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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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TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON May 20, 2023 23:46:36 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"]At this point, it was somewhat of a tradition. When Rocket kicked off some big, all-hands-on-deck operation, Isaac and Ash shared a little bit of pre-operation chill time. It was the least they could do to ensure that, in the face of what was expected of them, they could keep a piece of themselves intact.[break][break]

Not that the last few of those operations had gone too great. Dealing with the other side of the Border, where they came closer to the lingering specter of death than ever before. Seeing a procession of Rocket's uppermost echelon break Ash into becoming just like them. The clash in the Ultra Deep Sea, where Rocket defied all odds and pulled a brutal, decisive win. Now either they would doom the world or the League would make them pay with the mother of all counterpunches. Did a sub full of terrorists stand a chance against an entire region?[break][break]

Isaac wasn't sure which outcome would be worse.[break][break]

Still, he couldn't worry about that. He couldn't let the miasma hanging over his head continue to plunge him into despair. Not even after his meeting with Elisabeth Fiorelli filled his head with too many questions and not enough answers, thoughts he refused to air and grudges he refused to nurture gnawing at the back of his brain stem.[break][break]

Maybe, just maybe, if he could enjoy a day out with his bro, none of that would matter.

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Ashley Shepard

[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

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

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1,109 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON May 21, 2023 0:47:44 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ashley1"]

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

So much has gone down recently. How long had it been since he even saw the guy? He didn't know what to say. The last time, he made a promise for no more bloodshed. He did.[break][break]

And he kept to that recently.[break][break]

Carrying with him, a little gator boy, a Fuecoco he named Chili, he would reach the beach of the little island of Mossdeep. Isolated, but not Sootopolis level. A beach, like the first place they met. He spotted Isaac without much trouble, letting the Fuecoco hop off, and begin to chase the ebb and flow of the waves, running before he got wet.[break][break]

He chooses his words carefully.[break][break]

"Isaac."[break][break]

He was quiet to start with, dressed in a hoodie, shorts, and some sandals. Little else.[break][break]

"Life treatin' ya okay?"

Isaac Merlo[break][break]

NOTES

- Arriving with Chili the Fuecoco, Ash greets Isaac.[break]
- Asks him how life is treating him on this isolated location. From everything.

[attr="class","ashley1pkmn"]

[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

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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4,402 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON May 21, 2023 1:09:02 GMT

Chu-e Choi and Elisabeth Fiorelli like this

[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"]Chili wouldn't be the only one enjoying the waters. As soon as he made his presence known, Watson came out to join him. The two chased the waves while also chasing each other, the same sort of strange back and forth that you could only get from two crocodiles sharing approximately zero brain cells.[break][break]

It was so natural for them. Why couldn't it be for their humans anymore?[break][break]

The single name. It was always the single name that let you know how much things had changed. Was there any single more obvious way of showing someone that you had no idea what else to say to them? Internally, Isaac winced. Externally, he simply shot a smile tinged with sad nostalgia. "It's good to see ya too, Ash."[break][break]

How was life treating Isaac? How was life treating him? A tongue lashing from Cillian Quinn about his lack of commitment and wavering allegiances, only underlining the paradox of his surprisingly strong SPECTRA performance. The horror of seeing what Elisabeth Fiorelli had done to the Fiorelli Floristry, and the lingering dread that came with the knowledge that he'd need to have a long talk with ana fell. The words of Chu-e Choi, Rowan Wrynn, and Caleb Harcourt dancing through his head, backdropped by the loyalty he held towards those he loathed to leave behind.[break][break]

Isaac knew he didn't want to be here anymore. He knew he didn't want to just kiss the League's feet and act like they were Arceus' gift to the region. All he wanted was for the people he loved to be okay and the region he called home to be safe. In most parts of the world, that was the baseline that he could ask for. Here in Hoenn, it was apparently too much to ask.[break][break]

"It's about going okay as it can, man," he said, his smile weary and his eye wandering to the bright blue sea. "But, hey. That's what time with my best friend is for, yeah?"

"How's yours been treating you?"

