[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]"fernando?" his tone remains neutral if only because of the distraction the tapu lele provides. alexander watches it decorate his arm, placing scales against each other as it looks to cover his whole arm.

as much as alexander hates the idea of her reaching out to silph for help, he has to admit that if anyone knows anything about what these pokemon are and what they can do, it would be him. he has one similar, after all.

"i would be careful with him, illeana." his eyes peer up to meet hers. his tone finally changes, this time into something much more serious. "i do not trust him."

alexander has yet to notice the effects of the scales have on his arm. it laughs and he asks it a question: "what is this?"

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]she nods but doesn't offer anything. not yet, anyway. they're both distracted by the scales, by the gentleness in which tapu lele places them. there's a pattern to be made of them but no one gets it. only the deity does and eventually, it steps back to admire its work.

and when his tone changes and his eyes meet hers, she can't help the way her lips settle into a firm line. she's going to challenge him, that much she knows. perhaps it's because she doesn't understand why he's warning her or why he wouldn't trust fernando. either way, she's defiant and holding her head a little higher as if he can't change her mind on this. "why? he's not that bad," and a little softer but still as firm as his, she adds, "i trust him."

when he asks the question, tapu lele laughs a little louder and the wicked smile grows in volume. it takes a moment for illeana to notice the change. the way the deity feels no shame, only pride. it stares down at his arm, at the way his skin is now turning pink and glowing. and by then, the burning might start. or maybe not but illeana can feel the swelling pride and it's not even as unsettling as it should be. she chalks it up to an artist admiring a masterpiece until her eyes drift to the scales and the state of his arm.

"i'm not sure what that is." she wants to believe it's good but it's not. not in the way she wants or the way she expects. instead, it's innocently cruel, perhaps fueled by the growing tension between her and alex. tapu lele is a pokemon of emotions, same as its avatar. and when her emotions flare, it seems the guardian will react with no remorse.

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]not that bad. alexander would scoff in amusement if he wasn't distracted by the pink scales on his arm. instead, he offers her a response with a single word. it, along with his tone, should be enough to convey how serious he is when he says: "don't."

his skin starts to glow, turning a sickening shade of pink. the burning feeling has him tense, shifting on the couch to lean closer to the pokemon. he narrows his eyes, steels through the pain, and asks:

"what are you doing?"

carefully, his other hand reaches towards the pokeball around his ankle.

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]"why?" she doesn't like the tone he uses, not one bit. maybe it's because she doesn't want to believe what he's saying, doesn't want to entertain the thought that she might be placing trust in someone she shouldn't. it wouldn't be the first time but that's just who she is: blindly believing in the good in people where there is none. and so she frowns a little further, tightens her crossed arms. "what's so bad about him, then?"

she'd press the issue further if it weren't for the state of his arm. it's a sickening pink now and she's shifting closer before she can stop herself. and maybe it's instinct or some need to protect the deity from that look in his eyes but she places herself between them, keeping tapu lele close to her back.

"what's happening?" she doesn't understand and neither does alex. he asks a question and tapu lele merely offers a giggle in response. it's enjoying this, that much she can tell. she doesn't need to turn and assess the pokemon's reaction to understand. no, the presence in her mind is enough. illeana reaches for his arm, reaches to pick the scales off his skin before it can get any worse. maybe she can heal it... the scales are meant to be healing, aren't they? it's so confusing and she's dissolving into a mess of panic and confusion.

but she doesn't miss the hand that's reaching for a pokeball and her eyes dart between his and that hand. "what're you doing?" he wouldn't... attack the guardian, right?

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]the scales feel hot against his arm and he can see how pink his skin is turning. he almost winces from the pain, arm falling ever so slightly before illeana reaches for it. whatever this is, whatever that pokemon is, is unnatural.

by the time she speaks again, his fingers have found the pokeball. he freezes at her words, blinking a few times in an attempt to snap out of his thoughts. to shake off this intense feeling of dread. but it persists.

"is this fun for you?" alexander ignores her question and directs his at tapu lele. his grip around the pokeball grows tighter, as if anticipating its next move.

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]his arm drops and she's tentative to touch it, to move it too much. will she only make it worse? or can she fix it? there's no time for her to really question her actions. and so, without a word, she kneels before him and begins to pick off scales. they fall to the ground and dissipate in soft glimmers of pink. the skin left behind is blotchy, shifting into an angry red, and she winces at the sight.

"alex," she tries to get his attention, to pry his eyes away from tapu lele. he still persists in the endeavor of questioning the deity and she's glancing between them. his hand has found the pokeball by now, lingering too long for her liking.

the guardian stares at him. its head tilts slightly as if confused for a moment. and then, a nod and another giggle follow. illeana wants to believe that it doesn't understand what the scales can do if there's too many but is that probable? it has to know what effects the scales have on a body. and if it does, then what was it trying to do? there's an innocence to tapu lele that illeana can feel but can alex understand it? would he even try to?

"i," she tries and it comes out croaked and crackled with emotion. a swallow follows before she tries again. "i can heal it, i think." as if to further her point, one of her own scales rises and floats near her hands. it doesn't touch him, not yet. she can't shake the concept that he might attack tapu lele, though... if he does, he'd have to get through her first. she's positioned in such a way that makes any move against the deity difficult without taking her down with it. purposeful, sacrificial, everything she had been in order to be chosen in the first place.

