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TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Nov 24, 2023 21:50:05 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Usually, Zev Harcourt's monthly orders for knife maintenance—sharpening, stropping, repairs, and occasional replacements—as well as new carbon steel knives for his kitchen or armory arrived in Aurelie's inbox like clockwork. She used to joke she could set her calendar by them, like the turn of the seasons or the rising and setting of the sun. The man really appreciated good knives and blades.

Except this month...his order didn't come in on the usual day. Nor the next day, nor the day after that. After about a week, Aurelie noticed and began to wonder. She wrote a quick email to the usual address she had for the bar, asking if anything was wrong and reminding him that the chefs' knives at Howling were due for their three-month sharpening.

The email came back in 15 minutes, with a startling 'DELIVERY FAILED, THIS MESSAGE COULD NOT BE SENT' error. "'This email address no longer...exists'?" Aurelie read aloud in surprise. "What the heck?"

Wondering if the email address had changed, she searched for the bar's website. Aurelie was astonished to discover the website said Howling at the Moon was shut down. Forever. With no plans to reopen.

"What on earth..." Aurelie breathed as she stared at her computer, her eye wide. Discreetly, she checked Rocket's encrypted directory to confirm that Zev hadn't suddenly just died. He hadn't—but his business was now dead as a doornail.

What could possibly have made Zev decide to suddenly and completely close down his bar? He'd often mentioned how handy it was as a cover, letting him pose as a legitimate businessman and serving as a front for unsavory Rocket activities. Surely, it wasn't like him to simply abandon his bar like this, without warning.

And leaving me without one of my steadiest customers, to boot, Aurelie thought with alarm. I don't understand! I wonder...do I dare ask him what's going on?

After a few minutes of screwing up her courage, she called the last phone number she had for Zev, even though she suspected it might just be a burner phone. Still, the voicemail worked, much to her relief, so she left him a message. Then, she left another message for him by way of Rocket HQ's front desk, which surely was still able to reach him in some way, asking him if he could get in touch.

Finally, on a whim, she mailed one of her pre-made flyers for the Iron Lady Forge to Zev's apartment in Slateport City. In one corner, though, Aurelie wrote roughly what she'd said in her other messages to him. "I saw Howling at the Moon is shut down. What happened? I'd like to meet to discuss any future orders you might have."

She only hoped—for the sake of her forge's bottom line, if nothing else—that Zev responded.

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]

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

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The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

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general of war

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6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Nov 25, 2023 3:05:12 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","zev3"]

[attr="class","body"]

The flyer Aurelie mailed to Zev's old apartment in Slateport City was returned straight to the post office by his former landlord, a "return to sender" sticker stuck to the front. It found its way back to Aurelie's mailbox a few days later, unopened.[break][break]

The voicemail Aurelie left on Zev's burner phone went unanswered. He had neither expected the call nor recognized the phone number, so he let it go to voicemail and did not listen to it until days later. But by then, he received word from Rocket HQ that Aurelie was trying to reach him.[break][break]

He replied via encrypted email using the crime syndicate's internal system.[break][break]

"I'll stop by your shop after you close on Wednesday."

[break]

At the appointed time, he rapped a knuckle against the closed and locked front door of Iron Lady Forge. Dressed in dark clothes, he blended in well with the shadows of night.

[break][break][break]

TAGS – Aurelie Lefevre[break]
NOTES – social

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dreamflower

she/her

December 12

Anistar City, Kalos

Bisexual

Blacksmith, bladesmith

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TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Nov 27, 2023 22:25:19 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]When the flyer came back to her mailbox with a "Returned to sender" sticker on it, Aurelie was glad she hadn't heeded the impulsive to simply go straight to Slateport City and knock on Zev's door. It seemed more than just his business had been abandoned. If I hadn't gotten word back from him, I really would have wondered if he'd just died, she reflected.

And then I'd wonder what in Arceus' name could possibly have killed a man like that.

