her doubt is like a sharp knife.

the warmth is a distant time. it is what reminds him of the past and the meddlesome young woman. those bright golden shades stare into the binding with indifference and the same distant look. 

silence expands itself beneath the hovering chatter, the shift in her previous concern overwritten by realization. perhaps she knows by now that there is truly nothing holding him back. how can one possible have something given the circumstances. 

especially for a criminal.

"perhaps..." he starts, mulling over exactly what all could have entailed to this greeting, "...rekindle probably...only an idiot would go after a deity for the wrong reasons," pausing, he adds, "the impact it had on jirachi is a great example." the way he says it sounds bitter and resentful of those from before.

the league, in his eyes, was warped beyond measure.
when he looks back up at cait, he thinks otherwise.

cait alfric

startle is apparent but not worthy of a voice. the rarity in their appearances are so slim that he does not mind if the girl believes him or not. it could've been akin to speaking the truth of the dead. what lay beneath the heaviness of the blue drifted onward as a children's tale.

"just one person," never going into the sliver of every detail, he continues, "johto is where it brought me." his expressions twists into one of malice and confusion. the cool substance oozing into the lining of the mark is only marginally settling. momentary silence allows his thoughts to ease. it isn't like him to reveal so much.

"listen..." the sigh is just as weighty as her previous one, "i'm not telling you this for no reason. i've been searching for that thing since the day it left me. it was my friend and—" he pauses, staring into the veil of her ivy strands, "—i want answers. even if it costs my life." shortly advised; jayde didn't want her to worry of the stillness of what would be disappearance. or in truth. an eventual ending.

cait alfric

oblinging to the harmless request he would watch cait with the same steady gaze. eventually it lowers towards the smaller pair of hands, carefully treating the carve into his tanned flesh. now they both bore a reminder of this moment.

he doesn't expect an answer and listens onward in silence. maybe the depth of the tale was harder to question than he originally thought.

"not recently." he says, flashes of grey torn into the past. the unsteady object throttled against the blue. "when i was just a kid i ran away from home. i wanted to sail across the world and see the beautiful ocean." there is distinct tenderness to the usually rough tone. "halfway into that journey there was a terrible storm. the boat couldn't withstand it and it tipped into the waters." he pauses to mull over the next, "everyone drowned that day. i should have too." the golden orbs are concealed by the descent of the lashes.

"but i was saved...by lugia."

cait alfric

there is no bother in changing the belief of the girl. pain is a distinct reminder to her caution. in the slight wound against his own arm; the stinging sensation allows him some insight into the fear quivering in her gentle voice. the object is taken without a word. it lingers before the mutt till the inward and silent decision allows the light to engulf its small form. click! — is the confirmation.

"cait," he says, still looking down at the pokeball, "maybe not today but someday this one will thank you...you've nothing to be sorry for." when he turns to glimpse her way, there is some life sparked in those brilliant eyes,

"you saved him after all." tucking the concealed threat into the depth of his pocket, he approached the table once more. the left hand, painted by an interesting marking is also the one torn by the claws. it seems unaffected by the discomfort of an open wound and continues to reach for the drink.

the heaviness of a sigh slips through.

"actually, i wanted to ask you something," awaiting the certainty of her curiosity, the huskiness of the voice would move onward, "is there anything you're looking for? something nobody else would believe unless they saw it?" he does not ask because he knows. he asks because he wants that sense of familiarity. somebody just like him, desperate to unravel what so many could not. either way — his idea of cait's lifestyle was just as much a mysterious as she thought of his own.

cait alfric

he regards the damage to her arm. the briefness of the marking beneath his golden eyes is just as quickly back on the crate. certainly the girl is not familiar of the true nature behind most mistreated creatures. the hateful guise they've been poised with simply because they are so broken. he understands it more than anything. even if the growling mutt does not yet understand itself.

jay fumbles with the latch. the opening brings an immediate attack from what is within. sharp claws tearing into the flesh of his forearm as blood follows close behind. splattering onto the surface of the floor. what has the hostility most surprised is that he appears unaffected. the same cold look pierces even the houndour; still it will not give up the defenses of its feeble growl and remains in the crate.

"you hate humans don't you?" the red is caught in the images obscured by mystery, "selfish and greedy creatures they are." visible fangs in the crevasse of the muzzle lessen slightly, "i hate them too." deciding not to press upon the subject, the houndour discovers something in those menacing eyes.

acceptance.

a human that has lost his heart or had it been a human that never once thought so? "if you come with me i will show you home...a place where you belong." the furrow is bound by the features of the mutt. it is similar to fira and the rest of his friends. perhaps just to themselves they had learnt how to smile. the apparently aggressive onslaught stretched forward sniffing at the bloody arm.

it offers a friendly lick.

cait alfric

jay takes an immediate sip of the drink. refreshing given the time and luscious given the usual dull taste to his acquisitions. the cool taste allows him the moment to mull over her words.

looking towards the rigid creature with the same emotionless stare the word euthanized is a repetition within his mind. it reminds him why he hates humans. how he wishes he wasn't so.

"you want me to take him." it isn't a question. the leading to her soft voice is a simple statement. he stands up casually and approaches the crate. the muzzle makes him angry but then he thinks about cait. how her forthright tenderness had saved the life of something so innocent. "can you open it?" he asks, taking a glance back at the girl,

"let me get a better look at him." it is doubtful the pup is friendly. or maybe it just the cruelty it had faced that left such an impression.

he wanted to change that.

cait alfric

chaos is not shy of the life he usually lives. the bane of the dead and the living lost in the process. jay hates it. how selfish humans are. how cruel they are. the groveling man reduced by the fiendish representation does not care for the creature in his arms. jirachi should not be woken. there is a reason for everything. why there is night and there is day. why the sea is blue and the nature is so green. there is a reason it should be kept at peace.

