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POSTED ON Aug 31, 2024 5:32:11 GMT

The fragility of the human body never ceased to amaze the admin, even as incapable of understanding mechanics as he is. He was a scholar of ages that stretched far beyond the human lifespan. Thousands of generations of people had died over the time that the admin studied.

Yet it was a human process. History was the story of mankind's triumph.

How could he succeed when people like Chu-e were so unfathomably broken? So irreparably scarred? Even if he was vindictive, evil, and corrupted to the core by Team Rocket's influence, he had stayed loyal in order to save those he cared about.

"Shhhhhhhh." The admin whispered as he stroked Chu-e's hair. There was no clawing at the scalp, nor was there feral or incessant scratching. The soft hand of a man who raised up cities even as he tore them down were Chu-e's constant companion. "There there."

Howard did not deserve this role. He did not deserve this moment. The same could be said for Chu-e.

Lemon and cherry and salt and shame fills his nostrils. The ocean and tears smelled similarly, when one was so far away and the other was so close.

"I wonder...?" The admin is tired. He's weary. It's been months since his mind had cleared to do anything besides progress Rocket's goals or his own. It's paradoxical. He had no reason to work so hard for an organization that he hated. That doubt and loathing disappeared for a spell. "I wonder when this last happened."

He smiled faintly as he eased into the recesses of the couch.

"You remind me of obsidian."

Chu-e Choi

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Ji-Hoon Ki

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An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.

POSTED ON Aug 31, 2024 6:36:44 GMT

howard slayte likes this

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howard slayte leans back, eases the two of them down. Chu-e stretches limbs to curl against the other, lift arms to wrap around the neck in an embrace. Slide down to rest an each on a chest, to hear the heartbeat of this false body. Another false body, a kindred spirit in the false soul. The steady rise and fall of Howard's chest is soothing. It could almost lull one to sleep.[break][break]

"I do?" The question is quiet, as if to not disturb whatever peace is between them for now.[break][break]

Whatever meaning that Howard could place on that is lost on Chu-e. He knew about flowers. His father had grown large fields of them in Sinnoh, would sell them off to flower shops in the nearby city. Sometimes he had went on trips to deliver them. The women behind the counter would giggle and pinch his early-puberty cheeks and whisper what flowers would get which girls to like him, secrets like why tiger's lily would doom you.[break][break]

Chu-e would build Howard a bouquet of cornflowers. Mix those with blue hyacinths and pretty chains of honeysuckle. Small white daisies and clovers and ivy leaves to fill it out.[break][break]

The faint idea of buying something like that tomorrow for Howard enters his thoughts. It isn't instantly dismissed, which surprises himself.[break][break]

"You're going to hurt your back, laying here." A hesitant offer extended.

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

[attr="class","notes"]

notes

[break]
🔗 notes

[attr="class","pkmn"][break] Shadow Delcatty - Sparklefur - Female - Destabilize - tri attack, disarming voice, thunderbolt, solar beam, uproar, blizzard, dig

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Admin Fox

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Rustboro City

Bisexual

Archaeologist

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POSTED ON Aug 31, 2024 6:54:29 GMT

There's a faint humming. A distant lullaby. It's not fully developed, and Chu-e does not get to hear the full song. it's a tune reserved for someone no longer in the archaeologist's life, and it was someone he would never see again.

But he could dole our a segment to this man. To this puppet with cut strings attached to his form. There's no desire to rebind his strings to a new master, nor is there a desire to cause Chu-e to dance to his own whims. There is only the wish that the boy from the flower shop will eventually find his own freedom and dance to his own motions.

Until then, he can rest here for a spell and lick his wounds.

"Sharp. Opaque. Fragile." The admin murmured quietly, his breath tickling Chu-e as the other man mused of flowers. They're a wonderful thing, but so transient and fragile, meant to fade and disappear from their moment in time once they wither and die. "But highly cherishable, used in great works of art. Eventually, lava cools and leaves something-

He stroked Chu-e's hair slowly.

"-tangible behind."

