TAGS – Fletcher Hyland[break]
NOTES[break]
– The Wilds: Mechanical Kingdom #1[break]
– Outfit[break]

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"I am," Delilah chuckled, accustomed to being recognized but somewhat tickled by the blunt way Mari went about identifying her. "And you are a Beaufort! From Ambrette, yes?"[break][break]
Delilah had been rather young when she'd lived in Kalos, a rising teenaged star, and one of the first celebrity balls she'd attended had been hosted by a Beaufort. A politician, if she remembered correctly. It had been a beautiful mansion, and she'd been enthralled by the Kalosian fashion trends at the time. Mari seemed younger than Delilah by a few years: if that really had been her family, she'd likely not been in attendance, being a small child at the time. How funny for Delilah to run into her now, though.[break][break]
"What brings a beaufort to Hoenn, hm?" Delilah glanced at the clipboard again, and the two small hands that clutched it tightly, nearly trembling from the effort. "A diplomatic affair?"[break][break]

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"Astronomical observer?" Delilah echoed, impressed. "A woman of science." She smiled appreciatively. "Are you working on anything interesting, these days?" She paused, glancing at the bucket of Finneon. "Well, besides helping out some Conservationists and Rangers, I mean. Though...that doesn't seem particularly interesting, if you ask me." From Nenet's less than thrilled expression, it seemed she agreed.[break][break]
She wondered if Nenet's typical research had any connection to the sorts of experiments her brother was running within the Aeos Division of Silph Co.[break][break]
At the mention of De Nucci, Delilah blinked, then followed Nenet's gaze, glancing down at herself. "Ah, yes. He's a prominent Kalosian designer: Richard De Nucci. Brilliant man, I've been an ambassador for his brand since I was a teenager." Her eyes lit up, an idea occurring to her. "I would be happy to bring you some samples from his newest line. You'd actually look stunning in one of the ballgowns."

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Delilah frowned. She had only ever known Eva Morales to be a patient, kind, and compassionate woman. For Matias to claim otherwise initially caused the idol to feel skeptical. But...[break][break]
Well, even the most peaceful had limits. Had Matias pushed Eva to her breaking point during their confrontation?[break][break]
"You were both hurting," Delilah insisted. "Strong emotions can escalate a situation already fraught with tension."[break][break]
Eva isn't the villain here, and neither is he, not really.[break][break]
A shrill beep came from the interior of Delilah's purse. Pulling out her phone, she sighed, feeling suddenly exhausted.[break][break]
"I'm late to my next appointment," she admitted, glancing back up at her siblings. A tension hung in the air between the three of them - the empty promise of affection, of what could-have-been a happier family. Unfortunately, they were Silphs. They had bigger Magikarp to fry than prioritizing their own happiness.[break][break]
"Thank you again for the cake, Yui."[break][break]

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TAGS – John Sullivan[break]
NOTES[break]
– Mission: Firework Flings (WOFF)[break]
– Outfit

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Becoming a Councilwoman had been the natural next step for a woman like Delilah, given the volatility of the region and her position as a powerful Avatar. She still found it strange to think of herself as a shield - as a protector - but the more she became accustomed to Groudon's influence, the more she started to think of herself as one of Hoenn's saviors.[break][break]
The people adored her, but she was careful not to let their demands or expectations bleed into her own self-preservation. It wasn't always easy: a crying mother, a forlorn child, a veteran injured in some catastrophic occurrence, displaced families...it all weighed on her. The Meteor almost took everything from them, and Delilah spent several days in isolation afterwards grappling with the emotional fallout.[break][break]
But she did not blame herself for the Silent Icelands, for the loss of life. No, she continued to show up, day after day, determined to facilitate a better outcome than the last.[break][break]
What they really needed, she eventually came to realize, was the aid of other regions.[break][break]
"We can't face these tragedies alone," she told Julien Demassieux, the Kalosian ambassador she'd been spending more and more of her time with. He was a handsome, intelligent man who seemed to have their best interests at heart; though she knew nothing in politics was ever simple, she felt she could trust him. "I propose a formal alliance between Hoenn and Kalos."[break][break]
Their wedding a year later was the neatly tied bow atop the gift of their partnership, the promise of a permanent political contract between regions. Delilah knew better than to expect romance from an arranged marriage, so it surprised her when she did come to love her husband.[break][break]
Julien supported but never pitied Delilah. If Avatarship didn't kill her prematurely, she could very well die at the hands of some supernatural threat, but he let her exist in the space between hero and martyr on her own terms.[break][break]
And in the end, it was a blessing to be able to face the world's horrors with someone by her side.

