[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]it starts slow, with a throbbing pain in the temples.

and when it spreads, a shaky breath hisses through clenched teeth.

"someone has to."

if that is her, so be it. she will bear the weight of the universe on her shoulders if it means salvation, if it means success. for the league, her mind wants to echo... but that's not accurate. it should be for herself, for her own goals and dreams.

the expanses of space twinkle beyond fleshy pulsing walls and she looks to them with a fleeting thought: is it out there?

will it help them? will it help her?

she presses pink mist wrapped hands to her head in an attempt to starve off the staggering pain. it does little against the radiation but small waves of relief allow for movement.

"let's just get this mining over with."

before it gets worse, before the threats beyond this room begin to break in. she sees them... their bodies coming into clear view beyond the walls. some are familiar, others are mutated, and she wonders just how they're managing to come here. blinking into reality, as if teleported... is there something else going on?

with little time, she steps forward to focus on mining, ignoring the way her legs buckle with each step.

Callan Young

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]as the deep sea ripples around them, she finds herself focused entirely on the radiation pouring from every facet of this giant core. around it, space and time distort with an oddity she hasn't seen since the first primal crystal.

will it, too, warp in and out of existence? is there a link between them, between creation?

a fleeting glance is directed toward Callan Young, half distracted.

"you ready?"

her tone is grim, dreadful. she expects the worst to weigh down on their shoulders sooner rather than later.

"if it becomes too much, let me know."

as if for emphasis, her hands faintly light up with a soft pink mist. to take the brunt equally means no one is worse off than the other, but preparing healing measures prior to taking the plunge feels necessary at this point.

Callan Young

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]the core reminds her of a memory, of an aqua assembly and a primal crystal warping in and out of reality.

and she can't deny the small budding hope in her chest... or the way it quickly dissolves into dread.

radiation is a funny thing. it has the power to erode everything it touches, slowly feasting on things until they're in a state of decay. yet, it's almost beautiful with how it pulses like a heartbeat before them.

"you know how to mine, right?"

the sleeves of her jacket are pushed up toward her elbows in preparation. for what, she doesn't say.

her intent, however, is clear as day. designating illeana reyes to take the brunt of the radiation, of the way it manipulates space and time around the core, has always been the ulterior motive.

for the league and more importantly, for herself.

she steps up to the core, eyes narrowing in focus.

ollie morales

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]tentatively, like a tightrope wiggling beneath her feet, she feels the fine line they're treading. it wavers back and forth, never quite staying on one side for too long. a balancing act between simple curiosity and hidden agendas becomes difficult to maneuver.

too much pressure, too much leaning... and she'll fall.

"have i?"

doe eyes slip upward to find his. he has a few inches on her, maybe even a foot.

"if i was looking for something you were as well, what then?"

his hand encroaches on her personal space, close yet not daring to cross the threshold. she wants to follow the motions, trace his fingers until she can't see the space in between. yet, her stare does not stray.

on her own accord, her chin rises with phantom touch.

"i suppose it is there on both accounts."

mutual. thriving.

what would he do if she bridged the distance?

"distractions and company work wonders on a starved soul."

a spark is all it takes. igniting the bones, brightening the eyes.

she leans slowly, tentatively... as if she's afraid of catching fire, of burning.

"though, would you give in to the distraction?"

would she?

she's close enough for her cheek to brush against the edges of his hand. a little further and she would know the end as it could begin, with a jolt of lightning and a means big enough to swallow up the deep set yearning for a little while.

and she understands, then, that she already has given in to indulgence.

it had already been set in motion. all she needed to do was lean in.

vincenzo de luca

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]better, definitely better.

"thank you."

she's satisfied enough to retract fangs, to push them back up into gums to release toxins another day.

"it's not that the workload is too high, but there are more pressing matters that deserve our undivided attention than paperwork at the moment."

the rifts, still very much open and fraying the region's spatial stability, require more from her than simple glances at reports between mountains of paperwork.

she is certain Eva Morales feels similar, even if it's a simple over-projection on her part.

and with nothing else to ask for, she falls back into dismissal.

"well, is that all?"

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]the concept, while seemingly placed with good intentions, reeks of something more... prying?

she can't place it. and that, alone, infuriates her.

"i see."

threading a needle through his logic ultimately gets her nowhere.

"perhaps you could turn that support on things that will help us balance work and life better, however. more lab assistants could do wonders for our stress levels."

her smile returns, professional and pleasant. she laces it faintly in venom.

"unless you plan on helping us with the additional workload yourself? now that would be much appreciated."

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]curious...? that's it?

she digs her heels in a little, as if there's more to the story than meets the eye.

"since when are you curious about my love life?"

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]it's the last thing she expects from him... a question about her dating life.

"uh, good."

she blinks owlishly at him, as if he has five heads she's just now noticing.

"why?"

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]she hums, satisfied.

"i suppose the only response would be preparation."

it is, after all, the only way to be ready for the unknown. variances constantly occupy much of the world around them... how they handle such obstacles speaks not of their supplies but of their readiness to face uncertainty head on.

but, then again, what does she know? in the end, she is the biggest question mark he didn't expect.

her head inclines into a curt nod and she begins to step away.

"very well."

she angles her body for the door, suddenly missing the comfortable and familiar silence of her lab's four walls.

"until next time, then, silph."

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]his point hangs between them, rising and falling with the steady breathing of her body.

she is living proof of a simple fact: human desire breeds selfish sabotage from the masses.

"fair."

it's all she says on the topic.

he has exhausted whatever fight she's had left in her. they go around in circles, dancing through the same disagreement, the same betrayal. why bother at that point?

"how do you propose dealing with the allure this group has, then?"

FERNANDO SILPH

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]at first, it's quiet. too quiet and she feels that spark of hope slowly begin to die in her chest.

and then, it's like the dam of silence bursts and her name is howled out from the door and life floods back in full color.

she lets out a shaky breath. slow, careful, afraid to burst the bubbling realization before it fully settles in.

his footsteps come next. they're familiar, so familiar they produce tears. she furiously swipes them away with one hand, as if the first time they see each other in falsely designed decades shouldn't include her sobbing like a baby.

"felix?"

his name, whispered like a prayer she's grown accustomed to mumbling over the spanning years.

"living room."

and faintly, it sounds like she's laughing. tinkering, light, her usual giggle.

"quieter, please. i'm not hard of hearing yet."

she's no longer twenty years older, withering away as yearning for the very man in her doorway has taken its toll.

she's young, herself, his.

Felix Gallagher