just like elisabeth was not accustomed to house visits, lulu was not assustomed to house visitors. nonetheless, they would navigate through the experience one way or another.[break][break]

the doorbell was rung, and she rose to answer it, trailed by the clicking nails of houndoom that peered around her at their company.[break][break]

”elisabeth,” she smiled, and it was unlike her, but so were her surroundings. everything from the walls to the features, both about her and her home interior, were out of place. superficial, perhaps.[break][break]

”you brought a plant.”[break][break]

”come in.”[break][break]

she held the door open wider to allow the houseplant-towing underboss to step in and witness the underwhelming plainness down the hall and through the kitchen, back to the nearby table. a beautiful wooden table, at least.[break][break]

”it’s weird that we live here. that’s not lost on me. sorry for the location.” slipping into the kitchen, she called aloud then, ”anything to drink? i have a good wine.”[break][break]

in fact, she’d bought it for the evening, the selection aided by knowledge bestowed by an ex-girlfriend, the princess of galar. the wine was, of course, galarian.

[attr="class","ooc"]Elisabeth Fiorelli [break]

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

“aren’t you?” witch had been synonymous with scientist before, after all.[break][break]

”kidding.”[break][break]

the cork soon popped following elisabeth’s approval, spun off the screw and placed aside before she poured two blood red cups evenly, and went to hand one off to the toxicologist. another title lulu had only recently learned of.[break][break]

”it’s a good one. an old partner of mine had expensive taste. i like to think i learned a thing or two.”[break][break]

stem delicately between her fingers, she raised her glass.[break][break]

”to power.”

[attr="class","ooc"]Elisabeth Fiorelli [break]

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

the mere mention of powerlessness drove the smile mostly from her face. as if elisabeth had any knowledge of a moment when lulu flint had been powerless. as if she knew saoirse quinn.[break][break]
”indeed.” though there was less mutuality in her tone. there was, however, curiosity. what had affected elisabeth so much? powerless was such a vulnerable, weak word.[break][break]
she took a sip, and it was heavy-bodied and dry, with a sophisticated touch of sweetness.[break][break]
then, she went to the table. ”sit, if you like.” she pulled a chair and did herself regardless, setting her glass on the table. the plant wasn't mentioned any further. instead, she cut straight to the chase.[break][break]
”i’m very curious about you.”

[attr="class","ooc"]Elisabeth Fiorelli [break]

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

”you’ve already proven that much.”[break][break]

the red eyes of her houndoom sparkled around them, all staring straight at elisabeth. lulu’s gaze was the closest, analyzing.[break][break]

”how could anyone reach this position and not be interesting?”[break][break]

florist was a cover. or had she been correct in thinking elisabeth was, in fact, soft? the pieces of the puzzle were not all there.[break][break]

”i’m curious because i always thought we were very different.” she thought back to the floette, and the look of pity she thought she’d read that day on elisabeth’s face. ”but now i see we’re the same in some big way that i’m just not aware of.”[break][break]

a pause, as she briefly considered her next words.[break][break]

”have you ever killed anyone?”

[attr="class","ooc"]Elisabeth Fiorelli [break]

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

she listened, still as everything else in the room around them, until the last word dropped from elisa’s lips.[break][break]

”a poisoner. that makes sense. until recently, i was only aware of what you were doing with the crystablooms.” within the labs, she had been focused on other kinds of work.[break][break]

”but poisoners are notoriously covert, of course.” a pause. ”i hope you’ll forgive my curiosity.”[break][break]

she was judging elisabeth, certainly. would she defend the syndicate with the same ruthlessness that she had, writhing in her own blood and vomit at the hands—or under the foot, rather—of FERNANDO SILPH ? would they be a team, or would she be a liability, or a traitor like Remiel Calcifet ?[break][break]

elisabeth was well aware of how close she was to pieces of lulu’s heart, something that lulu still mostly believed elisabeth was not aware of.

[attr="class","ooc"]Elisabeth Fiorelli [break]

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

the puzzle pieces were slowly coming together.[break][break]

”quite far from useless, indeed.”[break][break]

it was ironic that it was the poisoner’s knowledge of such delicate life as flowers that had made her perhaps the most dangerous for a time.[break][break]

the question that was posed back at her, then, whether targeted or not, hit a sore spot. however, the way she shied away was mostly concealed behind the facade of control she so desperate maintained.[break][break]

”actually, i was a hacker for intel when i first joined rocket—but i had studied physics plenty.” it had given her something to do in prison.[break][break]

things had happened between prison and hoenn. things that she wouldn’t readily share.[break][break]

”the wormholes fascinated me. after some time of doing my own research, i was contracted by oscar clayton for work on the infinity generator. my transition to the labs, and promotion to head scientist followed shortly after.”[break][break]

the explanation was bare of any of the painful truths of her journey, except for one. a true bombshell.[break][break]

”i came to rocket because of my brother, Cillian Quinn .”

[attr="class","ooc"]Elisabeth Fiorelli [break]

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