The television flickered on. With a halfhearted attempt, the admin swiped the remote and turned it off, leaving them both in silence save for quiet breathing and beating hearts. His head shifted slightly as he heeded Chu-e's query.

"Oh? Concerned for me?" His eye glowed a dull red as the sun finished setting. "How kindhearted."

He tapped Chu-e on the nose.

"What's your solution?"

Chu-e Choi

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Ji-Hoon Ki

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twenty seven

june fifteenth

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An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.

POSTED ON Aug 31, 2024 21:52:04 GMT

[nospaces]

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Chu-e didn't really think he was any of those things. Arguing, though, would just disprove the earlier point he was trying to make. So, he bites his tongue and accepts whatever assessment that howard slayte was making. If someone squint, it could almost be considered romantic.[break][break]

"I'm not a monster." Chu-e says, a lie and a truth all wrapped in one. Humans were always the vilest creatures at heart, and what was he if not so starkly human that it pained him?[break][break]

Nose wrinkled at the tap, Chu-e feels his cheeks get warm again.[break][break]

"Your bed." Then, rushed out. "Can I sleep with you?"[break][break]

There is a small pause. The warmth growing on Chu-e's face flames up, bright red across his nose and to the tips of his ears. His grip tightens on the other.[break][break]

"Notlikethat!" Comes out in a rush. From previous conversations, Howard already seemed to have this idea that Chu-e was some lecher. While Chu-e did think Howard was attractive and, despite how he liked to talk to the other, he wasn't trying to trick him into having sex with him. The idea of doing such a thing to Howard- to anyone- curdled his stomach.

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

[attr="class","notes"]

notes

[break]
🔗 notes

[attr="class","pkmn"][break] Shadow Delcatty - Sparklefur - Female - Destabilize - tri attack, disarming voice, thunderbolt, solar beam, uproar, blizzard, dig

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Magnetic

Admin Fox

He/Him

May 9th

Rustboro City

Bisexual

Archaeologist

Rocket Admin

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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POSTED ON Aug 31, 2024 22:57:01 GMT

The admin hadn't practiced his hand at romance in years, since he had left his wife-to-be behind. He was rusty.

Not rusty enough, apparently.

He let Chu-e dig himself into a deeper hole. He let a man known for using his words fumble over them and get tongue-tied. The younger man reddened in embarrassment, rushed out a few words, and get embarrassed all over again. A vicious cycle that would likely never stop repeating.

"Pffft." He snickered for a moment, before giggling to himself. "Alright, Chu-e."

The warmth in Howard's voice could have melted hoarfrost and coldest snows of winter. It was something that Necrozma could not replicate, even if it absorbed enough light to burn the world and boil the seas. The experience was... human. An experience that no god could ever truly replicate.

"No need to rise. I've got you." The admin stood, holding Chu-e tight in trembling arms. He was exhausted and physically weak, but Chu-e was a walking skeleton. The man was designed to be carried like a princess. "I haven't done this in a while."

He shuffled through the cramped hallway to his room, past the Aerodactyl that was now curled up in her proper spot, and stood in front of the bed.

"It's embarrassing, I won't lie. Luckily there's nobody here to see."

Chu-e Choi

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Ji-Hoon Ki

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twenty seven

june fifteenth

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An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.

POSTED ON Sept 1, 2024 5:44:49 GMT

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"Don't laugh at me." Chu-e says, pouting. His face still burns at the implications, at how the idea of sharing his body had made him shy. It was too transactional in his mind. Just an exchange, cold and impersonal.[break][break]

It takes effort not to react when he's suddenly lifted off his feet.[break][break]

If Howard is strong or just able to lift his spindly frame, either way it sucks the breath from Chu-e's lungs. He gives a nervous laugh as Howard parades him through his home like a husband would his new bride.[break][break]

"Me, neither." Since before his husband died, at least.[break][break]

The bed looms. Chu-e is reluctant to move from the embrace, starved as he was for the comfort of another person. Shirley lingers in her spot. His eyes are drawn to her a always, a creeping ache in his chest from seeing one of her species as usual.

