you. I have to be self-sufficient too."

What a happy conversation this was going to be.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.

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7,889 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @gavin

POSTED ON Jan 3, 2023 9:16:29 GMT

Zev Harcourt likes this

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[attr="class","twtgm"]

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I thought you would be just like Theo.[break][break]

Something in those words seems to strike a chord with the underboss; though he disguises his grimace behind the downing of alcohol, he can't dispel the discomfort that settles in the tension of his shoulders. He should have expected the comparison, but...[break][break]

Not tonight, he decides. It wasn't time to open old wounds.[break][break]

There is a long silence as Gavin digests the assessment, though it's clear he'd noted every word.[break][break]

At last, he says, "I can be monstrous still." His reputation was not built on lies. He has killed, tortured. "But I would rather not devour my own. No loyal Rocket should need to fear me."[break][break]

It was disloyalty that put one in danger of his sharpest edges. He hoped with sincerity that the likes of Ashley Shepard and Isaac Merlo might never face him at his worst. It would mean that something had gone awry.[break][break]

"You're speaking of Zev Harcourt?" He was the newest of their Beasts. "An old friend."[break][break]

Friend was not quite the correct word, he knew, but it was the easiest term with which to label their mutual loyalties.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Ashley Shepard

[attr="class","pkmn"]

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played by

Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

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TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON Jan 6, 2023 7:57:11 GMT

[attr="class","sawyer"]

tag
Cillian Quinn
notes
Shades

It doesn't really hit Ashley how insulting it sounds; he had seen Jayden just like Theo, and while that may have been just two, it made a bottom line. Seeing Zev was a similar way, it only helps to confirm a bias he had. But for every person with that capability, there was another that matched the better half of Rocket. Isaac. Eris. Kep.

And Gavin.

He believes every word he says, and doesn't bother to run from it. Instead, he nods to Gavin's response. "Yeah. That's the part I envy. You can be, but you aren't. Like, turning it on and off at your leisure." He swishes the remaining cocktail in the glass, back and forth, swirling it around as silver eyes peer inside. "I'm more like a cowardly Yamper. I talk a big game, but Trick or Sweet showed me how that's all I got."

He shuts his eyes. The mentions of Zev has him once over. Part of him wanted to throw up when Gavin knew who he was talking about. It's not that he hates Zev, no quite the contrary. Zev was the perfect teacher. That's what made it worse. Gavin, sure, he could do it, but it would taint how Ashley saw his greatest mentor. It's just like Theo. He knows this from experience. Only recently could he think of Theo without wanting to spit bile from his lips.

"Yeah." He starts. "He's going to show me how to get past it. My inhibition. What holds me back." Even Ashley doesn't sound sure when it leaves his lips.

But he gives Gavin a rather sulking smile in return. It's not his usual. "... but I don't know. Part of me thinks if I let myself do it, how fast I can turn into something I hate. When I left the first time, I couldn't look at my reflection for a whole year." He confesses, remembering how harrowing the first year of his life as a deserter was.

"... how did you get past it?"

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.

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7,889 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @gavin

POSTED ON Jan 13, 2023 9:23:19 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","twtgm"]

[attr="class","main"]

Gavin considers Ashley with a slight tilt of his head before settling on a bit of honesty. They'd both been through Kanto. That was a hell that afforded some level of mutual respect.[break][break]

"It's not so easy as it might seem." Arceus, but he wished empathy were a switch he could flip whenever he wished.[break][break]

There is a warning gathering in the back of his throat as Ashley speaks of muting his inhibition, and his lip twitches when the younger man speaks such concerns before he can translate his concerns into speech.[break][break]

"I was about to say," he admits, wry. "Best take care not to delve too deep, too soon."[break][break]

When asked how he'd gotten past it, Gavin's expression shutters momentarily.[break][break]

"I didn't," he admits, after a long pause. "Not by choice. I'm sure you can imagine."[break][break]

He'd been mentored by Theo as well, after all.[break][break]

