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kill your kindness | c

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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sunny.html

abby, lady taipan
she/her
31 years old
November 3rd
slateport
bisexual
bar owner, drug manufacturer
grunt
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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284 posts
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TAG WITH @absinthe
Absinthe Blackwood
kill your kindness | c
POSTED ON Sept 19, 2024 5:37:39 GMT
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testing and preliminary trials on the hundreds of rattata they had infected with nihilego venom had yielded promising results. patterns began to emerge, and absinthe documented them as diligently and tirelessly as she was known for. it was meticulous work, draining both physically and mentally, but she poured her heart and soul into it, as she did with everything that struck her fancy. whatever shred of humanity absinthe possessed was housed in her work.[break][break]

as the week drew to an end, the chemist decided it was time to switch gears. the toxin research would take weeks, maybe months, and absinthe was growing impatient. besides, the most important project she had been nurturing had gone neglected for too long.[break][break]

she approached himiko one evening, rattata blood still staining her lab coat, mask fogging with each heavy breath she took. she needed a break. himiko would understand. in fact, she decided, perhaps it was time for her to let himiko in on her personal work. it was, after all, equally important.[break][break]

"come with me," she said simply, crooking a finger in beckoning. she wanted to show himiko her pet project, the passion that burned away her grief each night as she toiled away at its perfection. perhaps the other woman would appreciate its design as well, given how ruthless and determined absinthe had seen her be this past week. "i have something to show you."



[break][break]

NOTES


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madda

Himi
she/her
27
October 26
Celadon City, kanto
Bi
Florist
grunt
7 height
7 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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108 posts
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TAG WITH @himiko
Yamaguchi Himiko
kill your kindness | c
POSTED ON Sept 21, 2024 8:33:05 GMT
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Himiko had been having a pleasant evening with herself, sitting in Petalburg and tasting the local delicies, especially after everyone was in a rather sour mood because of the recent Rocket attacks on the city. It just made all the ice cream more delectable! She was ready to go walking around for the evening until she received word from a certain poison loving woman that had certainly been a SURPRISE. Her words, though short, had even take her attention from a day off work.

"By all means, lead the way." Himiko smirked, trailing behind her masked mentor as the dutiful little assistant she was. Whatever could it be that she was being whisked away to study? Knowing Absinthe, it could very likely be anything. Maybe she was so far ahead in poisoning rattata that there was been a new discovery of a poisonous one? Stranger things had happened in the world, all things considering. "What have you been off working with, Absinthe? Keeping your hands busy as ever, I see."

[ BINGO: SURPRISE ]


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sunny.html

abby, lady taipan
she/her
31 years old
November 3rd
slateport
bisexual
bar owner, drug manufacturer
grunt
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
284 posts
part of
TAG WITH @absinthe
Absinthe Blackwood
kill your kindness | c
POSTED ON Sept 22, 2024 2:52:29 GMT
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as the door to the laboratory slams shut behind them, absinthe strides towards a back room - one that she's never brought himiko into before. in fact, she rarely even enters this room herself, mostly because she tends to bring her work out into the main area of the lab instead. all of her most volatile chemicals are stored back here, rows upon rows of vials and jars that contain some of the most dangerous substances that a person could hope to encounter. she trails a finger lovingly along their edges as she walks.[break][break]

at the very back of this room, however, lies a single vial. this is the one that absinthe removes carefully, almost reverently, cradling it in her hands as she brings it over to a table. this is the one that she has been working on in secret for months, the toxin that she hopes will change the course of her life and everyone who ever hurt her.[break][break]

"this," absinthe says, voice dripping with disdain and dark promise as she flicks the vial with a fingertip, "is my pet project. my masterwork. watch."[break][break]

there's venom laced within her tone as she works, reaching for a rattata from a cage with a gloved hand and smearing upon the poor creature a miniscule amount of the substance with a pipette. almost instantly, the rattata begins to seize, limbs spasming painfully as foam collects at the edges of its mouth. its keening cry is guttural, and lasts for minutes until its life is finally snuffed out. the body goes limp and cold in absinthe's palm.[break][break]

"it's not perfect yet," absinthe admits after the rattata's corpse has gone slack, placing the body atop a nearby stainless steel tabletop with a dispassionate flick of her wrist, "but it's getting there."[break][break]

she holds the vial up to the light, watching the liquid within swirl. "it's the only thing that's kept me going."



