Lex isn’t very clever, but it doesn’t take a high IQ to pick up on what Gavin is implying. Against her better judgement, the thief’s eyes narrow and voice dips into a defensive growl, “I’m not a fuckin’ traitor,” she was offended it even crossed his mind, very offended, “And fuck you for thinkin it,” Lex’s biggest flaw is letting her emotions get the best of her. The rage she felt from sitting here in Gavin’s office, bound by an invisible force, being falsely accused of conspiring with the enemy may have been her most powerful emotion yet.

Cillian Quinn

What the actual fuck? Lex couldn’t help but let the growl slip from her mind and into the mental channel they all shared when ryuuzaki amemiya started singing. Killian Decker was already on it, closing them off from her and Suzume Amemiya while a threat was issued before they were all reconnected.

Killian issues vague orders, but they’re enough to spur some reaction. Lex instinctively moves to move the mask over her face and draw the hood over her head. Does she even need it anymore? It’s another reminder of the reality she lives in now. Lex is a wanted woman, her face plastered all across Hoenn’s police departments. Hiding is no longer an option, but it still is for her companions, so she keeps the disguise. Plus, it feels familiar.

Lex takes her place beside Killian as they move as a unit towards the entrance. A flash of light releases her Zororak, Nova. The fox grins, playfully jumping to Lex’s side on all fours before returning to it more natural bipedal form. A hand gently caresses the pokemon mane before withdrawing. The thief instructs the pokemon to conceal them in an ILLUSION through a series of silent hand signals as they approach the enterance. With prying eyes of The League around, they would need all the help they could get.

There was a reason Killian asked them to stay close.

tl;dr: Lex’s Zororak is released to mask their approach in an ILLUSION

THEO BECKETT enters the room with a dominance Lex isn’t expecting. She’s never seen the guy, let alone met him and the way he casually tosses the prisoner on the floor makes her recoil within but her amber eyes still shoot a piercing glare his way until he speaks.

I found your rat.

Lex immediately shoots out of her seat, the chair violently scrapes against the floor from the momentum of the sudden movement. It’s an involuntary reaction, one fueled by a deep seeded need for revenge that Theo just ignited into a raging flame. It burns hot in the eyes that latch on to the woman’s figure as she struggles on the floor. Squirming like the little worthless worm she is. The thief doesn’t speak, she lets the rage burn.

Capture. Interrogation. Torture. And the spiral into a darkness she didn’t want to be consumed by all began at the Cave of Origin. Lex had desperately been searching for someone else to blame while everyone pointed cold fingers at her. Vengeance is intoxicating.

Gavin addresses them, asking what he should do to Theo. Lex looks from Gavin to Theo. The crease in her brows is telling of her confusion, “I don’t give two shits about him,” a flat, unapologetic tone. All she sees is red. Cillian Quinn probably wouldn’t like it, but her emotions were getting the best of her. The redhead’s gaze flashes back to @aoi, in case it already wasn’t clear where her focus was. Lex had already been accused by Gavin, anyway. When she got the invite, she didn’t assume it was for the same reason. She didn’t know Theo, she didn’t care about Theo. But there was a subtle hint of admiration for bringing them the rat that would hopefully bring her some semblance of peace in the aftermath of their revenge.

@consequences

“No,” the answer is quick, simple, there’s nothing more to say about it. They weren’t ruthless in their tactics. The Ranger may have surrounded her in a bit of fire but it never burned her.

Lex didn’t come out completely unscathed. Her pride took a fucking beating.

Cillian Quinn

Lex could feel herself slipping through the cracks. She tried not to, but the reaction was involuntary. The instinct for survival overpowered her will to remain resolute. It made her realize just how broken she really was.

But Killian was here now. His strength was infectious. If anyone could rip the roots Kaito had buried within her out it was him. Killian’s confidence resonated through his touch. The firm hold around her waist grounded her, and the gentle caress of her cheek calmed the panic that made her heart race. A hand met his there, holding it in place so she could lean into his touch and relish in the tranquility it brought her. Killian was the only person in the world that had more power over her than Kaito. His love was a force she willingly submitted to.

The bitter reality crept into her mind with his words. They were true, all of them. Lex didn’t want to run anymore. The illusion of a semi-normal life with Killian was enticing. The problem needed to be eliminated but she lacked the strength to concede to the reality. She only knew how to run, not fight. Was her freedom ever really hers to begin with?

Lex was reminded yet again how helpless she felt without Killian. She should have never left him. Things would have been very different, “I don’t know how,” she admitted softly as her other hand slid behind his neck. There was a subtle tremble to her voice. Admitting weakness was always uncomfortable, but Killian was a safe space where she knew his dominating power protected her vulnerability rather than exploited it.

Her eyes bore back into his and he might recognize a hint of desperation that leaked into her voice, “Teach me,” she begged.

Notes: Killian Decker

I don’t want to – no, shouldn’t – be here at all, she thinks to herself as the same defiant glare follows the empty, hollow man as he circles around her like a Mandibuzz. She barely recognized this Cillian Quinn.

The threat is clear, and one she wholly believes. Although she still demands to know why she’s here in the first place, the lingering hold of the void around her neck make her slightly more compliant.

They. She could only assume he means The League, “I-I’m not sure,” she fumbles over her words as her voice finds itself again after the chokehold. She knows he won’t be satisfied with that so she quickly continues to clarify, “I don’t know what they know about me but I didn’t tell em anything about Rocket,” There's more confidence in her tone. Is that what he wanted?

