The Sun That Set [S]

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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Magnetic

The Galarian
He/Him
27
May 9th
Rustboro City
Bisexual
Archaeologist
Rocket Admin
The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.
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howard slayte
The Sun That Set [S]
POSTED ON Apr 19, 2024 8:50:17 GMT
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It was a rare luxury for Elisabeth Fiorelli to come to Howard, rather than the other way around.

Unlike Elisabeth's office, Howard's was crammed to the brim with various ancient relics. Maps, statues, skeletons, paintings, and various other priceless pieces of history lined the walls as if it were a museum. To an extent, it was. The only individuals to hold vaster collections were Hoenn's museums, and many of those the admin easily outpaced.

"Underboss Fiorelli." Click. Click. Click. The admin sat at his desk with a microscope, inspecting a chunk of Dynite Ore. The first few shipments of Dynite Ore and Wishing Stars had recently arrived in Sootopolis, marking the first series of successful extractions for the syndicate. "Thanks for coming to see me."

Stacks of gold and gems lined the admin's desk as well. A testament to the wealth he brought into the organization. The man was destitute, but he understood financials and the purpose of value.

Perhaps that was why he valued materialistic possessions so much. Howard did not look up from his microscope.

"Excellent work."



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Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte
She/Her
31
August 30
Camphrier Town, Kalos
Bi/Heteroromantic
Bioterrorist
Underboss
Unattached
Black Widow
5'9" / 175.26 cm height
5'9" / 175.26 cm height
Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.
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Elisabeth Fiorelli
The Sun That Set [S]
POSTED ON Apr 20, 2024 4:58:48 GMT
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[attr="class","minimal elisa2"]
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Admin Fox's office made Elisabeth feel positively claustrophobic.[break][break]

So much knickknacks and mementos crammed into a single space made her feel confined, and she wrapped her arms around herself as she surveyed his office in all its many trappings in silence. Idly, she wondered if this was the office that had once been her own, when she was an admin in the organization.[break][break]

Genuinely, she couldn't remember. If it was, the room was now entirely unrecognizable.[break][break]

"Thank you," she said simply, lowering herself to the seat across from him. He'd seemed so preoccupied with his microscope, she'd half-wondered if he was aware of her at all until he spoke her name. "I take it you reviewed the footage from 's Unown?"[break][break]

For someone who'd never considered herself to be a great actress, she'd achieved quite a cinematic moment with in the heart of Mt. Chimney, complete with the fall of the nation's champion, .[break][break]

"If so, then you'll be well aware that I am no longer in need of your assistance in procuring Red Shards."[break][break]

The ghost of a smile creased her lips, soft laughter underscoring that observation.

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Magnetic

The Galarian
He/Him
27
May 9th
Rustboro City
Bisexual
Archaeologist
Rocket Admin
The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.
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howard slayte
The Sun That Set [S]
POSTED ON Apr 21, 2024 8:57:50 GMT
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The thought that this might be or even 's office was one that had crossed his mind. He desperately hoped it wasn't the case, sharing a space with a craven and a monster sat poorly on Howard's tongue.

"I came to that conclusion when I saw the footage, yes. I didn't know what you were planning to do with them, I admit, but it became clear. Time, as always, is the key ingredient in retrospectives." As he spoke, he slid a Red Shard across the desk, a remnant from Route 119. It was a drop in the bucket compared to the quantities Elisabeth had requested upon his promotion, but that was of no import.

"A memento."

A real shard, yet a nightmare all the same.

"Still, they were a poor investment financially. Hard to gather, largely useless. I've been accumulating Wishing Stars. I thought I was being productive, but you..."

Howard looked up, and his eye was red, as if he had been crying.

"...you've aimed a dagger at the heart at the Pokémon League." On the corner of the desk was a chessboard with all the pieces assembled. "And you took the plunge. How does it feel to know you've led to the same fate as ?"

Knowing Elisabeth, it was likely akin to ecstasy.



