Peace amidst awareness. Peace that overtook awareness. There had been a sort of silence that he found himself fallen into as the time progressed, and as the night grew deeper within its embrace. Despite the weight and knowledge of another pressed against him, his own form remained relaxed as he sat as he was; the flicker and sparks of the flame set ablaze radiating a comforting heat as it dwindled before the two of them, and illuminating the closest part of his face (scars and all) as he gazed towards it with eyes both functional and not, alike.[break][break]

The words pierced the night as they came, however.[break][break]

In tandem with the words, his head turned faintly more than it normally would within past days in order to catch sight of their source; one eye opting to shut as the remaining, illuminated spark of azure directed itself towards the woman by his side. ”Mmn..? Ah. It’s…nothing, really~,” the words came calmly, and ultimately truthfully for the most part. He offered her an apologetic smile as if in attempted dismissal of his dwindling, shaking his head before glancing back towards the fires nearby. ”Absentminded thought and nothing more~. …Just a recollection of everything that’s happened until now, in general…”

mielle [break]
mission: vacation time

☉

As vague of a smile it was, it seemed not to go unnoticed. Although he, himself, hadn’t quite noticed the stare given to him by a certain drake, he’d found himself met with a gaze of crimson as he eventually turned his head slightly (and then more than slightly) at the note of the scale clad dragon’s head turned his way. Blinking, he gradually withdrew his hand from the Lanturn as it began to retreat; a soft, yet still forced broadening of the lips surfacing as he rose his brows.[break][break]

”...What’s that look for, mmn, Sentinel~?” he hummed softly, tilting his head down to follow the creature’s movements as it seemingly deemed it fit to shift closer and sit beside him. Before long, the touch of a the singular, sturdy scale atop its head registered upon his fingertips as the gold accented beast shifted his head closer, prying beneath the closest of his trainer’s hands before nuzzling into it.[break][break]

The trainer in question only seemed to stare for a while longer in processing before inhaling and sighing softly, a defeated touch appearing within the smile he wore. ”...Ah. You’re worried about me, then? Is that the case…?” the man questioned with a soft chuckle, only giving the azure scaled dragon type in the distance a sparing glance before shifting his attention back to his own little friend. ”...Mmn. Don’t worry about me, please~. I’ve told you. It’s fine. It’s fine~...”[break][break]

(tl;dr: skipping)

@tag [break]
look im back after three months oop

☉

There was some degree of silence that he’d fallen into soon after arriving within the falls proper, and although his gaze trailed his draconian companion within an absentminded manner, he found his mind occupied more than usual as he stood there. Truth be told, he knew that things happened for a reason, and that it was a bit of a fool’s errand to worry and lament over what could’ve been, or of an alternate reality. His hands remained within his pockets as he watched his Pokemon walk through, and upon sighting a particular creature within the waters, he walked after him before crouching down by the shoreline.[break][break]

Everything was a normal sight, for the most part.[break][break]

Witnessing the sight from only a single eye, however (and with a vague blurriness, even if it hadn’t been too detrimental, as well), still took and would take some time to get used to. He’d had a guess as to what the particular creature before him was, but it hadn’t been until it swam through and lessened the distance that he properly and surely ascertained it and its signature light above his head.[break][break]

He sighed with a soft, yet wry smile upon his lips as he reached out to gently and carefully caress the water type’s head.[break][break]

...I’m just lucky I didn’t lose it all.[break][break]

(tl;dr: skipping)

@tag [break]
look im back after three months oop

☉

A blur, just like before.[break]
The difference was that he hadn’t been privy to whatever happened after the fact.[break][break]

Like everything else, the going had been tough, and whatever occurred had happened both swiftly and relentlessly. As a means of further insurance and safeguarding, the choice of having the drake beneath him use its Protect had been some means of precaution- but as the woman accompanying him readied a Teleport of her own to deliver them to their destination quicker, he’d managed only a short lived glance over his shoulder in order to gauge the distance between them and their clones.[break][break]

A flash of red had been all he’d seen before the rest had darkened.[break][break]