Cillian Quinn

Hm. Interesting. He’s put off by her answer because he knows she’s lying, same with her previous answer. He seems agitated as the flames ignite again which draws more suspicion to their uniqueness. Lex wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but she was very observant.

A lie: “I’m not lying,” she scoffs, tilting her chin up in anticipation.

There it is. The flames phase again. A sparkle of excitement flashes through her eyes, “My name is dahlia goode” An obvious lie.

“Ha!” she figured out his game, “It’s not a very fair game when you cheat,” Her head nodded towards the pokemon, “Tell your Litwick to fuck off with these flames or we stop here,” an ultimatum. She could care less either way but her lips would remain surprisingly sealed until Raziel Beckett chose to play fair.

Raziel Beckett

I never doubted you for a second

C'mere, you

Chu-e Choi wasn’t wrong. She was shit at close combat. Lex hadn’t witnessed Rowan Wrynn’s demonstration in the Cave of Origin but obviously it wasn’t impressive based on Chu-e’s blunt description of the two.

Rowan Wrynn’s obvious comment was met with a sigh and clod glare. She was too exhausted to be snarky today, so Lex remained quiet, a surprise for all surely.

Lex followed Chu-e‘s lead and picked out some weapons. Having had limited experience with any of this, she opted for something that look simple and that she may have at least seen before. Lex catered to her natural athleticism and chose items that wouldn’t slow her down. The strapped a belt that held a number of throwing knives around her waist and a dagger to the inside of her calf. She chose some light armor that wouldn’t impede her movements. Knowing that the knives probably wouldn’t cut it, she grabbed another weapon. She shrugged a quiver of arrows and a bow over her shoulder and across her back. A bow and arrow as simple enough… right? Just pull, aim, shoot?

With a concerned sigh that reflected the lack of confidence she felt about this whole mission, she followed after Chu-e Choi. Guess the best way to learn was by jumping right in.

notes: Rowan Wrynn & Chu-e Choi

tl;dr: Lex grabs some light armor, a couple of throwing knives/daggers to strap on and a bow with a quiver of arrows.

Lex isn’t offended by his observation. He’s met with a small shrug, she agrees. Lex knows her lane and isn’t ashamed to stay in it. The thief had no desire to change the color of her stripes.

The fire she assumed with will-o-wisp change as she spoke. Purple flames sparked into blue. She eyes them curiously as they fade back to their original color. She’s unsure of what it means, but it is very intriguing.

Lex assumes he doesn’t believe her status as a grunt because what organization in their right mind would entrust a mere grunt with something as precious as a Shadow Pokemon? Considering this question seems to be a continuation of the previous, she allows him this indulgence, “Not much, I was just entrusted with one,” Half-truth again. She knew her Gardevoir was created in a lab and that Rocket was out of juice for their machine. Hence her interest in the whereabouts of Nihilego.

“What’s with the color-changing flames?” She skips the next question she has lined up in favor of itching the curiosity she held on to as the flames no doubt changed color again at her half-truth.

Raziel Beckett

This isn’t the first time Lex has been shaken down. Normally it started with fists and didn’t end until she submitted. She always knew it was because of her defiance and the hate she held in her heart for her old boss. Gavin doesn’t answer so her mind wanders until the void curls around her neck like an Ekans. Slowly it squeezes. The pressure brings a panic to her eyes. Her mouth opens to gasp for air, but none is allowed to pass. The panic only makes her struggle harder, the SHADOW HOLD’s bond are unforgiving.

A few seconds feel much longer. A sharp gasp returns air to her lungs when the void releases its grip. The shakiness in her breath carries into her voice, “What do you want from me?” There’s still some stubborn defiance that bleeds through her tone and into her glare when it meets Gavin. She can’t help it, it’s part of her. She doesn’t know the question; her brain hadn’t processed it. Hell, she didn’t even know why she was here under such extreme circumstances. She had done nothing wrong. In her mind, she saved a life and prevented the capture of two additional Rockets.

He should be praising her.

Cillian Quinn

Her frown pulls tighter at his snarky response. Was it a ploy to make her feel dumb or something? Nice try, Lex already knows she’s kinda dumb

Only one person here is allowed to be snarky, and that is the one tied up. The rise in his temperament doesn’t subside. It lingers for a moment as he thinks things through in his head. Thankfully, he decided to concede, and the action makes her smile in approval. Good boy.

“That’s a good question for the scientists,” she sighs, “Which I am clearly not,” Lex knows the rules, so she continues “They don’t give little grunts like me the details,” A half-truth, she isn’t a grunt nor is she completely in the dark on the process. She knows her Gardevoir was created by Rocket rather than poisoned by Nihilego but as far as experimentation goes, that is far above her pay grade.

Raziel Beckett

Lex simply nodded in understand as Gavin clarified the differences between the beasts. It made her wonder if there were more Shadow Pokemon out there besides the ones that Rocket controlled. If there were, she assumed they must have made an effort to acquire them.

She was surprised to see the sudden appearance of the Roserade. The corrupted pokemon’s dark crystals had a beautiful glow beneath the courtyard’s natural light. She took a moment to admire the unique pokemon this close. Lex envied Gavin’s confidence to casually release his Shadow Pokemon like this. Obviously, it came with experience which she was sorely lacking at the moment.

Killian Decker & Cillian Quinn