The embarrassment of her mind conjuring up Montgomery at the first opportunity washes away with her intrigue at Lulu's question. "I have seen what is left of it." Hell, she'd snatched up a Nihilego egg inside the wreckage. And, well, nearly lost her life in it, too. The Deep Sea was a common occurrence in her dreams. It was never pleasant. [break][break]

The ship began to form. [break][break]

"The interdream zone juggles multiple consciousnesses at once without issue. Truly impressive," she breathed out. Her own Gemini study had had its own hiccups, artifacts from one subconscious and another. She wondered if the natural zone could be interrupted, disturbed, distorted. She knew it could be influenced; their minds, now, were doing that. "If we imagine the edge of the zone, could we find it?" Her glee was clear. The possibilities were genuinely endless. Perhaps, the zone had no natural borders. Perhaps, it was a fixed realm that bled into theirs or transported them into its domain. It could be anything.

TAGS – Lulu Flint [break]

NOTES – [break][break]

Besides the Penitentiary, this is the closest she's ever gotten to a god. Certainly, it's the closest she's gotten to one in its natural habitat. [break][break]

She's awed. [break][break]

She's also horrified, disgusted, and confused. She rises to her feet once the winged god has soared away, untrusting of herself to not garner its attention even a second earlier. But, as a speck in the sky, she sighs with relief, too, and turns to Tempest with an anxious expression. The scientist in her loves being confused, has a billion questions, and wants to document everything. But everything else inside, the veteran and the CEO and the human, have little fucking interest in this place anymore. [break][break]

"Why would it choose this for a home," she utters under her breath as she takes in the petrified garden of bodies. Countless people and pokemon had approached at their own peril. She wondered if they had come for its nest, or if this had been a battleground or otherwise popular rendezvous spot that Yveltal had later claimed as its nest.[break][break]

She takes a deep breath. She wants to ask if they can leave, now that they've found it, but she has little interest in showing her fear any further.

TAGS – Tempest Quinn [break]

NOTES – [break][break]

No chitchat? No negotiation? In her experience, Leaguers were mouthy and preachy, but she liked to see that the prisoner had already had some of her spirit broken if she was dead silent. That, or she had intel and figured silence was the best defense. [break][break]

Regardless, Moira the Musharna emitted the special dreamscape gas. [break][break]

[break][break]

Now, the Leaguer would enter a semi-sleeping state with her subconscious' creations forming out of the mist.

TAGS – Shalin Nariya [break]

NOTES – [break][break]

The steam of her tea gave way to the image of Kasper as they entered. Thankfully, the youth got straight to business. Ameena didn't care for dilly-dallying. "You," she said as she put the tea down, "are going to defend against my Gardevoir. I do not care how you do it, but your goal is to avoid getting knocked down." She assessed Kasper openly, then turned to Gardevoir was a pleased smile. [break][break]

"Gar is going to attack you with a series of moves. Whatever you do or pokemon you bring, you must avoid her pushing you down. Easy, right? We are testing your ability to protect, defend, evade - what have you." Assault or infiltration were too emphasized in the organization, and they were easier skills to develop than that of defense. And defense would be necessary in the coming war.

TAGS – kasper thaler [break]

NOTES – dauntless shield[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

She focuses so much on sound that she forgets her primary objective: don't let go. [break][break]

That reality doesn't reach her until she feels the hard grip from the phantom storm knock her off her feet for a moment. She stumbles, then staggers, correcting herself until she can return to running. By then, a more animal panic has set in. She is rendered prey against the powerful unknown, the predator with ambiguous shape and strength and weakness. [break][break]

Instead of tugging her back, a force pushes her forward. [break][break]

It's so unexpected that she cries out, stumbles to the ground. For a moment, she blacks out. Her eyes blink open, consciousness trickling back, just in time to hear the roar.

