Her Venusaur, rather than Wo-chien, had shadowed her on this missive. A subtle tremor of EARTH POWER moved to unearth ways forward, careful to let the crystals remain untouched.[break][break]

"An honor, is it?" she replied dryly, well aware of her infamous reputation among Rocket's higher and lower echelon alike. Nonetheless she drew closer to him as she inspected the crystalline cavern. "I suppose I'm getting time out for good behavior."[break][break]

Her opinion of howard slayte was fairly neutral, which was to say it was fairly positive. He appeared bright enough, he knew better than to show his unlikeable personality traits publicly, and he completed all his tasks in a tidy and efficient manner. All in all, Elisabeth would have preferred most Rockets to be exactly like him.[break][break]

This would change, undoubtedly, if she knew the mutinous thoughts that existed in the man's head.[break][break]

"Geology was never my strong suit, no. But jewels were a passing interest of my late husband's," she commented, the statement as casual as a remark about a change in weather. "You pick up a few things in passing, after awhile."[break][break]

xSkWXlfc

[attr="class","ooc"] howard slayte

[attr="class","pkmn"]

She almost laughed at the expression of condolence. At this point, she half expected the rumors from Kalos had bled into Hoenn.[break][break]

Given her reputation, the truth behind that man's death was probably assumed by most, if they had even the most passing knowledge of her history.[break][break]

But howard slayte would have no reason to know such a thing, and she was not in the mood to educate him, either. So the comment went unacknowledged.[break][break]

"Each jewel is differently valued, though all share certain inherent traits that are desirable," she murmured, as if this was an old recollection she'd dusted off and marveled at for the first time in awhile. "A diamond is desired for its carat weight, for example, and a ruby for its color. Naturally, the rarity of a specific jewel also contributes to its worth. So a red diamond, given its scarcity, is a spectacularly expensive luxury to possess."[break][break]

He wouldn't hear the same greed her husband possessed imbued in her own explanations, however. Sparkling baubles of that nature had little charm for her. Often, they felt like mocking things, signifying a cold and hollow implication of adoration and cherishment.[break][break]

Gifts of jewelry set with ornate gemstones were more for the people who observed her, than for her. They spoke of his worth and of his supposed investment in the woman he allowed to showcase that worth.[break][break]

"I suppose my knowledge is that of a spectator, and not that of a craftsmen," she added with a shrug. "Although if you know of any jewelers, there is a commission I have been considering, to replace a ring I have lost."[break][break]

She'd long given up hope of every finding it again, not realizing where it had gathered dust elsewhere.[break][break]

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[attr="class","ooc"] howard slayte

[attr="class","pkmn"]

"Well, rarely do I get the opportunity to speak on the subject with an expert."[break][break]

A stray strand of blonde hair was tucked behind her ear at the unexpected praise, strangely flattered. She wasn't used to these little niche hobbies and interests getting positive attention in Rocket; truthfully, she usually kept them to herself, lest they invite potential mockery and derision.[break][break]

Being a woman who joined Rocket from a non-criminal background -- outside of toxicology and murder, anyway -- had always been a sore spot for her. Clawing past the low expectations of her peers had not been easy, but she had managed it.[break][break]

Though these days, Wo-chien and Tapu Fini both had bolstered that resume of infamy enough for those concerns to be behind her.[break][break]

"You raise an interesting point, however," she said, eyes briefly alight with sudden insight. "If the ring could be recovered, that would be preferred. It was a unique heirloom -- a poisoner's ring. If you'll humor me, I could give you its details, should you find it across your various networks."[break][break]

A moment's hesitation preceded her final decision to voice the clarifying information aloud.[break][break]

"I last saw it in a Lilycove hospital room. I was delivering flowers from Silph Co. to FERNANDO SILPH, after his... incident, almost two years ago."[break][break]

This was strictly true. It was not why she had gone to see him, but it was nonetheless true.[break][break]

"I have not seen it since."[break][break]

_SMAMUkf

[attr="class","ooc"] howard slayte

[attr="class","pkmn"]

"It's not a particularly interesting story," she hedged, her hand becoming even more lost in her loose blonde curls. "I used to deliver many flower arrangements in those days."[break][break]

She'd only given the full confession of those events to BARNABY FINCH. A partial confession, of sorts, had gone to MATIAS SILPH.[break][break]

Some aspects of that tale nonetheless had remained personal to her, and her alone.[break][break]

