The lack of hesitation in Isaac caught her by surprise. And his follow-up comment even more so.

Am I so easy to read?

She pondered.

“I… I hope so.” Left hand began to scratch at a nervous phantom itch on her right arm. “I have been doing a lot of thinking after what happened at Mt. Pyre..” She began as if she somehow had to excuse the decision she had made.

“And… Don’t get me wrong. I do care about you guys.” She had found her metaphorical shovel and was digging a real big hole, but the words fought to not leave her. She knew once she had said this, there would be no going back. Perhaps Isaac might even try to end her right here for defection, surely nobody would notice another victim of the cold.

Houndour nudged itself against her, hoping to grant some modicum of strength.

“It’s just…” The phantom itch grew stronger, she tried to scratch at it, but it didn’t go away. “I don’t think Team Rocket is a good fit for me, and I know I should’ve seen that before joining. But the path they are walking… I can’t do what they ask of me… Mt. Pyre showed me that.” She paused.

“Besides, I want to do proper professional Pokémon battling, maybe even open a Gym -” She paused to breathe. “- and if I did that as a member of Team Rocket. It would only be a question of time before it got out.” Johanna admitted. Becoming a Gym Leader had not been something she had considered at first. But her conversation with Megan Whitmore had sown the seeds, and the seeds were starting to grow.

OOC:
LOCATION: Oldale Town -> The Silent Icelands

Megan rose from her slumber, seemingly equally groggy. But like Johanna it did not take long before the presence of another human behind awoke the mind fully.

When their eyes met, Johanna realized that she had been staring. A mild bout of shyness washed over her, forcing her eyes down as her cheeks warmed. But not for long.

“Hey.” She replied, meeting Megan’s smile with one of her own.

“Everything considered. I am feeling about as fine as I can.” She said, “My body is aching in places I didn’t even know was possible. Head’s spinning, all that jazz.” She continued, figuring Megan wasn’t going to settle for the simple and short answer.

“How about you?” She paused worry both in her eyes and on her face. “How are you feeling?” Immediately checking up on her friend as if she had been the one getting short and or dying.

OOC: Mission thread for POST PAAA. Takes place right after.
LOCATION: LILYCOVE CITY

Johanna had never imagined she’d be trekking up Mt. Pyre again this quickly. Whether by choice or subconscious decision making, she walked past places she recognized as she was heading toward the portal.

That’s where she got shot in the shoulder. Her almost healed wound ached at the thought. That was where Megan Whitmore stitched her up. And that over there was where Palkia had brutalized her body and killed her, only for her to revive later by some blessing or another.

Her whole body ached for a moment at that memory, but she was quick to shove it away remembering why she had come here instead.

The League needed her help. And she was all too eager to oblige. And yet, as she reached the peak and the portal, and saw those already there. There was a certain bit of apprehension at the thought. She had been a member of Team Rocket up until a few weeks ago. That cloud still loomed high above her, and she honestly feared that these three would figure it out and throw her into jail.

Though the fear was warranted, she knew she could not wear it so casually. And so she tried to hide it behind her usual bubbly friendliness.

Clad appropriately for an expedition into the unknown, thick black clothes, a backpack with the essentials, a belt full of Pokémon. Though had she known who was the mission lead on this, she’d definitely have removed the TERAVOLT pins that adorned her backpack, and picked another T-shirt. Luckily the latter was hidden by her jacket.

As she got close enough she raised her hand in a greeting wave and said. “Hello there! I hope I am not late.”


OOC:
LOCATION: The Border

Callan Young Ettie Josh Devlin

She hadn’t seen the now dead Aggron during her brief stint in the afterlife. But that was perhaps simply evidence adding wait to Isaac’s claim of her having found peace. Johanna hoped so, for Isaac’s sake.

Another solemn nod as Isaac thanked Palkia for giving them evidence of the afterlife’s existence. Honestly, she wasn’t sure that was such a good thing. How long would it take before Team Rocket attempted to use the afterlife for their own ends? After all, Team Rocket had shown no struggle with performing the most heinous of deeds.

