MARCH UPDATE

156 cm // 5'1" height

oceans of angels, oceans of stars, down by the sea is where you drown your scars

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1,089 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @2baki

POSTED ON Nov 13, 2023 6:44:02 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","petalbasetsu"]

[attr="class","star1tsu"]

[attr="class","circleoutline1tsu"]

[attr="class","starimgtsu"]

[attr="class","star2tsu"]

Don't eat. Don't drink. Come to my dorm immediately. I need to perform a physical. I want those toxins! [break]

-- Baki

[break][break]

The letter is short and doesn't explain much. If anything, it only raises more questions. [break][break]

The 119 incident is still fresh in the mind. Aliens, strange pokemon, dimensional rifts, and odd poisons. All stemming from what seemed to be an ordinary missing persons case, a search party in the swamps south of Fortree. [break][break]

Isaac Merlo happens to be one of the affected, toxic chains sprouting from his body beneath the swamp. He's also selfless enough to subject his body to science experiments, so the theory goes. Therefore, he's the perfect test subject. [break][break]

If that essence can be extracted and isolated, it would give the League a clue as to the nature of the incident beneath the swamp. Those weren't ordinary Nihilego. Baki knows those pokemon well, and none of them match the strange forms she saw under that swamp.[break][break]

To that end, Isaac finds himself at the address enclosed with the letter. [break][break]

881 CAMELLIA WAY[break]
LEAGUE HOUSING PROJECTS[break]
EVERGRANDE CITY

[break][break]

The door is decorated with a cute Gulpin whiteboard with the words KEEP OUT scrawled across it.[break][break]

+ Isaac Merlo [break]
+ MISSION: POST BLOOD, MUD, & IRON

[attr="class","star3tsu"]

[attr="class","petalpoketsu"]

[attr="class","rouxcredittsu"]♠

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[newclass=.rouxcredittsu]align:right; color:#AB4646; font-size:10px; text-align:right; padding:10px; [/newclass]

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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 Nov 26, 2023 21:21:37 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]Damnit. Eating and drinking were some of Isaac's favorite things to do. This was torture. However, with how often he and Baki crossed paths, he owed it to her to at least hear what she had to say. Besides, those toxins had menaced and hurt Eris Halla quite a bit. The better he understood them, the better.[break][break]

It was strange. His bond with Suicune should have kept him safe from the worst of this corruption. However, between his powers being so new and the strange augmentations made to those Nihilego, he hadn't been able to extract the poison from his own body. If anything, it seemed to linger longer than it should have. Just what was it about that island?[break][break]

If Navy's assistant knew how to uncover its mysteries, he'd put his trust in her.[break][break]

The letter said to come. The whiteboard said to stay away. Isaac squared the difference with a quick little knock, then made his way inside. Everyone knew Keep Out signs only mattered until the moment they didn't. "Good news, your toxins have arrived," he deadpanned, because she sure as heck didn't invite him here to say hello.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki [break]
NOTES — notes go here

[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
[newclass=".isaac2"] margin: 0px auto; background-color: #111; min-height: 500px; width: 450px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom:20px; } .isaac2 .textbox a, .isaac2 .textbox i { color:var(--color); } .isaac2 .textbox b { font:bold 13px/10px 'Poppins'; color:var(--color); } .topimage { background-image: url(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1058305315642286080/1155427871351906335/image.png); height: 250px; width: 400px; background-size: cover; background-position:50% 20%; margin: 0px auto; } .isaac2 .textbox { line-height: 15px; letter-spacing: .5px; font-size: 12px; font-family: roboto; color: #d6d6d6; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align: justify; padding-bottom: 20px; background:#1E1E1E; padding:30px 50px; background-image: url(https://image.ibb.co/cpf8Wc/flower_patt.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; } .isaac2 .oocbox { border-top: 3px solid #333; padding-top: 10px; width: 260px; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align:left; [/newclass]

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played by

Nagato

Baki

She/Her

December 21

Saffron City

Gym Leader

Officer

156 cm // 5'1" height

oceans of angels, oceans of stars, down by the sea is where you drown your scars

awards

1,089 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @2baki

POSTED ON Nov 27, 2023 6:19:50 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","petalbasetsu"]