[break][break]

NOTES


- n/a






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madda

Himi
she/her
27
October 26
Celadon City, kanto
Bi
Florist
grunt
7 height
7 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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108 posts
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TAG WITH @himiko
Yamaguchi Himiko
kill your kindness | c
POSTED ON Sept 22, 2024 21:24:17 GMT
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Ooooh, how secretive~ Himiko walked into the private room inside of the laboratory alongside Absinthe. Normally this would be where all the good chemicals and products were, so why would this be any different? She found herself amused at the many warning labels and rat tape wrapped carefully around vials and beakers present inside of here. The inner chemist in her felt right at home in such a place like this.

They came to a stop before one vial in specific, alongside a lone Rattata. It didn't take a doctorate's to figure out where this was going, and Himiko had tested her brews plenty of times before on the local wildlife. At best, it was a reminder of simpler times in a much better part of the world. Absinthe's work was something else, a gaseous toxin that made short work of the rat's life, even as a size of several droplets dropped onto the rat's body. Such an agonizing death, stuck in a tight SPACE where it was been trapped at for who knows how long, possibly all of its life. Himiko watched with a rather entertained expression, forming into a malicious grin.

"My, you've got a little grudge from that venom in your tone." she mused, letting out a soft chuckle. "Your life's work is astounding. I've never seen something like it before, then again, most of my poisons are more old fashioned. I can't say I'm surprised though. A beautiful poison by a beautiful woman~"

[ BINGO: SPACE ]



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sunny.html

abby, lady taipan
she/her
31 years old
November 3rd
slateport
bisexual
bar owner, drug manufacturer
grunt
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
284 posts
part of
TAG WITH @absinthe
Absinthe Blackwood
kill your kindness | c
POSTED ON Sept 24, 2024 0:20:16 GMT
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something fierce and dangerous lights within absinthe's eyes as the gas takes effect, latching onto the weak flesh of the rattata and eating it away from the inside out. this death is not as quick as some of her other toxins, it takes time and patience to brew inside of the rattata's veins and cause suffering that she hopes feels endless, even if it is over within a few minutes.[break][break]

himiko's assessment is not wrong. it's true that this has been absinthe's life's work, everything she has been working toward for so long, and it fills her with a sense of dark satisfaction when she sees the fruits of her labor rewarded so deliciously.[break][break]

she hums softly in response to the other woman's compliment, watching as the light from the laboratory glints off the vial and casts shadows over her eyes. still, there is a furrow in her brow, and her mouth is pressed tightly together as if holding back some flood of feeling. she says it so easily—a beautiful woman. absinthe does not feel beautiful. she does not even recognize herself. how differently would himiko feel if she saw what lies beneath absinthe's mask?[break][break]

absinthe already knows the answer. digust, pure and simple. it's what absinthe feels every time she looks into a mirror.[break][break]

"grudge is an understatement," she says simply, finally, snapping her gaze up from the corpse of the rattata to fix himiko with a strange look. "i'm out for blood."[break][break]

something haunted crosses her face for a second before disappearing. "and i won't rest until i get it."[break][break]

a brief pause, and then absinthe meets himiko's eyes. "...do you have a dream? something that won't let go of you?"



