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The meeting pauses briefly: Navy arrives by mist. Isaac Merlo, though late, is given a cordial welcome. After all, it is his first summons.[break][break]

"admittedly, kanto's incursion came as a surprise. we had been monitoring the region ever since reports of unrest." [break][break]

The Commissioner looks to Eva Morales: she who had been invited to survey Rocket's rule of Kanto just over a year ago. As Isaac Merlo had stated, the coast is in danger. Island settlements too, remain at risk. Dewford stands on thin ice—and who knows when Rocket will break the "treaty" now that Kanto is here.[break][break]

"full transparency will be required yes, but we need to ascertain the facts first." She shakes her head before tucking a blonde curl back behind her ear. "monroe's departure was swift and now, i can't help but believe this has all been a setup of some malicious nature from the start."[break][break]

She taps her laptop's trackpad. Above, the forlorn image shifts to that of the Hoenn region.[break][break]

"taking advantage of hoenn's hodgepodge of phenomena will be crucial against this frankensteined rocket. perhaps we make a move to reseize secret bases, audit those that have been documented, and create a stronger presence underground."

discussion flows freely now and despite a few minor clashing personalities, the conversation continues respectfully. it's a welcome change (no children in slings, no catty remarks, no memes joked across the table), but it's a haunting reminder at how dire their current situation is. 

remiel's request is ignored in lieu of the conversation at hand; she gives him another look that begs trust me. be patient. she has no intention of keeping the truth from her colleagues. not with so much at stake. not when they're the brightest in the region and the most equipped to navigate them all through these waters. 

she has little to offer, but manages a few snippets in between silences.

on monroe's compromise, a question for Eva Morales and dahlia goode - "should we make it a priority to apprehend him?"

to Greyson Connors , as she accidentally knocks her foot into his when crossing her legs, a quiet, "sorry."

to Navy - "if we remove the power spots ourselves and rocket finds a way to control and move their own, that puts us at a severe disadvantage."

to Melody Miro and PENELOPE LIVY - "councilwoman livy is right. we're not forcing conscription on our civilians. trainers who willingly want to join our ranks by ranger or officer track will receive the training they need. if anything, we begin to practice evacuation protocol for our highest priority cities.

"but i stand firm when i say the amnesty program should remain unchanged. now, more than ever, people within rocket need to know they're safe to leave. times are changing and petty thieves and lower level operatives within the organization who don't have the stomach for brutality like rocket's upper echelon may scatter, and we ought to be there with open arms. without their cogs, the machine will begin to break.

"and wire tapping our citizens who have earned their right to clemency is an obtuse notion and a waste of our resources. we already have systems in place that prevent individuals in the amnesty program from compromising league intel should they regress."

she looks to Eva Morales with a soft smile.

"but i would appreciate some insight from our peacemaker." 

AQUA ASSEMBLY

asks if monroe should be a priority
no, keep the power spots
accidentally footsies greyson
war strategy has been covered & she agrees so she doesn't discuss
pro amnesty
asks eva for her confirmation

☉

Eva should have known better. She should have known she’d find herself back in the middle of a war with Rocket. Their monstrous values and ideologies seemed indestructible. Where was everyone’s humanity? It just seemed to be dissipating into the ether along with their sanity.

The deja vu is alarming, and worrisome. Her fingers press against her temple as she listens to the back and forth, a constant reassuring pressure to dull the beat of her heart in her head. Just the thought of it all sent adrenaline pumping through her veins, heart rate rising, and the breaths shallow.

Mostly, she is silent, but every now and then she interjects with a comment or two. Simple things that she wants to make sure aren’t overlooked.

In response to dahlia goode’s emphasis on the anomalies: “Yes, the phenomena can be an important asset . . . but we must understand these phenomena better than they do in order to utilize them better,” she knows Rocket has incredibly bright minds amidst their ranks which put more pressure and herself and illeana reyes. Nothing they couldn't handle, though, “But be cautious - these intermingling energies could prove to be disastrous,” like the rumors she heard of them trying to instill Sygna Suits with these unknown plates. It sounded incredibly dangerous. Eva had proven Primal and Infinity energy did not play nice together. She doubted the Infinity energy and whatever these plates possessed would be any different.

On the topic of citizen enlistment, she agrees with the majority, “You don’t need to be a soldier be a powerful asset,” she reminds the group, “It’s their shaken faith we need to restore,” with that, she agrees with FERNANDO SILPH, “We need some sort of grand gesture to ensure they don’t completely lose their faith in us. Prioritizing the apprehension of Monroe may do that. Someone needs to be held responsible. It can't look like we are doing nothing,” she comments with a shrug in response to freya morningstar’s question directed to her and Dahlia, “Maybe we should delegate a task force to that and a better assessment of what exactly we are dealing with when it comes to the Kanto forces,” a nod to John Sullivan’s question, “I can reach out to my contacts in Kanto . . . maybe they have some intel we don’t,” that may involve a trip to Kanto which is risky, but perhaps necessary at this point.

Eva’s unwavering attention to freya morningstar’s monologue is her unspoken support of the amnesty program, “There always needs to be a beacon of hope for those that want out, and the amnesty program is just that. Without providing that, we aren’t doing our due diligence to what we stand for,” she gives freya morningstar a small smile in full support. Her cheeks flush bright red at the mention of her previous title, a bittersweet flutter in her heart, “While increased surveillance would provide more safety, our relationship with the Hoenn people is too fragile at the moment. It would instill resentment, and just drive those on the fence right into the waiting arms of Rocket and I don’t think we should be doing Rocket any favors.”

---

- Eva, unsurprisingly, advocates for more research on the Hoenn anomalies to understands them better than Rocket so they can use them better.
- Advises a task force for better assessing the Monroe and Kanto forces situation with emphasis on potentially apprehending him. Someone needs to be held accountable.
- Offers to reach out to her contacts in Kanto to see if they have any intel Hoenn might not be privy to. First semi-public reference that she had something to do with the recent unrest. Another trip to Kanto? Who wants to go on a POG vacation?
- Agrees with Freya on amnesty and continuing to offer a place of safety and hope for those that want out. Doesn’t have any comments on stricter vetting, etc.
- Disagrees with increased surveillance on Hoenn citizens. Thinks their relationship with them is too fragile right now and it will drive them right into Rocket’s waiting arms