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 ]

Absinthe Blackwood

☉

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 ]

Absinthe Blackwood

☉

"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 ]

Absinthe Blackwood

☉

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."

Absinthe Blackwood

☉

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 Lulu Flint'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."

Absinthe Blackwood

☉

"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.

Absinthe Blackwood

☉

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."

Absinthe Blackwood

☉