Denali's Office

-There's a rather meek-sounding knock at the door.-

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

The door is opened, and there sits Denali, smiling, "HIIIIIIIII Lucius!" they respond.

"Back for another session?"

N's Castle

-Pent sticks back a little, something feels wrong...-

-Thunder cracks, illuminating a figure on a wall. This large and rugged absolute unit of a mon wears a wide-brimmed hat upon his head connected to a cowl bearing both large round natural ears and smaller pointed peaks bringing to mind other beasts... He stands, poses and brings his cloak close before leaping high into the air as the lightning fades!-

Oh. Great, was wondering when that'd show up...

In scorching day, in blessed night!
No evil shall escape my sight!

-I'm sorry what? That's not—

-The totally awesome and badass figure does a flip in midair and begins gliding towards the group!-

Let those who worship evil's light, beware my coolness!
-The mysterious and awesomely rotund figure lands on the framework of the well (fyi the bit that holds the bucket and the roof, that part) and poses majestically as another thunder strike illuminates the fear-striking form of this powerful Loudred!-

THE BWAHHHTMON'S MIGHT!!!
Rabbid!Pentigan The Bwahhhtmon has joined the party!

Oh great...

~Creak... Creak. Crack. Flump!~

Rabbid!Pentigan has left the party

-As the wooden frame of the well collapses under the weight and the Loudred falls in, yes-

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Denali's Office

-Lucius nods as he steps through the door, smiling rather sheepishly.-

Lucius: Uh, yeah. Hi again. Hope this isn't a bad time. I would've called ahead, but... well, I'm lazy.

-He takes a seat.-

Lucius: I figured I ought to check in and all that, though honestly, I've been doing pretty good lately. Um... relatively speaking, of course.

Edited by Herbert40k on Aug 18th 2018 at 12:47:18 PM

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

Interpol HQ, reception area

Shutter waits by the reception area as the help desk processes his paperwork. On his hands are a mess of documentation, including copies of his questions on the rifts and the security threats they pose, requests to use declassified rift footage, and a thick-ish folder marked PETERSEN. Beside him are a kabuto and a magnemite.

Interpol HQ

-Before JD can respond to Shun, there is another ping as a second notification appears on his computer.-

Shun: One moment. It appears we have a guest, and they would rather an officer deal with him rather than a receptionist.

-He stands up and heads to the reception area - which might surprise Shutter, since he's being greeted at Interpol headquarters by a seventeen-year-old boy in a suit who's barely more than five feet tall.-

Shun: Can I help you?

Edited by Herbert40k on Aug 18th 2018 at 1:48:57 PM

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

"Yeah I heard," Denali responded with a sly smile, "Rumor on the streets is you spent the night with Xern."

Denali shrugged, "No biggy, personal relationships are important. Doing better is good, hopefully you're moving on from your self destruction because I also got something for you!"

Before Lucius floated a black opalesque gauntlet, "Ta-da! I'm a rock of many talents and tastes!"

Denali smiled before pulling out a notepad, "What do you say? Need a hand?"

Rip handed Harold the gym badge and smiled, "Takes me back to my action movie days," he said wistfully.

Harold nodded, "Lot of fun memories?"

"Mostly concussions, never do your own stuntwork."

"Oh."

Stylus was standing on a table to be at better eye level with Rip, sure he was the pokemon in this situation but he was rather prideful in mon form.

"Oh and one last thing before you head out," Rip said, "Can I pet your Lucario? He seems like the type that's very pettable."

<When I'm dead!> Stylus growled, Oliver just stared.

<Is he always like this?>

<He doesn't like being petted in Pokemon form. He doesn't connect well to people,> Amber explained.

Interpol HQ Reception Area

The night before, Gimbal spent her time yammering about how he saved a short junior Interpol officer in the intervening event, something that Tommy was glad to have confirmed from his hidey hole. He seemed to match the description, but was was peculiar was that he was even shorter than they described him.
He reached out and shook his hand, trying very hard not to stare downwards too much.
Shutter: As a matter of fact, yes, officer. I'm Gavin Albright from the Geographic Society, currently here on assignment for our recent documentary project. I've come for two reasons, the first is that I've few questions for the documentary, especially with regard to the safety of the civilian populations since the arrival of the rifts. I'm here both to schedule a talking head interview with some of the senior officers and share a few questionnaires to the junior ones.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Aug 18th 2018 at 9:01:44 PM

Interpol HQ

-Shun raises an eyebrow at Shutter as he shakes his hand.-

Shun: Oh? I'm assuming you have clearance for that. In any case, I do believe most of the senior officers stationed here are currently preoccupied, but I can answer any questions you may have.

