MARCH UPDATE

POSTED ON Feb 19, 2023 18:01:33 GMT

CIAN MAHER likes this

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subdued, greyson waits patiently in-front of the desk to PENELOPE LIVY 's office. it was something of an impromptu meeting, one guided by the heavy-hand of... anger? frustration? or maybe something more that he himself couldn't quite name.
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either way, he was here for answers.
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the revelation of CIAN MAHER had thrown greyson for one hell of a loop. he considered penny to be one of his closest friends, and even the now-rocket-turncoat, to be someone he could rely on as well.
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though, now that his thoughts stray to these two, he wonders if he really knew either of them at all.
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his head lifts as the receptionist instructs him inwards. with tight lips, he enters the councilwoman's office.
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Penny, the coveted

She/her

September 25

Petalburg

heterosexual

HBIC Director

Council

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TAG WITH @penelope

POSTED ON Feb 19, 2023 18:18:47 GMT

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Greyson Connors.
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It felt like ages since she'd last heard that name. Before, if given a survey, she would've marked him down as one of her closest friends without a single hesitation. Loyal to a fault, there was no one else she'd look to lean on when times got rough. But, as of late, with the meteor and other meetings pushing to the forepart of her mind, their frequent conversations had become lost in the static of time.
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She wondered if this meeting would only further add to that divide.
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With a finger pressed down on the phone key, she informed the receptionist to let the ex-gym leader through. From there, only a brief second of reprieve would be left waiting for her, as without fail, he came knocking at her door. She'd be found waiting close to its entrance, back straightened and lips forced into an upright smile.
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"Glad to see you're not dead."

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Grey / Connors

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Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

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TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON Feb 21, 2023 0:46:10 GMT

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he'd expected her to be sitting behind the desk. after all, isn't that how all politicians greeted their visitors? so finding her so close to the entrance was a dash unnerving.
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her smile was genuine, at least as far as he could tell. but the lingering doubt that nestled in the back of his mind...
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greyson gives only a small chuckle.
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"yeah, thanks."
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his attention shifts from her, to a nearby chair, then back to her, words failing him.

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Captain

Penny, the coveted

She/her

September 25

Petalburg

heterosexual

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Council

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POSTED ON Feb 21, 2023 5:38:24 GMT

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Of course, she would greet Greyson at the door! They were good friends, not estranged coworkers.
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It was why when he chuckled she noticed the small ripple of distance that pushed them apart. She knew it'd been a while since their last conversation, but was time really that brutal?
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"So," She began, tentative footsteps leading them back toward the set of couches near the front of the room. There, they'd be able to sit without the divide of an old desk. "Is there a reason for your visit or...?"

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Grey / Connors

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Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

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TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON Feb 23, 2023 4:44:51 GMT

CIAN MAHER likes this

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as if led by reigns, greyson falls in step after penny as they move towards the couch. he takes a seat, his posture noticeably stiff. knowing greyson as long as she'd have, PENELOPE LIVY could easily spot the way his jaw sets in contemplation.
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a moment of silence stretches between them, until greyson finally swallows his anxiety and asks the question.
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"did you know the entire time?"

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Penny, the coveted

She/her

September 25

Petalburg

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POSTED ON Feb 26, 2023 2:51:36 GMT

Greyson Connors and CIAN MAHER like this

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Nerves tickled the side of her arms, pricking her with anxiety. From the way his body stiffened to the set of his jaw, there was something off, and there was no avoiding it.
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When he finally spoke, she was forced to swallow down the sudden urge to turn away.
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"What do you mean?"

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Snubis

Grey / Connors

He / Him

Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

Oldale Town

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TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON Feb 26, 2023 6:19:38 GMT

CIAN MAHER likes this

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was she feigning ignorance, as politicians so often did? or, perhaps she had the idea that greyson would find no fault in this long-kept secret.
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maybe it was neither, and greyson was simply looking for a reason to be upset.
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the conscious thought forces him to evaluate his own posture, and surprisingly, he finds that his lips are slightly parted in an angry grimace.
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gathering himself, he turns to finally look at penelope in the eyes. the normally vibrant violet hue replaced by something more dark and steely.
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"CIAN MAHER. did you know he was a member of team-rocket this entire time?"

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Captain

Penny, the coveted

She/her

September 25

Petalburg

heterosexual

HBIC Director

Council

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POSTED ON Feb 26, 2023 6:30:22 GMT

CIAN MAHER and GABRIEL BLACK like this

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Darkness clouded the familiar vibrance of purple that stared back at her. It drew upon the placid mask of a politician, which had become a nasty habit of hers over the turning months.
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"Of course not."
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Voice leveled, steady, she answered without a shred of hesitation.
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"I was just as surprised as anyone else. Horrified, really."
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Memories of his betrayal still gripped at her heart, brutal fingers curling without the mercy of forgiveness. But that was between them -- Greyson held no place in the conversation.

