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She didn't know what she was expecting, but for Gavin to simply offer caution and reveal the legendary Pokemon with nothing but a simple warning wasn't it. She almost expected to have to argue for it, to claim her right to see them. And yet, she found herself both grateful and worried that she didn't have to do either.

Within no time at all, and yet what also felt like forever, Lugia formed within the foyer. Celeste could practically feel Lugia's red eyes staring not just at her, but through her. As if she was nothing to the powerful beast. Perhaps she was. It was too much to hope that this corrupted beast could still resemble the Lugia that she had always worshipped, but she refused to not give it a try regardless. Even one sign of its true gentle nature would be enough for her, that it was still in there, somewhere, somehow.

Celeste struggles to even remain on her feet, due to a combination of the intense winds, her own weakness, and the incredible overpowering emotions that threatened to take her out for the count. Slowly, with an incredibly shaky step, she moved an inch closer to gaze upon them. There was no doubt that her weakness was laid bare before both the Lugia and Gavin, but at the moment she could hardly care. Gavin never said a word about her weakness during their heist, he doubted he'd say anything now. She'd give him a thankful expression, betraying her normally perfectly composed look about her before her eyes returning to the shadowed Pokemon.

"Blessed be thy name, Lugia. Guardian of the Seas." She began to speak, her voice wavering from just how truly overwhelmed she was. Emotionally, physically, and spiritually. "For you to have graced us with your presence alone... is an honor, I do not deserve." Her parasol falls to the ground as she remains standing, taking another single step closer. There was no doubt that she might get injured, but there was also no doubt in her mind that it would be worth it.

"I humbly offer myself... as your loyal servant. Celeste Abbiatti. For your true gentle soul knows no bounds... Even as you are, I have faith." She didn't reach out, no matter how much she would have wanted to. This was a corrupted version of her deity, tortured endlessly to produce this overwhelming power. All that she could hope would be that it would spare her life alone as she took another incredibly shaky step forwards. Even then... Perhaps she would deserve death for daring to presume that she could meddle in the affairs of gods.

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Celeste was patient, waiting for his business to conclude with a calm expression on her face. If nothing else, patience was her strongest suit, so to speak. However, even her patience had limits, especially as he pulled the strange-looking Pokeball off his hip and held it up. Lugia was within that ball. It took everything within her not to start acting rashly. Conflicting voices of her devotion and her logical fought for space in her thoughts.

However, her face only slightly twitched at the reveal, fighting to keep herself in control. With a noticeably heavier breath, Celeste finally spoke. "Yes. Lugia." Of course, even she wasn't sure what she wanted to say. Did she demand to see it? Did she share her family's devotion so plainly? There had to be a better way.

A focused eye might notice just how much weight she's suddenly putting onto her parasol, a tad bit off balance. Eventually, she finally managed to speak, deciding awkward silence would get her nowhere. "It is no secret that my family has always held certain things in high regard. I am no different in certain aspects. Lugia is one of them. The guardian of the seas, nature incarnate. Able to raise storms in the blink of an eye, hurricanes with a flap of its wings, or quell them with just as much ease."

It went unspoken, but extremely obvious based on Celeste's tone that perhaps the recent bout of intense storms was due to the Lugia missing from its home. Her stare never wavered from Gavin's own eyes, firm in her beliefs. She wasn't intending to be accusatory or rude to him, however. After all, it was not Gavin's fault that he now had possession of her deity.

"May I see it?" Celeste finally asked her question, what she had wanted all along. Any risk of personal injury due to Lugia's current state was already carefully calculated and promptly ignored. She would quite obviously do anything to glance upon her god, even when her knuckles began to turn white from how hard she was gripping her parasol to support her.

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Sea Mauville was starting to feel more like home as of late. The abandoned ship set up as a natural wildlife preserve, protected from the outside world. However, it also gave her the peace and quiet that she often desired. To Celeste, the ship was almost magical. A tragic tale of nature claiming what man made for itself, and man promptly knowing better than to mess with it.

So here she stayed whenever she needed to get away. Team Rocket's submarine was amazing but restricting at times. There was never any true escape, no fresh air. The rain couldn't blow into her face, she couldn't hear the wild winds of the storm approaching and she absolutely loved everything about it. Nature's wrath was terrifying in its beauty and she dare not disrespect it.

Standing wearing her properly trimmed suit, parasol resting carefully between her hands to support her weight, Celeste closed her eyes, listening to thunder crashing down around them, echoing throughout the entire ship. With a soft smile, Celeste began to continue what she had been doing for the past several hours, practicing where no one else could hear her. Singing.

Her voice echoed throughout the mostly empty ship, reflected by the steel walls. A very melodic tune, albeit distorted from the partially rusted and dilapidated state of the old ship. Thunder would suddenly crack in between verses, the ship groaning with the waves crashing against it. And yet, her voice remained firm, this was obviously not the first storm she had sheltered from within this great ship.

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There was only one thing on her mind ever since that fateful day. The day where one of her fabled deities showed up within their submarine. Lugia, the guardian of the seas. Declan simply handed it out as if it was no big deal, its entire form changed and almost unrecognizable. Her instincts told her that it was all so wrong, but were they right? It was impossible for her to tell, her faith had never outright been questioned before now.

Determined, Celeste sought out the person who had been granted ownership of Lugia. The mere thought of it, of course, unsettled her to the core. For what were men doing meddling in the affairs of gods? To think that they have a right to own and control them for their own ends? Did they not understand that their actions would inevitably have consequences? Regardless, perhaps she should be a bit more grateful. Lugia still could be where they were, suffering. Instead, they were in the possession of a friendly face.

