unlike gabriel, melody wore her emotions clearly. if this had been a rare occasion, perhaps, he wouldn't have marked it out. but, based off the recent AQUA initiative...

[break][break]
"would you like a drink, then?" he offers, eyebrow raised as it flicks to her tapping foot, then back up to her. "or, will you be off to the next council member?"

[attr="class","notes"]Melody Miro[break]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

caliban backs off, as the titans go toe-to-toe. he'd gotten a score in, sure, but compared to the blows they were delivering to one another — he was outmatched.

[break][break]
"perhaps you should end it, then." gabriel suggests, consuming the battle eagerly, despite his outward appearance indicating otherwise. this was the level to which he needed to reach. to keep them in check; to ensure stability.
[break][break]
to ensure the survival of his family.

[attr="class","notes"]MATIAS SILPH[break]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

"mm," he says in agreement, eyes narrowing as the bishop takes his knight. an interesting play; beckett must value his knights more, then?
[break][break]
he swipes a pawn over to take the invader just as a titanous roar echoes from the nearby park. it shakes the table, nearly knocking over a number of pieces. in response, the ancient fossil pokemon ensures the silence of the wood once more. painfully.

[break][break]
"she will bring new life to the council, i suspect. the youth are always... impassioned."

[attr="class","notes"]THEO BECKETT[break]catch RHYPERIOR

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

"nor will you tell anyone else," he says simply, making way for the ranger captain, "if rocket figures out the location of one of our legendaries, we will lose a valuable asset." boruta maher 's familial connections aside, he doubts the man had much love for rocket.
[break][break]
hell, maybe not even then.
[break][break]
his eyes narrow at the SANDSTORM, but the curd nod that follows is leeway to continue. this was boruta's show, and he could conduct it how he pleased. even if it meant needing to dry-clean his clothing multiple times to ensure every grain of sand was gone.
[break][break]
the clap of THUNDER echoes, then only the roar of the sandstorm around them can be heard. the dull scratching makes way for something else, something new. the sound a thousand singing birds trickles in slowly, before finally, it creates a defeating, screeching pitch.
[break][break]
tapu koko appears riding lightning, before descending into the pit with them. its expression is unreadable, especially through the hazy murk of sand, but clearly the challenge had been accepted.
[break][break]
gabriel looks over to boruta once more, voice rising above the storm.
[break][break]
"orders, captain?"

[attr="class","notes"]boruta maher [break]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

"you ask for something i may not be able to give you," he says evenly. councilman he may be, even he was at the beck and call of the commissioner.
[break][break]

still.
[break][break]

"i make no guarantees," his gaze catches hers, "but you will have my support. for what it is worth."

[attr="class","notes"]freya morningstar[break]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

gabriel's first thought was quite simple — melody would make a terrible politician.

[break][break]
his second? to gleam as much information was possible. he could end this chat here and now with a simple no answer. but, that would leave him without valuable information.
[break][break]
if she was here questioning him than no doubt she would've met with, or planned to meet with, the other council members first. of course, their working relationship had been non-existant to this point. familiarity breeds comfort, after all, so she must have already met with FERNANDO SILPH.
[break][break]
hm.
[break][break]
"you let your guard down," he notes imperially, "and nearly got yourself killed in the process." a fact he would address later, but for now, a more pertinent situation took priority.
[break][break]
"to answer your question though, no, i haven't spoken to anyone outside of AQUA about the events of that day." satisfied, he changes the subject slightly, pressing for information.

[break][break]

"where is Amor Rose now?"

[attr="class","notes"]Melody Miro[break]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

"people are afraid; they want answers. answers that we can not, or will not give." he prepares the plate while he speaks, satisfied that it was finally time to eat.
[break][break]
"rocket will take advantage of this, as they usually do. those with ambitions above their station, too." he gathers the silverware from the drawer.
[break][break]
"peoples jobs, their lives, are on the line. now, more than ever, the league is being scruitnized. people will turn on one another, seats of power will shift, and alliances forged. if we survive this meteor, this will not be the same hoenn you see today nina. this i promise you."
[break][break]

[attr="class","notes"]nina larson[break]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

the coffee is given freely, and the duo sit, and watch.

[break][break]the operation takes some time as the enhanced durability of the creature makes extraction of its resources difficult. but, as with all things, determination wins the day.
[break][break]
when all is said and done, the materials are collected. gabriel focuses his breathing as he moves one-step in the right direction.
[break][break]
patched up and bandaged, the creature is placed in a room similar to the containment facility before. only this time it's kept heavily sedated and monitored.[break][break]
a well-dressed woman opens the door soon after. in her hands is a wooden box, large and ornate, specially crafted. he doesn't need to open it to know what is inside.
[break][break]
"you've held up your end of the bargain, beckett. i will do so with mine." he holds out a hand to shake with.

[attr="class","notes"]THEO BECKETT[break]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

gabriel takes stock of his options, listening to her intently as she did so. while the issue of her arm was unknown to him — his reaction betrays little. control over oneself was all he had at this moment, and it needed to be perfect.

[break][break]
"no need to attach them to the nerves. this is, after all, temporary." a measure of removal gave him more control, too. to appear strong, or weak as he chose.[break][break]
releasing his grip on the materials, he rights his clothing before giving the man an appreciative nod. satisfied, he turns to @nikita, expression hardened. no more words were needed at this point, he was sure. his hand doesn't return to the materials in question, however.
[break][break]
"let's discuss more of the alternative materials the next time we meet. your facility is impressive, and it's given me much to think about it. if there is nothing else, i will be in touch, ms. wells."

[attr="class","notes"]@nikita[break]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

"distract it," he echoes with a measure of doubt. it was like lieutenant facing down a general. what chance did heatran have over this titan?

[break][break]
very well then.[break][break]it takes a moment for the shadow pokemon to rise from its position, slowly and with considerable effort. its anger is visible, wisps of shadows rising like smoke on a campfire. its NOBLE ROAR echoes once more, fueling the fire that strikes its ambition.[break][break]
he descends upon the heatran with torrents of FLAMETHROWER.

[attr="class","notes"]MATIAS SILPH[break]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

"you wouldn't be so lucky," he muses, though it sounds as serious as ever.
[break][break]

"i give credit where it is deserved. if you're surprised by my praise, look inwardly and ask yourself why." he giveth, he taketh away.
[break][break]

"come, we'll break the news."


[break][break]

[attr="class","notes"]@adrial[break]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

it's cold, and calculative, the way gabriel oversees the operation. pouring rain makes his demeanor appear meaning than usual; an impressive feat in of itself. he turns to face paxton concordas.

[break][break]
"leave the trainers alive. dead bodies create troublesome news stories."

[attr="class","notes"]paxton concordas[break]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

the hazing was, by comparison to his own, light. but, they'd moved on from such trivial things in the decades since.

[break][break]but some traditions needed a little bit of fire to stoke them to life.
[break][break]
a mare trots in, ignoring the many predators and threats that line the cavern. they too, in-turn, ignore her. they would struggle to catch a beast as fast as this anyways.
[break][break]
gabriel, on the other hand, approaches it with a disposition that lacks no confidence. he stops, waits for the mares response to his presence, and approaches with a gentle hand to coax her cream-colored fur.
[break][break]
"how is the transition, then? a big office for one as young as yourself, elinor."

[attr="class","notes"]Elinor Anderson[break]caught rapidash

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