[attr="class","star1tsu"]

[attr="class","circleoutline1tsu"]

[attr="class","starimgtsu"]

[attr="class","star2tsu"]The entrance to the dorm room halts almost as soon as he tries to open it, at least three different chains catching the door.[break][break]

A single red eye peers from the small crack, looking him over once as if to assure herself it's him. Then the door hastily slams back shut as the sound of several chains being undone comes from inside. Only then does the door open and a hand reaches out to yank Isaac in by his collar. [break][break]

"C'mere."[break][break]

Tsubaki hurriedly slams the door shut and arms the chains again after dragging the man inside, walking briskly across the room toward the only source of light - a single florescent lamp lighting an open apothecary. Various vials and ingredients line the countertop, and she rifles through them quickly.[break][break]

Inside, the strong scent of perfume and incense makes it hard to breathe. The rest of the room save the apothecary is sparse, furnished in a minimalist style reminiscent of Johto or Kitakami, tatami and all. It looks almost intentional by the way nearly all the furniture is small and purely functional, almost disguising the fact that most of the intern's salary goes to instant ramen.[break][break]

Finding what she was looking for, Baki pulls a chair out from the small table and gestures to it, before impatiently shoving Isaac onto it. She presses down sharply on his shoulder, leaning forward and staring intently into his eyes. [break][break]

"Alright, Merlo. Before I do anything, gotta check. Make sure you're not one of 'em, y'know? Tell me - we both had one - what shape was the gem you picked up on that mirage island?"[break][break]

As she asks so forcefully, a dread comes over him, like a weight pressing down on his chest. From the corner of his eye, the shadow cast by the single naked bulb on the desk begins to shift along the wall.[break][break]

And then it grins.[break][break]

+ Isaac Merlo [break]
+ MISSION: POST BLOOD, MUD, & IRON

[attr="class","star3tsu"]

[attr="class","petalpoketsu"] ✨💿📔 sagisou (gengar) ♀ - cursed body - hex / sludge wave / dream eater / nightmare / hypnosis / curse / confuse ray / taunt - kasib + xtra move slot + mega | gengarite

✨💿📔 sagisou (gengar) ♀ - cursed body - hex / sludge wave / dream eater / nightmare / hypnosis / curse / confuse ray / taunt - kasib + xtra move slot + mega | gengarite

[attr="class","rouxcredittsu"]♠

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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 Nov 27, 2023 15:19:54 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]Maybe the chained up door should've been the first sign that this would be a hell of a day. If it hadn't given that fact away, being aggressively kidnapped by an intern sure would have. Before Isaac even knew what was going on, he'd been dragged into a barely lit dorm, surrounded by shadows and perfumes, and shoved into a chair.[break][break]

"Talk about a warm welcome," he snarked, only for the sensation of dread to quickly hush him up. Baki meant business, her eyes boring holes through his own and all of her weight bearing down on his shoulder. "Get yourself some rope and you've got a real interrogation going."[break][break]

Regardless she wanted answers. Sensible ones, too, even if they were from forever ago. "Arceus, you're making me dig deep. I was still a twunk back then," he protested. Nevertheless, he rubbed at his temples, trying to re-jog his memory. Frankly, that alone was a sign he was the real deal. The Megalopians never saw him pre-glowup.[break][break]

Nevertheless, he'd do his best. "It was a ruby, right? Shaped like a Salamence or something? Pretty sure you had one, too." Honestly, despite his earlier treasure hunger, by the end of the trip he was much more worried about Vanilla Kingsley than he was concerned with counting out loot. Not that the loot wasn't nice, of course.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki [break]
NOTES — notes go here

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played by

Nagato

Baki

She/Her

December 21

Saffron City

Gym Leader

Officer

156 cm // 5'1" height

oceans of angels, oceans of stars, down by the sea is where you drown your scars

awards

1,089 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @2baki

POSTED ON Dec 4, 2023 4:21:30 GMT

Eris Halla likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","petalbasetsu"]