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Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte
She/Her
31
August 30
Camphrier Town, Kalos
Bi/Heteroromantic
Bioterrorist
Underboss
Unattached
Black Widow
5'9" / 175.26 cm height
5'9" / 175.26 cm height
Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.
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Elisabeth Fiorelli
The Sun That Set [S]
POSTED ON Apr 22, 2024 1:03:37 GMT
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The gifted Red Shard sat heavy with judgment in her palm, staring up at her dully. This one didn't possess the same power as the one she'd handed to , she knew, even though it was formed of something more real and lasting than the fabric of dreams.[break][break]

Weren't all nightmares born of something real? Wasn't that what made them terrifying, in the end?[break][break]

"I trusted in , and he trusted in me," she said evenly, pocketing the artifact without fanfare. "The League makes the fault lines in its foundation known. All that was left was to exploit them."[break][break]

The conversation with still replayed in her mind, as did the easy smile he'd given her as she'd fled all the consequences of what she'd done on Mt. Chimney: "You can't run forever, florist."[break][break]

But she'd been running ever since Kalos, and she'd keep running, and some part of her knew she'd never stop.[break][break]

Besides, what did Kyle know? Kyle was dead, and that fate was his own doing.[break][break]

"I'll admit, there's some pleasure in the Elite Four being reduced to an Elite Two," she said, leaning back in her chair. "The most devastating victories, I've found, are those not won on the battlefield."[break][break]

She'd always thrived most when underestimated.

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Magnetic

The Galarian
He/Him
27
May 9th
Rustboro City
Bisexual
Archaeologist
Rocket Admin
The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.
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howard slayte
The Sun That Set [S]
POSTED ON Apr 23, 2024 10:03:41 GMT
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Of course Elisabeth would think that. She couldn't tell the difference between a sword and a calligraphy pen.

"Trust." The word was uttered with irony, as if mocking the concept within an organization such as Rocket. It was broader than that, though. It was a solemn mockery of the concept as a whole. The art of chronicling relied on trust, but it was slipping away.

Without Kyle, there was no faith to be found. When the rainbow vanished, nothing could replace it.

"Silas bled out in Fallarbor, his wish dead upon his lips. He was the exception. We shook Kanto to its core under rumbling boots. That was the exception. We should savor not the taste, but the boldness of the stroke, and your stroke was very bold." Knowledge Howard would've never gained without 's beloved RKS Simulation. The knowledge that sprung from its font was delicious to behold.

"The Elite Four will refill. This is not the first time it has wanted for members."

Matias Silph still lived. He was not completely off the board. Not yet. and persisted. ascended, though she was nowhere near as mighty as her predecessor.

Howard wondered if people had thought that of Kyle when Bailey had lost her life.

The ranks of the mighty could easily be refilled. Hoenn did not want for strong trainers. Still, it was best to strike before those slots were filled.

"I've never met the man. Was as self-destructive as they claim?"



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Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte
She/Her
31
August 30
Camphrier Town, Kalos
Bi/Heteroromantic
Bioterrorist
Underboss
Unattached
Black Widow
5'9" / 175.26 cm height
5'9" / 175.26 cm height
Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.
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Elisabeth Fiorelli
The Sun That Set [S]
POSTED ON Apr 23, 2024 16:02:30 GMT
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[attr="class","minimal elisa2"]
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Elisabeth's gaze didn't betray her mutual contempt for the concept of 'Trust' in the Rocket organization. She enjoyed the admin more than most, but he received lip service like everyone else. Notable exceptions existed, of course. Underbosses and received her franker commentary, given their equal peership, but that didn't translate to trust either. Not really.[break][break]

Only had earned that hard-won gift from her.[break][break]

"We won a decisive battle without a single casualty on our side. That's not merely bold, Fox. That's efficient."[break][break]

How many bodies had fallen in Kanto, to win that war? It'd only taken her bartering hers to win this one.[break][break]

And she'd lived, despite it all.[break][break]

"Regrouping will take time. Time we can use to leverage an advantage. We are bound to strike soon, while they are still scrambling on the defensive."[break][break]

The underboss shifted in her seat, letting her eyes wander to the menagerie of strange objects littered in this space. She settled on some peculiar map in the corner, one with continents that seemed painfully outdated, and tried to piece together the missing gaps between knowledge and reality.[break][break]

"As for , he thought only of himself. It's why he fell as far as he did."[break][break]

A pause, then a matter-of-fact admission.[break][break]

"Men like him think they're invincible. It's what makes them vulnerable to people like me."