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Ashley Shepard

[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

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

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part of

TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON May 21, 2023 8:05:36 GMT

Cillian Quinn likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ashley1"]

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

Why...[break][break]

Did it feel so cold?[break][break]

Chili enjoyed Watson's company, the zeroth brain cell allowing the gator squad to run in, run out, run in, run out, chase each other. It was a lighter scene than whatever the boys were talking about.[break][break]

Reminded him of before Meteno.[break][break]

But this one had a different air to it. An air of finality to it, like... this was the last time they would talk like this. It started to weigh on Ash heavily. In fact, it did so much that as he stared on, and frowned, he turns to the side, seeing Chili and Watson play, it helped him stay above water, as it were.[break][break]

Anything to keep from drowning.[break][break]

Okay as it can be? What does that mean? His expression doesn't sour, but concern is visible. So, he sets himself down on the beach, and looks out at the sea with him.[break][break]

"You know, we met out on Slateport Beach almost a year ago. Like this one. Hoenn is pretty wild, and I wanted to help Grimace be able to breathe." He took a second, and regaled the tale of their first meeting, feeling it necessary to think back on their hayday. "Ever since then, you've done so much for me. You've acted like my rock. You've grounded me. You let me meet a wonderful person that I get to love, and you've kept me from drowning in the tar pit of Rocket multiple times." He's brighter... maybe that was kepler brueshaber's doing, or a combination of any of the Rockets, like Naia Kayode, Cillian Quinn, or Eris Halla. Or those few League members he got to be near.[break][break]

"I can tell something is on your mind. You've helped me, so... shoot. Let me listen in. No judgment. Anything you say is just between us. Okay?" It's a small plea. A hope that Isaac won't just disappear.[break][break]

Isaac still called him a good person, after everything. Isaac was too. He deserved it.

Isaac Merlo[break][break]

NOTES

- MUSIC[break]
- Ash exposits what Isaac has done for him, and asks to do the same. To listen to Isaac.

[attr="class","ashley1pkmn"]

[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

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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4,402 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON May 21, 2023 16:48:06 GMT

Chu-e Choi likes this

[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"]Isaac couldn't help but laugh at the memory. Everything involving Grimace was, for lack of a better term, ridiculous. The apex predator had two bodies and no brain cells between them. At times, he barely seemed put together. Despite that, he was surprisingly powerful, surprisingly capable, and most importantly found a lot of joy in his strange, improbable existence.[break][break]

In some ways, it was all too familiar to Isaac.[break][break]

"Those were the days, huh?" Isaac said, a soft smile on his face. "Hard to believe it's already been a year, huh? Though with how much has happened, sometimes I'm shocked its only been a year." Truth be told, Isaac missed those days. He missed when Ashley was free to just be a sweetheart on the cusp of breaking through to a normal life. He missed when he was a vigilante awakened to the League's failings, trying his damndest to make the region better from outside the law.[break][break]

Maybe he did still do some good. Maybe he did make it all worth it. But, had he? Ash said he wasn't drowning in the tar pit of Rocket, but that didn't mean he wasn't stuck in it. Right now, he was barely keeping his face above the line, the ooze occasionally dribbling into his mouth and nose. Was Isaac helping him? Or was he just prolonging his suffering?[break][break]

Chu-e Choi's words echoed through Isaac's head. "Make it up to them by being better, or get worse and get over it." Was there any hope for Ash to be better? He was Rocket's heir apparent, hand-picked by three of their most dangerous men and crowned in blood. He was more embedded in the mess than Isaac could ever be. At the same time, the idea of someone who Isaac truly loved shedding their last vestiges of humanity and embracing monstrosity . . . no, no. He refused to accept it. Not Ash. Not like this.[break][break]

More words. Rowan Wrynn's. "You can be something else for them, a hand across the chasm to catch them when they fall, to pull them up onto the other side."[break][break]

"I won't give up on you, no matter how long you need."[break][break]

Between the memories haunting his mind, and the words Ash was telling him, Isaac couldn't handle it. He snatched Ash up in a tight hug, doing his best to fight back his tears. It was as if he was afraid that, the second he let go, the other man would vanish into thin air.

