Ancient Dynasty; A Viper's Promise

[Mika]

-OoC-

Well... here goes nothing. @-@ drumroll please~

I think I got the table mixed up abit too. -.-

VALEN THOUGHT A BAD WORD! -stuffs soap in his brain-


-IC-

So, it all came down to this.

A set of doors seperated the girl from the champion. A set of doors seperated her from the spoiled child she didn't want to be anymore and there was no way on this green earth she was going to stop now. She'd stayed in the back, letting everyone else sit down after making their own introductions before she, the only one unnerved as of yet, stepped forward. She would've shook his had she not been utterly repulsed by the yick of it. She had aboslutely no idea where that hand had been and was unable to completely hide all of her disgust. Had it really been up to her, she wouldn't have shaken it but with Valen, with that self-centered ungrateful annoyance staring almost directly into her skull, she swallowed what bit of her pride she could and shook his hand briefly. "I'm Rosairie." Not waiting for a response, she walked to nearest empty chair, unfortunately putting her next to Chain and Valen and gracefully sat down in it, crossing her legs like a good little lady.

She was going to show everyone up by keeping cool like mature grown-ups did and then maybe they would think twice before insulting her again


Reina didn't need to worry. The moment she'd tensed up, Kyoko had moved right back to where she had been previously, flinching at the obvious dislike Reina had displayed. Withering back into her own chair as though she'd been slapped, she shook her head once before stuffing it into the warmth of her Shuppet who was ready to create some havoc if something didn't prevent it. For the time being, she forced a most-likely unwanted thought into both Reina and Valen's heads, the tone of it almost too calm.

You stupid stupid children. You can't act your age for more than two seconds, can you? She wasn't hurting a bloody thing by leaning against you Reina, other that your over inflated pride and Valen, I don't remember her saying she hated you. Both of you, stop adding to this situation or I swear I'll float over there and knock some sense into both of your skulls. Scowling once more at the two of them, Reina more specificially, she closed her eyes and went back to being a squishy pillow capable of making all one's worries go away.

When on earth was this thing going to start?

 

[Ibuberu]

Cona, frankly, had no idea what had taken place in the elevator. Some sort of teaming up between Kyoko and Valen to irritate Lori was all the girl could get out of it. She folded her arms, listening on as the boy and girl began to babble on about old people and things of the sort. The trainer managed a small smile at their words, deciding not to question their actions for once, as she dusted her shirt and pants, readying herself for the approaching ceremony. The Marshtomp beside her fell silent as well, disliking the cramped space in the elevator, he latching himself next to his trainer, breathing a sigh of relief when Lori announced that they had arrived.

While the others proceeded to introduce themselves in the dark room, Cona took off her hat and brushed her hand over it like she had done with her attire, 'We're finally here, Dad. Finally.' the voice in her head gave the girl a new strength, filling her with confidence and encouragement as she plopped the white hat back onto her head. She realised that most of the group were done with introductions, and that they were probably impatiently waiting for her to get over with hers as well, glancing at the shivering Marshtomp who apparently thought that candles were never the best source of light. Cona grabbed Kry's pokeball out of her pocket, showing him the device before silently withdrawing him into the sphere.

She tucked the Marshtomp's pokeball back into her pocket, before walking up to Slythe and greeting him in the most polite fashion she could think of. "Um. Hello, Sir. The name's Cona."She took off her hat for a moment, surveying the CEO's features, for a split second, mistaking him for Valen. Thoughts of what evil a man of his position, and looks, could reek upon the world clawed at her mind, but she strained a smile despite that, turning around and shuffling to one of the remaining three seats located next to Reina. She sat down wordlessly, deciding not to make so much as a peep until the whole ceremony had passed, observing Slythe and the rest as she narrowed her brightly coloured eyes in suspicion.

 

[Light_Azumarill]

OOC: Oh good, Reina's not the only one who noticed the similarity. XD

And, Mika, I think your Rosairie was fine. Though, you never know what others *coughAltercough* might notice. XD (Just poking fun at your skills of observation and nitpickiness, Alter! You know I have an admiration for them. ^-^)


Reina
---------------

'That ungrateful little brat!' Reina scathingly thought as Kyoko decided to go back to her seat. Once again, Reina was forced to wonder what the girl had expected. A pat on the head? Complete acceptance? A hug?! She knew that Reina didn't like her, and yet she chose to do it still. Hadn't Reina been quiet? Hadn't she let the little, pathetic girl stay with her? Apparently though, this wasn't good enough, as Reina would have had to smile and coo to keep her from leaving.

Kyoko's Shuppet then made her thoughts on the matter clear, much to Reina's frustration. 'Excuse me?!' she thought back, unaware of whether or not the reply would actually be heard by the pokemon, 'Did I throw her off of me in disgust? No! I was willing to let her stay with me because I was actually, believe it or not, worried about her. But no, because I didn't act like her best friend, it's not good enough for her! I don't know why she didn't just go clutch to Rosairie anyway, they're the "best friends".'

Reina tried to breathe evenly in an attempt to calm herself. This was not what she should be focusing on right now. Kyoko's issues were unimportant compared to Slythe. At least the only one left to sit was Avery. That's when she realized that JJ was not there. She frowned a little in slight confusion, wondering what had happened to him. Perhaps he had decided to get out of this place? Whatever the case, Reina couldn't help feeling a little sorry that he couldn't be here.

She looked to Slythe now, her face still frowning from her inner feelings.

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Nyah, actually, that looks like a Rosairie to me. 'cept she might have curtsied to Slythe to be all prim and proper instead of shaking his hand. That's just nitpickiness, though. :3

IC:

'Is that so? Valen though back coldly, as a member of Team Viper he had been specially trained to handle ghost pokémon and so the presence in his mind did little more but annoy him. He wasn't afraid in the least, and he had a bone to pick with this particular Shuppet, 'It's not like either of us pushed her away, you know. All that brat has done since we ran into her is trying to annoy the heck out of both of us. What did she expect? A hug and a pat on the head? If getting to do her leaning isn't good enough for her then that's her problem, not ours. I don't have the time or patience to bother with that spoiled brat right now, and neither do I want to waste any more effort on conversing with a semi-sentinent wiping cloth, so why don't you just get back to snuggling with her before I lose what's left of my patience and finish what I started back at the hospital, eh? It's not like I'm her precious nee-chan or whatever she calls her clingtoys. Oh, and one more thing...' he added, 'When a person goes out her way to make my life miserable I tend to think of it as hate, sometimes you don't need to say things to show them.'