Denali's Office

-Lucius goes rather red at the mention of Xerneas.-

Lucius: Erm... yeah, that happened. Again, I... I think it was good for me, in the long run. He's really forgiving and understanding and amazing in the sack but having a personal connection with a legendary like that helps prove that I'm moving forwards, kinda.

-He blinks as Denali produces their opal prosthetic.-

Lucius: Oh, uh... t-thanks, that's really nice of you, but I... I don't think I can accept it. Not yet, anyway. See, the way I've been thinking about it, the arm... it's basically my idiot tax. You know how hard it was to learn to do even the simplest things with my non-dominant hand? I'm still struggling with it, still fucking up. But every time I struggle, that's a reminder of the mistakes that led me to that point. It's a reminder that things are hard for me because I made things hard for myself. Hopefully one day I'll get to the point where I don't need that reminder, where I can try to forget what she did to me... but I don't think I'm quite there yet.

-He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.-

Lucius: Actually, now that I mention it... do you mind if we talk about her for a bit? I... that moment's been weighing on my mind for a while now.

Edited by Herbert40k on Aug 18th 2018 at 2:05:24 PM

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

Interpol HQ

Shutter: Well, I sent the request for declassified footage the week I arrived here at Kalos. Could take weeks to process, so they say; I only brought it up to follow up on it. But anyway you have the option to have it taped (if you can spare a minute) or have it recorded in a different format.

Shutter hands him both a questionnaire and the thick folder labeled PETERSEN.

Shutter: I also have this. It's some of the findings one of our junior writers have found regarding some of the suspected individuals we believe may be connected to yesterday's incident.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Aug 19th 2018 at 2:06:12 AM

"Good! Positive relationships and wanting to talk about them are always pleasant. Now, as for that idiot tax remark!"

Denali just has the most serene smile as the Opal hand starts floating, forms a fist, and decks Lucius.

"THAT'S FOR DOING NUMEROUS STUPID THINGS AND THEN TRYING TO EXCUSE THEM WITH THE IDEA THAT LOSING YOUR ARM IS A FUCKING PENANCE YOU DUMBASS BASTARD!"

A quick deep breath, "Sorry about that," Denali continues as the hand drags Lucius back onto the couch, "Just felt the need to get that out, but suffice to say. I don't view the idea of your mutilation as a just punishment, that implies that because you have lost a important part of your body that you are struggling to adapt without suddenly means that your idiotic actions aren't so bad anymore."

Denali took another deep sigh, "Seriously, the idea is healthy understanding. Guess what, you fucking dying or getting maimed is not healthy and you should not view it as a positive, it is something horrific that happened to you."

Denali picked up their notepad, uncorked an entire bottle of wine and downed it in seconds and then looked at Lucius, "You may begin."

Interpol HQ

-Shun takes the folder and the questionnaire from Shutter, trying to conceal the smile forming on his face.-

Shun: You have evidence regarding yesterday's incident? This will get you all the time you want. What exactly do you know about these people?

Denali's Office

-Lucius recoils as Denali strikes him with the prosthetic.-

Lucius: OW! What was that for? Because you think I see it as a positive? No! It's a horrible, fucked up thing that happened to me, but unlike most of the horrible, fucked up things that've happened to me over the course of my life, this was 100% the result of my own decisions. It's not just and it doesn't excuse anything, but at the very least it means I won't forget. Not that there was ever really a risk of that anyway...

-He sighs.-

Lucius: ...I'm not gonna lie, masked women viciously assaulting me has been a recurring theme in my nightmares for a long time. Read into that however you want, but Shard... Shard is something else. I keep coming back to her, in my mind. Everyone else I've suffered at the hands of, I could at least understand them, but Shard... it's like she was never a person to begin with. Just a homunculus of anger and misguided purpose stuffed into a suit of combat armour and unleashed on the world.

Edited by Herbert40k on Aug 18th 2018 at 2:34:12 PM

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

Interpol HQ

Shutter: They're all in the folder by our junior writer Petersen. I'm surprised it was as thick as it was. Our junior writer Thomas Petersen tried to send this to you sooner, but the incident intervened. He and my rotom Gimbal covered that event yesterday; I may be able to get some of their photos in as forensic evidence... would you like to meet them personally?

Edited by MasterJayAM on Aug 18th 2018 at 9:40:59 PM

Denali stared at Lucius for a good few minutes, "Lucy boy... Sure you could understand the others, but Shard isn't like that. Let's let Alfred from the Dark Knight sum this up."

A TV appeared and on it appeared a very significant scene.

"I saw a child playing with a ruby the size of a Watmel Berry, the bandit had been throwing them away?"

"So why steal them?"

"Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."

The TV turned off and Denali looked at Lucius.

"This Shard may just be like that, she never had any motivation beyond "because". Possibly, I can't exactly diagnose her when she's not here."

stormchaser

-Oh look, Lila is back. With a nice new z-ring too.-

Edited by QuantumMelody29 on Aug 19th 2018 at 5:14:04 PM

I used to plug my deviantart here but turns out the link was too long.

