MARCH UPDATE

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 Aug 26, 2023 1:12:59 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"]Isaac and Aurelie had always joked about testing each other's mettle in a swordfight someday. With the memories of Galar still fresh in his mind, there was no time better than the present.[break][break]

Okay. So there were several times better than the present. Aurelie was barely a Rocket much of the time, but that didn't change the fact that she knew where her bread was buttered. She was staunch about never making a proper weapon for anyone that wasn't a Rocket, for example. Isaac normally wasn't the most fussed about faction lines. However, Isaac normally wasn't planning to snatch an admin's favorite toy out of his hands, either.[break][break]

A part of him feared this might be the last day he could spend with a particularly dear companion.[break][break]

Sure, he'd said he wouldn't change a thing about his life, even if the opportunity was dangled right in front of his face. But sometimes, Isaac wished he could turn back the clock.[break][break]

He couldn't. If he let his nerve die on him, Caleb Harcourt would follow. Unacceptable. That meant he'd need to steel himself and keep firm, even if others important to him disapproved. That meant, for the first time in his life, he'd need to step up to the plate instead of running with his tail between his legs. That meant, above all, he'd need to make sure he was strong.[break][break]

A swordfight would be a more literal form of strength, but he needed little indulgences like this to keep himself sane.[break][break]

They'd meet at Aurelie's home, then find a proper battlefield from there. Something told Isaac they wouldn't be throwing each other around in the middle of her living room. But those specifics would come later. For now, it was time for Isaac to take a last, long look at a home away from home.[break][break]

He smothered his worries from behind the safety of her closed door and gave it a knock.

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Aurelie Lefevre

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

[newclass=.skullhover]width:420px;-webkit-filter: grayscale(100%);filter: grayscale(100%);-webkit-transition:all 1s ease;transition:all 1s ease;-webkit-transition-delay:0.1s;[/newclass]
[newclass=.skullhover:hover]-webkit-filter: grayscale(0%);filter: grayscale(0%)-webkit-transition:all 1s ease;transition:all 1s ease;[/newclass]
[newclass=.skullimg]width:380px;height:200px;background-image:url(https://i.imgur.com/HOVZp0J.png); background-repeat:no-repeat;[/newclass]
[newclass=.skulltitle]font-family:verdana;font-weight:700;font-size:50px;position:relative;text-align:center;color:#D9B800;margin-top:-36px;margin-bottom:0px;text-shadow: -1px 0 black, 0 1px black, 1px 0 black, 0 -1px black;[/newclass]
[newclass=.skulloverlap]letter-spacing:1px;font-family:oswald;font-weight:200;font-size:12px;position:relative;text-align:center;margin-top:-0;margin-bottom:-5px;color:#e8e8e8;text-shadow: -1px 0 black, 0 1px black, 1px 0 black, 0 -1px black;[/newclass]
[newclass=.skullbody]div-align:center;text-align:justify;width:380px;line-height:15px;letter-spacing:.5px;font-size:12px;font-family:roboto;color:#d6d6d6;[/newclass]
[newclass=.skullinfo]width:380px;font-family:oswald;font-size:12px;font-weight:200;color:#767676;text-align:right[/newclass]
[newclass=.skullcredits]width:380px;font-family:roboto;font-size:12px;text-align:center;[/newclass]

[googlefont=Oswald]
[googlefont=Roboto]

close tab

played by

dreamflower

she/her

December 12

Anistar City, Kalos

Bisexual

Blacksmith, bladesmith

Associate

5'7"/170 cm height

A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.

awards

1,249 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Aug 29, 2023 20:06:39 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]What the king dreams, the Hand builds.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]The dim, narrow stairwell that led up from the workshop to Aurelie's apartment above her shop also led to an exterior door on the side of the building, allowing a more direct path to her home than having to go through the shop in front and the forge below every time. This was the door at which Isaac knocked this morning in advance of their long-planned spar. Now that they were both studying different forms of swordsmanship, obviously the two of them had to test each other's strength and skills to find out who was the better fighter.

Or at least use it as another reason to meet up, hang out, have fun, and practice their swordplay all at once.

As she put the finishing touches on the toppings, Aurelie reflected that it would also be the first time she and Isaac had seen each other since...whatever it was that had happened before the Ancient Tomb. She still wasn't sure herself what they'd experienced. In that meadow that had become a snowfield, they'd lived an entire life in a world that may never have existed in the first place—except in their minds.

