A Fable Agreed Upon [S]

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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played by

dreamflower

she/her
27
December 12
Anistar City, Kalos
Bisexual
Blacksmith, bladesmith
Associate
Art is risk
Tempered by wisdom
5'7"/170 cm height
5'7"/170 cm height
A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.
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Aurelie Lefevre
A Fable Agreed Upon [S]
POSTED ON Mar 29, 2024 23:32:30 GMT
Aurelie Lefevre Avatar
[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]History gives answers only to those
who know how to ask questions.
[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Though she had encountered a few times by now in both peaceful and tumultuous settings, Aurelie still couldn't say that she knew the admin-archaeologist very well. Not his hobbies, not his preferences, not even his schedule. If she wanted his help, she knew she had to appeal to him in some way, and she simply didn't have any jade statues or rare urns lying around to bribe him with.

And want his help she did, for the things that Aurelie did know about Howard were that he seemed friendly and sensible, and his expertise in and passion for history were unquestionable. Who better to ask for help researching the enigmatic Calyrex whose unexpected request had baffled her so?

One other thing she did remember about him, though, was her impression that Howard was perpetually hungry. Hungry for knowledge, hungry for money, hungry for stability, but also hungry for food. While Aurelie couldn't do much about most of those hungers, she figured she could address that last one.

So it was that one late afternoon, the red-haired smith knocked on the door to the admin's office while bearing a covered porcelain dish. From beneath the cover radiated wisps of savory aromas, redolent of seafood, tomatoes, garlic, and herbs. She raised her voice hopefully.

"Hello? Admin Slayte?" Aurelie called through the office door. "I'd like to ask a favor, if you have some free time to help out.

"I know you're an impressive scholar of history, so I figured you would be the best person to ask about Calyrex, any historical information about it, any legends or lore surrounding it, and any reason why it'd ask for a custom-made saddle and shield. If that's all right with you, of course."


A smooth enough beginning, she thought.

"Uh, and if you're interested..." Now, Aurelie floundered a little. How did one diplomatically bring up a bribe? "Can I interest you in some of my homemade bouillabaisse stew? It's got fresh clams, shrimp, red snapper, and grouper." But no saffron—just turmeric instead, she thought with a sigh.

Rallying valiantly, the redhead added, "Also, plenty of warm crusty bread from the bakery!"

The bouillabaisse was her own recipe, one of her favorite (relatively) quick go-to meals when cooking for herself. Aurelie hoped it would be enough to at least win her an hour or so of Howard's time to unravel the mystery of the Calyrex.

She looked warily over her shoulder, wondering if any Rockets might overhear her clumsy attempt at trading culinary favors for knowledge—or, even more embarrassingly, if the Calyrex would appear to stare at her in that eerie way it had...

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]


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

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played by

Magnetic

Admin Fox
He/Him
28
May 9th
Rustboro City
Bisexual
Archaeologist
Rocket Admin
An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.
Single
5'9 (with hat) height
5'9 (with hat) height
The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.
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3,409 posts
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howard slayte
A Fable Agreed Upon [S]
POSTED ON Apr 3, 2024 21:07:26 GMT
howard slayte Avatar
For the third time this week, Howard Slayte thought about setting 's office on fire.

Barnaby had returned from his birdwatching adventure, submitted a report, and had returned to his traditional admin duties. What he hadn't done was come back to Howard's office to pick up the leftover work. Instead, he seemed to have forgotten about it. Signing off on grunt pay, various executive orders, requests from the higher ups, Barnaby had been content to add his own work on top of Howard's and forget about him.

At this point, it was par for the course. It simply meant that Howard would have to find a way to get his revenge. Murder would be ideal, but Barnaby likely had insane wizard powers like lighting Howard on fire with his mind. Instead, he'd have to bide his time.

Patience was a virtue, not a sin.

"Aurelie?" The admin's eyes were glazed over by the time he finally looked up from his desk. His office looked more like a museum than a productive place of work. Rich tapestries and paintings and swords and fossils gleamed. A Relicanth in a fish tank stared beadily at the smith, before swimming away. "Take a seat, please."

Hopefully Calyrex didn't need a chair. Howard rubbed his eyes, which quickly turned from dead and vacant to bright and sparkly as he saw what Aurelie had brought him. He quickly tamped down on his excitement as he gave the smith a look.

"To clarify," he steepled his hands as his eye darted from Calyrex to its retainer. "To make this absolutely clear: you're asking me for my advice on a historical matter. Not only that, but you brought me food. This isn't a trick? Did Admin Delaney put you up to this?"

He seemed incredulous, as if it were too good to be true.



