[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]she stops at the familiar voice, at the sound of her name, at their coworkers fading into the background all around them.

and with a slight pivot of her body, she angles herself closer to the councilwoman. firm fingers fit a mask into place and it spreads into a smile with the faint cracking of porcelain.

"councilwoman."

her head dips slightly in understanding before she gestures for them to begin moving toward an emptier part of mossdeep's space center, her arm slightly steering.

"of course - are you seeking reports, experiments, or theories?"

each one brings them down a different path, perhaps, but the result is always the same in the end now isn't it?

PENELOPE LIVY

The councilwoman followed the gesture without hesitation. Only once isolated would she answer the question.
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"All of the above."
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Why settle for one when you can have all?
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"But let's start with theories; what do you make of it?"
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She was referring to dynamaxing - a topic barely breached by even the most diligent members of the scientific community. It was mysterious, new, and filled with uncertainty. And for those three reasons, Penelope was all the more curious.


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[attr="class","ooc"] illeana reyes[break]


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

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]when asked of her opinion, of her true and honest view... she hesitates.

how much is reasonable doubt? how much is fear?

"it's an interesting process, but i worry about how little we actually know of the energy itself."

her expression shifts a little into frustration, as if the puzzle of dynamaxing still bothers her.

"for all we know, dynamax energy could end up being another nail in hoenn's coffin."

she feels her lips pull into a frown.

"there's no way to know for certain without experimenting further, but given the connection to the ultra deep sea, i would recommend exercising caution around this phenomena."

PENELOPE LIVY

"as with all things," she gritted her teeth.
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It wasn't illeana reyes's fault, and for that reason alone, the councilwoman willed her expression to soften.
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But Dynamaxing was far from the first issue that would need to examined through a lens of caution. After all this time, she just wished steps could be taken, with or without permission.
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"So what's next then?"
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The question could be interpreted a number of ways. What's next for Dynamaxing? For Hoenn? For illeana reyes herself?

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[attr="class","ooc"] illeana reyes[break]


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

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]what's next?

too much, perhaps. she scrunches her nose slightly at the thought and after a moment, the slight wrinkles smooth themselves over once more.

"well, i suppose it depends."

hoenn's circumstances are far from tame enough to really know what's going to come. she could focus on dynamax or tera crystals or the rifts until she's blue in the face, but it won't amount to much if she keeps getting pulled in multiple directions.

"i'd like to continue studies into the rifts and working to close them, but i believe a new study in aqua's avatars might fill in some blanks for what we don't know about our greatest defense against these threats."

a look of consideration settles before she flashes a small, professional smile.

"closing the rifts might not be possible for some time so the new avatar project would probably be next on my agenda. i'll be making my rounds in the council soon for approval too if you have any upcoming openings."

PENELOPE LIVY

Opportunity was a fickle thing. Like a birth of flames fluttering off from Mt Pyre's jagged edge, it comes and goes, without reason or care. When Reyes mentioned her side project, Penelope could see those flames again. A moment of opportunity categorized solely by the stir of intrigue it erupts.
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"I'm free now," her suggestion arrived with a practice smile. It was a lie, of course. Her schedule had been stacked with meetings ever since Dewford, but ollie morales and the other rangers could wait. Reschedule, if necessary.
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Opportunity doesn't wait the same way people can.

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


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

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]in an ideal world, they could easily understand the things that elude them now - avatarship, processes of energy, pieces on a proverbial chessboard, and how all of it intertwines together...

this is not an ideal world, surely, but she will force it to become one all the same.

her smile spreads into one of pleased professionalism.

"perfect - i was hoping you'd say that."

it saves them both the trouble of matching up ever changing schedules and aligning them just right to spare a single moment. though, in a way, that is all she would need.

"there's still too much we don't understand about avatarship and, by association, our own aqua members."

as she speaks, she traces idle paths in the air with a waving hand. it's as if the motion, alone, keeps her mind on track and keeps her from veering off course onto a tangent.