Slythe, meanwhile, was paying attention to an alltogether different conversation, "A pleasure to meet you, miss Beaumont." he replied, smoothly shaking the offered hand, allowing his grip to linger a bit longer than necessary, "I think I know your father, by the way..." he added in his usual conversational way, "A talented businessman, yes, talented indeed. Oh, and how is his wife...Zelda, was it?" his smile became slightly friendlier at this point, "It's always so lovely to see your little family idyl, really makes me think of what I had to give up to become what I am..."

He then turned his attention to Cona, "And this would be miss Brindge?" the CEO continued smoothly, "It's...infinitely pleasing to have you here as well. Do make yourself comfortable. After all..." his smiled widened slightly, "...what is there to be afraid of? Secret cameras? Alien Abductors?" he laughed in his trademark manner, as if to indicate that the notion was utterly silly, "I assure you, there is no need to be tense." he turned his gaze towards the door at the end of the statement, pausing for a moment.

"Whenever you're ready, miss Williams." he remarked casually, staring straight into the darkness where Avery stood, "I'm sure that everyone is anxious for this ceremony to start, so if you would be so kind..." he leant back a bit again, allowing the sentence to float unfinished in the air.

 

[Random Plushie]

OOC:

School. Need I say more? D: Seriously though, my schedule has been very.. blah. Other than that, I should be able to post here tomorrow, provided that my parents don't drag me somewhere. Sorry for not getting here sooner~


IC:


Needless to say, the second elevator gave off the same feeling as the first one. The walls were just a little too close together, and so of course, it didn't help that there were so many people inside. Avery resorted to deep breaths, closing her eyes to block out the constant 'bickering' between the other humans, particularly the remarks from Lori. Ugh, there is a total lack of harmony in this joint.. Avery thought to herself, struggling to prevent a few 'comments' from escaping her. What I need to do is sing a song. Yeah, that's what I'll do. Forget about everything.

Absentmindedly, Avery walked out of the elevator, along with everyone else, once it had reached its destination. Strangely, though, she didn't even seem to notice that she was no longer in need of singing a song. What should I sing? A song about stars? Poverty? Binoculars? How about a sad song?

"Don't make it bad.. Take a sad song, and make it better." Avery mumbled the words under her breath, and then shifted her attention to a particularly shiny plaque on the door in front of her. Slythe? Avery thought, tilting her head and pursing her lips. ..Who in their right mind would name their kid Slythe? Eventually, after a few minutes passed--with Avery doing nothing of interest beside staring at the nameplate--she thought to herself, again. Must've been a legal name-change.

"Whenever you're ready, miss Williams." A sudden, new voice startled Avery, snapping her out of her thoughts. "I'm sure that everyone is anxious for this ceremony to start, so if you would be so kind..." Turning her head, she nearly jumped again, seeing nothing but darkness ahead of her. Well, not really.

From where she stood, the light from several candles within the room illuminated what appeared to be a pale face, half-covered in purple hair, and a set of eight chairs (fancy-looking ones at that); six of them already occupied. It was apparent that everyone was waiting for her to go and greet Slythe.. who was probably the guy with the pale face.

Jeezum.. we may as well have met in a cave. After a half-hearted gulp, Avery shakily unclipped Fable's Pokeball from her belt, allowing the Sableye to return to its relative safety in a cascade of red light. For a second, the new light spilled into the room, briefly revealing a fraction of its contents like a lightning bolt would during a storm. Avery tensed, almost shouting.. she was sure that she had seen a snake somewhere in the room.. and the glimmer of its scales against the light.

Stop acting like an idiot! Everyone is waiting! Moving forward, Avery uneasily approached Slythe's desk, instantly feeling the absolute darkness impose its ghostly chill upon her skin. The absense of Fable's presence on her shoulder left Avery with an 'exposed' feeling, giving her an urge to shiver as she had done before. She gulped again, completely drained of all thoughts.. even more so when she actually reached Slythe, forced to look in his general direction for a greeting.

"S-Sorry.. um.. It's an honor to meet you." Avery said, shifting in place uncertainly before finally thinking to offer him a handshake, staring at a place in the darkness beyond his head so that she wouldn't have to look directly at his visible eye. As soon as she could, Avery broke away and made a beeline for the next available seat.. and almost tripped over an unseen obstacle in the carpeting before she finally made it to the 'safety' of a leather chair.

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: No worries, Plushie, your post was just timely enough. Besides, we all know what a pain school can be. ^^

EDITNESS: ZOMG, a new page for the big decision! Now what are the odds of that happening? o.o

IC:

"Oh, it's quite allright." Slythe replied silkily, shaking Avery's offered hand with as much enthusiaism as he had the others, "And it's an honor well-deserved, I say. To reach third place in a competition of this scale is no small feat, especially for someone largely unknown on the competitive circuit like you. Quite extaordinary, young lady, quite extaordinary indeed. Welcome."

"Now then..." the CEO continued, turning his gaze to all of the seven trainers in front of him and beaming at them in the way only he could, "Now that we are all gathered here - except for Mr.Baker, who quite graciously informed me of his absence - allow me to congratulate you once more for your outstanding performrance during the tournament. You are all...extaordinary trainers, strong both in battle and resolve, a rare and precious quality in these times..."

'Yadda, yadda, yadda...' Valen thought for himself, zoning out from Slythe's speech, 'I know that that's just your snare, so why don't you just start tightening it like I know you will?'

"Let me assure you, arrangements have been made for your prizes. They should be brought in momentarily-ah, here they are."

He turned his gaze sidewards, a new beam of light spilling into the room as a generic - although decidedly fit-looking - Waiwai grunt walked in from a small side-room. His countenance was calm, but behind the black shades he practically stank of fear as he scuttled over to Slythe and whispered something in his ear.

