QUESTIONS AND WONTONS

MISSION

HE LEFT MORE THAN JUST HIS PREVIOUS LIFE in galar’s twisted dreamscape. his punctuality, among other defining traits, dissipated in the aftermath of his regression. the disillusion between a man burdened with glorious purpose and someone who’s yet to come to terms with their calling walks a fine line behind his single eye.

who is he?

what defines him?

fernando has yet to find an answer to his question. it leaves him feeling more than just lost in an unfamiliar restaurant. it makes him feel out of place. stuck in some alien civilization with novel conveniences.

a dull jewel cuts through the sparse lighting, singling out a table housing a lone diner. his arrival is seven past the appointment. fashionably late to an audience of one.

“young,” he acknowledges with a swift seat.

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Callan Young

QUESTIONS AND WONTONS

MISSION

“GOOD EVENING,” pours from his lips, cushioned by the steam rising from his cup. when the liquid stills, fernando finds his eyes looking for the loose leaves that never made it past the strain.

“oh?”

he makes eye contact.

“what could possibly trouble me?”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Callan Young

QUESTIONS AND WONTONS

MISSION

“TENURE TEACHES PATIENCE.”

he holds his next words to force the man into agreeance. if not verbally then by example.

“and, in patience, you learn not to let things trouble you. correcting them is still paramount, yes, but they lose their tether to your will.”

impatience boils in the deep longing to sip from his cup. but patience reminds him that it is not ready. the correct path is to let it simmer. infused under the duress of idle conversation.

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Callan Young

QUESTIONS AND WONTONS

MISSION

“PERHAPS,” he mulls, fingers drumming in anticipation of tea. “but definitions are defined by those create something worthy of adopting.”

his stare crawls away from callan to sneak a bite at the menu. tracing his sight reveals that the picture grasp his attention more than the list and prices below. following the kantoian t’s is how a true silph judges a meal but, on occasion, he prefers to feast with his eye.

“quite famished,” he delivers with the same deadpan tone, “but i imagine you wanted to discuss more than just how eager i am for our meal.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Callan Young

QUESTIONS AND WONTONS

MISSION

“IS THAT NOW HOW LANGUAGE DERIVES IT’S POWER?”

his eye closes when he decides to let the point flounder. schematics, while entertaining, only whet his appetite more. the wait is unbearable.

“ah, well, i’m not sure how applicable my advice would be—while your music is certainly entertaining, there will always be other options. a world that doesn’t rely on pokeballs, though? i’m not sure if we’ll see that in my life time.”

a spoon full of broth simmers his thoughts.

“but a good leader must be realistic. able to provide value that is greater than their cost. we, like any part of the process, are a cog in a greater machine.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Callan Young

QUESTIONS AND WONTONS

MISSION

“IT IS,” he answers, “which is why your question is difficult.”

a swirl of his spoon feeds the steam that permeates his soup. he settles for a small sip, savoring a richness he’s gone without for almost a lifetime. an experience so sublime that it’s humbling.

“your desire to stand the test of time—binary objects are easy to gauge. pokeballs, air, water. they are resources we will always need with not many substitutes. but specific foods? music?”

he clicks his tongue.

“i would miss kantonese cuisine very much should it ever disappear. but i would survive. hoennian would replace them slowly but surely.”

his eye steels itself.

“people have no qualms coming to me with request or asking for advice. but rarely, young, do they ask me for something subjective. about opinions that are not predictions.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Callan Young

QUESTIONS AND WONTONS

MISSION

“DO I?”

fernando hums to the observation, settling into his soup. whatever will he has to object dies in his spoon. for how can he speak about how the rest of the world perceives him? and how callous would he have to be to tell them they’re wrong?

“you think so?”

he fashions a polite laugh as his chopsticks look to pick at pieces opposite his partner.

“to my chagrin, my hope was to never rebuild silph tower after we fled kanto. i find it much too gaudy—inefficient considering slateport’s real estate.”

a statement he punctuates with a modest bite. one he swallows almost immediately.

“however, hoenn has seen much turmoil. the silph tower now stands as an act of defiance in the face of slateport’s history of disaster and occupation. it represents my appreciation and dedication to a region that would provide me asylum.”

he smiles.

“which is why i’ve endured the burden of council while others abandon their post.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
Callan Young