"how humble."
[break][break]

With the bottle nearly shrunken down to one sip's worth of water left, Penelope had nearly regained her composure, finally being able to sit back up and rest her arms on top of her knees.
[break][break]

"Really? I thought you'd be annoyed."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH[break]


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

[attr="class","icon"]

"why would i be?"[break][break]

her physical incompetence hadn't been important to her role in hbs or in council, so he can't fault her for not prioritizing it. but now with the rifts opening and with expedition teams heading out, it's only logical for her to start now.[break][break]

his orthworm bumps into his leg, rising up to ask for pats. he gives it.[break][break]

"the only thing i'm annoyed about is how it's taken this long for you to reach out."

[attr="class","bottom"]PENELOPE LIVY[break]

She shook off his question. The reasoning behind her thoughts should've been obvious enough. If they weren't, well, maybe he was more self-obsessed than she thought.
[break][break]

"You aren't exactly the most approachable," she countered. "And things were busy."
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH[break]


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

[attr="class","icon"]

again with the busy excuse. he's already berated her once for it so he decides against doing so again. it'll most likely be a waste of time, anyways.[break][break]

he does take the jab, unable to help himself there.[break][break]

"you mean with dying?"[break][break]

but curiosity gets the better of him even if he should know from his own experience.[break][break]

"what was it like?"

[attr="class","bottom"]PENELOPE LIVY[break]

[break][break]

Her eyes snapped open. Here, just meters away from the very realm that housed her would-be coffin, was one of the worst places for him to mention it. Her upper lip buttoned down onto her bottom, keeping her mouth pinched close until eventually, the words came snapping out.
[break][break]

"God, you're such an ass."
[break][break]

Further pushing her torso into the back of her thighs, Penelope wrapped her arms around her legs, pulling herself together into a close-knit ball. There, with shallow breaths, she stared out into the distance.
[break][break]

After a beat, she sighed.
[break][break]

"It was peaceful. Like finally being able to curl up into your bed after a long day."
[break][break]

Again, she paused, hesitant if she should say more or leave it at that. She relented and continued.
[break][break]

"Then everything shattered. It felt like everything was being pumped back into me, all at once. My memories, my thoughts - everything. I could hardly breathe, hardly think. Then I heard--"

[break][break]

She cut herself off, remembering her audience.
[break][break]

"It was a lot."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH[break]


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

[attr="class","icon"]

matias is an ass. it's literally in his name.[break][break]

but when she decides to share, perhaps taking the first step towards bridging the gap between them, he takes a step as well, listening intently and with care.[break][break]

a flick of his wrist causes a small chunk of earth to rise, forming a makeshift chair as he sits beside her. there, atop the ghostly planes of mount pyre, he peers out at hoenn.[break][break]

death sure sounds peaceful.[break][break]

"would you rather have stayed dead?"

[attr="class","bottom"]PENELOPE LIVY[break]

"I did at first," She replied, the honesty burning the back of her throat.
[break][break]
How ironic it was that Matias, one of her least favorite people within The League, was the first person to hear this. To learn this scared, vulnerable side of that experience.
[break][break]
"But...now I'm glad how things turned out. I still have some promises I want to keep," her mind wandered to CIAN MAHER, whom she promised old age to, "And I don't think I'm ready to go. Not for a while."
[break][break]
Her voice cracked near the end, a fact concealed by her clearing her throat.
[break][break]
"Can't really leave Hoenn behind like this, too."
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH[break]


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

[attr="class","icon"]

"no, you can't."[break][break]

he can be sentimental when he wants to be. in this moment of vulnerability, he shares his side as well.[break][break]

"i never did say it but i'm sorry about what happened. we weren't as cautious as we should've been and you paid for it."[break][break]

but he's quick to throw in a correction. whether it's meant in jest or not is up in the air.[break][break]

"granted, you did pull Melody Miro out of the way."

[attr="class","bottom"]PENELOPE LIVY[break]

"I did," She nodded. There was no denying that fact.
[break][break]
"I don't regret it, though. If it were her or me, I'd do it again."
[break][break]
Up until her life became more valuable than Melody's.
[break][break]
"Still...thanks. Sorry for forcing you guys to clean up my mess. Wasn't my intention."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH[break]


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

[attr="class","icon"]

"that's what we're here for."[break][break]

it's his way of saying there's no need for any apologies. it'd been as much their fault as it was hers.[break][break]

"we have each other's backs, you included, so you can always rely on us whenever you need to."[break][break]

he's not just talking about the swords of justice but he assumes she knows that much.

[attr="class","bottom"]PENELOPE LIVY[break]

"Yeah. Yeah."
A hollow wind whistled out over their heads. With it came a few scattered leaves and leftover branches.
[break][break]
"Same to you. And the others, of course. I'm still working on things," she began, gesturing out toward their surroundings with a dried and curt chuckle, "but, I'll help where I can. Always."
[break][break]
With one final puff of air, she pushed herself off the ground. One hand dusting off her ass, the other steadying her slight wobble, there weren't any major issues hindering her movement now.
[break][break]
"Okay, I'm good to go. Let's finish this shit."
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH[break]


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

[attr="class","icon"]

"just know you don't have to work through them alone."[break][break]

she has at her disposal some of the league's finest. it's up to her now to utilize them instead of being busy all the time. not that he faults her for it anymore. dying sounds rough.[break][break]

he stands, and with it, the makeshift chair sinks back into the ground.[break][break]

"alright. keep up, livy. we're speedrunning this last part."

[attr="class","bottom"]PENELOPE LIVY[break]