He does not answer her question. He slips past it, smooth as silk. She does not let the frustration show on her face.[break][break]
"Every experiment needs a hypothesis," she insists. "What ifs are a necessary evil. I would rather be pro-active than re-active."[break][break]
She feels as if they are constantly on the back foot.[break][break]
"They are anywhere they wish to be. Their assassins have appeared within Area Zero and the Great Chasm. I, and others, have encountered agents of the Triad within the RKS Machine."[break][break]
She folds her arms, regards him with a piercing scrutiny. What use is it to be a Visionary if she cannot see through obfuscation?[break][break]
"They have technology more advanced than our own, but they are, in their own way, predictable. It seems the thing they are most keen on preventing is Avatarship."

TAGS – declan walsh[break]
NOTES – SOCIAL | Takes place directly following EVE OF WAR[break]

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Namey has grown accustomed to their role, their partnership with Navy. Nomi has no interest in separating them. If anything, it makes her feel better about leaving him, knowing one of her Unown will continue to watch his back.[break][break]
Nomi turns to Zacian, then, and kneels before her.[break][break]
"I will make no excuses for my decisions or my loyalties," she tells the divine canine, bowing her head slightly. It is more Johtonian than it is Galarian, in style, but the sentiment is the same. "But I am my own master; Rocket does not control me. It may feel as if we are on opposite sides, but we are not. Maybe in time, we can come to some kind of understanding."[break][break]
She rises. Blue crystal begins to shimmer in the air around her, heralding her imminent departure.[break][break]
"You don't need to thank me," she insists. "I am a messenger. Warnings are a part of the job."[break][break]
But before she steps into her portal, she adds - [break][break]
"Fight who you must. I won't hold it against you. Just don't throw your life away." She nods towards Zacian. "Every Avatar will matter, in the war to save this world."[break][break]

TAGS – Navy[break]
NOTES – Set immediately following the events of HYPERBOREA[break][break]
"Now your statues are standing and pouring sweat. They shiver with dread. The black blood drips from the highest rooftops. They have seen the necessity of evil. Get out, get out of my sanctum and drown your spirits in woe." -The Oracle of Delphi

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She hadn't necessarily meant to leave Jalapeño out of the fun, but she also had a feeling he would be quite content with the abandoned leftovers.[break][break]
In the meantime, she couldn't help but smile at Andrea's unbridled awe. There were two common reactions to being instantly transported to an entirely different dimension of existence: fear and delight. Nomi could relate best to those who experienced the later more than the former: for that is how she had felt, her first time here.[break][break]
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"[break][break]
Pon's star-struck eyes were saucer-sized with amazement. It was an adorable sight. Several Unown floated down from the Collective to greet the little ogre.[break][break]
"Yes, technically," Nomi answered Andrea's question. "This is the home of all Unown. But...you can think about it sort of like Hoenn, right? It's a big place: people can live in cities that are hours apart, without teleportation. The DRK Triad Unown likely live somewhere...else, inside of here. I've never encountered them."[break][break]
Yet.

TAGS – Andrea Vaneau[break]
NOTES – SOCIAL

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"I'll protect him as long as I can," she promises, of Navy. It's the best she can do.[break][break]
There is a tangible string that ties the two men together, she knows. She can see it, wound tightly around Howard's heart. She wonders as to the cost of such a bond. Like two opposite forces of nature, balanced on a set of tenuous scales. Whenever one tips a little bit too far to one side, the other will suffer.[break][break]
The Warrior will die before betraying his values, and howard slayte may one day have to be the one to do the killing.[break][break]
Before she can comment on that, he takes her hand. And squeezes. He has barely an ounce of strength left, and he offers it to her without hesitation.[break][break]
Your dream is pure.[break][break]
Tears well. How can he think this? How can he be so sure?[break][break]
"Hoenn will not become Kanto," she whispers, voice hoarse. "Hoenn will not become Ultra Megalopolis. Hoenn will survive what's coming, and it will prosper. We won't let anything stop us. Not League. Not DRK Triad."[break][break]
She leans in close. She says what they both know to be true: the blasphemy that will bind them.[break][break]
"Not Rocket."

TAGS – howard slayte[break]
NOTES – Set immediately following the events of HYPERBOREA[break][break]
"With silver spears may you conquer the world." -The Oracle of Delphi

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"Apologies, but I'm not overly familiar with your cousin," Nomi lied. "What sort of man is he? Do you two get along well?"[break][break]
She'd read his file at least ten times, but there were valuable tidbits to be learned from the personal opinions of family members. A strange and unexpected opportunity had now presented itself to Nomi: a means of finding out more about Remiel Calcifet, from someone who, in all likelihood, knew him better than most. Rocket might benefit from that sort of information.[break][break]
"Anthropology is a fascinating subject," Nomi continued. This was not, in fact, a lie. She really did find anthropologists rather interesting. It was a very different sort of science than her own field of expertise. And, as Elise had alluded to, archeology and anthropology were two sides of the same coin: both relied upon learnings from the past, in order to better understand the present - and, perhaps, predict aspects of the future.[break][break]
"What got you interested in that? Is there something specific you're hoping to discover or learn?"

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

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Decorated?[break][break]
A sudden vision of the Unown Dimension filled with floating paintings, flower arrangements, and comfortable furniture caused a giggle to escape her lips. It was a ridiculous notion, but an amusing one. She was surprised parker jones had never asked before; it felt like the sort of off-hand comment she might make about the place. Then again, Parker hated going there...[break][break]
"It's not...quite like that."[break][break]
She followed suit, standing and facing the Admin, eyes twinkling mischievously.[break][break]
"See for yourself."[break][break]
She reached out to gently rest a hand on his arm. A heartbeat later, they were transported through their reality's spatial fabric and into an entirely different one. They were met with the usual (to her) sight of twinkling galaxies, swirling supernovas, and glittering stars. All around them, Unown floated, dancing and bobbing in harmony with their own inner rhythm. She could hear it, of course. It sounded like coming home.[break][break]

TAGS – BARNABY FINCH[break]
NOTES – Mission

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Nomi knew this to be true: there were others the Triad were looking for. Yuina Higashi, for one. mint frost. Nomi herself. Anyone with any chance of catching the attention of a legendary Pokemon was also at risk of being noticed by them. It made her wonder: was there a Pokemon looking out for this man? For the Ranger captain? The Triad had a way of predicting such things. Nomi desperately wished to know how they did it, but she suspected it had something to do with educated guesses based on other realities. It's what had happened with Isaac Merlo, after all.[break][break]
"The best way to draw them out is with the threat of Avatarship," she explained. "But I would be willing to hear your ideas, Eddie."[break][break]
They were out of time, and could no longer afford to take their time. She would welcome any and all suggestions.[break][break]
"The RKS is a reliably unreliable method of encountering them. At this point, however, I think it is in our best interests to take the fight to them directly." She paused. "What I mean is: we ought not wait for them to appear, but rather, go to where-ever it is that they are."

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

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Lucky.[break][break]
She almost laughs. What does luck have to do with Avatarship? She had not asked for this, but neither had she stumbled into it. Every legendary Pokemon capable of blessing a human with power will have different reasons for doing so. The Unown were, above all else, lonely. It is no mere coincidence that they chose the person who offered them love instead of servitude.[break][break]
As for freya morningstar, Nomi understands better now, what happened between her and declan walsh. She sees it for what it is immediately: a cage. The Ascendant will be forever bound to Sootopolis, and to Rocket, as long as Kyogre slumbers.[break][break]
It is KING WAYLAND she thinks of, then, and her heart breaks for him. He and Parker have something else in common now.[break][break]
She does not join the debate, however, until Zev Harcourt gives her an opening.[break][break]
"I have been helping our undercover agent," Nomi adds, keeping her tone even. "I can assure you all, the League has absolutely no idea they are being infiltrated in this way. Fate deemed it necessary to pair me with Greyson Connors in that horrible prison - " she glances at Lulu. " - and I am now taking advantage of that connection to help us gain access to Solgaleo."[break][break]
She leaves out his protection, his kindness, his willingness to compromise. There's no place for it here, amongst the damned.

TAGS – DISSEMINATE III[break]
NOTES[break]
- Nomi inwardly laughs at the idea that Avatarship has anything to do with luck[break]
- Contemplates freya morningstar's situation, and feels sad for KING WAYLAND, because it reminds her of what Parker has had to go through[break]
- Seizes the opportunity to further clear her name of accusations of fraternization, by discussing the Solgaleo plan in more detail.

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Oh, but it is already ugly.[break][break]
Nomi's fingers twitch, remembering the tearing of PENELOPE LIVY's delicate skin against her makeshift crystal gauntlets, blood staining her knuckles and turning the seawater around them red. It had been sickeningly simple. Such an easy thing: to break bone and bruise flesh. There is no going back now.[break][break]
"I could say the same to you," Nomi murmurs, without animosity. Her tone is neutral, if frost-tipped with caution. She cannot afford to let her guard down, even around a former ally. Blue energy shimmers around her, the subtle gathering of her power: she does it without thinking now.[break][break]
They are not alone. Invisible eyes watch the pair of women, survey this would-be battlefield with ancient vigilance. There is no sign of Palkia, but that doesn't mean the spatial dragon isn't present. The Unown know all too well what such a being is capable of.[break][break]
"I don't want to hurt you, Illeana."[break][break]
The worst part, perhaps, is that she means it.

TAGS – illeana reyes[break]
NOTES – MP TRACKER[break]

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She tries, in earnest, to picture him in Rocket. She believes him - that he saw it - after all, Father Winter had showed her a reality in which she had joined the DRK Triad instead of Rocket, a thing she would never do in this life. But standing next to Zacian, looking all forlorn in his heroism, she finds it difficult to parse, like an equation that just won't add up right.[break][break]
"What you saw...that wasn't them. Not the versions of them that exist here," she explains, with a gentle certainty. She does not think about all of the ways she's risking her family, by being here. By doing this. A lonely diplomat intent on rising above the faction conflict.[break][break]
She does not yet know how futile it will be.[break][break]
"There will be," she declares, knowing so little even as she bears the weight of the world on her shoulders. "If I have anything to say about it."

TAGS – Navy[break]
NOTES – Set immediately following the events of HYPERBOREA[break][break]
"Now your statues are standing and pouring sweat. They shiver with dread. The black blood drips from the highest rooftops. They have seen the necessity of evil. Get out, get out of my sanctum and drown your spirits in woe." -The Oracle of Delphi

[attr="class","pkmn"]

There's a certain charm about Parker's old apartment. It's a shithole, yes, but it was the first place Nomi had ever lived with someone else. Honors students are gifted single dorm rooms, so she'd never had a university roommate. And anyway, living with a girlfriend isn't the same thing as sharing space with a classmate.[break][break]
That apartment symbolizes the before, when things were new. When Isaac Merlo was still Rocket, and playing matchmaker for the two of them. When she really hadn't thought all of this...science stuff would interfere with love. When she hadn't been chosen for a grand and terrible purpose, by the oldest living beings on the planet.[break][break]
"I'm glad," she says, meaning it. "That you'll have somewhere to live."[break][break]
As for her, she can sleep in her office. She used to do that all the time, before Parker. And when things feel oppressively lonely - and they will, she knows in her bones that they will - she'll hide away in the Unown Dimension, where the Collective will sing to her, remind her she's one of them. It won't be the same as being held tightly in a pair of muscular arms, but it will keep her from going insane.[break][break]
Parker says, the end, and Nomi thinks, dully, she means us.[break][break]
"I'll file the insurance paperwork tomorrow. The money should reimburse us for the losses - of furniture, clothing, appliances. You'll be able to move back into the apartment without much delay."

TAGS – parker jones[break]
NOTES[break]
- Takes place immediately following the battle of Sootopolis

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Perhaps the universe favors you after all.[break][break]
It is this comment that finally simmers anger within her. The woman she still, despite their current divide, considers a sister has no idea what it's like to carry the burden of the Unown. How dare she boil it all down to a fanciful blessing. Arceus's favor has nothing to do with it. The universe gives her nothing ( - the love of her life looks at her with a detached, mean-spirited gaze - ), all it does is take and take and take.[break][break]
She does the only thing she can think to do, in a fit of spiteful disdain. She takes the seat between Lulu and Walsh, turning her back on the other woman to regard their leader.[break][break]
She endures their suspicions, their distrust, their judgement. If they are hoping to break her, they will be disappointed. She is not so easily cowed. Her fingers twitch, remembering the crystal that had coated her knuckles, drawn blood with a righteous fury.[break][break]
Fraternizing with the enemy will be considered treason.[break][break]
Not even that comment rattles her. After all, Walsh already knows of her deeds. Not all of them, but she's covered her bases. She will protect who she can, and give up the rest.[break][break]
Speaking of: she seizes her opening, thanks to howard slayte. How grateful she has grown, of late, for his companionship. His belief in her. You are the best of us, he'd said, and meant it.[break][break]
"Likewise, the Councilwoman PENELOPE LIVY must be eliminated." She does not look at jayden cross, cannot bear to meet his gaze. "That woman will do everything in her power to destroy us, even hurt her own and make it look like Rocket's doing. And she has made it her sole purpose to kill me, which greatly interferes with my ability to spy on the League."[break][break]
She emphasizes the word spy, looking to mint frost.[break][break]
"I have much to report," she continues. "If the Boss wishes it of me, I will speak on such matters. I have successfully raided the Mossdeep Space Center, infiltrated the League's RKS Machine, and earned the trust of a few of their other Avatars."[break][break]
She pauses, lets that sink in.[break][break]
"Know thy enemy," she murmurs.[break][break]
You are not my enemy. Her words to Navy. True, but now she must twist them: for all of their benefit.

TAGS – DISSEMINATE III[break]
NOTES[break]
- Nomi finally feels angry with Lulu, spitefully sits right next to her even though Lulu tried to walk away from her lol[break]
- Does not cow before their accusations, responds with a cool head: the best lies have a measure of truth, after all[break]
- Tries to get them to focus on evil harpies like PENELOPE LIVY grrrr

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She emerges from her den of starlight and surrounds herself with invisible eyes. Few have seen the Visionary lately. Ever since Sootopolis, she has made herself scarce. But something calls her to this particular spot - something more than her orders to aid the invasion effort: some kind of terrible intuition pulling at her heartstrings. She does not question such illogical feelings anymore; she has learned to recognize them as just another aspect of her Avatarship. Ironic, perhaps, that one born into science would find herself at the whims of the supernatural.[break][break]
It's a relatively quiet, heavily forested section of route 104. She knows Kanto is pushing them to advance. Rocket hungers like a starving man unable to be fully sated by any given meal. They grasp and claw for more, when they have already taken so much. And the League? The League meets them with equal ferocity: there are monsters on both sides.[break][break]
"Our job is to see," she tells them. They hum back in her mind as they bob in the air around her. Rocket needs them to spy on the League forces, so that's what they will do.

TAGS – jack wainwright[break]
NOTES – Skirmish: Route 104[break][break]

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