"As I recall..." Slythe whispered back, although the tone seemed to have been left loud enough to be heard intentionally, "You said that you would have them here in no time."

"I-I know sir." the grunt replied, "But there have been slight complications, they should be here soon-"

"Well then..." Slythe whispered back sweetly, "I shall be expecting to see the prizes here in less than no time. I am the CEO of a multi-million company and I will not have my guests inconvenienced any further. Do I make myself clear?"

"Ye-yes sir!" the grunt replied.

"Good." the CEO said in his kind voice, "Off you go then."

Dismissing the grunt with a wave of his hand before turning back to face the tournament winners.

"I'm terribly sorry..." he said with smooth sincerity, "But due to a mix-up on my subordinates' part, your prizes have been sent to the wrong end of the building." the man frowned, "I do apologize, but not to worry, they should be here shortly."

"While we're waiting, however..." the CEO added, Valen immediately growing more alert as he sensed the point coming, "There is a matter I would like to discuss with you all...a most delicate matter." the CEO paused, allowing a grave silence to fall over the room for a moment, "It is...related to the tragedy that occured during this tournament. However, because of the delicate nature of this matter, I'm afraid that I can not just divulge the information before you promise something." he paused again, eyeing them all seriously, "I need you to promise that the information I am about divulge will not be spread to anyone. I can not stress how disasterous it would be if the villains responsible for the destruction caught wind of what I have discovered. If you do not wish to partake in this discussion - and I will not hold it against you if you won't - may leave the room now and I will make arrangements for your rewards to be sent to you. But to those of you who have the courage and will to stand up to these evildoers. To the real heroes, as it were..." there was a glint of challenge in his eyes, "I ask that you stay and here me out. This, my dear tournament victors, is the time for your decision."

'Clever...' Valen thought for himself, 'Very clever. Accept the prize and a pat on your head and leave with your tail between your legs or sign up for the suicide mission and be a hero...well, my decision has already been made for me, hasn't it? But the others...' he cast a glance at the other six youths, 'This would be your easy way out.'

 

[Light_Azumarill]

OOC: Yay! Hiiii Plushie!!! *hugs* School can really be a time-consumer. I guess work does come before play though, ne? XD

Oh, and just so you know Alter, I'd like to wait to post in Eseka until Nigma posts... but if it isn't by tomorrow morning (night for you), then I'll post anyway. ^^;

Decision time for Reina! Gee, what'll you think she'll pick? XD


Reina
----------------

'Finally' Reina thought to herself, watching as Avery went forward to shake Slythe's hand, 'Being cooped up in this dark hole of an office is getting past uncomfortable.'

She had calmed considerably since Kyoko's move, and had effectively pushed the negative thoughts in which Kyoko really had been thrown to the ground by her to the back of her mind. Surely things would get more interesting once everyone was seated and listening; and they did. First off, there were the prizes, and Reina couldn't for the life of her guess what they could be. TMs? No, that didn't seem special enough, and if Slythe had a hand in picking them out then... Reina needed Tabansi. He was much better at guessing these things. She really did need to get better at this sort of thing; she didn't like relying on her pokemon to help her with this.

Reina's gaze shifted to the grunt that had come in to explain where the prizes were. He was sincere sounding, but Reina couldn't help but be suspicious. It was, after all, Slythe, and Valen was clear about the way the man operated. There was just something off about it all. After the man left, Slythe continued to talk, beginning to speak of something far more interesting to Reina-- the chanting monk-people from the tournament.

She leaned forward a little, listening more alertly. He made it clear that he was going to say nothing until they promised not to tell anyone. Well, that was simple enough. The only ones who Reina would confide in were her brothers, who were away with their own families, her father, who would dismiss it as some kind of governmental conspiracy-- Reina suddenly thought of Cona-- her pokemon, who were probably not included in this, and Valen, who was sitting in this room with them. He spoke of courage and heroes... this confused Reina a little. Were they really heroes? What did they know about standing up to evil? Reina did try and take out that monk guy, but he rode away impressively on a huge Steelix, while Reina was doubled over from a punch in the stomach. That hadn't seemed very heroic to her.

One thing was for sure though; if there was a challenge to be had, and someone thought Reina up to the challenge, she would most definitely agree to it. An opportunity like this didn't come along every day. Besides, all he seemed to want was to talk about it... right? Somewhere, in the back of Reina's mind, there was a skeptical voice that doubted Slythe was just expecting a rousing discussion. But even with suspicions, Reina was not one to back down out of fear.

"I promse," she said confidently. 'I am not afraid,' she thought sternly to herself.

 

[Random Plushie]

OOC:

I could be writing a speech about nightmares right now, since it's due on Tuesday and all.. but that's what tomorrow is for. xD


IC:

Gosh.. Avery gulped a third time since stepping into the office, glancing to her left every few seconds. Why did this seat have to be next to the.. snake? Her eyes darted back to Slythe, seeing that he was busy talking to some sort of employee. Once she had confirmed she wasn't missing anything important, Avery looked back into the empty darkness. No.. just some decoration shaped like a snake. Dang, this lighting is creeping me out. Avery suddenly had the urge to fidget and adjust her seat, slowly becoming even more uncomfortable with Slythe's tone as he got to talking about prizes and.. delicate matters.

"It is...related to the tragedy that occured during this tournament."

Immediately, Avery reached for the armrest on her right side, gripping it tightly with both hands. The word 'tragedy' was suddenly triggering a desire to remember something..about the tournament? Tragedy.. Meanwhile, Slythe kept speaking, although Avery was still focusing on her memory, absentmindedly fingering the Pokeballs on her belt. Wait..

Avery's hand lingered over Diamond's Pokeball for a second, and suddenly, in her mind's eye she could clearly see the Lairon charging at her from behind, roaring with an uncharacterisitic insanity. The memory came back all too swiftly, filling Avery with an unbridled concern over Diamond's well-being. That's right.. I was fighting in the tournament. I released D. and she just.. went crazy. And now I still don't know what was wrong with her!

Meanwhile, Slythe continued, although Avery was disoriented at this point and only picked up parts of his speech. "..villains responsible for the destruction caught wind of what I have discovered...have the courage and will to stand up to these evildoers..."