"It comes down to a simple decision, in the end: do you care more about yourself, or the ones you might hurt?"[break][break]

Gavin's answer was depressingly clear.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Ashley Shepard

[attr="class","pkmn"]

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played by

Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

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1,109 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON Jan 17, 2023 4:49:28 GMT

[attr="class","sawyer"]

tag
Cillian Quinn
notes
Shades

This conversation didn't seem to help him at first. Honestly, it only complicated things, but what could Ashley expect? Gavin admitted the complexity of the situation. To not dive too deep too fast. To not fall into that hell. But at the same time, it's almost like he got a glimpse of the future in Gavin's own admittance. Gavin didn't have a choice.

Neither did Ashley. Oh.

This was the path to hell that Theo gave them. And yet, Ashley didn't hate him for it. Quite the contrary, it helped him be who he would become today. The ends don't justify the means, but the ends did put him in a place where he could fend for himself. He could survive. His smile is bitter.

With slumped shoulders at the metaphorical crossroads that Gavin lays out to him, a question sets in with impending doom both directions.

Ash laughs. It's trying, it's fake, a sham of a laugh. But it's one he's trying to at least use as a smokescreen. "Yeah. I was worried about that, honestly. Hahaha." He admired that about Gavin too. No sugarcoating that shit. It's out, it's exactly what he expects.

He swishes the cocktail around in the glass, again and again. "Thanks. Guess I'm not alone here." That's right. This WAS helping him.

A last question is all that's left on his mind. "Are you able to sleep at night over it?" His mind goes back to a number of trembling nightmares.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

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played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.

awards

7,889 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @gavin

POSTED ON Jan 24, 2023 15:25:40 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","twtgm"]

[attr="class","main"]

Though Gavin can glimpse quite easily past a smokescreen of forced humour, he does not call Ashley out on the deception.[break][break]

He shakes his head, agreeing. No, you're not alone.[break][break]

When asked how he sleeps at night, Gavin's smile is dry, speaking volumes before he can find the proper words.[break][break]

"I sleep when I can," is his simple reply, elaborated on with, "It's not always easy. Time helps."[break][break]

It was sick, perhaps, to admit that distance from the atrocities of Kanto made them easier to bear. Yet it was truth, and he doesn't mask it with false regrets. He wasn't a good person. He wasn't pretending to be.[break][break]

"It helps not to be alone," he adds. "A Pokémon, if you don't have a partner. An anchor to the present."[break][break]

He understands nightmares all too well.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Ashley Shepard

[attr="class","pkmn"]

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played by

Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

awards

1,109 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON Jan 26, 2023 6:38:20 GMT

[attr="class","sawyer"]

tag
Cillian Quinn 
notes
Shades

Gavin deposits the advice that perhaps matters the most to him. Unfortunately, it's also the advice he knows well enough... that's probably why he knows he can rely on Gavin for advice. Because Ashley knows it's right.

"..." He wants to say that he's worried of hurting kepler brueshaber . Of dragging him to hell with him. There's no way Ashley could think he will have a comforting death. If anything, he will likely suffer by every mistake he makes. It's so heavy, and feeling that weight is every bit harder knowing he wants to do it alone. But Gavin isn't wrong. He knows the gravity. The weight of it bearing down, pushing them into the dirt where they'll one day be left in.

He cracks a smile.

"Yeah." An anchor. Kepler was that for him. He couldn't stop smiling. The sunshine after a long night. Gavin was right, and it speaks volumes to Ashley, like a self-fulfilled prophecy. A partner to anchor them. A person to ground them. A

"First time we were in Sootopolis, I thought you were just like the rest. I'm glad that I'm wrong, Gavin. I'm sorry I thought that way." He made up his mind. Had Gavin asked him, he'd follow him into hell.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

close tab

played by

thorn

Gavin Merlino

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

creatures of habit, carrion flowers, growing from repeated crimes.

awards

7,889 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @gavin