Something's missing.

[beautyburning]

[In Umbra Cave, or in one of the caves that aren't Umbra Cave but might as well be, there is a woman in a Team Magma uniform lying face-down on the stone floor, half-submerged in a still pool that takes up most of the back of the cave. She is unconscious at first, and wakes slowly. Interestingly, she does not seem perturbed by waking in an

Comments

oh dksjgkdfjgdfg /breaks hiatus for this

[lockedtrainer]

[ This Sapphire look-alike happens to be wandering into that particular cave! Her Castform is lingering by her shoulder as she looks around rather boredly, clearly just taking a walk for the sake of exercise.

Tallie doesn't notice Courtney yet, but with the way she's walking in her general direction, she will soon enough. ]

O-oh golly o//u//o

[beautyburning]

[Courtney's head whips around at the sound of footsteps, and she quickly recalls Ninetales and leaps up to an overhanging ledge, pulling back into the shadows of the overhang to watch.

When Tallie comes into view, Courtney's...not quite sure what to think. For the most part, she's known Sapphire only from listening to Ruby and from her own observations; she can'f quite remember if she's ever talked to the girl outside of a few confrontations. Her first inclination is to stay out of sight and observe, but...she woke up in a strange place wearing a Magma uniform, and it's definitely not a dream: the throbbing pain in her finger ensures that. So something strange has happened, something she can't explain, and she'd really prefer to find out what's going on now.She calls out Swellow and whispers quickly into the bird's ear. With a screech, Swellow launches itself into the air and dives toward Tallie, raking its talons across her scalp and tearing the bandanna from her head before returning to Courtney with its trophy. It drops the

I'm actually working on voicetesting Mack, so d-derp.

[lockedtrainer]

[ Tallie reacts to the Swellow a moment too late, so the bandanna is removed rather easily, leaving behind open wounds on her head. What guts to attack a trainer head-on! Her hand presses against her head instinctively as she follows the path of the Swellow back to its trainer.

She swears she could feel pure, raw anger boiling in her blood as she notices the trainer and, more importantly, her attire. Her eyes narrow and her hand rests on another Pokeball as Castform begins to prepare a Rain Dance, should the worst case scenario of a battle happen. ]

Don't act so pleasant.

... 83c!

[beautyburning]

[Courtney's smirk widens, and she leans against the cave wall, languidly scratching Swellow's crest. She seems almost insultingly relaxed.]

Problem? Chill...I'm not here to fight.

[leaguechallenge]

[Red hasn't even been on this island a month yet, so he's hardly had time to explore everything. These caves are interesting, but so far he hasn't seen anyone yet besides a handful of cave-dwelling pokémon.
...No, hold that thought.]

Hey, miss, are you alright?

[beautyburning]

[Courtney's head snaps up at the sound of Red's voice, but she relaxes quickly once her mind actually processes his words. No threat here. She shakes her head to clear it, then examines the boy thoughtfully.]

...Yeah, I seem to be. Thanks.

[Actually...]

Hey, kid. So what're you doing here?

[leaguechallenge]

I - well, if you're sure... [But she was in the water, and - ] I was just looking around.

[beautyburning]

Looking around, huh? Anything in particular?

[Ninetales, finished with its investigation of the cave itself, now flows over to the newcomer to inspect him closely, sniffing at his clothing and pack.]

[terra_et_sol]

You know, most people would just pinch themselves.

[Terra's being slightly cautious here. She knew a Courtney at one point, but isn't sure if this one's a double - she hasn't seen the one she knows in a very long time.

And of course, if this one's a double, revealing herself as Groudon would probably be a bad move, since she's still in a Magma uniform.]

Are you alright? Apart from the burn, I mean.

[beautyburning]

Pinching doesn't mean anything. [Courtney's still looking around thoughtfully, too preoccupied with her surroundings to register the other woman at first. Only when Ninetales nudges her hand does she actually look at Terra. Her brow creases slightly.] ...I didn't hear you come in.

[terra_et_sol]

I think that's because you were unconscious when I came in. I don't think we actually noticed each other until just now.

[Well, okay, Terra noticed her when Ninetales got sent out, she just didn't draw attention to herself until just now.

She leans down, offering Courtney a hand up.] You'd think I'd notice someone laying in the water like that. Need a hand?

[beautyburning]

[Oh. Right.] ...Makes sense. [She waves the proffered hand away, pulling herself to a kneeling position with a grunt.

Oh. She didn't realize she was so sore. Ow. Okay. She's rethinking turning down the help now, and grabs the woman's hand.] Thanks.

