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POSTED ON Mar 27, 2024 19:15:15 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","twtgm"]

[attr="class","main"]

They meet up by the imposing facade of Blackstone Labs. Ivy grows up the side of the white stone where it hadn't before, small flowers growing in pavement-cracks and spotting the crater city with colour.[break][break]

"Thanks for coming."[break][break]

It's less formal than he would've been with another of Rocket's brass; for all they'd been through, THEO BECKETT was still one of his closest friends. The rift that had opened between them following the news of his relationship with Lulu Flint has had time to heal.[break][break]

Not that his sister was talking to him much, these days.[break][break]

The lab opens before the power of his access card, and they're permitted into the deepest levels. Cillian's personal lab, quiet with little use. He flicks on the lights, the buzz of their bulbs breaking the silence.[break][break]

"I need you to poison me."[break][break]

He'd told Theo to bring his Naganadel. He hadn't told him why.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","pkmn"][break]

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POSTED ON Mar 28, 2024 10:04:39 GMT

[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

[attr="class","becketttheoicon"]

"of course."

despite all they've been through, all the pain, strife, and what-ifs, cillian remains one of his closest friends, and there would never be a day when he would not heed their call.

their descent into the deepest levels of blackstone labs is made in relative silence, interrupted only by light footsteps. when silence finally breaks, his composure follows, accompanied by a soft chuckle.

"poison you?"

though it wouldn't be the first time, far from it, he still has to ask,

"why?"

[attr="class","underbossbecktag"]Cillian Quinn

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played by

thorn

the Harbinger

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.

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TAG WITH @gavin

POSTED ON Mar 28, 2024 10:51:55 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","twtgm"]

[attr="class","main"]

Not the first time, but the first he's given his consent.[break][break]

"I'm trying to build up an immunity."[break][break]

A weathered pokeball, abnormal among Cillian's collection of polished luxury balls, is pulled from his belt. From it emerges a Zubat that Theo might recognize, oddly, as the runt that had been given to one 'Gavin Merlino' as a grunt. As likely to survive as he had been, she'd pulled through and become the Crobat who'd assisted them in the attack on Pallet.[break][break]

The same Crobat who'd died in the Blackout of Slateport.[break][break]

She perches on his shoulder, drawn by the thrum of blood through the veins of his neck.[break][break]

"She has PURIFY. She's a failsafe if it goes too far, but I trust your judgement. I asked you, because I trust you'll ignore me if I tell you to end it early, and because I trust you'll know when you should."[break][break]

The toxin was agonizing. Though Cillian possessed incredible strength of will, Theo's efforts had reduced him to begging before. He suspects that this time, it would be threats and not pleas to leave his lips.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","pkmn"][break]

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noodles

beck

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thirty-eight

march 11th

cinnabar

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HIDING FROM THE SUN, WAITING FOR THE NIGHT TO COME.

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POSTED ON Mar 28, 2024 11:06:08 GMT

[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

[attr="class","becketttheoicon"]

building an immunity to poison is not unheard of; he had experimented on himself before, to an extent, having tested the varying effects; and it would not be the first time they've attempted as much. it would, however, be the first time he's been asked to.

the zubat is regarded with the softest of smiles as bittersweet as the era it survived. as a pokeball bursts open, a familiar bayleef joins it, its AROMATHERAPY wafting through the labs.

"do be sure to let lugia know you asked for this."

he fishes for the luxury ball that houses the naganadel gifted to him by cillian, though not before confirming,

"what species have you experimented with so far?"

[attr="class","underbossbecktag"]Cillian Quinn

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thorn

the Harbinger

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

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6'3" height

I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.

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POSTED ON Mar 28, 2024 11:41:18 GMT

jayden cross likes this

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Though eyeless, the Zubat seems to recognize Theo from presence alone. Cillian feels her shudder, realises that this memory of his fallen friend knows Beckett only as terrorizer and adversary. He reaches up to stroke a finger between her large ears, soothing her.[break][break]

"She knows," he says of Lugia, letting out a smoke-rough laugh. "Doesn't approve, mind, but she knows it's my choice and that you'll just be going along with it."[break][break]

It wasn't merely disapproval, but fear that had gripped their psychic connection when he'd explained to Lugia his plans. He supposed he couldn't blame her; she'd suffered such things first-hand beneath the Silver Spire, and knew both the pains and the risks. She was worried about him, he imagined, but too stubborn to say so plainly.[break][break]

"Nihilego, both by choice and by accident." He'd tried to kill priam conrad in the Deep Sea. "And I stepped on my Roserade's spike during an excursion. That's what brought this on." He gestures vaguely about the lab, 'this' seeming to refer to the dangerous scheme. "You know me, I get up close and personal when I fight. Would prefer not to have my own Pokemon as hazards to my health. If this goes well," Read: doesn't kill him, "then I plan to reach out to Fiorelli about her Nihilego, and to Neffatari Nzingha about my Breloom's Corrosion."[break][break]

But Theo, as the one he trusted most of his contacts specializing in poisons, had been the first.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","pkmn"][break]

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played by

noodles

beck

he/him

thirty-eight

march 11th

cinnabar

bisexual

human resources

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HIDING FROM THE SUN, WAITING FOR THE NIGHT TO COME.

