[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]wailmer watching: a first for the head scientist. to be fair, she hails from the coldest point of sinnoh and it's difficult to find the small whales there. you know, with the ice and whatnot. a shame, really, but it is what it is. she's at least seizing the opportunity now. carpe the fuck out of the diem, right?

she's not the only one seizing the day. she's joined by an odd trio. a sobble, a ninetales, and a golurk all on the same boat... what could go wrong? apparently, a lot.

her automaton is, not surprisingly, stuck like glue to her side. excited rumbles escape like a symphony and really, it's nothing more than an oversized toddler trying to catch a glimpse of an elusive pink whale. the other side of her has an off-colored ninetales who looks a little annoyed with the ocean spray on the breeze. it's making her fur a little damp. gross, wet dog smell. illeana doesn't mind it, though. she allows a hand to drift into shiny gray fur, ruffling the tufts at the crown of her head.

the problem child of the day lies within the small, scaly form of a sobble. he rests like a neck pillow on her shoulders, curling himself into her skin. and perhaps it's a small gift to the water type that her hair is pulled up into a bun, allowing him to continue sunbathing without her curtain of hair blocking him from the warmth. the slightest of sounds cause him to stir, however, and she's grown a little to accustomed to having to lull him back to sleep with a soothing voice and a gentle hand tracing circles into scales.

she's distracted by the sight of the ocean but not too absorbed into the water's creatures to be able to ignore the tug of her hand. her head turns, an eyebrow raising. the automaton had pulled gently at her hand only to point with a clay limb toward a familiar face. kaida, former partner turned hopefully friend. a bright smile overtakes her face and before she's considering otherwise, she's approaching with her two guardians and a slightly terrified-looking sobble in tow.

"hey!" she giggles. "fancy seeing you here!"

Kaida Adachi

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]while illeana's response to the dragapult is a giggle, her sobble's reaction is anything but. first, it's a soft gasp at the skin of her collarbone and then? a wail. loud and piercing, as if a defense mechanism put into place to ward the ghost dragon away from him and his trainer. she doesn't miss the way tears leak onto her neck or the tightening of the tail at the base that is almost gripping enough to be uncomfortable.

"it's okay," she coos to her sobble, a hand rising to once again trace circles into scales. it takes a few moments and the words of kaida to fully dispel the situation but eventually, the tearful water type is lulled back into a more relaxed state on her shoulders. thank god... while she absolutely adores the little cutie, that wail is enough to make her ears bleed.

illeana returns kaida's smile with ease, more than happy to see a friendly face on this little adventure. besides, there's a comfort she's come to appreciate in kaida's presence and she'd be lying if she said she didn't wish for more of it sometimes. "thankfully not a job," she makes an attempt at a joke with a mild laugh. and then, as her ninetales lazily swishes a cluster of tails against her legs, she's glancing toward the ocean. "i actually came to see about this pink wailmer!" well, more like to see if it was actually real or nothing more than a mirage.

speak of the devil and the big pink guy shall appear. the crowd around them jostles forward and the automaton at her side shifts to block the sheer force of their determination away from her back. a grateful smile is flashed in deus' direction before she's whipping her head to find the source of the commotion. there, rising up from the water in a sparkling display is the fabled wailmer. huh, so it isn't just a trick of the eyes! amazing! somehow, kaida's commentary makes the moment even better and illeana's matching her friend's glee with her own. "how beautiful!" her voice borders the line between excited and shrill. "they really are adorable, aren't they?" even if they grow to be massive whales, there's still an impressive level of cuteness held within the evolutionary line.

the scientist and her pokemon are unaware of the threat that lurks beneath them. as far as they know, this is nothing more than a peaceful day spent at sea. to think that it'll crumble into violence so soon? the thought doesn't even cross her mind and perhaps that had been her first mistake. danger lurks even in the happiest of moments and to believe otherwise is naive but naivety is a trait illeana reyes has in spades.

Kaida Adachi

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[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]the head scientist is content, happy, blissful even. what more could a girl ask for in this moment? well, apparently less pirates but that's not a thought that crosses her mind yet. she's looking away from the wailmer to listen to kaida when things begin to take a turn and fast.

