her fingers twine in the bat's fur. a sleek, though slightly too-large saddle is fitted to her back. freya's legs are pinned to her sides by the complicated stirrups; a silver bow glimmers in her hands. 

"again." from the water emerge two dragalge, tails fanning mockingly. nevy knifes her arms through the air, turning them upside down; the water threatens to swallow her whole. but freya holds her breath. there's a twang as the arrow flies, hitting the knotted leather wrapped around her dragalge's tail with a thud.

and then once more before the world lurches. nevy goes right-side up, talons skimming the water.

freya nocks another two arrows and goes to call, then jerks her chin up. 

the bat reacts swiftly, darting over the seafoam and into a volley of rocks where she lands heavily. claws grip the slippery algae-covered surface and freya watches the salamence fly above them. 

THEO BECKETT

☉

[attr="class","icon"]

ah. there she is.[break][break]

the salamence does not stay above them for long. it veers off to the left, careening in a heavy u-turn before making its descent. it crashes into the rocks, claws slipping for a few moments before finally finding a solid grip on the algae-covered surface.[break][break]

"freya."[break][break]

his voice calls out over the crashing waves.[break][break]

"we finally meet again."

[attr="class","bottom"]freya morningstar[break]
water/flying/dragon[break]

the salamence comes down and nevy releases a series of nervous clicks, ears quivering. she's an acrobat at heart. not a fighter. but freya kneads her shoulder and hushes her, tightening her grip on her bow. 

she kneels, back ramrod straight, and draws the string taut, eyes narrowed at the man's heart. 

"who are you?" 

THEO BECKETT

☉

[attr="class","icon"]

"a stranger, mainly, but depending on our conversation today, a possible ally."[break][break]

he does not miss the way her arrow points to his heart. one wrong misstep is all it will take to sink the underboss. this far out at sea, his body would certainly be lost, buried under the cruel depths of the ocean.[break][break]

ironic, really.[break][break]

"do you have a moment to talk?"

[attr="class","bottom"]freya morningstar[break]
water/flying/dragon[break]

her hands are steady. her gaze is calm, face expressionless. she carries the look of someone who has done this before. someone who has bled out a life and watched it crumble before her. 

the moment hangs poignant between them. not once does the bowstring waver. her muscles strain. 

"then talk."

THEO BECKETT

☉

[attr="class","icon"]

"you might not have seen me then but we met at the tree of life."[break][break]

fought, really, even if she's unaware of it as he had been far in the back acting as support.[break][break]

the murky green scales of his salamence reflect the sun that shines above them.[break][break]

"my name is theo beckett. i come on behalf of team rocket to extend you our gratitude as well as an offer."

[attr="class","bottom"]freya morningstar[break]
water/flying/dragon[break]

something flashes in her eyes. nevy quivers, tense. freya's aim imperceptibly adjusts to account for the noivern's movements. a smile finally cracks as old wounds tinge with long-healed reminders. 

"were you the one who shot me?" she says, showing teeth.

"and why the gratitude? i've done nothing for your organization."

THEO BECKETT

☉

[attr="class","icon"]

"no, that was someone else."[break][break]

he had made sure to read the incident report to refresh his memory, filling in the blanks that faded with time. he hadn't shot anyone on that day. he was simply by the tree, lending a hand from afar.[break][break]

well, his naganadel was doing something else entirely, but still.[break][break]

"groudon, and by extension its patron were menaces in littleroot, as i'm sure we can both agree."[break][break]

he explains, voice still level.[break][break]

"whether you had meant to or not, your actions in littleroot weakened him which in turn helped our forces with their efforts."

[attr="class","bottom"]freya morningstar[break]
water/flying/dragon[break]

helped their forces - hadn't rocket's goal been to sabotage the primal points? freya's fairly certain, amidst all the bullshit, that they hadn't managed to do that. sullivan did his part with protecting the point. and rayquaza took care of the rest of it all. 

she doesn't really care who shot her. it was a battlefield, after all, and there were enough shots fired she couldn't have hoped to keep track of them all.

"your efforts? i thought you failed to destroy the primal point. what, do you just want to see one of the league's lapdogs incapacitated?" her eyes narrow. curiously, she adds, "are you aware i wasn't alone in my attack?"

THEO BECKETT

☉

[attr="class","icon"]

"KING WAYLAND. yes, i am aware of him."[break][break]

what has become of the kanto veteran, he cannot say. or at least isn't willing to. so he reverts back to an earlier point.[break][break]

"a weakened patron is a distraction. with groudon left having to defend him, it made it easier for us to escape."[break][break]

he adds:[break][break]

"some of our personnel are alive thanks to you."

[attr="class","bottom"]freya morningstar[break]
water/flying/dragon[break]

all of this should only make her more alert, but by the end of it she has lowered her weapon. her muscles uncoil as she tugs the arrow away from the string. she rolls her shoulders, but keeps a firm grip on both pieces; it wouldn't take her more than a few breaths to end him where he stands. 

sometimes, with these things, a few breaths can make all the difference.

"thanks," she says dryly. "now i'll be able to sleep at night knowing that." less sarcastically, she asks, "and the offer?"

THEO BECKETT

☉

[attr="class","icon"]

"safety and stability."[break[]break]

he answers simply, weaving the offer into the space between them.[break][break]

"it's safe to say the league do not trust you. at least not after attacking one of their elite four. it will not be long now until they turn on you more than they already have."[break][break]

a pause.[break][break]

"do you really want to fight that battle on your own?"

[attr="class","bottom"]freya morningstar[break]
water/flying/dragon[break]

"i doubt they trusted me after i turned my back on fernando." it's not as though they'd made a public show of freya's fealty to fernando, but she had shadowed him enough to be in the public's eye. surely there are reports somewhere of her relationship to him. 

unless he didn't because of the mists...

fingers tap-tap against the silver of the bow and she sighs. "and here i thought you were offering me my home. but if i said i didn't? is this an invitation to join your organization? because i've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but that won't be one of them."

THEO BECKETT

☉