Suspicion warred with acceptance as the two Leaguers discussed Nomi's veracity. She listened patiently, gathering as many details about them as she could. Curiously, it was the Ranger Captain who argued in favor of hearing Nomi out.[break][break]
"You have an open mind," she observed, turning to smile at Shalin. "That's a wise choice. There are many perspectives to a story, many facets to a jewel. And when it comes to Rocket and League, there are extremists on both sides."[break][break]
She waved a hand, and the Unown around her danced about, bobbing and weaving until a new portal appeared in mid-air between Shalin and her companion. It shimmered with blue energy, solidifying like some sort of ethereal projector screen, swirls of amorphous shapes forming into discernible figures.[break][break]
"This is the memory of Kallistatus," she explained, nodding at the shiny Unown-K. "Think of it like a recording." Nisa Holo's face sharpened as she stood over Nomi, glaring daggers. "I, too, was attacked by the DRK Triad inside of an RKS Machine." She paused. "There are two. Rocket and League both have one."[break][break]
The events of her ascension to Avatarship appeared. Holo's insistence on eliminating her and Isaac Merlo. Isaac and his Pokemon helping Nomi manifest an escape route. Kallistatus betraying its master and joining Nomi. The Rocket Unown coming to her aid and gifting her with Avatarship...it all played out, like a sped-up silent movie.[break][break]
"Isaac Merlo was with me when this happened," she noted. She would not be shocked to learn that they knew him. Everyone seemed to know Isaac. "So he can corroborate that this happened, should you wish to confirm my trustworthiness."[break][break]
The portal imagery froze, once more highlighting Holo.[break][break]
"Was this the woman you two encountered?"

TAGS – Eduardo Hisakawa | Shalin Nariya[break]
NOTES – Social[break]

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Calcifet.[break][break]
Nomi's expression darkened for just a moment before she schooled it back to a pleasant neutrality. She knew that name: it was plastered across the Rocket hit list. Remiel Calcifet's defection was still a fresh wound for Rocket; Nomi knew the value in letting the Zekrom Avatar live, but many of her peers would rather kill him on sight than ally with him against a common threat.[break][break]
So, this was his...sibling? Cousin?[break][break]
"Ah, so you're a member of the Galarian royal family, then?" Nomi asked, feigning some measure of innocence. "It is an honor to meet you. It's not every day one has the pleasure of speaking with a real life princess."[break][break]
She bowed her head in respect. Was that how they did it in Galar? Her own Johtonian habits were hard to break.[break][break]
"What are you studying at the university? It's impressive you have the time for both school and what I suspect are quite a bit of diplomatic obligations..."[break][break]
As she spoke, Nomi knelt in front of the pillar of sparkling Tera Crystals, rummaging in her backpack for her sample collection kit.

TAGS – Elise Calcifet[break]
NOTES – Mission | Hiking outfit vibes

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[attr="class","text"]

She pressed warm fingers to cool flesh, feeling the beating of his heart radiate up to his shoulder, connecting with her own. It was a relief, she realized: knowing he was still alive underneath the layer of frost that clung to him like a wintery cloak.[break][break]
"I understand," she assured him, keeping her voice from wavering. "Trust me, Jayden. I understand."[break][break]
It was the best she could do. She would give him whatever he needed: a shoulder to lean on, a hand to hold, arms to hug. She would give him her loyalty, the promise to fight beside him if he asked, even if it was against Isaac. But she could not abide Chien-Pao controlling her brother, using him as its puppet.[break][break]
She would find the cure for his curse, one way or another.[break][break]
"Let's go home," she coaxed, feeling the gaze of the Presence beginning to turn in her direction. They were never going to be able to stay here long; always, a temporary fix. To be perceived by whatever else was in here never felt like it would bode well to Nomi.[break][break]
Perhaps someday she would find the courage to stay.[break][break]
In a swirl of blue crystalline energy, she brought them back to the infirmary. It felt as empty and sterile as when they had left, nothing like the pulsing rhythmic energy of the Unown Dimension.[break][break]
"Don't worry," she squeezed his hand. "I won't leave. But try to rest, okay?"

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

It might have been comical, the way Damian dramatically agonized over this man - but Nomi knew it was no easy thing to let go of an old flame. She'd never even dated Isaac Merlo, and she still had trouble suppressing the one-sided longing she still sometimes felt for him, even though she wouldn't trade her current relationship for anything else in the world.[break][break]
"Oh, Damien," she murmured, with empathy. She reached out with a gentle hand, laying it on his arm in a comforting fashion. "It's an understandable mistake."[break][break]
Unless it wasn't a mistake?[break][break]
"Maybe he's changed," she offered. "Did you get the sense he would treat you better? After, er, serving time and all that?"[break][break]
That sort of thing changed a person, right? It was ironic, perhaps, that she had no idea what going to jail might be like, despite being a high-ranking member of a criminal organization.

TAGS – DAMIEN RUSSO[break]
NOTES – Mission | Outfit vibes

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He says it like it's easy, like it's simple. She doesn't have the same protections he does, her lover lacks the power to offer her amnesty or protect her from political fallout.[break][break]
She isn't even entirely sure she wants to leave Rocket, in any case.[break][break]
When this world had abandoned her - left her alone to wonder if she would ever be needed, ever be loved - Rocket had filled in the cracks in her heart with purpose. Many were twisted, dangerous individuals, but there were others with far more nuanced reasons for choosing terrorism. jayden cross, Cillian Quinn, Lulu Flint - even Isaac Merlo, once - had adopted her into what felt more like a family than an unfeeling collection of selfish criminals. And, of course, if not for Rocket, would she ever have met parker jones?[break][break]
"I am on Hoenn's side," she answers, finally, with a note of defiance. "I want all of us to survive what's coming. There are cosmic forces beyond our comprehension intent on our destruction."[break][break]
She stares into her empty glass, as if it were some sort of scrying mirror.[break][break]
"Freya can have Sootopolis, if she wants it. Makes no difference to me. I just want to live in the house I own there, with Parker, when this is all said and done."[break][break]
It's a treasonous statement, perhaps. But King won't tell. He has his own problems to worry about.[break][break]
"But none of it will matter if we stand back and let the DRK Triad annihilate our world."

TAGS – KING WAYLAND[break]
NOTES – Social[break]

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Tempest Quinn[break]
NOTES – SOCIAL[break][break]

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

There are those who might hear such a declaration, and balk at the implications - especially other Avatars. Humanity's addiction to power is a tightly woven tapestry, threaded through with unending cycles of conflict. Many would be loath to accept the possibility of having their gifts stripped from them - even if temporarily. There is a reason Nomi does not yet own a Sygna Suit, though she could easily augment one.[break][break]
But Nomi is also, first and foremost, a scientist: who's mind values logic over pride. And she does not shy away from the idea he's proposing: primarily because she has a use for it, even at her own expense.[break][break]
"I could make use of such a device," she murmurs, tempering her excitement in order to prioritize critical thinking. She recalls a conversation had with Andrea Vaneau.[break][break]
"I would ideally like to convince the League and Rocket Avatars to stand down, and listen to me. The DRK Triad fears us, so we ought to work together. De-escalation will be critical if such a goal is to be achieved, however, since some have hatred that runs deep."[break][break]
She gives him a pointed look.[break][break]
"It would be best for all of us to meet without the risk of causing mass destruction should someone get a little too heated during the discussion."[break][break]
She could think of more than a few current Avatars prone to such behavior, on both sides.

TAGS – Greyson Connors[break]
NOTES – SOCIAL[break]

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Anti-Avatar device?[break][break]
Nomi's anger evaporates, instantly replaced by the insatiable curiosity that has always been intrinsic to her nature.[break][break]
"Have you really!?" She exclaims, excited. "Must utilize the sygna tech - or something like it." Her whole face lights up as she speaks. "But you're not a scientist. Who's helping you? Dr. Morales?"[break][break]
Eva Morales is an Avatar too, she knows. Which makes sense - he'd need to test the device on one. Ideally, more than one.[break][break]
Wait.[break][break]
"That's why you need me," she realizes. "You need Avatars for testing. And...you might also need my scientific expertise...?"[break][break]
But he has access to brilliant League scientists, and other League Avatars - why turn to her?[break][break]
She eyes him, but it's no longer filled with suspicion or indignation. If anything, it's a hungry look: a desire for answers.

TAGS – Greyson Connors[break]
NOTES – SOCIAL[break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

She doesn't flinch. She glares twin lasers at him, red with a simmering fury.[break][break]
"And your own Councilwoman, PENELOPE LIVY, tried to burn the love of my life alive in front of me - and she would have killed me, too. But only after I'd suffered such a tremendous emotional loss - she might even have called it a mercy."[break][break]
She folds her arms, unimpressed by his nasty scar. They all have scars.[break][break]
"If you'd rather I work with someone else to protect Hoenn from the DRK Triad, then you be that person."[break][break]
He towers over her, but Mîr drifts down, floating between them like some sort of cosmic mediator.[break][break]
"Tell me your plan, Greyson. Let me help you."

TAGS – Greyson Connors[break]
NOTES – SOCIAL[break]

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"Of course they are a threat."[break][break]
Frustration creeps into her tone, now, as her brow creases. He'd spent days (weeks? years?) in that vile prison with her: did he really think of her as some brainwashed Rocket incapable of nuance?[break][break]
"As is Palkia, should its Avatar lose control."[break][break]
She has faith in illeana reyes, but knows better than to assume the other scientist immune to a decaying psyche: it is no small thing to be tethered to a God, especially one as ancient and powerful as Palkia. Necrozma's patronage is no different.[break][break]
"All Avatars are dangerous, some more than others."[break][break]
She eyes Greyson pointedly, as if to emphasize yes, even me.[break][break]
"Right now, Necrozma's Avatar is intent on finding and destroying the DRK Triad," she continues. "Which makes him my ally. But do not think for a second that I am blind to the risks."

TAGS – Greyson Connors[break]
NOTES – SOCIAL[break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

It's a good riddle, all things considered.[break][break]
"Alphabet," Nomi answers automatically, without missing a beat. "Come now, Kepler, you'll have to try a little harder if you want to stump me."[break][break]
She grins, and it feels good to smile - given all she's been through lately.[break][break]
Of course, stumping her hadn't been the point. He's here for a reason; the riddle had been nothing more than a playful greeting.[break][break]
She shoves aside the stack of papers, glad for any excuse to go back to ignoring them, and folds her hands neatly atop her desk. Crimson eyes scrutinize him, and find the sight concerning.[break][break]
He strikes her as appearing washed out, like the colors that make up his familiar visage have been drained purposefully of pigment. And are those bags under his eyes? Her brow furrows, but she would be a hypocrite for calling out another scientist for neglecting sleep.[break][break]
"What can I do for you?"

TAGS – kepler brueshaber[break]
NOTES – SOCIAL

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"I encountered them, too," Nomi nodded. "In the chasm. They attacked me and the others I was with."[break][break]
You baited them, she reminded herself, with a pang of guilt. Or rather, once Kallistatus had sensed them coming, she had used it to her advantage. She'd needed to prove a point, and it had worked. Or so she hoped: perhaps by now, PENELOPE LIVY had undone whatever semblance of faith freya morningstar had reluctantly chosen to have in Nomi.[break][break]
"The DRK Triad have been after me for some time. Nisa Holo, in particular, despises me." Nomi glanced at Kallistatus. "She attempted to kill me inside of the RKS Machine. Kallistatus betrayed her for me, which enraged her. She wanted to prevent me from becoming an Avatar...and failed."[break][break]
Had it almost been a year since that fateful encounter? Since her ascension?[break][break]
"But to answer your question - no. Rocket, League, neither seem to care about our collective survival over their own personal vendettas." She sighed, blowing on her steaming tea. "I have tried warning people on both sides, but thus far, it doesn't seem to be making much of a difference."[break][break]

TAGS – Yuina Higashi[break]
NOTES – SOCIAL

[attr="class","pkmn"]

She doesn't think she's asked all that much - especially considering he's the one who asked her here in the first place - but she holds her tongue. He follows up the snide comment with three questions of his own, ironically.[break][break]
But the last one gives her pause.[break][break]
A tension fills the space between them, a potent petrichor. The fate of their continued alliance hinges on her answer.[break][break]
"I stood with them," she finally replies, leaning into sincerity. Her voice is quiet, perhaps even remorseful.[break][break]
"I wanted to recruit them." She holds up a hand before he can protect. "Not to Rocket. To my cause. They know what it's like to have their world destroyed, their home annihilated. We could have learned a lot from them, and in return, I'd have helped them in whatever ways they needed. Perhaps they would have eventually fought alongside us; after all, there's no telling what might happen to them should the DRK Triad succeed."[break][break]
If they really worked for Arceus, no world would truly be safe from its divine judgement.

TAGS – Greyson Connors[break]
NOTES – SOCIAL[break]

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