MARCH UPDATE

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

Xanthic [SW]

POSTED ON Sept 28, 2022 2:57:28 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","tmm2"]

[attr="class","main"]

The Dragapult does follow closely. Perhaps a little too close. His head still remains right over Mars’ while appearing to swim through thin air, to the point that when a berry is thrown from a nearby tree, hitting one of Xanthos’ horns, it also results in him hitting his trainer.
[break][break]
”Ow. Xan, what the hell?”
[break][break]
The Dreepy that had been slumbering within said horn doesn’t seem to appreciate this much either. It hisses, discontent.
[break][break]
The culprit?
[break][break]
A snickering Greedent that stares at them. One that Xanthos narrows his eyes at. Mars does no more than click his tongue, and immediately, DRAGON DARTS deal with the annoyance.
[break][break]
After that, he goes back to jogging.

[break][break]

[attr="class","notes"]

notes

[break]
SKIP 🌟

[newclass=.tmm2] --accent: #60a697; [/newclass]
[newclass=.tmm2] width: 420px; margin: 0 auto; font-family: calibri; color: #aaa; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: .5px; text-align:justify; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom: 20px; line-height: 15px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.tmm2 .main] padding: 40px; background: #272727;[/newclass]
[newclass=.tmm2 b] color: var(--accent); font-size: 12.5px; font-family: trebuchet ms; letter-spacing: .5px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.tmm2 a] text-decoration: none; font-size: 11px; font-weight: lighter; [/newclass]
[newclass=.tmm2 h1, h2, h3] display: inline-block; [/newclass]
[newclass=.tmm2 h1] font-size: 13px; font-weight: lighter; color: var(--accent); letter-spacing: .5px; line-height: 0px; font-family: monospace; text-transform: uppercase; [/newclass]
[newclass=.tmm2 u] text-decoration: none;border-bottom: solid 1px var(--accent); [/newclass]
[newclass=.tmm2 .tag] text-align: right; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-top: 20px; font: 11px monospace; [/newclass]
[newclass=.tmm2 .tag a] font: 12px Montserrat; font-weight: 800!important; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0px; color: var(--accent)!important; [/newclass]
[newclass=.tmm2 .notes] text-align: justify; padding: 20px 20px 10px 20px; font: 10px monospace; letter-spacing: .3px; border-top: solid 1.5px #323232; height: auto;[/newclass]
[newclass=.tmm2 .notes h1] font: 16px Montserrat; font-weight: 800!important; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; color: var(--accent); text-shadow: 2px 2px 0px #1e1e1e; padding-bottom: 5px; text-align:center;[/newclass]
[newclass=.tmm2 .notes a] font: 10px Montserrat; color: var(--accent); [/newclass]
[newclass=.tmm2 span] display: inline-block; [/newclass]
[newclass=.tmm2 .pkmn] text-align: center; margin: 0 auto; background: var(--accent); padding: 5px; width: 410px; margin-left: -40px; margin-bottom: -40px; margin-top: 10px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.tmm2 .pkmn img] margin-top: -10px; padding-bottom: 5px; [/newclass]

close tab

played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Sept 28, 2022 2:55:07 GMT

BARNABY FINCH likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","tmm2"]

[attr="class","main"]

