Let You Down [S][C]

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

our purpose was to play a role

honey we're screwed

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

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Ashley Shepard

Let You Down [S][C]

POSTED ON Mar 16, 2023 23:02:18 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ashley1"]

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

Heavy rain. It's matting his silver hair, left to take in every droplet of rain imaginable. Slateport when its raining like this, it's cold. One, due to that oversized chicken that wreaked havoc in Hoenn this winter. Two... because it was a cold day.[break][break]

A ghost from the past, quietly staring forward. He could take shelter under that bus stop. But he chose the bench that's colder today. Edgy as it was, he wanted to feel the cold rain today. Sure, he may have gotten sick after the fact, but he was going to be sicker today. He plays it over and over again in his head.[break][break]

Information about his father. Apparently, after he knocked up Ash's mom, he came into an even better job. Found out that he had a kid, and instead of helping the mother to his spawn... he decided to do something even more deplorable than just turn her away.[break][break]

... well. Here he is now.[break][break]

Ashley's lip is bleeding from his own teeth. Silver eyes never looked so fierce. Maybe thanks to how they were tempered by Zev. Maybe they were always there by Theo. A battle for the human soul today. As he gets himself up from the stop, his gaze is hot, set forward to the streets. Up towards a fine apartment building. An establishment, where Mr. Adam Byron was staying today while on a business trip for his company. Taking him to Slateport City.[break][break]

Exactly what Ashley wanted. Today was as good a day as any. He told Kepler he had errands to run today... which, he did. This was important. He didn't want... Kep to see him at his worst.[break][break]

His conscience was trying to get in the way. All he had to do to silence him, was remind him of the kid beaten by foster parents who never wanted him, left by a father who didn't want him, by a mother with no choice but to try and give him a better life. A kid who cried himself to sleep in an orphanage caressing a torn up Teddiursa doll for any amount of warmth when there wasn't enough blankets to go around. It's a memory he doesn't like to think about. It's one that doesn't need to resurface, but one that steels his resolve all the same.[break][break]

The memory fades away.[break][break]

Eyes to his phone, he would wait, the hood of a black hoodie over his drenched silver hair, destination set at the building ahead. He's no longer holding a chill, relaxed vibe. The person was the opposite. He doesn't consider himself vengeance or judgment. He's not even a punisher. This isn't self-righteous.[break][break]

Today's a cold one.[break][break]

Ashley would ensure that the bastard would feel the heat. He just needed a few people to get here first. So he waits. Stewing in the cold rain.[break]

Isaac Merlo, Zev Harcourt, THEO BECKETT, Cillian Quinn[break][break]

NOTES

- OUTFIT, Muse[break]
- Today is the day. Ashley has invited three people with him for today. No post order.[break]
- He's outside, in the pouring rain, hood up, preparing for what is to be done.[break]
- This is gonna be good.

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THEO BECKETT

Let You Down [S][C]

POSTED ON Mar 17, 2023 9:34:27 GMT

Ashley Shepard likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","beckbase"]

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theo is punctual as ever.[break][break]

"ashley."[break][break]

the pouring rain makes it so he doesn't have to lower his voice here. there are no hushed secrets, at least none through words but perhaps one through action that is soon to come.[break][break]

he sits on the bench beside the man.[break][break]

his umbrella is wide enough to cover both of them from the rain, perhaps ruining the mood ashley is going for.[break][break]

with his free hand, he fishes into his coat for a pack of cigarettes.[break][break]

"smoke?"[break][break]

Ashley Shepard Isaac Merlo Zev Harcourt Cillian Quinn

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gunsmile

The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

general of war

god general

nenet nzingha

starstruck ✨

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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Zev Harcourt

Let You Down [S][C]

POSTED ON Mar 17, 2023 11:42:41 GMT

Ashley Shepard likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","zev2"]

[attr="class","text"]

Zev arrived shortly after Theo, dressed for a funeral. He made no sound to announce his presence, nor did he join the other men on the bench. Instead, he remained standing a few paces away, the rain sliding off his black umbrella in endless streams.[break][break]

Cold blue eyes, turned black from the shadow cast over his face, surveyed the street. Ahead of the men loomed an apartment complex that would, on any other night, be perfectly ordinary. Like all apartments in the Upper District, it had a security guard in the front lobby, security cameras on every floor, and keypad locks on all the residents' doors.[break][break]

Zev glanced sidelong at Ashley. Whatever the boy's plan, it had to be solid. Their group, as the Beast understood it, was too many men for a stealthy operation.[break][break]

On the contrary, it was a show of deadly force.