Thankfully—well, perhaps—that didn't seem to be the case. After finding out just how dramatically his life had changed, though, Aurelie was even more curious to know why. At the appointed day and time, she waited inside her shop, which was empty and closed down for the day. When she heard his knock on the door, she jumped up to answer.

"Come in," she said quietly to the Rocket Beast, who seemed like just another shadow out of the deepening night in his dark, nondescript clothing.

She locked the door securely behind him and led him into the back of the shop, where two cushioned chairs stood next to a glass display case lined with gleaming stainless steel scalpels. A small plate of vol-au-vents sent out faint aromas of chicken, mushrooms, and puff pastry. Crossing her arms, Aurelie went straight to business.

"Sorry to chase after you like this, but...I saw you closed your bar," she told him. "And now I see you've moved out of your apartment in Slateport City. What's going on, Zev? Why all these major life changes all of a sudden?

"Are you getting transferred out of Hoenn? Or are you assuming a new identity?" she asked. Those were the two most likely possibilities she'd come up with since reaching out to him.

"You can sit if you like," Aurelie added belatedly, gesturing to the chairs. She ran a hand wearily through her hair and smiled wryly. "I know you don't owe me any explanations or answers, not really. But you're here. And I'm curious why you upended so many things in your life so abruptly."

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]

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

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The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

general of war

god general

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Nov 28, 2023 15:01:32 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","zev3"]

[attr="class","body"]

Zev followed Aurelie to the back of her shop. He sat down in one of the cushioned chairs but did not bother reaching for the savory bites she'd prepared. By then, he had grown accustomed once more to the habit of eating, but he only consumed what his body needed. No more, no less.[break][break]

"You're right, I don't," Zev said. "But you've been loyal to me, in your own way, and I reward loyalty."[break][break]

Not only had Aurelie been a steady supplier of knives, but she was the first person to alert him of Caleb Harcourt's presence in Hoenn.[break][break]

"Simply put, I closed the bar because I don't need it anymore. I don't need my apartment in Slateport or the fake persona I'd been using. And I won't need to make as many knife orders, either."[break][break]

Zev had become a living weapon. He did not need to use a common blade nearly as often as before.[break][break]

The skin on his wrists and the backs of his hands rippled as dark crystals emerged, unobtrusively, in small, scattered clusters. He himself did not seem to notice.

[break][break][break]

TAGS – Aurelie Lefevre[break]
NOTES – social

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dreamflower

she/her

December 12

Anistar City, Kalos

Bisexual

Blacksmith, bladesmith

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5'7"/170 cm height

A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.

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TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Nov 29, 2023 18:57:55 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie had debated preparing a fresh pot of coffee as well as snacks for this little meeting, considering it was scheduled at the end of a long workday. Now, she was glad she hadn't. The impact of Zev's mere presence was always greater than she remembered, especially his ability to galvanize all her senses into heightened alertness even when he was just sitting still.

Extra caffeine would've been too much, she concluded ruefully. I'd just be a bundle of jitters right now, for no reason. And that wouldn't be helpful to anyone.

The red-haired smith listened with growing consternation to Zev's answer that wasn't really an answer. More just a confirmation. This must be how my mother felt when I was little and she'd ask me, 'How was school today?' and I'd just mumble monosyllables back, she thought with an unexpected stab of nostalgic amusement.

Remembering how her mother would persist in asking for more information and Aurelie would get more close-mouthed with every query, the red-haired smith told herself to keep pressing—but gently. "I see. But why don't you need all these things anymore?

"I can understand not needing new knives anymore...well, sort of." Her lips quirked briefly in a wry, self-effacing acknowledgement that she, at least, never thought anyone could have too many knives. "But your whole persona as Zev Harcourt, Slateport resident and civilian owner of a bar? Why is it no longer useful to you?"

