[attr="class","sunandstars2"]

[attr="class","sunandstarsw"]

The attacks continue, on and on. Sam knows better than to simply rely on pure power. He knows that behind every battle there are not only strategists, but good medics as well.[break][break]

While he refuses to play the role of both, he knows he can be a healing cog in this chaos machine.[break][break]

"Aether, mend their wounds."[break][break]

While it might not be able to cure the poisoned ones, Aether lets loose a heal pulse to keep his comrades from falling immediately.[break][break]

The galarian articuno takes his attention. It's as if he's seen something like it before, other than the Kantoian articuno he knows so very well from story books and myths his mother would read him as a boy. No, something else feels ... personal.[break][break]

LOCATION[break]
+ ballonlea[break][break]

ITEMS ACQUIRED[break]
+ frozen shed feather of purple[break][break]

TL;DR[break]
+ focuses on ATTACK THE POISON HANDS[break]
+ plays support with gardevoir[break]
+ gardevoir uses heal pulse[break]
+ does the feather in his pocket react? who knows

[attr="class","sunandstarst"]

GOODBYE GALAR: RUSTED SHIELD[break][break]

802hfv2i[break]
+10

[attr="class","sunandstars2"]

[attr="class","sunandstarsw"]

at first, the night sky greets him. it is a short lived time spent gazing at the stars, thinking of his own (knox prescott) and a sinking feeling causes his heart to ache. he’d just gotten back to knox… so then, what if he doesn’t return from this time? what if he’s lost from his stars forever?[break][break]

a screech takes his attention. yells of horror surround him. this is not a scene that disturbs him. in fact, he feels more calm in such a stressful situation.[break][break]

because this is war. war is what he was raised in. these shouts of horror and the disturbing way these people are being taken, while new, remind him of kanto and the nightmare.[break][break]

ptsd kicks in, causing him to act on instinct. almost immediately he’s sending out aether, his gardevoir. while she may be weak against the poison, her psychic abilities and her support role will play a greater part than the sheer power he could use with other of his pokémon.[break][break]

he enters the fray, choosing to help by attacking the poison hands as they surface. he shows no fear, keeps his cool. aether serves as more of a support role in this battle, keeping her distance from the poison. she begins with double team, placing copies of herself around in areas lacking poison, but close enough for to support if need be.[break][break]

LOCATION[break]
+ ballonlea[break][break]

ITEMS ACQUIRED[break]
+ frozen shed feather of purple[break][break]

TL;DR[break]
+ focuses on ATTACK THE POISON HANDS[break]
+ summons gardevoir as support[break]
+ gardevoir uses double team

[attr="class","sunandstarst"]

GOODBYE GALAR: RUSTED SHIELD[break][break]

zwOztNcs

[attr="class","sunandstars2"]

[attr="class","sunandstarsw"]

with every scratch and shove something feral begins to build within the pit of sam’s stomach. he growls against the neck he treats with harsh suckles. the hands on knox’s hips grip, his brows furrow. all that comes as acknowledgement for what was said is a grunt.[break][break]

a light shimmy of his shoulders drops everything on the floor. the bag he’d brought everything back with hits the ground with quick abandon.[break][break]

the hands on his boyfriend’s hips shift. he pushes them lower, down along ass and then finally to thighs. he grips, pulls knox up. this causes his lips to break from the neck they were treating harshly, breath deep with longing.[break][break]

anybody else would have grabbed his neck and his hair and he simply would have stared at them and asked if they needed a doctor. knox touches him this way and he feels himself become unhinged.[break][break]

this is the release he’s been looking for but couldn’t find. this is how he can help relieve all the built up tension he didn’t realize had been there until he heard the desperate need in his lover’s voice.[break][break]

”i missed you too.”[break][break]

there’s more to his words than just the distance and time away with his mother. all the work he’s been doing, all the clean up they’ve managed; during this, he has missed knox. it shows in how he carries his starts toward their bedroom, pulling at clothing as he goes.[break][break]

his intent is clear and his desire is more blatant than ever before. he wants knox and he’s only just realized how maddening it’s been not having him.