"fuck," she hisses out the moment the boat lurches. her body is sent hurtling forward into the rail, much like her companion, and a large clay hand darts out to steady her. the automaton almost looks... nervous? dread pools in her stomach and thoughts begin to race. god, they better not be about to sink or something. it's too early for that.

kaida's voice rings out among the chaos and illeana's whipping around to find the woman again, to check that she's still in one piece. relief washes over her the moment their eyes lock. "yeah, we're okay!" reassurance bleeds through the words, masking the worry for now. the concern comes a moment later after a pause. "are you alright? you're not hurt?" the ninetales at her knees bristles as if she's caught a scent on the wind. and while illeana doesn't know what it could mean, dread continues to build in her stomach until she's certain she might puke.

"what's happening?" the scientist is barely able to get the words out before the first scream rings out. and it echoes, painful and sharp in her ears. oh god. what the hell is this? her back is turned toward where the pirates board, unsuspecting as all prey are. luckily, they'll have to get through an automaton first if they want to get to the women.

Kaida Adachi

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[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]man, she wanted one week to relax and not worry about possibly knocking on death's door. funny how things never seem to go exactly as planned, huh?

an audible sigh of relief escapes illeana once confirmation hits her ears. and yet, she'll still give kaida one last glance over if only to fully be sure. the railing is sure to leave a mark on both of them, that's for sure. she knows that both of them have handled worse, recovered from worse. they'll be fine. "i'm glad," she murmurs and briefly, she considers reaching a hand out to grip kaida's. she'll instead brush a hand against hers and then shift to take a look around. okay, gather all of the information before making a decision. there's too many people to escape as easily as they'd like. hell, they're practically sandwiched to the railing. and from her position, she can practically taste the panic in the air. it's thick like smoke and ready to suffocate. she swallows.

"no, unfortunately not." the golurk is only capable of disappearing into shadows itself, not bringing along company into the depths of that plane of existence. they'll need to find another out... the ninetales at her knees bristles further and without warning, the fox is slowly beginning to slink away. and while illeana wants to stay by kaida's side, she's not about to just let one of her pokemon out of her sight. without giving a moment to fully process, she's taking kaida's hand in hers and tugging toward the direction flammae moves. "come on, this way." the fox has to smell something, has to have some idea of what's going on.

and maybe the entire point of the shiny ninetales moving into the crowd was to stumble upon the source of commotion. standing in the middle of the crowd lies pirates. plenty of them, too. the fox bristles and snarls and panicked people part to let her through. there's little thought put into the next course of action. flammae doesn't wait for her trainer. no, there's not enough time. people are threatened, lives at stake. and so, she strikes as well. jaws immediately seeking flesh and tearing at whatever she can grab of the closest pirate.

illeana leads kaida to the scene a moment later, practically stumbling into the pirate's view with her automaton close behind the women. the rumble of warning that escapes the behemoth then sends a shiver down the scientist's spine and she'd like to say that she wants to move, wants to act. do anything, really. but, as terror always seems to do, it roots her in place.

Kaida Adachi
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[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]flammae's snarled aggression manages to shift something in illeana. well, that and the way kaida protectively stands like a shield between her and the pirates. and while it's touching, she knows that in this moment, they both need to spring into action. she can't sit idle. not now, not anymore.

the automaton at her back shifts a little closer as if it wants to be her champion. touching, again, but she needs the golurk in action and not stuck as guard. "phantom force," she murmurs. the protective presence eases until it fades and shadows spread behind the pirates. it materializes a moment later, striking out at the very pirate her ninetales had latched onto. both the man and the fox tumble to the ground. flammae releases in time to not get pinned beneath his weight, the fur around her mouth bloody and stained. she almost looks like a different creature, more vicious than ever before. and if one turned to her trainer, perhaps they'd see the same thing.

illeana's gaze has hardened long before kaida turns to bark at her. "got it," she murmurs and while the words lack bite, there's a force behind them that is telling. the scientist has decided long before pirates came to crash the party that she'll be a force to be reckoned with. and this is no different. "again." both the golurk and the ninetales lunge again, one with teeth and the other with swinging clay limbs. both find purchase and the scientist? she finds courage, enough to step around kaida's form to approach. the previous pirate her pokemon had handled was unconscious but the new man they're focused on? he's still very much alert and aware of the woman's form closing in.