Now, Aurelie still had the memories of a memory. A memory of the woman she'd become in that other life—a strong, tough, capable, even inventive woman—but a woman who was decidedly not her. Like an unwelcome passenger in her mind, that other woman's memories and feelings still lurked inside her, dim and distant, yet never dispelled.

Does Isaac remember any of it? she wondered as she went downstairs with plate in hand to answer his knock. Did any of the others who were there? Some must have; I remember them crying or calling out to people they'd known. I don't remember if Isaac cried.

The red-haired smith took a moment before opening the door to compose herself. Today wasn't for sad, confused wonderings. Today was for a lighthearted afternoon of fun, friendship, and a little fighting with swords. Her hands grew steady on the edges of the plate, and she briskly opened the door with an unfeigned smile.

"Hey, Isaac!" she exclaimed. "Right on time, as usual. Come in, come in."

Shutting the door behind him, she simply stood there and regarded him for a moment, her single eye searching his face. It was strange that the sight of his face–his utterly normal, unchanged, youthful face—could take her aback. And yet, the first thought that crossed her mind when she saw him was, I'm not used to seeing him so...young.

Clearing her throat to try and smooth over the awkward moment, Aurelie proffered the plate of toasted baguette slices covered in a trio of different toppings: tomatoes and mozzarella, chicken salad, and summer berries on goat cheese. "I made snacks!"

Recalling the arrangements that she'd made earlier in the week, Aurelie added significantly, "And I reserved a nice roomy mirrored practice room for us at the Lilycove Contest Hall. I think the room is normally for practicing big dance routines, you know, with multiple Pokemon and trainers, but it should suit us pretty well, I think.

"So, sit and eat a little if you want, and let me grab my practice sword. And then we can head over there, if you want," she concluded. She handed the plate over to him and reached toward the door that led to her workshop.

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]

Isaac Merlo | Mission: Post-Goodbye Galar

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[newclass=.aurelie]width:420px;padding:40px;background:#862939;[/newclass]
[newclass=.aurelie img]height:100px;width:100px;padding:15px;border:1px solid #fff;border-radius:100px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.aurelie_lyrics]text-align:center;font-family:verdana;font-size:9px;text-transform:uppercase;color:#eee;letter-spacing:1px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.aurelie_body]width:420px;padding:40px;background:#222;font-size:14px;line-height:16px;text-align:justify;font-family:calibri;color:#aaa;letter-spacing:.5px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.aurelie_tag]text-align:center;font-size:12px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.aurelie_tag a]font-size:12px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.cred]text-align:center;font-size:8px;color:rgb(132, 132, 132);letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;[/newclass]
[newclass=.cred a]color:rgb(132, 132, 132);font-size:8px;letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;[/newclass]

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 Aug 30, 2023 15:04:58 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"]Isaac was all bright smiles as Aurelie came to greet him at the door. It was nice paying her a visit without feeling like he was interrupting her work. "Like I'd ever keep my favorite smith waiting," he said, slipping through the door.[break][break]

He didn't know what he expected, but a silent interrogation wasn't it. Her eye held a quiet intensity as she studied his face, as if he was someone she'd never expected to see again. A light blush dusted his face, a mixture of confusion and embarrassment. "I missed you too, Aurie," he admitted, not entirely sure why those were the words he chose.[break][break]

Perhaps, in another life, he'd grown accustomed to seeing her day after day.[break][break]

She was refreshed. Comfortable. The weight of the world hadn't pressed itself down into her increasingly broad shoulders. Stress didn't start sneaking streaks of grey into her vibrant red hair. There was no greater purpose shackling itself to her, no destiny she had to rise to meet. She was just Aurelie, humble owner of the Iron Lady Forge and dearest friend.[break][break]

So dear, in fact, that she pulled out all the stops for their little duel. A crostini board and a mirrored dueling hall. Isaac could tell she was as eager as he was. "Sheesh, someone's breaking out the royal treatment," he reased, giving the cheese and berries a try. Delicious. "I swear, you always outdp yourself."[break][break]

This, too, was something they had in common.[break][break]

As he sat down, he looked back towards Aurelie. Something about this little meeting felt so familiar. He wondered how many times it had played out in the memory of a dream, just like this. "Hey, Aurie?" he started, only to realize he didn't even know how to sum up the tempest of thoughts swirling around his head.[break][break]

"Thanks for the snack. They're delicious." A deflection couched in the truth. Isaac was starting to wonder if he ever truly lied. "Don't forget to have some too before we go, yeah?"

