[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]she never thought she'd see the day where tapu lele had returned to the science wing of headquarters.

it's bittersweet, she realizes with a barely there smile, but not painful anymore.

"thank you for volunteering, doug."

she announces her arrival with a simple hum of gratitude.

and while her eyes try to stay focused on doug, on the task at hand, she can't help the way her gaze wanders toward the island deity in the room.

there, they rest. familiarity comes naturally for the head scientist. after all, they used to share a bond not easily forgotten.

"it's been a while, tapu lele."

John Sullivan Eva Morales

Only a few moments after Illeana enters the lab, Eva follows. She hides the exhaustion behind a well-groomed professional mask and sweet, soft smile. The permanent cup of coffee is hot and filled in one hand. A Swirlix waddles in alongside her, bringing with it a soothing AROMATHERAPY to calm any nerves that may be tickling their subject’s anxiety.

“Doug! So good to see you! It’s been too long,” too long indeed since they last spent any time together. Her emerald gaze then drifted to her science sister. It held reverence as well as a hint of concern. They had yet to debrief each other on the occurrences of their adventures through the Ultra Deep Sea. It would come with time. Right now, they had work to do, “Illeana,” she smiles, offering her colleague the second cup of coffee she had in her other hand, “Only if you want it,” Unfortunately, Doug couldn’t have anything prior to the tests, “Tapu Lele,” she greets next with a kind nod.

“Today we will perform a series of both physical and mental tests to better understand the relationship between Deity and Avatar. Do you have any questions before we begin, Doug?” she would let Illeana take the reins from here if she chose to. After all, she knew Tapu Lele better than Eva ever could.

---

John Sullivan & illeana reyes

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]for a flickering moment, her lips quirk up into a slight smile. the island deity's wave is acknowledged with a wistful sort of sensation. they're nothing more than passing ships now, but they sure had been something in their bond's prime, hadn't they?

the smile redirects quickly, awkwardly, and gratefully toward Eva Morales as she sweeps into the room. already, it feels a little warmer with her presence: a sunbeam on an otherwise dreary day.

"eva," she brightens further with the cup of coffee settling comfortably against her fingers. "thank you."

John Sullivan's questions are normal worries, natural even, and she meets them head on.

"we can keep patient confidentiality should you wish for the report to not go higher than those in this room."

she does, however, narrow her eyes slightly. there is a way of analysis to them, as if looking for something she can't quite place.

"the commissioner would more than likely request the report, however, for the aqua initiative's files. would that be alright?"

telling dahlia goode no is a terrifying concept, but it could be done should he request it of them.

her eyes shift toward Eva Morales for a moment before returning to doug.

"dealer's choice. we could start slow with blood samples if you'd like?"

John Sullivan Eva Morales

Eva’s brightness dulled a bit as they somewhat awkward interactions began to unfold. She was surprised by Doug’s lack of enthusiasm. From what she remembered, he was normally a quite cheerful companion. It gave him a quirky charm she enjoyed being around. Now wanting to be called John? A rather apathetic greeting? Something seemed . . . off. Or maybe he was just nervous.

The Professor elected to table her concerns for now. There was no reason to dwell on something so uncertain. After handing the coffee off to illeana reyes, she set her tablet down on the nearby table, bringing it to life with a press of a button. The screen flared a bright white as she scrolled through some things to bring up the appropriate items for today.

“We value your trust, John,” she added on, agreeing with everything else Illeana already expressed in terms of the report from today’s meeting, “And, naturally, we’ll go at your pace. Some of these tests may be uncomfortable. There is no rush - if you need a break don’t hesitate to voice your concern.”

---

John Sullivan & illeana reyes

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]a soft hum escapes and a note scribbled into his chart about the report's overseers follows before they fully begin.

"right, let's get started."

blood first requires the gathering of supplies. it takes a moment for her to collect them and pull a pair of sterile gloves onto freshly washed hands. once she does, she steps forward into his personal space with practiced ease.

"left arm, please."

a hand waits for him to extend the limb toward her. once he does, she ties the tourniquet around his bicep and swabs the crook of his arm with an alcohol pad.

"make a fist..."

it's soft, an idle command.

when he does, she locates the vein and inserts the needle to begin drawing blood into a small vial. a moment later and the needle is removed, the insertion site covered with a small gauze pad and bandaged up.

"good on the blood sample."

John Sullivan Eva Morales

When dealing with the unknown, it’s important to proceed with caution, more importantly so when that unknown involves another life. Setting a pace and boundaries would do them well, but that road was a two way street. Doug would need to be just as communicative in his concerns, desires, and limitations. His lack of response, therefore, troubles her.

Eva sits back while Illeana moves forward with collecting the samples. She busies herself preparing the test codes for the variables they would be screening for: Primal energy and infinity energy levels, basic blood work to assess his overall health, unknown variables, etc. The nitty gritty of it was for the machines.

Wide emerald eyes glance up from the device when she’s done, “Unnecessary, I’m sure,” she waves a hand at the bandage in Illeana’s hand, “John, will you please use your healing abilities to heal the wound on your arm?” she moves forward to record the phenomenon, “And allow us to collect some for analysis?”

---

John Sullivan & illeana reyes

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]she flushes pink with hot embarrassment, eyes widening.

it is unnecessary, Eva Morales's correct in such an assessment. there is not one but two healers in the room. how could she forget?

"right."

she's about to step back, about to give space for John Sullivan to use his abilities in peace... when he makes a movement she does not expect.

"wait --"

her hand juts out before she can stop herself, snatching his hand out of the way of the knife.

and like clockwork, her eyes narrow as if he's a puzzle she can't quite figure out.

"is it easier for you to heal yourself or another person?"

after a moment, she releases his hand and offers hers, palm up.

"if it's the latter, cut mine instead."

John Sullivan Eva Morales

Arceus help her, these two will be the death of her someday. Eva quickly forces herself into the heat of the situation after Illeana. She stands quickly, her chair scraping against the tile floor and her lab coat fluttering behind her like a cape. She swoops in beside them, holding both hands out to gently touch theirs and guide them away from each other.

Her emerald eyes bounce back and forth between them, a blend of authority and pleading, “How about no one gets stabbed,” she pauses for a breath, hoping they listen, “There are a lot of pokemon - and people - in need of healing,” another breath to see if they get what she’s saying, “Like, Pokecenters and hospitals full of them.”

---

John Sullivan & illeana reyes