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Magnetic

The Galarian
He/Him
27
May 9th
Rustboro City
Bisexual
Archaeologist
Rocket Admin
The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.
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howard slayte
The Sun That Set [S]
POSTED ON Apr 23, 2024 23:18:27 GMT
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'People like me.'

People like Elisabeth Fiorelli revolted Howard Slayte. He looked at a leafed dagger that had moved from his desk earlier. He wondered if he could end this woman's life before her powers manifested.

No, likely not. He stayed his hand. Raising a hand against those blessed with otherworldly might did little but shorten his own lifespan.

"Men and women both. Humans are notoriously fallible. It's one of our worst qualities. The greater the power, the harder the fall, and Matias fell hard. Yet when he hit the ground, I have no doubt that the landing was softer than he anticipated."

For when the former Elite Four member looked down, he bore witness to Kyle's body softening the fall. Ash made for a soft blanket, caressing and nurturing. A softer fall than Matias and Elisabeth deserved.

"It's funny that you mention efficiency, Underboss Fiorelli." Howard leaned back in his chair, hiding behind his sea of wealth as he looked at Elisabeth. "Do you know why Viper fit you well when you held my seat?"

His seat, as if the two had anything in common.



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Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte
She/Her
31
August 30
Camphrier Town, Kalos
Bi/Heteroromantic
Bioterrorist
Underboss
Unattached
Black Widow
5'9" / 175.26 cm height
5'9" / 175.26 cm height
Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.
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Elisabeth Fiorelli
The Sun That Set [S]
POSTED ON Apr 24, 2024 2:42:10 GMT
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"Men and women." The urge to correct him came and went, bit back by knowing better.[break][break]

Women recognized her for what she was, almost always. . . . One look into 's eyes revealed her as the snake hidden in their garden, slithering beneath the flowers.[break][break]

Or a viper, perhaps.[break][break]

"Given you and I never greatly worked together during my tenure as admin of intelligence," she said, eyeing him warily, "no, I can't say I know what your stance on that might be."[break][break]

She'd been different then: obedient and quiet, liked for everything people silently projected on her as they imagined her to be the person they wanted her to be.[break][break]

The hatred had come later.

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Magnetic

The Galarian
He/Him
27
May 9th
Rustboro City
Bisexual
Archaeologist
Rocket Admin
The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.
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howard slayte
The Sun That Set [S]
POSTED ON Apr 24, 2024 3:13:51 GMT
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Gender was irrelevant. All crumbled and fell before the eternal weight of time. Men and women, girls and boys, all fell into the same pitfalls as eons rose and fell and cities sprung up and collapsed. Humanity was eternally repetitious, and it was bound to its own failings.

Curious. Howard wondered if he had always believed that about mankind.

"Vipers are efficient. They remind me of people, actually. Overusing venom when young, rationing it as they age. We as individuals are the same." Howard picked up a gem and inspected it, the facets distorting and reflecting both his face and Elisabeth's.

The admin tossed it aside like it was worthless.

"They remind me of you. When you caught Matias in your jaws, do you think that if you had flooded him with venom like a baby viper, you would've done as much damage?" The admin clicked his tongue as he signed a directive from 's leftover pile. "Instead, you were mature and let it fill his veins and poison his thoughts."

Anyone who knew knew that he needed little help in destroying his own mind.

"How'd you do it? Lie to him, I mean?"



