[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]the look in his eyes should have her tense and nervous. and yet, it doesn't. she's calm, somewhat collected, and almost bright when he creeps closer. it seems tapu lele is no different. a wave is offered to the councilman by the pink guardian, as if he's familiar somehow.

"i did," she murmurs. illeana is quick to rise and with the movement, the pink PSYCHIC TERRAIN swirls and laps at her body. it's faint, not nearly as controlled as his, but it combines with blue in an ethereal stage. "thank you for coming. i appreciate it." there's no offering of insight into why she's called him here. not yet, anyway. she steps closer first, tapu lele lingering at her heels.

and only when the mist solidifies a little further does a second deity enter from the wings. she recognizes the similarities enough to smile, gaze shifting from fernando to tapu fini. "i'm sorry to drag you all the way out here but you're the only one who might understand this." the beginning of an explanation, spoken in hushed tones as if someone could have possibly followed them all the way out here. they're shrouded in their respective mists, camouflaged to the outside world.

it's just them, the tapus, and their shared fate.

"do you know of this pokemon, mister silph?" her head tilts slightly to the side. somehow, she has an idea of the answer he'll give but she's curious enough to not assume right away.

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]tapu lele is surprisingly tickled by the wave fernando returns. it giggles, soft and wispy. the sound brightens illeana's smile until it could almost be considered painful. despite not knowing a thing about the deity yet, it leaves her feeling a little lighter. the same effect a kitten has, it would seem. well, unless said kitten is scarring the arm of someone she loves. then? not so much.

she stays quiet as he answers, as he confirms her suspicions. how he knows of tapu lele, she isn't sure. perhaps because of the sibling at his side or because of his position in the council. whatever reason it may be, it leaves her comfortable, as if he can somehow guide her through this. and maybe he can or maybe he can't but she has to find out anyway.

"not really," she murmurs, glancing toward the pink pokemon. it turns toward her, that same giggle sounding off once more. she softens at that, almost fond, before turning back to him. "i know about as much as it's shown me." which, really, isn't much. it's not as communicative as she had hoped. any questions she asks are only answered with various kinds of laughter and despite her wits, she can't differentiate between them enough to understand meanings.

pulses of nature's power linger between the two siblings, as if half a greeting and half a curiosity being sated. tapu lele is all giggles and waves on the outside but the inside, much like its sibling, provides insight into the true nature of a deity. it returns the gesture, features settling into an almost calm exterior.

"i don't know what this means, honestly." she's been fumbling over the same question since it happened: why her? and maybe the man in front of her could provide insight or simply nothing more than another round of twenty questions. it's hard to tell just yet.

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]he provides a name of legend, of a god, of a guardian. and while it should be knowledge to her by now, she's still not sure how to go about researching this particular situation. realistically, there's probably little to no books describing the connection between them, the sharing of powers between two halves of the same coin. and in this instance and perhaps many more to come, she looks to fernando for guidance, for information, for an anchor.

"tapu lele," she repeats softly. the deity giggles but never looks away from its sibling. the power ebbing between them is too great, too amusing for it to break the bond. and like tapu fini, it mirrors the act of smiling. amusement lingers across features and illeana can feel the increased energy tapu lele holds. it's almost like with its sibling, it's greater somehow. curious, really. she'll have to remember this, if only to ask him if this is a normal thing.

illeana's quiet as he begins to explain. and while the reasons he lists are sound, concrete and factual, she begins to wonder which one she settles into. her mind places a memory on display, flickering like a barely working television, and she's recounting the event in the first place. does she fit the purpose of tapu lele? perhaps but that requires knowing the purpose to understand if the pieces fall into the puzzle. could she be considered the same person as the deity? in both mind and soul? she has the concept that yes, she certainly could but the haunting memory of alex's scarred arm leaves her nervous for that conclusion. and finally, the last reason clicks and she's uncertain if that, in the end, is truly where their connection lies.

the sacrificial lengths she went to in order to heal its disguised body provided a satisfaction for tapu lele, enough to grant her this bond. but is that all it was?

"i'm not sure which one i'd fall into," she murmurs. her eyes drift toward the tapus for a moment before traveling back to him. "i found it in this exact field, you know. it didn't look like it does now. more like a corpse, really, but i tried to heal it at the cost of my pokemon." a pause, a hesitation, and then an admittance. "i think it liked the sacrifice i made."