Because of her intensified state of awareness, her eye did catch the sparkle of black crystals emerging along the back of Zev's hands. Aurelie swallowed, suddenly remembering what he'd told her about his mysterious, unearthly, and seemingly indestructible living armor.

"Does that..." She nodded toward his right hand, the one closest to her. "...have anything to do with it, maybe? Your crystal armor. Does it make it harder for you to maintain your civilian cover? Or is it changing your life in other ways, besides making you basically unkillable by normal means?"

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

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The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

general of war

god general

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Nov 30, 2023 1:26:16 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","zev3"]

[attr="class","body"]

Zev tilted his head at Aurelie, regarding her as if she were a Cutiefly flitting about a garden. A small thing caught in the single-minded, never-ending pursuit of irrelevant trifles.[break][break]

"We understand now why humans are so impatient," he said, his tone distant and cold. "We didn't before, but it's perfectly clear now. Your lives are so short that you have no choice but to scurry around in selfish desperation."[break][break]

As he lowered his gaze to his hands, more crystals emerged, rising from his flesh like rocks revealed by the ebbing tide. His skin itched, but the sensation was no longer a mild discomfort; instead, it brought a sense of relief, like he was unveiling his true body.[break][break]

"The identity of a bar owner—what is it good for? Tell me." Zev locked eyes with Aurelie's once more. "What good does it do for people like us?"

[break][break][break]

TAGS – Aurelie Lefevre[break]
NOTES – social

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dreamflower

she/her

December 12

Anistar City, Kalos

Bisexual

Blacksmith, bladesmith

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5'7"/170 cm height

A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.

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TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Dec 1, 2023 17:46:08 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]At Zev's strange words, Aurelie's jaw fell open in surprise. She let out a nervous, startled laugh. "Wait, what? 'We'?" she echoed uncertainly. "'Humans'? 'Your lives'? What do you mean, Zev? Aren't you human like the rest o..."

She slowly trailed off as she met Zev's gaze. Aurelie was accustomed to seeing cold callousness, cruelty, and heartlessness there; she was used to looking into his eyes and seeing a monster looking back at her. But she was used to seeing a human monster in him, with ruthless, unfeeling, but ultimately human motivations and thoughts.

What gave her a shock now and made her heart skip a beat wasn't the presence of monstrousness, but the faintly—yet palpably—alien feeling it gave her. Something dark and inhuman stirred in there, Aurelie was certain of it. It was the certainty of a child fearing the dark, a woman watching for predators in the shadows, a prey animal knowing carnivores would hunt and eat it if they could.

Fear twisted like a knife in her belly. In Zev's eyes, she saw indifference, contempt, malice, and hunger—oh, Arceus, the hunger! The inhuman presence in his eyes felt like something that would devour and destroy not just her, but her city, her region, her world, and everything and everyone within it.

And it wasn't a mindless presence, either. She could still sense Zev in there, calculating, assessing, and thinking. Were they joined together? Had it absorbed him, or he it?

Aurelie wanted to reach for a knife or a Pokeball, but instinctively, she knew neither would help. She forced herself to take a deep breath to slow her pounding heart and stay still under Zev's regard. At her sides, her hands opened and closed into fists.

"You're not human anymore, are you," she whispered, following his eyes to the backs of his hands. "'People like us'. Zev, I...I'm not sure there's anyone like you anymore. What happened to you? Are those crystals...taking over you?"

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The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

general of war

god general

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Dec 1, 2023 19:53:52 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","zev3"]

[attr="class","body"]

As dreadful revelation crept into Aurelie's face, her eyes going wide and her hands fidgeting with barely contained terror, Zev smiled.[break][break]

It was a smile she had seen before, when he'd first regarded her knives with a killer's delight. A certain wrongness underscored the satisfaction displayed by the expression. And as crystals began creeping up his neck to line his jaw, it took on an alien, inhuman quality.[break][break]

But Zev was not there to bare his fangs at Aurelie, neither in threat nor in warning. Instead, he made an amused noise in his throat and said, "Taking over me? No. It's not quite that. But you're right about the rest."[break][break]

He thought about leaving her with just that as his answer, but he had said he would reward her loyalty.[break][break]

"I recently met Necrozma in Ultra Space. We've reached an understanding." Then Zev paused, remembering that Aurelie also had memories of a battle between his patron and Eternatus. "Don't worry. It hasn't followed me back here or anything."