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POSTED ON Mar 29, 2024 7:22:16 GMT

[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

[attr="class","becketttheoicon"]

more and more, theo has become increasingly aware of the true dangers of avatarship. whatever bond and history he has with cillian could very well mean nothing should lugia demand it. so, he knows better than to position himself as their enemy; yet he has done exactly that against Zev Harcourt.

tricky, but it is what it is.

"you fight carelessly," that much hasn't changed nor the way he chides with criticism but it does come off less harsh, blunted with care, "i appreciate being the first you asked."

the luxury ball is palmed and swapped for another, a poipole, that emerges in theo's orbit.

"we'll build up to it. poipole first."

[attr="class","underbossbecktag"]Cillian Quinn

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played by

thorn

the Harbinger

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.

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TAG WITH @gavin

POSTED ON Mar 29, 2024 15:52:07 GMT

Tempest Quinn likes this

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Lugia did not like THEO BECKETT. Hadn't liked Emma, either. Even Tempest Quinn had found the ice upon which he must walk dangerously thin around the shadowed legend. Cillian's certain she'd prefer him to remain unattached.[break][break]

Taking no offense to Beckett's criticism, Cillian offers a dry smirk.[break][break]

"I fight offensively." He'd been more careful in Kanto. Avatarship, power, they'd come together to embolden him. He was faster than most with the MIASMA's blessing. "And I'm not dead yet."[break][break]

A slow breath is released when the POIPOLE is sent out, his nerves beginning to fray as the moment draws close at hand. But he is brave as well as reckless, and he sits back in the chair he'd prepared. It's clearly meant for test subjects, judging by the straps. Cillian starts pulling them tight on one side, explaining, "I'd probably try to kill you. I did Priam, and he wasn't even the one who poisoned me." A grimace, regret plain enough. "You'll need to get the rest."[break][break]

If he hadn't realised it before, the fact that Cillian was allowing Beckett to trap him, alone and away from his legendary Guardian, was more proof than anything of the trust between them.[break][break]

"Where'd you get the Poipole?"[break][break]

He tries not to think of what its stinger will feel like.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","pkmn"][break]

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beck

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thirty-eight

march 11th

cinnabar

bisexual

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HIDING FROM THE SUN, WAITING FOR THE NIGHT TO COME.

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POSTED ON Apr 2, 2024 4:49:12 GMT

[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

[attr="class","becketttheoicon"]

yet, he wants to say, the word hanging on the tip of his tongue, but he decides against it, finding no use in further criticism. Cillian Quinn had fought more cautiously in kanto but they lacked the experience and power they currently wield. so, the change is only natural. he only hopes they are aware of their limits.

"i stole an egg from the deep sea and hatched it here," he explains while securing the straps around the underboss' limbs, "it's grown fond of me because of it, i believe." because the poipole knows no other maternal or parental figure.

once secured, theo takes a step back, replaced by poipole as the poison-type curiously hovers around cillian. softly, it almost seems to be giggling in excitement.

"brace yourself."

without further warning, the poipole POISON JABS its stinger into the underboss.

[attr="class","underbossbecktag"]Cillian Quinn

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thorn

the Harbinger

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

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6'3" height

I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.

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POSTED ON Apr 2, 2024 20:09:45 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","twtgm"]

[attr="class","main"]

"Hm. So did I, but mine hatched a Nihilego."[break][break]

It had proved a clingy creature, as though anxious about this foreign world in much the same way its native Deep Sea unsettled Cillian so.[break][break]

Theo steps back, his giggling Poipole occupying the space in his stead.[break][break]

"Don't sound too eager to stab me," he chides, deflecting his anxiety with dry humour. He does his best to relax, bracing himself mentally more than physically so as not to injure himself by tensing the wrong muscles.[break][break]

That goes out the window as soon as the Poipole's stinger burrows in.
[break][break]
"Fff- uuuck."[break][break]

Cillian shudders as he feels the poison burn through his bloodstream. His veins pulse a deep purple in the path of it; a testament to how much corruption has previously built up within the underbosses system.[break][break]

To that end, he does not succumb immediately as many would. He breathes through his nose, sweat beading on his brow as he focuses on enduring the pain. The longer he could endure, the better his immune system could respond, right? He can feel the anger building, however, jaw clenching hard as he's overwhelmed with the desire to strangle Beckett for all the other underboss has put him through.[break][break]

Thank Arceus he could do nothing but flex his fingers in want of a soft throat to crush.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","pkmn"][break]

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beck

he/him

thirty-eight

march 11th

cinnabar

bisexual

human resources

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829 height

HIDING FROM THE SUN, WAITING FOR THE NIGHT TO COME.

