Something's missing.
[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
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And she's all too aware that her safety relies entirely on Maxie believing that she's still loyal to him. What he's just told her about the existence of different versions of people is a small blessing that might help convince him...but she doesn't know how true that actually is (and he certainly might just be toying with her), and he's already noticed how nervous she is...
Safe topics. Safe topics. Maybe he'll believe she's just having a hard time digesting the information.
Right. Good luck with that.
She settles herself in a more comfortable half-sitting/half-kneeling position that she hopes she isn't too tense to pull off.] Ten months, boss? But that's...
[She'll just let that linger. Let Maxie form his own conclusion about what she might have ( ... )
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Stop lying. I can't help you when you lie to me.
It's like hearing echoes, and hearing them from him hurts. Unconsciously, she grits her teeth hard, snarling.
And forgive her if she doesn't believe you when you say that, Maxie. She's heard it too many times from other people to believe it this time. She'll just keep lying, thank you, and you can go fuck yourself inside-out.]
I'm not lying.
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[His voice remains harsh, but there's a distinct sense of wariness behind his gaze; this? Is a vehement reaction. She usually knows better than to give him vehement reactions.
Though, again, he supposes he can't say that he blames her. It's just inconvenient to have to deal with.]
Try again. You know how little I tolerate lies.
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[This is stupidly risky, sticking to her story this way with Maxie circling her like that, prowling, but she can't take it back now, it's too late for that. And she's angrier than she probably should be, Courtney realizes. Her fingers are curling and uncurling in Ninetales' ruff, ready to scratch, to attack him, and that would be the stupidest thing she could possibly do but the desire is so strong now, pulling her like the tide...
It hits like a kick to the chest, with a deep thumping impact that echoes through her skull, and now it's familiar, the rage. Courtney almost buckles, and Ninetales' growling breaks free in a sharp bark that burns red across her mind.
How-how did he-]
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It's been a month and a half since the last for him; he still remembers what it feels like, the deep, steady burn pulsing through his system, intensifying - it's refinement, like ore tested in flame, searing away what remains of this life and returning the body, the vessel, to something ancient and primal and Groudon grant your strength to your follower before you
tear
him
apart -
...another episode, then. Not quite started yet. But getting there. A reaction. Kyogre.
He can feel it...]
Marge. Control it.
[His voice is firm when he speaks to her. Authoritative. Commanding. It can be done. Difficult. But it can be done. He and Archie would have ended each other many times over otherwise. Cave of Origin. This island. After Silent ( ... )
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Courtney takes a deep, shuddering breath, concentrating as hard as she can on maintaining control, trying to swallow the rage. It's hard, really, really hard, but she's done it before, it can be done. And she doesn't know how long it takes but she manages to force it out of herself and her mouth tastes like blood.
She can still feel it in the salt water of her pulse, but it's under control now. She has it under control. She just...wasn't expecting...
What had just happened? Why had that happened?]
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When he does move, it isn't towards her; he reaches out suddenly, his hand finding the wall of the cave, pressing firmly against it almost as though using it for support. He doesn't remember moving as a conscious decision but eventually he's leaning his back against that wall, sliding down to the ground, keeping his head down. Somewhere in there he knows that's exposing the back of his neck. He really can't bring himself to care. Right now, he just. Needs to calm down.
Come on, Maxie. You controlled both of them for hours. You can control this.
His breathing is coming jaggedly, in shallow bursts that send tremors coursing through his body; there's no real sound accompanying the gesture, but he's laughing...]
Get out.
[The words are dark. Almost guttural.]
If you know what's good for you, get out.
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