[break][break][break]

TAGS – Aurelie Lefevre[break]
NOTES – social

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dreamflower

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December 12

Anistar City, Kalos

Bisexual

Blacksmith, bladesmith

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5'7"/170 cm height

A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.

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TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Dec 4, 2023 0:36:17 GMT

Elisabeth Fiorelli likes this

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Even Zev's answering smile, so familiar in its appalling mingling of mirth and menace, was augmented now with unearthly terror in the form of the black crystals appearing across his neck and face. It took all of Aurelie's self-control to keep from fleeing into the refuge of her workshop. She hadn't thought Zev could become an even bigger monster than he already was—and yet somehow, he had.

When he confirmed her tentative guesses and spoke of Necrozma, though, Aurelie's single eye went wide. Without warning, in her mind's eye, she envisioned the last great battle in the medieval realm of Galar-that-never-was—a realm that so many still pined for after all this time but that she remembered chiefly for the constant warring against malevolent, mysteriously changed Pokemon.

In the midst of all the chaos and fighting, a man in black armor had flown up to the battling Necrozma and Eternatus. And he'd shouted at them. From her side of the battlefield, Aurelie hadn't heard most of his words, but she'd caught the very end of his challenge to the Legendary Pokemon.

"Necrozma..." she breathed aloud, the force of a sigh behind the word. "I guess it must have taken you at your word, then.

"It remembered your face and your name, as the Black Hand of Kanto and Hoenn." Aurelie echoed the words she remembered him shouting at Necrozma and then nodded at the crystalline spikes growing along his jaw. "And it allied with you and lent you its power."

Strangely, the revelation calmed her. It felt good to know why. The truth was certainly unsettling, but it wasn't entirely unexpected, given the way his skin had absorbed the black crystals like they were fragments of his own being and incorporated them into his nigh-indestructible body armor.

Aurelie bethought herself suddenly of the massive, unseasonal wildfire that had scorched Petalburg Forest several months before. The abandonment of Fiorelli Floristry, the appearance of Wo-Chien alongside Elisabeth Fiorelli at the battle before the Ancient Tomb. Is that the price of power? Aurelie wondered, slowly making the connection. Leaving behind everything you once cared about?

But surely, not for everyone. Suicune clearly hadn't demanded such a sacrifice from Isaac Merlo. Tears stung her single eye as she remembered Isaac's last embrace and whispered words. No, his sacrifices had clearly come before his Legendary partnership.

"You said 'we' before," she ventured. "You said that Necrozma didn't follow you back here, but I feel like you carry more than just its power. Does it share your thoughts? Did it convince you that you didn't need human things like a business or home anymore?"

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

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The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

general of war

god general

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Dec 4, 2023 21:58:55 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","zev3"]

[attr="class","body"]

Aurelie's assumption of the reason behind Necrozma's choice to pact with Zev was laughable. But he could not blame her. With her limited knowledge, which included humanity's limited scope of the universe, she could only grasp what was immediately in front of her.[break][break]

Anyway, he benefited when people believed what they wanted to believe, even if it was false. Especially if it was false.[break][break]

"If that's what you want to think happened, then that's what happened," Zev said, his smile having mostly faded with the declaration of her ignorance. A hint of it remained, however.[break][break]

He found occasional amusement in toying with humans, after all.[break][break]

The smile vanished completely at the personal nature of Aurelie's next questions; in its place, a flicker of annoyance entered his expression.[break][break]

"Necrozma does not need to convince me of anything. As I said, we have reached an understanding. And," he added, his stare growing sharp, "my business and my home are my concerns, not yours."[break][break]

In the pause afterward, he released the tension from his body slowly. Aurelie was not the enemy. She was nothing.[break][break]

"Does that satisfy your curiosity enough?" he asked, in a tone that suggested he had no more interest in being interrogated.