A blow, delivered promptly and strongly against his head upon impact. To mielle and those within closer proximity at the time, the sight of the man being flung from the impact would’ve been seen, and upon proper teleportation, those closer to the rift would have seen him properly hit the seemingly invisible ground above the treetops. Unmoving. Breathing, thankfully enough, but seemingly bleeding from the head, nonetheless. The nearby Life Dew from Martín del Mar surely would’ve helped to alleviate the wound as quickly as it opened, as well as to soothe any other internal injury that may have happened before it escalated too much, but to have been struck hard enough to warrant the sight, altogether, was already concerning in itself, and the aftermath would only remain to be seen when he awoke.[break][break]

Until then, his Dracovish seemingly sought to give a number of panicked screeches at the sight before hurriedly scrambling over and picking its trainer up between its flippers. As it nudged him, the Unown he’d released caught up, and in a similar bout of both curiosity and concern, seemed keen to flutter around them before ultimately following in tow towards the portal (though not without the drake frantically glancing over his shoulder towards the woman remaining upon its back, almost as if it was seeking some sort of council or guidance regarding what to do.)[break][break]

@geomancy

[break][break]

--dante gets hit hard enough by his clone to fall off his dracovish during the teleport. he is rendered unconscious but alive at the moment, with the caveat that the resulting trauma would be enough to blind one eye and leave a notable scar around it.[break]
--martin's life dew, icly, is essentially what helps him retain some semblance of sight and help open wounds heal. shoutout to him. real homie hours :sworddoggofast:[break]
--dracovish picks dante up and hurriedly rushes him to the portal, looking to mielle for some sort of comfort, or...whatever she wants to do in her post LMFAO[break]
--unown joins the three in going through the portal[break][break][break]

☉

Victories were always quick to be balanced, it seemed.[break][break]

In the midst of the chaos occurring, he’d only managed to pay a swift (yet profound) amount of attention towards the damage he’d done with his own attack, and as he bore witness to the scales he’d gouged off with the torrent of sand he’d directed its way, he’d commanded his less-than-noble-looking steed to continue forth for but a moment before he gauged the other obstacles that quickly procured themselves. As the Dracovish bolted forth for several paces more, its trainer gleaned over his shoulder at the sound of skirmish and formation, alike; navy hues briefly (yet faintly) widening at the sight of various forms appearing across the treetops alongside them.[break][break]

”What the fuck...” had been the first choice of words to leave his lips- and rather frantically, as well, as he held his hand down upon the drake’s shoulder to garner its attention, once more. He held onto it and the woman with him for security’s sake, going, ”Amore! Stop! Turn!” as his tail lashed behind him.[break][break]

Whatever those things were, it was needless to say that he didn’t quite like them- nor did he like the striking similarity that he saw within one in particular as his eyes settled upon it. As if it were some broken reflection of himself, it gazed towards them with a seemingly void presence. The muscles within his body tensed in an instinctive means of defense as the flippered dragon turned towards it, as well, but before he could allow his nerves to get the better of him, he furrowed his eyes while beginning to lash his tail once more; grains of sand gradually beginning to envelop and storm around it, once more.[break][break]

”I hate to be so self centered,” he murmured, casting a sparing glance towards the verdant haired woman alongside him, ”but we should really deal with those before helping the others, no?” He cast a glance towards another one with a striking resemblance to her, and then towards a particular Rocket member across the way before snapping his fingers and pointing them towards him, prompting his Pokemon to begin running his way upon noting Adrian Malcolm beginning to use some sort of power. He didn’t know what it was, but hopefully, it would only serve to help if he was close enough.[break][break]

He just hoped that he would be able to safely lure them.[break][break]

As they ran, he barked another order in the form of another Protect, used by none other that the beloved Dracovish he and mielle remained mounted upon. All the while, he peered faintly over his shoulder towards the clones, and (regardless of distance), lashed his tail towards back of them, slinging a fully prepared Sand Tomb them in hopes that it would hit at least one. From a distance, as well, a certain little Unown seemed all too entranced with the task it involved itself within, but upon noting the new figures violently forming upon the field, it paused; its single eye blinking rapidly before it located its own trainer. After a rather sporadic spin and spaz, it seemed more intent with zooming over, and with the cry of its own species, unleashed a Hidden Power upon the clone most representing of its master.[break][break]