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Ashley Shepard

[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

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

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1,109 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON May 22, 2023 3:59:56 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ashley1"]

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

It hurt.[break][break]

It really did. Not knowing what really ripped into Isaac like this was really cutting into him. It felt like... being torn at the seams. It changed for the better in some regards, and worse in the others. Ripping into him.[break][break]

He speaks, and lets Isaac just... take a moment. He can tell there's enough on the blonde's mind to weigh him down like shackles; Ash would know, the shackles continue trying to pull him down. But he was here, all the same. He was-[break][break]

The hug disarms him, and his arms at his side, he feels himself slowly close around Isaac. It's no longer him trying to smile. Ash's eyes are tearing up, as he pats his back, and just... settles.[break][break]

What else can he do?[break][break]

Isaac was his closest friend. He just needed to be here for that.[break][break]

"Whatever it is, no matter what. I'll be here to listen." The request, the plea, agonizing words leave his lips, and all he can do is feel the free fall begin. His heart sinks.[break][break]

...[break][break]

Because for some reason.[break][break]

He felt like he had an inkling as to where this was going. After all... he was here years ago with jayden cross.

Isaac Merlo[break][break]

NOTES

- MUSIC[break]
- Ash leans into the hug, and just lets Isaac talk. He doesn't want to repeat the mistake.

[attr="class","ashley1pkmn"]

[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

Short King height

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

awards

4,402 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON May 22, 2023 4:34:29 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"]"I'm sorry."[break][break]

Ash had heard Isaac at his highest, most bombastic highs. Today, he heard him at his smallest, most pitiful low. Far from the usual bombast and defiance he brought to the table, today he sounded practically crushed under the burdens of the life that he lead. Despite Isaac's best attempts at keeping them at bay, his tears started to squeeze through the barrier, pooling against Ash's chest.[break][break]

"I feel like I always promised you so much, you know?" He promised he'd keep Ash safe, and yet disaster after disaster wreaked havoc on the man physically and mentally. He promised he'd stop him from sinking back into the abyss he'd once descended into, and yet for all of his words he could rarely bring himself to do more than stand by and let what happened happen. He promised they'd fight for a better world, and yet he was increasingly losing faith that such a thing was possible.[break][break]

At least, not through Rocket.[break][break]

His personal life had been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, achievements built on shaky, rotten foundations. Rocket was getting more dangerous, more hostile, the shadow they cast over the region growing by the day. He was feeling increasingly out of place with them, and that feeling couldn't go unnoticed forever.[break][break]

"And it feels like I just . . . keep letting you down." He couldn't be a good protector. He couldn't be a good example. He couldn't be a good teammate. He couldn't even be a good Rocket. At best, he could be plucked out of Ash's life and it wouldn't make a world of difference. At worst, his fumbling attempts at help just got in his best friend's way.[break][break]

"Sometimes, I don't know if I can ever live up to you."

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Ashley Shepard

[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

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

awards

1,109 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON May 22, 2023 5:42:46 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ashley1"]

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

"Why are you sorry...?"[break][break]

But every word that leaves Isaac's mouth, it's almost heartbreaking. He promised too much? He kept letting him down? He can't live up to Ashley? Why was he so down on himself? This wasn't like Isaac at all. What kind of demon got in his mind...?[break][break]

So he lets it out.[break][break]

"Why does that matter? You're here, aren't you?"[break][break]

He has a serious look on his face. He doesn't want it to be misconstrued or misinterpreted. He would speak his mind now. "You haven't let me down." He would say, through shaky, crumbly, and pained looks. His heart sank lower. It was him who let Isaac down. Constantly. He couldn't outrun Rocket. Not fully.[break][break]

But Isaac sure as hell gave him that running start.[break][break]

"What are you talking about... spit it out, man."[break][break]

Nearby, Chili stopped, seeing Isaac breaking down, the fire gator ruffling his tiny fingers together. Holding his hand out to Watson, he gestures for them to stop playing. It was... time they go support their trainers. The little Fuecoco knew that the Totodile would want to help.

Isaac Merlo[break][break]

NOTES

- MUSIC SHIFT[break]
- Ash tries to talk some sense into Isaac, and refutes his claims. He's failed him. He just wants Isaac to say it.[break]
- In a rare moment of humanity, Chili the Fuecoco wants Watson to come with him back to their Trainers. To help.