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played by

dreamflower

she/her
27
December 12
Anistar City, Kalos
Bisexual
Blacksmith, bladesmith
Associate
Art is risk
Tempered by wisdom
5'7"/170 cm height
5'7"/170 cm height
A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.
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1,233 posts
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TAG WITH @aurelie
Aurelie Lefevre
A Fable Agreed Upon [S]
POSTED ON Apr 5, 2024 22:42:42 GMT
Aurelie Lefevre Avatar
[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]History gives answers only to those
who know how to ask questions.
[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie entered the admin's office happily, if also wide-eyed with astonishment at how much his office felt like another world entirely. Amidst the paintings and tapestries, the fossils and statues, she felt like she'd just entered the halls of a fantasy palace—or perhaps the tomb of one of those ancient kings who wanted to take it all with them. It was breathtaking and impressive.

At the same time, she simply couldn't imagine how he got any work done in an office like that.

Judging from Howard's worn-out expression and tired, vacant eyes, though, he certainly had been getting work done, and more of it than he probably liked. The change in his expression when he heard her request and smelled the food she'd brought was encouraging, to say the least. Far from being angry or offended, he looked like a man who couldn't believe his luck.

"Is it so hard to believe, Admin Slayte?" the red-haired smith asked with what she fondly imagined was a disarming smile, as she sat down in the indicated chair. She carefully set the covered dish on his desk, nudging aside an antique leaf-shaped bronze dagger to make space.

"I need your expertise, just as you needed mine when you first entered my shop a few months ago with your Gigaton ball," she explained, spreading her hands wide. "But while you had 'a whole lot of money' to pay me with..."

She curled her fingers into little air quotes for emphasis.

"Well, I don't," Aurelie concluded. "But I do like to cook! And you look like a man who appreciates the finer things in life." She looked pointedly around the treasures arrayed around his office.

Pressing her hands together briskly, she then let her one eye meet his across the desk piled with papers, reports, folders, and writing utensils in a dozen different colors. "I'm familiar with some history, especially military history, but I'm an absolute ignoramus when it comes to Pokemon lore and knowledge. And when it comes to Calyrex..."

Aurelie nodded to her left to indicate the king Pokemon, only to groan and shake her head when she saw only empty air there. "Ugh! I could've sworn he was floating around behind me a few minutes ago. He's worse than a ghost!

"And possibly just as hard to find factual, credible accounts about, too,"
the red-haired smith concluded. "So, yes, Admin, this is very real. Food for a history lecture—that's the bargain. My only caveat is that I'd like to share the stew and bread with you when we eat."

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]


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

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played by

Magnetic

Admin Fox
He/Him
28
May 9th
Rustboro City
Bisexual
Archaeologist
Rocket Admin
An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.
Single
5'9 (with hat) height
5'9 (with hat) height
The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.
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3,409 posts
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howard slayte
A Fable Agreed Upon [S]
POSTED ON Apr 11, 2024 4:23:51 GMT
howard slayte Avatar
If by the 'finer things in life', Aurelie meant smoking, spending paychecks on artifacts, silently hating his life, and playing Varoom Kart 64, then Howard fit that definition flawlessly.

"Luckily, I'm also a man who barely cooks." Not a lie, but not the truth. Years of college, piles of degrees, and a decade of poverty had taught the admin much about scrimping on a budget and sacrificing quality for quantity. His years of wandering Unova's deserts, Sinnoh's icy wastes, and Kalos's eastern mountains had taught him much about cooking.

It was either that or starve, and starving disagreed with Howard. He much preferred a full belly to dying in a ditch in some forgotten corner of a nameless waste.

"Aurelie, you can't call that a caveat. You're asking me to do what I love. If anything, you're helping me."

The admin stood up and frowned as Calyrex vanished, before his gaze focused on the smith.

"If you'll give me a moment, I can clear off this desk and we'll eat. I'll explain as I do so." Aurelie's smile worked, and the admin plucked the bronze dagger, twirling it as he placed it in a drawer. In the corner, a jade statue given to the admin by glimmered. "Plus I can get some tea simmering, if you wish. New import of leaves from Johto came in last week.

As he spoke, various knickknacks were deposited into cases and placed on shelves and in cabinets, each piece could sell for enough to finance Aurelie's forging operations for a month. Despite his destitute nature, Howard's policies had brought much wealth into Rocket. He was good at accumulating money, but spending it on himself? Not so much.

Letting food spill on his precious collection would be a betrayal of his passion. It'd be like using pig iron to forge a sword.

"First thing's first. You're familiar with Calyrex's barrier, right?" Howard said as he put a gold bar from Lumiose City Mint into a desk drawer. "And its imperial decree?"

"None shall dynamax in the capitol while this barrier stands."

