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Post by KANE on Feb 22, 2012 0:48:35 GMT -5
She watched him closely as he seemed to debate what sort of question he’d ask her. Admittedly she was curious to know what he wanted to know, but at the same time she had a feeling he’d try to be too intrusive from the get-go of things. She didn’t know what he wanted to know, so she would guard her answers closely. He wasn’t going to get much from her easily, and he wasn’t her type. Not by a long shot. She tried to avoid associating with any of the notorious ‘Teams’ that swept the Regions or those that were too proud or stupid to realize how they affected those around them with their actions.
His question made her raise her eyebrows in surprise. She had expected something along those lines, yes, but not immediately. Was he really so bold? Or was he really so wanting to know? Either way, she would think about her answer. Unfortunately she wouldn’t get the enjoyment of denying his request for information right off the bat, but she would still give an answer that was painfully beating around the bush for the most part and annoyingly vague.
”Are you referring to the fact that I come from a tiny town but have somehow worked my way up from that to stand as one of the most powerful people in the Hoenn Region?” She put a piece of Corpish in her mouth as she chewed while that sat in the air, some tension mounting as though she took offense to the possible suggestion that she was from a tiny town would hinder her ability to become great. ”I gained my status as Leader by proving to be the most….’able-bodied’ for the position.”
She sighed and sat back, refusing to elaborate on that topic. The full reason for her gained position was something she disliked very much.
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Post by KANE on Feb 22, 2012 22:21:16 GMT -5
That had not been what he had been asking, at all. Was she really sincere when she said she was going to make an attempt, or had she simply said that to goad him into losing his anger? Well, if that was her intent, it was certainly not going to happen, not anytime soon. He had asked because he was curious; he had never heard of her before, after all, so naturally, he had to wonder how she had became region leader. It didn't matter at all what town she came from, because he had learned himself one's hometown didn't matter that much. Ruby, as well as Sapphire, had taught him that; not to mention what he had heard from the other regions. There, teams similar to his own had been defeated, also by kids; he couldn't blame Plasma too much however, since they had been thwarted by teenagers, at the least. Now that he thought about it, Ruby and Sapphire had really not done much; if they had just left him and Archie alone, things would have still turned out a disaster, and the end result would have been the same...hopefully. If no one realized what was happening, the world very nearly could have been consumed by endless droughts and endless rainfall, definitely not a good combination. "That doesn't answer the question, and you know it. Were you serious about trying to talk civilly to me? Because if so, giving poor answers is not the way to go about this, at all. Once again though, I understand why you might be reluctant to share anything with me, so..." he paused here to stick some more of the pokemon meat into his mouth; he was unsure what it was this time, but he did know it was delicious. He would simply have to compliment the chef later, whomever they might be. "I'll let YOU ask me whatever you want. That way, we'll be on equal footing and I can actually get answers that are worth something." he said, wondering if she would take up his offer. |
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Post by KANE on Feb 22, 2012 22:21:59 GMT -5
She couldn’t hide the smirk on her face at his response. He was unamused, but now she was…just slightly. It was better than sitting in tense silence and letting potential annoyance build. She was weighing the possible costs and benefits of responding truthfully to some of his questions or not doing so, or even giving an answer at all. A reaction like the one she had just gained was surely worth not giving an accurate answer or the one she knew he was looking for. However…it would probably wind up becoming rather boring quickly.
Oh well…a good plan but not one that would last too long.. she thought. Crossing her arms and taking her last piece of fish from the plate laid out before them, she left one piece more for him – that way they each would have had an equal amount to whet their appetites. ”I was perfectly serious.” she told him. ”As was I civil just then. Just because I agreed to be civil didn’t bind me to giving a full answer that you’d like.” Alyssa shrugged a bit, her white hair falling over her shoulders. ”However that game would get old relatively quickly.”
Sighing she closed her eyes to think of how to respond. ”It was like an election.” she told him. ”But there were no rallies in my name or that of my competitors. We basically threw our names in a pot while we competed amongst ourselves away from each other to earn the title. Some strived harder than others not to be the first to fall into the pit of elimination, others simply coasted through – like myself. Sometimes reputations helped, sometimes they didn’t. It was however you showed yourself off.