[break][break]

NOTES


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madda

Himi
she/her
27
October 26
Celadon City, kanto
Bi
Florist
grunt
7 height
7 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
108 posts
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TAG WITH @himiko
Yamaguchi Himiko
kill your kindness | c
POSTED ON Sept 24, 2024 5:22:58 GMT
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"You could call it that." Ah, the sight of a person with all the world to burn and building up the kindling to do so. There was nothing else that made for such a wonderful story than a lead up like this. Although she couldn't possibly know much about her reasons why, Himiko did feel a strange sort of empathy for Absinthe out of the same reason why. When she asked about her own ambitions, Himiko was quick to explain exactly why.

"I was originally a Kanto Rocket, once a pretty high ranking member too. My family's served them for generations now. We dealt with black market dealings, and I was tasked with capturing a particular Druddigon for a client that promised things he would have spent years working for. An alpha, somehow surviving out in the wilderness. It was as tall as the skyscraper in Unova, large enough to dwarf even the tallest Pokemon. Naturally, I procured everything we needed. Fighting was out of the question, so I decided to opt to sedate it instead. I would have used a normal sample, but for dragons especially, due to their genetics, resist poison far more easily. And it just so happened in my haste to sedate it while we had it in place, I hadn't noticed that my supply boxes were switched out. I shot the dragon with what I thought was a sedative, when in reality, it was a stimulant."

She remained quiet for a moment, recalling the fear in her eyes as the fully raging Druddigon turning everything in the area into a mass of broken building, technology, and a lot of explaining to the higher ups about what went wrong. The normally stoic woman showed some emotion, her lips forming into a dejected pout as she leaned on the table.

"We lost everything. The Druddigon, Rocket servants, our research station was flattened. I was sentenced for immediate execution, but my father petitioned to be sent here. To the festering hellhole known as HOENN. Ever since I got here, I've wanted to prove myself and go home. But no matter how I bow to or brown nose, it's never enough. All I get are empty promises and the sneaking suspicion I'll never see home again. All because of me..."

[ BINGO: HOENN ]



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sunny.html

abby, lady taipan
she/her
31 years old
November 3rd
slateport
bisexual
bar owner, drug manufacturer
grunt
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
284 posts
part of
TAG WITH @absinthe
Absinthe Blackwood
kill your kindness | c
POSTED ON Sept 25, 2024 1:41:44 GMT
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absinthe listens intently as himiko recounts her story, her expression growing dark and brooding as the tale unfolds. the chemist's eyes are stormy with the understanding of what it means to lose everything, of the consuming need for revenge that follows the stripping of one's agency, one's life. it is not the same story, but it carries the same moral.[break][break]

"that must be hard," she allows at last, turning the vial of her toxin around in her hand contemplatively. "you were wronged. your life was ruined without a second thought."[break][break]

a beat, and then a quiet, tense: "...do you think you'll ever get back to kanto? or do you think you'll just start over here?"[break][break]

it's difficult to discern the answer that absinthe wants. perhaps the chemist simply wants commiseration. perhaps she wants confirmation that there really is the possibility of rebuilding, of starting over. or perhaps she wants reassurance that roots that run deep cannot be shaken or cast aside, no matter the circumstances.[break][break]

the irony, of course, is that absinthe is the exact opposite of rootedness. she has severed most of the ties in her life, dedicating herself fully to her pursuit of vengeance. whatever the answer himiko offers, absinthe will be forced to grapple with these contradicting impulses within herself—a testament to just how deeply her tragedy has eroded the foundation of her life.



[break][break]

NOTES


- n/a






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played by

madda

Himi
she/her
27
October 26
Celadon City, kanto
Bi
Florist
grunt
7 height
7 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
108 posts
part of
TAG WITH @himiko
Yamaguchi Himiko
kill your kindness | c
POSTED ON Oct 23, 2024 2:54:33 GMT
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That was the question of her life. Would she ever get back to Kanto in one piece? Or would she be forever stuck resting on the shores of this pitiful little region? A lost Ducklett away from the rest of their flock. The woman moved some hair back into its place that had fallen out of it. Black nails merging into the river of onyx hair. Her eyes followed the vial inside Absinthe's hand.