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Aurelie Lefevre

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

close tab

played by

dreamflower

she/her

December 12

Anistar City, Kalos

Bisexual

Blacksmith, bladesmith

Associate

5'7"/170 cm height

A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.

awards

1,249 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Aug 31, 2023 22:03:30 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]What the king dreams, the Hand builds.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Whenever she and Isaac met up together, Aurelie always had a sense that they had so much to say to each other, far more than she would've expected from a friendship that had only begun about a year ago. With Isaac, Aurelie had always felt safe. Comfortable. Maybe even familial.

There was an air of idealism and openness about Isaac that made her want to guide and protect him—which was absurd, given that he was more experienced and knowledgeable than she was in every way that mattered, from Pokemon battles to Rocket missions, extradimensional expeditions, and making connections.

But now, after the battle at the Ancient Tomb, the red-haired smith felt like there were even more layers added to their friendship, somehow. Like they weren't just pals, quasi-siblings, or even teacher and pupil, but longtime allies and comrades who'd worked and fought side by side for years. Like she'd reported to him, guided and advised him, and followed his lead in times of both war and peace.

So, when he teased her about "breaking out the royal treatment,", Aurelie unthinkingly replied with a chuckle, "Well, of course! Because you deserve it, your Majesty!"

And then she froze.

She'd called Zev Harcourt those same words, just as automatically. With Zev, though, it'd felt unfamiliar and confusing, but with Isaac, it felt like something she'd been calling him—and he'd been telling her not to call him—forever. Aurelie's hand faltered on the doorknob leading to her workshop.

"I mean...not that I see you as being entitled or bossy or anything," she stammered. "I don't know where that came from! But...well..."

With anyone else, Aurelie would've tried to laugh it off and scramble for a plausibly believable excuse to cover her awkward, strange little slip. A whole pattern of explanations and gestures arose in her mind, similar to how she'd tried to play it off in front of Zev. But the pattern froze on her tongue, caught by the single undeniable thought: This is Isaac. This is my friend.

Now, she took a long, unsteady breath and looked Isaac in the eye. "Well, maybe I do have an idea where that comment came from, actually. But it's going to sound crazy. I feel crazy just thinking it.

"But I remember back at the Ancient Tomb, you were there. I was there. There was the Zacian and the Zamazenta. And then...we were transported to ancient Galar! Or something like it." She shook her head bemusedly. "And we lived a whole life there in Galar. I don't remember it all clearly, but..."

Her lips twisted into a wry, crooked smile. "I remember I was, shockingly enough, a blacksmith. And you were a king." Aurelie's eye twinkled at this in amusement, and something in her relaxed enough that she reached for a chicken salad crostini on the plate, as though talking about the memories had released some hidden tension in her. "A very majestic one, too."

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]

Isaac Merlo | Mission: Post-Goodbye Galar

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

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 Sept 1, 2023 1:03:33 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"]Your Majesty.[break][break]

Isaac blinked a few times, stunned. The only person to call him that, John Sullivan, had been someone he barely knew before their little Galarian excursion. Aurelie was different. She was someone that he'd come to know, love, and trust with his life. From shared adventures, to hospital visits, to bonding together over a white hot forge, she had been so much more than just another vassal in a fantasy land.[break][break]

Before Isaac could even find the words, Aurelie was off like a rocket. First she nervously stammered about her choice of words. Then, taking a deep breath to make up for the lack of air she'd be getting, she proceeded to ramble of a full explanation of Dream Galar. She was right. To an outsider, it would've sounded crazy. Luckily, they weren't outsiders.[break][break]

As she wound down, Isaac couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, Aurie. Always selling yourself so short," he said. Even without 20 years of rule strengthening it, his voice had all the gentle warmth of his time as king. "Don't forget the part where you were a city planner, my advisor, the maid of honor at my wedding . . ."[break][break]

It was a bittersweet thought. He'd never know the normal family he had in Galar. He'd already made peace with that fact. He was about to face a trial that would flip his life upside down, and he'd be facing it alone.[break][break]

"You're so much more than just some blacksmith. There, and here." A small smirk spread across his face. " 'Sides, what kinda king's gonna rule over one town? If anything, I was more like an extra-spicy mayor. Oh, sorry. A majestic, extra-spicy mayor."[break][break]

Even as he tried to keep a light tone, nostalgia shone in his eye. He'd come to terms with Galar's loss, just as he'd come to term with Kiryu's. That didn't stop him from missing either of them.