Villians? Evildoers? Avery thought, narrowing her eyes. So it was people who made Diamond that way!? Yeah, because there were other Pokemon acting like that, too..! Her grip on the armrest tightened, even more so than it already was. Someone.. manipulated her! Ugh, why didn't I realize this sooner..well, duh, I couldn't remember anything, but still..! Avery's concern was suddenly mixed with anger, sending unrest throughout her body. Her memories weren't so hazy anymore, and finally, the events that took place before Diamond's manipulation--the journey to Twilight City by train, the start of the tournament--were slowly coming back into focus, instead of being one big blur. ..Ugh! Why can't I remember anything else clearly!

"I promise."

That was the older, redheaded girl (Isn't her name Reina?), who was responding to Slythe's last sentence. She was going to stick around and hear information about the "evildoers." And.. I want to know, too. I have to find a way to get back at these guys for what they did to Diamond.

"Yeah. I-I promise, too." Avery said, quite stiffly.

 

[Ibuberu]

Cona blinked as light flooded into the room, shifting her head to the left to see a Waiwai grunt entering from a side room, it seemed that the prizes that had been arranged for them had been.. delayed. "Odd.."Cona did not let down her gaze as the grunt departed, and Slythe proceeded to speak once more. She sat back, stiffening as the CEO began to speak of a 'tragedy' that had occured during the tournament. Almost immediately, all the girl's thoughts came to her halt as she gave full concentration to the man's words.

She listened intently as he told them that first, they had to promise that the information was to be kept strictly within this tight circle. Cona couldn't help but glance over her shoulder to the door when Slythe mentioned that they had a choice to withdraw themselves from the matter. "No way."the trainer drilled the words into her head as she turned back to the front, replaying the end of his sentence in her head once more.

"But those of you who have the courage and will stand up to these evildoers. To the real heroes, as it were..."

"Heroes?"Cona cocked an eyebrow as she tried to understand the simple word. Why were they suddenly being referred to as heroes? "But we just.. topped the tournament.."the words whispered themselves in her mind, as she sank into her chair, hands gripping onto the bag on her lap. The girl was hesitant to admit that she felt rather.. fearful. Then again, this was probably a once in a lifetime chance. To foil the plot of a secret organisation and bring glory to the Brindge name. While, on the other hand, it could possibly be Slythe who was the root of all of this, and he was merely leading them into a vile trap.

And, the part about the destruction caused by the villains, true, Cona wasn't there to witness it first hand, but.. Did they perhaps have something to do with the sudden change in behaviour of the certain Pokemon, that including Krystal? The girl frowned at the thought. If anything, she wanted to teach the people responsible for controlling her Marhstomp a lesson, something along the lines of revenge. Whether or not this was just another malicious plan created by Slythe himself, Cona couldn't afford to pass up on the offer. She waited for Reina and Avery to declare that they would keep their word before opening her mouth.

"Can't say I'm backing down now,"she softly assured herself before adjusting her voice, "Me three. Promise."she spoke, failing at the attempt to sound brave, though she managed not to stutter.

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Oh my grammar! I totally didn't expect Reina to go with that decision! :O

Anyway, that's the spirit, Plushie. Procrastination is a much underappreciated talent these days. :3

IC:

'Well, I should have expected that...' Valen concluded as Reina announced that she wouldn't back down, '...which pretty much seals it for me too.' the boy paused, allowing Cona and Avery to speak up first. Surprisingly, both agreed as well. Sure, it was half-expected from a nut like Cona, but Avery too? He cast a quizzical glance in the girl's direction. She certainly seemed...scared, so whatever reason had compelled her must have been pretty pressing to make her agree to this.

"I'm in as well." Valen replied, his voice betraying nothing but slight boredom, much unlike the others.

"Excellent..." Slythe remarked, beaming at the acceptants and clasping his hands together, "Simply excellent. It is truly refreshing to see such resolve in times like these. Now then..." he added, allowing his gaze to move over the remaining three, "Shall any of you be leaving?"

'Kyoko and Rosairie might as well...' Valen thought scathingly. No, not just thought, he hoped for it. Regardless of what decision he would make about his...assignment, the boy was positive that having those two screaming and fainting all over the place wouldn't help matters, 'Come on...' he thought, slightly annoyed, '...just say 'no'.'

 

[Mika]

-OoC-

-crawls into forum-

Edited Alter. XP I don't know why I didn't catch that typo in my proofread... Also, please excuse the shortness of the Rosairie. =-= I'm just so stumped with how one would go about saying these things.

-IC-

Fingernails aren't really supossed to break the skin of the palm and they are unable to do so unless a considerable amount of force is added. The pink haired child seemingly applied the required pressure as, invisible to those around the table, a small trail of blood was now trickling down the back side of her arm, pooling lightly around her elbow.

The condenscending stares. The haughty expressions from disapproving people who saw her as nothing more than a road block on the pathway to prosperity. Those disgusted sighs that were accompanied by the shifting of matter in the squeaky high end chairs. She couldn't take another second of it. How dare these people, these insignificant little pestilances, treat her as though she was nothing more than a vaccum sucking up the breathing air in the room? How dare they? Who did they possibly think they were? I've had more... Than I can take of all of this. They've simply pushed me too far this time, don't you agree Shuppy? Her thought ended before the ghost could protest this new change of mood in her young charge and with a light smile on the child's features, Kyoko opened her eyes and ithout making even the most minut of noises, she gently released the ghost in her arms and let the purple pokemon return to its slumber in its pokeball.

Kyoko very slowly and oh so silently, sat upright in such a posture that was not really natural for a child to use. Turning towards Valen with a slight tilt of her head, she simply gave him some sort of look that included her eyes glowing several different shades of suffering that had been induced by hour upon hour of brutal torture that would then leave the victim quite simply writhing in a state that wasn't too far off from a psychotic break. After a moment or two of this haunting litte ordeal, her eyes flickered back to her normal neutrality as she turned towards Slythe as a very soft voice, much unlike what the rest of the group was used to, escaped the back of her throat.