[attr="class","star1tsu"]

[attr="class","circleoutline1tsu"]

[attr="class","starimgtsu"]

[attr="class","star2tsu"]The woman stares intently as he answers, searching for any tell of a lie. Even after he finishes speaking, there's a tense atmosphere in the room that only dissipates once the pokemon in her shadow affirms that he's probably not lying. Locking eyes with Sagisou, she finally lifts her arm from his shoulder, giving him relief where her nails dug deep.[break][break]

"Guess it really is you."[break][break]

She sighs, turning her back and walking to the desk. She sets the vial back down, rifling through drawers. If Isaac snuck a quick look, he'd be able to read the words on the label in a messy scrawl. [break][break]

Dragalge Venom

[break]

"Can never be too careful, y'know? You saw 'em, wearing the faces of dead people. Can't trust anyone anymore."[break][break]

Maybe he was a Megalopolan all the way back then. Who's to say? But that could be true for anyone in Hoenn, like Freya, or even Navy. She's not about ready to go off the deep end, at least not yet. She'll need to devise some way of seeing through the Megalopolan's transformation, but til then, she'll never be sure. All she had was reasonable doubt.[break][break]

"You can follow instructions, can't you, Merlo? Tell me you didn't eat or drink anything since the incident."[break][break]

Baki turns back to the man brandishing a large needle and about five or six empty vials. There's something innocent in her eyes even as she sets everything on the table next to him, like this is just an ordinary way to greet someone. She purses her lips, holding the protected tip of the needle in her mouth as she readies a tourniquet around his upper arm.[break][break]

+ Isaac Merlo [break]
+ MISSION: POST BLOOD, MUD, & IRON

[attr="class","star3tsu"]

[attr="class","rouxcredittsu"]♠

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 Dec 4, 2023 4:37:53 GMT

Eris Halla likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]"You're telling me. And I thought the zombie ones over in the Megalopolis were bad enough." Those may've been horrific , shambling cannibals, but they fell apart if you hit them hard enough and lacked the sense of self that made the ones on the Bloodmoon Island so dangerous. "I'll take rotting over thinking any day of the week"[break][break]

How did this region always find new ways of surprising and horrifying him? The fact that life persisted in spite of anything and everything was one parts miracle to two parts stubbornness. Now, with Suicune's blessings, a powerful team of Pokemon, and his own harrowing experiences, he was about to join the war for survival on the frontlines.[break][break]

"Navy gave it over before I could have any breakfast." Letters were far from the quickest form of communication, but Isaac being cooped up in Navy's gym meant it was trivial for Baki to reach him. "You're in luck. If I wasn't keeping an eye on my sibs, I would've so been joining the rest of the munchies crew."[break][break]

To think, someone like Isaac Merlo could be so responsible. However, between El Sunderland and Eris Halla, he had very good reason to be for a change.[break][break]

Then again, he wasn't the only weirdo. Baki's idea of sprucing things up was KEEP OUT signs and ominous torture room decor. Her idea of communication was interrogations and the kinds of messy scrawls you'd see on a true crime show. Despite this, she carried herself like she was the most natural communicator in the world. Arceus, he kind of envied that confidence.[break][break]

"Think you could tell me what's going on before you start turning me into a pincushion? Or would that ruin the fun for ya?" Even now, he never lost that teasing edge.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki [break]
NOTES — notes go here

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played by

Nagato

Baki

She/Her

December 21

Saffron City

Gym Leader

Officer

156 cm // 5'1" height

oceans of angels, oceans of stars, down by the sea is where you drown your scars

awards

1,089 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @2baki

POSTED ON Dec 4, 2023 5:06:14 GMT

illeana reyes likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","petalbasetsu"]

[attr="class","star1tsu"]

[attr="class","circleoutline1tsu"]

[attr="class","starimgtsu"]

[attr="class","star2tsu"]She almost envied him for a second. She'd have preferred to be back at Navy's Gym instead of being forced to rest up by freya morningstar, but there was no denying that however cold and strict the councilwoman came across, she knew what she was doing. Something tells her that Freya and Navy's next steps would end up about the same, though. [break][break]