It’s solemnly that Mars nods, and when he does so, he finishes the content of his glass, welcoming the smooth burn of the gin and the gentle floral notes that come hidden beneath it.
[break][break]
The glass is carefully set down on the counter and the bottle is opened, pouring himself another drink. He watches the clear liquid.
[break][break]
”Yeah. Neither would I.”
[break][break]
A heavy revelation.
[break][break]
His father had died because of him. His wife. His child. So many others. So many had suffered because of him. He had lost so much that was of importance to him. And yet, where would he be if none of that had happened?
[break][break]
If he hadn’t lost his father, he would have never been taken to Sinnoh, and as much pain as Sinnoh and the Marzán family had caused him, it was because of Sinnoh that he met the person who taught him to love – the person who always brought him happiness when no one else could.
[break][break]
When he lost her, when he lost the family they would build for themselves, he lost everything, but if that hadn’t happened he wouldn’t be here today. He would have never turned his back on the Marzáns. He would have never gained all the power he has gained within Team Rocket. He would have never found the Unown and earned everything they have given him. He would have never come to Hoenn, he wouldn’t have met people like Cillian Quinn, bryan delarosa, and specially BARNABY FINCH.
[break][break]
Is it selfish of him?
[break][break]
He knows Natalia would have wanted all this for him, but…
[break][break]
”I do have regrets though.” Mars downs half of his glass.
[break][break]
His son.
[break][break]
If there’s one thing he truly wishes he could change, that is not having been able to save his son’s life.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","notes"]

notes

[break]
SETTING: Pre-TOP3 🌟

[attr="class","pkmn"]

close tab

played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Sept 28, 2022 2:08:56 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","tmm2"]

[attr="class","main"]

Gavin doesn’t need to give him any explanations for Mars to understand what he means. He may not know what actually happened, but he knows that expression too well: that of someone who has done one too many things that haunt him. Mars has his own demons that never leave him.
[break][break]
It’s why he doesn’t ask directly.
[break][break]
Why his usually endless curiosity is currently at peace.
[break][break]
Yet, even while that’s true, the part of him that cares for Cillian Quinn wishes to know him better – wishes to share these burdens with him.
[break][break]
”If you could go back and change things… would you?”
[break][break]
It’s a question he has asked himself before, one that in many ways kept him sane at his worst moments. Regret is heavy, painful, and a terrible thing to deal with, but it sure is much better than being numb to everything.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","notes"]

notes

[break]
SETTING: Pre-TOP3 🌟

[attr="class","pkmn"]

close tab

played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Sept 28, 2022 1:38:29 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","tmm2"]

[attr="class","main"]

"I'm a different person than I was then."

[break]
Out of all people, Mars can understand change. Perhaps much more than most ever will. He can understand how circumstances can turn someone into something they never wished to be, and how the people they love, the people they wish to protect, can also change someone for the better. Has he been changed for the better, though?
[break][break]
Mars pushes the question away, because he’d rather not wonder about the answer.
[break][break]
”I think that’s better, though. Being numb to it can be dangerous.” He knows. He had been like that for long. He had been conditioned to see killing as a necessity and to care little for lives he thought of as having no worth. In many ways, he still is that way. In many ways, much of what he’s done still has no effect at all, to the point that when he had killed for revenge, when he had wanted to bring justice to those who had harmed her, he still ended up feeling nothing but grief and pain over her loss.
[break][break]
A part of him worries that he won't feel anything even when his revenge is fulfilled.
[break][break]
Why is it that such things have come to matter so little to him? Why is it that murder is seen as more of an inconvenience than anything? Is this how he’s supposed to be?
[break][break]
He takes a long sip of gin, and the smirk that mirrors Gavin’s smile is as sharp as the edge of a hunting knife.
[break][break]
”Agreed.”
[break][break]
Death is what their enemies deserve.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","notes"]

notes

[break]
SETTING: Pre-TOP3 🌟

[attr="class","pkmn"]

close tab

played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Sept 27, 2022 9:09:34 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","tmm2"]

[attr="class","main"]

”No… I don’t think true peace even exists.”
[break][break]
Mars, she had dubbed him. For Mars had long ago learned to see his life as war to be won. To him everything that stands in his way is an opponent and every moment can turn into a battle. Mars, lord of strife. A man who has fought for everything he has. A man who has been fighting all his life.
[break][break]
A battlefield isn’t just what is most literal and a war can last a lifetime.
[break][break]
”I know.” The response is given to both sentiments, but there’s appreciation in the way Mars looks at Gavin then. The civilians, the innocent… None of them deserve to be dragged into a war that does not belong to them – into a life of endless horrors. Gavin knows it. Mars knows it as well.
[break][break]
”A war can be fought in many ways. It doesn’t have to be like Kanto’s. You’re right: we’re not them.”
[break][break]
"You don’t have to go through that again."