[attr="class","sunandstarst"]

knox prescott

[attr="class","sunandstars2"]

[attr="class","sunandstarsw"]

"i haven't a mega stone for alecto. he's never taken to the concept of mega evolution very well."[break][break]

as if on cue, alecto lets the bottom half of his body blend into the floor, mocking his mega evolution floor. he's a brat first and foremost and a comedian after that.[break][break]

"however," he pulls from his belt another capsule and releases his glalie, tartarus. blood red eyes shimmer, the scent of blood causing her to tremble as she floats above the ground. "this way you can see first hand how she takes care of the mess."[break][break]

he moves his hand to the mega necklace beneath his clothing. it glows through his shirt, shining somewhere beneath his pectorals and above his abdomen. it shines and his glalie lets loose a grinding whine, like nails against a chalk board and the crashing of two glaciers against one another melted into the same horrific tune.[break][break]

her form changes and with it comes her giant maw. it opens wide, gaping wide and collecting air around her. the temperature begins to drop as she builds her attack.[break][break]

"alecto." sam warms, and the gengar fades into the ground and then appears next to sam, climbing up onto his back and sitting on his shoulders like a child. he weighs next to nothing so sam doesn't budge.[break][break]

"tartarus, that gengar is friend. aim accordingly."[break][break]

the energy shines and all that is the human is frozen, that of which isn't near smoke at least. something like a frozen cackle rumbles in the pit of her mouth before she's opening wide and chomping down on her frozen snack.

[attr="class","sunandstarst"]

I'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG WITH Zev Harcourt

[attr="class","sunandstars2"]

[attr="class","sunandstarsw"]

"freeze her pray whole and devour them. as it is how she is used to eating her prey in the wild, she took to the task with ease."[break][break]

TW: GORE

[break]

SPOILER: Click to show

the fact that they're talking about their usual methods of disposal with such ease was unsettling. within range the familiar noise of tearing limbs and the sound of fluids hitting the floor is a sign that alecto is having the time of his life devouring the man they'd gotten their information from. seemed the other was as well.

[break]

sam's attention doesn't shift to the two gengar. instead, he keeps his eyes on zev.[break][break]

"i rescued her from being taken and put down. her owner was buried on mt. pyre and she was passed to the siblings. they couldn't control her and feared her more violent nature, so the released her. she came to mt. pyre looking for her owner and that's when i stumbled upon her."[break][break]

did he need to give a history lesson? yes, in a sense.[break][break]

"training her was nothing short of allowing her to use her natural instinct to my advantage."

[attr="class","sunandstarst"]

I'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG WITH Zev Harcourt

[attr="class","sunandstars2"]

[attr="class","sunandstarsw"]

"as with alecto," his own gengar. "he's always had a way of reminding me that life isn't as morally sound as most deem it to be."[break][break]

it was neither good, nor evil; only true. and truth was in the eye of the beholder.[break][break]

"alecto comes along if the target has to remain alive for questioning. otherwise i usually side with tartarus, my glalie."[break][break]

who was his clean up crew. along with hades and nyx, his houndoom couple.[break][break]

and how was it that small talk about work seemed to roll of his tongue better than questions like 'how's the weather?' a testament to the fact that he's not really human, no matter what his lover says.

[attr="class","sunandstarst"]

I'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG WITH Zev Harcourt

[attr="class","sunandstars2"]

[attr="class","sunandstarsw"]

sam barely gets his last words out before knox is engulfing his lips. he staggers, has to brave himself on the door with one hand and guide himself back to it. once he is leaning against it he grunts, returning the kiss he's given. the grunt becomes a hum all too quickly.
[break][break]
it is here that he realizes just how much he has missed his stars.[break][break]

he says nothing, only moves his hands up to push through knox' hair as he returns the kiss. his hips move forward, steps being taken so that they can get away from the front door.[break][break]

the only reason he parts from lips of stardust is to trail kisses along the pale neck before him and warn,[break][break]

"i've been traveling all day and i haven't showered yet..."

[attr="class","sunandstarst"]

knox prescott

[attr="class","sunandstars2"]

[attr="class","sunandstarsw"]

there were many of rocket's faces he'd not met until recently. he was just starting to get acquainted with his new affiliation, since he'd really only been introduced to those connected to the prescott family.[break][break]

hearing alecto's jabbering and laughter didn't unsettle sam. he'd been hearing it since he was nine years old back when alecto was just a gastly wandering around and trying to get sam to laugh.[break][break]

"i've only spoken to fern delaney on paper."[break][break]

it's a fact, stated for not real reason other than ... small talk was hard.[break][break]

"i'll be sure to check in." his eyes avert to alecto, who's having the time of his life with the other gengar.[break][break]

"for the longest time i thought alecto was somehow more twisted than most. seems as though your gengar proves that there are others who have a taste for humanity during their time as a ghost."[break][break]

so much for small talk.