It all began and would end with the Sea...[break][break]

"You think this is fun for me!?"[break][break]

Baki shoots back, a barb like a thorn from an otherwise beautiful rose. [break][break]

The needle strikes his skin sharply, as if she were retaliating for his attitude. She didn't have time to waste, explaining it first.[break][break]

"Look, you're just lucky you're not dead!"[break][break]

She had to admit, she did ordinarily enjoy this... but that was aside from the point. There was nothing fun about this situation, finding out face-stealing aliens were hiding in Hoenn, that people were being poisoned and eaten. She needed answers, and this guy was the first person she thought of, considering she bailed his ass out twice in the middle of it all. He'd be safer in this dorm room than anywhere else, based on that alone.[break][break]

"If you gotta know, then I'm taking samples of your blood. Whatever made you act all weird, and spouted that purple thing, I'm gonna try and isolate it. Whatever I find, I'm handing over to illeana reyes... I'll give you the results, too."[break][break]

She adds hastily, like it's an afterthought. The idea that he's owed that is secondary to the importance of the data she wants from him.[break][break]

+ Isaac Merlo [break]
+ MISSION: POST BLOOD, MUD, & IRON

[attr="class","star3tsu"]

[attr="class","rouxcredittsu"]♠

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 Dec 4, 2023 14:17:07 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]"Well, I was trying to joke around, but." Isaac took a look around, taking in the My First Interrogation that Baki had been, if nothing else, eager to set up. "Whether you are or aren't, you clearly care about what you're doing. That goes a long way. And there's sure as shit nothing wrong with being proud of what you do."[break][break]

That same struggle, enjoyment of the act, horror at the circumstances, and pride in what he did, was nothing new to Isaac.[break][break]

As Baki's needle smashed into his arm, he couldn't help but flash her a weary smile. Maldacena's digital world. Rocket's wars. His out of body experience in the Border. An entire lifetime spent on another world. Finally, Cillian Quinn being fully prepared to end his miserable life. "I get that a lot," he admitted, a lifetime spent in a year, hidden in a single sentence.[break][break]

That said, if he played along, maybe he'd gst to keep that life for a little longer. Relief hit Isaac as he realized he wasn't immediately getting pumped full of Chemical X. "Shit, if that's all you wanted you should've just told me," Isaac said. "With how hush-hush this whole thing's been, I thought you were gonna turn me into a lab rat."[break][break]

Clearly, that part came later.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki [break]
NOTES — notes go here

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played by

Nagato

Baki

She/Her

December 21

Saffron City

Gym Leader

Officer

156 cm // 5'1" height

oceans of angels, oceans of stars, down by the sea is where you drown your scars

awards

1,089 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @2baki

POSTED ON Dec 6, 2023 11:46:31 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","petalbasetsu"]

[attr="class","star1tsu"]

[attr="class","circleoutline1tsu"]

[attr="class","starimgtsu"]

[attr="class","star2tsu"]"I'm just..."[break][break]

Worried? Scared? [break][break]

All words she would've discarded up until a few months ago. She's still not willing to say them aloud, but her expression softens. They're plain to read on her face. [break][break]

"... I'm just tryin' to do what I can. [break][break]

"Spent the last year running, even longer running from the kinda person I need to be. But I'm done running. Found a place I belong, and I'll do what I can to protect it."[break][break]

Just like she hadn't been able to do for Saffron. For Galar. [break][break]

Maybe the word she was looking for was 'guilty'. [break][break]

She fills one vial. Moves on to the next, like a seasoned expert. [break][break]

"Being honest, thought if I told you you wouldn't come. People don't like things like needles, thorns. They all like everything to be comfy. Pillowy. Don't like complications, like a kid who doesn't know how to act like one."[break][break]

She was a reflection of everything League told itself it wasn't. The failures of the League led her into the arms of Rocket, while its successes led her to become one of its child soldiers. There wasn't anything neat and tidy about that. The propaganda people bought into didn't fit her neatly into a box.[break][break]