[attr="class","ooc"]

[attr="class","tag"]Ashley Shepard THEO BECKETT Cillian Quinn Isaac Merlo

[attr="class","pkmn"]

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MADE BY GUNSMILE

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the Harbinger

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october 28th

circhester, galar

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the harbinger

devour me

if you really think that you can stomach me

6'3" height

I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.

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Cillian Quinn

Let You Down [S][C]

POSTED ON Mar 17, 2023 18:37:08 GMT

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Gavin steps from the shadows, wisps of miasma trailing his silhouette as he opens a dark umbrella to shield from the rain. The sound of the raindrops is soothing, but the underboss looks far from relaxed. There's a solemn intensity in his amber eyes as they cut across the others.[break][break]

Quite the gathering.[break][break]

Gavin stands next to Zev Harcourt, following THEO BECKETT's example by lighting up a cigarette. Gray smoke and black miasma mingle in the path of a slow exhale.[break][break]

Gavin offers the others a nod, but otherwise remains silent. He knows what Ashley Shepard is here to do. He doesn't plan to stop him.[break][break]

If anything, his stern countenance suggests encouragement.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Ashley Shepard THEO BECKETT Zev Harcourt Isaac Merlo

[attr="class","pkmn"][break]

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The Liberator

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April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

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I've got a, I've got a

Pocket fulla sunshine

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Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

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Isaac Merlo

Let You Down [S][C]

POSTED ON Mar 19, 2023 2:00:13 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]"Oh, fuck you, ya shitty old cloud man."[break][break]

Rain wasn't on the forecast for today, yet that was exactly what Isaac faced as he barreled through the glass doors of one of Slateport City's cozier cafes. It pounded the ground in heavy, merciless sheets, leaving clouds of mist drifting up from the pavement and wobbling trails stretching down the windows.[break][break]

It couldn't have picked a worse time to rear its ugly head, either. After all, it was of the utmost importance that Isaac show up today.[break][break]

Ash didn't tell him the reasons why. All he told him was A) that he had serious business to settle and B) that there was nobody he wanted in his corner more than Isaac. There was stress practically carved into his features. His voice was strained to the point where it sounded like it'd snap at any minute. His eyes were both pained and pleading, crushed under the weight of silence.[break][break]

It didn't matter why he had to come out. Isaac would be there. In fact, not only would he be there early, he'd be there early with a fresh-brewed coffee and a snack to boost his mood. Only the best for his bro![break][break]

Unseasonal rain had other plans. What was supposed to be a quick in-and-out order turned into an ordeal. The rain had driven countless other passers-by into the cafe, and while they were there they figured they might as well eat. That left Isaac waiting on an unexpectedly long line, looking for all the world like some drenched possum in his soaking wet clothes.[break][break]

Ugh. He was five minutes late now. But it was fine! It was okay! Ash would understand. An extra-creamy latte spiced with cinnammon and nutmeg, then hit with a dash of vanilla and a drizzle of caramel . . . Isaac had broken out all of the stops on this order, and the little Bongo latte art traced along the surface was the piece de resistance. Pair it with a mini apple tart and, boom. It was sure to elevate Ash's mood.[break][break]

He wouldn't even have to run through the rain, or risk being any later than he already was. Echo popped out from his backpack, waving to the barista as Isaac paid. One minute, they were there. The next minute, they had Teleported right out of the cafe.[break][break]

"Fuck, sorry. This rain's an asshole. Buuuut I made sure to pick you up your-" Isaac turned around, coffee in hand, only to blink rapidly in surprise as he saw who Ash was sitting with. Two of Rocket's underbosses and one of its deadliest assassins, a who's who of the region's cruelest, least merciful men. The mood between the four was dour and gloomy, and the timely crash of thunder only highlighted it further.[break][break]

"I, uh." Isaac furiously gnawed his cheek to keep a bashful flush from spreading across his face. "I probably missed something, huh."