But then the worst thing happened.

How dared Isaac be an attentive friend?!

He had noticed her thoughtfulness, the struggle going on inside. As Isaac asked, she responded a bit too quickly. “Yeah I am fine, really…” She wasn’t fine. She immediately showed otherwise as she continued. “Isaac, we are friends right?”


OOC:
LOCATION: Oldale Town -> The Silent Icelands

Would her mother edith joy be proud of her? The thought touched her mind more than once as she sat upon a Bar stool, slightly bent forward as she rested her arms upon the table. Eyes diving deeply into the ZOMBIE drink that stood before her.

Supposedly this was the signature drink of this place. Admittedly, she knew little of drinks in general, but she had ordered it hoping the alcohol would be able to keep her company when no one else would.

Not that she had asked anyone else.

She really ought to have asked Megan Whitmore but alas here she was. Clad modestly in an attire of almost all black, save for the few stand-out splashes of deep TERAVOLT purple.

Her eyes began to wander first from her drink, then to her fellow zombie consumer. He seemed as sorry as she was.

Perhaps she ought to strike up a conversation? Two singular souls at a bar, what harm could it do?

She took a sip of her drink, and tried to not let the flavor reveal her inexperience, though as always her Poker face was rather bad.

She turned slightly toward Levy Alinsky pondering how to approach him, but as she tried to speak, the only two letters that would escape her was “Hi.”

OOC: The Burning Maw Prompt for New Years Event
LOCATION: Rustboro City

Johanna met Isaac’s grin with a small smile. But the topic quickly turned sour as they began to talk about the coin toss guy.

She gave a singular nod. In hindsight it was rather grim to think about just how close they had all been to complete annihilation. She had sometimes wondered if the coin toss game had been a ruse to hide a limit to the coin toss guy’s killing power, or if it was merely a flight of fancy on his side.

She pushed away the thought, focused instead on Isaac’s words. Admittedly she wished she hadn’t. Because Isaac dropped some huge news on her. Surprise forced her mouth wide open as a quick “I am sorry for your loss.” Quickly escaped her before he continued.

She gave him an acknowledging nod as he spoke of choice and the price to pay. She felt politoed in her throat as thoughts of the choice she had made and the certain repercussions that would follow surfaced.

She could claim many things, but having a good Poker face wasn’t one of them. And so, it would be evident to Isaac, if he were to look that something might be bothering her as he spoke of choice, and he replied with. “That is very true.”


OOC:
LOCATION: Oldale Town -> The Silent Icelands

“Oh, I didn’t pick it. Claydol did, I suppose it just picked the closest one it remembers.” Johanna remarked. His concern for her secret second life was touching. And had she not been collapsing on their floor by the time they got through the Hospital Entrance, she might’ve been questioned as Isaac assumed.

But that wasn’t the important detail. Johanna watched as the gears began to grind in Isaac’s mind. How he began to think about her wording. She noticed his gaze, how it looked for details pertaining to her death.

“I’d like to claim that I know what happened… But one second I am betting on a Coin toss…” Johanna began. “Then the next thing I know I am dead, walking alongside the other victims of Palkia’s wrath as I try to return to the world of the living?” It was hard to believe, to be honest. She still didn’t believe it. But what other explanation could there be for the sensation of space itself brutalizing her body, sucking out her soul, leaving her to walk the inbetween-space of life and death alongside human and Pokémon spirit alike.

“I know it doesn’t make sense, but I can’t think of any other explanations.” And by Arceus she had tried.

She gestured toward his non-functioning eye as she asked. “Did the coin toss-guy give you that souvenir or was it someone else?”

She was a bit unsure if it was insensitive to ask about it. But she figured it would be better to get it out of the way.

Houndour stayed close to her, rubbing itself against her leg to provide some comfort.

OOC:
LOCATION: Oldale Town -> The Silent Icelands

Johanna slowly opened her eyes as awoke from her slumber. The first thing she saw was Megan sitting on a hospital chair. It took Johanna a far too long moment to notice that Megan was sleeping. The sight brought a smile on her lips.

