shrike

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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shrike

POSTED ON Oct 29, 2019 3:00:43 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","grabod"]

[attr="class","gra"]

[attr="class","grawords"]

[attr="class","gratag"]
@augustus

"Angel, princess, cupcake. You have some interesting synonyms." She smirks and raises an eyebrow, letting her pokemon carry her a little higher so that she was eye-level, leaning forwards on her palms while her elbows rested on the dragons hide. They sat neatly between her knees, which were clenched against either side of the dragon, so she wouldn't fall off.
[break][break]
"You going to chance the path, or come on a magic carpet ride?" She straightens out and pats the dragonair's back.
[break][break]
Then, quietly. "I found the guy, by the way. If you want a ride up." Her head nods in the direction of his little camp. "He's not too far, and on a pretty good plateau."

[attr="class","grapokes"]

[newclass=.grabod] background: #2e2e2e; width:300px; margin: 0 auto; [/newclass]

[newclass=.gra] margin-top: 40px; width: 300px; text-align: justify; font-family: 'roboto'; background-image:url(https://i.ibb.co/2gq2C65/black-thread.png); padding-right:50px; background-color: #2e2e2e; border-radius: 1px;[/newclass]

[newclass=.grawords] padding: 30px; background: #202020; font-size: 12px; color: #aaa; line-height: 16px; border-radius: 2px; border-right: solid 4px #2e2e2e; [/newclass]
[newclass=.grawords b] color: #765D75; font-size: 13px; [/newclass]

[newclass=.grapokes] text-align: center; width:300px; margin-left: -30px; margin-bottom: -20px; margin-top: 10px; [/newclass]

[newclass=.gratag] padding: 0px; text-align: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: -20px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.gratag a] font-size: 11px; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 1px; [/newclass]

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POSTED ON Oct 29, 2019 3:06:30 GMT

[attr="class","augpost"]does he trust the noodle of a dragon that doesn't look like it could handle their combined weights for more than a few precious minutes? no. does he want to be the guy that can punch the snot out of someone without remorse, but can't stand the thought of not having solid ground beneath his feet? maybe.

no, he thinks, when he sees her testy, teasing smile. it's about pride.

but before he says yes, he's reminded about their instructions. if this really is their guy, then one of them is going to have to pull the trigger, quite literally. and he doesn't know if he wants to do that in front of her, or if he wants her to do that in front of her.

does she know what it means to kill someone?

he mounts the dragonair without another word, mouth in a hard line.

x x x
@bean2

[newclass=.augpost]font:10px calibri;[/newclass]
[newclass=.augpost i]color:#716075;[/newclass]
[newclass=.augpost b]color:#716075;font:bold 11px calibri;line-height:12px;text-transform:lowercase;[/newclass]

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POSTED ON Oct 29, 2019 3:12:05 GMT

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[attr="class","grabod"]

[attr="class","gra"]

[attr="class","grawords"]

[attr="class","gratag"]
@augustus

Eden hums as he steps onto her little noodle-dragon and smiles back at him. "Hold on." She turns away and pulls her hair around front so it doesn't whip into his face, before nudging the dragonair with her heels.
[break][break]
And then they were off, soaring higher - but not too much so - to the plateau where Eden had seen the man they were looking for. Quietly, Eden has the dragon pokemon drop them off, her toes landing first, before settling her heels into the ashen surface of the plateau.
[break][break]
The man's silhouette can be seen inside his little tent, dressing himself, it seems.

[attr="class","grapokes"]

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POSTED ON Oct 29, 2019 3:20:57 GMT

[attr="class","augpost"]remus is there to keep him in check. remus is there to watch their pulse, their heartbeat, their emotions as they wither away and collapse at his feet. remus is there to pull him away from the edge if he goes too far.

he pushes the boundary, every once in a while, but there's a reason his specialty isn't in assassination, isn't in terrorism. he still values life. he's gotten his hands dirtied, bloodied, whatever you want to call it, but he can recall every moment, every instance. he pays the price each time at the cost of a piece of his soul.

and he shivers, knowing that this is what he was made for. this is what he was bred for, raised for, preened for, but for some reason he feels sick, thinking this, as he's looking at eden's back.

