[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]he's correct in his assumption, though she'd never admit it.

the trembling of her hands as she briefed dahlia goode and the council, as she asked for their permission to move forward with such a thing, is not present now but it will not be forgotten.

his sweeping look of her security is met with heavy silence. their shoulders tense but otherwise, they offer nothing further.

only the scientist speaks as a briny breeze sweeps through the air.

"yes, there is."

she places a professional mask in front of her face and secures it with deft fingers.

"an exchange of information."

she takes a small, tentative step forward. one look confirms she, at least, is unarmed.

"would you agree to this?"

Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]it depends...

she sees strings laid out before her - she just has to know which ones to pull for him to move.

"of course, my apologies."

had she jumped the gun?

no, she decides with the beginning of a smile, she hadn't.

"what could you tell me of the energy spikes detected in sootopolis's city bounds?"

a beat passes. she adds another layer.

"in exchange, i can provide some information on sea hoenn."

Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]her features smooth themselves into a pleased smile.

"yes - do you have the data handy?"

she doubts, in a way, that their paths will cross in the same way after today. they would be back to enemies once this meeting lazily draws its close. until then, she supposes it is comfortable enough to theorize.

"the appearance of tera crystal clusters is interesting to say the least. have you seen any more in sootopolis since?"

and while she'd enjoy nothing more than to continue to pick his brain on the concept of tera crystals, she owes information of her own at this point in time.

"on the sea hoenn front, we know they are looking for a lugia to replace their own. the one you have aligned with is, possibly, the very one they had."

her arms cross lightly over her chest, though it is not in any means defensive.

"do you know of the origins of your lugia that could explain why they're searching for one with such fervor?"

Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]she hums, seemingly deciding whether she's satisfied or not.

"the growth of tera crystals in the cave of origin is not coincidence - surely - but the cave, itself, is part of a cavern system, is it not?"

she's rusty with her sootopolis intel, but there's a purpose behind the needling inquiries. a little further... she seeks a specific confirmation to solidify an already blooming theory.

and when it comes to the lugia aligned with him? he seems so certain, so entirely sure, that she almost regrets the incessant urge to poke holes in his confidence until it falters. she's a woman of science, thinking in realms of theory and probability. this topic, while interesting and still relatively mysterious, does not escape her ravenous hunger for understanding.

"tell me - if you'd be so kind - where this lugia was found?"

her smile is all teeth, sharpened for a kill. she hopes to not have to use them.

"actually, would you humor me by hearing my theory?"

Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]her lips curl slightly, showing teeth.

"if there's a cavern system, you're likely to find more crystals deeper in."

whole stretches of crystal clusters, actually, if she had to guess... but she wouldn't know unless she explores on her own for she does not place blind trust in the man before her. energy readings provide credibility, sure, but in the unknown, there is a higher chance of betrayal.

and when he allows her the floor, she takes center stage with focused eyes.

"evidence of an odd toxin had been found in proximity to sea hoenn. the likelihood of this being the same toxin that corrupted this lugia - and theirs - is high, so i'm inclined to believe our lugia and theirs are one in the same."

if not the same coin, then mirror images of each other...

"or, perhaps, they corrupted ours when trying to capture it for themselves to replace their own."

Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","illeana"]

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

[attr="class","illeana i"]"ah, then you're familiar with it..."

the black tar-like substance. even now, the lack of concrete evidence to suggest they did, in fact, do what she theorizes infuriates her to no end. she wants to know - from beginning until end.

"there's no way to know for certain without managing to find a sea hoennian and hoping they know what happened, but the toxin had been connected to that of nihilego's."

her eyes focus a little too sharply on him, as if looking for something to dig claws into.

"for it to have been in what looked like a ritual room, along with their lugia missing and desperately needing another one? i'm inclined to believe theirs was corrupted enough to not survive the process."

perhaps his is the exception... or theirs did not die - it merely escaped.

"anyway, do with that what you will."

her shoulders roll through a shrug, then, as if it doesn't matter either way for she has already designated sea hoenn as marked for death.

"i think we're just about done here, don't you?"

Cillian Quinn