@geomancy

[break][break]

--dracovish (atk/sped x5) uses protect while attempting to lure dante's and mielle's clones to adrian's lifesteal reach[break]
--dante (def x2) uses sand tomb on his and mielle's clones[break]
--unown locates dante among the blood clones and joins him again, using hidden power on the respective clone[break][break][break]

(standard post roll)[break]
oAc4n5lh[break][break]

☉

He landed with a low, airy grunt; his knees buckling faintly upon impact and return to the grounds beneath him, though he caught himself with a hand firmly planted down in order to keep him up following his strike. With a sharp, yet deepened inhale and exhale, his head turned immediately within the midst of the dust he’d kicked up as a result of his hit, quickly scanning the area and instinctively leaning back in light of the second strike towards the then-passed Rillaboom from another Rocket member, by the look of it, which had only been followed by several more by neighboring members, as well. Seeing the chaos ensue, he glanced around for his companion, and - after locating it as it waited upon mielle to make a move - he sprinted over swiftly, darting around whatever may have stood between him and them to the best of his ability prior to using the momentum to leap. Reaching out, he firmly grasped his Pokemon’s shoulder before swinging his way up and onto its back again, glancing over his shoulder towards the woman.[break][break]

”Come, now,” he called down to her, his lips tugging into a faint grin as he kept a hand hooked upon the beast’s shoulder. Securing his feet upon its scales, he then allowed himself to swing back as he held on, offering the remaining arm towards her and grasping her forearm alongside his in order to pull her with him. ”We’ve still got places to be, after all,” he added, ”so we’d best make haste, no~?”[break][break]

More waiting, but only long enough to allow her the time to secure herself. Following that, he tapped the Dracovish’s shoulder once more, speaking some foreign tongued to it and prompting another surge of energy to envelop it before it began dashing forward, bringing them along it. Still standing upon its back, he held on as he leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as they approached the portal before briefly adjusting to the darkness from the warp, and then the brightness from their newfound surroundings. His brows furrowed instinctively at the change of scenery, but upon noting the creatures before him (as well as the sudden height that they were thrust upon, seeing the edge of the area), his eyes narrowed, and his jaw dropped slightly.[break][break]

He thought. He debated. As the smoke rapidly flooded their way, he even instinctively pulled an arm up to brace himself (a gesture he found to be ultimately moot as the air around them seemed to remain as fresh and breathable as ever), but before long could pass he knocked his knuckles against his companion’s shoulder in rapid, yet gentle concession before opening his hand and tapping it against the drake’s head.[break][break]

”...Dragon Dance again, Amore,” he said sharply before pointing outward. ”Closer. Get us closer to it! Quick!”[break][break]

Although it took a small while, the energies surrounding the finned beast seemed to gradually flare brighter to life, and in light of the command, it gave another, grander screech as it sought to increase its power even more. With the newfound boost, it sped across the rather odd field set out before them in a burst that would’ve seemed otherwise awkward for a creature of its stature to embark upon.[break][break]

All the while, Dante leaned forward to further secure himself as they ran along, and as if a reflection of the tenseness within him as they neared, the finned tail behind him curled before lashing; the gesture in itself seemingly summoning a small cloud of dust and sand within its wake. It grew larger and more violent, and he held it down as best as he could to keep it manageable before lashing his tail - and with it, the dust storm - forward and towards the Seviper in the form of a Sand Tomb. Within the wake of it all, his Unown seemed fit to flutter behind him with the utmost erraticness- although at the sight of one and more of its kind seemingly getting to work on what seemed to be an escape route, it blinked at its trainer a few times before flying over to aid with the endeavor.[break][break]

@geomancy

[break][break]