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]it nods. it actually nods. for whatever reason, that reaction along with the giggle is enough for alexander to push the button on the pokeball. a flash of white encapsulates them for the briefest of moments before his gallade joins the fray. it only takes galahad a second to assess the situation, and the sight of his trainer's arm is enough for him to lunge forward with a blade-like arm.

"stop!"

a murky pink ripples from galahad's arm, reminiscent of a PSYCHO CUT. the psychic-type tenses, but holds his aggressive stance and keeps his eyes on the tapu lele. but galahad knows whatever attack he delivers will have to go through illeana, and perhaps it's for that reason that alexander decides to stand down.

alexander is conflicted. he remains quiet and allows his gaze to fall to his arm, to the scales she looks to put on him. he pulls his arm away, wincing at the pain of doing so.

"i'm fine."

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]the flash is blinding, too close to her for her to do anything besides recoil at the light. and then, a sharp gasp escapes. oh god. no no no. panic rises like bile in the throat and she's shifting further into a protective shield for tapu lele. the deity stares at alex and galahad but there's no longer a smile on its face. instead, there's a frown and an almost dangerous look to its eyes. illeana can feel the intention now and it's worrying. dangerous, cruel, purposeful. attack its avatar, attack it, and it won't end well.

they back down, however, and relief rises for a moment. it falls into dread a moment later.

alex moves his arm away and she can't stop the hurt that flashes in her eyes. it gives way to prickling tears within moments. "no you're not," she whispers. her hands try to reach for his arm again but they're shaking now and more scales have joined the first. tears have already begun to wet her face, bottom lip quivering.

"please, alex," it comes out a little broken, crumbling until it's half a sob. tapu lele watches but that look never leaves its face.

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]despite the order, galahad refuses to fully back down. he stands at the ready, eyes never once leaving tapu lele, as if daring it to even attempt anything. the pink ripple of his blade never leaves. alexander knows galahad well enough to be forced to interject.

"galahad." the psychic-type doesn't look. "galahad." finally, the gallade breaks his gaze away, turning to meet his trainer. "not now." there are hidden meanings behind his words and the both of them understand as much. it's for that reason that galahad allows the psychic powers to fade away.

tension in the room still lingers even as alexander accepts her help. where tapu lele's scales hurt him, perhaps hers might heal him. he waits and sees.

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]tears come a little faster from the exchange between alex and galahad. her body tenses at the choice of words and her mind tucks them away for later, as if they might come back in the same manner. tapu lele doesn't move from its spot. no, instead it waits for galahad to back down before drifting closer to illeana, the threat of an attack now neutralized.

she should feel relieved when he accepts her help. she really should but her emotions are all over the place and she can't sort through the hurt and the sadness to find relief.

the scales are smaller than tapu lele's, lesser somehow. perhaps it's because she doesn't fully understand them let alone how to make them stronger. she does, however, know enough to peel away the last remaining scales from the deity. and once his skin is fully revealed do her hands move. the scales drift to her palms, pressed between his skin and her hands. she's gentle, almost tentative in applying them to his skin. and where tapu lele had let them linger, she doesn't keep them on for longer than a few seconds at most.

it's quiet while she works, sniffles puncturing the silence every now and then. the soft pink glow paints her face and accentuates the wet streaks of her cheeks.

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]silence envelops them for however long it takes illeana to work on his arm. the scales are peeled off, replaced with her own, and after a few seconds those are peeled off as well. he should breathe a sigh of relief but instead he's staring at his arm. specifically, at how some parts have yet to fully heal.

"it's okay," is the first thing he says because he knows he needs to calm her. it's not her fault for any of this. despite the healing of her scales, his arm still stings from the pain, and it shows in how he winces when he moves it.

his other hand raises to wipe tears from her face. he offers her a smile, hoping it would be enough to comfort her. "thank you."

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]parts of his arm are healing but she's staring too intently at the ones that haven't. they have to fade, they have to heal. she can't be the cause of this, of his first scars. a whimper escapes and she's bordering on desperate with how she's pressing the scales to his skin now, hands wobbling too much to be as effective now.

"it's not okay," she whispers. her eyes don't stray from his arm, even as he moves it. her hands fall away and the scales disappear, fading with a pink shine.

and even as his other hand rises to wipe at her tears, she finds it difficult to choke back a sob. none of this is okay. tapu lele stays close to her back, almost a comforting presence against the onslaught of emotions. perhaps it understands enough to linger, to press a small hand onto her back. soothing, she realizes. it's trying to soothe her just as alex is.

"i'm so sorry," she blurts out. his smile is appreciated but difficult to return. there's a moment of pause, a moment where she looks at the spots of his arm that didn't heal. and then, she's crumbling into herself, hands rising to cover her face as another sob escapes.

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

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

[attr="class","stone i"]everything is crumbling around them and he feels almost powerless to stop it. he slides off the couch and slinks onto the ground, now level with her as he moves closer, ridding whatever space was between them.

"i promise i'm okay." it's hard to properly embrace her when her hands are covering her face but he tries anyways. at the very least, his presence next to her should be soothing, as it always has been. he breathes a sigh. "this is okay. none of this is your fault."

illeana reyes