I distinguished myself thoroughly from the rest a couple of months ago, and that made the other competitors turn to acknowledge me as their leader. The nominees nominated one of their own…that sealed my position as it is now.”
She wouldn’t go into detail more than that, mostly because she didn’t want to and it would likely put her in a worse mood than when she’d first seen him.
”…as for you, is there any more backstory between yourself and Archie than what the general public saw? Is there more than two of you fighting for your opposing views, constantly trying to best and surpass the other? Or is that truly just it?”
It would do her some good to know this.
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Post by KANE on Feb 23, 2012 0:13:02 GMT -5
He wished he could tell her some grand story about himself and Archie. That they were perhaps best friends before their separate teams were formed, or that they had been rivals before their teams had been made. But no, unfortunately, there was not anything more to their rivalry than what the public had seen, though Maxie had admired the determination of the man, because he saw such determination in himself. He also doubted that Archie was truly gone; he was hiding somewhere, just as Maxie had hid somewhere, and one day, he would surely resurface. Men like him and Archie, they always resurfaced. While he thought of how to disappoint Alyssa, he went over her answer in his mind as he took the last piece of food. He noted that she had saved it for him, and wished he hadn't accused her of not being civil before, because what she had just done? It was completely civil. So, basically how she had got to her position was that a bunch of people had thrown their names into a pot to be the leader for Hoenn, and then said nominees basically chose her to be the leader? Well, that was interesting, though he had the feeling there was more to it. She had mentioned reputation, something about that helping, and surely she wouldn't have just been nominated randomly by the nominees. No, she certainly did something, and if he had his way, he would find out. But right then wasn't the time to find out, so instead, he placed his hands on the table, clasped together like his fingers had been before. This...date, if it could be called that, had turned out a lot more interesting than he had thought it might; he had thought that Alyssa would have stormed off a few minutes into it, but no, she was delightfully kind. He felt that the right decision had been when the nominees had nominated her, though he was still curious about why...another day, perhaps. "There was never anything more to me and Archie than what the public saw. No childhood rivalry, no knowing each other previously, or anything like that. I have to say that I respected him though. Much like me, he persevered despite what his plans were," Maxie told her, wondering what to ask her. Or perhaps, he might just tell her something; yes, since it seemed the food was done, it stood to reason that their date would be done soon too. "By the way, Alyssa, have you ever wondered where a lot of your, that is, Nox's, funds come from? Let me tell you where...they come from me." |
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Post by KANE on Feb 23, 2012 0:13:47 GMT -5
So, there really wasn’t anything more to them? She didn’t want to believe that. Surely, that would have made their story and rivalry more interesting but not every feud between people had to have some deep-seeded origin, right? She hardly had any rivals aside from those she’d earned herself through battling. She viewed some people as her rivals, but more often than not that was simply one-sided and her own ambition driving her to see them as such.
The knowledge that he respected his rival was news to Alyssa, and as much as it pained her to admit, it made him less of a low-ranking person in her mind. Respect for a rival was something she wanted to see more in younger trainers than anything. However, seeing it from somebody older than herself, and further somebody that had become known for wreaking havoc in one way or another by butting heads with another person was all the more…what was the word she searched for, admirable?
I hardly want to admire Maxie or Archie for anything, though… she thought in mild frustration.
”Interesting.” she murmured before looking over at him again.
”Have I ever wondered?”
She thought for a moment. ”I’ve wondered, yes. As I gained rank many veils that had previously blocked my knowledge from some subjects lifted. Though still, a number of them remained in place. However, I would be curious to know what’s still hidden behind the veils that remain.”
A small idea was forming in her mind, but now she just had to wait to solidify that idea as true or false.
