[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]”absolutely.”

amusement lends itself to her smile. despite the busier atmosphere they’ve been thrown into, it’s not all bad.

they’re able to joke about it, at least…

”sometimes i wonder if things will ever slow down.”

despite the airy sigh, she knows. it will never change. if it’s not rifts then it’s another disaster looming over the region. a never-ending nightmare.

she gestures for him to take a seat with a warm wave. and when he does, she tilts her head toward the coffee station set up in the corner. it looks messy, as if drowning in overuse.

”can i get you a coffee or anything before we start?”

angelo vestri

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]a tinkering laugh escapes.

"less disasters might mean less work, i'm afraid, but not having to think about my last days on earth every other week would be nice."

perhaps she'd even feel more at ease. unfortunately, such a thing hasn't been in the cards. not in the past few years, anyway.

where one disaster is avoided, another pops up to take its place. a never-ending cycle of misfortune. fate is a cruel and fickle beast.

she cracks a smile out of exhausted muscles, breaking the face apart and rearranging it to her own liking.

"you got it."

and while she busies herself at the overly messy coffee station, she attempts a slight clean up as she prepares his black coffee. stains are swept away with a napkin. sugar packets shoved back into their eevee decorated holder. stirrers plucked up and tossed into the mini trash can by her feet.

once the coffee is gurgling through its brew, she turns toward him and braces herself against the counter. an empty mug sits next to her left hand, ready and waiting.

"have you been to the rifts, yet?"

angelo vestri

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]when the coffee finishes brewing, she pours it into the empty mug and returns to extend the hot drink toward angelo. the pink dittos on the ceramic exterior wink at him.

"i suppose i should have expected nothing less."

her smile matches his own. he is an explorer through and through.

"have you found anything during your first trip? what was the border like?"

the purpose is obvious: she wants to pick information out of his brain until there's nothing left. she won't be satisfied otherwise.

"not yet. i have an expedition set up to explore the mechanical kingdom in a few days."

she settles, then, on the corner of her desk and directs her full attention onto him.

"are you documenting your expeditions?"

angelo vestri

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]the extensive mug collection her and Eva Morales have cultivated is proving to be a success in his eyes. she's glad, in a way.

"sea of mist?"

it jogs a memory. faint, barely there but persistent. island deities are known for their mist. one in particular is tied to the dead. and for the briefest of seconds, she wonders if it's there somewhere. perhaps it's even controlling the place. it's... not possible, realistically, but the concept keeps her quiet for a moment.

she brightens with the question, then, and there's familiar curiosity in the way she watches him. if she moves her head a certain way, maybe fluorescent light would even paint it into hunger.

"yes, please."

contemplation rises, falls, and settles with ease. her mouth opens soon after, a question flooding out as if breaking free of a dam.

"do you have a way to record dimensional frequencies, by any chance?"

angelo vestri

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]a nod follows.

"perfect, that should hone in on each rift's frequency if adjusted."

she suspects it'll take a few errors but angelo is a seasoned explorer. no one is more equipped for the job than he.

and her intentions, no matter how hidden, are being dragged to the surface.

she's quiet for a moment, as if contemplating two possible scenarios. will he support her intention? will he refuse?

"i would like to have each rift's frequency to begin working on figuring out how to close them."

they are, after all, still a blight on hoenn's dimensional stability. the longer they exist, the more unstable the region becomes.

angelo vestri

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]"if you could, that'd be really helpful!"

a few ideas come to mind for the altercations needed but without the trial and error process, nothing concrete will stick.

and as her intentions come into the form of a full concept, she doesn't shy away from them. it's a different song than she's previously sung, perhaps. less selfish and more region-oriented. at least, she hopes it comes across as such.

"yes, indefinitely."

her curiosity doesn't deter her from the dangers they present. sometimes, she wishes it would.

"hoenn's dimensional structure grows more unstable the longer they're open."

as she explains, she studies him. analyzing muscles in the face for a hint of opinion has almost become second nature when presenting her more recent ideas. it's better, she thinks, to see the disapproval before hearing it.

"i fear if they are not closed soon, hoenn's dimension could begin to collapse in on itself."

a pause.

"besides... the next disaster we face could come right out of those rifts."

angelo vestri