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Ashley Shepard + THEO BECKETT + Zev Harcourt + Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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played by

Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

our purpose was to play a role

honey we're screwed

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

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Ashley Shepard

Let You Down [S][C]

POSTED ON Mar 21, 2023 7:32:50 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ashley1"]

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

There's a reason every one of them is here, unbeknownst to Ashley. To some degree, each was an important part of his upbringing. When Theo Beckett sits down, a mentor representative of his past. By forgiving Theo, he forgives that part. He's past it. To the point where, when offered a cigarette, he gives a soft smile to Theo- something he'd never do back in Kanto, and especially not now. Though he feels the taste of nicotine upon his lips, the distant memory hard to turn away.[break][break]

"Nah. I'm trying to quit." Still. It's nice to be offered, nicer still with the umbrella that holds back the rain.[break][break]

Next, Zev Harcourt. Though silent in his arrival, Ashley could still tell see he was there, and his visage was symbolic of Ashley's future. To confront what he can become, and how that may change with what he is about to do. He asked Zev to prepare him for this, to teach him how to kill, how to not let it get to him anymore. While he's shaky on the subject, today was fueled by his own personal fire.[break][break]

With a silent nod, his smile for Theo disappears. He doesn't need to do much but a curt nod to acknowledge Zev's arrival. To know where the road to hell leads is comforting, in a way.[break][break]

Gavin Merlino arrives next to Zev, and with a cigarette lit, he was the present. The pendulum between both, and where he stands right now. The conversation at the bar comes to mind. Where one draws the line. How far can one person go? When was too far actually too far? He'd been thinking about that conversation a lot lately. Now, more than ever.[break][break]

Silver eyes are almost pleading towards Gavin, but the answer was always going to be the same in Ashley's head. He just shoots a smirk. All that left was-[break][break]

His soul.[break][break]

Isaac teleports in with a coffee in hand, and Ashley can't help but cheer up, only a little. His hand outstretches to grab his coffee, and he chuckles. "Thanks for coming, Isaac. Really." It's different though. Had Ashley made up his mind? It's hard to say. Isaac, to the three demons of Rocket that sit around them, was the last bit of light inside of him. The part that allowed him to smile still. For him, he held the torch, representing every ally, every friendly face, and even his love for Kep, within his hands.[break][break]

Ashley begins sipping that coffee.[break][break]

"Gentlemen. Thank you for coming today." His tone is serious, silver gaze up to the building. Up to that fine apartment building, up to what is likely the penthouse at the top. Cliche as it is, it's the final destination. "At the top of this apartment complex is a penthouse suite, where seven men are currently visiting on a business trip from Unova. One of them is my birth father. Adam Byron. None of them have a tie to Rocket, and if they did, its miniscule enough that Walsh would look the other way. So-" He wields daggers within his eyes, gazing with cold steel upon that building.[break][break]

"No survivors today."[break][break]

Pushing himself to his feet, Ashley begins to cross the street, back into the rain, death following in his wake. Reinforced concrete and steel drip the rain downwards towards the sidewalk. A card-reader would have stopped their group, a security measure he had seen coming. But, with a swipe of a keycard he has on his person, the card-reader makes a beep, and the door unlocks. When the door opens, an empty lobby greets everyone with a peanut-brown luxury vinyl that mimics a wooden floor. Soundproof too. The beige walls greet them warmly too, with a chandelier sitting within the spacious lobby.[break][break]

At the end of the room, the elevator. And it had one goal. Top floor.[break][break]

When Ashley hits the button, he turns towards the men. "Paid off the doorman to take some time off yesterday and give me his keycard. Just for today. Should be home with his wife and kids today" Like a father should be. His resentment only grows at the mere mention of a functionable family. His bitterness skyrocketing. His left hand balls into a fist, shaking.[break]

Isaac Merlo , Zev Harcourt , THEO BECKETT , Cillian Quinn [break][break]

NOTES

- OUTFIT, Muse[break]
- Ashley sees them arrive one by one, and takes his coffee. Man. He likes it sweet.[break]
- He explains what they're doing here, at this apartment complex. And the goal; his father, Adam Byron.[break]
- Ash makes his way to the apartment, and bypasses security via a keycard.[break]
- Turns out, he paid off a doorman to stay home today. Probably good anyways. Shit weather.[break]
- Angry Ashley, fury starting to build like legos.

[attr="class","ashley1pkmn"]

[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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played by

noodles

beck

he/him

thirty-eight

march 11th

cinnabar

bisexual

human resources

underboss

829 height

HIDING FROM THE SUN, WAITING FOR THE NIGHT TO COME.