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POSTED ON Apr 3, 2024 7:19:16 GMT

[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

[attr="class","becketttheoicon"]

knowledge comes at a cost; it always has and it always will; the acceptance of which makes it easier to watch the underboss react to the poison, somehow able to resist the damning effects of it. to an extent, at least.

"hm."

his thoughts wander as curiosity gets the better of him. how much could Cillian Quinn resist? the flexing of their fingers suggests some semblance of control and will. he wonders, then, if they could somehow neutralize the effects.

he steps closer, leaning down to level their gaze. he calls back to their past,

"do better, merlino."

[attr="class","underbossbecktag"]Cillian Quinn

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thorn

the Harbinger

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.

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8,591 posts

DOLLARS

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TAG WITH @gavin

POSTED ON Apr 3, 2024 13:28:01 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","twtgm"]

[attr="class","main"]

Oh, hell no.[break][break]

Amber eyes flash warning as THEO BECKETT mocks him. Trapped as he was, defenseless, it's all too easy to slip back into that old Kanto mindset.[break][break]

Only he doesn't. He bares his teeth in a snarl.[break][break]

"Watch it, Beckett," is growled, rough. "I'm still in here enough to knock you the fuck out when I get free."[break][break]

Unfortunately, rather than bolstering his resistance, the spark of anger serves to drive him closer to the edge. He closes his eyes and breathes in, sharp, hoping that blocking out the image of his mentor might still the murderous rage.[break][break]

It helps. Not the pain — that only gets worse. But the burning fury abates after several seconds.[break][break]

He shudders.[break][break]

"Probably not a great idea to piss me off," is advised, more level. "That's what the toxin does. Lowers inhibitions. Heightens rage. Unless you're trying to sabotage me. Fuckin' hope not."[break][break]

His laugh is rough with pain.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","pkmn"][break]

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played by

noodles

beck

he/him

thirty-eight

march 11th

cinnabar

bisexual

human resources

underboss

829 height

HIDING FROM THE SUN, WAITING FOR THE NIGHT TO COME.

awards

5,755 posts

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TAG WITH @theo

POSTED ON Apr 4, 2024 4:20:43 GMT

[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

[attr="class","becketttheoicon"]

the hearkening to their past is followed by a ghost of a smile, one that betrays the tough and ruthless exterior he attempts to uphold now, in the dim of the laboratory.

"thought it might help stave off the effects."

he thought incorrectly.

bayleef's hum calls an AROMATHERAPY into the space, gently wafting to ease the pain and the effects of the toxin.

"how are you feeling?"

ever so curious, poipole hovers closer, as though preparing to sting once more.

"again?"

[attr="class","underbossbecktag"]Cillian Quinn

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played by

thorn

the Harbinger

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

underboss

6'3" height

I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.

awards

8,591 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @gavin

POSTED ON Apr 6, 2024 12:45:31 GMT

Tempest Quinn likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","twtgm"]

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More than the provocation, Theo's smile seems to help. Though he manages only a pained grimace when he tries to return it with his own, Cillian can feel the building fury toward his friend abate at the flicker of softness.[break][break]

A reminder that they were more than mentor and subordinate. He'd loved this man, once. Did still, though not in the way he once had. Tempest Quinn was perfect for him, fulfilled needs both emotional and physical, and the longing Cillian had once felt for Beckett has subsided into the deep, warm affection one felt for a lifelong friend.[break][break]

"Needs positivity, I think. Happy thoughts."[break][break]

His laugh, too, is strained with discomfort and agony.[break][break]

"Like shit," he reports, "but not like I want to bash your head in, so that's good." He absolutely does not want to be stung again, but, "Yeah. Go for it."

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]THEO BECKETT

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noodles

beck

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thirty-eight

march 11th

cinnabar

bisexual

human resources

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HIDING FROM THE SUN, WAITING FOR THE NIGHT TO COME.

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POSTED ON Apr 8, 2024 11:04:49 GMT

[attr="class","becketttheobg"]

[attr="class","becketttheotxt"]

[attr="class","becketttheoicon"]

those feelings remain for him, too; the fondness, the warmth, the love; they are different than what they once were, but they remain, solidified into a foundation that will stand the test of time. with instability all around them, he values what they have, relying on their stability in many ways.

which is why he has yet to approach Cillian Quinn about their avatarship the same way he has others.

with a nod and a click, poipole's POISON JAB finds purchase once again, poison seeping into the underboss' body.

"happy thoughts," he mutters, "think happy thoughts."

[attr="class","underbossbecktag"]Cillian Quinn

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thorn

the Harbinger

he/him

october 28th

circhester, galar

demisexual

the harbinger

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6'3" height

I want corruption, I think I'm the devil in disguise.

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DOLLARS

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