N's Castle

-There is suddenly a roar from within the well-

-A coffin-bound ghostly Exploud, vines sprouting from it and Day Of The Dead tattoos adorning it, emerges from the well clutching the Bwahtmon-

-Several Peek-A-Boos pop up as well-

-As do a few Haunter-

Lina: ...Ah shit.

Contact Me!

R S M - Escape Room

Shinobi: -Blinks at the sudden appearance of the forced open elevator-

<Hah, just in time for the party!>

-He wastes no time in hopping onto the elevator and flinging some Water Shuriken at bots advancing on the others-

Down: <If this is a party, I'd hate to see your version of a disaster>

Shinobi: -Chuckles, then pauses when he see's Down's new form- <Guess you guys were busy>

-The Xatu chirps-

Hajime: "Thanks... We can talk more about whoever these kids were inside."

He and Rumba head in.

Mandrake: <Kaine! There you are!>

"life is just a series of increasingly canon-eluding ao3 tags" ~ everydunsparce "Keep your hellfruit away from me, tempter" ~ also Every

Interpol HQ

-Shun nods at Shutter just a touch too eagerly.-

Shun: I would like that very much, if it's possible.

Denali's Office

-Lucius purses his lips.-

Lucius: Maybe. I'm not sure it's that simple... though it's not like I ever got a chance to properly talk to her. Still, whatever the case, I do know one thing for sure. She's dangerous, and she needs to be stopped before she gets the chance to hurt anyone else.

Edited by Herbert40k on Aug 19th 2018 at 11:52:33 AM

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

N's Castle, far past

-Ann and co immediately head for cover and start shooting-

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

N’s Castle, Considerable Past

“ Not today, honey,” Colton teased as he shadowported back to Sylveon and Kazuma’s location, the former having tagged out with Julius, who had also become human.

All of them fired a few shots from Pot Shot, Cold Blood and Category 5 at the midboss.

[Insert Unoriginal Stinger Here]

Interpol HQ

A brown-haired Unovan man arrives at the Interpol office, hurriedly catching his breath. He had apparently stopped to develop a few photos. He was just an inch shy of Shutter's height but had a leaner, more athletic build, and wore the same blue-black T-shirt with the Geographic Society logo front and center. On his other hand, he had an orange-colored phone that most conscious observers would know doesn't come in orange.

Shutter: Just in time, Thomas.
Tommy: Before you say anything, Gavin, I did my most urgent assignments before coming here.
Shutter: Did you run all the way here?
Tommy: The nearest photo place here is a sprint away.

Shutter turns to Officer Shun.

Shutter: Officer, here's my assistant, Thomas.
Tommy: Thomas Andrew Petersen. Field correspondent for the Geographer Weekly.

The orange phone switched on.

Gimbal, via text-to-speech: Likewise me, Gimbal. Mr. Albright's creative partner.

R S M Elevator

-The Elevator begins to shoot up once everyone's inside-

-One Cultist tries to get on board, but the Magnemite becomes detached from the body!-

Magnemite:<Oh my! I feel so...so free! Like I could->

-Until Kainé bats it out of the elevator-

Kainé:<Hmph. Wouldn't be here if not for that ghost of yours. Came flying at us at mach 2.>

Nier:-relieved sigh-<Then Sylph made it alright...>

Weiss:I would certainly hope so.

Kainé:<The others are up top. Let's blow this hellhole.>

-Meanwhile, the Elevator continues it's ascent-

Interpol HQ

-Shun is more preoccupied with looking at Thomas than his phone, but still notes its unusual colouration, and the Rotom speaking through it.-

Shun: Ah, hello there. Good to meet you both.

-He extends his hand to Thomas.-

Shun: Detective Shun Hontou, International Police. Your colleague tells me that you were an eyewitness to yesterday's events?

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

Interpol HQ

Tommy shook the detective's hand.

Tommy: Yes, sir. I had went there to cover the event personally. I hid somewhere in the lower levels while documenting the event.
Shutter: A level of risk-taking that's quite par-for-the-course for Geographic Society correspondents, albeit not something I would've greenlit had I known the extent of the danger.
Tommy: As I was saying, I was able to flee to safety without attracting attention and later came back to retrieve my cameras, which I and Gimbal had left in the chaos that ensued. Some of the footage I...
Gimbal: *We*
Tommy: ...we took should be of a high enough resolution to be useful for identifying at least some of the perpetrators. And not to toot my own horn, Gimbal was responsible for providing both close-up footage of Whiptail and distracting the villain enough for you to run to safety. One of the few things I could see in the smoke at the time.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Aug 29th 2018 at 8:16:15 PM