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This was probably not a good idea.
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No, it was definitely a bad idea. Regardless of his shifting relationship with wren rourke , that didn't change the fundamental fact that they were misaligned in their ultimate goals. Not that he was going to tell this to Wren or even make him recognize the full extent of that fact. That would have been stupid. Things had gotten significantly less rocky and it was, admittedly, nice to work alongside the other. Even if he wasn't here for the discovery of anything beyond his own self-interests.
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As much as he should have loathed being in this place again, the faintest remnants of that song still echoed in the back of his mind, dragging out little telltale emotions. He couldn't afford to sleep on this opportunity. He told Wren he was going because he wanted to go for the other's sake. That wasn't false either, after all Wren was still in questionable shape even if the doctor said he was healing up fast. The same couldn't exactly be said for Levy, considering he'd refused to even see the doctor in the first place, but that was the price to pay, wasn't it?
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"Are you sure you're fine?" He asked Wren again in a lowered tone, not exactly wanting to drag their company's attention to it. He was nervous, for good reason, considering their company was also league and didn't have the emotional connection that Wren had to keep Levy out of jail. Even worse was the fact Wren couldn't lie to save his life, so he figured he'd just do the talking if it came to that. It was too late to turn back now though, not with the world unwinding beneath them like the ticking gears of a clock. It was just as it had been the last time he was there, as brief as that had been. Though, it wasn't like he could explain to the other two exactly how he had come to be there before so, as far as they were concerned, it was as new to him as it was to them.
[break][break]
Maybe some benefit could come out of this after all.

[attr="class","bottom"]wren rourke luka chêne paxton concordas [break]

Out of habit, Paxton is doing a quick check over his equipment once more. A tell tale rifle is strapped to his back once more. A vest with multiple attachments are quietly slapped and groped as he mentally goes through a list of things for it, as well as other useful items. He tries to be slow, but his excitement is palpable. His foot taps repeatedly on what seemed to just be steel walkways, and his pokemon buzz with excitement.
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This is exactly what he'd been hoping to look into in his conversations with illeana reyes and Eva Morales . Maybe it wasn't all just a crack shot theory. But he couldn't just run off and look, as much as he wanted to. "Everyone good to go? Checked your gear, glasses working ok?" he asked. "Make sure you stay within eyesight, at least. Let's avoid getting separated here. At least until we've established some sort of rally point."

[break][break]

+ luka chêne Levy Alinsky wren rourke [break][break]

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Out of the frying pan and into the fire, right?[break][break]

Er, maybe he should’ve been easing back into work and more active jobs carefully, given the weakness that came with being off of his ankle for nearly two months now. But Wren only grew more restless the longer he was forced to, well, rest. So it had been no question in his mind to pick up on a task as soon as he was provided the opportunity.
That said, however, this particular excursion felt a bit nerve wracking.[break][break]

He’d only been back to Littleroot once in the time that had passed since the battle that had ripped through the sleepy town. And it definitely hadn’t been in pursuit of what he’d seen in the sinkhole. But the request for extra bodies had also suggested a preference for those who had been there. Or at least, the extra knowledge might prove useful. Or maybe it was bringing Levy Alinsky along that would prove to be Wren’s fumble, but he was reluctant to part from the other now—even if he was a bit of a black sheep in the party of leaguers. But it was totally cool! Wren could play dumb…totally…[break][break]

His glance drifted toward the other as his voice lowered in question. Reflexively, his fingertips brushed against Levy’s and he smiled, bright and enthusiastic as ever. “I’m sure! It’ll be good to move my ankle, don’t worry.” As if that were a feasible ask.[break][break]

As paxton concordas took over to prep the group, Wren nodded along, absentmindedly patting himself down like he was checking for each mentioned piece of gear. He’d at least met the other at rangers potluck months prior, but luka chêne was a new face to him. When she chimed in apprehensively, Wren gave her the most reassuring smile he could manage, along with a thumbs up. “I’m sure it can’t be that creepy! We got this, how back can it be?” From his side, Juno trilled her own added encouragement, the leafeon’s ears twitching excitedly.[break][break]

Famous last words?

[attr="class","bottom"]Levy Alinsky luka chêne paxton concordas [break]

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The kingdom was just as he remembered it, though there was a certain stillness in the air this time. There was no music this time and the street was vacant, for now, of those soulless mechanical pokemon. It would be best to warn them ahead of time of both possible threats. Levy had nearly gotten lost in the music and there was no telling what would have happened to his group during the attack if they hadn’t been able to teleport out. Pokeballs didn’t work on those pokemon either and it was possible they could withstand attack too.
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He should’ve warned them ahead of time, but he couldn’t. Not without raising several red flags because as far as he knew, the only people that had stepped foot here were Rocket (aka himself and three other rockets). It was hard not to worry, regardless of what Wren said. The only thing he could say with any hint of a warning was, “Okay, well… stay close to me, yeah?”
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It wasn’t exactly creepy, in his opinion, which was somewhat skewed. It was old and archaic and there was something beautiful in that. “We should move.” He started in the direction of the first notable landmark, which was a clock tower.