"Hell if I know. It feels like the only way I'll come home is inside a body bag on certain days. Even that would be a miracle, all things considered." she said, casting her eyes back up to the other woman. "But I've learned some dreams are just what they are: fantasies. I'll die here, either by somebody else's hand, my own, or by nature. The only thing I can do is to continue onward. Hence why your project intrigues me. I'd much rather have a purpose aiding somebody else with something I treasure than to wander aimlessly about. I should be thanking you, in some capacity."

Himiko's eyes glimmered with interest, the woman gliding across the table to come to stop a short distance across from the other woman. "But tell me, what happens after you finish your masterpiece? It's quite the conundrum. What happens after the artist has finished their chef-d'œuvre? Some move onto the next thing in life, maybe onto their next piece, but you worry me. From somebody who may share that same gnawing pain." The Kanton continued to explain, while continuing to walk closer. "I've seen that look in your eyes the day we met. A hardened workaholic with everything to prove. But I've also seen that same melancholy I see in the mirror every morning."


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sunny.html

abby, lady taipan
she/her
31 years old
November 3rd
slateport
bisexual
bar owner, drug manufacturer
grunt
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
284 posts
part of
TAG WITH @absinthe
Absinthe Blackwood
kill your kindness | c
POSTED ON Oct 24, 2024 0:12:37 GMT
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absinthe feels her chest tighten at himiko's words, something about them cutting far too close to the bone for comfort. the idea that her life's purpose could amount to nothing more than a fleeting fantasy is almost too much to bear—but she cannot deny the truth in the statement, either.[break][break]

"you're not wrong," she finally says, her voice low and measured. "i don't know what comes next."[break][break]

the truth is, absinthe has never really considered the possibility of a future beyond her revenge. it's always been the driving force, the only thing she's ever been able to see clearly. the idea that there could be something more is both terrifying and exhilarating—the possibility of a blank slate, a chance to start anew. but the reality of such a future is murky and uncertain, and absinthe has never been one for uncertainty.[break][break]

but her stomach knows the truth. it roils with it, forcing absinthe to reckon with the true yearning of her heart.[break][break]

a pregnant pause fills the space, and absinthe's head lowers. her next statement is slow, every syllable said with intent. "i don't think hoenn has a place for me in its future," absinthe admits. "there is nothing left to live for after it is done. i will die with my creation."[break][break]

how it will happen, absinthe doesn't know. she knows only that it will happen.



[break][break]

NOTES


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played by

madda

Himi
she/her
27
October 26
Celadon City, kanto
Bi
Florist
grunt
7 height
7 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
108 posts
part of
TAG WITH @himiko
Yamaguchi Himiko
kill your kindness | c
POSTED ON Oct 24, 2024 2:13:13 GMT
Yamaguchi Himiko Avatar
Himiko couldn't have blamed Absinthe for any of what she was going through. That kind of self-destructive behavior didn't lend itself to long term planning. The woman's expression didn't change, always that introspective glance as she absorbed the words from Absinthe quietly. Himiko didn't interrupt or interject, allowing her some room to expel all that negativity going on inside of her. It wasn't something that she could allow to simmer further. Once she was done, the Kanton spoke.

"Understandable, but I respectfully disagree." Himiko said pointedly. "I think Hoenn has everything to gain from your genius. Your life's work is understandably macabre, but I find it a beautiful creation from a distinguished mind. Tell me, why do you think you don't have a place here?" She asked curiously, her lips forming into a frown of now mild annoyance rather than minor. Perhaps it was that little bit of humanity in her that didn't immediately toss this woman out into the trash after 's recommendation. Or the fact another kindred spirit who worked with such poisonous materials would have been lovely to have back home. Something in her refused to allow this train of thought.

A hand dipped to gently raise Absinthe's chin up from the floor, careful not to touch any area that could suggest she wanted to undo the mask she wore. "If you don't know what awaits you after it finishes, then I'll help you however I can. Maybe I'll find some new strain of venom extracted, or some other bubbling brew. Life is such a precious thing to throw away so willingly, and I believe you should at least think things over."