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THEO BECKETT

Let You Down [S][C]

POSTED ON Mar 23, 2023 14:22:47 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","beckbase"]

[attr="class","beck1"]

[attr="class","circleoutline1"]

[attr="class","beckimg"]

[attr="class","beck2"]

personal vendettas have never been a part of his agenda. they always prove too complicated, emotions run high, situations spiral out of control, and one thing leads to another before it ends a bloody mess.[break][break]

that said, he understands the gravity of the situation and its importance. if doing this will bring peace to Ashley Shepard, then so be it.[break][break]

peace. as though any of them are deserving of it.[break][break]

they wait for the elevator.[break][break]

"rein it in, ashley. control your anger."[break][break]

he says, offering advice.[break][break]

"use it wisely."[break][break]

Ashley Shepard Isaac Merlo Zev Harcourt Cillian Quinn

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[attr="class","beckpoke"]

[attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

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played by

gunsmile

The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

general of war

god general

nenet nzingha

starstruck ✨

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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Zev Harcourt

Let You Down [S][C]

POSTED ON Mar 23, 2023 16:49:06 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","zev2"]

[attr="class","text"]

Seven men, doomed to die.[break][break]

Zev made no comment about the situation or the plan. It was a job like any other, though he wasn't getting paid for it this time. He was there to observe Ashley, to see the lessons of his mentorship had taken root. To see if his efforts had borne fruit or if they'd been a waste of his time.[break][break]

As they waited for the elevator, Zev turned toward the rest of the lobby, his senses on high alert. None of them were suspicious alone, but as a group, they were sure to raise some eyebrows. But in the dead of night, no one entered. No one saw them.[break][break]

THEO BECKETT was right. Anger left unchecked was a weakness, a vulnerability your enemy could use against you. They could not afford weakness that night, not in a fight of seven against five.[break][break]

Zev gazed sidelong at Isaac Merlo. Of their group, he was the weakest link — not in terms of strength but murderous intent.[break][break]

"Isaac," the Beast said in a cold, quiet voice that brooked no argument. "You will handle crowd control. When we reach the top floor, your priority will be to block all escape routes and exits."

[attr="class","ooc"]

[attr="class","tag"]Ashley Shepard THEO BECKETT Cillian Quinn Isaac Merlo

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[attr="class","credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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thorn

the Harbinger

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

underboss

the harbinger

devour me

if you really think that you can stomach me

6'3" height

I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.

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Cillian Quinn

Let You Down [S][C]

POSTED ON Mar 23, 2023 21:13:07 GMT

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Seven men.[break][break]

Not one.[break][break]

No survivors.[break][break]

Gavin would ordinarily protest the involvement of those who held no connection to Ashley's need for vengeance. They were likely innocent men who didn't deserve the devils at their doorstep. But to get to the father, they'd need to get through the others.[break][break]

Drawing a deep breath, Gavin shutters his nagging morality and offers a nod, instead.[break][break]

No survivors.[break][break]

As they wait for the elevator, Gavin's fingers ghost over his pokeball belt. THEO BECKETT might recognize the ball belonging to the Lucario lost to Necrozma's Blackout. Would certainly recognize the scarred jackal that joins them in the elevator, solemn. There would be no hesitation from Faolan when orders were given; like Gavin, he'd been forged in the fires of Kanto.[break][break]

"We'll leave the father to you." He nods to Ashley Shepard. then looks to Zev Harcourt and Theo. "Two each."[break][break]

Shouldn't be a problem for three trained killers.[break][break]

No survivors.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Ashley Shepard THEO BECKETT Zev Harcourt Isaac Merlo

[attr="class","pkmn"][break]

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Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

I've got a, I've got a

Pocket fulla sunshine

Short King height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

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Isaac Merlo

Let You Down [S][C]

POSTED ON Mar 25, 2023 21:11:07 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]Ash, Isaac's friend, gave Isaac both a hello and a goodbye.[break][break]

Then Ash, the man ready to get down to business, took his place. With the same confidence he described his heisting plans, he described his plans for this evening. It was two sides of the same coin. Get in. Do what needed to be done. Get out, through any means necessary.[break][break]

The big difference? The only cargo they'd be dealing in today would be lives.[break][break]

Isaac hadn't known a lot about Ash's father, but that was to be expected. Ash never knew a lot about him, either. All he knew was that he wasn't there, and that his absence had been the original sin that had driven his life to ruination. Now he knew a lot more; enough, in his estimation, to pull the trigger and condemn his life.[break][break]