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","notes"]

notes

[break]
SETTING: Pre-TOP3 🌟

[attr="class","pkmn"]

close tab

played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Sept 27, 2022 8:41:35 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","tmm2"]

[attr="class","main"]

”It better not.”
[break][break]
”I won’t accept it.”
[break][break]
Loyalty to the syndicate is one thing, but Mars had not made this deal with the devil to be pushed towards a path he does not believe in. It’s what he had wanted to escape from. It’s much like what he intends to destroy: like the people who had destroyed everything he ever loved.
[break][break]
Talk of war comes as no surprise.
[break][break]
He had known it too: the scent of war had been in the air, through tension and through an unspoken arms race.
[break][break]
”Nightmares are never easy.” He sympathises, knowing Gavin will pick up on the unspoken revelation: he gets nightmares too. He has for the grand majority of his life. It’s part of why he’s avoiding sleep tonight.
[break][break]
”I agree, though… The only reason the League hasn’t attacked yet is because of the meteor.”
[break][break]
But, they had. In The Cloud. Mars has not forgotten.
[break][break]
"The same goes for us."
[break][break]
Once the larger threat has been dealt with, what comes next is as grim as it is expected.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","notes"]

notes

[break]
SETTING: Pre-TOP3 🌟

[attr="class","pkmn"]

close tab

played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Sept 27, 2022 8:18:05 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","tmm2"]

[attr="class","main"]

She had one told him that he’s not as cruel as he thinks himself to be; that when he cares for people he always goes out of his way for the sake of their happiness. She had been right back then, even if there were only a handful of people who fit such a category. He had thought that part of himself to be gone after losing her.
[break][break]
It’s not.
[break][break]
When Gavin laughs, Mars is glad, because it reminds him that for as many scars as Kanto may have given him – tangible and emotional alike – he still has reason to find joy in his life. It’s a victory. One much more important than what most people would believe it to be. Perhaps only those who have suffered would understand the importance of it.
[break][break]
There’s a slight smile upon Mars’ lips, even when the Sylveon’s growls resound through the kitchen.
[break][break]
”Man, I hope Hoenn never turns out like that.” He says eventually, as if a thought spoken out loud to fill the silence. ”It’s the sort of thing I grew up around.”
[break][break]
It’s the sort of thing they had wanted him to become.
[break][break]
Mars is not a good person either, it’s been long since he stopped believing in good and bad.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","notes"]

notes

[break]
SETTING: Pre-TOP3 🌟

[attr="class","pkmn"]

close tab

played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Sept 27, 2022 7:50:30 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","tmm2"]

[attr="class","main"]

Kanto.
[break][break]
A single word, full of meaning.
[break][break]
To Mars, it had once been no more than a place he had visited for illicit business dealings. It had been tales spoken by the Sinnoh syndicate’s goons, news shared by his grandfather at the dinner table, and things he had barely cared for. Joining Team Rocket had changed that. Above all else, growing to care for people who had suffered horrors in Kanto had changed that.
[break][break]
Cillian Quinn is one of them.
[break][break]
The sight of the scar and the blade serve as kindle to the flames of his rage, but Mars knows well how to keep those flames contained. He’s calm, even when he’s angry for his friend – angry about all the pain Kanto has inflicted upon him. Sometimes, Mars sees the lingering effects even now: occasional subtle yet tense movements that show the struggles the injury brings him despite how long may have passed.
[break][break]
”Fuck Kanto.” He declares, decisive as ever, even when he’s aware that even in Hoenn, much of Team Rocket would be angered by such a sentiment. Likely even declan walsh himself.
[break][break]
He takes another short sip from his glass, looking at Gavin while leaning against the counter.
[break][break]
Kanto’s ways remind him too much of his grandfather. Emilio Marzán has always preferred such punishments, but for now, Mars stays quiet about his own experiences.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","notes"]

notes

[break]
SETTING: Pre-TOP3 🌟

[attr="class","pkmn"]

close tab

played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Sept 27, 2022 7:00:06 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","tmm2"]