Thud. Howard placed a chunk of Dynite Ore in front of the smith. Thud. A small Wishing Star much like one affixed to a Dynamax Band followed.

"You're aware of what these are? Maybe through attempting to forge them or otherwise? The League had a grip on Dynite Ore recently, but their grip has slackened."

Through his designs, mostly. Howard had excavation teams working across Hoenn in an attempt to rend as much material from the earth as possible.



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played by

dreamflower

she/her
27
December 12
Anistar City, Kalos
Bisexual
Blacksmith, bladesmith
Associate
Art is risk
Tempered by wisdom
5'7"/170 cm height
5'7"/170 cm height
A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.
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1,233 posts
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TAG WITH @aurelie
Aurelie Lefevre
A Fable Agreed Upon [S]
POSTED ON Apr 12, 2024 20:26:25 GMT
Aurelie Lefevre Avatar
[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]History gives answers only to those
who know how to ask questions.
[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie raised an eyebrow skeptically when Howard claimed he almost never cooked. For someone so money-conscious, she thought surely he probably had to cook at least a little, if only because ordering delivery or eating at restaurants was so cost-ineffective compared to cooking at home. For now, she didn't press the issue, though she did make a mental note to follow up later about it.

Instead, she beamed when the admin agreed to share the stew and even offered her some tea from Johto. "Thank you so much, I'd love some tea. And uhh, I guess, you're welcome for the chance to talk history and lore?" she hazarded, regarding Howard quizzically.

"Well, I suppose it's not so different from when someone actually lets me chatter on at them about metalworking," the redhead reflected, watching him reorganize relics with growing wonder. She had to forcibly pull her gaze away from the gold bar as he began putting it away.

Taking the cover off the dish, she pulled out two small bowls from her bag, as well as the paper bag of long, thin, crispy Kalosian bread. As she ladled stew into a bowl and pushed it toward the admin, Aurelie cocked her head to one side intently when the admin brought up Calyrex and its barrier.

"I remember its decree about the barrier," the red-haired smith replied hesitantly, "and about Dynamaxing in Sootopolis. And I remember reading a news article about a similar barrier like that showing up elsewhere in Hoenn. In Ever Grande City, I want to say...?"

Then, she trailed off and her jaw dropped when Howard laid a pair of objects on the desk that made her eye bulge with astonishment. "I...how...wait...what?" Aurelie spluttered. "Those were real? You have these?"

It's been five years at least since I last worked with one of these, a part of her mind whispered, as she reached out gingerly to touch the chunk of Dynite ore. The mental voice was faint and distant, the memory foggy.

But she remembered, still, smelting and hammering this ore into a usable metal and how it bent and twisted capriciously under her hammer as she forged it into a band.

Lifting her gaze to meet Howard's across the desk, she hastened to explain, "I have seen these before! But in a...a dream. A long time ago. I didn't know these were in Hoenn.

"But..."
Aurelie caught her breath at the implications. "Calyrex was in that dream too. This Calyrex. And I suppose the Calyrex who existed in that dream—it would have reason to fear and abhor Dynamaxed creatures, which would explain why it set up this barrier here and now."

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]


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

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played by

Magnetic

Admin Fox
He/Him
28
May 9th
Rustboro City
Bisexual
Archaeologist
Rocket Admin
An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.
Single
5'9 (with hat) height
5'9 (with hat) height
The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.
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3,409 posts
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howard slayte
A Fable Agreed Upon [S]
POSTED ON Apr 19, 2024 7:41:39 GMT
howard slayte Avatar
The dream. It all came back to the dream of Galar. It was a frustrating realization, given that there was no way for Howard to verify its existence, beyond the specter that haunted Aurelie. In a sense, Howard was glad that the dream had occurred, as it had enlightened many and given them purpose in life, and yet...

...almost every person who came out of that dream was changed, for better or worse.

"This, my lovely smith..." Howard tapped his desk with his knuckle. As he spoke, his voice became more professional. "Is Dynite Ore, a type of metal impacted by the raw power of Eternatus. The League's been mining it for a while, but I've been pulling it from the Ancient Tomb. My family had a stake in Rustboro's mining sector before it dried up, and the experience has proven useful. It sells for a lot on the black market, and I have a few containers of it shipping off from Lilycove. We will not want for supply."

Supply. Demand. Logistics. There were those in Rocket capable of awesome feats of power, but Howard controlled the pulse of supplies. Sootopolis would become the heart that pumped dangerous goods throughout the region, and gold and wealth would fill their coffers.

When the time was right, that heart would stop beating by Rocket's will alone.