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Post by KANE on Feb 23, 2012 22:11:37 GMT -5
So she did want to learn...was then the time to drop the ball and let her know all about Team Magma's resurgence? He hesitated on that bit, simply because he wasn't sure at all. For once in his life, he was completely unsure about something, and he thought about berating himself for even bringing it up in the first place. But no, the past was the past, and so, it belonged in the past; he had to figure out what to say now that might appease her, but there was nothing...nothing other than the honest truth. "I honestly would have thought you might have figured it out by now, Alyssa; you seem like a pretty sharp girl," he stated; yes, paying compliments to her was a good way to ease the anger that was sure to sprout up once he dropped his news on her like a bomb. Plus, they were still on a date, technically, which meant he was in the right when it came to giving her a compliment like that. Not to mention the fact that she's just plain pretty too he reflected, before letting a dramatic sigh escape from his lips. "It's inevitable that you would find out, so I think it'd be better for you to find out from someone directly involved. Team Magma...it's back, though it is short one important member. And before you launch into a tirade, think about how much I've changed; if I've changed this much, don't you think that Team Magma's purpose, or rather, its goals, have changed too?" Maxie stated. Although it wasn't the truth, their goals changing, it wasn't a lie either, so he was perfectly fine with letting her believe that the goals of Magma were different now than what they had been before. [/b][/quote] |
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Post by KANE on Feb 23, 2012 22:11:53 GMT -5
What she’d said was the truth – upon gaining her rank she had learned more than a normal Nox grunt, she had learned where a good portion of the funds for Nox came from. However, there remained a large portion of anonymous benefactors that donated to the cause for what they believed was right. Alyssa had a certain confidence that many had hidden themselves within the ranks of their sympathizers. It would be interesting to see if any were actually classified as Lux due to status as a normal citizen. she mentally commented.
A pretty sharp girl, huh? What was he doing suddenly, complimenting her on something like her intelligence? What’s he playing at? Leaning forward, she took her glass between her fingers again and raised it to her lips, sipping the cool liquid within it. The angle of the glass against her lips reverted back to normal when she was done with her drink, though held it against her chin as though she were contemplating taking another sip when he sighed. Tilting her head slightly, she watched him through her bangs, a feeling welling within her that he was about to tell her something rather important.
She would know what he had been ‘playing at’, as the thought had went.
”Team Magma…it’s back.”
…
…
…
What?
The glass slipped from her fingertip grasp and plummeted to the floor, shattering as soon as he finished speaking as though the timing of it all had been rehearsed. She stared at him, her cerulean eyes wide with shock, and her face expressionless aside from that. People had looked up at the sound of shattering glass, but quickly went back to their own business – seeing as it was rude to stare, and they had more important things to be doing.
Youre joking. she thought with disbelief, though her gut feeling told her he was being completely serious, and she had no reason to doubt his words other than he was near the top of the list of people she didn’t like.
Of all the questions that raged through her mind like a blistering fire, she was only able to utter one, her voice icily quiet as she controlled the outburst she so desperately wanted to allow to escape her lips.
”Why?”
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Post by KANE on Feb 24, 2012 0:39:41 GMT -5
Had he been expecting a reaction, however small, of some sort? Oh yes definitely, he had been, but could he have ever predicted the dramatic way in which she would react? Really, she might as well have shouted that they were having a super duper big talk right then and that everyone was invited to listen in. Still, he supposed it wasn't fair to think of her as childish for losing her cool like that; she seemed to have a deep hatred of Magma, for whatever reason. It wasn't as if what they had done had personally harmed people, after all; well, maybe the drought part had killed a few people, but not many at all. So he wondered what her problem was; even the volcano he and Magma had tried to make active again hadn't harmed people, because it really hadn't ever became active. So yes, he was a bit in the right to think her childish, but he kept those thoughts to himself as he waited for a response, any kind of response, to what he had just said. When she did give a response, he wanted to laugh, but he didn't, because this was completely and utterly serious. "Why does Team Magma lack an important member? Why is it providing Nox with funds? Why aren't we on Lux's side? Why aren't we fighting Team Aqua, wherever they are? Clarification, Alyssa; it's really helpful," he was antagonizing her, he knew, but his ego just couldn't help but do it; curse his ego. "I suppose what you really want to know is why we're back. Well, I'll tell you. I believe in a world free of Lux's tyranny, and I'm sorry to say that some don't agree with that. However, by revitalizing Team Magma, I drew in some people initially not sympathetic to Nox, simply because they still held such idealistic views when it came to Magma," he stated, before looking contemplatively at the table between the two of them. "Right. If you punch me, make sure you avoid damaging the table. We don't want to make an even bigger scene." |
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Post by KANE on Feb 24, 2012 0:39:58 GMT -5
Alyssa remained staring at him in silence, her expression not wavering in the slightest as he blue eyes remained locked on his. He had to be kidding. Surely he must be. But no. He was serious. She knew he was serious as soon as the words left his lips – the gut feeling she had only confirmed it, and she could do nothing to combat the truth, no matter how terrible it was, and how desperately she wanted it to remain a dream and not the reality they were living. His response made her remain staring at him, her expression remaining unwavering.
