Shadows took flight within the confines of her mind, drafting wars previously thought to be closed. Mt chimney, dewford, galar, meteno - stretches of battlefields were all that surrounded her.
[Break][break]
And, in the vortex of it all, was none other than the god plaguing her life. A simple blend of flames, sewn together by a pair of jade eyes and onyx beads.
[Break][break]
It simply stared, as it always has. But then a voice beckons forth. Its a low and gravelly sort of thing, sounding of rusted iron and stiff air.
[Break][break]
"Are you ashamed of me?"
[Break][break]
The vibrancy of the room is nullified. Only deep shades of green survive the fallout, bleeding outward with outstretched fingers.
[Break][break]
"Do you regret our pact?"
[Break][break]
There was no responding; her voice had been robbed.
[Break][break]
"Do you-"
[Break][break]
"Penny wake up..."
[Break][break]
The world is washed anew by outpour of sensations. The cool touch of her oak desk against her cheek, the ticking of her old clock, the buzzing of her phone. Not to mention the man hovering over her, calling out her name.
[Break][break]
"Mmm..."
[Break][break]
Red trickled over her one opened as she slowly
stirred herself awake.
[Break][break]
"Melody's chambers are down the hall."
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

confused flickered through his expression.

[break][break] 'melody?'

[break][break] "i don't want mels, i'm here for you."

[break][break] his words were swift, blunt, yet full of warmth. a smile that perhaps lit the darkness that she was still crawling out of.

[break][break] a hand curls around her shoulder, before he raises his other arm, placing a small box onto the table.

[break][break] "look, i brought cake."

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY [break]

Mels.
[Break][break]
She never liked that nickname. It reminded her of the other one.
[Break][break]
Eyes clamped shut, the Councilwoman took a moment's pause to drudge up a breath before straightening her back fully. The woes of sleep creaked from every popped joint and stretched muscle as she fully submerged herself in reality.
[Break][break]
"Cake?"
[Break][break]
Surprise dotted her face as she glanced down at the box. It took all 30 seconds for realization to follow.
[Break][break]
It was her birthday.
[Break][break]
"Oh. So that's why you're here."
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

"did you forget?"

[break][break] a gentle laugh filled the space between them as ollie pulled up a chair and sat next to her. leaning forward, the head ranger pulled the box out of the bag, as well as some utensils for them both: two forks, a single knife.

[break][break] the box was square and finely-detailed — from some local bakery that Eva Morales had recommended to him months ago.

[break][break] "but yeah," he smiled. "i figured you probably hadn't eaten, and i was free."

[break][break] he glanced back towards her, pausing before he pried the box open.

[break][break] "you okay?"

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY [break]

"I'm fine, just tired."
[Break][break]
Despite Ollie's eagerness, Penelope took her time returning to the land of the living, starting with slow blinks into reality, then frequent stretches of her fingers, arms, neck.
[Break][break]
"Did paxton concordas and Gunner Graves go home?"
[Break][break]
Typically she would see them out. It was their way of self regulating each other. If one would go to overboard, there was always the other, readied to reel them back and enforce proper breaks between spurts of work.
[Break][break]
It was rare they'd leave without saying goodbye.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

"yeah, i told them they could go."

[break][break] the box pried open easily, and he gently slid the cake out from it's container. it wasn't too big, knowing that he didn't really want to spoil her dinner, but a birthday cake was too tempting. he cut out slices for them both, alongside tiny paper plates.

[break][break] "they didn't want to wake you."

[break][break] she'd obviously been working very hard for the last week — not that she wasn't always working hard — and that also stood for the other members of the hbic as well. they all deserved a rest.

[break][break] he flashed a gummy smile, offering her the end of a fork.

[break][break] "come on, let's dig in."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY [break]

"Oh."
[break][break]

They probably only left because it was him of all people....
[break][break]

She would definitely have to have a talk with them about that; not even Ollie should override standard procedure.
[break][break]

Accepting the small paper plate and fork, Penelope lazily cut out a piece of the cake before pressing it to her lips. It was red velvet - her favorite.
[break][break]

"So," Putting down the fork, the councilwoman eyed her colleague curiously, allowing the stifle air to fill the gaps of their conversation before she did. "how you've been."
[break][break]

Since Galar? Since Aqua? Since everything?

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

it was quiet. with everyone else outside of the office, except for the two of them, there was nothing to fill the space except for the silence of the fork pushing into the soft, creamy cake. red velvet, chosen for the both of them.

[break][break] 'just like those cupcakes that -'

[break][break] ollie cut the thought off before it could take root, instead smiling around some cream as he looked back at penny.

[break][break] "good! it's busy, but i think everything is finally settling down." but would it ever settle down? would anything ever go back to normal? "i still can't believe i'm head ranger."

[break][break] he shakes his head.

[break][break] "i don't know how you do it."

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY [break]

"It's never not hard."
[break][break]

voice muffled by the soft munching of the cake, the councilwoman's responses sounded more like a far-off cry, rather than home it used to be. Too much has happened, too much has changed.
[break][break]

"But it does get easier. "
[break][break]

Moralities enter questions better left unsaid, lives become pieces with strings tightly coiled around, readied to be pulled at a moments notice. It's a drunken splurge of power.



[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

"does it?" ollie's voice is a bit whimsical as he pushes a piece of the moist cake into his mouth.

[break][break] things may have changed, and they may be different.

[break][break] but a piece of ollie morales would always find a home in PENELOPE LIVY.

[break][break] "did you know, by the way?" he asks, tilting his head towards her as he swallowed another bite. "that i'd be head ranger?"

[break][break] when he'd met Eva Morales back then, she seemed to already have an idea about it. and with the way PENELOPE LIVY was, he wouldn't have been surprised to think that she knew too.

[break][break] "you could've told me."

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY [break]

"I always knew you'd rise up to something."
[break][break]

The soft clank of metal hitting paper punctuated her words as her fork cut through the cake in singular aggressive stabs. One after another, the once grand mountain of sugar was reduced to smaller columns of cake.
[break][break]

"Head ranger seems fitting enough."
[break][break]

Her fork makes little of the cake columns, pushing them around until icing smeared the plate completely. Red punishes the white, tainting it of its purity. The sickly sweet smell of his pine-scented cologne only added to the dessert massacre.
[break][break]

"I didn't need to. Besides, I didn't want to rob you the fun of discovering it yourself."


[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

'i always knew you'd rise up to something.'

[break][break] did she?

[break][break] he wondered if she had — if, back then, when they were younger versions of themselves, if she had believed as wholeheartedly in him as she seemed to now. he certainly had never felt that way.

[break][break] not about him.

[break][break] he gave a laugh. "i should be saying that about you." anyone who met PENELOPE LIVY, reporter of hbs, knew that she would grow up to be something. and when he'd seen her for the first time in hoenn nearly a year ago now, he had known it too.

[break][break] the doubt in his eyes lingered briefly for a moment before shifting back into the warmth he was so well-known for.

[break][break] "mm, i guess," he says around a mouthful of cake. his eyes twinkled with reminder of Eva Morales nearly throwing his new nameplate as his head. "but it would've be fun to celebrate together."

[break][break] "though," he said, with a smile, cream on his bottom lip. "i guess we're kind of doing that now."

[break][break] "happy birthday, penny."

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY [break]

She shrugged.
[break][break]

"I assumed you had another celebratory partner in mind."
[break][break]

A certain ms Melody Miro, to be exact.
[break][break]

When Penelope looked up from her plate, its not with the same warmth he greets her with. A frosty doubt clouded her eyes instead. One that spoke of words she'd spent the last few days swallowing.



[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]