[attr="class","bottom"]wren rourke luka chêne paxton concordas [break]

Paxton stood still, letting Levy Alinsky take the lead before falling into the back of the pack to watch behind them. He looks to wren rourke and then luka chêne before saying, "It's voice of humans so I think it gives it a more eerie feel but...it's like ruins. You can find all sorts of pokemon hiding in the shadows of a ruin." Maybe not the best metaphor to chose when discussing a creepy, quiet place. [break][break]

There's a lot to admire about this world though. Like what happened? What was the history here? Things are, somewhat, in good condition, moving about. In the distance he can spots the blur of figures moving. Not close enough to be a problem yet but still...moving. Or were they spinning? Stuck in place perhaps. "You gotta wonder...what exactly happened to make this place possible." he said, eyes floating upwards and around as the architecture became more and more apparent. Rough, solid ground traded for tough colored iron and steel. Not a lot looked rusted over. Thing had small details, and different metals seemed to be inlaid even on the simplest of construction. [break][break]

He lets out his Klingklang. He figured the pokemon made out of levitating gears might take interest or even comfort in seeing the mecha kingdom. "If this is all product of an old technology some humans developed how does it compare to our own tech?" His pokemon turned slowly, taking in the scenery and keeping a close watch on their trainer, nothing they were very much more than a bit distracted.

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+ luka chêne Levy Alinsky wren rourke [break][break]

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"Yeah, okay. I will." He nodded repeatedly, half-convincing him that the nerves some of his other teammates were feeling weren't shared by him as well. It'd be far better to keep the mood up, for sure. Still, he stuck close to Levy - wondering just how much the other new compared to himself. Wren had only seen all of this from a distance.[break][break]

It felt way more bizarre and surreal up close, without a barrier preventing him from falling in.[break][break]

The distant clocktower drew nearer, looming overhead as he took up the middle of the pack along with Luka. He glanced back over his shoulder as Paxton mused aloud. "Yeah, do you think pokemon could have done this? Or something..else? Maybe?" The technology that rose up around them was just so different, but maybe that was only because it was obsolete in comparison with what they had now.[break][break]

"Hear what?" he asked, glance moving toward Luka. But now that she mentioned it... "Wait, yeah." His brows knit together, head tilting as he frowned and strained to hear the faintest notes of an entrancing melody. Much like her lopunny, Juno had stopped- the leafeon's ears twitching as she registered the pattern. "Where do you think that's coming from?" Was it from the clocktower? Or somewhere else? Unconsciously, he drifted closer to Levy, fingers closing around the other's sleeve at his elbow.

[attr="class","bottom"]Levy Alinsky luka chêne paxton concordas [break]

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Levy frowned at that, considering he didn't hear anything then. It had been different last time, but he'd also known there was something unnatural about the sound, almost a little too compelling in the music. "Try to ignore it," He said, specifically to Wren. Anything that pushed on Levy's feelings was usually considered negative, so he didn't trust it.
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His attention was, instead, focused on the clocktower ahead of them as he neared. He could feel Wren's hand looped through his own, which stymied his insistence to get moving. This was taking too long and before much longer their presence would be noted. That was how this place worked, right? Granted, they hadn't been here before.
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"Not the clocktower, there's gears missing." He noted, gesturing toward the tower's interiors, opened like a wound for all to see. It felt strangely like looking into the innards of a long-dead beast. He slipped away from Wren to get a closer look. The gear had to be close-by, right?
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Then beyond the tower, he spied the volcanions. The automaton pokemon didn't seem active, but the sheer number of them was alarming. "Shit."
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NOTES.[break]
+ investigate a broken clock tower and discover that they are missing parts.

[attr="class","bottom"]wren rourke luka chêne paxton concordas [break]

Paxton eyed the clocktower before looking back at his party. "It looks incomplete, but unnaturally. Like maybe it's purposefully missing something?" he noted looking back at the others. He glanced at luka chêne before shrugging his shoulders. "I can't remember off the top of my head if pokemon make societies of their own- not to this extent." then again, they were in another world, essentially. He paused, at the mention of a song before trying to pinpoint where it was coming from. Paxton follows Levy Alinsky 's eyes and sees the problem. "Let's find an alternative route." [break][break]

Meanwhile, his Klingklang tries to make sense of the world. Perhaps something gear like will have better intuition here. His partner spins idly moving closer to walls and looking for things Paxton really can't see. At some point he clangs softly against the wall. bottom gear sticking into it and tugging gently. It's heavy, but not quite rusted over. Unseen gears move and click nearby before a door slowly cranks open on a wall. It's a little dark, and it smelled old but it seemed to amplify whatever song had been playing before. He takes a look at the inactive Volcanion, and then into the hall and points. "I say, we try to find the source. Maybe we find people- someone active. It's pointing towards those things but...maybe past them." maybe not, but they were explorers.