"I'm showing you this because Calyrex's barrier has dulled its power. If you were to take this chunk out of Sootopolis, it'd thrum with more power. It's quite annoying, as my golem isn't as powerful within the city now that the barrier is up. This means Calyrex is stopping the flow of Dynergy, not just Dynamax. Our Dynamax Bands will not work, nor will any Power Spots."

Despite that, the admin didn't have a band affixed to his wrist as he dangled a spoon between his fingers. For one so invested in the workings of a god, he seemed to refrain from touching it. Likely wise, given Eternatus's corrupting influence from Galar's dream.

His eye brightened as he tried Aurelie's dish. His eye visibly sparkled for a moment, before he pondered the smith's question.

"Delicious." Howard put the spoon down and frowned as he contemplated something. "Calyrex's barrier will not be enough."

He said it with the casualness of a man foretelling the weather, as if it were a simple observation, though ultimately inconsequential.



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played by

dreamflower

she/her
27
December 12
Anistar City, Kalos
Bisexual
Blacksmith, bladesmith
Associate
Art is risk
Tempered by wisdom
5'7"/170 cm height
5'7"/170 cm height
A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.
awards
1,233 posts
part of
TAG WITH @aurelie
Aurelie Lefevre
A Fable Agreed Upon [S]
POSTED ON Apr 22, 2024 23:33:25 GMT
Aurelie Lefevre Avatar
[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]History gives answers only to those
who know how to ask questions.
[attr="class","aurelie_body"]It took Aurelie a moment to realize she was somehow on her feet now in front of Howard's desk, staring down at the Dynite ore. She didn't even remember standing up or pushing her chair back. The revelation that the Dynite ore accessible in their world was the same as the Dynite ore from dream-Galar—and that Howard possessed some of it—had clearly flabbergasted her utterly.

I guess I'm lucky that Admin Slayte didn't interpret me jumping to my feet like that as an aggressive move, Aurelie reflected. Some underbosses in Rocket probably would've lashed out if they thought she was threatening them. Either she simply didn't come across as aggressive, or Howard understood her better than she thought.

"I'd heard a little bit about the Dynamaxing phenomenon and the Power Spots in Hoenn," she replied slowly, forcing herself to pull her chair back and sit down again. "Mostly the effects. Colossal Pokemon twenty feet high stomping through cities and so on.

"But I didn't know we had some, in Rocket. It's like..."
She trailed off for a moment and let out a self-deprecating snort, before continuing, "It's like a dream come true. Except I don't also have a billion Pokedollars in the bank and a harem of gorgeous men and women at my beck and call."

The red-haired smith unthinkingly reached out to pick up the chunk of ore, before catching herself just in time to pause and look up questioningly at the admin. "Can I...examine it more closely? I've worked with it before, but only in dream-Galar, a long time ago."

A pleased little smile stole across her face when the admin complimented the stew. Absently, she tore herself a chunk of bread and dipped it in her own bowl, before taking a meditative bite.

"What do you mean Calyrex's barrier won't be enough, though?" she asked, her eye wide as she listened to him. "Enough for what?

"You mean it won't be enough to prevent Dynamaxing entirely? Or prevent the flow of Dynergy into Sootopolis? Or it won't be enough to protect Rocket?"
She bit off another piece of bread, saturated with rich seafood and tomato flavors, and swallowed thoughtfully. "Or do you mean the barrier will fail entirely at some point?"

Aurelie exhaled sharply at this thought, uncertain how to feel about it. Unlike Howard and his Regice, or the trainers in Rocket and League alike who could utilize Dynamaxing, Calyrex's barrier was neither a help nor a hindrance to her. Its absence probably would feel the same, though she supposed she might think differently if dangerous swarms of Dynamaxed Pokemon started rampaging through Sootopolis.

"To be honest, I never even knew Calyrex could even create barriers like this, let alone such a unique barrier," she admitted sheepishly. "I thought it was just a friendly royal Pokemon that caused good harvests and kept Galar safe."

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]


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

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played by

Magnetic

Admin Fox
He/Him
28
May 9th
Rustboro City
Bisexual
Archaeologist
Rocket Admin
An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.
Single
5'9 (with hat) height
5'9 (with hat) height
The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.
awards
3,409 posts
part of
TAG WITH @magnetic
howard slayte
A Fable Agreed Upon [S]
POSTED ON Apr 24, 2024 6:07:12 GMT
howard slayte Avatar
"I wish I had a billion in the bank. That'd be nice."

Howard's voice was dreamy as he imagined being able to pay his electric bill. That hadn't been an issue since he moved to Dewford Town, but the trauma of paying utilities was one that the admin constantly thought of. As he mused, a nameless grunt walked in with a Kalosian tea set. She set it on the table, whispered a word into Howard's ear, and left the office.

The joys of having grunts at his beck and call was something that Howard loved dearly. Luxury was the spice of life, and Howard's life needed a bit of spicing up.

"As I was saying," he shook off dreams of wealth and harems, "the barrier will not be enough. Dynergy is still flowing. Regice can still move within the city, which makes me suspect that other entities can as well. Eternatus was in that dream, I've heard. You're familiar with Eternatus?"

It was hard to forget. The shadow it had cast over Galar in that dream had turned a dream full of light into a nightmare. It was the ouroboros that threatened to devour the sun, given form. If Howard had seen it in its glory, he would've ran, hid, or fell to his knees to die.

He did not want to know which option he would choose.

"Aurelie." He stared at her. Not as Howard Slayte, not as Admin Fox, but as the third person. The purveyor of the yesterday's memoirs, who cared about humanity as a collective but could not recall the names of each individual. Not the historian who wept as he chronicled the deaths of thousands, but as the archivist who simply noted the event and moved on.

The gaze of a man who was firmly committed to his ideal. He spread his hands to let Aurelie inspect the chunk of ore.

"Do you truly think Calyrex can stop that alone?" His one eye bore into hers, an intersecting of insights and perspectives. "Calyrex is a king, but what is a king to a god?"

He rose to look at the map of Hoenn that extended behind his desk. Such a massive region, and it would fall like weeds in a hurricane if Eternatus roused itself.

"Your ignorance is understandable, but it is now insufficient." He said as he looked at the map. "It is the king that Galar needed to survive Eternatus. You ask what I know of Calyrex, and the honest answer is little. It is whispered of in storybooks and fairy tales, meant to amuse rather than instruct. Yet what little we have on it is myth. If you dilute myth, you will eventually get fact."

Even if what little fact they had was hardly helpful.

"A king is only as mighty as its subjects."



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played by

dreamflower

she/her
27
December 12
Anistar City, Kalos
Bisexual
Blacksmith, bladesmith
Associate
Art is risk
Tempered by wisdom
5'7"/170 cm height
5'7"/170 cm height
A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.
awards
1,233 posts
part of
TAG WITH @aurelie
Aurelie Lefevre
A Fable Agreed Upon [S]
POSTED ON May 1, 2024 3:15:53 GMT
Aurelie Lefevre Avatar
[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]History gives answers only to those
who know how to ask questions.
[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie turned the piece of Dynite ore over and around in her hands, marveling at its texture and weight and how it caught the light. Her memories of dream-Galar were so dim and distant now that they hardly counted as memories, more just as facts about herself. She knew she had worked with the ore, but she couldn't picture it in her head, couldn't summon emotions over it.

But the ore didn't feel new to her, either. It felt familiar, like something she had seen and touched a long time ago. How did that work? How did the mind and memory even function like this?

She was so focused on the ore that she didn't even look up when a fellow grunt came into the admin's office with the tea set, though she did sniff the delicate, soothing fragrance of the tea appreciatively. However, when Howard spoke her name, she did look up. Something in his tone captured her attention and filled her with alarm.

"Eternatus," she sighed aloud, listening to Howard's lecture. "I thought of it too, especially when Calyrex spoke of a familiar foe. But..." She hesitated and pursed her lips in thought.

"I thought you meant Calyrex's barrier would fail of its own accord eventually. Or that Calyrex might choose to take it down itself," she mused aloud. "I know Eternatus is a god and an absolutely terrifying one, but I mean..."

The red-haired smith gestured widely, with one hand nearly making potentially disastrous contact with the lovely Kalosian teapot the other grunt had just brought. "I mean, Eternatus was in the dream, yes, but the dream wasn't...it wasn't really real, not like you and me here in this office real."

She stopped herself at this point, her face flushing in sudden realization. After all, Calyrex had been in that dream too, and now it was here. Certainly as real as anything else. Maybe the Eternatus too...?

"And sure, Eternatus is in...well, it is the Ultra Deep Sea too," Aurelie went on, more slowly and nervously. "But there's surely no way it could traverse the rift to get from there to here, is there? It doesn't have the ability to do that, does it?"

She hesitated at the last question, her voice trailing off. An unwelcome image of the skeletal dragon flying through an interdimensional rift entered her mind and lingered, refusing to dissipate. The red-haired smith swallowed hard.

"I...I'm sorry that's not much about history," she said apologetically. "Kings, gods... Is there any mention of Eternatus in historical records? How they survived it? Fought it, maybe?"

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]


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played by

Magnetic

Admin Fox
He/Him
28
May 9th
Rustboro City
Bisexual
Archaeologist
Rocket Admin
An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.
Single
5'9 (with hat) height
5'9 (with hat) height
The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.
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3,409 posts
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howard slayte
A Fable Agreed Upon [S]
POSTED ON May 6, 2024 6:03:56 GMT
howard slayte Avatar
"Do you really think a god can be held back by something as trivial as a rift?"

Eternatus? One of the four born from Arceus's egg, presumably on the level of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina? All three could wander between the boundaries of the world like they were nonexistent. They were the strongest entities in existence, and nothing could compare.

In moments like this, Howard's faith threatened to shake. How was mankind supposed to stop something like this? How could they manage to wage war against a god that could rip the world apart? Hoenn and Galar had subdued Eternatus with their own weapons, but Eternatus had lived, and it seemed to be a bigger threat than ever before.

"A dream can be just as real as you or me. Dreams guide us all. They're the foundation of what makes us... us. Both unconscious dreams and the dreams that guide us." Aurelie seemed so out of water with this. She was a humble smith who forged. She followed her dream and passion, and she had been entrusted with a shade and an order that could determine the fate of the world.

Poor girl. It didn't seem fair. It was best if he tried to raise her spirits. Seeing her mood dour made the admin feel guilty.

"Yes. There are records, but they're not particularly helpful. What we know is that it is the source of Dynamax and the Wishing Stars that dot Hoenn and Galar, but as for tools, I'm glad you asked..." Howard smiled as he played with his fork. Aurelie's reflection glimmered in shining silver. "We have one. Regice."

The admin's eye widened as he tried the bread.

"Delish~" After realizing how embarrassing that reaction was, Howard desperately tried not to choke. He chewed the bread and swallowed. "Ignore that."

Every second, he could feel his credit as a Rocket Admin going down the drain.

"Hoenn's Legendary Giants fought Eternatus to a standstill. I have one. The other four have been located over the past few years. As for their current locations..." Howard shrugged. "I do not know."



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played by

dreamflower

she/her
27
December 12
Anistar City, Kalos
Bisexual
Blacksmith, bladesmith
Associate
Art is risk
Tempered by wisdom
5'7"/170 cm height
5'7"/170 cm height
A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.
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1,233 posts
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Aurelie Lefevre
A Fable Agreed Upon [S]
POSTED ON May 9, 2024 21:57:22 GMT
Aurelie Lefevre Avatar
[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]History gives answers only to those
who know how to ask questions.
[attr="class","aurelie_body"]At Howard's question about gods and rifts, Aurelie restrained herself with difficulty from throwing her hands up in the air in futility. "So, a rift can't stop Eternatus. Calyrex can't stop Eternatus. It being only a dream can't stop Eternatus! What can stop it, then?"

In an aggravated gesture, she ran both hands rapidly through her hair, tousling and rumpling it into an unkempt jumble of short red tresses. "Ugh! I can't even grasp it all. Gods and kings and legends and..."

Burying her face in her hands, Aurelie grumbled, in an uncanny echo of Howard's own thoughts, "This is all above my paygrade. I deal with iron and steel—or other metals if I have to—not gods and monsters. This is stuff for the Rocket Boss and underbosses.

"And the admins, like you, Howard. Admin Slayte. Admin Fox. Whatever."
Raising her head, she glanced over at him and asked wonderingly, "How do you stand it?

"I'm sure it must be very exciting, seeing and hearing all these historically important things happening. But...surely even you must sometimes think some things are better left in old dusty history book pages and not in current events."


She fell silent as he tried to offer a few crumbs of optimism and hope, including his mention of his own Legendary, the ice golem Regice. The fact that it and its fellow giants had successfully fought Eternatus in the distant past was news to her, as reflected in her wide-eyed, thoughtful expression.

At least, his offering of information helped restore Aurelie's appetite. Picking up her bowl, she scooped another helping of seafood stew and broth into her mouth. Though it had cooled slightly during their conversation, the tender, flaky fish was still delicious amidst the rich, savory flavors of tomatoes, garlic, and herbs.

As the red-haired smith set the bowl back onto the desk, her single eye narrowed in sudden surmise. "I suppose...it's possible Rocket might have another weapon in our arsenal. Sort of. Assuming dreams can be trusted."

Looking over at the teapot, she elaborated, "There's Necrozma. It showed up in the Galarian dream and fought Eternatus. But..." A shiver rippled through her as she thought of its chosen partner, the Rocket Beast Zev Harcourt.

If only Necrozma weren't in the hands of someone I'm much less comfortable having any faith in than Howard, she reflected. Though I don't know who would be the right hands for an alien being like that.

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]


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

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played by

Magnetic

Admin Fox
He/Him
28
May 9th
Rustboro City
Bisexual
Archaeologist
Rocket Admin
An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.
Single
5'9 (with hat) height
5'9 (with hat) height
The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.
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3,409 posts
part of
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howard slayte
A Fable Agreed Upon [S]
POSTED ON May 17, 2024 2:16:24 GMT
howard slayte Avatar
Upon the mention of Necrozma, the admin choked on his bread. After a momentary coughing fit, he regained his composure. When his airway was cleared of the foodstuff, he quickly corrected Aurelie.

"Do not put faith in Necrozma's chosen. He is unreliable."

Calling the Devourer unreliable and leaving it at that felt like a disservice to the threat that the man was, but there was little to be done. He could not be removed from Rocket. He could not be killed. He could not be locked away. All they could hope for was a world where put him six feet under.

The admin spooned some stew into his bread and let it sit, akin to a trencher. He tore off a piece of bread and dipped it into the stew, reveling in the smith's cooking. It was certainly better than stealing dollar store ramen that he couldn't afford.

"But you are correct, Necrozma is a tool. It has the potential to succeed where many other entities in our world will fail. But it's not a victory you should be satisfied with. If Eternatus falls, Necrozma will simply take up its mantle. Hoenn must be defended by those loyal to it, not something with outside interests."

Which was why the idea of relying on the bosses and underbosses amused Howard so. He wished that those who stood at the top of Rocket would agree on policy, but that seemed unlikely. Aurelie was right. They were playing with something far beyond their comprehension. They were human, and yet were being forced into a war of the divine.

It was not fair. Which was why...

"I don't stand it." He said quietly. "I just do, and hope that my actions matter in the end. We'll get through this because we have before. Because even if people like you and me cannot kill a god, we can enable the people who will. Each generation must experience their own form of suffering, after all."

Theirs just happened to be on a universal scale.

"You will complete Calyrex's commission." Howard's voice was soft, gentle. "Because it must be done."

He gave her a small smile.

"Think of the glowing review it'll write for your smithy, if it keeps you going."



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played by

dreamflower

she/her
27
December 12
Anistar City, Kalos
Bisexual
Blacksmith, bladesmith
Associate
Art is risk
Tempered by wisdom
5'7"/170 cm height
5'7"/170 cm height
A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.
awards
1,233 posts
part of
TAG WITH @aurelie
Aurelie Lefevre
A Fable Agreed Upon [S]
POSTED ON May 20, 2024 23:01:11 GMT
Aurelie Lefevre Avatar
[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]History gives answers only to those
who know how to ask questions.
[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Seeing Howard's reaction to her mention of Necrozma's avatar, Aurelie broke into an irrepressible grin and nodded. Once it was clear he wasn't about to choke to death or cough up a lung, she leaned back in her chair and dismissed her own notion with a wave of her hand.

"That's fair," she agreed, snorting wryly at his choice of words. "The only faith I've ever felt comfortable putting in Zev Harcourt is in the money he pays for knives. And even there, he's been letting me down lately.

"But you're absolutely right. The only real constant about him is that he's never really on our side. He's on his own side, always."


Well, his side, and maybe Nenet's too, she thought privately. Even if Aurelie had been aware of the couple's pose of indifference toward each other, she wouldn't have believed it—not after seeing Zev's inhuman black crystals recede at the mention of her name.

She sighed and grimaced at Howard's frank admission that he didn't stand it. What does he do? she wondered. He doesn't have my outlets of beating some metal really hard with a hammer or cutting at a wooden dummy with a knife.

Does he pick up a pillow every night and scream into it? Does he channel it all into dark, gloomy poetry or screeching heavy metal music?


Whatever his ways of coping—besides hoping that his actions would matter—his encouragement made her smile, even though she felt not the slightest bit reassured. "You're right about that too. I will complete Calyrex's commission. Not just because it must be done or because you'll leave a review, but because I'm intrigued to see what it'll do with a shield and saddle."

Still, even after all this discussion, the red-haired smith felt only a little wiser and more knowledgeable about either Calyrex or its commission. If only there were even a point of comparison to refer to... Then, suddenly, she stared at Howard with a gleam of hope in her eye.

"What do you know about the Calyrex that allied with the League? They have one, don't they?" She had read a news article or two about the unmistakable shining blue barrier that now protected Ever Grande City.

"How is it possible that there are two versions of one Legendary Pokemon existing at the same time?" she asked, leaning forward and propping her elbows on his desk. "Are there any records of that happening? Or better yet, any record of that with Calyrex, specifically?"

Aurelie grimaced as she thought back on some of Howard's earlier words. "You made it sound like Calyrex doesn't exist in any records at all, actually. Just in storybooks and myths. Is that really true? Because it seemed real enough, especially when it listened to our stories."

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]


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

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played by

Magnetic

Admin Fox
He/Him
28
May 9th
Rustboro City
Bisexual
Archaeologist
Rocket Admin
An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.
Single
5'9 (with hat) height
5'9 (with hat) height
The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.
awards
3,409 posts
part of
TAG WITH @magnetic
howard slayte
A Fable Agreed Upon [S]
POSTED ON Jun 10, 2024 22:31:27 GMT
howard slayte Avatar
"Just because it's born of a storybook doesn't make it any less real. It's here. It's interacting with us. It has a stake in our war." Howard's spoon clinked against his dish as he stirred the dish absentmindedly. He rose a spoon to his lips. "Seriously, this is delicious. Quit Rocket. Open a shop. I'll visit every day."

He dipped a warm crust of bread into the dish and ate it. Even the bread was spectacular. He made a note to get the name of the bakery in mind when this was over.

These were the moments that made life worth living. That, and screaming into a pillow. At this point, the struggle barely phased him anymore. As long as he or Aurelie had a purpose in life, they would keep going. Forging was a lifelong passion. Aurelie would never stop honing her craft. She had her struggles, but she shouldered them with a smile.

When this war was over, where would Howard go? Would he just... stop?

It saddened him that someone so talented and kind was chained to Rocket. He almost cursed Calyrex for confining her to this fate.

"Not much, but I have few doubts on the person who has it. Even if I'm wrong, the person who holds it will reveal themselves soon." Soon, would have to play her hand, and it was a very risky one to play. It would result in many trials for the princess. "Myths have a way of changing people."

A pang of fear crossed his face upon the mention of Necrozma's Avatar. A touchy subject. The fact that he was still around terrified the admin. Couldn't he leave and go to the next universe, already?

"I assume Calyrex will do what people with saddles and shields do." He shrugged at her. "Ride horses. There are no recorded texts on Calyrex's existence. I know thousands of years of Galarian history, and it does not exist. Instead, consider this:"

He raised his teacup to her with a raised eyebrow.

"How many times does something die?"



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played by

dreamflower

she/her
27
December 12
Anistar City, Kalos
Bisexual
Blacksmith, bladesmith
Associate
Art is risk
Tempered by wisdom
5'7"/170 cm height
5'7"/170 cm height
A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.
awards
1,233 posts
part of
TAG WITH @aurelie
Aurelie Lefevre
A Fable Agreed Upon [S]
POSTED ON Jun 12, 2024 22:49:18 GMT
Aurelie Lefevre Avatar
[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]History gives answers only to those
who know how to ask questions.
[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Though she glowed with pride when Howard praised her food, Aurelie couldn't help bursting into rueful laughter when he suggested she leave Rocket and start her own restaurant. "Ha! If I'd had the capital for that when I moved to Hoenn, I might've considered it. Why do you think I joined up with Rocket in the first place?"

And once they get their hooks into you, once you owe them something, I don't think Rocket lets you go easily, she thought bleakly. Or at all, if they can help it. And I'd rather not be on the wrong end of a bullet.

For a moment, she thought of joking that if Howard found her cooking impressive, he should try Zev's. The avatar of Necrozma also happened to be a very skilled chef. But at this point, she wasn't sure either of them wanted to spend more time talking about Zev.

"I'd ask what got you to join up with Rocket, but..." The redhead raised the palms of her hands briefly in a conciliatory gesture. "I won't pry. We all have our reasons for being here, and I don't need to know yours to learn from you."

Sipping from her tea, Aurelie listened intently with a widening eye as the admin spoke of the League's Calyrex. "I wish I had your information sources. Who even has their Calyrex, do you know? Has it asked them to make anything?"

She reached for her bowl to drain the last sips of broth and stew, when he posed a startling question to her. Aurelie nearly dropped the bowl and spat the broth out across the desk. Only clapping a hand over her mouth prevented all kinds of artifact- and recordkeeping-related disaster.

"What?" she exclaimed incredulously, carefully placing the bowl on the desk. After swallowing her mouthful of stew, she gaped at Howard.

"What do you mean, 'how many times can something die'?" Aurelie's ever-practical mind, concerned primarily with physical things that she could see and touch, supplied the obvious answer. "Only once, right?

"Because once you die...you're gone. There's nothing left. Right?"
She squinted at Howard, her brow furrowing in thought. "And why do I have a feeling you're about to say smugly, 'Nope! Wrong!'?"

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]


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

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img
The Shula Region
Hogwarts AU
RPG Unlimited
MR
The Enroi Region
N:FB
Vyrehaven
Celestial Guardians, AU Sailor Moon RP
EO GENESIS
Code and Crown: An advanced literate warriors cats RP, set in medieval times
Swords Clashing