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"Enough with all that," she sighed, waving her hand dismissively. If she had to hear "your brother" one more time, she'd dump the rest of her tea on his lap. "Fine, you'll be my shadow. Do all you can. I get it."[break][break]
She didn't, not really, but she was suddenly too exhausted to continue protesting.[break][break]
She stood, decisive, robe slipping to reveal a pale shoulder. She looked down at the rugged, rain-soaked man who'd unceremoniously inserted himself into her life. He did not look even remotely ready to gather himself and leave. Outside, the storm raged on. Delilah pursed her lips, then decided to show him a measure of mercy.[break][break]
"Sleep on the couch if you'd like."[break][break]
Then she turned on her heel, set her teacup on the counter with a clink, and walked out of the kitchen - heading straight for her bedroom. Mitra hovered a few seconds longer beside Fletcher, then followed after her mistress.

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They'd always said she'd be destined for great things, but nobody had expected her to attract the attention of a God.[break][break]
Groudon was an overwhelming, oppresive force, the very essence of destruction, its heartbeat the vibrations of tectonic plates as they crashed together in discordant inevitability. Those that encountered it were overcome with fear, quaking before its desolation. Why it had chosen Delilah was of great speculation and debate amongst League government officials: nobody save Delilah's brother, the Elite Four's very own Matias Silph, had been with her when the creature had emerged from the volcano.[break][break]
"Why me?" She'd whispered, awestruck.[break][break]
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She'd have to quit school, but that was okay. Delilah was a talented young woman, beloved by the general public. She'd forge her own path. With Groudon by her side, she would protect Hoenn. She'd train with Matias - who was an eager teacher - and ready herself for whatever obstacles crossed her path.[break][break]
In the end, she balanced Groudon's volatility and its hunger for violent rebirth with her poise, her rationality, and her commitment to making good on the promise of Avatarship: to keep people safe. There were days when her mind felt strained beneath the weight of her own craving for Primal Energy, but by seeking help from brilliant minds such as Eva Morales and her own eldest brother, FERNANDO SILPH, she was able to stave off any truly detrimental effects of being bonded to Groudon.[break][break]
And through it all, she never forgot who she was. She never lost herself. It was a lonely existence in some ways, but in others, it was full of rich fulfilment.[break][break]
A life worth living.

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Delilah gave him a flat stare, unhurriedly sipping her tea. He hadn't exactly earned the right to the intricacies of Silph sibling relations, but he was a member of the police, so it would only make his job easier for her to divulge.[break][break]
She sniffed. She'd left plenty of clues already.[break][break]
"My brothers have a great deal of responsibility placed upon them by this region," she said cooly. "They wish to protect me, while simultaneously ensuring that I do not get in their way."[break][break]
It was a diplomatic enough answer.[break][break]
She set her empty teacup down, pleased to hear there was some sort of plan in place to handle this...unexpected complication. When he explained what, exactly, that plan was, she froze.[break][break]
"You," she blurted out, blinking rapidly. "You've been tasked to - what? - follow me around? Never leave my side?" She eyed him suspiciously, then glanced at the surrounding furniture, art, and kitchen appliances.[break][break]
Surely he didn't mean...that he would be staying the night?[break][break]