[break][break][break]

TAGS – Aurelie Lefevre[break]
NOTES – social

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dreamflower

she/her

December 12

Anistar City, Kalos

Bisexual

Blacksmith, bladesmith

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5'7"/170 cm height

A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.

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TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Dec 6, 2023 17:26:14 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]With difficulty, Aurelie managed to keep from rolling her eye at Zev's evasive, patronizing answer. The feeling that she was interrogating a seven-year-old about their day at school returned. Even with alien powers and cosmic forces at his command, Zev still managed to be annoying in all-too-human ways.

Or maybe he and Necrozma were already so much on the same wavelength that, even joined or allied or partnered or whatever, they were both frustrating in the same way. Now, that was a disquieting thought.

She raised her hands, palms out, and shrugged. "Actually, I was just quoting what you said to Necrozma yourself back in Galar when..." She caught herself, remembering that the one time she'd spoken of living in the medieval Galar-that-never-was, Zev had shown no sign of recognition, let alone understanding.

If he still didn't remember being a king for twenty years, then there was no way he'd remember the words he'd shouted at Necrozma in the last battle.

"Actually, never mind," Aurelie amended, shaking her head. "Anyway, I know better than to try and guess what happened between you and Necrozma. Or why. I'm sure it's all beyond my comprehension as an insignificant little human."

When he asked if her curiosity was satisfied, she tensed again. Aurelie had so many more questions that she wanted to ask him. No, her curiosity was in no way satisfied so far.

But on the other hand, Zev had barely answered any of the questions she'd already asked. She doubted he'd suddenly become a fountain of unhindered, unlimited candor now. So, Aurelie opened her mouth, all ready to tell him she didn't have anything else to ask and he could consider them done here.

Instead, to her own surprise—and alarm—the words that tumbled out of her mouth were, "How is Nenet? I hope she's doing all right."

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The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

general of war

god general

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Dec 6, 2023 20:42:17 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","zev3"]

[attr="class","body"]

As soon as Nenet's name left Aurelie's lips, Zev's expression softened a fraction; his gaze unfocused for the briefest moment as the image of his wife's face surfaced in his mind's eye.[break][break]

Some of the crystals on his neck and hands sank back into his flesh.[break][break]

When Zev looked back at Aurelie again, the sharpness had gone from his gaze. Even so, his voice was still as hard and cold as steel. "She's well. Safe. You don't need to worry about her."[break][break]

The mention of his most prized possession happened to be the perfect segue into the real reason for his visit to Aurelie's shop. Leaning back in his chair with all the casual confidence of a man with immeasurable power, he leveled a scrutinizing look at the woman seated across from him.[break][break]

"Speaking of which, I understand that you're close with a Ranger named jack wainwright."

[break][break][break]

TAGS – Aurelie Lefevre[break]
NOTES – social

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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.

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TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Dec 8, 2023 23:13:29 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]To Aurelie's astonishment, some of the crystals protruding from Zev's skin receded from view when she asked about Nenet. With his neck and hands looking less spiky and sparkly, he appeared decidedly more human as a result. Aurelie wondered if it was just a coincidence, before concluding that it wasn't.

Thinking about Nenet makes him more human, she thought. I wonder if it really is love. Or at least, something like love.

"Good. I'm glad," the red-haired smith replied quietly and sincerely. She finally sat down in the chair opposite Zev and reached for one of the hors d'oeuvres on the plate atop the display case. Nibbling absentmindedly on the vol-au-vent, she wondered whether to ask more about Nenet and decided against it, feeling as if she'd learned all she could from Zev.

