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illeana shifts on her perch, the golem beneath her rumbling low in warning. newcomers. despite expecting a partner, her body still trembles at the warning of her golurk. not a foe not a foe not a foe. ah, but that had been the same kind of thinking that got her into trouble last time. her wrapped wounds feel like fire beneath the dirt tinged bandages and she squirms atop the shoulder of deus. the golurk picks up on her uncomfortable feeling and a hand rises to secure her against its shoulder, gently supporting her back as she moves.

"yes," comes tumbling from her mouth in a sigh. her eyes soften upon seeing the group of pokemon this woman has with her. they're cute, each one with distinctive personalities. reminds her of her own... her mouth opens again before she can stop it, if only to distract her thoughts from going any further. "you're my partner for this, correct?" her tone is slightly suspicious but one can never be too sure anymore. her nose scrunches at the mention of blood and flesh, a wave of nausea instantly rising from just the words alone. brief flashes of her own blood fly through her mind and it feels smaller in this cave now, more suffocating. with a shaky hand rising to pinch the bridge of her nose, illeana closes her eyes and meekly shakes her head. "not -- not that i know of," she murmurs. "it might be a good idea to check anyway..." if there is anyone stuck under there... they need to know.

her eyes flutter open at the introduction and from her perch atop her shiny golurk, the woman looks small. normally, she'd offer a hand for a shake but it's best for her to keep her distance. she'll understand, right? "i'm illeana," she replies with a small smile and a little wave. "it's nice to meet you. well, i wish it were under better circumstances, really." disasters aren't exactly the best meeting ground, after all. "would you like to take the lead on this?" she inquires with a quirk of an eyebrow. illeana's not a leader, never has been and probably never will be. it's simply easier and probably better for all parties involved if kaida takes control of the situation but... it's always polite to ask.

Kaida Adachi

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the sense of ease lasts for a moment. from the second kaida says she's here to help, illeana can feel relief wash over her in waves. it's cut short by the next question and her heart leaps into her throat. it's an innocent question, really. are you okay? and yet, it weighs so heavily on her mind she stays silent for a few moments. does she answer honestly? does she drag the skeletons from the closet and hang them out for the world to see? her bandages feel tighter now, restricting, suffocating. beneath her, deus rumbles softly as if it's a sound of encouragement and it grounds her. the rumble brings her back to this moment, this question, this choice, and she opts for the easy way out instead of pent up negative emotions spewing from her mouth. and so, with the flash of a fake smile, she lays the question to rest. "yes, i'm fine." her tone leaves no room for questions, clipped and unnatural for the woman. "i'm glad you're here to help!" the woman tries to force a happier sound to her voice and it sounds convincing enough... right?

kaida confirms her willingness to take the lead and illeana falls silent, offering nothing more than a nod of affirmation. less physical activity is good. doctor's orders... it's why she's sitting atop her golurk like a princess. besides, it's painful to walk, wounds easing themselves back open with the smallest of actions. god, it's infuriating if she's being honest. she knew she was weak but she hadn't known she was so... fragile. the woman speaks again, this time toward her violet snake, and illie finds herself honing in on the orders. do snakes get scared of rocks? it's understandable she supposes. besides, anyone would be scared in such a situation like a cave-in. humans, pokemon, they all bleed the same and yet she hadn't known pokemon to be so mortal before. they always seemed so invincible but everything ends in ruins eventually.

once the ekans disappeared into a crack in the rocks, her partner turns toward her with words already dripping from her lips. despite the overwhelming urge to exist in silence, in contemplation, she finds herself answering with idle conversation instead. "you trained him well," she comments, dark eyes settling on the fond expression with ease. it's a familiar one to her, this fondness. she mirrors it with her own pokemon. perhaps that's what brings the ghost of a smile rising to her features. "in fact, all of your pokemon seem to be happy and cared for. that's good. it's -- it's not always something you see." she knows she's rambling, allowing idle thoughts to rise to the surface without restraining them. and yet, she can't bring herself to care at this point. her word vomit habit seems so trivial, so insignificant, compared to everything else. kaida cuts through her thoughts again, remarking on her current perch and deus rumbles again. the sound is happier this time, like a low chirp of contentment. it's cute and the ghost of a smile morphs into a real one, small and fond and the first one that hasn't felt like it's destroying her. "it's not all it's cracked up to be," she murmurs, ignoring the slight grunt of protest that resonates beneath her. "you get restless after a while of not moving." her legs want to move, want to stretch out, but it's difficult and painful and she isn't ready to handle the searing feeling yet. she'll be carried like a royal until further notice, perhaps... "you should rest more... taking care of yourself should be a priority." it sounds ridiculous for her to even murmur those words because really, when was the last time she had put herself first?