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Aurelie Lefevre

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

close tab

played by

dreamflower

she/her

December 12

Anistar City, Kalos

Bisexual

Blacksmith, bladesmith

Associate

5'7"/170 cm height

A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.

awards

1,249 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Sept 3, 2023 5:44:13 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]What the king dreams, the Hand builds.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie's eye widened at Isaac's calm, even cheerful acceptance of her stammered, confused babbling about kingship, ancient Galar, and other lives, nearly dropping her piece of crostini in surprise. Not only did he understand perfectly well what she was referring to, but he also remembered the events of that other life, possibly even more vividly than she did. Even as he spoke, reassuring and reminiscing, Isaac stood tall and regal like the king he had been in the memories Aurelie had never dared fully trust or rely on—until now.

Her shoulders slumped as the tension and nervousness flowed out of her in a rush, and she let out a deep, profound exhalation of relief. "So, you remember too! I don't know, I wasn't sure if it was all just in my head or if it was something everyone lived through."

She shrugged and chuckled wryly. "It would make such sense that it was all just a coma dream after getting knocked out by the Chien-Pao's Avalanche, you know? But..." She paused and grinned at him, her eye lighting up in fond recollection.

"You're totally right. I absolutely remember being your maid of honor, in a full suit of armor and everything. And I worked with you as a king. City planner, well..." Aurelie pursed her lips, thinking back to the ever-elusive, increasingly distant memories.

"I was just trying to help ana fell with everything she was doing, providing motive power and materials for all her projects. Hence the waterwheels, the windmills, the turbines, and the...the big foundry and workshop with all the smiths I trained and worked with so we could produce everything that..." She groped in her memory for the right name. "Everything that Motostoke and Cygne needed.

"That woman...Arceus." Aurelie's lips curved into a playful smirk, brightened with genuine admiration. "If you hadn't married her, Isaac, I would've been tempted. But I wouldn't make her nearly as happy as you do."

Aurelie sighed and closed her eye briefly, still savoring the relief of finding out that, if she were going crazy, at least she wasn't doing so alone. At least, it had been a shared hallucination that had snared all of them. She wasn't sure if that made it easier or harder to bear the strange memories, but anything was better than being alone, surely.

Seeing the wistful sadness in his expression, Aurelie cleared her throat and tried to shift the subject a little more toward the current day. It would be so easy for both of them to lose themselves in a long, fond discussion of the past. Too easy.

"I remember I used to practice swordsmanship every day, back then," she mused, carelessly eating the crostini she was holding. "I'd been wondering—how much of that practice still stayed with me? If our minds remember the events, do our bodies also remember the skills and reflexes we picked up back then?"

She opened the door to her workshop and began to reach for the sword lying on the worktable nearby, before turning back to grin at Isaac. "Well, if we do, I may not be nearly as rusty as I thought I was! Maybe we'll actually have an even spar today, rather than you beating me up one-sidedly!"

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

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 Sept 5, 2023 13:47:29 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"]The relief Aurelie felt in the face of Isaac's unquestioning acceptance mirrored his own. Isaac didn't doubt the truth of his decades in Galar for a second. However, each person to back up what happened made him feel a little less crazy. What made more sense? Some shared delusion, or the gods leaving another ephemeral fingerprint on the world?[break][break]

"I've been fighting to remember, if I'm being honest." Each day, he could feel more of the particulars fading. All short term memories did, but these refused to settle into the long term. "My Musharna caught my dreams, and we put them in little glass bottles. Its the closest I can get to seeing Galar again. Not much, but something."[break][break]

They were treasures far too precious to jeopardize. They, first among anything, would need to be kept hidden when Isaac left his life behind. For once, it was fortunate that his home was haunted. When the time came, he could trust them to scatter the remains of his life across the seven winds.[break][break]

Still, now was not the time to worry about the harsh realities of treason. Now was the time to enjoy the warmth of shared memories. Even now, hearing Aurelie recount her view of their shared experiences left Isaac smiling. How could it not? Even now, Isaac could remember the rumble of train engines, the slowly-growing sprawl of industry and public works projects, and the immaculate glint of armors Aurelie had been dead set on maintaining.[break][break]

Some of these memories, some of these faces, were more bittersweet than others.[break][break]

"You might have your chance," Isaac admitted, a spike of pain stabbing into his voice. He had made her happy, once. He did up until the very end. However, happiness alone had its limits. The world was a wild ride, and Cygne wanted to stop it so she could catch her breath.[break][break]

Isaac wished he could follow more than anything, but it was too late. The straps were in tight, and he was being pulled in for another ride. Hoenn's inexorable march towards war. Caleb's seizure. The Purifier. Even without those, could Isaac have given her the stable life she needed? All he knew, all he was, had been forged in the very same chaos Cygne had become sick of.[break][break]