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]confusion settles within moments, as if she understands what he's saying but doesn't know how to apply it or even where to start. does she take it out like a date to understand it easier or is it more of an experience thing? naturally, she's quick to ask questions, to prod at his own experience. "how did you come to an understanding with tapu fini? i'm not sure where to start." her attention shifts away from him to her tapu in the process of speaking. so far, it hasn't exactly been hard to get along. tapu lele acts in a way that is similar to a child. doing things out of excitement or curiosity, normally with absolutely no remorse. it spreads scales around her house just to watch them float and fall, just for its own amusement. and when it's not spreading scales, its a comforting presence over her shoulder while she works. a curious thing, it seems.

her brows furrow at the thought. alolan powers? truthfully, she doesn't exactly know what he means. there's things the deity can do that are shared with her but something tells her that isn't exactly what he's talking about. her head tilts slightly to the side. "i -- i believe so?" confusion and hesitation mingle into her tone until she looks lost.

the beginning of understanding comes when tapu fini begins to press the connection between siblings. another giggle escapes tapu lele, amusement growing with the power. and almost like a game, it plays with the intent to win. tapu lele's end of their bond grows until it's let loose, much in the same manner. a second nature's madness erupts in the air above them much like the first, bright and fizzling into pink tinged sparks once a peak has been achieved. illeana watches curiously for a moment, the gears in her mind slowly beginning to churn. and once she has a clearer understanding, she turns her attention back to fernando.

"are there more powers that they possess?"

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]ah, it makes sense. she can't expect to just understand tapu lele without putting in the proper steps to strengthen the bond. and as she glances toward the deity, she wonders if it'll be enough. is she enough? she was chosen for a reason, sure, but that doesn't guarantee anything.

"that sounds reasonable," she murmurs, dragging her attention back over to him. "it just feels so new that i don't know what to show it. like, do i just let it in completely?" is his connection even the same as hers? the psychic typing of tapu lele provides a tether that tapu fini might not have with fernando. the tickle in the corners of her mind, the faint fuzzy sensation like some presence is just sitting, watching, waiting. it took a while to get used to and even then, she still isn't fully used to it.

interest piques at the explanation. the region's leylines... converging in specific places to provide increases in energy. is that something the tapus will always seek out? her head tilts slightly at the thought. "unique energy? tapu fini searched for that, right?" her gaze shifts to tapu lele, then. "is that just a tapu fini thing or will i have to follow tapu lele all over hoenn as well?" the deity in question giggles, as if it knows it'll drag her to ends of the earth and back just to satisfy itself.

she offers nothing further, however, as tapu fini begins to draw energy again. both illeana and tapu lele watch as another nature's madness begins to take form. and then, as if fueled by the misty terrain congregating around its shell, it begins to grow. a shape forms and illeana doesn't bother to stifle her gasp. it's both beautiful and terrifying all at once, as if the sheer force behind it is just barely concealed by shimmers and sparkles. she takes a step forward, eyes never leaving the being of condensed energy.

"what is that?" it's soft, curious, as if she's never seen anything quite like it. and really, she hasn't.

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illie"]

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

[attr="class","illie i"]moderation. don't allow it to consume you. fitting advice, perhaps. and yet, she's never known moderation. illeana reyes doesn't exist in shades of grey. all or nothing, probably in the worst kind of way. it's easy to know she'll allow things to swallow her whole without even noticing. tapu lele might be no different.

"okay," she murmurs understanding but the concept is in bits and pieces. close enough to resemble a puzzle but not enough to be whole. in time, perhaps she'll grasp understanding in her hands but right now? it's just advice.

interest rises and with it, she steps closer. her eyes drift between him and tapu fini, as if looking for some invisible tether she won't find. "most of it?" illeana questions as she always does. seeking more information, making variables where there are none. "how did you find out more, then? did you research?" did he crack open whatever books he could find on the deity? should she? there's answers hidden, waiting to be uncovered but when and where? she's not exactly sure. her gaze darts to tapu lele, to the way the psychic terrain seems to make its body sparkle. "do you mean keeping up in more of the literal sense?" she's not certain if tapu lele could run circles around her but it's definitely possible. she's definitely not exactly the most athletic person, anyway. but... there's the mental aspect that's troubling her. their connection is more psychological than anything and while she wants to explore it further, can she keep up?

the guardian of alola dissipates and with it, comes laughter from the scientist. her hands rise to catch flower petals as they shower down across the field. and much like its avatar, tapu lele finds itself doing the same. the petals are similar to the scales they possess, pretty things that seem so innocent at first glance. "it's lovely," she murmurs, eyes rising away from petals to find fernando's. the smile she wears is honest, telling. she's impressed, although whether by the display of power or the willingness he's showing to help is still undecided. "if i take a similar pilgrimage, will we produce the same outcome?" in other words, can she and tapu lele do that too?

and then, another thought rises and before she can decide against it, she's taking another step closer until she's perhaps too close for him to shift away. a hand stretches out and where a flower petal had rested, a scale now forms. it floats for a moment and then settles, glittering pink beneath the sun. "i'm guessing you have some sort of powers, too?"

FERNANDO SILPH