the golurk eyes her aquatic gator with interest as he waddles up to the golem. it's a cute sight to see, even cuter when the gator happily plops down beside deus with an excited hiss. the automaton rumbles in response, a higher pitched sound akin to a whirring chirp. it extends its idle hand toward jotun as if it wants to pet the gator much like one would a dog. she's not surprised to see deus in such a way. despite its imposing stature and eerie appearance, the shiny golurk is a large toddler. "i believe it likes your partner right back," she murmurs, sounding fond of the display before them. "it's a golurk, although the coloring is different than any i've had the opportunity to see."

kaida looks up toward her, then, and she stiffens slightly at the sound of her name. the question that follows, however, is innocent and curious and she nods. it makes sense... she would want to know every name too if she ever had to be in such a position. "deus," she offers, eyes settling onto kaida's face for a moment before they flutter away to inspect the damp walls of the cave. "it's latin for god, deity, spirit." it had taken her a little time to settle on the name, really, but once she had... it just seemed fitting of the automaton. her eyes eventually drift back toward kaida after a brief silence overtakes her. "may i ask the names of your partners?"

Kaida Adachi

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kaida returns her praise with a simple thank you and a smile. ah, but she should have noticed the way the words sound different, the way the smile is tugged into place. she doesn't in the way she used to, distracted and hollow, empty, a shell. she is different now, just as the woman's smile, and perhaps just as she doesn't notice the change in smile, no one would notice the change in her.

and then, the conversation shifts and illeana finds herself nodding solemnly in agreement. it seems a shared sentiment between the two women connects them, more than just this shared mission. similar ideals, similar feelings. she, too, would have felt guilty if she didn't take on this task and the dark haired woman understands the notion well. she had the same feeling in her gut, uncomfortable and unable to be ignored. if they didn't come, didn't help, what would have happened? it chills her to think about, the weight of another tragedy unbearable for the scientist. she's had enough recently, too much for one to shoulder. perhaps that is why she speaks softly, almost regrettably. "i understand," she says after a moment and her eyes drift toward the rubble, toward the remnants of the cavern's ceiling. "i had the same thought. it's -- it's something we can't ignore, i suppose." and then, she adds, voice nothing more than a whisper. "it makes me nauseous to think of the consequences of not assisting such a tragedy." any more and perhaps she would break. for now, however, she holds on despite the bandages, the wounds, the damage. is it survival or torture to endure? as the days pass, it feels more like hell than relief.

deus rumbles beneath her, stone body creaking as it gingerly touches the water type's head. a pet, a pat, a loving stroke. it's almost funny, in a way... she hadn't expected the automaton to be so adorable when she first encountered it. appearances can be deceiving, right? deus is no different in the end. a large behemoth with a heart of gold. while her golurk begins to let out happy, almost excited, noises, the woman on his shoulder lets out a soft laugh. "that's a nice name," she murmurs. it's fitting for the ekans, even if it's quite literal. besides, it sounds nice when coming from kaida's mouth. "did you end up realizing there are others out there after naming him?" perhaps she hasn't seen each snake the world has to offer... illeana knows there's a few but by now, there has to be more. before her mind can run with this information, however, kaida continues explaining the rest of the names for her pokemon and the scientist follows each word. and then, she's offering a genuine smile and it feels like it's been a while since once has graced her lips. "they're lovely names," she says and really, each one was picked with love and care for the pokemon being named. it's a lovely thing, one that makes her feel the beginnings of fondness. the bond between others and their pokemon has always been something she's found incredible but this woman has pure intentions, she can just feel it in her bones.

the mention of family stirs something in illeana and she falls silent for a moment. the gears in her mind begin churning, producing memory after memory. some of her actual family, ones she doesn't want to remember, and others of her pokemon. they are family now. protected, cherished, loved. and yet, it brings about a crushing realization and she scrambles to provide words for the woman, if only to distract herself, distract her mind from spiraling any further. "they're strong," she echoes and her eyes don't lift up toward the woman. instead, they drift toward where deus is still happily petting jotun. "because they're your family, they're strong." she doesn't say anything further, retreating into her thoughts as silence creeps in around them. deus' content rumbles puncture the quiet every now and then and idly, she begins to raise a bandaged arm to lightly pat the automaton's head.

sorry for the wait ;u;
Kaida Adachi

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a chuckle of her own rises to join kaida's, the two mingling together in the air with an almost comfortable atmosphere. it lulls illeana into a false sense of safety, one that she wants to exist in for a little while longer before going back to their assigned task. perhaps that's why the small bout of laughter comes so easily, comes without being coerced from her throat. a small change is still a change in the end and maybe this is the first step toward recovery she had been waiting for. perhaps her healing will start in this cave, with this woman, with this conversation.