Isaac knew what such hatred was like. His own biological father had been absent, an affair partner he knew not a single detail about. The man who raised him was dismissive at worst, outright cruel at best. Were it not for his neglect and disdain, the potential that Isaac had only started tapping into this year would have had the chance to run wild. He wouldn't have spent years withering away as a vagrant. He wouldn't have estranged himself from what little shreds of his family were worth keeping. He wouldn't have signed his soul to Rocket.[break][break]

He tried to put himself in Ash's shoes, a man he knew better than anyone who had crawled from the same primordial ooze. Yet when he looked deep inside himself, and asked if that meant El Sunderland's father deserved to die . . .[break][break]

His brain erupted into static before he could even consider the thought.[break][break]

Zev was aware. Zev was always aware. Two lives for him to end. Two lives for Theo. Two lives for Gavin. One for Ashley, the prize pig of the lot rise for the slaughter. And for Isaac? Doors. While everyone else was slaughtering their way through the penthouse, he was tasked with playing Hotel Mario.[break][break]

It was a microcosm of his time in Rocket as a whole, wasn't it? He carried out innocent enough tasks and committed cool, charismatic crimes, clinging onto a veneer of "at least I haven't taken a life" to justify his contributions to Rocket. By now, he knew how flawed that argument was. Everyone in Rocket was culpable. Their presence alone was more power for the war machine that threatened to engulf Hoenn.[break][break]

Perhaps he lacked the strength to break away. Perhaps he lacked the strength to embrace it. Until he found either, he was loyal to those he loved and good with his hands, and that meant he was here to lock the door.[break][break]

He wanted to ask Ash to think this through. He wanted to reach him. Even now, a pleading look shined in his good eye, only intensifying as Gavin opened his mouth to say something. Gavin had clout. Gavin could challenge this decision. Gavin could say things that would get Isaac's other eye taken out if he dared voice. Maybe, just maybe, he'd offer a hand and pull Ash up from the ledge.[break][break]

Or maybe he'd just take a deep breath, both his and Isaac's secret protests snuffed out in a single blow.[break][break]

In the elevator, Isaac donned his mask. Tonight, what normally fit like a glove felt suffocating atop his face. "I can do that," he said to Zev, accepting the consolation prize for what scraps remained of his soul as Ash's was carted to the underworld on a charred throne.[break][break]

Slowly, agonizingly, the elevator crept closer to its destination. "And you're sure you want to do this," he said to Ash, a question nestled delicately into his statement. He hoped against hope that Ash would say no, or find a way to trade the other six's silence for their lives, or would have bad intel and walk into an empty apartment. But by now, he knew hope and 20 PD were be enough to get you a Pokeball.[break][break]

Floor by floor, minute by minute, the inevitable was approaching. Isaac was unsure if the solitude Zev granted him was a blessing or a curse.

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Ashley Shepard + THEO BECKETT + Zev Harcourt + Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

our purpose was to play a role

honey we're screwed

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

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Ashley Shepard

Let You Down [S][C]

POSTED ON Mar 31, 2023 2:17:31 GMT

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Advice. A year ago, he'd spit in Theo's face. Now, Ash takes a deep breath. Will it bring peace to him? He has no idea. He doesn't know if this will help him at all, but Theo is right. Baseless anger does not let him get his vengeance, it muddies everything. Him included.[break][break]

His exhale grounds him. The elevator opens. Zev and Gavin make the gameplan. Isaac would man the exits, Zev, Gavin, and Theo would take two, and leave him the spare. That easy.[break][break]

The doors close, and the elevator moves. Every ticking floor number begets a considerable amount of sweat trickling down his neck. Isaac was all too sure to know exactly how. The Ash that would commit the deed was not the same one that met Isaac on the beach almost a year ago. Things have changed a lot. Some for the better.[break][break]

This was not one of them.[break][break]

Each floor going higher, each foot further, he can feel his heart closing more. Walls beginning to come up. Defensively guarding him. Barricade away the bad decision. That way, he can stay innocent, right? It's... Byron's fault that he has to, right?[break][break]

It's hot as hell in here. His eyes coldly and blankly stare forward. Isaac's words sit as an omnipresent storm of the mind. Was certainty even allowed here? Troubling how even now, as they went up, his stomach still turns over. Zev taught him well, but perhaps that was what made him weak? Maybe it was... maybe the only thing he has here, as the numbers tic past the twenty mark, was an echochamber of people to tell him he was right to do this. So then, why bring Isaac? These three, well, most of them wouldn't have any issue with the slaughter. So why then?[break][break]