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Grey / Connors

He / Him

Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

Oldale Town

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TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON Mar 7, 2023 4:33:59 GMT

DANNY HALL likes this

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silence permeates and stretches. her voice is steady and in clear contrast with her words. did she rehearse this answer ahead of time?
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a trickle of mistrust slips through, and mentally he chastises himself for having his doubts about penelope.
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but, after DANNY HALL, anything was possible.
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"how long have you known, penny?"

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Captain

Penny, the coveted

She/her

September 25

Petalburg

heterosexual

HBIC Director

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POSTED ON Mar 7, 2023 5:24:33 GMT

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Embarrassment forced the gnash of teeth against skin. Gnawing on the inside of her cheeks, the woman furled her fingers inward, a trickle of emotions peaking through.
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"HBS reported on it no more than a week after I found out," she admitted, finally, her voice crawling to soft peek into the shame that still clung to her heart.
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The time they met with Xernas' avatar, the investigations they took together - everything she'd committed to had been done with a rocket sleeping no more than a foot away from her bed.
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How could she be so blind? So naive?

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played by

Snubis

Grey / Connors

He / Him

Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

Oldale Town

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TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON Mar 7, 2023 6:07:28 GMT

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"i see."
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his emotions felt muted, suppressed even. beneath the layer of apathy was a simmering anger. he'd let his guard down and had been fooled. sure, he wasn't CIAN MAHER's greatest friend. but, greyson hadn't done his due dilligence.
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...
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"are you alright?"

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Captain

Penny, the coveted

She/her

September 25

Petalburg

heterosexual

HBIC Director

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TAG WITH @penelope

POSTED ON Mar 7, 2023 6:15:49 GMT

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Was she alright?
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That was a question she hadn't heard in a while. Not with the distance between herself and CIAN MAHER, or the rush of events filtering through their expeditions to the borders.
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Her shoulders sagged, and in a flash of hesitancy, she looked up at Greyson, eyes still coated in the wax seal of placid composure.
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With one last breath, she asked, "Can I be honest with you?"
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played by

Snubis

Grey / Connors

He / Him

Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

Oldale Town

Heterosexual

Bee Enthusiast

Elite Four

1061 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON Mar 7, 2023 6:50:55 GMT

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the mask slips, and beneath it, a hint at the penelope he knew. [break][break]but, where she hesitates, so too does he. was this...
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no. penelope wouldn't play him, would she?
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"of course,"
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played by

Captain

Penny, the coveted

She/her

September 25

Petalburg

heterosexual

HBIC Director

Council

5'6" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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part of

TAG WITH @penelope

POSTED ON Mar 7, 2023 7:04:23 GMT

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Greyson Connors wasn't just the league's best ex-gym leader, or one of the better trainers walking around Hoenn, or even another peer to compare herself to.[break][break]

More than anything else, Greyson Connors was one of the only friends Penelope still desperately held onto. And it's with her cold, shuddering fingers she clutched onto this bond they'd let whither, feeling just confident enough to place her weight upon it, knowing full well of the consequences that might arise from such a pour of truth.
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But it didn't matter.
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Because, if she didn't tell someone, anyone, it would all come tumbling out anyways.
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The seal had broken and behind her wide amber eyes, pain festered.
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"I want to fucking die."
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There is a hollowness to the chuckle that followed this straight-forward statement.
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"Funnily enough, I did, then kyle lopez resurrected me, so maybe I should say: I wish I would've stayed dead."
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There was no telling how much Greyson kept up with. Whether her filed recordings of their expeditions to the Borders had reached his ears, or the death that occurred, or the ruination that she saw, or anything else that'd been plaguing her shoulders for the past several months.
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But, worse than any of those reports was the loneliness that bore. The all-consuming shadow of thought that she was truly and utterly alone in this world.
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"Sorry, that was a lot. I just mean more like...no, I'm not ok. Not really."

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played by

Snubis

Grey / Connors

He / Him

Twenty-Six

October Thirty-one

Oldale Town

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @greyson

POSTED ON Mar 10, 2023 4:34:29 GMT

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greyson's breathing slows, becoming more shallow, more controlled, in the face of her declaration. there was a lot to unpack there. more than greyson had time for today, perhaps, more than he'd ever have.
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admittedly, he'd been wrapped up with his own shit. perhaps if he hadn't been, he would've noticed this before it got out of hand. or, then again, maybe he wouldn't have. who could know.
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letting out a long, shuddering breathe, he absorbs the information. leaning further into the chair to the point of sinking slightly, greyson's brow furrows and he chews the inside of his lip. finally, he speaks.
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"arceus."
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probably anti-climatic, but it's all he had.
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greyson lets the silence stretch for a few more seconds for both their sakes before he lets out a quick, dry, mirthless chuckle.
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"sounds like you've had a hell of time lately."
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