"protect her." he says to the nearby garchomp still holding the girl within its large talons. the dragon would've been more inclined to engage in battle but cait alfric poises a bitter halt. "fira! take me to the slip!" the sliver of parchment reflects against the dim light. among all falling fragments of sturdy stone it would've been a death wish to try and do so.

they are not afraid to take such chances.

the ever—glaring charizard tucks its wings close against its broad form. diving into the mound with immense speed. jay is blinded by the dust and the force. inclined to wrap his arms just a bit further against the neck till they come closer. tanned fingers extend outwards. with the key to this ending so close, he wonders if its truly that easy. the looming shadow above is just as adjacent as a simple piece of paper.

@raid

they follow quietly and without a word. stepping into the gym is like stepping into home. the lush overgrowth of greenery envelops practically everything and yet, even in the darkness he can sense the harmony it brings. fira is certainly entranced by their surroundings despite the still bound furrow against her features.

"she can wait." jay says, passing his companion a glance before heading inside. there was a character to the interior of the small apartment. however that was not all there was. the appeal to certain objects is overlooked by the nearby pokemon. his cool gaze regarding the mutt with as much zeal it held itself.

just as nonchalantly he is facing the table. tanned fingers tuck firmly in-between the crook of his elbow; enfolding arms settled against the chest. "so..." speaking loudly enough for cait to hear, he continues when she is just a bit closer,

"who did you want me to meet?" those that were well aware of the danger behind him was the league. the rest might've been the few rocket members. other than that...he could only begin to imagine the implication behind this sudden call.

cait alfric

each time he gives beneath the soft voice of cait alfric he is left wondering and regretting. the first they had truly been isolated by themselves he swore it would be the last. the second was a risky dinner where again he implied the emphasis on them never meeting again.

yet here he was.

fira is what gives him a quick passage to mauville city. her flame is well perceived in the night but so obscured by other distant lights that none would pay much notice. the worn base—ball cap is an object that will keep him if not slightly obscured in identity.

"hey," the tone is just the same as before, "don't mention it." tanned fingers adjust the brink of the cap so his piercing eyes are revealed. though he doesn't expect the girl to be intimidated. she has faced him assuredly many times before.

it is the glaring expression of the charizard that may be another story. something that has almost permanently painted her features. when they move inside the beast will follow close behind. careful to keep the tail away from the eventual green.

cait alfric

wisdom is considered with mild recognition for the obedience of the scientist. the lips quirk upwards into a slight and fleeting smile. an expression perhaps regarded as uncommon in the likes of those that somehow found him enjoyable. not that they were truly aware.

"your help in exchange for my own." whether or not lucas required aid was left on the eventual answer. jay may have been an overly passionate explorer yet his intuitive held firmly to the belief. every researcher held a secret. just as he had.

"team rocket did not send me here — so don't worry. this is between you and i." the gun was never the key to the advantage. simply it had been instinct. "mr. lane i'm no expert on folklore to know the appearance of so many legends within hoenn is strange." he pauses to speak a bit more seriously, "especially articuno."

jirachi and regirock were irrelevant to the man. the surrounding deities were a many in comparison to the rest. it was just that which didn't add up. "i'm sure you're familiar with the story behind the legendary birds?" not allowing the other a chance to respond, he continues, "it is lugia that leads them and it is lugia that i've been following...articuno was just the confirmation i needed." golden eyes shift downwards if only for a moment.

"i need your brains — anything of relevance that will help me." a scarce curve of the lips expresses a prominent smile, "in exchange i'll go out and gather what may or may not be there. exploring dangerous places is more within my expertise." there is something foreboding about the kind look. "how about it? seems fair right?" its almost as if jay isn't willing to take the opposite of his ideal.

Lucas Lane

the intrusion is done covertly. cameras malfunction till the figure reaches one of many laboratories — specifically entitled to head scientist mr. lane. although a stilling stretch of papers, testing tubes and computers left slumbering. for the most part it was empty.

he'll be here soon, jay steps further into the room. the dim lighting of far—off desk lamps and the scarce glow peering into the only door enfolds him in a shadow. golden lingers across the neat stack. when he reaches to file through anything of interest he is left disappointed and places it back.

it wasn't as if he'd been expecting anything crucial to be laying around. league headquarters were heavily guarded by pass protected doors and the corner bound security footage. coming here was risky enough though, his certainty for the interest of the other man was unwavering. lucas would comply.

whether he liked it or not.

the eventually entrance would not notice the other. he feels inclined to tease the handle of the obscured pistol, watching vigilantly till lucas was settled. unaware and vulnerable. the cool weapon presses itself back to the crown. anyone of alertness to the situation would not dare move.

"mr. lane, i take it?" there is no form of arrogance in his voice. the way jay speaks is as dull as his expression. never willing to show an ounce of the truth. "keep quiet, i'm not supposed to be here." placing the object of terror elsewhere allows lucas to shift opposite. eventually they should be face—to—face. "you should know who i am." the obvious is spoken. not just in their previous circumstances but, the fact that he is a wanted criminal.

Lucas Lane