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sunny.html

abby, lady taipan
she/her
31 years old
November 3rd
slateport
bisexual
bar owner, drug manufacturer
grunt
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
284 posts
part of
TAG WITH @absinthe
Absinthe Blackwood
kill your kindness | c
POSTED ON Oct 24, 2024 2:28:23 GMT
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respectful disagreement. it is almost laughable—the kind of language used back in college, shared with careful tongues between english students all at once eager to disagree with one another and reticent to offend. in another time, absinthe would have laughed.[break][break]

but there is nothing laughable about how absinthe feels about her life. she is a zombie, moving from one project to another, filling her days in a haze of alcohol and chemicals, anything to avoid being alone with her thoughts. her mind is a terrifying place, and a monster she must live with and abide by. she has been ruined. she will never be whole again. the pieces of her that once formed her body are long lost, and they can never be retrieved again.[break][break]

once the toxin is complete, there is nothing left. it is the only thing that fills her hungry bones with purpose.[break][break]

absinthe shifts. her eyes squeeze shut when himiko's hand takes gentle hold of her chin, as much expecting a slap as she is a caress. but the slap never comes. absinthe is unsure why.[break][break]

so her eyes open, wet and searching, meeting himiko's gaze with all the caution of a wounded animal. the well-wrought curve of her eyebrows soften, albeit in miniscule increments. "geniuses are not golden calves," she argues, albeit in the soft, quiet tone of a woman who has given up on keeping her walls erected. "another will rise in my place. there is nothing i can do that someone else cannot."[break][break]

himiko argues against the fantasy that yet defines absinthe's addled future. she argues that life is precious. absinthe cannot find the strength in her to agree.[break][break]

if life were precious, cole would not be six feet under, rotting in the cheapest coffin she could find, dug into the dirt with little to no ceremony. he would have never been executed like a dog.[break][break]

absinthe's eyes close again. she seems suddenly far away, distant. "my life has been hard." the admission is quiet and tentative, as if this is the first time she has admitted such a thing to herself. "i am haunted by everything that has ever happened to me. it will continue to be hard, exponentially moreso when i finish the toxin."[break][break]

her eyes open again. they are wistful, almost longing. "there is only one way i can rest. i will die with my creation."



[break][break]

NOTES


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played by

madda

Himi
she/her
27
October 26
Celadon City, kanto
Bi
Florist
grunt
7 height
7 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
108 posts
part of
TAG WITH @himiko
Yamaguchi Himiko
kill your kindness | c
POSTED ON Oct 24, 2024 5:02:41 GMT
Yamaguchi Himiko Avatar
"You sell your talents short. This isn't a business anybody is willing to do. The same can be said about any science. We'll all be overshadowed by our creations at one point or another. But your outlook worries me."

Stubborn to a fault, as expected. Himiko bit back whatever barbed insults that had appeared on her tongue at the refusal to see things her way. It was that little hint of nepotism that lingered on long after being exiled from her home. Even Absinthe's forlorn eyes opened that she could see the pain inside of them fully. Ones that weighed heavy on the soul. She frowned and let go of the other woman's cheek, blaming herself for causing the woman to wince that way. For a moment, she's silent, plotting, thinking...

"You've heard me ramble on about my history, but what happened to you?" she asked, her hand falling back down to her side. "If you're comfortable with sharing, that is. I have no room to judge, being somebody cast to the dredges of Rocket from heaven on high. I shan't tell a soul, and that's on the word not of an info broker, but a friend."

Himiko held out her hand forward, in case Absinthe might have needed a comfort. The previous act may have been overstepping boundaries, but she wanted to show that her invitation was open, should the other woman accept it. Her mind spun with idle thoughts, wondering how the poisoner in front of her came to be. Absinthe's own eyes showed another level of deep sorrow that Himiko's had lacked, a wound that couldn't heal, drawn straight from the soul. To see another woman's level of suffering was nothing short of torture.