[attr="class","sunandstarst"]

I'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG WITH Zev Harcourt

[attr="class","sunandstars2"]

[attr="class","sunandstarsw"]

returning wasn't a surprise. no, sam had been too excited to finally be reunited with knox prescott not to send him copious amounts of pictures through some app that knox had showed him how to use. really, knox was the only person he contacted through the app.[break][break]

the moment they were on hoenn's land he was pulling out aether and having her teleport him home. he returned her quickly before getting out his keys, smiling excitedly.[break][break]

home, he thought before opening the door. he was in such a good mood, bag on his back, he even managed a teasing;[break][break]

"honey, i'm home."[break][break]

though, in true sam fashion, it was about as exuberant and enthusiastic as a wet blanket; a wet blanket that was in fact incredibly happy to be reunited with his stars.

[attr="class","sunandstarst"]

sleepless in slateport with knox prescott

[attr="class","sunandstars2"]

[attr="class","sunandstarsw"]

it's normal at this point. expected, even. sam's an expert at torturing somebody without actually doing the work himself. for this round specifically, he'd used his gengar, alecto, to dish out a toxic to make the man miserable and then from there just allowed alecto to have fun. a hex here and there, nightmarish reality twisting into harsh imaginations.[break][break]

for the time being, they were just finished with the torture session. they being himself and Zev Harcourt. an individual he had no direct dealings with just yet, but found himself willing to work with.[break][break]

it would be good for the company, he figured.[break][break]

clean of any blood or even dna from the individual that was on his last leg, having given up all secrets that they required of him, sam was left with the company of the other.[break][break]

small talk, admittedly, is not his forte. as a matter of fact, he usually leaves that sort of thing to knox prescott. for now, he's without his other half and this causes him to dig into the recesses of his mind to try and find something to ask about.[break][break]

"while i have you," his tone is dry and not all that engaging. "the shipments to sootopolis, they've landed haven't they?"[break][break]

drug smuggling. one of rocket's greatest incomes and typically done through the prescott name.

[attr="class","sunandstarst"]

I'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG WITH Zev Harcourt

[attr="class","sunandstars2"]

[attr="class","sunandstarsw"]

sam watches the scribbles eagerly. the soaks in every word that his grandson has to say. he doesn't even question that he legitimately thinks of this individual as a form of family to him, however obscure the happenings leading to such a bond had been.[break][break]

"this is plenty for me to go off of," he gives his grandson a small look of gratitude. it's barely a shift in his usual resting bitch face, but it's an attempt and noticable enough.

[break][break]"this will keep me occupied for a while. leads like this aren't easy to come by and all i really needed to get going was my first step forward."[break][break]

seemed he would need to explore the borders, which he had assumed. and other things as well...[break][break]

"thank you, mint."[break][break]

business aside, he decides to be familial in some shape or form. he takes a drink and considers what to ask.[break][break]

"how have you been?"

[attr="class","sunandstarst"]

mint frost

[attr="class","sunandstars2"]

[attr="class","sunandstarsw"]

as the ice comes, nyx continues to use her inferno to not only keep others warm, but keep them safe; specifically those around her trainer. whoever else could be burned for all she cares; only her trainer is of importance to her, and whoever he deems worthy of protection.[break][break]

there is little mercy in the battle. they take the king from his stead and energy begins going wild. sam doesn't have a great feeling about it and protectively raises a hand to his pocket, to protect the item within.[break][break]

he knows not what this frozen shed feather of purple is or what it could mean. suspicion and paranoia creep into his mind, hoping that he hasn't somehow triggered them being whisked away.[break][break]

to brace himself, he moves closer to nyx and returns her. energy enraptures him and he wasn't given time to pick a place; doesn't matter, he isn't familiar with galar's regions other than things he's read in passing over time.

tl;dr[break]
+ uses HOUNDOOM to keep safe[break]
+ doesn't have a preference on place (RANDOM LOCATION HAVE FUN SHIV)[break][break]

items acquired[break]
+ FROZEN SHED FEATHER OF PURPLE

[attr="class","sunandstarst"]

GOODBYE GALAR: RUSTED SHIELD[break][break]

yPGAebl1