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"Congratulations, darling," her mother said, pulling the girl into a hug. "Castelia Tech! And automatic entry into the Athena Honors Program. We all knew you could do it, Del."[break][break]
Delilah couldn't keep the grin off her face. She clutched the envelope in a tight fist, afraid it might disappear if she let go of it.[break][break]
"Thanks, Mom," she said, preening. Across the room, the Silph patriarch, her beloved father, smiled proudly - even as he typed out one last email, hitting the ENTER key with a decisive flourish.[break][break]
"This calls for a celebration," he declared. "Pick a restaurant. We'll all go together."[break][break]
Even me, his eyes assured. As if to emphasize his point, he closed the laptop with a soft click, leaving Silph Co. behind for the day.[break][break]
As Delilah hurried off to find her siblings, she caught her mother's voice - and stopped in the hallway, just outside the kitchen. She knew she shouldn't evesdrop, but, well...[break][break]
"We always knew she was special!"[break][break]
To which her father replied: "Special? She's a genius. It's unprecedented. She'll code for the company, of course - "[break][break]
"Let her enjoy college first," her mother chuckled. The sound of a chair scraping against the floor. "She's such a charmer, she's going to make so many friends."[break][break]
Delilah giggled. She would do great things, of course. All in good time. The idea of going off to Unova to study and socialize and mingle with the children of other important people like her parents was an exciting enough prospect...she just hoped Yui wouldn't miss her too much.[break][break]
With that thought came a small pang of guilt. Her shy little sister was her closest friend, the two nearly inseparable. Delilah was loath to leave her behind but, well...[break][break]
"Yui will understand," Delilah murmured to herself. "She'll want me to be happy."

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The black wooloo? No, that couldn't be her. Matias, so volatile. Yui, so reclusive. Delilah was beloved by the public, the very epitome of success.[break][break]
"It's not that," she sighed. "Not exactly."[break][break]
She noticed the way his breath hitched for half-a-second, a measure of disquiet entering his expression. He seemed agitated all of a sudden. Does he pity me? she wondered, hating the thought as soon as it entered her brain.[break][break]
"My brothers want me to return to Kalos. They aren't exactly thrilled that I'm here." For different reasons, of course; they merely desired the same outcome: Delilah's absence.[break][break]
Why was she telling him this? Was it really relevant to his investigation?[break][break]
She leaned back in her chair, suddenly as tired as he looked.[break][break]
"Look, it doesn't matter. A threat is a threat. I'd be a fool to ignore it." The tea was nearly the right temperature now. Finally. "Does the 14th precinct have some sort of plan for how to keep me safe?"

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She fidgeted with her mug, impatient for the tea to cool.[break][break]
"Multiple precincts? Several reports?" Delilah echoed, incredulous. Was it really so difficult to believe? Didn't her surname paint a giant target on her back? But nothing like this had happened for twenty-six years. Why now? Why here?[break][break]
The answer was obvious, but she ground her teeth in protest rather than admit it.[break][break]
Maybe he's lying, she thought, entertaining the notion for a few seconds. She stared at him, tried to read his expression. He doesn't want to be here, was all she could discern - the slump of his shoulders, the weariness beneath his flat tone - and it was strange that the first emotion she felt upon realizing that was disappointment. Was she really so lonely?[break][break]
"I - " she started, then sighed. She took a decisive sip of tea and winced: it had always been an inevitability that she would burn her tongue.[break][break]
"No," she countered his suggestions. "Nothing like that." She paused. "I suppose my brothers might have earned themselves some enemies, given their...notoriety." She left it at that. "But if a criminal organization - like Team Rocket - wants to kidnap me to get to them, they'll be sorely disappointed."[break][break]
She laughed, and it was a bitter sound.

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Was there a measure of self-loathing beneath his arrogance? Delilah pursed her lips, feeling torn. On one hand, he was so quick to dismiss Hoenn's citizenry - people he ought to be proud to protect, to represent - but on the other, she recognized that it wasn't exactly easy to live life constantly in the spotlight. She knew that better than most, didn't she? Always under the scrutiny of public opinion; something as simple as how she chose to wear her hair on any given day could cause some degree of uproar, depending on the public's mood. Matias dealt with pressure of a different flavor, but it was pressure none-the-less.[break][break]
"If that's really how you feel - that you don't love her anymore - then I agree, she deserves someone who does," Delilah answered. "And you deserve to be with someone you do love."[break][break]
Who? She wondered. Matias wasn't exactly the easiest man to love, she feared. Delilah had always thought that perhaps one of Eva's biggest flaws was her attraction to the volatility of certain men.[break][break]
"And was it worth it?" She asked softly. "Fighting Rayquaza?"

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