He was laughing at her. Although it wasn’t obvious by any stretch of the imagination, she knew he was. For her broad question. There were so many routes he could take to answer that, he was right, but there really only was one answer she sought. Why was Magma still alive period? Hadn’t their terrible failure alongside Aqua been enough to put somebody out of business permanently? Since Magma was still alive, she had to give him some credit for having the guts to continue despite the disdain from practically all of Hoenn falling on his shoulders – changed ideals and changed leader or not. She would not take this lightly.
Hoenn was her Region now – no longer just her home. She had the responsibility that the Champions Lux unseated once held, and then some. If he did anything to make her question his intentions...she would personally see to it Magma was ended.
”A world free of Lux’s tyrannical rule and enforcing of laws and restricting rights…that is the epitome of what Nox stands for. You and Team Magma may still exist, despite having kept this well hidden from the general public…” she told him, standing and walking over to look down at him slightly from standing beside him. ”…and so long as you support Nox, I cannot and will not do anything. However, just know that if you stray from the path you claim to have paved and are following, I will eradicate you from Hoenn personally.”
She paused, clenching her fist, before letting her hand open flat and raising it, delivering a swift, sharp slap to the red-haired man’s jaw. That was a warning. ”That is a promise.” she told him. ”If you threaten my Region at all with some insane plot you come up with again - beyond toppling Lux’s ideals alongside the rest of Nox, you will have me to answer to.”
Alyssa straightened and rolled her shoulders, dropping her hand to her side.
”This meeting wasn’t exactly what I expected, but it didn’t go as terrible as I’d anticipated. We will see each other again…that I am sure of.”
Turning on her heel, she walked slowly out of the restaurant.
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Post by KANE on Feb 29, 2012 20:24:03 GMT -5
Maxie noticed her eyes narrowing, but did not comment on it at all. After all, there was zero reason to bring up old wounds, especially when it seemed that she was willing to forget them in light of the fact that it was a day for love. He doubted that she honestly believed there was a chance of that happening between them though, based on how she had acted when she had first seem him. Besides that, there was the matter of her hair. True, she had all the signs of youth aside from said hair, but whenever he looked at it, it always made him think of an old woman. He wondered just how it was that she got by in life with hair like that, how she was able to live cracks about old age down, for surely she had to receive them. That, or people never said anything about it, owing to her reputation as Nox's Hoenn leader. He thought about those thoughts, and Alyssa's words, as he stuffed another piece of fish into his mouth; hm, Krabby. Yes, he was positive that this had to be a Krabby; he had dined on the exquisite pokemon before. He remembered the first time he had ever became conscious of the fact that a lot of food was made out of pokemon; he had been a young boy. At first, he had been horrified, because it was obvious to him and others his age that pokemon were sentient creatures, based on the fact that they cared about people. But he tried his best to steer his thoughts away from that direction, because really, he had to concentrate on what to say to Alyssa. Or rather, what to ask her; what could he ask first? Hm, he pondered that as he looked away from the meal between them to look at her. He narrowed his eyes a bit too as he clasped his fingers together. "Hm...what to ask you. I know. How is it that you managed to become the regional leader for Hoenn? And why did you become the regional leader?" he questioned; that was a fairly basic question to ask, especially considering that it was not private in the slightest. At least, he didn't consider it private, but then, he probably had different notions of what private meant compared to Alyssa. He was, after all, the leader of Team Magma, which meant that he had to be okay with some things not being private. Such as the fact that Courtney was positively devoted to him; she would likely not hide THAT in public even if he asked her to. |
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