Gavin Merlino, one of the current Underbosses of Team Rocket. She had worked with him in the past and had quite a bit of respect for the individual. There were not many people that she felt comfortable working alongside, but his respectful demeanor to her proved quite comforting. Considering the two had worked together back when he was still a grunt like herself, she could certainly respect his ability to climb the ladder, so to speak. At the very least, if anyone had to 'own' Lugia for the time being, she was thankful it was him. In this corrupted state, who knew what Lugia was capable of, or what they might do on their own.

However, he wasn't going to get away from her that easily, not with a literal god in his pocket. Within the foyer where she had been blessed with the sight of Lugia for the first time, she spotted him. Wasting absolutely zero time, Celeste began to walk over towards him. Every action made with a clearly defined purpose. From her carefully constructed walk which held herself as high as possible, to the perfectly tailored suit she wore. One single shred of weakness was absolutely unacceptable, lest her image be spoiled amongst Rocket. Despite the sturdy parasol resting on her arm, often acting as a cane at times under severe circumstances.

Clearing her throat to gain his attention, Celeste spoke with a calmness that hid her internal nerves and frustration. "Mr. Merlino, may I have a moment of your time? It is of the utmost importance to me. However, I suspect that you already know what I am here to ask."

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Thankfully enough, they are entirely undisturbed throughout the night. Or at the very least if anyone saw anything, nobody dared to even open their apartment doors or to make a peep. Despite that, it seemed like her ghosts were having fun haunting the halls, acting quite spooky the whole time. It was easy to tell that they were having quite a bit of fun.

As Gavin eventually returned, with presumably all the boxes lifted up to the roof, Celeste spoke with a quiet tone to her voice, intent to make sure nobody else suddenly awoke after the job was finished. "No troubles. It seems they are either used to noise in this building, or everyone is extremely heavy sleepers. Let's hope for both." A teasing grin spread across her face as she recalled her two ghost Pokemon and her Espurr suddenly taking a ride upon her shoulders.

Making sure to close the window they entered from before anything else, she made her way over towards the door. "Well, shall we call it a night? I can't imagine any of the other rooms have anything else valuable, nor do I wish to push our luck." After all, they had already gotten their ill-gotten goods. The crates on the roof for easy transport, and her own prize, the Rotom, tucked away in her phone for the time being. Best to take what they had and leave and give Rocket it's fair due.

Notes: N/A

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The Rocket Headquarters, a submarine that could traverse the deepest, darkest depths of the oceans. No wonder that it felt so much more welcoming and at home than Slateport ever felt before. Like-minded individuals, who wouldn't judge a book by its cover, the dark ocean depths around them for miles and miles, without a single hint of light. It was practically heaven, or at least, her own ideal version of heaven. Dwelling amongst the ocean's creatures, life itself felt all the more real.

And yet, this was a trip for business that she was here today, not for pleasure. A new Boss was coming from Kanto, to announce his presence and theoretically, attempt to establish loyalty. Celeste had only met Cadis once, but he had seemed like quite a resourceful individual. Anyone who personally met with even some of the newly recruited grunts had her faith. Regardless, as the crowd began to form, Celeste stood to the side as she watched the announcements begin.

Declan Walsh. He certainly sounded pretty confident, that much was for sure. Regardless, his first act slowly raised Celeste's eyebrows. Not only did he reveal that Darkrai had chosen him, but another individual amongst Rocket to become his avatars. While the exact situation wasn't expected, and she could certainly appreciate the appeal of the Legendary Pokemon that was joining their side, she couldn't help but find it expected. Offering power, in exchange for Loyalty from a high ranking Rocket Member? Declan certainly understood that loyalty was not just earned, but bought as well.

However, the very next item on his list had Celeste's full attention. Former Council Member. He could only be talking about Olivia. However, as soon as the name Lugia was mentioned, her eyes widened extremely as she looked at the man who was suddenly trusted with one of the literal deities of her beliefs. Gavin. She knew the man, although not well. She was, however, surprised that Declan didn't seem aware of an Abbiati amongst them. Regardless, her eyes couldn't tear away from the shadow god that Gavin unleashed into the room. Even though the Screech threatened to knock her to her knees, she stood tall in awe.

It was beautiful, in all its majestic glory. It was everything she could have ever dreamed of seeing and more. Perhaps, on a different note, she would have loved to see the beautiful beast before it became its current shadowed form, but through hardship, one unlocked the true depths and strengths of the soul. Despite that... it looked sick. Unhealthy, as if it should never be this way. Her gut twisted in confusion as she looked upon it, wondering how to properly handle the thought process alone. She even felt more than a bit uncomfortable with the idea of someone owning it. Lugia was a powerful Pokemon, one who slumbered beneath the waves lest it causes hurricanes to devastate the land. To think that power was suddenly within their control, brought ethical questions, and challenged her faith. The balance of the world was carefully kept, and with one of its great protectors now in the hands of man, what would happen?

She whispered a silent prayer to the beast under the hope that it would somehow understand her before Gavin recalls it, still staring wide-eyed at the man. There were zero doubts in her mind. She would convince him to allow her to see them, soon. There would be no denying her access to the powerful pokemon. After all, Declan himself said to thank the Abbiatis, why would that not include her?

His third gift received less attention from Celeste but was noted as well. Again, he gave gifts to establish loyalty. The temptation was, of course, there to get on his good side to gain gifts as well, but that would be playing right into his hands. If there was one thing she learned growing up, everything had a price to pay. Perhaps these gifts came with an underlying threat as well. Serve me, and he should reward them. Betray him, and he theoretically had the power to remove them just as easily.

As the floor opened up to questions, Celeste would remain calmly on the side of the room until she eventually found a moment of calm to speak, stepping out of the shadows to do so. "Abbiati here. I simply require a stronger understanding of how the Lugia was obtained. Whether that answer comes now, or later, does not bother me."