Of all the ideas Orion had suggested, this had to have been the worst.

Steal, lie and murder your way into earning the favour of a mysterious benefactor. Take his plans after his arrest and use them to make that which should have never existed. Find a group of other trainers that had chosen to defy both the law and nature itself. Put all of them in a small room to discuss their crimes and the twisted fruits of their labour. For bonus points, have each of them release their wired abominations into that small room to compare and contrast, all while stopping them from turning each other into ribbons.

'This is really dumb,' she'd replied to his email. 'I'll see you there.' Followed by two dozen emoticons of varying intensity.

There was a lot to be said abour the kind of friends Orion made, if he knew enough people to call a meeting of thieves and murderers. Then again, he knew her, who happened to be both. She had her reasons, of course, but they'd likely say the same. She couldn't help but wonder what people better off than her could say to defend what they'd done, her ranger friend included.

That was part of the reason why she'd accepted his offer in the first place. On top of that, she'd already sought out help understanding Frankie, but progress on that had been much too slow for a girl that rarely stopped. Most of all, she owed Orion that much. He'd helped her too many times for her to turn down the invitation, even if his was a plan even she had second thoughts about.

For reference, Annie had caught one of her strongest Pokemon by walking up to a horde of Tyranitar, lobbing a Pokeball into the crowd, sending her partner to run in and retrieve it, and then had both of them run for their life for two miles from their fury.

She arrived first, face half-wrappped in an oversized lime scarf. He'd likely recognise the tracksuit she wore, thanks to her very limited wardrobe, and her hiker's backpack remained as full as ever. The walking shoes on her feet, courtesy of Thomas Benoit, stood out solely because of how little wear and tear they showed compared to everything else on her.

Annie greeted the man with her eyes before two fingers pulled the scarf off her mouth. "I'm not sure that I want this prize." The remnants of a smile could be heard in her voice, but given their circumstances, it wasn't too surprising that she seemed... off. A far cry from the girl that loved to make an entrance.

The sight of his apartment behind him reminded her of better days and helped ease her mind. Then she saw his Type: Null, and the realisation gave her pause for the third time that day. A man lauded in her mind, one of the best that she knew... Might not have been much better than herself. She didn't like that thought, and she especially didn't like that proof of it was staring her in the face.

Still, that wasn't its fault. None of the Nulls had asked to be dragged into the world, and yet, there it was. "You don't mind if I...?" She made her way into the apartment, slow steps taking her to Orion's beast. If it was anything like hers, slow and steady movements could prevent a surprise attack. Could being the key word.

If she managed to make it within arm's length without the beast looking especially hostile, she'd offer it her hand. It had long enough to sniff or stare at or accept that her arm was there before she tried giving it a few pats atop its helmet. From that, perhaps, she could gauge how different their chimeras were.

❤ wizz

Orion Lykos, Annie Mei, evan fader, Stormy Silph

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Stormy had tossed turned for hours after receiving Orion's e-mail. It wasn't a good idea. In fact, it was incredibly dangerous, and it's why she had left the councilman on read. She hadn't had any indication of coming - she wasn't interested in eyes being on her, of judgment and the ugly truth. [break][break]

So it surprised her more that she did, eventually, stand on Orion's doorstep. She would be the last one to arrive and would hear the telltale voice of Laurence Anderson announcing that someone was missing. Herself, probably.[break][break]

Stormy brushes rainwater from her jacket with one hand, spraying the droplets on the front step before letting herself in. Her movements are stiff but prompt, hanging up her coat to dry while she scurries to find someplace inconspicious to sit. She's regretting coming already.[break][break]

Orion's Type: Null lays in the centre of the room, quiet, calculating. It sends a shiver down her spine, and she swallows the lump in her throat. Otherwise, the woman says nothing upon arrival.

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Much as her appearance rings of familiarity, Annie seems different. Off. Unsettled, perhaps. Orion can hardly blame her, and he makes no comment as he invites her inside and nods in response to the question.[break][break]

"Go ahead, just... be careful."[break][break]

The chimera has never attacked him outright, but it's shown tendencies toward aggression under certain circumstances. Orion stands to the side and watches anxiously as Annie approaches, summoning his Absol closer with a gesture of his hand in case they need to intervene. Katas was one of the few Pokemon in Orion's collection of misfits that the Null didn't seem to mind.[break][break]

It watches Annie like a hawk as she approaches, dead silent apart from its steady breathing. It doesn't move, not even as she gets within striking distance, and simply stares impassively at her when she offers a hand. At least, Orion thinks the creature is impassive. He's really not sure what to make of it, sometimes, except that he'd seen clear signs that it was struggling.[break][break]

"Percy's usually like this... real quiet, y'know? Is yours...?"[break][break]

Though it doesn't seem to react to the pat on its helmet, it does turn its head at the sound of the 'name'. Whether it's recognition or just acknowledgement of being spoken about, Orion can't say.[break][break]

They're joined shortly by the others, an unlikely group of individuals all guilty of a shared crime. Not for the first time, Orion wonders if this is something he's going to regret.[break][break]

"That's all of us," he says, once Stormy's taken her seat. Orion's Type: Null has taken to staring at each guest in turn, silently analyzing. The Absol has taken up a position at his side, close enough that their fur is touching. A comfort. "Everyone I know of, anyway. The way things went with Cotillard... I doubt we're the only ones." He sighs, then laughs, a strained sound absent of actual humour. "Listen: I know this is probably weird for everyone. It's weird for me. But I really want to understand these... uh... Pokemon?" It comes out as a question. "Help them, even. I don't know if you guys have noticed, but mine's a little, uh... he gets distressed, sometimes. I think it's the helmet."

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Orion Lykos, Annie Mei, evan fader, Stormy Silph