[attr="class","ashley1pkmn"]

[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

Short King height

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

awards

4,402 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON May 22, 2023 16:55:01 GMT

willow atkins likes this

[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"]"You're here, aren't you?"[break][break]

That was what made all of this so hard, wasn't it? Once, Isaac thought Rocket was his best option for success. Then, he found out everything they gave him had bloodied, rotten strings attached. Once, he thought Rocket could make up for the League's failings, whether through replacing them or pressuring them into improving. Then, the Kanto report made it clear how much worse things could get. Once, he thought Rocket would at least help him protect those he loved. Now, he saw how it twisted them into monsters.[break][break]

And yet, when Ashley said those four words, the idea of leaving became agony.[break][break]

"And what if I wasn't?" The words were small, hollow, every bit as lost and confused as Isaac was. It was highly likely that they'd be interrupted by the squawk of a passing Wingull, or drowned out by the pounding of waves on the shore. But he needed to say them, if only for a moment.[break][break]

Ash wouldn't leave until Isaac spoke. Neither was Watson, who was now plopped against his leg at Chili's request. The sheer level of expectancy was wreaking havoc on Isaac's resolve, and finally he started to speak.[break][break]

"You've noticed it too, haven't you?" Isaac asked. "Since that night in Sootopolis, six months ago. The day we met on the edge of the apocalypse and chose war. Things've been darker. Bloodier. Harsher. And it kinda feels like it's been getting worse each month."[break][break]

"Rocket's changed. Or maybe it's just changed back."

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Ashley Shepard

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

close tab

played by

Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

awards

1,109 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON May 23, 2023 2:49:30 GMT

willow atkins likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ashley1"]

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

With that. It was all but confirmed.[break][break]

The gators sat and watched, as the wave crashes upon the beach. Epiphany never comes, because it was known to begin with. The sheer terror of understanding what that meant, like it crashing down on them both. What it means. What it could do to everything. The horror of years of looking over his shoulder, of walking in the shadow to survive.[break][break]

It's crushing.[break][break]

Ashley doesn't say much at first. Because he knows the feeling all too well. He knows what it is. Because he had a similar moment with his best friend years ago. The roles, however, were reversed. Because now, he was the one too stained by Rocket to ever feel clean. Ashley sat there, agony washing through him. Another crash of waves, and Isaac explains everything he's been thinking for the past six months.[break][break]

He doesn't like what that means for him though. What that means for Isaac, to walk this path into hell. Because this meant that every Rocket would see him exactly as they saw him; a traitor. The fear, the anxiety, the trouble that comes with the rank and title.[break][break]

"Yeah."[break][break]

Can he say anything else but the acknowledgment to the falling grace of Rocket? To the slow push for blood. The cut that let it seep down. The coat that reapplied itself. And Ashley once again finds himself at that moment of isolation he did a long, long time ago. The choice that set in front of him. What that means for Isaac.[break][break]

So, pulling from the embrace, he lays down on the beach.[break][break]

He looks at the sky.[break][break]

He stares for a long, long while.[break][break]

"I can't stop you. Not going to either. You've made up your mind a long time ago." Was it any less true? Ashley felt like he always knew it would end this way. But even so, he feels himself smiling.[break][break]

"... I was going to ask you to be my best man, you know... now if I invite you, when that day comes, blood will be on our hands." His eyes begin to well up, but he doesn't let it out. He's done so much recently, he's been so twisted, so hurtful, hateful... he forgot what his goal had been the whole time.[break][break]

To fix Rocket.[break][break]

"I remember that talk, you know. How I told you I left because of the bloodshed. Nightmares for years, waking up in cold sweats... I think it would be good for you. You need to get away before it ruins who you are." He tries to hold it back, but the sadness on his face is easy to see. With all his might, he holds it back for his friend. To him, he will not let himself be the reason that Isaac stays. He wanted to save Isaac.[break][break]

...[break][break]

In a way... his conversation with Eris Halla finally rears its head, and though he does let it out, he smiles. Correcting the mistake of how he and Jayden went, he can feel happy.[break][break]

So why does it still hurt like hell?[break][break]

Finally get to save one person... huh?[break][break]

"You gonna be okay with that? They'll hunt you down. You'll be another target to them... you know that, won't you?" He remembers how jayden cross came at him. And his brief stint with THEO BECKETT, where he had a chance, a microcosm of a chance to continue his clean slate.[break][break]

"You gonna be okay with that?" he repeats. This isn't about anyone BUT him.

Isaac Merlo [break][break]

NOTES

- MUSIC SHIFT 2[break]
- He lets it wash over. Tells him something he said a long time ago. Says it'd be good for him.[break]
- Feels like he can save Isaac. He asks if he's okay with it. IF he's really okay with it.