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played by

sunny.html

abby, lady taipan
she/her
31 years old
November 3rd
slateport
bisexual
bar owner, drug manufacturer
grunt
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
284 posts
part of
TAG WITH @absinthe
Absinthe Blackwood
kill your kindness | c
POSTED ON Oct 25, 2024 0:02:17 GMT
Absinthe Blackwood Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","absinthe"]
[attr="class","body"]

absinthe's eyes flicker to himiko's outstretched hand, then back up to her face. there's a wariness there, a hesitation born out of years of isolation and mistrust. but there's something else too, something softer and more vulnerable. absinthe is tired. she's tired of carrying the weight of her past alone, tired of the endless nights spent wrestling with her demons.[break][break]

she takes a deep, shuddering breath, and then, slowly, she reaches out and takes himiko's hand. her grip is firm, almost desperate, as if she's afraid that himiko will disappear if she doesn't hold on tight enough.[break][break]

"my husband died," she says in a tone quiet enough to miss beneath the weight of implication. "four years ago, now. it was... sudden. i don't know how it happened. i don't remember. all i know is that one day he was there, and the next he wasn't. and everything fell apart after that."[break][break]

she is looking at himiko, but her gaze is distant, as if the poisoner is a glass pane offering scenic views into the worst moments of absinthe's life. absinthe's other hand, the one unoccupied by himiko's, snakes up her own body. it lingers on absinthe's shoulder, her collarbone, the curve of her neck and the muscles therein, then one corner of her jaw, just beneath her earlobe.[break][break]

click. the mask that absinthe's keeps over the lower half of her face shifts, no longer sealed against the bridge of her nose, and hisses, as puffs of purified air curl from beneath the mask in long, billowing tendrils. absinthe's hand is achingly slow as she pulls the covering away to reveal herself fully.[break][break]

the sight is grotesque, even in the dim light of the back room. the lower half of absinthe's face is a mess of burnt, warped flesh, the skin pulling and twisting in unnatural ways. the scarring is extensive, stretching from just below her nose all the way down to her chin and jawline, and her lips are the worst of it, mangled and misshapen, with a chunk missing from the bottom one, revealing a flash of teeth and gums.[break][break]

"i woke up one morning and my face was gone. my baby, too."[break][break]

she sets the empty mask aside, and shifts, the hand in himiko's trembling with the weight of her memories. she feels naked, exposed.[break][break]

"my job went next. within a month, i couldn't even leave my apartment. i felt like i was being skinned alive, again and again and again."[break][break]

now, she gestures vaguely to her work. the vials in shelves, the expensive technology, the dead rattata. "this is salvation. once it is done, i am nothing again."



[break][break]

NOTES


- n/a






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played by

madda

Himi
she/her
27
October 26
Celadon City, kanto
Bi
Florist
grunt
7 height
7 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
108 posts
part of
TAG WITH @himiko
Yamaguchi Himiko
kill your kindness | c
POSTED ON Oct 26, 2024 4:16:33 GMT
Yamaguchi Himiko Avatar
Admittedly, Himiko had fully expecting something dark when asking the other woman about her trauma, but to come right out of the get with the loss of a spouse? That was a travesty and a half. But every syllable was full of intent, a certain melancholy that couldn't be replicated without direct experience. Her hands gave a Absinthe's offered digital a gentle squeeze to reaffirm that she was sticking around for the long haul. She continued to remain silent and allow the other woman to explain everything.

But it wasn't until she unhook her mask up that Himiko reacted. Her brows came together at a harsher angle, as she welcomed Absinthe's back as her additions to the story had fully engrossed the Kanton. "You poor thing." Himiko spoke after a few seconds, her thumbs resting on top of worried, trembling hands. Her tone lacked the edge and bluntness as what she once possessed. If Absinthe allowed it, one of Himiko's hands reached up to cradle the chin again, careful not to touch the horrific scarring across her face. "I wasn't aware that all of this happened to you." The woman's lips curled into a soft frown. "I can't apologize for what's happened, but to trust me enough to make yourself so vulnerable..."