A quiet sigh escaped her as her gaze moved to her surroundings. She didn’t recognize it, and to be honest her memory was hazy at best.

But then she looked down. She realized this was not the clothes she had worn when she arrived. Her clothes had been switched with a standard hospital gown. Thoughts moving a hundred miles per hour began to whir in her head.

She was certain that whoever would be looking would be able to find infringing evidence in that bundle of clothes. She had to run, she had to get away from here before the police came for her. She sat up, her hand had grabbed the duvet and was about to pull it off to make her escape when her eyes once again landed on Megan.

You can’t go back to them, Johanna. Team Rocket isn’t where you want to be.

She reminded herself. No, come what may. She wanted to be by Megan’s side as a law abiding citizen, perhaps even more than that.

And so she leaned back into the bed, trying to relax as best she could eyes on Megan as she tried to ignore the aching of her body.

OOC: Mission thread for POST PAAA. Takes place right after.
LOCATION: LILYCOVE CITY

Last Johanna had seen Isaac, both eyes had been in working conditions. But that was not the case now, unfortunately she was far too late in noticing that. And so spent an unfortunate amount of time looking at the wrong eye before she noticed it.

Her gaze shot down in embarrassment for a moment, when she noticed. But then returned to Isaac, this time focusing on the proper eye.

Johanna listened as Isaac spoke. Her smile pained but understanding as he moved from speaking about his physical healing and onto the wounds his soul sustained. She wanted to comfort him, to shower him in loving words and promises of ‘everything is going to be alright’ but she knew those would only be taken as hollow platitudes thrown about by those that weren't in the same situation.

“Yeah Claydol Teleported me to the Lilycove City Hospital…” She took a moment to consider how she would go about to explain what had happened to her. “And can’t say I lucked out…” Johanna said. Her gaze fell to the ground. “I got shot in the shoulder, then my body got mangled…” She paused…

“I think I died for a short while.” There was a grimness to the casualness in which she admitted to this. She knew that it sounded crazy, but she was certain that it was what had happened.

OOC:
LOCATION: Oldale Town -> The Silent Icelands

Johanna was taking a leisurely walk through route 110 at some point between dusk and afternoon. Clad in black fuzzy clothes that would keep her warm during the cold month.

Sparkling Minior announced their presence high above. And she admittedly found her eyes caught by their bright signaling. To think not too long ago Minior was the least of their worries from the sky.

But here they were. Meteno no longer a threat. Life had given her a lot of things to think about and she, with each passing day, was getting closer to an answer.

The sound of a loud crash in the distance pulled her out of her thoughts and into reality. She set into a sprint, the Dragapult that had been casually floating behind her followed.

Before they reached the pair another loud crash boomed into the area. She hurried even more, by the time that Johanna and her Pokémon reached Aubre McKenna-Settentrione the long haired bluenette was short of breath and worried in her gaze.

“What happened, is everyone okay?” She asked gaze darting between the craters and the two humans here, trying to ascertain the situation.

You would think that being in a frozen wasteland would make her pay attention to her surroundings. Well, that was partially true. She was paying a lot of attention to the frozen Pokémon, only to be truly astounded when she saw a familiar looking face.

A mild yelp of surprise escaped her as she noticed Isaac’s face, she stepped back out of sheer instinct. Her Houndour began to growl at the supposed threat, and move closer to Johanna to defend her.

Luckily, Isaac didn’t intend to keep the joke going for long, as he revealed he hadn’t been frozen in ice.

“You could’ve fooled me.” Johanna replied as a sigh of relief escaped her.

She then listened to Isaac’s words. Giving nods when appropriate. “Yeah, it has to be legendary, what else could it really be?” Johanna replied. Eyes returning for a moment to the frozen victims. It was hard to look at.

She returned her attention to Isaac. It seemed like her, he had remembered his manners. Not that she minded at all. “It is good to see you too.” She replied, her attention going to the unfortunate damages that he had sustained. “How is your recovery coming along?”

OOC:
LOCATION: Oldale Town -> The Silent Icelands