She still refused to think about what had happened with Silph in the Lunar New Year. As far as she was concerned, in this moment, it never happened. A trick of the moonlight, that was all.[break][break]

"The ring was my mother's," she said then, expression softening. "I had it altered to serve as a weapon. A golden rosette would unfurl, if you put pressure on the thorns of the ring just so, to reveal a poisonous needle."[break][break]

She mimed the movement with her hand, then laughed self-consciously, only then realizing how ridiculous the whole thing sounded.[break][break]

Realistically, she'd never see it again. She'd stopped thinking about it since... since the Avatarship, she supposed. Perhaps it was only now, with her full mental faculties returned to her, that she could dwell on such thoughts again.[break][break]

"I don't suppose you have any interest in such things yourself, beyond as a collector and acquirer of unusual goods?"[break][break]

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[attr="class","ooc"] howard slayte

[attr="class","pkmn"]

"You think so?" she stated with apparent surprise, watching as he gesticulated with grand, sweeping motions. He had a theatricality to him, she thought, but it seemed rude to say so. Although usually, rudeness didn't stop her from stating such opinions aloud. Not these days.[break][break]

This must have meant she liked Howard, she supposed.[break][break]

"I have made peace with the idea I likely won't be remembered," she said, shrugging off the idea, before a frown creased her brow. "Mm. No. I think the version of me that will be remembered will be someone else. Someone who is easier to hate, or easier to love. It depends on who gets permission to tell that story."[break][break]

History was imperfect, because humanity was imperfect. All chroniclers had their own agenda, she had decided. Kalos's journalists had taught her that. The League had only confirmed that reality for her.[break][break]

If she were to be honest, Rocket had taught her that too.[break][break]

"I've learned it's easier when you don't care how people perceive you. Everyone needs a villain in their story, or a damsel to save." Another shrug. "People will choose what's convenient to their own ends."[break][break]

Every person she'd ever met had a perspective of her that didn't match with her own self-image.[break][break]

Half the time, she didn't trust the perception of others she held either. kyle lopez had been right -- she was not skilled at reading people, not in the slightest.[break][break]

The concept of objectivity seemed impossible to her.[break][break]

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[attr="class","ooc"] howard slayte

[attr="class","pkmn"]

She laughed at him, brightly and not unkindly, entertained by his unexpected transformation from admin to jester. Oddly it made her fonder of him.[break][break]

His conviction on such an absurd matter was built on a fundamental misunderstanding of the world, but that didn't irritate her the way that the ideals of Naomi Sato and Isaac Merlo did. Nor did it grate and rankle like the self-righteousness of Cillian Quinn and others who disdained her state as a Ruinous Avatar.[break][break]

He didn't understand, that was all. He'd never been slandered by the world thoroughly enough to learn that the truth didn't matter.[break][break]

"Then perhaps you will be the one to write me down in history books, Admin Fox," she said, pacifying him with a non-answer. "I'd be curious to see what your version of the truth might be."[break][break]

For 'the truth' differed depending on the observer, always. Only one person in Hoenn knew her, truly knew her, in any way that mattered.[break][break]

BARNABY FINCH.[break][break]

She didn't care what anyone else thought. One person was luxury enough.[break][break]

vY0TqNhj

[attr="class","ooc"] howard slayte

[attr="class","pkmn"]

A breathless laugh and a shake of her head confirmed her indifference at his rendition of her. Curiosity was curiosity; it would be sated in the end, regardless of the part he'd have her play.[break][break]

Although something else he said fascinated her.[break][break]

"Do you always do that?" she inquired, studying him thoughtfully. "Assume victory, I mean."[break][break]

Surely a historian understood how commonplace loss was. Then again, his stance of surety was the same as the one MATIAS SILPH held. Confidence in winning, perhaps, was a required component in success.[break][break]

She'd always struggled with that mentality. It was easier to avoid losing, than to secure victory.[break][break]

"I think suffering is a given in all existence," she continued, crossing her arms. "Wo-chien gives me a glimpse of it in others, sometimes. It seems to be what binds all humanity together -- our capacity to be wounded and betrayed."[break][break]

The same could be said for other emotions -- love, for example, or joy -- but she struggled to see others from such a lens.[break][break]

Suffering felt real in a way other emotions didn't.[break][break]

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[attr="class","ooc"] howard slayte

[attr="class","pkmn"]