[attr="class","main"]

Mars cares not for condolences. He has heard them so many times that he has grown tired of them. How many times has he spoken meaningless words like those at the funerals of those gone because of his own actions? Too many.
[break][break]
Those are the sort of lies he has told the world. The lies he was told when his wife’s life was lost.
[break][break]
He appreciates the lack of such lies when revealing such secrets to Cillian Quinn.
[break][break]
”We’ll make them pay.”
[break][break]
A promise he had made to himself when she was lost; one that had only been partially fulfilled and also one of which Gavin is not part too. To truly make them pay, he can’t do so alone. This much Mars knows, no matter how frustrated he had once been at that thought. These days it brings no discomfort; those he trusts the most are allies he cares for and values.
[break][break]
”We will.” He agrees, raising his glass once more. The scar is there, but this time it’s ignored. Instead, he nods towards Gavin’s own. ”What about yours?”
[break][break]
A faint smile, holding his friend’s gaze. Amber upon amber.
[break][break]
Told you mine, now tell me yours?

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","notes"]

notes

[break]
SETTING: Pre-TOP3 🌟

[attr="class","pkmn"]

close tab

played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Sept 27, 2022 6:35:17 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","tmm2"]

[attr="class","main"]

”Yeah, he’s not a big fan of strangers. He didn’t use to be like that, but he changed a lot after she died.”
[break][break]
Mars shrugs, because it’s the simple truth of the matter. Usually, he wouldn’t even bring Achelous up, much less Natalia, but with trust comes a certain ease in speaking of things most people don’t know about – no matter how painful those things are.
[break][break]
The memory hurts him, even if his expression does little to display it. Mars has mastered his poker face.
[break][break]
However, he takes a sip of gin, savouring it.
[break][break]
”He was the only one of her whole team that survived the attack… I found him guarding her body. That’s when he bit me.”
[break][break]
This time, while his tone is quiet, when speaking of the day his wife was brutally taken from him, the hint of pain is there – clear, audible, and undeniably present.
[break][break]
That was the day Achelous learned never to trust strangers.
[break][break]
The day he became protective of Mars and overly aggressive.
[break][break]
He can barely remember the sweet and gentle Sylveon Natalia had once favoured over every other pokémon.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","notes"]

notes

[break]
SETTING: Pre-TOP3 🌟

[attr="class","pkmn"]

close tab

played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Sept 27, 2022 6:10:28 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","tmm2"]

[attr="class","main"]

A change in intonations reveals hints of the accent of a home that has long since left behind – a sign of an upbringing about which most people know next to nothing. To Mars, who also hides such things about himself, it shows trust, but while he’s thankful for it and while he’d tease Gavin under different circumstances, the revelation comes overshadowed by the actual response given.
[break][break]
Is he scared?
[break][break]
No. Of course. Fear is weakness. He has known as much since he was a young boy. The lesson had been beaten into him until it became his truth.
[break][break]
”Ha. I’m more cautious than anything. I have a lot of respect for Sylveon.” He explains, finally reaching for a second bottle. This one he does take with him after closer inspection.
[break][break]
While pouring himself a glass, Mars nods towards his own hand.
[break][break]
”See?”
[break][break]
There, under the kitchen’s fluorescent light, glimmers a scar – at least a couple of years old, forming a perfect crescent moon, and bearing the clear marks left behind by fangs that had pierced so deeply and with such force that they had even fractured bone.
[break][break]
”That was my own Sylveon... Or, well, my wife's Sylveon. He's mine now.” The clarification is made calmly while closing the bottle. He looks at it instead of at Gavin.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","notes"]

notes

[break]
SETTING: Pre-TOP3 🌟

[attr="class","pkmn"]

close tab

played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Sept 27, 2022 5:28:04 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","tmm2"]