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Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte
She/Her
31
August 30
Camphrier Town, Kalos
Bi/Heteroromantic
Bioterrorist
Underboss
Unattached
Black Widow
5'9" / 175.26 cm height
5'9" / 175.26 cm height
Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.
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4,366 posts
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Elisabeth Fiorelli
The Sun That Set [S]
POSTED ON Apr 24, 2024 3:21:13 GMT
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The beautiful jewel scattered and fell, clinking against a hard surface as tossed it aside. Elisabeth watched the trajectory of the object's descent and said nothing, listening.[break][break]

She should be gloating, she supposed. That was what everyone expected her to do.[break][break]

"...I didn't lie to him."[break][break]

Her emerald eyes searched for 's at his desk, waiting to see his reaction to this admission.[break][break]

"Would you believe me? If I said a man like him is so willing to believe his own delusions, I never had to once breathe them into existence?"[break][break]

A young viper, perhaps, sank her fangs into her prey. Elisabeth had coiled into herself defensively, hissing at his approach, and bit him only when he believed his hand would be spared her wrath.[break][break]

"He pursued me, and I let him believe what he wanted to believe."

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Magnetic

The Galarian
He/Him
27
May 9th
Rustboro City
Bisexual
Archaeologist
Rocket Admin
The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.
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howard slayte
The Sun That Set [S]
POSTED ON Apr 24, 2024 3:35:24 GMT
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"Ah," Howard's eye widened in understanding. "I see."

The gem clattered against the desk, clinking against the rest of the trinkets and treasures that covered the admin's desk. When Howard spoke again, his voice was mournful.

"He was human."

He had seen this before. He had read of this before. Elisabeth had experienced the fall of a powerful fool, and when Matias hit the ground, it became clear that he was no different from the rest. The underboss had seen it once, and the admin had seen it thousands of times in books and histories and tales.

had died for this?

"It is perfectly believable. I'll tell you why." Howard raised a finger as he processed the information. If he let Elisabeth wait, his words would be more profound. "That is the anathema to the progress and truth. People believe what they wish, because it's easier than accepting the truth."

A deep breath.

"I wonder if Kyle realized that before he died."



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Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte
She/Her
31
August 30
Camphrier Town, Kalos
Bi/Heteroromantic
Bioterrorist
Underboss
Unattached
Black Widow
5'9" / 175.26 cm height
5'9" / 175.26 cm height
Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.
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Elisabeth Fiorelli
The Sun That Set [S]
POSTED ON Apr 24, 2024 3:48:02 GMT
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"Kyle knew. I think he knew more than anyone else how human Matias was."[break][break]

Her voice was softer than it should have been. Nearing reverent. hadn't been her target for assassination; he'd been collateral, foolishly sacrificing himself for a man who'd never earned his selfless devotion.[break][break]

Murder had never been enjoyable for her. The high of vengeance faded quickly, every time, into regret.[break][break]

It got quieter over time, but never fully went away.[break][break]

"The first time I saw in Littleroot, I thought I was going to die. He terrified me. Groudon terrified me."[break][break]

This confession came unprompted, spilling out of her for reasons even she didn't quite understand. Still, she couldn't stop herself, each word tumbling out one after the other.[break][break]

"Every time we met after, I thought I was going to die. I thought he was going to transform back into that man I'd seen in Littleroot, and end my existence the way that meteor was meant to."[break][break]

She broke eye contact, finding something else to stare at. A statue, this time. Something Alolan, she thought. She couldn't be sure.[break][break]

"I forgot he was a man, for a little while. I should have known better." A bitter laugh escaped her lips, the irony of this final statement not lost on her. "Those who are hated and despised ache for human connection most of all."

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Magnetic

The Galarian
He/Him
27
May 9th
Rustboro City
Bisexual
Archaeologist
Rocket Admin
The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.
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howard slayte
The Sun That Set [S]
POSTED ON Apr 24, 2024 4:02:48 GMT
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"You're human too, Underboss Fiorelli." When Elisabeth's gaze tried to find something else in the museum of an office, smiled for a moment. The abyss had blinked back. "For that, I'm sorry."