[aquaboss]

[Contrary to popular belief, there are some things that Archie is downright [i]terrified[/i] of. One of them would be caves. In fact, getting him to set foot in a cave would have been remarkably difficult back home. But this isn't Hoenn, and he's also not that far into the cave - he can still see the exit, so Archie's fine for the moment. Plus, he's got Gyarados out. If the Pokemon can't fit, there's no way he'll go in. Simple, really. And it's a great way to tell if he'll be getting claustrophobic any time soon

alksjhf

[beautyburning]

[Oh. Oh.

The last time she heard that voice...well, she can't quite remember what happened, but the almost-memory haunts her sleep sometimes, waking her up gasping for air and unable to remember why. Even if that's a completely irrational reason to be afraid, the interactions she can remember having with the leader of Team Aqua were far from pleasant.

Not to mention that he's supposed to be dead. Dead and lost, months ago.

As soon as she unfreezes, Courtney's first reflex is to look for somewhere to escape; she can try to figure out what the hell is going on once she's safe. However, there's nothing there but blank walls and the pool in the floor: he and his Gyarados are blocking the only exit. Fuck.]

This is clearly the best relationship ever. |Da

[aquaboss]

[It actually takes Archie a moment to recognize her despite having dealt with Team Magma time and time again. The name doesn't come immediately - but he's sure he's seen her face before.]

Huh, so you're one of the Admins. [He still seems surprisingly relaxed despite the fact that this isn't his turf - but that's probably because you're new here. He sure as hell hasn't seen your face around here, at any rate.] Courtney, was it? [Archie actually seems to be talking more to himself. It becomes apparent after a moment that you're not exactly looking to pick a fight though.]

Y'know, I remember you bein' a lot more talkative. [And certainly not this tense. It's like you're from another world or something! Oh wait. You probably are. Huh. Well, no sense pointing that out yet. It feels good to be able to intimidate someone. He hasn't been doing a lot of that lately.]

yes |3

[beautyburning]

[Courtney fails to register Archie's first several sentences, preoccupied instead with trying to figure out a course of action and certainly not panicking in any way. There's nowhere to go, though, so she ends up pressing herself against the nearest wall with Ninetales bristling in front of her, just in time to catch the tail end of what he's been saying.]

...Sorry to disappoint.

Apologies for lateness; I've been ill.

[oceansbane]

[Those cave systems run rather deep, you know - trace them back far enough and they'll drop down, a good ways under rock and soil and if you continue to follow, the heartbeat of the land is audible. Not as strong as it was in Hoenn, perhaps, when the land energy was high. But audible. Providing comfort in its own way, when Groudon becomes intolerable

O-oh gosh, no worries. :'D Proceeding to keymash now.

[beautyburning]

[For the first several seconds, all Courtney is able to do is stare speechlessly at her - somehow alive, somehow right there - leader. There are so many reactions going through her mind that none of them are even distinguishable; all she's left with is utter shock.

She does the first thing that comes to mind and drops to one knee in front of him, sweating.] L-...Leader. [Somehow she can't get her voice under control. Ninetales, perturbed by her mistress' distress, crowds closely to her side, teeth very slightly bared.]

[oceansbane]

[Oh, he's very alive. And on good days, he still exists. On bad days...well.

Let's hope you don't catch him on a really bad day, shall we?]

Mmhmm. Don't worry; you're safe for now.

[He doesn't remain where he is, though he doesn't directly approach her, either; he knows better than to do that with Ninetales on the defensive. Instead, his movements are closer to pacing, following a sweeping, steady arc, his gaze fixed intensely on her; there are several reasons why this one might be anxious around him. Some are decidedly more...pleasant than others, when the 'other' options involve things like Tentacruel and rock slides and taking great pleasure in snapping her spine.

Just the same, he's not displeased to see her. The smirk is more than sufficient evidence of that, though his gaze burns.]

I assume you've just arrived?

[beautyburning]

[Before they'd released Groudon, Courtney had never been afraid of Maxie, not exactly - wary, certainly, because he had dangerous moods, especially when he'd been drinking, and it would be foolish to be anything else - but she'd trusted him, up to a point, and he'd never touched her. He was dangerous, but not to her. She'd never had to fear danger from him, as long as she stayed smart.

Now...she isn't sure she's smart enough, this time. She's able to hold his eyes for a few moments, but it's hard, and she realizes that it would probably be a lot safer not to. In fact, it would probably be wisest in general to choose the safe route, here.

Her throat is dry, and she has to clear it before she's able to speak.] A...arrived?