It hurt more than anything to save her from himself.[break][break]

"Its hard, y'know?" How could anyone, unless it happened to them? "It wasn't a perfect life, but it was perfect for us. How the hell's anyone supposed to come back from having it disappear, like nothing ever happened?"[break][break]

In another world, a distant fairytale, the woman Isaac loved more than anything reigned as a queen over a city she built with her own two hands. Now it was his turn to fight for her happiness and fight for that perfect world. It just meant he could no longer be a part of it.[break][break]

Aurelie had been the first he'd confessed to. With that loss off his chest, swords were the last thing on his mind.

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Aurelie Lefevre

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

close tab

played by

dreamflower

she/her

December 12

Anistar City, Kalos

Bisexual

Blacksmith, bladesmith

Associate

5'7"/170 cm height

A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.

awards

1,249 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Sept 6, 2023 22:06:12 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]What the king dreams, the Hand builds.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Listening to Isaac describe his methods for keeping his memories of their decades in Galar fresh, Aurelie nodded thoughtfully. "I guess I can understand why you'd want to preserve those times in your mind," she mused, "even through unusual means, like a Musharna putting them in bottles. Man, talking about bottling up your emotions, right?"

She chuckled weakly at her own joke, before growing solemn again. "For my part... I feel like I remember Galar whether I want to or not. But they don't feel like my memories, if that makes any sense.

"They belong to the woman I became in that other world. Forged by the constant war with the poison Pokemon, hammered on the anvil of the Necrozma attack, but also tempered by the friendships and alliances we made and the technology I got to work on and recreate basically from scratch."

Aurelie smiled pensively at Isaac. "That woman... She seemed pretty cool! And I guess you agree! But I don't feel like we're the same person, she and I. She's like someone else in my thoughts, bringing all kinds of warlike reminders and strange dreams into my mind. Like a ghost inside my head."

It felt good to say all this aloud to someone who understood and who watched her with patient, compassionate sympathy like Isaac did. His time in Galar... Aurelie distantly remembered the wonderful family he'd formed there with Cygne and their children, as well as Uncle Caleb and Aunt Auri. She could remember him improving the city, inspiring the peasants and other trainers, and making everyone's lives better. It had suited Isaac so well, and he had flourished and thrived in that role.

Who wouldn't want to hold onto that memory? Even if it hadn't been a perfect life, it had been sweet. And who ever let go of something sweet if they didn't absolutely have to?

When Isaac commented that Aurelie might have a chance with Cygne, the red-haired smith merely laughed at first, thinking it was a joke. Then she looked at Isaac's face and saw the pained sadness in his expression, the shine of an unshed tear in his single eye. For once, all thoughts of swords immediately fled from Aurelie's mind too once Isaac's true meaning sank in.

"Oh, Isaac!" she breathed, letting the practice sword she'd just fetched from the other room drop to the ground. "You and Cygne... Do you mean... You aren't? Anymore? Oh, Isaac..."

Without thinking, the red-haired smith took two steps toward him and impulsively enveloped him in a warm hug, crooning soft Kalosian phrases to him as if he were a baby needing to be comforted. Isaac wasn't a child anymore by any stretch of the imagination, but he did look as if he were hurting. For a moment, she just stood there like that, embracing him gently and saying nothing.

Then, a thought occurred to Aurelie and she pulled back a little, one eyebrow raised questioningly. "How...how did it happen? She pressed her lips together grimly. "She didn't hurt you, did she?"

If she did, I'm going to beat her up, Aurelie thought darkly. I may not be that warrior woman anymore, but I definitely still know how to swing a hammer into someone's arm. Or kneecap. Or head.

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

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 Sept 7, 2023 13:49:20 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"]"Maybe. But do you feel like the same woman you were five years ago?"[nreak][break]

Even just a year ago, Isaac was a shell of the man he was today. Nowadays, he couldn't imagine surrendering to the whims of some so-called fate, letting life blow him around like a paper bag in the wind. He couldn't imagine being a loner when surrounded by so many people he loved, and so many people who loved him. He couldn't imagine waltzing to his death simply because some scientist told him to.[break][break]

That sad, grey wretch was as unrecognizable as Motostoke's radiant king.[break][break]

"She's kind of your past, kind of your future, and kind of some big ol' what if," Isaac figured with a small shrug. "Maybe you'll be like her. Maybe you'll end up way different. But what you do with all those memories is up to you, yeah?"[break][break]