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

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[attr="class","pkmn"][break] Shadow Delcatty - Sparklefur - Female - Destabilize - tri attack, disarming voice, thunderbolt, solar beam, uproar, blizzard, dig

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Admin Fox

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May 9th

Rustboro City

Bisexual

Archaeologist

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The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.

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POSTED ON Sept 1, 2024 6:14:45 GMT

Her stare is primal. It's barely contained by her trainer's calming influence. Regardless of perception, Howard was a peaceful man with a gentle touch, in spite of his tendency to raze cities with fists of ice and stone. Their bond is what calms her, what allows the Aerodactyl to interact with society in a productive way.

Yet the opposite is also true. Her violent nature influences him. She gives the admin more bite.

After glaring at the former underboss and seeing through his soul, she snorted and returned to her dormant slumber.

"Chu-e." Howard's voice is quiet. "You gotta let go of me for a sec so I can actually climb into bed.

A yawn, then a deep breath.

"Just for a second." He lowers Chu-e onto the bed. "Promise."

Chu-e Choi

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Ji-Hoon Ki

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An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.

POSTED ON Sept 1, 2024 7:02:32 GMT

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Chu-e lingers in howard slayte's arms for a few moment longer, if only to feel a moment of defiance. With a sigh, a vice grip is unlatched. Stretched out on the bed, Chu-e curls his legs under himself.[break][break]

"Do you think she would ever let me pet her?" Ferocious or not, Shirley reminded him of Brute. The Aerodactyl had been one of Chu-e's first pokemon, right after Mittens and Chauncey. His remains had been stolen from a museum and revived on Rocket's dime. Chu-e wouldn't claim to have been a perfect trainer to him. Brute had been vicious and angry. For who he was, for what he had to do, it had been the perfect match for his teenage angst.[break][break]

After watching him get ripped apart during the war, Chu-e had never had the heart to try and find another.[break][break]

Weight dips on the foot of the bed next to Shirley. Sprinkles freezes only for a moment, one paw raised, before she struts by Shirley as if she already owns the place. The perfect mentality of a cat. She sniffs the tip of the fossil pokemon's wing before she rubs her fluffy cheeks against it, mingling their scents and claiming her.[break][break]

Chu-e snorts softly, leaning over to pluck the kitten from her place and into his lap. Chin rubs still her wiggling.

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

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[attr="class","pkmn"][break] Shadow Delcatty - Sparklefur - Female - Destabilize - tri attack, disarming voice, thunderbolt, solar beam, uproar, blizzard, dig

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Admin Fox

He/Him

May 9th

Rustboro City

Bisexual

Archaeologist

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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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POSTED ON Sept 1, 2024 7:36:35 GMT

"Hm?" The admin unbuttoned his shirt and replaced it with a ratty 'Rustboro University' t-shirt that hid scarred sleeves and a mauled left arm, burned black and red from contact with Eternatus's skeletal star. He turned to Shirley and pursed his lips. "Shirley's a sweetheart."

Howard smiled at Chu-e as he took off his watch and undid his eyepatch. A Key Stone glimmered, painted slightly pink from exposure to Tapu Lele.

"Go on." The admin turned away to scratch Shirley behind the ears, her missing eye reflecting the admin's face. They were a matching pair, marred by pain and misery and a long road.

Yet there is no malice in their scarred face.

"Afraid?"

Chu-e Choi

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An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.