"were you disappointed to find out?" she genuinely curious now, gaze drifting down toward kaida with piqued interest. "or was it kind of exciting to know that there's more snakes out there for you to find?" for her, she would probably be more excited than anything. the feeling of finding new creatures, studying them, understanding them... there's nothing quite like it. she is, however, different from majority of the masses. science fuels her instead of the desire to be stronger and maybe that's where she went wrong in the end but she likes to think it's what makes her stand out. another false sense of safety in that regard but it seems that humans tend to settle with what's comfortable, what feels like home and science had always felt like home for her. even if it was instilled in her mind with violent hands and harsh tones, it still held something special within it, something she needed to feel whole.

deus rumbles at the thumping of jotun's tail against the dirt, amused and all too happy to watch the water type with the awe of a child. there's a kinship between the two behemoths, one that perhaps both trainers couldn't even begin to understand. that doesn't stop her from gazing upon the sight fondly, from almost feeling thankful that deus has found a friend. the automaton is one of her babies, after all... she wants to give it the world if she could and this friendship that's budding between the two pokemon feels like the start of the world. "thank you," she murmurs. the skin of her cheeks radiates slightly with a rosy flush beneath the compliment but she accepts it all the same. "names can be such a funny thing sometimes but don't we owe it to them to pick ones that suit them?" the statement comes out hushed, as if meant for just her and her alone, yet she understands that the quiet of the cave lends itself to the quiet tone she uses. if kaida hears her, it won't bother her. they share similar sentiments in the art of naming, after all, and an understanding of one another guided by shared feelings could make this next part easier on the both of them.

her eyes retreat from kaida as she takes in the beginnings of confusion settling onto the woman's face. perhaps she said too much, let too much emotion drip onto her words. it's easy to do. as simple as breathing, really,. she doesn't know how to hold it back. her heart, her mind, her soul bleed themselves onto her body and it's difficult to ignore the bright bloody stains they leave. if the bandages on her body couldn't cover them, how could she? and so, she stays silent, the fingers of one hand beginning to draw lazy patterns against the rough exterior of deus' head. if she speaks now, she'll say too much and too much of anything, of everything she feels, is too much.

distraction comes for the two women in the form of kaida's precious snake returning, poking out from between the cracks in the rubble. her partner welcomes the ekans back onto her shoulders and once the purple creature is settled, begins to question what it saw. illeana keeps her eyes focused on deus' petting jotun, her ears keen on the conversation despite her reluctance to add her own words. her attention lingers on one word in particular and she swears she could feel her heart propel itself into her throat. blood. the snake smelled blood. oh god. nausea churns at her stomach in waves, difficult to quell, difficult to ignore. somehow she manages to hold it at bay if only barely, the embarrassment of getting sick in front of a stranger a little stronger than the urge to empty her stomach. her mind does little to help ease the feeling. in fact, it almost makes it worse in a way. her thoughts begin to latch onto the idea that there's something crushed beneath those rocks, something or someone that produced the blood ormr smelled, and she can't get the notion out of her head now. it's too deep in the soil, with invasive roots that overpower everything else until it's spreading and spreading and it's the only thing there.

a sharp inhale is taken through her nose and she spares a glance toward Kaida just as the attention shifts away from the snake at her shoulders to herself. everything she says feels like it falls away into white noise around the question she asks. are you okay? are you going to be okay doing this? is it acceptable to say no? will she be weaker, more pathetic, for speaking honestly? possibly. probably. definitely.

and so, the dark haired woman tries to steel her nerves, steel the muscles lining her stomach, and offers words of affirmation. they taste like bile in her mouth, disgusting and foul, as if the lies are adding fuel to the fire. "yes," she gets out, teeth slightly gritting against one another. she tries in vain to relax enough to sound more believable but it's a foolish endeavor. the words sound tense despite her efforts and she's avoiding her partner's gaze as if that will make her dishonesty any easier. "i'll be fine. how would you like to proceed?"

Kaida Adachi

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