--dracovish uses dragon dance (atk/spd x5) and runs towards the seviper[break]
--dante (def x2) uses sand tomb on the seviper[break]
--unown breaks off to join Martín del Mar 's unown in the portal construction effort[break][break][break]

(standard post roll)[break]
az5XRaFd[break][break]

☉

There was so much that happened in such a short span of time, and lest he be left behind, the man remained duly vigilant as the ongoing bouts of chaos occurred around him. Within an instinctive manner, his arms lifted and crossed before his face at the sight of a sudden object careening towards him and his own from within the smoke- though all for naught, he had soon realized, as the protective command that he’d barked not too long beforehand seemed to be more than enough to shield them. Narrowing his eyes, he straightened himself atop the back of his beloved Pokemon; instead opting to kneel partially upon its shoulders as the smoke seemed to settle from the sheer force of the thrown log. The numerous attacks made towards the verdant beast hadn’t been lost upon him, nor had its attempted absconds with two of his fellow companions. His jaw tensed faintly at the sight of a certain child stolen among the two, and he took little more than a moment’s worth of reprise to gauge the distance.[break][break]

He glanced towards mielle , and then towards the rather rounded head of the creature he resided upon.[break][break]

”...Send me to it, Amore,” he spoke swiftly, gently yet firmly tapping upon its scales in order to garner its attention. At the turn of its head, he offered it a small smile before leaning back and steadying himself. ”Ancient Power! Go to our friend and protect her, after!”[break][break]

At the commands, he noted a look of what he assumed to be skepticism and worry (an expression that was truthfully only confirmed by a worried sounding gurgle of a cry), but as he gently caressed the side of its head in encouragement, the aforementioned gesture seemed to be enough to persuade it as it reared back with yet another roar. Briefly tightening his hand atop its head to ensure steadiness, he watched as numerous pieces of the earth ascended at a minor level, crumbling beneath one another and dripping with dirt and rock as they hovered, momentarily. Peering through the closest ones to them quickly, he settled his gaze upon one in particular. Shifting his attention between it and the Rillaboom for nothing more than a few seconds, he braced himself and waited, leaping forth and clasping onto it as it, as well as the other earthen rubble, flung forth to strike the massive ape.[break][break]

Within his midst, the Dracovish made quick work of dashing towards the woman that supported them, flailing its flippers erratically as it seemed to nod towards its back. It repeatedly cried at her in constant beckoning in favor of attempting to persuade her to climb atop its back, and while it did so, its trainer careened alongside the aforementioned rock. Bracing himself in light of the momentum, he clutched onto it as he seemingly ignited with some form of energy, and just before the rock, itself, made impact, he let go; momentarily tucking his fins in hopes to adjust his trajectory as he aimed a Dragon Rush at the grass type.[break][break]

All while the Unown sought fit to linger, of course. As its trainer made his move, it blinked its singular eye while fluttering about before aiming another Hidden Power at the Rillaboom.[break][break]

@geomancy

[break][break]

--dracovish (atk/spd x4) uses ancient power on the rillaboom before running to mielle[break]
--dante (def x2) rides one of the rocks from ancient power and uses the momentum to crash into rillaboom, using dragon rush[break]
--unown uses hidden power on rillaboom (again)[break][break][break]

(standard post roll)[break]
_hKlaH|4[break][break]

(ancient power stat increase for dracovish. ninety and above raises all stats)[break]

☉

But of course things couldn’t be simple.[break][break]

It never had been, and as the newfound adversary surfaced from within the water’s murky depths, the man couldn’t help but allow his focus to drift towards the aforementioned beast, all while hues of a bicolored, illuminated brilliance narrowed instinctively upon note of the beast in question. Immediately and effectively, his gaze strayed towards Eris Halla as the smoke began to settle in, and within an instinctive manner, he turned towards her within a more profound manner as she (and soon following, he noticed Martín del Mar ). His jaw clenched lightly at the sight of the two, and after some shorter amount of deliberation, he inhaled deeply; focusing his attention upon the silhouette of the ape as it became enveloped within the smoke as he made a move up and towards his anomaly of a beast. ”Seguili, Amore,” he said, hoisting himself atop its back and patting its head before pointing forward. ”Quickly! Stai atteno!”[break][break]