Inside of her mind, though, the questions were gnawing at the back of her head. Why be so nice? Why put forth the effort to appear so sympathetic towards a stranger's most vulnerable moments, especially one which had a higher chance to become a roadblock towards her success? She was supposed to be cutthroat, somebody who took advantage of weaknesses like this!

So why show mercy now?!

Himiko shrugged the thoughts off for the time being, then smiled at her again with a renewed sense of purpose. "I won't betray this trust you've shown me."

Her eyes traversed across the lab at the many vials and such, where Absinthe's lifelong work had remained still. The woman was adamant about her fate after its completion. Something about the finality in her decision, the way she had decided the way her story had wanted to end. It didn't sit well with her, though Himiko wouldn't rob the woman of her decision if she so chose.

"You know, I look at those scars of yours and see a woman of action. Plenty of people would have given up and wallowed in their hopelessness. Yet you persevered against everything and pushed on for a creation you believed in. You may not think it, but I find it the most beautiful thing about you, scars and all."

Himiko recalled her hand after a while, then took a moment to consider her words. There wasn't a whole lot that really stood out that she could say right now. Just seeing this side of the woman and her desire to finish what she started, even with the gruesome scars of the past had caused a tension to rise in her chest. Was it disgust? She wasn't aware of what this really could be, but did her best to move on. "It's your decision, but I would be remiss if I didn't ask you to give me a chance to try and change your mind."


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played by

sunny.html

abby, lady taipan
she/her
31 years old
November 3rd
slateport
bisexual
bar owner, drug manufacturer
grunt
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
284 posts
part of
TAG WITH @absinthe
Absinthe Blackwood
kill your kindness | c
POSTED ON Oct 27, 2024 5:39:09 GMT
Absinthe Blackwood Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","absinthe"]
[attr="class","body"]

there's a moment—a stretch of time where it seems like absinthe doesn't even breathe—as she waits to see how himiko will react to the sight of her marred face. some primal part of her is prepared to be met with revulsion, or even disgust—prepared, and perhaps a twisted sort of eager for it. maybe part of her wants to finally see her own pain reflected in someone else's face, wants to be reminded that her scars are not only real, but revolting, and that she's as undesirable as she's always felt.[break][break]

but there's none of that in himiko's face. or, rather, there is something like pity, but it's soft and careful, like the padding around a delicate crystal vase. it's almost worse, this careful consideration, like being handed a bomb with the pin already pulled.[break][break]

and himiko says something ridiculous then—something about absinthe being beautiful, her scars beautiful, as if they're the most wondrous thing she's ever seen. the idea is laughable. absinthe is a monster, a thing half-dead and grotesque, an unfortunate amalgamation of broken parts held together with rage and determination. there is no beauty in her. beauty is the delicate curve of a clean jawline, the way a person's eyes light up when they laugh. beauty is the world outside of the poisonous confines of her lab, all sunlight and clean air, a world that absinthe has given up any right to be part of.[break][break]

but himiko is saying this with a straight face, looking directly into absinthe's eyes and seeing something worth looking at, worth saving, worth giving a chance.[break][break]

and absinthe cannot help but see a glimpse of the potential her assistant sees.[break][break]

a long moment of silence, full of the consideration of things left unsaid and potentialities left unexplored, stretches between them. absinthe looks at her own hands, calloused and discolored from years of exposure to harsh chemicals, the fingernails jagged from biting. then she's meeting himiko's gaze again. there's something more vulnerable in her eyes than there was before, something undefinable but present and raw.[break][break]

"i will consider your offer," she says, and it's the closest absinthe has come to hope in years.[break][break]

she grimaces, and it looks almost like a smile.



[break][break]

NOTES


- n/a






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