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+ luka chêne Levy Alinsky wren rourke | prompt: use klink line in some way [break][break]

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“Okay..” And he does try to block the song and ignore it, as Levy says. But it’s difficult to shut out entirely. Something about that makes his nerves all jittery and anxious. Like there’s more to it than just some tune that might get stuck in his head. He can’t put his finger on it, though. He watches quietly as Paxton’s klingklang examines the structure. Glance darting over to Luka, “I think I can understand that. Especially with this melody. Like a music box, maybe? Or one of those clocks that plays a song on the hour.” Whatever the missing parts might actually be, he can tell when she’s just as affected by the song as he is.[break][break]

As the volume of the melody swelled louder in the wake of the wall opening up, Wren stills. For a moment, he thinks maybe it’s nothing. That it’s only a momentary lapse, but his prior apprehension fades. Pushed out by an onslaught of emotions that wash over him and nearly bowl him over. The hand twined through Levy’s squeezes tighter, and it’s the sort of wistful ache he remembers feeling as a teenager. That cloying, ultra-tender sort of affection that veers into melancholic.[break][break]

Suddenly, it’s like he can’t believe Levy is holding his hand and he stares down at the link. Confused, flustered. His heart speeds up (or is it matching the cadence of the strange melody,) and though it brings Luka to befuddled tears, he can feel his face redden with mingled, fluttery elation and embarrassment. Maybe Levy is just humoring him? That achy longing thrums harder against his ribs.[break][break]

But it makes no sense. They are sort of past this point, aren’t they? Not to mention, he should still be wary. He should still feel a degree of fear from the unknown and apprehension over the rows of silent volcanion.[break][break]

Instead, he feels none of this. His gaze shifts up toward Levy and then he leans against him, arms tangling together more as his head leans on his shoulder. Not a care in the world from this these weird, displaced emotions, Wren exhales no more than a wistful sigh. Fully ignorant to his surroundings because suddenly it’s all so rose tinted. Wow. [break][break]

tldr; prompt 04 fulfilled / wren experiences pining for levy

[attr="class","bottom"]Levy Alinsky luka chêne paxton concordas [break]

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Levy somewhat lacked in patience. Especially having dealt with Rocket and the curtness of those missions. This was nothing like that, it was a little absurd now to look at the comparison of it all.
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The only person that he did have patience for was acting a little... odd. Not really odd, considering Wren was almost always the touchy feely sort. But maybe not in a dangerous mechanical world, considering Levy had warned him beforehand. He looked over at him, head tilted. "Are you alright?" Maybe he was simply awkward with public affection. No, that was definitely his problem. There was no maybe to it. He could feel it in his cheeks and his only means of handling awkwardness was to avoid it. "Give me a sec," He said, hand smoothing over the shorter boy's hair before stepping away, putting the space between them. A separate path led away from the group. While he had no intention to stick out in the crowd, he was still there for a job and, really, this was taking wayyy too long.
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Bingo. He spied the necessary gear for the clocktower.... behind a group of inactive volcanion. That was okay, he could be quiet. He cast a glance back, hand up to keep them at bay before moving closer. His footsteps were soft, barely there. Remnants of a past he'd tried to leave behind, but it clung on instinctually. In every move, in every action, every response to a movement that was too fast. Violent exaggerations to affection. Like a scared stray dog, flinching under the motion of a hand. Yeah, he was a mess, but he was still street savvy enough to slip past the volcanion undetected to retrieve the gear.
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If the music was coming from the clock tower, they'd find out. Or this was going to be a bad idea over all. Very likely the latter.
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Only one way to find out.
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Having slipped back away from the quiet metal monsters. He twisted the gear around and plugged it into the absent space in the tower He looked back to Wren and Luka to see if that had quieted the sound, but then the clock tower rung. The sound of it made the ground vibrate. Well shit. Really, he'd seen that coming but did it anyways. That really was the story of his life, wasn't it? Then, the volcanion started clicking back to life.

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NOTES.[break]
+  LEVY ALINSKY's experience living on the streets will prove to be pivotal in some way (e.g. sneaking, thieving, etc.).[break]
+  Leading up to prompt 1: engage or flee soulless volcanion guards. [break]

[attr="class","bottom"]wren rourke luka chêne paxton concordas [break]