[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]her voice cuts through static on the receiver after a moment.

"roger that."

the scientist appears on the shoulder of her usual discolored automaton, its body slowly lowering them toward the earth below. once they get close enough, the golurk's body shifts out of flight mode and two clay legs plant themselves into the ground with a sudden rumble. around them, the trees and their leaves tremble.

she climbs down quickly and after a moment, a small smile rises.

"how've you been?"

a beat passes - the copperjah in the room feels bigger somehow.

"weight of the world off your shoulders yet?"

it's odd, she realizes, to no longer be against one another. lines are not drawn in the sand any more. they have since washed away with sea hoenn's tides, perhaps.

Isaac Merlo

participation +50
1 ic post +10

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]her smile widens a little, easy and unrestricted by faction lines drawn hastily in the sand. there's a subtle shift to the way she carries herself now, as if she's somewhat of a new person in this atmosphere.

and, in a way, she is.

the scientist has grown since they last saw each other. she has tucked her impulsive decisions back behind closed doors, replacing them with a falsehood of carefulness to distract from the selfish tendencies lying beneath.

"hopefully nothing too bad has happened since?"

she's tentative in the way she looks to pry apart recent events, like a surgeon operating on a timebomb of a tumor. one wrong move and she fears death.

faintly, though, a teasing tone edges itself into her voice.

"i'd be disappointed if you decided to quit now."

there's a sense of high hopes for him - a truce forged beneath the threat of gods and monsters. he will not be able to leave such a thing without a fight from her, at least.

"among other things, yes."

her shoulders roll through a lazy shrug before a new question rises. it slips through to linger between them, curious and hopeful.

"are you still willing to help with that, by the way?"

Isaac Merlo

participation +50
2 ic post +20

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]"you're still breathing so i'd say 'too bad's' can't stop you at this point."

he's resilient - something most, including herself, could do well to learn from. how many could keep a smile on their face after the things they've seen? the things they've endured?

her grin lacks shame in the way it curls up into cheeks.

"oh, absolutely. haven't you been looking forward to this too?"

red tape no longer binds them the way it once did and for that, she's grateful. the freedom to explore possibilities and theories and insanity relating to the unknown she desperately seeks will never fail to excite her. unfortunately, however, for isaac, he has fallen prey to her own devices as well.

the island, despite the coils of interdream mist that look to ensnare each of them in their own twisted imaginations, beckons inquisitive minds deeper into the landscape. she hears the call, the foreboding notes of a siren's melody settling deep in bones.

"yes."

her eyes are bright, shining, damning.

"let's go. if you see spatial gaps anywhere, let me know immediately."

Isaac Merlo

participation +50
3 ic post +30
mention interdream mist +10

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]her expression turns serious for a moment - almost deadly so, in fact. there's a look in her eyes that, in just the right light, feels chilling.

"make sure they pay for trying, too."

and then, it's gone with the gently blowing breeze, as if it never existed at all.

she feels a faint flush creep its way onto her cheeks, sweeping across skin in a light dusting until the tips of her ears are rosy.

"really? i made that good of an impression?"

surprising, in a way, for she has always believed herself to be too much and not enough all at once. it's nice to know others do not fall prey to the same line of thinking.

a little laugh chimes out from the scientist as his genesect begins scanning without waiting for the order.

"he's cute - i'm glad he's doing better now."

she remembers when the genesect had been positively feral, right down to its core wiring. it instills a sense of pride to know the genesect is better, and that she had a hand in the change.

and after waiting a moment for the scan to continue, she begins to step forward toward the unknown - certainty in her bones driving her to take charge and guide them through the labyrinth of the island's core that awaits them...

she stops, however, as the first puzzle of curious hieroglyphs and letters opens up before their very eyes.

Isaac Merlo

participation +50
4 ic post +40
mention interdream mist +10

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]an easy laugh escapes and the chiming sound fills the air around them for a moment.

"i suppose he does!"

she doesn't quite understand why - she had done what anyone would do, given the tools - but she'll happily accept it regardless.

and as ancient script resembling what they know to be unown stares back at her, she bends to get a little closer. these versions do not blink. they stare hollowly back. in a way, it's almost haunting. she supposes that's the intention here.

"turn back... turn back."

a warning.

if she turns her head to the right, she'd see a more familiar script - one from the top of the world, as close to the gods as one could muster. and turn her head she does... for it is fated.

a little gasp escapes as she absorbs the writing.

"we have been abandoned."

is it intentional? or is it something else entirely?

"it's definitely a warning, that's for sure. do we risk it?"

Isaac Merlo

participation +50
5 ic post +50
mention interdream mist +10

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]"warnings have never stopped us before - why change that now?"

red tape does little to deter her, clearly, given the string of actions and their subsequent consequences trailing behind her. what's one more to the list?

he adds extra muscle to their backs as she leads them forward and for a moment, she lets her eyes wander.

are they here too - those spatial gaps?

does reality need to mend itself back together on a new island? does it need a pink draconic grout to stitch together ripped open wounds?

her head turns and she casts a glance toward him and mugen over her shoulder.

"if you see anything pink and glowing, let me know please."

a beat passes and the walls around them almost feel closer now, more suffocating.

"it'd look like a crack in space with pink energy filling it."

Isaac Merlo

participation +50
6 ic post +60
mention interdream mist +10

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]a gasp slips out as his fist collides with a nearby wall.

"what the hell?"

she blinks confusion away until only concern remains and she's quick to approach, hands already reaching to pull his arm back to inspect the damage.

"you could've broken your hand."

her fingers gently prod against knuckles and bone until she's certain they're still in tact - just bruised and cut open.

as the wall finishes breaking apart, a glittering chunk of pinkish red ore drops to the ground with a clink! sound. her eyes dart toward the rock with acute curiosity, then, and she slowly releases his hand.

"what's that?"

it looks familiar, if she stops to properly study it...

Isaac Merlo

participation +50
7 ic post +70
mention interdream mist +10