"I apologize for my nervousness. With no insult directed at your personal taste, I have an unexplainable dislike for theses sorts of candles. As for the other matter, I graceously accept your proposal. Evil has no place in any world and I fear," 'No, I know...' "that whatever this tragedy might be, would inevidably repeat itself." Throwing her hair lightly to the side, she slipped back into her normal mood, her voice also returning to its sickening flowery sweetness, "Tragedies aren't good at all, ne? So we have to stop them from happening again, ne?" Giggling, she shook her head like a child would, a child who's making a serious statement but cannot be serious because of their size, "I doubt that Slythe-taichou would like Mamas crying because their ickle little ones aren't ever coming home 'gain, ne?"

 

[Light_Azumarill]

OOC: Wouldn't Rosairie go along with this to prove she wasn't some kind of pathetic rich girl? I should think at the very least she'd promise just to help/protect Kyoko. :3 I think.

BTW Mika, I'll post my sign-up fer your RP tomorrow. I've finally stopped dragging my butt and am doing it! XD


Reina
----------------

Reina watched closely as Avery stepped forward and promised Slythe too. The girl seemed pretty scared, so Reina was pleasantly surprised to see that she was agreeing to this. Then again, Avery had seemed to be an okay person when Reina had spoken to her right after they had registered. She was perhaps a bit too cheerful for her taste, but Reina herself went through small bouts of cheerfulness.

When Cona agreed too, Reina wasn't too sure what to think. Cona was an odd person; who knew what strange things she would think up regarding the monk people. But it didn't bother her that the girl had joined in.

Kyoko though; she was another matter. Reina had been feeling better about her in the elevator, but after that little stunt a few minutes ago, the redhead sincerely hated the idea of having spend more time with her. Reina watched as the girl gave a rather odd look to Valen-- whatever that was about, Reina could never fully understand what Valen did that was so wrong-- and then began to speak quite smartly to Slythe.

Reina glanced at Valen as the girl talked, thinking, 'I do believe Slythe's insanity is rubbing off on her.'

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: I concur, I'm pretty sure that she'd do it just to spite Valen and Reina. Besides, the contest was supposed to be Rosairie's big claim to fame and now that it's ruined I think she'd be pretty tempted to seize on a new opportunity to become a famous hero and prove that she's not just a helpless daddy's girl. ^.~ And of course, there's also the whole sisterly protecting Kyoko aspect of the thing. So yeah, pick a reason, any reason. Anyway, would you mind finish the sentence that begins "With no insult directed at your personal taste, I have an"? It kind of stops at the middle so it's difficult for me to write Slythe's reaction. So yish, IC to come when I get to know what she said. :3

 

[Mika]

-IC-

Well, if Kyoko, Valen, Reina and Reina's little groupies were going to do it, then so was she. Maybe this tragedy had something to do with a diplomatic situation (Which in truth was something Rosairie actually knew quite a deal about from her father-experiecnes) or maybe a town in danger! Rosairie's imagination quickly wandered along several different paths and without really understanding what she was doing, she abruptly sat up, slamming her hands into the table, "Count me in!"

Immediately embarassed, she straightened out her skirt and sat back down, coughing lightly to clear her throat, "I mean, I'll take part in it. A dignified woman of class never turns her face away from any sort of tragedy." And if Reina's going along on this, they definately need me. She added inwardly, stiffling a giggle in the process, That witch is anything but dignified and I'll be able to show that wretched little boy how he was wrong to challange me and my Daddy. So what if I've got more money than he'll see in all of his years; it's not just about the money, it's about how you spend the money, that's what Daddy always says. Giggling lightly, she stole a glace at Valen and nearly lost control of herself, They'd be lost without me and they know it. In a way, it's simply adorable.

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Whew, took me forever and a day to get this written. I just had this huuuge writing block with Slythie. :3

Incidentally, anyone heard from Kogenta lately? I mean, we could just kind of shuttle Chain through the agreeing process, but I don't want to leave anyone too far behind, especially since there are some pretty big things on the horizon.

IC:

As Kyoko turned to look Valen into the eye, something within the boy snapped. Something in that gaze, that utter reflection of suffering and torment had struck a chord within him, and needless to say it wasn't a chord he appreciated people touching. 'No, she's not the same and will never be.' Valen told himself, trying with all his might to banish the burning stare and the memories it evoked from his mind as he purposefully turned his gaze elsewhere, 'Kyoko is nothing but a malicious, manipulative little witch. I refuse to equate her with-'

"Ah...that is...most unfortunate about the candles, Miss Kyoko." Slythe replied to the girl's response in a diplomatic tone, mercifully cutting Valen's internal monologue short, "But I am most pleased by your decision. Then again, I would have expected no less from our famous underdog contenstant." he nodded, brushing off the last remark in his usual smooth manner, "And your...enthusiaism is much appreciated, Miss Beaumont." the CEO added in Rosairie's direction, pretending not to notice Valen's frustrated groan at the two acceptances, "As for you, Mr.Quaixer." he added in the continuously silent Chain's direction, "I shall treat your silence as that of consent. If that is not the case, you are quite free to use the door behind you any moment you wish."

After a few moments of symbolic waiting, Slythe brought his fingertips together and beamed at them once more, "I think that is a sufficient response." the CEO remarked, "Ah, and how convenient-" he added as the electric lighting suddenly flicked back on, banishing the shadows to reveal nothing more than your average office, complete with a number of important-looking binders and files stacked onto bookcases on the sides and even an innocent little potted plant in the corner, "It seems like the wiring has finally been fixed. Most fortitious, no?" he turned to the others for confirmation, although this was more of a rhetorical gesture than anything, "A pity that we shall have to turn the lights off for what follows next. Valen, if you could push that switch on the left-hand wall I'd be much obliged."

Resisting to urge to scoff at the blatantly arranged feel of it all, the boy did as he was told, darkness once again falling over the room as he made his way back to the chair.

"Now then..." Slythe continued, blowing out the candles and begining to operate something in the dark, "I just have to adjust a few things and-ah...here we are." he smiled as a compartment in the desk slid open with a quiet whir, some kind of electronic device flickering into life and projecting a blue square of light into the air above it, once again granting a measure of illumination which didn't fail to play its eerie games across his face, although the effect wasn't quite as otherwordly as that of the candles.