If one thing was true between realities, it was that Aurelie always chose compassion in the face of those she loved. It caught Isaac off guard when she pulled him into a hug tight enough to squeeze his spine. It was surprisingly comforting, and Isaac felt himself melting into Aurelie's embrace with barely any protest.[break][break]

What little protest there was came when Isaac saw the tension set in Aurelie's features. "Huh? No, its not like- c'mon, you don't gotta-" he said, a touch of alarm in his voice. He knew just how intense Aurelie could be when the mood struck her. "If anything, I'm worried I hurt her."[break][break]

"Galar . . . for all the king stuff and giant angry Pokemon, it was kinda mellow, y'know?" 80% of the world would have surely agreed. That 80% didn't live in Hoenn. "Like, yeah, it was a Lot. But once we got used to it, we kinda knew what to expect. Not like here. Not like here at all."[break][break]

There was so much Isaac wanted to confide in Aurelie as she held him so closely. The dissatisfaction with Rocket that had spiked to a fever pitch. Caleb's seizure, and how he'd put everything on the line to save him. The Purifier, whoever that even was. As he tried, the words turned to ash on his tongue. Even now, when he needed support moreso than ever, fear ruled over him in Team Rocket's long shadow.[break][break]

All it took was its absence for even a ruined world to feel like paradise. Perhaps that was a sign.[break][break]

"She wants a normal, stable life." In Rocket, it would be little more than a facade. Outside of it, it, they'd make it their life's mission to tear it down. The wasteland they braver together would be mercy compared to them. "And I just don't know if I can give that to her. So we made our choices."

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Aurelie Lefevre

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

close tab

played by

dreamflower

she/her

December 12

Anistar City, Kalos

Bisexual

Blacksmith, bladesmith

Associate

5'7"/170 cm height

A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.

awards

1,249 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Sept 8, 2023 21:32:41 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]What the king dreams, the Hand builds.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Although Aurelie certainly could acknowledge the truth of Isaac's point that neither of them was much like the people they were five years ago, she still privately thought she had much more in common with the Aurelie of five years ago in Kalos than the Aurelie of twenty years later in poison-ravaged medieval Galar. Sure, 22-year-old Aurelie had two working eyes, a happy family she'd honored and cherished, and worries about homework and grades, rather than Rocket or finances. But 46-year-old Aurelie had lived in an entirely different world, quite literally, and been shaped by the incomprehensible forces in that world to the point where modern-day Hoenn felt foreign and unreal to her.

But all those thoughts were far in the back of Aurelie's mind as she hugged Isaac in the here and now. When he protested, looking sincerely alarmed and troubled, her grim expression softened into a sad, sympathetic smile.

"I see," she said, nodding understandingly. "All right. I get that. I guess with every breakup, there's always pain on both sides, isn't there?"

One side of her mouth twisted wryly when Isaac talked nostalgically about how peaceful and idyllic the other Galar had been for him. Maybe it had felt mellow and comfortable to him, but to Aurelie, it had just felt like the dangers there were more blatant and conspicuous. Perhaps for him—along with the warm, rosy perspective of being a settled father, husband, and king there—that was enough to make that other Galar seem like heaven, though.

Maybe I just haven't lived long enough in Hoenn to just be jaded to deadly battles driving away crazed Pokemon from city walls every day, Aurelie reflected ruefully, with a mental shrug. Maybe because I do remember an even more peaceful life, back in Kalos—at least until...what happened to me—I don't feel like I lost as much as he clearly did returning from medieval Galar.

Aloud, she merely asked gently, "So, it was a mutual breakup, then? I guess that makes sense, if you both came back and realized you were looking for different things in life. If Cygne really wants a stable, normal life, though..."

Aurelie paused and shook her head slightly. "That's...asking for a lot, given where and what we are." She gestured wordlessly to herself and Isaac with a wave of her hand.

She pulled back from the hug and regarded Isaac steadily with her single uncovered eye, letting out a long, pensive exhalation. "I know you guys were really close, though. Enough that this comes as a shock even to me. So…

"I don't know how much I can help you at a sad time like this, but know that I want to support you in every way I can, Isaac. I'm here for you." Aurelie said the words calmly and simply, her gaze never wavering from his. "If you want to vent, cry, yell, go play video games, grab food together, or whatever, just let me know."

A sudden inspiration struck her, and an incongruously amused smile spread across her face. "You may not be my king anymore, but I still want to offer you counsel and aid if I can. And this time, you can't even issue a random royal decree telling me not to!"