POSTED ON Sept 1, 2024 22:58:47 GMT

[nospaces]

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Blue eyes flicked to howard slayte's body, unabashedly soaking every scar and pit in the skin. He looks away before Howard can catch him in the act. He turned to glance back at Shirley, Sprinkles taking the chance to escape her capture. She pawed at the edge of the bed toward, cream paws lifting to try and steal his attention away from the fossil pokemon.[break][break]

"A little." But Chu-e scooched towards her anyway on the bed, holding out his hands for her before trying to give her scratches.[break][break]

"I used to have an Aerodactyl. His name was Brute. If anyone other than me tried to touch him, he would snap off fingers. His face softened at the memory. Even in those dark war years of his life there were still small rays of hope. But, then, he frowned and pulled away. "He died in Kanto. I miss him."[break][break]

Chu-e allows himself a few moment to reminisce on the memory before he shakes it away. [break][break]

"I have to do laundry tomorrow. Do you want me to wash anything?" Is asked as Chu-e starts to pull blankets down to climb under them. Pants are kicked off under the blanket, hiding stick-thin legs from Howard for the moment. He folds them before dropping them to the ground; he could collect them tomorrow.

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

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[attr="class","pkmn"][break] Shadow Delcatty - Sparklefur - Female - Destabilize - tri attack, disarming voice, thunderbolt, solar beam, uproar, blizzard, dig

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played by

Magnetic

Admin Fox

He/Him

May 9th

Rustboro City

Bisexual

Archaeologist

Rocket Admin

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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POSTED ON Sept 1, 2024 23:46:23 GMT

There's a momentary silence as Howard digested the information. Pokemon deaths were change on the dollar in this war, but each one threatened to break Howard down. If Shirley died now, with a bond formed between them due to the Sygna Suit...

He didn't want to think about that.

"That's an Aerodactyl for you. Each one is one in a million. I wonder if Brute and Shirley would've been friends?" It's an interesting thought, though an irrelevant one. A thought experiment lost to history had no meaning. "But I'm sorry."

He kicked off his shoes and rolled off his socks. He sighed and rubbed his temples, suddenly self-conscious. It didn't matter how people thought he looked. This wasn't him. This wasn't who he was.

A pristine form, hideous on him.

It's that self-loathing that causes him to change in the bathroom, coming back with a pair of running shorts instead of eloquent attire. He regarded Chu-e for a long moment, as if appraising him and his question.

"Not immediately, but I have a meeting coming up with high command." He didn't mention that there was a chance he would die at it. "If I could have what I'm wearing now ironed out and ready to go by then, I'd appreciate it."

He slipped beneath the covers.

"I'll have to buy new clothes, soon. Hardly anything fits."

Chu-e Choi

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Ji-Hoon Ki

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twenty seven

june fifteenth

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An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.

POSTED ON Sept 2, 2024 2:52:44 GMT

[nospaces]

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"She's a girl, so he would have liked her at least." Brute had only been interested in eating and fucking outside of battle. He had been a very simple pokemon but one that Chu-e had trusted with his whole chest. In the end that worked out for him- Brute had died to keep Chu-e alive. If he, and many other of Chu-e's pokemon, hadn't protected him... well, he wouldn't be here, now, in howard slayte's bed.[break][break]

Howard changes in the bathroom. Chu-e rolls over onto his side, facing where Howard would lay. Sprinkles hops up onto bony hip and makes a nest, curling herself into a little loaf of purring fluff. He blinks blearily, half asleep from the exhaustion of the day when the man returns. He helps pull the blankets back for Howard to get into bed, then curls up tighter in place.[break][break]

Chu-e does not comment on Howard's body. It lacks the charm he had thought was so cute. But, out of anyone, Chu-e knew the pain of a body not your own. His bastard child had robbed him of his skin and left him with this hell behind. It was only a copy. He could occasionally feel how dead crystal still shifted under the skin. See it lurking at the back of his throat. The nails were not the only remnant of his captivity in his own mind.[break][break]

"We could go together. I was only able to save a little of mine."[break][break]

Chu-e's voice is warm and muddy with sleep. An arm is thrown over Howard, to use the man as a makeshift pillow. He's already drifting off steadily.

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

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notes

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[attr="class","pkmn"][break] Shadow Delcatty - Sparklefur - Female - Destabilize - tri attack, disarming voice, thunderbolt, solar beam, uproar, blizzard, dig

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played by

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Admin Fox

He/Him

May 9th

Rustboro City

Bisexual

Archaeologist

Rocket Admin

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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