She was someone they'd sweep under the rug if they could. If she had less spirit about it, maybe they could even manage that. [break][break]

+ Isaac Merlo [break]
+ MISSION: POST BLOOD, MUD, & IRON

[attr="class","star3tsu"]

[attr="class","rouxcredittsu"]♠

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 Dec 9, 2023 1:14:06 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]Half the fun of messing with someone was to see what they had going on beneath the surface. Conversations were masquerades, and everyone brought the face they thought their partner wanted to see. A little tease here or there got that mask slipping, and then the true fun of getting to know someone began.[break][break]

When Baki lowered her guard and opened herself up, the time for those barbs passed. Isaac couldn't bring himself to mess with her anymore. Maybe it was because her fear and doubt were written on her face. Maybe it was because he'd known those same feelings, having been a runaway with ho plans, hopes, or prospects when he was her age.[break][break]

"That's the best any of us can do," he said, voice soft and gentle. "Trust me. You're talking to Hoenn's next top runner. Took me most of my damn life to figure out what I should be doing, and I was this close to losing it instead." Even after his power, even after his growth, Cillian Quinn still loomed over him like Death's specter itself.[break][break]

He took his lumps and watched as they were transferred into little glass vials. Even after everything that happened, he bled the same as everyone else. Good. With how much his experiences changed him, there were times where he couldn't be sure. "If that's what I wanted, I would've taken the first boat out of Hoenn," he admitted.[break][break]

"But, here we are. Trapping ourselves on an island of thorns."[break][break]

A wry smile spread across his face as he mimed a toast with a spare beaker. They were prisoners of their own device, two runaways who picked the hardest place in the world to stop and make a stand. Their life would only get harder from here, and yet a part of them wouldn't have it any other way.[break][break]

"You don't gotta talk about what you're running from if you don't want to." Because if there was anything people like them were truly trying to run away from, it was themselves. It was the paradox of the runaway. Those who understood best tended to talk about it the least. "But, hey. Not a lot of chances to have a captive audience."[break][break]

If Baki so wanted, the floor was hers.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki [break]
NOTES — notes go here

close tab

played by

Nagato

Baki

She/Her

December 21

Saffron City

Gym Leader

Officer

156 cm // 5'1" height

oceans of angels, oceans of stars, down by the sea is where you drown your scars

awards

1,089 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @2baki

POSTED ON Dec 16, 2023 8:16:40 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","petalbasetsu"]

[attr="class","star1tsu"]

[attr="class","circleoutline1tsu"]

[attr="class","starimgtsu"]

[attr="class","star2tsu"]Tsubaki looks up from his arm as she fills another vial of his blood.[break][break]

There's a sincerity in his eyes, something rarely seen these days. Back in Saffron, here in Ever Grande City, most people are the same. Always watching what they say, looking out for number one. This guy's different. There's an understanding there. Only one person she's met who those eyes remind her of... [break][break]

"Navy seems to trust you. I'm not great at the whole 'trust' thing, but... if he can, guess I can, too."[break][break]

Navy's more than her mentor. He was the only person who didn't regard her as a lost cause back when she first got out. The sole reason she wasn't rotting in a cell for a murder she didn't commit, a murder Rocket tried to pin on her when she left.[break][break]

A sigh. Secrets feel less important to keep when there's an alien threat hanging overhead. She relents, gives in to Isaac's prying just a little.[break][break]

"Know the kinda things you've been running from. We're more alike than you might think. Though, you're braver than I am, I'll say that. Took that boat outta Kanto first chance I got and never looked back. Couldn't face the things they made me do."[break][break]

She's not gonna spell it out. He either gets it or he doesn't. Even so, letting out this much is exhausting. [break][break]

Baki averts her eyes, glances down at his arm and starts intently on the last vial of blood. Somehow, draining his vitality restores hers just enough to go on. [break][break]

"Thought we were fightin' for a better world. Easy to convince a kid of that when she's lookin' down a barrel from the so-called 'good guys'. When you're in it for somethin' like that, you don't realize how much you've lost til everything's gone.[break][break]