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

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 Sept 9, 2023 0:10:17 GMT

Elisabeth Fiorelli 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"]A lot was an understatement.[break][break]

Right before this, right before Galar, Cygne had followed Elisabeth Fiorelli to Sootopolis. There they set her up a shop for peddling poisons and and questionably-legal medical procedures. Extracting herself from that in pursuit of a normal life seemed risky at best, dangerous and near-impossible at worst. The idea of her being hunted down by those who once called her a friend made Isaac sick to his stomach.[break][break]

If she made it out, would she be satisfied with the way the League handle things? Would she be able to leave behind everything she was on the cusp of achieving? Would she try to strike it legit as an engineer? If she did, would she grow restless with laws and regulations that in her current line of work were more of a suggestion? Would she resent Isaac as a symbol of what she had lost?[break][break]

Isaac could only hope, if he ever got to change the world, it would be so the swan he let go could soar.[break][break]

"Thanks, Aurie," Isaac said, voice soft, both the unconditional support and the little teasing banter sneaking a smile onto his face. "You're the best #2 a king could ever ask for." Cygne had been the love of his life. Caleb Harcourt was his brother in arms. But Aurelie? Aurelie was his advisor, his confidant, his mentor, and his most trusted assistant. There was nobody in Galar who had earned that right hand woman title more.[break][break]

"I'm never not gonna feel weird calling myself that," Isaac admitted. "The whole thing still feels so weird, honestly. I know I just said what happened happened, and its still us, but . . . fuck, its a Lot, y'know? 20 years, so far from home, just. There and gone, just like that."[break][break]

" 'Least it means you can't tell me you're not a badass anymore."

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Aurelie Lefevre

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

close tab

played by

dreamflower

she/her

December 12

Anistar City, Kalos

Bisexual

Blacksmith, bladesmith

Associate

5'7"/170 cm height

A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.

awards

1,249 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Sept 11, 2023 16:57:39 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]What the king dreams, the Hand builds.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Once more, "a lot" was an understatement.

"There wasn't anything about that whole experience in Galar that wasn't weird," Aurelie agreed with a sigh, shaking her head and running both hands through her hair. "At the time, I was completely focused on just getting through it. Placing one foot in front of the other and not questioning anything, you know?

"But when I look back on Galar now..." She laughed softly and a little incredulously. "There's nothing but questions! Like, how did we even all succumb to this mass dream or vision in the first place? Do Zamazenta and Zacian have that kind of power? It had to have come from them...right?

"And that doesn't even begin to cover that whole interlude in the Crowned Tundra or..." she started to add, before looking over at Isaac and trailing off. Normally, Aurelie usually just babbled aloud everything that was passing through her mind, and around Isaac—when her guard was even lower than usual—she could probably talk his ear off.

While he probably didn't usually care, Aurelie got the impression—with a perceptiveness and restraint that surprised even her—that right now probably wasn't the right time to air all her uncertainties and confusion in a long, effusive rant in front of Isaac. He'd been through a lot, both in Galar and back here in Hoenn, and he clearly had a lot on his mind. It would be selfish to focus on herself at a time like this.

Instead, she cleared her throat. "But I guess it did answer some questions. Like 'What would Isaac be like as a leader? Or a dad?' And the answer was, you were pretty great at both! Not perfect, but definitely really great. And really beloved.

"Even if it didn't last... Well, at least now you know. And it's such important knowledge to have about yourself. As for me being a badass...I guess it's sort of the same. You do know I was never the strongest fighter even in our city, though, right?" She chuckled, her single eye going misty in recollection. "But it's good to know I can step up in times of crisis and turn into someone like that warrior woman I was in Galar."

As Aurelie fell silent, her phone chirruped in her pocket. Frowning slightly, she reached for it and pulled up the message. Biting her lip, she glanced over uncertainly at Isaac.

"So, I just got an automated message from the Contest Hall about the reserved room," she ventured hesitantly. "It's a reminder that the reservation just started now and we should sign in to the visitors' log if we haven't already.

"Do you...still want to head over there?" She looked over at her practice sword, carelessly left on the ground where she'd dropped it. "We don't actually have to spar, if you're not in the mood. We can hang out on the benches and just talk. Or would you rather go up to my living room instead? Either way, we should probably get out of this dingy stairwell and head somewhere a little more pleasant."