he places a hand on her shoulder, serious now. "you know what we have to do, right?" his other fist curls.

x x x
@bean2

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POSTED ON Oct 29, 2019 3:26:59 GMT

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[attr="class","grabod"]

[attr="class","gra"]

[attr="class","grawords"]

[attr="class","gratag"]
@augustus

Eden's quiet as they stare at the tent, and suddenly it's all very, very real. She closes her eyes, breathes in deeply, and goes to a place where her mind normally can't hurt her like this.
[break][break]
When he touches her shoulder, her concentration is broken, and she jumps, whipping around to look at him, eyes wide. "What?" She asks, her voice a little too loud.
[break][break]
She looks back at the tent as the man emerges from the noise. Eden glances to Remus and August, before looking back to the man. "Oh! Hello! We're just -" She starts, looking for and excuse to be thousands of feet up on a mountain.
[break][break]
None come to mind as the man rushes her, and her mind blanks, body moving on it's own.
[break][break]
He swings a knife - one that he had clearly been using earlier to cleave some sort of meat - and Eden's leg rises up, catching him on the side of the face. He goes down, tumbling - and slips right past his drying rack and into the steam vent he had been drying his clothes on. Ah!" Eden steps forwards, reaching out, her mouth in the tiniest "o" shape as his screams of falling stop.

[attr="class","grapokes"]

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POSTED ON Oct 29, 2019 3:37:05 GMT

[attr="class","augpost"]remus had been waiting in the shadows, shrouded by the trees. upon their first happenstance meeting, he'd gotten all he'd needed to know from eden. and he'd known enough to go off on his own, to finish this mission before either the poor girl or his own master could get roped into such an unsavory act. because this is a man who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. not evil, not a monster. just a man.

but the lucario had been too late, and hadn't considered the fact that eden had more pokemon on her than that espeon, than another type of similar caliber.

so he stands to the side as august and eden convene, absentmindedly following august's wishes to put his guard down around eden. but without that vision, without that knowing, he can not, and does not, warn them when their target comes upon them.

and august acts reflexively as well, reaching to block the knife that eden's already ducked. his hands clasp air, but he watches as the man's face gets crushed, as he's sent sprawling backwards.

he loses his footing and slips, only this time there isn't a helpful dragonair and a spunky blonde there to catch him.

the fumarole swallows him whole; steam billows around his body as he disappears and august stands, frozen and rooted to the spot in shock. then he grabs eden as she reaches forward, gives her a shake.

"hey, hey. you're alright. you're--you okay?"

remus goes to investigate where he'd fallen and raises his arm over his nose. he only makes it a few steps before he scuttles back and makes a few motions to august.

"c'mon. remus says we shouldn't be breathin' this shit in."

x x x
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POSTED ON Oct 29, 2019 3:43:48 GMT

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[attr="class","grabod"]

[attr="class","gra"]

[attr="class","grawords"]

[attr="class","gratag"]
@augustus

August grabs her again, and Eden takes a deep, earth-shattering breath. She's killed him - she's killed this man, and...
[break][break]
"We can't - I need - " She pulls free and stalks towards his tent, nearly tearing it open. Frantic. Absolutely terrified. Eden's fingers rip through sleep bags and clothes, looking for something - anything - to be used as evidence.
[break][break]
There's not so much as a medal.
[break][break]
"Fuck. Fuck." Her she flips the tent, heaving deep breaths. "Fuck!" Eden's fingers find her hair and she turns to August, before gesturing around them. "We don't have anything to prove we did it." Her eyes say something else - that she's in fucking huge shit for it.

[attr="class","grapokes"]

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POSTED ON Oct 29, 2019 13:35:56 GMT

[attr="class","augpost"]the lucario is blasted by her emotions, by the fear that crawls like a snake under her skin. and he watches, eyes glowing a soft blue, as she flits about the sorry campsite.

august doesn't notice him watching. he just stands there, unsure of what to do. they've done their due diligence. so long as rocket doesn't hear from him, so long as he's dead, it's fine. their word should be enough.

but, as she turns around and feels his stomach tighten, he knows it's not enough for her.

and remus knows this, too. so the steel-type summons his courage and holds his arm up before him. the vent belches steam and his eyes instantly water. he spies the man's form below, dashed upon the rocks, indistinguishable.

but before he can even think about clambering down, augustus is grabbing him by the scruff and pulling him back, eyes wild, anger making his arms tremble.