"i propose we study each avatar within the league to look for similarities on a genetic level so we can understand what is happening to the body. by doing so, we could detect early signs of primal intoxication, regulate any discrepancies in currently known powers, and - perhaps, if we're lucky - unlock ways to increase their powers."

a long shot, that last one, but she's hopeful all the same. after all... the primal crystal from her first aqua assembly still holds space in her mind as if it were yesterday. she'd never forget how it returned a strain of power once lost.

PENELOPE LIVY

"I see,"she smiled, agreeance implied through her tone.
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The visionary, the ice-wielding avatar, the scorned - team rocket was already bolstering with strength. If the league continued to flounder, as they've had, there was no telling how large the gap might stretch to. Worse, there's always the chance the opportunity had already begun to escape them entirely.
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Either way, there was only one pathway forwards.
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"I know you're still at the early stages of this proposal, but I must ask: what are your plans if little is retrieved from this research? Avatarships isn't a new phenomenon. Many have tried researching its intricacies, and many have failed doing so. What makes this proposal different? How can we guarantee results?"

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[attr="class","ooc"] illeana reyes [break]


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

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]failure...

it's an intimate concept to the scientist now, forged beneath determined attempts to force fate to bend to her will. she expects it will always be inevitable - even here, even now.

"we fail forward."

her eyes are sharp, prepared.

"even failures can be learned from. we can adjust the approach should we fail and look at different avenues to see if results will change."

carefully, she tucks a stray piece of white hair behind her ear.

"i believe looking at those the primal crystal had touched from the first aqua assembly will fill in gaps that we don't currently know. avatarship is fluid - constantly changing and pushing the bounds of what we already know... and science is no different."

yet, she still feels that doesn't quite explain herself well enough... oh well.

PENELOPE LIVY

"Which makes it all the more troublesome."
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In short, this was a gamble. But everything was becoming a gamble nowadays. Life, in it's truest essence, was a gamble derived from the basic instinct: to kill or be killed.
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"You've been with the league for a few years," she raised an eyebrow like raising a bow. Swift and prepared to strike. "You've dealt with failure during that time, no doubt. What have you learned from those failures?"
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[attr="class","ooc"] illeana reyes[break]


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

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]the councilwoman is correct: she has several failures trailing behind her like a makeshift cape.

and yet, even now, she refuses to allow them to deter her.

"my previous failures helped me grow."

she is no longer the young girl in over her head. she has grown beyond that realm of existence, forged a path with whatever circumstance presented her.

"even on a personal level, failing to meet expectations enabled me to succeed the next time."

she flashes a smile - it's mostly teeth.

"besides, if we allowed failure - or fear of failure - to guide our every decision, we wouldn't be here having this conversation... wouldn't you agree?"

PENELOPE LIVY

"There is plenty to learn from our shortcomings, sure, but there is also a limit to what mistakes we can afford."
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This hoenn was a vast galaxy away from the one they'd transverse even a year ago. A single line still divided their path forward, but unlike before, the stakes had risen. One misstep, one miscalculated experiment, and every ounce of work would be considered null and voided.
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Still, the councilwoman knew a good gamble when she saw one.
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"As long as caution is heeded, consider me a supporter of this proposal of yours."
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[attr="class","ooc"] illeana reyes[break]


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

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]in the end, perhaps the scientist will make good on her words and promises. they won't be lofty dreams anymore, conjured up by a fractured mind, but solid and real pieces of evidence for the league to use as they see fit.

she flashes rows of teeth as the councilwoman allies herself to the cause, pleased with the outcome.

"caution will certainly be heeded."

a nod follows before she takes a step back, placing a slight distance between them as their meeting comes to a close.

"thank you again, councilwoman, for your continued support."

her eyes shine bright in florescent light. a flash of hunger rises, falls, and fades.

"i will not let you down."

and in time, she might, but not now... not on the precipice of discovery, change, and creation.

PENELOPE LIVY