When he abruptly brought up Jack, Aurelie all but spat out a mouthful of buttery pastry, chicken, and mushrooms across the room in her surprise. An assassin reaching an understanding with a vicious, light-drinking, extraterrestrial Pokemon was alarming. At the same time, it was absolutely par for the course for Zev and Hoenn in general.

That same assassin showing interest in her private life was like seeing unicorns suddenly show up on said golf course and knock in multiple holes-in-one. And the unicorns were ferocious flesh-eating pack hunters, to boot. It was something that shouldn't happen, and if it did, it was a very scary sight.

"Jack?" Aurelie echoed uneasily, brushing crumbs from her lips. "We're only seeing each other naked. Nothing else is really going on there."

She wasn't entirely sure if this was still true, but she had wholeheartedly believed it even a few months ago. Now, Aurelie wasn't really sure exactly how serious they were. But she figured it wouldn't hurt for Zev to believe their relationship was lighter and less serious than it was.

"Why do you ask?" she inquired, regaining her composure and leaning forward in her chair. "Is Necrozma interested in him? Let me guess, is he the destined to be the partner of Eternatus and thus your eternal rival, or something?"

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

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gunsmile

The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

general of war

god general

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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3,068 posts

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TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Dec 9, 2023 1:18:09 GMT

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Zev frowned at Aurelie's flippant joke, though her comment didn't surprise him. She'd always been this way. Or perhaps it was her way of shuttering away the unease that had entered her face and voice at the mention of Jack.[break][break]

"He told me you were dating," Zev said. "He even suggested going on a double date one day, and said that you two are involved with a third person."[break][break]

Specifically, Xiura Balfaltin, but her relationship to Aurelie was less of a concern.[break][break]

"This won't cause any trouble for our organization, will it, Aurelie?" he asked, raising an expectant eyebrow.[break][break]

Any ordinary person might call Zev out for his hypocrisy, for he was not only dating but married to someone outside Team Rocket. But he had always considered himself as existing outside the rules, only abiding by them if he found doing so useful.

[break][break][break]

TAGS – Aurelie Lefevre[break]
NOTES – social

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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.

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1,249 posts

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TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Dec 11, 2023 21:21:48 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Still pondering the probable connection between the mention of Nenet and the gradual recession of Zev's crystal armor, Aurelie couldn't restrain a groan when the Beast replied that Jack had been the one to inform him. Yet, she couldn't really blame him either. After all, Jack thinks they're friends, so why wouldn't he freely answer such a harmless-sounding question?

To be fair, Aurelie had learned something about Zev's relationships status recently as well. She hadn't known of his marriage until she'd looked him up in the Rocket directory to contact him for this meeting. Now that she was armed with this knowledge, though, her reply to his question came swift and sharp.

"No more than you and Nenet, and perhaps less," she said coolly, her single eye narrowing. "Considering that I haven't pledged to have and to hold, in sickness and health, until death do us part with a League astrobiologist."

Since I can't imagine the marriage is in name only was on the tip of her tongue to add. At the last second, she managed to rein in the cheeky impulse. She had only met Nenet once, but she remembered very well how beautiful and alluring the other woman was.

"Jack knows nothing," Aurelie stated instead. "Since the battles on the resurfaced island in Route 105, I've seen him more than once. I know all too well how much he hates Rocket. If he knew, I'd be in the League's prison right now."

Then, a faint frown crossed her face as she thought more about Zev's question. It had felt so natural and normal for him to ask. But now, Aurelie remembered it wasn't just Zev behind those eyes but something else, something that had dismissed humanity and human constructs as trivial and ridiculous.

"It's good to know you still care about our organization," she remarked cautiously. "I wasn't sure if you still would, after you talked earlier about human lives being so short and desperate. I thought maybe human factions in general wouldn't be important to you anymore either."

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