"he's dead. we know he's dead. i know he's dead. and if your old man has a problem with that, he can answer to me." he doesn't turn towards her as he fumes.

x x x
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POSTED ON Oct 29, 2019 13:43:42 GMT

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[attr="class","grabod"]

[attr="class","gra"]

[attr="class","grawords"]

[attr="class","gratag"]
@augustus

Eden bites her lip as Remus raises his arm, pushing him back at the same time that August pulls him by the scruff. Clearly, they both had the same values when it came to the Pokémon’s life. She sighs and runs her hand through her hair, turning grey and black from the ash falling around them.
[break][break]
She stares into the vent, wondering how easy it would be to just... jump in. But then August is telling her he’ll deal with her father, and she nods, curling her arms around herself as she steps towards the two companions with her.
[break][break]
Eden seeks comfort by resting her face right in the fur of Remus' arm, closing her eyes. She takes a minute to compose herself and breathes deeply. "Okay." She finally says, accepting the help — just this once.

[attr="class","grapokes"]

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POSTED ON Oct 29, 2019 18:23:07 GMT

[attr="class","augpost"]he would not tell augustus how badly the girl beside her hurts, if he asked. because he is seeing it now and feeling it alongside her and this is why he allows her to lean into him for support. blue eyes lose their intensity and his fur falls flat.

augustus watches the two of them, but only briefly, before he turns his attention back to the vent below them. he can't see the body, not with all the sulfurous steam in the way. but he coughs, backs up, and waves his companions after him.

she touched all of the belongings here. he rubs his face. and then he starts to collect everything--he starts to break down the tent, gather still-drying clothing, what little valuables he'd managed to keep on him. there isn't much.

"you gotta report back directly to 'im?"

@bean2
x x x

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POSTED ON Oct 29, 2019 21:02:23 GMT

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[attr="class","grabod"]

[attr="class","gra"]

[attr="class","grawords"]

[attr="class","gratag"]
@augustus

It takes a few moments, but once Eden has collected herself, she turns and watches as August takes apart the campsite. Right. Evidence.
She breathes in deeply and closes her eyes, because she knows she's just made extra work - that this is her fault, and that everything that was happening was because of her.
[break][break]
Even if it had been an accident.
[break][break]
"Yeah." She answers, before closing her eyes. "Yeah, I do... But maybe not... right away." She breathes in deeply. By the time she'll actually report to him, the body will be long gone, anyway.
[break][break]
She runs her fingers through her hair and stoops to help pack things away. "I'm sorry." She murmurs, stuffing a pair of pants into the small dufflebag. Eden says it, because it's the only thing she knows how to say when she thinks she's fucked everything up.

[attr="class","grapokes"]

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POSTED ON Oct 29, 2019 21:48:09 GMT

[attr="class","augpost"]"a'right," he says, "then don't." not right away, at least. he still doesn't know her. barely knows her at all. but he can put two and two together and he knows she must be feeling a hundred different things right now. it's not exactly every day that someone commits manslaughter.

he gathers all of the items and tosses them into the fumarole. the smoke billows.

and then he sighs and shakes his head. "don't apologize. honestly, ya prob'ly made our jobs easier. end result was still gonna be the same. we oughta head back down soon, though. don't wanna get stuck up here in the dark."

@bean2
x x x

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POSTED ON Oct 29, 2019 21:51:30 GMT

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[attr="class","grabod"]

[attr="class","gra"]

[attr="class","grawords"]

[attr="class","gratag"]
@augustus

"Yeah, okay." Eden breathes in shakily and watches the items as they're incinerated in the flames. She turns, and points to the path that she had scouted earlier. "This will be the easiest way. I saw a good path when I was flying."
[break][break]
And so, she leads their descent, eyes watering from the ashes and heat.
[break][break]
At least, that's what she tells herself as she walks ahead of the boys.

[attr="class","grapokes"]