[attr="class","ashley1pkmn"]

[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

Short King height

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

awards

4,402 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON May 23, 2023 3:31:06 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"]"I-I didn't say I was-!"[break][break]

Oh, who was Isaac kidding? He couldn't hide. Not from Ash. The man was a Kanto veteran. He knew how bad of a fit Isaac was for the organization when he first admitted he was a part of it. He knew how bad of a fit Isaac was for it every time they've crossed paths since then. They were best friends. They were confidants. Ash had heard his every hope and his every fear, his every triumph and his every doubt. Ash had probably known this was coming since the day Isaac's eye had been scooped out.[break][break]

He had probably known since the day Isaac blamed Rocket for it instead of him.[break][break]

He didn't continue his protest. Instead, he laid back, the tip of his head inches away from touching Ashley's. There they remained, equal and opposite. They were the north and south prongs on a compass. They were the mirror and the reflection. Yet no matter how they were separated, they were left staring up at the same sky.[break][break]

Each word was another stab to Isaac's heart. The promise of being the best man for a wedding that would now have to help him without him. The relief that Isaac would be spared the same ruination that had dragged Ash back into this mess. The fact that, in exchange, the bloodshed would be aimed at him instead of committed by him, a path every bit as long and arduous and filled with torment.[break][break]

The final truth behind it all. In the end, no matter what he'd believed before this point, it was his choice to be okay with.[break][break]

"It doesn't have to be a choice I make on my own." Fuck it. He'd already committed one high heresy by admitting it. Why not commit another by asking Rocket's heir apparent to come along for the ride? "I don't want all this to ruin you, either. Not after you've suffered so much because of it. Two times over."[break][break]

"You're . . . fuck, Ash. You might want me to be your best man, but to me? You're the best man. Even after everything you've been through, you're so kind, so thoughtful, so hardworking." All things that Rocket wanted either broken before them or twisted to their own ends. "You're everything I've always wanted to be, man. You're like my light."[break][break]

He sighed, feeling a piece of his soul drifting away with it. "Damnit, Ash. I don't want to lose you. Why do you think I'm even still here?" Since the day Ash rejoined, they'd faced everything together. The idea of that changing was terrifying. The idea of no longer knowing if he was okay was worse. "I . . . I know I can't stay. I know if I do, it's gonna kill me one way or another. And I know this path's gonna risk killing me too. But, maybe, just maybe . . ."[break][break]

"Maybe if we take it on together, we'll make it out okay. Like we always do."

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Ashley Shepard

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

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Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

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POSTED ON May 23, 2023 5:54:36 GMT

Cillian Quinn likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ashley1"]

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

It was never going to work. Ashley already knew that. And he knew that Isaac knew it too. But it was nice. It was... pleasant to know that he still cared enough to want to save him. But this wasn't a two-ticket kind of save.[break][break]

This train was a ticket for one. And there's a reason for that.[break][break]

"You're not losing me." But then he had to make sure Isaac understood why this had to be this way. "But you have to understand, you can get out. You have the chance. Rocket, they'll use whatever they can to get to you. If I tried again, Jayden would kill me this time. And they'd be able to do it quickly this time too. Because they could use Kepler as a hostage." It wasn't just jayden cross either. Cillian Quinn could do it too. Hell, the idea of letting Zev Harcourt get his hands on kepler brueshaber left Ashley so distraught that he knew he was enslaved to Rocket for life.[break][break]

But Isaac? He had a chance.[break][break]

Ashley could save him from the same pain. The same harrowing path, the same tightrope that led from heaven and hell, that pulled him one way, and pulled him the other. The saving grace being that he would fall one way one day.[break][break]

"I appreciate that... but..." He gives Isaac a big smile with tears running down his face as he says it bluntly.[break][break]

"I'll be okay. I promise. I can't depend on you forever... and you've saved me so many times." His smile fumbles, and his silver eyes prick more tears.[break][break]

"Let me save you. Just this once."

Isaac Merlo[break][break]

NOTES

- MUSIC SHIFT 2[break]
- Reality check. Ashley can't go again. He wouldn't be able to. They'd threaten him with Kep.[break]
- Ensures Isaac he'll be fine... and asks for him to let him save Isaac just this once.