The wife was gone. Her husband was rotting a thousand feet below the surface, a million miles away. All that was left was a vindictive, scorned shell that sat in his office. To have the power of an entire organization at your fingers, and to lament your existence. The admin wanted to laugh at her. To howl at her. To stamp his feet and mock her.

What was the point of that, though? There was no need to reinvent the wheel.

Elisabeth Fiorelli, farewell and good day.

"There is no cure for it, but you've given me insight on what I must do next." He followed her gaze to the small statue on his desk: 's Regi Statue. A piece on the board of a grand plan, with no more Kyle to intervene. "An interesting piece."

Silence. A tear fell down the admin's cheek. He wiped it away and stared at the statue as well.

"I never thought he'd die. I loved him as much as anyone could love an icon." He didn't know why he was saying this to Kyle's murderer. Better her than , he supposed. "I had all of his merchandise."

He let out a small laugh.

"That must sound silly to you. A mediocre eulogy."



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Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte
She/Her
31
August 30
Camphrier Town, Kalos
Bi/Heteroromantic
Bioterrorist
Underboss
Unattached
Black Widow
5'9" / 175.26 cm height
5'9" / 175.26 cm height
Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.
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4,366 posts
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Elisabeth Fiorelli
The Sun That Set [S]
POSTED ON Apr 24, 2024 4:12:20 GMT
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"Aren't we all?" she said distantly. "Afflicted with our own humanity, that is."[break][break]

He said something about his admiration of the Champion, but the words all jumbled together in her mind. She'd never idolized figures in that way. All of her idealization was up close and personal by design, intimate enough that it placed her in immediate danger from the object of her affections.[break][break]

A sense she was supposed to comfort him occurred to her suddenly, and for once, she indulged that impulse.[break][break]

Guilt compelled her to find a way to sympathize with him about this loss, however minor, that she'd caused him.[break][break]

"His merchandise, at least, wasn't as dismal as everyone else's. He gave me a mug with Matias Silph's face on it, once."[break][break]

A shaky, disbelieving laugh rocked her entire body despite its soft tenor. It felt blasphemous, given the context, but somehow she knew he'd approve of this memorial.[break][break]

"I think he found my dismay amusing. And I wager that you'd amuse him, too, for mourning him. He was that kind of man."

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played by

Magnetic

The Galarian
He/Him
27
May 9th
Rustboro City
Bisexual
Archaeologist
Rocket Admin
The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.
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1,738 posts
part of
TAG WITH @magnetic
howard slayte
The Sun That Set [S]
POSTED ON Apr 24, 2024 4:27:56 GMT
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They were all human, for better or for worse.

There had been a time, long ago, when he had joined this organization. He had distracted himself with the notion that every single person in this shithole was inhuman. To an extent, he was correct. The Devourer () had proven that to him a thousand times over. had, with his veiled smiles. had, with his incessant march towards desire.

If possible, Howard would've killed them all. Their existence was a stain on this world. A solemn mockery that deserved to be excised.

Yet he lacked the strength, the nerve, the steel. Instead, something had happened here. An error. A small moment of humanity, a mention of a mug, dulled that moment of silent wrath. For a single, unholy moment, there was a realization that extended beyond the spoken word.

Team Rocket consisted of humans.

"You'll have to show it to me. I think I might have the one with Kyle's face on it." Howard let out a chuckle. "I don't know if he'd approve, but I never knew Kyle as a human. He was the closest this region ever had to a god—a trickster fae god that danced and watched us struggle."

When Kyle took the Top Champion position from Bailey, had he died? Was the man they now knew a lie? would have known, but Howard did not.

"But still, he was a man. Human. When we die, time will keep marching. Someone will keep chronicling, and the universe won't care. When he shouted and fell, that was all that remained. That shout—how he lived. How he went. How he stood before he fell."

The admin stared into the distance, contemplative.

"Yet I suspect he will persist." He chuckled as he remembered something. "Kyle's the reason I'm sitting in this chair."