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

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 Sept 11, 2023 17:24:43 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 don't know if it was their power." Quiet as Isaac may have been, nothing drew him out of a funk like a puzzle to play with. "They did some big attack on the shield before we got sucked in, right?"[break][break]

"They" didn't just refer to a weasel and a moose. A familiar, chilling sensation went down Isaac's spine as he remembered the grudge Elisabeth Fiorelli had planted on him. He was ready to accuse her of being at fault, only to quickly dismiss the thought as baseless. Nevertheless, the association was as clear to Isaac as it was known to Rocket. He'd seen it in the RVL app. He'd found its evidence in the Border. He'd felt it for himself thrice over.[break][break]

"They fuck with your head." His voice took a turn as the memories flowed freely. The grudge, tightening around the folds of his brain like vines sapping the life from a rotten tree. Hatred, burying itself into the back of his head like a sharpened icicle. Fear, cascading over and around him as if poured out from a massive bowl. "Maybe they were trying to do the same to the dogs. Maybe it bounced off the shield and hit all of us, instead."[break][break]

It didn't explain everything. Far from it. If thry wanted to corrupt the dog, why did they target the shield, instead? How did the sword deflect the attack, too? And why was the forgotten king of Galar dwelling in both weapons at once? Was their realm in dire straits because of the shield's rust, Calyrex's death, or whatever it was these Ruinous Pokemon did to it? If they were related, why was that snail working by their side?[break][break]

"That's just my guess, though." It'd have to do.[break][break]

There was no more time for theorizing or heartbreak, anyway. Their reservation was here, and Isaac wasn't going to let Aurelie's gift pass him by. He picked up the sword and offered it to her, a wry smile on his face. "Nowhere I'd rather be right now," he assured her. "Now, c'mon! Let's go."

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Aurelie Lefevre

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

close tab

played by

dreamflower

she/her

December 12

Anistar City, Kalos

Bisexual

Blacksmith, bladesmith

Associate

5'7"/170 cm height

A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.

awards

1,249 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Sept 13, 2023 22:59:28 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]What the king dreams, the Hand builds.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie brightened at Isaac's smile, wry but genuine and unforced, as he picked up her practice sword and handed it to her. Maybe he didn't seem like his usual self exactly, but then—well, how could he? But when he smiled, he at least looked like himself and not a heartsick, guilt-ridden wraith.

"I honestly wasn't sure you still wanted to go," she confessed, taking her sword and opening the door. "It's not like I could blame you if you weren't in the mood. But since you're willing, let's go!"

With it being a pleasant day outside, she decided they could enjoy the weather and get themselves warmed up by walking the several blocks to the contest hall, rather than driving or catching a cab. On the way over, Aurelie tilted her head inquisitively toward Isaac, thinking over his brief, cryptic comments about the Ruinous Pokemon and the Hero Dogs.

"So, you were saying earlier..." she ventured cautiously, turning toward him. "If you don't mind me following up, that is. You think those Ruinous Beasts, the...Chien-Pao and Wo-Chien and whatever the moose thing is called...were what made us go into that memory of medieval Galar?"

She lowered her voice a little as a crowd of tourists and shoppers swept past. "I didn't think of them at all, because I thought they're from...Paldea, right? And we went to Galar, which is where Zamazenta and Zacian are from, which was why I thought it was all because of them.

"But those Ruinous Beasts did do big attacks on the sword and shield, you're right. And bits of the shield flew at us." Her brow furrowed as she tried to follow this line of reasoning to its end.

"So, you're saying the shield being broken was what sent us into that place where we met that poor Calyrex? The, uh, the Crowned Tundra or whatever? So, it was the combined power of the Ruinous Beasts and the Zamazenta that let us...live out those lives in Galar?"

By now, Aurelie and Isaac had reached the Lilycove Contest Hall. Interrupting her train of questions and thoughts, the red-haired smith led them around to the back where the rehearsal rooms were located and signed them in, apologizing charmingly at the reception desk for arriving late. It took a few minutes to find the spacious, airy rehearsal room that she'd reserved.

Judging from the smooth hardwood floor and the floor-length mirrors and barres along the walls, the room was probably intended as a dance studio. Sunlight poured in from clerestory windows high above their heads, and a ceiling fan provided a light breeze. Some cushioned chairs and a table sat off to one side, with a tray holding glasses of water.

Aurelie lingered before the door, clearly still deep in thought over the theory that Isaac had opened up to her about their experiences in Galar. "I don't think it was all just our heads being fucked with, though," she mused contemplatively. "Back in Galar, I'd been working on a steel chess set...and when we came to at the Ancient Tomb, I still had those pieces in my pocket."

She glanced up at Isaac then. "Did you have the same thing happen to you? Did you bring anything back with you too?"

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

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