How did it get so fucked up?[break][break]

The elevator doors open on 40. Ashley takes a step out first. He briefly checks the small room, the unmanned desk nearby where a guard would be sitting, unguarded. The black leather couch with a small lovely nature scene on a screen nearby, hoping to play an instrumental cover of What a Wonderful World. There's a lovely plant that is nicely watered to the immediate right. To the left, however... Ashley's eyes are dead cold, and he is the first to approach the double doors, to open them.[break][break]

Seven men. Turn to face the doorway. Each an older man, likely in their 40s. They were drinking wine, enjoying themselves. One of them pipes up. "What the fu-"[break][break]

Go time.[break][break]

Isaac Merlo, Zev Harcourt, THEO BECKETT, Cillian Quinn[break][break]

NOTES

- OUTFIT, Muse, Bigger Map[break]
- Ashley does calm down, immensely. Theo has reached him.[break]
- The elevator rides up. Isaac is effectively playing the angel on his shoulder. It is troubling him.[break]
- Moment they get to the top, the angel is gone from him. He enters the little room before the penthouse.[break]
- What a Wonderful World is playing on a small nature documentary on the right-hand side, speakers throughout the penthouse.[break]
- Ashley opens the double doors on the left-hand side. Take a look at all the expendable tokens. Go buck wild!

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[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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noodles

beck

he/him

thirty-eight

march 11th

cinnabar

bisexual

human resources

underboss

829 height

HIDING FROM THE SUN, WAITING FOR THE NIGHT TO COME.

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THEO BECKETT

Let You Down [S][C]

POSTED ON Mar 31, 2023 9:41:27 GMT

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[attr="class","beck2"]

the door opens, and so begins their quest for vengeance.[break][break]

in a way, it's cathartic, but that's something theo would likely never feel.[break][break]

like a switch, he slips into the shadows of his past, and from his own shadow comes his banette, breaking free to wrap a PSYCHIC around the man furthest away to slam him into the wall.[break][break]

theo steps to the side, anticipating resistance, but his banette is quick to throw a SHADOW BALL at the man sitting to the left of the couch.[break][break]

Ashley Shepard Isaac Merlo Zev Harcourt Cillian Quinn

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played by

gunsmile

The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

general of war

god general

nenet nzingha

starstruck ✨

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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Zev Harcourt

Let You Down [S][C]

POSTED ON Mar 31, 2023 13:56:48 GMT

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As soon as the door opened, Zev threw a Pokéball. From its confines emerged his Hatterene, who honed in on the two men seated on the couch farthest from their entrance. Cackling wildly, she whipped her tentacle around to attack both with a BRUTAL SWING.[break][break]

Zev stepped aside in the opposite direction from Theo, reaching for the gun concealed at his waist. The firearm was loaded, but with the power the men had brought in the form of their Pokémon, he doubted he'd need to use it. Still, some self-defense was better than no defense.[break][break]

Zev watched the targets with laser focus as they fell from the sofa, stumbling on each other to retreat from Hatterene's attacks. Lights flashed as they each released their own Pokémon to fight back: a Scolipede and a Gabite. They immediately launched themselves at Hatterene using POISON TAIL and TAKE DOWN.

[attr="class","ooc"]

[attr="class","tag"]Ashley Shepard THEO BECKETT Cillian Quinn Isaac Merlo

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Hatterene ♀ | Healer | Aromatherapy, Brutal Swing, Dazzling Gleam, Heal Pulse, Magic Powder, Psycho Cut, Springtide Storm

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MADE BY GUNSMILE

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thorn

the Harbinger

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

underboss

the harbinger

devour me

if you really think that you can stomach me

6'3" height

I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.

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Cillian Quinn

Let You Down [S][C]

POSTED ON Mar 31, 2023 14:17:12 GMT

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Gavin steps from the elevator with a click of his tongue.[break][break]

Those from Kanto would recognize his wordless command to mean attack.[break][break]

The Lucario at his side launches toward the central couch with EXTREME SPEED, flipping it over to send its occupants sprawling to the floor. Faolan follows up quickly with an AURA SPHERE toward one of their skulls; potential for a swift execution.[break][break]

The other is targeted with a shot from Gavin's gun, intercepted by the tough hide of a Haxorus that explodes from its pokeball.[break][break]

Unfazed, Gavin reaches for another pokeball instead.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Ashley Shepard THEO BECKETT Zev Harcourt Isaac Merlo