And with that, he braced himself. Leaning further upon the creature he stood upon for the sake of balance, his rested his hand atop one of its shoulders as it sped into the smog. Lashing his tail within their wake, the Rocket member glared intently amidst the murk (though not without sparing a glance towards the direction he remembered mielle and the others to be at the sound of defensive buzzing surrounding them), eventually catching sight of a familiar two others stationed briefly atop a fellow water type before it burst forth into the fray.[break][break]

They were safe for the meantime.[break]
Their chances of continuous safety would remain constant with aid.[break][break]

So, with a quick line of thought, he leaned over slightly as the Dracovish (swift as ever with its numerous Dragon Dances) bounded through to the best of its abilities, guiding his tail into the ground as they proceeded and furling it lightly. Keeping a hold upon the beast’s shoulders, he rose his voice amidst the slam of ice as to make sure his companion heard, barking a quick, ”Scudo!” as they passed by. Rearing around the ice produced from the attack, Dante kept a close eye upon the Rillaboom, lashing his tail with a hefty amount of dirt towards the primate’s eyes in a Sand Attack as a sudden Protect simultaneously enveloped both Pokemon and trainer with their close proximity.[break][break]

He leaned back following the gesture, his eyes occasionally shifting towards the ground once more as he dug his tail into the dirt for a second time, though with a rustle of movement from his waist, he momentarily glanced down in time for one of the capsules upon his belt to burst forth with the image of a familiar Unown, seemingly antsy and gravitated to the anarchy happening beyond its confinement. It fluttered rapidly around its trainer, eying the aforementioned ape for a small while before seemingly seeing fit to unleash a Hidden Power in addition, as well.[break][break]

@geomancy

[break][break]

dante mounts dracovish (atk/spd x4) and runs into the smoke[break]
dante notes the defend order (def x2) from mielle's vespiqueen[break]
dante uses sand attack on the rillaboom in attempt to further distract it from mars and eris[break]
dracovish uses protect on itself and dante[break]
unown breaks free from its pokeball and uses hidden power on the rillaboom[break]
[break][break][break]

crzsl7Q8

☉

He perked up at the sound of another, familiar voice.[break][break]

By no means had the pressure within his chest subsided, but at the very least, it was more than a welcomed distraction from the ongoing changes that he’d been going through. Even as he glanced up to meet the woman’s gaze, he felt the skin upon his face shift and reform faintly, and by the time his eyes met hers (the same, royal blue irises outlined by a circle of what looked to be gold, and the sclera around either plummeted into a pure black), he’d absentmindedly lifted his hand and pressed a thumb to rub against several newly formed scales framing his cheek and jaw. ”Been better, but I’ll manage, I think~...” he murmured with a low, wry sigh, all with a small smile to match. Inhaling deeply, he tapped the aforementioned scales a couple of times before ultimately pressing the heel of his palm against his knee, pushing down upon it to aid him in rising from the ground. ”Been through worse, anyways. …Compared to that, this shit’s annoying at worst~.”[break][break]

A broader smile. A cursory glance towards their surroundings, and then to himself. Although noting the comments spoken to him, he found himself lifting his arms in examination of the newfound fins upon his arms, and - in little time following - turned faintly for the sake of peering over his shoulders and towards the tail hanging some ways behind him. ”Yeah, don’t worry about me, though,” he hummed, tilting his head fainty, lifting his tail and swaying at eye level before lowering it and glancing towards the numerous sources of illumination lighting the way- namely the one that his companion, herself, seemed to offer for them. ”You’re right, anyways,” he began to add. ”Mission or not, it’d lift a fair weight to keep an eye on everyone, in general. …Let’s go~.”[break][break]

And so, with his hand taken by hers (something he wouldn’t ever voice against, truthfully speaking), he allowed her to lead the way. He trudged through the terrain as well as he could, briefly shifting his attention towards the beloved drake accompanying him and offering a quick pat with the other hand, as well as an encouraging, ”Continuate cosi, mi amore~,” towards it, smiling as the advice was met but nothing short of another, gurgled cry, as well as another surge of energies around it as it trailed eagerly after them.[break][break]