"Now as you presumably know." Slythe's voice remarked from somewhere within the haze that was slowly falling over Valen's mind - a combination of the lack of fresh air and constant darkness, he assumed - "The miscreants responsible for this horrible atrocity were no ordinary terrorists..." at this point, he tapped a number of commands onto a keyboard beneath the desk, the image of a brown-robed individual of indeterminable features appearing over the blue square, "This..." Slythe continued, gesturing at the hologram, "...is as close an estimation of their uniforms as we could put together based on witness descriptions and what little video fotage we managed to capture. Of course, we can not make many conclusions based solely on clothes, but certain witnesses..." he cast a brief glance in Reina's and Valen's direction, "...also attest to having heard them chanting. They also mentioned a name...Typhoeus. Thus, I am inclined to believe that we are dealing with a cult, and judging by the ease with which they bypassed our security measures and the destruction they managed to cause it also seems clear that these people are not to be taken lightly." he let his gaze travel across all of them as he continued, "This attack was obviously nothing but a test of our defenses. They made it quite clear that they will strike again, and the next time they do so they won't hold back. And that..." he added, "Brings us back to what I wished to discuss with you. You see, a businessman of my calibre can not allow such destructive conflicts. They are terrible for both society and business. I've had some research done into the nature of this Typhoeus, and the results are disturbing to say the least..." he tapped a few commands into the keyboard again, the image of the hooded man vanishing and that of a withered old stone tablet - its surface filled with cryptic runes - appearing in its place.

"This is what my research team came up with. This stone tablet is a relic nearly two millenia old. Those of you familiar with the history of our event will no doubt have realized the significance of this already, but to those who don't..." he took a dramatic pause, "Roughly two thousand years ago, the world was - or so the legend go - ruled by a powerful quintet of tyrants. No-one knows how, but these remarkable individuals were so in-tune with the natural world that they could make any pokemon do their bidding. Needless to say, these rulers were worshiped like gods but also feared like devils, and to further entrench their power they set up a sizeable priesthood led by their most fanatical followers with which to lord over their people. Those were dark days..." his voice sounded somewhat distant at the point, but soon regained its usual tone as he finished, "Of these five mentioned in the tablet, the one with the greatest power and the one worshiped above all others was a man named Tyfeeis. Or..." he added, dragging out the last bit to build the tension, "...as the modern scribes spell it, Typhoeus."

 

[Kogenta]

[OOC: I apologize for my prolongued absence. Lately, school has been somewhat draining me, and my working more slowly combined with my attempts to go to bed earlier have lessened my time for the forum. ^-^;; Because I had several tests today, however, I do not have too much homework at the moment and will (hopefully) edit with an IC later tonight.]

Chain was silent for a long moment, listening to the others give their assent as he mentally reviewed Slythe's words. By this time, the hacker had regained most of his composure and was processing each phrase and tone with his usual level-headed reason. Forcing us to agree to play on his terms--making it seem like we have a choice. Not an entirely original technique, but it apparently has not lost its effectiveness. As Kyoko spoke, Chain turned toward her, his calm expression not revealing the faint surprise he felt in response to the change in the girl. Himself appearing to grow increasingly distant, the green-eyed male studied her posture, expression, and inflection without appearing to consider her at all. Looks like she's been pushed to her breaking point. Don't do anything you'll regret . . . Chain's eyes flickered to one side. "Same goes for you, Rosairie," he added mentally as she boldly stated her agreement. As for himself, Chain had both too many reasons to comply and too many reasons not to, to yet voice his decision.

As Slythe voiced an assumption that Chain's silence represented agreement, the trainer did not argue. He wanted to finished what he started, and he wanted answers. That much the hacker knew. Pale blue light now shedding a glassy gleam over his eyes instead of the yellowy gold candlelight he had previously grown accustomed to, Chain viewed Slythe's carefully-prepared presentation with an attentive wariness. How much of what he was being told was true, he did not know. But, true or false, better to know it than not. Hearing Reina respond to Slythe caused Chain to glance toward the girl, though only for the briefest moment. Even as the words continued to fall from Reina's lips, Chain's gaze had returned to Slythe to read what he could on the CEO's expression. Chanting, he said . . . Sound. I wonder if it's related to that project I read about. I'd like to do a little research later myself, if I get the chance. But for the moment, I'll see what becomes of the situation here.

[OOC: I accidentally included some alliteration in my post . . . ^-^;;

By the way, if someone wants to control my character in Eseka until I am able to post there, I would appreciate it. ^-^;; Before I reply, I still have quite a few posts to read.]

 

[Light_Azumarill]

OOC: Zuuu... I'm tired! XD Well, yes, the new job is quite the time/energy eater. However, I am now beginning to budget my time better! ^^


Reina
------------------

It was official; Kyoko and Rosairie were both insane. There was just no other explanation for their odd behavior. Would it kill those two to act normal for a change? Reina had to suppress the urge to smack them both and shake them back to reality like fainting women from a movie. It was surprising, and unfortunate, that they had both agreed to Slythe's terms; maybe there was some sense of normalcy within them.

Reina ignored them though, for there were much more interesting things going on here. Slythe was beginning to speak to them again and had assumed that Chain's answer was the same as the rest of them. Reina nodded slightly, agreeing with the man. Chain was not the type that would be satisfied with taking his little prize and leaving; that much Reina knew about him.

She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes about the lights having to go back off again. 'Oh please,' she thought to herself, 'Just get on with it already... I hate it when people can't just get down to business.' It didn't occur to her though, that Slythe's business may have included things she didn't consider important.

As Reina listened to Slythe's information, she found herself a bit disturbed. She was not so gullible that she would believe a story like that without some kind of proof, but the chanting had made those pokemon go crazy. She had to stop and think like Tabansi would-- there must have been a scientific explanation. Magic and folklore was just a bunch of interesting stories with lessons to learn, and nothing more. The lesson in this story was simple enough, and these cult members were just using the story to their advantage, right? Then... why was she feeling so strange about it all? Why was her stomach aching again in the spot that the monk guy had punched her as if it were a reminder that they were very real and certainly not a stupid story. This strange and rather annoying feeling Slythe's information was conjuring up made Reina impatient and suddenly quite bothered. Not to mention that being shut up in a dark room with Rosairie and Kyoko was not helping. She folded her arms in frustration.