[attr="class","pkmn"][break]

close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

I've got a, I've got a

Pocket fulla sunshine

Short King height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

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Isaac Merlo

Let You Down [S][C]

POSTED ON Apr 1, 2023 23:48:38 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]Before the elevator doors opened, Isaac cracked two Pokeballs down. By all accounts, it would look like only four trainers had come up the elevator today.[break][break]

Isaac still stood beside the others, yet simultaneously couldn't be standing further away. While they stormed out of their elevator in the world that was, Isaac waited behind in the world between worlds. The Phantom Plane greeted him as he stepped through the threshold.[break][break]

The violence that ensued was little more than a grey haze. Everyone's movements seemed sluggish, as if they were pushing through heavy water to reach their victims. The sounds of battle were distant and muffled, underlined by what could have been either howling winds or damned souls.[break][break]

The only thing to pierce through the veil was blood. Compared to its muted surroundings, it had never looked so deep and vivid.[break][break]

As if he was guiding a lost child, his Dhelmise, Sanford, wrapped its anchor chain around Isaac's hand. It guided Isaac through the fog, even as the billowing clouds gripped any bare skin like cold, clammy fingers.[break][break]

The elevator was secured. Isaac's other Pokemon, Coulomb the Pinchurchin, was feeding off of its power to keep it from moving. If anyone did try to pry the doors open, they would find only a long, long drop awaiting them. The actual elevator was hanging somewhere between the 4th and 5th floors.[break][break]

That meant it was time to move on to the emergency exit. Ironic, that.[break][break]

Sanford's jaunt through the Phantom Plane ended on the other side of this door. For a while, Isaac just stood limply before it, as if trying to stare holes straight through its unyielding surface. He could still hear the din of violence, muffled as it may be. It left his stomach tightening, his knees weak, and his hands trembling, his body conducting the rebellion his mind was too weak to lead.[break][break]

Isaac reached for Sanford's algal mass, pulling out a piece of metal-banded driftwood. He slid it through the door handle and wedged it into a crack in the floor, forcing anyone who wanted to pass to be able to break through the reinforced wood. Sanford's Growth backed this up, creeping vines further holding the makeshift lock together. Finally, Isaac released another Pokemon for backup; Kage the Accelgor, who began corroding away at the door's hinges with Acid Spray. Even if someone managed to break through, the damaged hinges would be hell to open.[break][break]

Clearly his plan had worked. The handle jiggled, first with the confidence of a man who knew it would open, then with the desperation of one that swiftly learned how wrong he was. "What the fuck?" the man shouted, loud enough to be heard even through the thick door. He shook the handle again and again, his voice a chorus of increasingly desperate shouts.[break][break]

It always started with denial.[break][break]

"Fuck. Must've locked it. C'mon . . ."[break][break]

When the man hit the wall again, and his key clattered to the ground, it gave way to anger.[break][break]

"Who the fuck did this!? This isn't funny! Open the door! Now!"[break][break]

He spent all of the fight left in him pounding against an inanimate object. Bargains floated along his ragged breaths.[break][break]

"I'll pay you more than these guys ever could, alright? Money. Power. Fame. Pokemon. Anything. Just get me out of here! Or I'll . . . I'll . . . I . . ."[break][break]

He slumped against the door. From a wound? Or from despair finally taking its hold?[break][break]

"I can't . . . I've got a wife and kids, damnit . . . I can't . . . I just . . . I don't wanna die here, man . . ."[break][break]

Isaac's heart wanted to rupture from his chest. His stomach wanted to empty all over the floor. His brain was like a frenzied beehive, an endless swarm of thoughts and emotions blotting his senses into mere static. Lurching forward like a zombie, Isaac reached to undo the lock on the door.[break][break]

A Power Whip seized him tightly by the stomach. With his fingers barely grazing the door handle, Isaac was painfully wrenched back by his own Pokemon. All fight leaving him, he simply hung limply in Sanford's grip, still reaching towards a life he'd never know and a door he'd never reach.[break][break]

Kage, wide-eyed, drew a quintet of Water Shuriken from its bindings. It surged towards the Dhelmise, brandishing them threateningly at the ghost's main algal colony.[break][break]

In response, Sanford merely hovered ominously. The dimensions twisted around them, and soon the trio were back in the Phantom Plane.

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Ashley Shepard + THEO BECKETT + Zev Harcourt + Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!