"Guess I just couldn't stomach the kinda person I'd become anymore. But, well... you can't outrun yourself, so I'm still here."[break][break]

Baki stops. Seals the last vial, puts a label on it. [break][break]

Then she looks back to Isaac, and motions for him to stay seated. Sagisou pops up from her shadow, staring the weakened Isaac down with hunger in her eyes. She almost seems ready to prey on him, drained of his blood like this...[break][break]

Instead, she procures a small platter of sugary mochi and sets it on the table beside him.[break][break]

"Tea?"[break][break]

+ Isaac Merlo [break]
+ MISSION: POST BLOOD, MUD, & IRON

[attr="class","star3tsu"]

[attr="class","rouxcredittsu"]♠

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 Dec 17, 2023 1:32:35 GMT

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[attr="class","textbox"]From what Baki had said, and from Isaac's own perspective, he had a sinking feeling he'd known what she meant. She was just another kid pushed to the wrong side of the tracks. Now that she was tarred with that brush, it was going to follow her for the rest of her days.[break][break]

When Isaac looked in her eyes, he couldn't help but see Eris Halla.[break][break]

"Wish I had that excuse," Isaac admitted. "Some days I told myself I was the lesser of two evils. Other days, I told myself I was giving a chance to people that never had one. Hell, there were times I knew I'd fucked up, but thought I could at least do some good from the shadows. Try and balance it out."[break][break]

"But I was always kinda doing it for myself, I think. Thought it was the only way I could make it to the next day."[break][break]

It was funny. After joining Rocket, Isaac went on to achieve so many things he'd never even dreamed of before. However, it wasn't because of Rocket. It was because of the Isaac that had dwelled within all this time. Rocket had given him the confidence he needed, a nest egg of stability, and a few death-defying adventures to get started with, but all of those gifts had been poison pills.[break][break]

How many of Rocket's recruitment pool would be safe for them, if they could just get those from a source that wouldn't ruin them?[break][break]

"I couldn't face it, either. Most people realize that now, but plenty don't give a damn. Far as they care, I might as well've pulled the trigger on every victim myself." With that admission, his eyes softened, a warm smiled aimed Baki's way. "Don't let people like that get to you, okay? You've done the hardest thing in the world, and now you're here fighting for better. Not everyone's gonna get people like us, but that's the thing. They aren't us."[break][break]

"When push comes to shove, there's only one person whose say matters here. And if you ask me, she's got lots of reason to be proud."[break][break]

She was everywhere, it felt like. Preventing natural disasters from melting Hoenn down. Stopping slavering zombies from another dimension on the resurfaced island. Doing invaluable work on Dewford Island, one of Hoenn's most at-risk places. If this was her redemption, she was making the most of it with flying colors.[break][break]

In the wake of his assessment, from one traitor to another, silence filled the room. "Yeah," he agreed, letting his words fade. Maybe they'd help Baki. Maybe she wouldn't. Maybe they'd just remain there for when she needed them most. "Tea sounds great."

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TAG — Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki [break]
NOTES — notes go here

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played by

Nagato

Baki

She/Her

December 21

Saffron City

Gym Leader

Officer

156 cm // 5'1" height

oceans of angels, oceans of stars, down by the sea is where you drown your scars

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1,089 posts

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TAG WITH @2baki

POSTED ON Jan 2, 2024 2:07:10 GMT

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[attr="class","star2tsu"]Baki stands motionless at her desk, back to Isaac, reading the same label over and over as the man's words echo through her head. [break][break]

The thought never occurred to her, to be proud of anything. [break][break]

Far as she was concerned, the world had written her off long ago. She was happy to go along with their assessment. Navy had reached out a hand to save her, but he was the only one. The one single person who could see the good in her, who saved her from a terrible fate she probably deserved.[break][break]

She'd been alright with that. He was an exception. An aberration. Just cause she could trust him, that didn't mean she needed to trust the world that turned its back on her. She'd protect it, but only out of spite. To show she was better than all the people who didn't care.[break][break]

But now... now that there was more than one person saying these sorts of things, he didn't feel like an exception anymore. [break][break]

That made her feel ill.[break][break]