[attr="class","main"]

Conversation comes easily between friends, and Mars smiles while leaning against the counter. Yet, it’s when the Sylveon appears that the banker pauses, his golden gaze fixing on the flash of sharp fangs offered by the fairy he knows to be far from amiable and sweet.
[break][break]
He has seen Gavin’s Sylveon countless times before, and every single time, he has regarded it with the calm appreciation of someone who does not underestimate the species. Tonight is no different. He has his own Sylveon, after all. He knows the species well. Right now, Achelous is probably comfortably napping on his bed next to his Glaceon – a bonded pair since their birth a decade ago.
[break][break]
For the sake of stepping away from the pokémon, Mars welcomes the invitation to have a look at the liquor cabinet.
[break][break]
Yet, the memories remain; vivid, painful, and bloodstained.
[break][break]
”...Has your Sylveon ever bitten you?” He asks seemingly out of the blue, carefully taking a bottle of clear gin from a shelf. He reads the label and then returns it, searching for another.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","notes"]

notes

[break]
SETTING: Pre-TOP3 🌟

[attr="class","pkmn"]

close tab

played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Sept 27, 2022 4:43:59 GMT

BARNABY FINCH likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","tmm2"]

[attr="class","main"]

”Ah, our slumbering guardian.”
[break][break]
The sound of his own laughter joins that of Gavin’s own, carried away by the gentle breeze of the bay. Strong winds are a rarity in a city that exists within the natural protection of a crater, unless of course brought upon it by some of its dwellers.
[break][break]
”Luckily for you, I think Temp got me used to his dogs.” Mars jokes when they make it to the beach house that isn’t at all far from his own. He and Tempest Quinn had been friends since before Mars even knew of his relationship with Gavin, but while there is a certain amount of truth to his joke, what is also true is that overly friendly dogs aren’t his thing at all (the same can be said about most foxes, much to BARNABY FINCH’s dismay, mind you).
[break][break]
He pays them no mind, and while his own Zorua is well-trained enough to not get distracted by the canines, Mars simply gestures for it to drop the ILLUSION. For now, the small fox is allowed to hangout – she has earned it after such a long day of work.
[break][break]
”I usually prefer gin, but I’ve been told I’m too picky about that. So, sure, I’ll take scotch.” He smirks, well aware that his own tastes can be terribly particular. ”Nice place, by the way.”
[break][break]
It’s as spotless as he’d expect. Much like his own home.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","notes"]

notes

[break]
SETTING: Pre-TOP3 🌟

[attr="class","pkmn"]

close tab

played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Sept 27, 2022 4:08:13 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","tmm2"]

[attr="class","main"]

A morning in Slateport, an afternoon in Sootopolis. As per usual, his schedule shows him no mercy. The night itself had been long and exhausting, but this in itself doesn’t bother him. He has for long preferred being awake at times like these. He has for long dreaded sleep.
[break][break]
It’s part of why when a drink is suggested, he agrees with ease.
[break][break]
"Sure… Yeah, I don’t think I have." There’s a slight smirk that shines under the moonlight, because it’s a bit of a crazy notion to think about with all the time they spend together on a daily basis. It's usually at the Sootopolis offices, though. It’s why he’s wearing the facade that is Tuesday.
[break][break]
A hand runs through soft brunette locks that appear blonde thanks to the ILLUSION of the Zorua by his side, and although Mars doesn't light a cigarette of his own tonight, he also doesn’t mind the scent of smoke.
[break][break]
"It's always weird how calm it is at night, huh?" He means the bay. He means Sootopolis itself.
[break][break]
Mars wonders for how long it'll remain this way.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]Cillian Quinn

[attr="class","notes"]

notes

[break]
SETTING: Pre-TOP3 🌟

[attr="class","pkmn"]

close tab

played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars