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She wasn't really the hiking sort, but her trainer had recommended a little fresh air, given her recent bouts of fatigue and nausea. Delilah hoped she wasn't coming down with some kind of flu, which would be terribly inconvenient for her production schedule.[break][break]
"Let's take a break here," she sighed, slumping onto a rock and tugging her backpack off one shoulder. Mitra floated over, blinking owlishly. Delilah rummaged around until she found a protein bar, breaking it and tossing half to the Musharna. It tasted a bit like peanut butter mixed with cardboard. She wrinkled her nose in displeasure.[break][break]
"What's that?" She wondered, noticing something on the ground not far from her rest spot. It was round and obnoxiously purple. Her first thought was candy? but no, it was far too - [break][break]
A creature burst out of the underbrush, snatching up the purple object in its greedy clawed paws, and immediately swallowing it. Delilah dropped the rest of her protein bar in surprise, scrambling to stand. It was a Sneasler, and now that it had eaten whatever that thing had been, it was turning its beady eyes on her. And it looked pissed.[break][break]
"Oh dear," she muttered, trying to back up a step. Pointing a manicured fingernail in the direction of the Sneasler, she motioned for Mitra to help. "Do something before it pounces on me!"[break][break]
The Musharna summoned a wave of HYPNOSIS, catching the Sneasler just as it dashed towards Delilah. It staggered, eyes blinking sleepily - just enough time for Delilah to fumble for a Pokeball.[break][break]

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"What's all the commotion?"[break][break]
Delilah rose from where she had been lounging by the costume trailer, concerned by shouts of panic coming from the movie set in the distance. Figures could be seen scrambling about, flashes of light as Pokemon were released onto the sand.[break][break]
"Are we being attacked?" She wondered aloud in disbelief, turning to call out for Fletcher Hyland - and realizing immediately that he wasn't there. Because of course he wasn't. He didn't accompany her to filming sessions. That would be silly, wouldn't it?[break][break]
Well, maybe not.[break][break]
Very well, she'd handle this herself. Donning a sun hat, the actress stepped out of the shade and into the hot desert sun. With a flick of her wrist, she released Mitra. Together, they began to hurry towards the film crew. Cameras and other equipment had toppled over because of - what were those? Rabsca? - hovering above the fake ruins constructed for the movie. Something seemed off about this, Rabsca didn't just - [break][break]
Thump![break][break]
Delilah tripped, falling into a PIT TRAP. Her Musharna floated down, expression concerned. "What the HELL?" She cursed, rubbing her lower back. A Trapinch peered down at her with its beady eyes and she looked up at it with obvious disdain.[break][break]
Pulling out her phone, she began to desperately search for a wireless signal. Realizing Mitra was still with her, she glanced up, eyes wild.[break][break]
"Go and help them!" She ordered.[break][break]
Fletcher better answer his damn phone.
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Delilah chuckled, John's enthusiasm infectious.[break][break]
"I was in Kalos," she began. "Filming a television show. I played a Johtonian princess, it was a period drama." She sighed wistfully, remembering the beautiful, traditional costumes she had worn for that role. She enjoyed acting, for it was always nice to pretend to be someone else for a time.[break][break]
"While the dome was up, I had no way of visiting Hoenn even if I had wanted to. I admit I...neglected keeping in touch with my family, for a time. You see, all Silphs are wokaholics."[break][break]
The statement was a teasing jest, but there was an underlying truth to it that weighed heavily on her soul. It was a blessing and curse, to be a Silph - the responsibility a thing to be cultivated rather than squandered, respected rather than ignored. Her eldest brother liked to remind them of that at every opportunity.[break][break]
"Luckily, the dome came down around the time I was scheduled to return here for a specific event." Now her expression sobered, as she recalled the disaster that had been MATIAS SILPH and Eva Morales's engagement. "A wedding that never ended up taking place. I've since decided to stay...for there is much to be done here."
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Embarrassing was not the admission she'd expected, not in regards to a conflict involving legendary Pokemon and some mysterious dream state. Unless...perhaps his dream had been embarrassing? Something shameful, perhaps? She tried to imagine what that could possibly be, but she simply did not know this man well enough to say for certain. A loss of power, a mistake made, a fumbled relationship...there were plenty of ways a dream could remind a man of his flaws.[break][break]
"I find the whole affair quite fascinating," Delilah assured him, but did not press him further. A waitress passed by, offering to refill her tea, which she gladly accepted.[break][break]
"Stories?" The somewhat mischievous look in his eyes was not lost on her. "Well now, that's a bit vague, isn't it? Give the storyteller a prompt, so she may be sure to entertain you."[break][break]
Her own eyes shone with an equally playful energy.
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Your brothers sound like dicks.[break][break]
It was the last thing she'd expected him to say. She gaped, eyes widening in surprise, and then she laughed - musical, but with a frayed edge: the remnants of her panic from their recent ordeal.[break][break]
He was quick to clarify, and she immediately got the sense that he often made blunt statements that offended people. She didn't mind, however. His honesty was refreshing. So many people bowed in supplication before the Silphs, and though she knew they deserved it - for the most part - she wasn't so arrogant as to excuse what flaws they did have.[break][break]
"You're right," She conceded. "My brothers aren't perfect, but they do have experience. I don't." She sighed, looking around. They'd made it to what appeared to be a safe alcove, with only a vague echo of the clockwork sounds from before. "We should rest here for a bit, then head home."[break][break]
She was loath to give up on this place, but if she died here, then what was the point? Fletcher's practical wisdom weighed on her. They could always come back.[break][break]
"Next time, I'll be more careful," she promised him.[break][break]

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A Silph is never late, nor are they early. A Silph arrives precisely when they mean to.[break][break]
Unless they were MATIAS SILPH, much to Delilah's chagrin.[break][break]
Hushed voices heralded the arrival of the remaining three: extravagant, regal figures framed by the silhouette of the Mossdeep Observatory's front doors. In the middle, a woman keen on exploiting the opportunity this party afforded her family, stood with her head held high, midnight curls cascading down an exposed back. As her dark eyes surveyed the room, she picked out important figure after important figure with a laser precision: PENELOPE LIVY, Eva Morales, freya morningstar, kyle lopez. Her eldest brother's many peers, the men and women tasked with protecting Hoenn from imminent doom.[break][break]
Oddly, she missed her shadow, then. Fletcher Hyland was just a common man, nobody special, and yet, she was getting irritatingly used to him following her around.[break][break]
"Kyle's here, shall we say hello?" Delilah murmured to the woman standing next to her. evelyn silph had been close with the Champion when she'd last lived in Hoenn. Delilah was still trying to decide how she felt about her sister's return.[break][break]
"Fernando...?"[break][break]
He'd been quiet. Quiet in a strange way, a disturbing way. Ever since he'd returned from the island off Dewford, where the most recent conflict had taken place, he'd seemed...off. And yet, he hadn't sustained any life-threatening injuries. He'd accomplished his mission. Nobody else in the room seemed particularly worried, nor did all that many heads turn to regard him right away - as if anticipating his arrival. As if seeing a ghost.[break][break]
She resolved to keep an eye on him, though she did not know just what, exactly, she ought to be looking for.[break][break]
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His chest was warm as Delilah buried her face in it, shutting her eyes tight against the sounds of battle. She could hear the frantic beating of his heart as if it, too, were a part of this strange kingdom's rhythmic cacophony. Her cheeks reddened, a blush unbidden: he'd saved her life after all, though the threat had been an unexpected one - and her fault, ironically.[break][break]
Mitra floated after them, MOONBLASTING anything that attempted to follow. Through the sandstorm they traversed, racing against the time it would take for the remaining Volcanion to wake up from their slumber, until they stumbled into a cavernous space littered with broken gears and discarded coils.[break][break]
Delilah was loath to move, for any jostling of her ankle sent a burning pain up her leg, but curiosity got the best of her and she twisted in Fletcher's arms to get a better look at their surroundings. Some kind of dilapidated clock tower, quite literally lost to time. She let out a breath, relieved that they had somehow, against all odds, managed to escape their monstrous pursuers.[break][break]
"Thank you," she murmured to him, pride melting away in the wake of adrenaline and fear. She gazed up at him, at the sharp angle of his jaw and the wild look in his eyes, and felt suddenly compelled to defend her choice to come to this place.[break][break]
"My brothers think of me as a liability. It wears on me, Fletcher. I came here to prove them wrong." She paused, the impact of her foolish decision making finally settling in. "Though you probably think of me that way now, just like they do."[break][break]
Somehow, that stung a little more than it should.
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She was ripped violently from the music box by a rough hand around her wrist. Yelping in shock, she tumbled backwards, nearly colliding into Fletcher as he pulled her down the corridor. A massive Corviknight - bigger than any she had ever seen - bellowed in mechanical anger as it crashed into the pillar of sand generated by the Sandslash: and still, it clawed its way through, impeded for only a few moments.[break][break]
Precious life-saving moments.[break][break]
Something green (scales? Were they dragon scales?) glittered outside the cathedral, and they headed towards it - a beacon of safety or just a trick of the light? It was hard to tell, but soon enough, instinct took over, and Delilah ran. Ran as fast as she could, using the momentum of Fletcher's more powerful gait to drag her along. But heels weren't exactly ideal for an expedient escape, and so they were the idol's downfall. Inevitably, they caught on a stray wire, and Delilah tripped.[break][break]
Hands parted, and she fell, the sickening sound of fracturing bones as her ankle twisted was all that was left in her wake.[break][break]
Real fear, then. The fear of a foolish girl in over her head.[break][break]
"Fletcher," she whimpered, feeling pathetic, clutching onto her throbbing ankle. Adrenaline dulled the pain, but how long would that last?[break][break]
The clicking and scraping of more mechanical limbs. Shadows fell around Delilah as strange Pokemon with circular formations on their backs began to gather, eyes burning red with a programmed hatred.[break][break]
Mitra, floating beside Delilah, summoned a wave of HYPNOSIS in a desperate attempt to fell these new horrors. Some of the creatures faltered, growing sleepy, but it did not stop all of them.[break][break]
She shut her eyes tight and prepared for the worst.
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Fletcher was doing something, saying something, but Delilah barely noticed - so focused was she on reaching the source of that beautiful, ethereal music. It made her feel dizzy. Intoxicated.[break][break]
Mitra trailed after the idol as she drifted through clockwork corridors and metallic pathways, heels clicking in rhythm with the tick-tocks of errant timekeeping. Eventually, she found herself standing before a building reminiscent of a cathedral, sweeping arches and flying buttresses made of gears and cogs and delicate crystals that reminded Delilah of diamonds. At the top was a massive clock-face made of gold, ticking more loudly than the others that surrounded it.[break][break]
"I'm going in," she declared, then stepped within the threshold.[break][break]
At the end of a long, spacious corridor, there stood an altar. Upon that altar, Delilah realized, was a music box. It looked exactly like the one she'd had as a child: nothing particularly special, simple in design, a single dark-haired ballerina dancing with a Bellossom, turning and turning in endless circles as the melody played.[break][break]
[break]
Somewhere in the back of her mind, some self-preserving logical voice cautioned Delilah that this seemingly innocuous music box could very well be dangerous. In fact, it likely was.[break][break]
With a steady hand, she reached out to touch it anyway. And as soon as her fingertips met the cool metal of the dancer's arm, the music stopped.[break][break]
Delilah sucked in a breath.[break][break]
By the time she realized that the sound she could hear now - in the wake of the music's absence - was the rushing of wings, it was too late.
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