"What's the point of telling us this? What is it you want us to do exactly? Fight them or something?" she said impatiently, not being careful to keep her tone of voice polite. She was tired of this manipulation and these tricks he was up to; she just wanted something reasonable. She knew it was probably not a good idea to let herself get so bothered, but Reina was never one to be careful.

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: I almost forgot to add this, lol. Don't fret about the absence, Kogenta, I'm just glad to hear that you haven't lost interest and dropped off. Yes, please take your time in getting reacquainted with things. We've got some folks missing anyway (What else is new? xD). ^^

IC:

Valen flinched ever so slightly at Reina's outburst. He probably should have seen it coming, but this was no doubt precisely the kind of reaction Slythe had been fishing for. After all, the girl had even brought up the notion of fighting on her own accord - albeit unintentionally - so now the CEO had been granted a smooth transition to the subject, and it wasn't even one of his own making.

Sure enough, Slythe seized on the opportunity as he spoke up again.

"Oh, I do apologize, miss Rookford." he replied with his usual smooth courtesy, "My aim was to put this event in the proper context so that you may understand its rammifications properly. I did not realize that I had slipped into rambling." he smiled apologetically, "As for your question...yes and no. Talented though you are, it would be too reckless of me to send you against a foe we know so little of. What I wish to ask of you, all of you..." he surveyed the gathered youths, "...is to strike at their target, beat them to the goal, so to speak." he paused, once again absent-mindedly typing commands into the computer, "Now let me assure, I do not for one moment believe that this Typhoeus is the same as the tyrant of old." 'Liar...' Valen thought for himself, his scowl deepening a bit, 'You sure seemed convinced of it at the last meeting...', "This man, I believe, is merely a talented impostor, capitalizing on the legend to keep his followers in line and spread terror among the populace. We do not yet know how they controlled the pokémon like they did, but..." the CEO drew out his sentence just a bit, "...certain research conducted by my company suggested that pokémon showed strong reactions to certain frequencies of sound. We layed down the project out of humanitarian reasons, of course, but it may be that whoever is behind this cult has perfected what we didn't."

Slythe paused for a moment again, giving his words some time to sink in before he continued, "If this is the case, I would prefer to avoid direct confrontation as far as possible. To do so, I wish to disprove this fraud's claim to godhood, and I believe that my researchers have unveiled just the way to do that." he tapped in a final command, the hologram shifting to depict the same tropical island he had shown during Valen's briefing, complete with the mountain and the cleared out area with its structure.

"This..." the CEO continued, gesturing towards the hologram, "Is a depiction of the place I would have you visit. Kawaku's Rest, a quaint little equatorial island with some rather unique history. It's not a leisure trip, of course." he added, gesturing towards the cleared out area in the jungle, "The structure you see there is an excavation site, one of the many I fund out of my...interest in history. And this one, my research team tells me, is most likely the ultimate goal of our assailants. Carbon dating places the remnants roughly in the era of the god kings, and if we have deciphered the runes correctly, this is where the surviving resistance fighters burried what is refered to as 'a relic of the hated god'. We are not fully clear what this object is, but..." he paused, "...whatever it is, it must be posses strong symbolic value, as it is supposedly fundamental for the 'god's power. As such, it seems to me that it would be prudent to obtain this artifact for ourselves. Unfortunately..." the man continued, "We lack the resources to do so. The excavation site has been under regular attacks by wild pokémon ever since yesterday, and fending these assults off takes up too much resources for us to organize a respectable search party." he shook his head in distaste before looking up at the others again, his expression brightening, "This is where what I wish of you comes in. I would like you to head to this tomb and - with my full permission - seek out this object and return it to me. That should weaken the faith of our common adversary's legions and, at the very least, grant us something to bargain with."

Slythe took a small pause again before continuing, "I don't expect you to do this for me out of purely alturistic reasons, of course." he added, "I would see it as a considerable favor to me if you agreed, and would be prepared to repay it in kind..." he smiled at them, "I have both money and influence. I could simply pay you in money, of course, but more importantly I can offer you information...of certain...unclear issues concerning loved ones..." he cast the briefest glance at Reina and Rosairie, "...certain pieces of information that just aren't readily available..." he shifted his smile to Valen, "...and of course I have gained the blessings of the Global Police in this matter, so I am sure that they would not be beyond appreciating this as favor worthy of providing...amnesty for any unfortunate incidents in your background. Not that I'd suggest that any of you have such acts to conceal, of course." he added smoothly, his smile nonchalantly directed at Kyoko and Chain, "Overall, there is much I am willing to give for a resolution for this conflict. You may each ask me of a favor and if it is within my power to accomodate it I shall seek to do make it reality. The choice is yours..." he spread his arms out magnanimously, "...both whether you choose to accept this and what reward you wish for the task. Not to mention the fame of having thwarted a major catastrophy should you succeed. The trip will be payed, of course, and I shall hire a guide to assist you, a local familiar with the tales surrounding the tomb and capable of deciphering any runes you might come across. So, my dear tournament victors..." he gave them all one of his friendliest smiles, "What say you?"

OOC: Oh, and just as an FYI. His remark at Rosairie is hinting at Silence and the same at Reina is trying to stir up the notion that there was something fishy with her mother's death. He left it open to Avery and Cona because I couldn't for the life of me think what he could offer them. xD Well, maybe fame for Cona, but...meh, you decide. ^-^

 

[Mika]

-OoC-

xx; And we get plot the week of the band trip. -grumbles- I'll be gone til the 27th (I'll try and post on the 27th when I get home if I'm not utterly exausted) and I'm leaving on the 22nd. o-o So no FAIR Alter.

Note to anybody here interested/Already begging for a spot: Alarayne is starting up on the 28th around 10am CST. ^^ Looking forward to seeing intelligent and lubbed faces there.

Alter, hope you're happy with this post. because I worked for close to threee hours on it. -is proud of her muse-


-IC-

She wasn't going to stand for this.