"... Sure."[break][break]

She flicks the vial and places it aside. Analysis will come later, whether anything could be gleaned from it or not. She picks up the tea bowl next to her, and a little smile appears inside it. [break][break]

"Midori, give Merlo a cup of tea."[break][break]

It takes all her willpower to stop her voice from shaking. She'd become so good at giving off the impression of someone in control, pretending she was cool, calm, collected. Now he was seeing the cracks, pieced together from being broken so many times. Like the kintsugi holding Midori together.[break][break]

The Sinistcha happily pours a cup and sets it down next to Isaac, giving him an encouraging glance as it watches excitedly for his reaction on tasting her enchanted matcha.[break][break]

"You know, I..."[break][break]

Baki's voice catches in her throat. There's so much she wants to say, but she's afraid of saying more. How much could she reveal, before he changed his tune? Maybe his false confidence she was a good person was fine to stick around for the time being. Maybe she'd let him believe that for a bit, before she burst that bubble.[break][break]

"I still think of the people I hurt. Every day. It makes me sick knowing they're still out there, doing the same thing whether I'm there or not.[break][break]

"I was bad, but I was replaceable. That's why... I do all these things. [break][break]

"It's not pride. There's nothing to be proud of there. Knowing I did that, stopping more people like me, cause I know the ins and outs of it, know the kinda person it all turns you into... it's just self-satisfaction. That's it."[break][break]

Cause people like her have no right to exist. [break][break]

+ Isaac Merlo [break]
+ MISSION: POST BLOOD, MUD, & IRON

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✨ midori (sinistcha-m) ○ - hospitality - matcha gotcha / hex / strength sap / life dew / rage powder / protect

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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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TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Jan 2, 2024 14:42:28 GMT

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[attr="class","textbox"]Isaac knew that vocal tone. He heard it in the back of his own mind every time it felt like the universe heaped praise upon the undeserving him. For a moment, he wanted to contest it. However, as he kept himself in Baki's shoes, he forced himself to bite his tongue. She'd taken a step. That was the hardest part.[break][break]

Instead of bury their struggles in the same platitudes he rejected, he sipped his tea and let her take the next.[break][break]

"You too, huh?" Isaac closed his eyes, and for a second he could see the same misty forest that haunted his mind. The deserving and innocent alike stared back at him through the treeline. It wasn't every night anymore, as it had been when Zev Harcourt first slaughtered a dozen men to save his sorry hide, but in some ways that made it worse. He never knew which nights would be bad ones until it was too late.[break][break]

"Good." It was a strange thing to hear coming from one with such a haunted look in his eye. However, a new spark rose to fight it; defiance. "Fuck the world if it thinks it can judge us. But if we remember, we can make sure none of this happens again."[break][break]

Maybe actively pushing against his sins was what stopped them from haunting him so.[break][break]

"Everyone there's replaceable, if you ask me." From the lowliest, saddest grunt, to Cillian Quinn himself. "You know what Rocket really feels like? Some wall of human shields built up by a madman so he can do whatever the fuck he wants. I know so many people who joined to take their life into their own hands, but all they're doing is putting it in Walsh's."[break][break]

What was free about serving him? What was strong about depending on his power? It was a cult of personality and shared delusion. But the real fucked up part? Walsh wasn't even their first boss. He was the mythical exception, the pauper who pulled himself up by his bootstraps to become prince. All it took was the guy above him dying.[break][break]

Everyone was a cog in a machine fed with blood, all for the glory of Rocket.[break][break]

"A lot of people in our shoes let that stop them, you know. They get their hands dirty once and think that's it for them." How many times had they asked Isaac "what else am I supposed to do?" "And yet, here you are." He let those words hang, taking another sip of his tea. Arceus, that was good. He shot Baki's Sinistcha a grateful smile.[break][break]

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TAG — Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki [break]
NOTES — notes go here

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played by

Nagato

Baki

She/Her

December 21

Saffron City

Gym Leader

Officer

156 cm // 5'1" height

oceans of angels, oceans of stars, down by the sea is where you drown your scars

awards

1,089 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @2baki