"not gonna get your hands dirty, darlin'?" she tries to steel herself against the comment but it strikes a nerve. as if she can't defend herself without her pokemon. and maybe she can't but this man who reeks of booze and grime doesn't have the right to look down on her for it. her face twists into a scowl and the next mistake she'll make will be the way she steps closer to him. a question slips from her lips the moment she's within distance. "what are you hoping to accomplish with this?" money, jewels, pokemon? what's the angle, the treasure?

Kaida Adachi
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[attr="class","illie i"]she's too invested in this interrogation that she doesn't notice kaida's absence. and perhaps that's another mistake to tally on the seemingly long list of things going wrong. or, perhaps the words kaida had once spoken to her didn't resonate in this moment. stronger together. except she's taking on danger without remembering the point of it all and there's another mistake lying somewhere in the exchange.

chaos is the objective, the goal. she hadn't seen it before but now she does, standing before the pirate as he barks out a harsh laughter. her skin crawls at the sound because oh god it's nauseating and that look in his eyes doesn't help. she steels herself once more and steps further into the man's orbit. "i'm not asking to hear myself talk," she murmurs. there's hesitation in her like she doesn't want to be here, like she doesn't want to be questioning him any longer. and maybe that's because he begins to move the moment she drifts too close.

the golurk isn't paying attention. the ninetales is distracted by screams. and she's realizing too late that it's her against him. no it's not until the first blow is dealt that she's coming into that acute understanding that yeah, she has really fucked up this time. a hiss of pain escapes and she's staggering back, hand rising to hold the cheek he just knocked his fist into. god, that fucking hurt. wait, her vision's a little wonky. maybe from pain, maybe from the fact that she was just punched in the face... who knows. anyway, he doesn't manage to get much farther than swinging another fist at her as her pokemon try to hold him at bay.

ah, but there's other pirates and she's suddenly very enticing prey. honestly, it shouldn't even surprise her when one grabs hold of her arm and yanks hard but it does and the shrill shriek that escapes is what kaida stumbles back in to hear. she'll find illeana in over her head yet again, eyes wide and frantic as she struggles to break away from the bruising grip on her wrists.

Kaida Adachi
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[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]their grip on her wrists is suffocating, terrifying, and yet... almost exhilarating? is that weird? probably. she chalks it up to the rush of adrenaline and nothing further, mind reeling to process this a little clearer. it's difficult when there's so much going on. so much noise, so much pain, so much failure. suffocating and snuffing out everything else until it's all white noise and just her, the pirate, and the concept that she has fucked up yet again.

kaida's form coming into sight is a saving grace but for how long?

the pirate snarls in her ear, pulling her a little closer. the grip tightens until she's certain she can feel muscles begin to creak and break beneath forceful fingers. that'll leave a massive bruise, definitely. "call off your friend, lady." he hisses and she's unable to speak, unable to do anything but stare as kaida moves into action. the woman retreats for a moment and then returns as something other than what she has always been. a chimera, a hybrid creature, half snake and half human. where do the lines blur? illeana can't tell. what she can tell, however, is that this is the moment they need.

rattlesnake vibrates across the deck and it disrupts the pirates. enough for the grip to loosen, for her pokemon to come back into the mix, and for the dragapult to find purchase in knocking the pirate behind her into the deck. her wrists are freed, her movements no longer restricted, and naturally she simply scrambles. away from the pirates and toward the solace that is kaida.

she's huffing and puffing by the time she returns, flushed and flustered and every bit a mess as usual. the faint smile she wears reflects this but her words do more. they're genuine when they come out. "thank you."

and then, she has to whip herself around to see her pokemon attacking once more. the ninetales lunges for skin and the golurk? the golurk uses the shadows to its advantages, phantom force in full effect as it continues to jump between the stretching shadows of pirates and knock them down like dominoes. one by one, they'll fall. and if not, they'll keep trying until they succeed.

there's an almost predatory look in her eyes as she observes, as she shifts a little closer, as she rubs a hand on a bruising wrist. "get them." it's low, almost inaudible, but she knows kaida will hear it. and more than that, she knows that her pokemon will feel the sentiment regardless. this is no longer about survival but about blood.

Kaida Adachi
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