[attr="class","ashley1pkmn"]

[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

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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POSTED ON May 23, 2023 20:08:42 GMT

Elisabeth Fiorelli and Naia Kayode like this

[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"]Something about the way Ash acted like he was the only one with this problem left Isaac's brow furrowing. Did Ash seriously think he didn't care? Did he seriously think, after he'd lingered for half a year out of loyalty and misguided attempts at helping, it would be that easy? Did he even realize how much this was killing him?[break][break]

"Don't you think that would hurt me too?" Isaac's voice was small. It was cold with the sober realization that Rocket could, and would, exploit this to get back to him. It was hot with the anger at how this real threat was being dismissed, as if he could just waltz out with nothing holding him back. "I'd feel awful if they hurt kepler brueshaber to get at me. Or parker jones. Naia Kayode. priam conrad. Alba Evovae. akira. Gerald Kaiser. Aurelie Lefevre. Ruby Garcia. Asher Baran. ana fell. You. Fuck, man. What if they got their hands on Eris Halla . . .?"[break][break]

That wasn't even everyone. But he knew Amor Rose, jayden cross, and especially Naomi Sato were more important to Rocket than he could ever be. They'd be out of the line of fire. So were Elisabeth Fiorelli, Zev Harcourt, and Cillian Quinn, even if Isaac's relationship with them was complicated at best. If anything, they'd be the ones pulling the trigger. That didn't stop them from flashing into his mind at the idea of Rockets being hurt for his insubordination..[break][break]

The fear and sorry melted away from his face. Pure resolve took their place. "If they're willing to do that to their own, that's just more proof that this is what I need to do," he said, voice cold and hard. "I've already gaslit myself into thinking it'd all be okay if we just hung in there together. Fooled a lot of others along with me. Not anymore."[break][break]

Nevertheless, Ash wanted to save him. Isaac wondered if he even could. If the order came from on high to have him put down like the dog he was, would Ash stand up to it? Or would he be forced to fall in line? Rocket didn't care much for traitors, and with how many parts of the organization Isaac left fingertips on, his absence would not be taken lightly.[break][break]

No, Isaac knew he was beyond saving. But he couldn't say no to that teary-eyed smile. "Do you really think there's any saving me?" he asked, at least wanting to hear what Ash had to say.

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Ashley Shepard

[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

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

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POSTED ON May 23, 2023 20:49:01 GMT

Hideo Kino likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ashley1"]

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

Quite the opposite, actually. Ashley was projecting a little, because he was rationalizing it. He was trying to think of it as the best exit strategy for Isaac. He could do it. And it would kill him, it would hurt and hurt and hurt some more, but Isaac could feasibly leave.[break][break]

To some degree, Ashley wished he could. But he can't. Not right now. He knows he can't.[break][break]

But he raises a point. One that leaves Ashley smiling still, tears still staining at his cheeks. If they did that, they would be even weaker, even more pathetic. If Rocket does that, he would leave again. And this time, vow to paint the wall's with Walsh's blood for every death on his hands. Maybe that was revenge. Maybe it should be. But he holds himself back from that. He doesn't reveal it that way.[break][break]

"Yeah. I know, man. You've already made up your mind... you already know the risks. You have to. You know them and you want this anyways. Wanted to be sure." He had no doubt he might get approached with executing Isaac. Hell, they might even taunt Adminship to him if he did it, and Ash would rather spit in Walsh's face a thousand times than to ever dare fall in line. He could kiss his ass, for all Ash cared.[break][break]

It doesn't hurt any less to hear if Isaac was able to be saved.[break][break]

"You don't think so? Why?" In all honesty, he can argue endlessly with Isaac, he could fight him tooth and nail, push and push and push... but he doesn't want to be seen as anything less to him. So he just continues looking up with a smile.[break][break]

"Isaac."[break][break]

Crumble away.[break][break]

His smile is gone, and choking on small sobs, he pushes it all down to be able to speak. He tells him.[break][break]

"You are one of the last parts of Rocket worth saving."[break][break]

He pulls Isaac into a hug. A long, long hug as the waves crash again. Only a few Rockets fit that category. Isaac was one of them.[break][break]

Dark clouds in the distance now, threatening the world with the promise of rain. He doesn't know how long he can hug him.[break][break]

If he lets go. That's it.

Isaac Merlo [break][break]

NOTES

- MUSIC SHIFT 2[break]
- Had to be sure... as the storm is coming, he tells Isaac his thoughts.[break]
- Isaac is worth saving. He hugs Isaac for a long, long time. Scared letting go means the moment is over.

[attr="class","ashley1pkmn"]

[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

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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4,402 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo