"This time, I promise not to touch anything I shouldn't."[break][break]
She flashed Fletcher Hyland a wry smile. Releasing Moxie and Millie, she allowed the Espeon and Umbreon to flank her as they descended further into the mechanical kingdom. Moxie nudged Millie affectionately with his nose before taking up position. A little added protection couldn't hurt, after all; and besides, the two of them were always a comfort to Delilah.[break][break]
She strained her ears to try and identify any music in-between the groaning and grinding of gears. Last time, an ethereal music-box tune had captivated her; only after did she consider that it might have been a method of hypnosis. To what end, she had no idea. This place seemed to have a mind of its own, but whether it had a purpose...that was yet to be seen.[break][break]
Her ankle, still wrapped in a light brace, twinged with a dull pain when she walked on it, but her mobility had vastly improved since the initial injury. Fletcher had been loath to let her come back here so soon, but she'd talked him into it.[break][break]
She'd made a mess of things last time, and she wanted to prove that she could handle herself...that she was fit to explore these rifts like the many other prominent Hoenn personalities that had already made their way through them countless times.[break][break]
"You take the lead," she deferred to Fletcher.

TAGS – Fletcher Hyland[break]
NOTES – mechanical kingdom #2

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Fletcher stopped walking, and Delilah nearly crashed right into him. Catching herself against his arm, she blushed slightly at the unexpected contact.[break][break]
She followed his gaze, staring up at the ruined painting with open fascination. Thick dark hair cascaded over one shoulder as she cocked her head in contemplation.[break][break]
"Looks like a little girl," she decided, squinting. "Is that a...tiara? Maybe she was a princess."[break][break]
Fletcher's question echoed through the grand hallway, and the touch of genuine interest in his tone of voice wasn't lost on Delilah. It was jarring to hear him sound interested in his surroundings for once, but it was also...nice. A minor victory in the war against apathy.[break][break]
"I think...it may have been some sort of castle?"[break][break]
The League called this rift the Mechanical Kingdom, didn't they? Though it was a chaotic mess of a realm, she could see the resemblance to a vast estate. Had there been a royal family, then?[break][break]
"Let's keep moving," she suggested, limping past him towards what appeared to be some sort of elevator shaft. Moxie and Millie padded forward, sniffing the air expectently. "Maybe there are more clues on other floors."

TAGS – Fletcher Hyland[break]
NOTES – mechanical kingdom #2[break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

There was no panel of buttons by the door, as would be expected for an elevator. Instead, the entire contraption groaned to life as soon as everyone - human and Pokemon - had boarded. With a jolt, they began to sink slowly downwards, which surprised Delilah - hadn't they arrived at ground level?[break][break]
Clearly not.[break][break]
"I'm fine," she lied, shifting uncomfortably. "Hardly any pain. Doctor says the brace can come off in a week."[break][break]
The last thing she wanted was for him to think her weak.[break][break]
The elevator shuddered, and Delilah paled; without thinking twice, she grabbed onto Fletcher's arm to steady herself. There was no way to tell if the machinery was malfunctioning, or if this was typical. How old was this place, anyway? And who maintained everything in it?[break][break]
A sudden spike of anxiety coursed through the idol. Her body tensed, seeming to anticipate imminent danger. The elevator screeched to a halt, but the doors did not open. Several seconds passed, the silence deafening.[break][break]
And then the elevator dropped, falling at an incredible speed. Delilah was thrown backwards by the force, causing her to scream.

TAGS – Fletcher Hyland[break]
NOTES – mechanical kingdom #2[break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Delilah sputtered, coughing, as the tightly compacted earthen shield around her collapsed, sand pouring onto the floor. Long lashes fluttered open, eyes watering, expecting to find herself in some horrifically injured state. But besides the familiar twinge of her healing ankle, and the expected aches of adulthood, she felt no surge in pain.[break][break]
"Fletcher?"[break][break]
He was alive, too. His Sandslash had apparently cushioned them as the elevator crashed into the ground floor. She could see patches of brown dirtying her bodyguard's red hair: debris from the SAND TOMB. A shaking hand ran through her own waves of black, and she felt grains of sand grinding together between her fingertips. That was going to be a pain in the ass to get out...[break][break]
She probably looked a mess, but vanity did not seem all that important all of a sudden - given the near death experience.[break][break]
"Thank you," she murmured to Rocko. It had been very quick thinking on the Pokemon's part.[break][break]
Heart still pounding with adrenaline, Delilah stood upright, turning to face the front of the elevator. Moxie and Millie were already investigating the exit, and she was relieved to see that the Umbreon and Espeon were also relatively unscathed.[break][break]
Luckier still, the doors had apparently cracked open upon impact, wide enough to pull all the way and step out.[break][break]
"This place seems intent on killing us," she commented, a half-hearted joke. Only then did her gaze alight upon the piles of white stones stacked ominously around them, difficult to fully make out in the shadowy depths of the kingdom.[break][break]
She narrowed her eyes, took a few tentative steps towards the nearest stone.[break][break]
Empty eye sockets stared up at her, jaw extended in an eternal, haunted scream. Not a stone. A skull.[break][break]
They were surrounded by piles of bones.

TAGS – Fletcher Hyland[break]
NOTES – mechanical kingdom #2[break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

The mountains of bones were a harrowing sight. She ought to have scurried after Fletcher, intent on getting as far away from this cursed realm as she could.[break][break]
But she followed her protector's gaze, noticing the bright, blood-red Pokemon. Scattered chunks of glossy metal gears lay strewn about the chamber floor. A massive panel had pinned the strange Pokemon to the ground, twisting its body into painful angles.[break][break]
"Wait! There's an injured Pokemon here."[break][break]
She moved against her better judgement - once more ignoring her own safety - to crouch beside the dying creature. It looked as if it were trying to cry out for help but...soon enough, the eerie glow of its gaze flickered out, plunging the area into a deeper darkness.[break][break]
"No!" she exclaimed, frustration mixing with sorrow. "I didn't make it in time."[break][break]
Millie padded over, nudging Delilah with her nose. A soft white light surrounded the Umbreon as she called upon the power of MOONLIGHT. It washed over the inert Pokemon, but the mechanical creature did not stir.[break][break]
"It's okay," Delilah sighed, settling her hand atop the Umbreon's head, but it was unclear - even to her - whether she was attempting to console her companion or herself.[break][break]
Troubled eyes, beautifully outlined, found Fletcher's, staring up at him from the floor.[break][break]
"Am I really so useless, Fletcher?"

TAGS – Fletcher Hyland[break]
NOTES – mechanical kingdom #2[break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]