TAGS – Tempest Quinn [break]

NOTES – [break][break]

Maki's concern simultaneously flatters and insults her; she knows how to handle herself and her team, but she's also pleased to see any interest in her wellbeing from those she hasn't directly served. Rocket was interesting like that - all about networking and opportunity, but often, there was plenty of honor, and empathy, among thieves. [break][break]

"Gardevoir is dangerous," she explains lightly. She owes no explanation, but she feels no animosity towards Maki. That, and she hates bad first impressions. "I need to study the damage infinity energy has done to her before I can take care of her. Fainted pokemon help no one, but she... I have to wait." The details were interesting, but she had to be careful in expressing a lack of control over herself and her pokemon. [break][break]

She leans forward, focusing on her guest. "About the imprisonment? Tell me more." She had more questions than answers, unfortunately.

TAGS – MAKI YUKIMURA [break]

NOTES – [break][break]

The wails reach a fever pitch. She feels more than hears Temp's command, senses the moment's precarious balance stretch and break. She follows him closely, forcing herself to keep her full attention on him. It's hard to ignore everything going on, but the rage and ruckus soon dull into a roar - one that drags at her skin, but one that she can render into background noise. [break][break]

She tries to imagine the sounds of Temp's footfalls over the roar, tries to recall the sound of both of their heaving breaths to give herself a different soundtrack to listen to as they flee. She can't focus on other senses over the overwhelming reality they're trapped in, but she's doing her damnedest to convince her mind there's plenty to cling to. [break][break]

She stumbles, corrects herself barely, and chases him still. This is worse than the abyssal horror of the deep sea by an inch. At least she knew everything there was hallucinatory; here, the threat was real. If the ghosts took over her mind, what would they do with her? Kill her? Was that too easy? [break][break]

TAGS – Tempest Quinn [break]

NOTES – [break][break]

Sootopolis is a graveyard, a memorial to something half-alive, and the somber mood rests like a veil over the city. [break][break]

Sapphire eyes meet hers. She extends an arm, and the child holds on tight so Ameena can pull her up through the collapsed roof of what must have been a house. Streaks of dirt cover the child except the tracks where tears clearly ran. Ameena hands her over to Lucario, who holds the child in a bridal carry and hops off the roof to deliver her to the medical professionals below. At least one of them is a Leaguer, but they are outnumbered by Rocket and civilian support staffs in each tent setup throughout the city. [break][break]

Hanya the Aegislash glows beneath her, hovering over shattered floors in the house. Hanya indicates that that is the last survivor in the home and rises. The Aegislash has been a beacon around the neighborhood as Ameena went house to house to find what was left of the people who lived just above the initial flood zone. "Good work," Ameena praises, exhaustion sapping her bones. [break][break]

She has more important things to do, more things to research; she cares little for these people, but this is not a post-war moment - it is a defining battle in the propaganda war. [break][break]

She's unaware her scout above, Unown, has conflicting allegiances between itself and the man of shadow.

TAGS – Cillian Quinn [break]

NOTES – [break][break]

His explanation has her holding him tight. [break][break]

Maybe this isn't a good date spot at all. [break][break]

"Do not let go," she echoes, "got it." She holds tight to her Lucario with her other hand, weighing his potential to help above his potential to make things worse if he succumbs to the ghosts, too. [break][break]

She hears screams, and the sound of war, and the wet clap of blood on dusty, barren ground. She sees visages of violence in the ghostly fog. Her own heart pounds with an anger that is not quite her own, but still she holds onto Tempest. She manages her breath and pinpoints her mind on their shared contact: he is all that is real in this fog. She anchors her mind to him, to his footsteps, to what she can hear of his breath. [break][break]

She feels wispy fingers drag against her skin as if to pull her down to the gates of hell, but she does not let her footsteps falter. If they wanted her to join them in the land of the dead, they'd better come in greater numbers. She stares at the back of his head and imagines a small forcefield around them that the dead cannot penetrate. They are guided by purpose and safe from the wails of a phantasmic mob.

TAGS – Tempest Quinn [break]

NOTES – [break][break]