No, Rosairie was not going to stand for this. How dare this little worm try and guilt the one and only Rosairie into doing something she'd planned on doing anyways so that he had some sort of power over her? Did this man not trully know who she was? Did he not know who her father was? Not to mention the problems he'd been having with Valen and his little 'escapades' and things along those lines. She didn't know much about Chain's escapade but she knew enough to know it took this Slythe too long to put a stop to it.

And yet he stood there, spouting confidence and fairytales with one breath and letting lose promises with more strings than a puppet attached to the seams.

No, Rosairie was not going to stand for it.

Rolling her eyes she looked directly at Slythe, "Issues?" She let out a soft little laugh, "Mr. Slythe, you seem to have enough issues to deal; you needn't worry about adding one of mine." She stopped, calming her giggles before she continued, "But it does seem a wee bit strange that a company of such high standings, your beloved WaiWai, would have to resort to using children to do something that sounds so dangeorus from your description because a team of mature responsible adults failed at it. Isn't that... well, a little off Mr. Slythe?" But she giggled in her overtly preppy manor, her hand daintily covering mouth as her eyes twinkled in delight, "But, if you are willing to trust this group of mere children with such a momentous little problem, I'll go along for support. After all, I am still a child though I tend to believe I don't look it."



---


Above the table, Kyoko's body was displaying her normal, at least for the majority of the people around the table normal, body language. However, out of Slythe's direct vision, a storm was brewing in the depths of the unlight darkness. Kyoko had torn through her gloves and was now currently digging her nails into the smooth skin of her palm. It was taking all of the energy the girl had left and then some to prevent these side effects from becoming visible. It was quickly becoming harder and harder for the girl to keep her mask on straight and on tightly (Although, at this point it was still very possible) as the more Slythe talked and let lose more propoganda about his beloved project, the more enraged the girl was becoming. To keep herself from outwardly reaching across the table and ringing Slythe's neck like a wet towel, she internalized absolutely everything negative, keeping on that adorable innocent somewhat stupid smile, nodding when a nod was due and letting out an oo, aah or a gasp when Slythe put up something shiney.

'Tsch. How stupid does this man think we really are? I bet you money, Valen, that your dear Slythie-wythie over there is lying through his teeth with this ridiculous flowered up talk of unreasonable attacks by wild pokemon on his poor innocent somewhat defenseless researchers that's prohibiting him from "saving the human race" from "uptmost certian doom" and therefore, we, the unlikely hereos must venture out into the wilderness to retrieve something a bunch of adults couldn't seem to achieve thus making it sound as though by doing so, we become better than the 'hated' adults. It sounds like a bad movie that barely made it out of the editing room. Well, I'm almost positive that he knows, in that twisted, self-centered, egotistical, self-absorbed mind of his, that his actions at the ruin are causing the pokemon to become upset, even angry because whatever he's trying to get and is now sending us to get, is not meant for human hands to touch.

Outwardly, Kyoko was letting off no indication that she was thinking such un-idiotic thoughts, that is, until Slythe hinted very strongly that he knew quiet frankly absolutely everything about absolutely everyone in the room. For the moment, she displayed a slightly startled expression and flinched lightly, playing into his twisted fantisies of omipressence for a while anyways. A moment or two after doing however and she quickly regretted it, a light paniced expression crossing her face for a split second before it was gone and replaced with a nervous little half smile.

Crap! Did I just blow my cover? Maybe flinching there wasn't what he was expecting or maybe- Bloody hell! This is what he's trying to do, isn't it? Force us into paranoid thoughts so we have to work for him to get answers or at least to push our panicy thoughts into submission. For some, he's offering answers to unsolved questions, for others, he's offering amnesty from crimes we've supossedly commited that he probably doens't even know we've commited to make us... Ugh, I'm just going in circles!

Taking a few moments to breathe, and settle the headache that was quickly peaking into a painful migraine, Kyoko listened intently to what Rosairie said in her little incredably witty (For her) little comeback and quickly tried to come up with something of her own to say; the Kyoko she'd been portraying since she arrived at this stupid thing always opened her mouth to say something to quell arguements. Now, to come up with that something. Aside from maybe Valen, all of us are buying into this idealistic nonsense as though we're still stupid little children who get into the car with the stranger holding pokeblocks and a new born eevee... Wouldn't need the WaiWai's version of the Secret Police on me, now would I? Vincent would surely like a break after what I, and mostly likely Chain to some extent, did to that poor old man' Lifting her head up, she smiled at Slythe, fingering the fabric on her skirt softly, "If you don't think I'd get in the way, I want to.. I want to help!" '...in more ways than you know.'

 

[Light_Azumarill]

Reina
------------------

'What did he just say?' Reina thought to herself. Her eyes had gone wider, her expression now slack, as if someone had wiped clean her mind and left her to sort everything out. Her mother; he was talking about her mother! She had been relieved to see that Slythe was indeed getting to the point after her question, but now she didn't know what to feel.

As quick as this feeling of shock had come on, it went away to be replaced by something of a mixture of desperation and anger. She stood up from her chair quite suddenly, though she stopped herself from going farther than that. Her eyes were no longer wide, but contracted into a glare of sheer hatred. Her hands were clenched into fists so tightly that she was now rivaling Kyoko, though her right hand couldn't complete the ensemble with the small finger splint on it. That man... he was keeping this from her so that she would help fetch his precious relic. She had never wanted to hurt someone as much as she did right now; but she had to control herself, now he was the one holding all of the cards, and he knew it. She couldn't afford to ruin her chance at this because... as much as her father always told her not to blame herself, she had.

She had to find out what he knew, she just had to. It was making her sick to her stomach thinking about how pathetic she was sounding in her own head right now, but if she wasn't the reason her mother died, then who was? If there was foul play involved, then those who were responsible needed to pay. Nothing else really seemed to matter to her now, not any of this mystic, ancient lore, just the task that needed to be completed so that she would get the information she needed.

'Damn you Slythe, is this how you get everyone to work for you?' Reina cursed him mentally. She took a breath, then spoke slowly, "Fine. I'll do what you want to get what I want, but don't expect me to smile all the way." She tried to keep her voice from shaking with anger, but there were a few points where it showed through. She didn't care what Slythe thought of this; it was already obvious that his plan had worked, but it was a little embarrassing in front of Rosairie and Kyoko, not to mention Valen.