@geomancy

[break][break]

finishes the tail end of transformation[break]
takes the red path alongside mielle[break]
dracovish used dragon dance // attack/speed up x4[break][break][break]

j0FlPEHa

☉

Truthfully speaking, there was something about the scenery around them that struck a chord with him.[break]
Rightfully so, he found out, as everything else began to progress in the way that it did.[break][break]

Having been near enough to note the changes of the little one, altogether, a sense of surprise and concern briefly overtook him as the aforementioned child seemed to waver faintly; his brows raising slightly at the sight of her falter, and although he, himself, hadn’t extended a hand like his companion had, his lips pressed faintly as he witnessed what he did. As the ever vigilant anomaly by his side merely ignited within another burst of energy, its trainer sought to gaze between the girl, and then the woman, and then between the shrines of which they’d interacted with, prior.[break][break]

He’d only managed to think to himself for a moment before the assumptions he’d made in silence were nothing less than confirmed. Instinctively, he crouched alongside her with a narrow of the eyes and placed a hand upon her shoulder, watching her and her condition as she seemed to find herself winded, as well, even if momentarily. ”Not entirely sure, myself,” he murmured, side eying the newfound attributes gracing her form, ”but by the look of it, it’s got something to do with the shrines...”[break][break]

And then came another bout of silence. Another bout of thought. His eyes remained upon her for several moments more (all for the sake of continuously ascertaining her condition, and although a quick glance towards her and those around them only proved to spawn questions within his mind, he was at least relieved to see her expression soften and relax just as quickly as it had strained), but before long, he slowly rose to his own feet, once more. Passing by those that seemed to extend their own offerings as a means of reference, he stopped for a moment to survey the nearby shrines before idly settling his attention upon that of the west.[break][break]

He shifted his attention towards the others yet another time, noting the sort of gifts and sights beheld of them.[break][break]

Questionable as it is, it could be pretty useful… he mused to himself with brows furrowing as he directed his gaze towards the offering bowl, once more. After some pondering, he inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, lifting a hand to his lips. Might fuck me over. Might help me live. It’s really a gamble, but may as well…[break][break]

With just a moment to brace himself, he took the more supple amount of flesh upon his thumb between his teeth; a grimace briefly settling upon his face as he bit down. Soon enough, the taste of dull iron filled his senses loosely, and before it could flood them, altogether, he opened his eyes before stretching his hand towards the bowl, watching a small, yet steadier flow of crimson join the prior offerings placed within.[break][break]

He watched it, following the fact. He braced himself. As the his draconian companion seemed to catch up with him, he glanced towards the side briefly to acknowledge it while waiting, and although the effects hadn’t harbored him immediately, it had only taken a number of paces’ worth of time back towards the woman he’d arrived with for him to feel a discomfort within his body. A worried, gurgled roar sounded from the genetic anomaly by him as he found himself falling to a knee; widening his eyes slightly at the sudden sensation burning within his chest as he shut his eyes once more. The feeling of foreign structures raising from his skin, however, were noted by him immediately. A weight of bluish, fin-like structures upon his forearms sprouting. The weight behind him rendering him faintly imbalance as a scaled, finned tail seemed to manifest from his body at a gradual rate.[break][break]

A low, hissing sigh sounded under his breath as he felt other, incoming features continue to settle upon him.[break][break]

Yeaaaah… Shoulda figured it’d be painful… he thought wryly to himself, taking a deep breath as the Dracovish by him only seemed to fret more and more. Not as bad as I thought it’d be, but fuck me, I guess…[break][break]

@geomancy

[break][break]

dracovish used dragon dance // attack/speed up x3[break]
expresses brief worry over mielle and Eris Halla [break]
ends up examining the west shrine and makes a blood sacrifice[break]
currently in the process of gaining attributes akin to a garchomp[break]

☉