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 Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2019 9:02 pm
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Reno would roll his eyes as Sub did his level best to steer the conversation immediately away from anything resembling confrontation. "First, Taurus-s**t you have no more secrets. I can name three off the top of my head the others don't know, two of which I'm actually certain on. Second, I could kick your a** at any contest we have. Name the time and place." Reno responded, staring into Sub's eyes again as he did his best convey his unheard third, which would be this conversation wasn't over. Just paused. "As for checking out Johto.....I'd be interested to see something in Johto that wasn't a back alley, a crime base, or a place I robbed. Which, again, you had me doing, Sub." Reno chided, looking at the rest of the Snagems as he attempted to discern who else might have been picking up on Sub's little hints. And...well, at least Terashi seemed like he had noticed. Blame the psychic powers? Oh well, either way it was time for some relaxing and potentially observing Sub in an effort to see what strangeness he was going to instigate for them now. And pray to whatever would listen that the strangeness in this case wasn't what Reno's worst case scenario thought was.
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2019 10:43 pm
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Lykas would immediately approach Reno when he started up his tangent on Sub but he had words to share as well. "Where the hell do you get off acting like we're all saints here? We all joined Sub for our own reasons, some of us more selfish and some of us more selfless, sure. But in all, we're all guilty of being secretive with people, having our own stories we don't want shared and things that could be harmful to others or ourselves if they got out." He pointed out, poking the Psychic Channeler in the chest with an outstretched finger.
"Are you gonna start interrogating Odd next because he doesn't like to talk about his childhood? What abut me? I'm technically a criminal in Kanto, even if I was a minor the last time I got arrested." He pointed out. "Just because you have some high and mighty attitude doesn't make you better than anyone else. At least Sub had a justifiable reason for most of his secrets. What exactly is your excuse for you attitude?" He asked, implying he didn't believe Reno had one that was acceptable, wearing a "prove me wrong" look on his face as his lilac eyes trained onto Reno's waiting for a reaction.
He wouldn't get the chance to get an answer, however, before Sub's next statement caught him of guard. "I wouldn't mind a vacation, either. It would be nice to relax for a bit." While Reno had his own unspoken message for Sub, Lykas had one for Reno, shooting a look to the Channeler before he turned away at last, his look should easily convey "Lay off him before I lay into you.".
"Leave him be, Lykas. Reno might be a jerk to Sub but he has his reasons." Odd told his partner as the hybrid returned to his side. "They'll work things out between the two of them sooner or later. But those of us loyal to Sub regardless of secrets won't stop being loyal just because he still isn't honest with us." This was said loudly enough for Reno and Sub to both hear him but he made no indication which side he was on at the moment. He understood Sub's reasons existed but he also understood where Reno was coming from. Only time would tell when and if they all got the whole truth about what was going on.
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Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2019 9:47 am
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Sub frowned at Reno, not exactly the response he had hoped for but also not completely uncalled for. For a brief moment he was hopeful that things would simmer down as Ulla, Leon, and Keiko came in and some of the others showed interest at taking a little vacation but that sliver of hope died out once Lykas showed up and came to his defense. He really liked Lykas, he was a hell of a guy and always had his back no matter what however in this situation he was thankful that Odd showed up and tried to pull the proverbial leash on the hybrid.
"A'ight, let's calm down. Reno is right, I got a lot to answer for. So, to prove that I am being completely on level with all you, and honestly truly not just trying to hoodwink all of you...here." He said, taking the ring off his left ring finger, the black stone fixed to the silver bangle glimmering as the light bounced off of it. "My artifact. Never did give it a name. I want you to hold onto it, Reno. Sure, I can still lie without my Dark Channeling, trick people and what not, but think of it as a symbolic gesture. I am giving up my gifts, my ability to harness foul forces to prove that I am serious about turning over a new leaf. I want you to hold onto it until such a day comes where you personally feel like I have earned the right to have my Dark Channeling back." He explained as he held out the ring for Reno to take.
"Oh and I hate to disappoint you but I don't think you'll be able to read my mind now. Apparently that's something I can't turn off." He said with a chuckle, glancing over at Terashi as he too would certainly consider that prospect.
"So! With that said, is there anything you want me to admit to? Come clean about?" He asked Reno, sincere in his offer. "Anyone else have any questions they would like answered? Don't pass up this opportunity! Come on, hit me! You guys call me Sub but my real name is Victor Vahn Locke and I'm an all new man starting today!"
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Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2019 10:29 am
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I couldn't blame Lykas for stepping up to Reno. In fact, if he'd continued on his tirade on Sub any further, I'd be doing the same, though perhaps not as maliciously as Lykas did. Odd's attempt at being the voice of reason seemed to be working for the moment, but whether that effect would stay would be up to Reno. That said, my train of thought was derailed when Sub relinquished hold of his channeling artifact over to Reno. The man was serious about being transparent to his employees, that much was clear. Revealing his true name was just overkill in that regard, but it certainly sent a message. It also explained that 'V' business Night went on about back in the day.
That said, Sub did say something that I felt needing addressed. "Mind reading isn't my department. You'll want that one," I said, pointing to Reno. Sure, Sub probably meant that I'd be tempted to read his emotions, and he wouldn't be wrong about that in some situations, but I couldn't help but play on his words. "Besides, I wouldn't try that even if I could. I have no doubt you've seen more crazy stuff than I can even imagine, and I probably wouldn't come out of your mind the same person I was going in, so I'll pass, thanks." I explained, smirking slightly. I might have been quipping at him playfully, but in a way, I meant what I said. Thanks to messing with time if what Keiko said was true, he was a good deal older than me and, as far as I knew, was with the team since its founding.
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Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2019 4:43 pm
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"I wouldn't say he went against their wishes, per se," Sol countered. "In a way, he effectively gave both what they wanted. Ein was spared, but in such a way that he might as well be considered dead anyhow. A sort of Schrödinger-y approach, if you will. As for not telling us it initially, I've known Sub long enough to understand he usually has his reasons for it. Divided as we all were, I'd imagine he was divided too. That said..." A bit of a sigh would leave him, but for once, it sounded oddly content. "Having another chance to shed the old merc mindset for a while will be kind of nice now that there isn't some huge threat looming over us-"
It was at that moment that Sol realized one thing. Sub usually wasn't one to just up and reveal his name like that. "...case in point. I might be one to talk here, but I think I'll stick to the alias. After a few decades, you get pretty used to what you call someone. Plus, I feel like if I gave up my own alias, I'm fairly sure the outcome is most sticking to what they're already used to."
"I dunno, what do you ask someone when you already know almost everything about them? Though, maybe I should start calling you Commander Shades like you used to be called... nah, maybe not. That artifact, though... I think that might be the best choice you've made with it, if I can say anything about that."
"Huh?"
"Um. It's nothing."
Aden shrugged at the remarks and exchange, but seeing that ring saw him replaying a few events in his mind. "Hm. I'll be honest, I don't think I've really got any questions," he spoke up. "Pretty sure they've been answered in one way or another."
"I'll think of something, but I don't have any right now," Amaranth chimed in, though she did sound slightly disappointed at the potential ideas of a vacation seemingly going up in smoke. |
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Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2019 6:51 pm
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Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2019 9:35 pm
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Reno would square up with Lykas, alternating his gaze between the hybrid and Odd as he spoke. "My reason is the simple fact unlike whatever small potatoes secret that you have, Sub's secrets regularly and systematically attempt to annihilate us all, whether you know it or not. His whole out of sync with time thing basically drove me to....damn near everything bad that happened in my life. Hell, if you want a perfect example, there is his channeling." As he spoke, Reno would stretch out his arms for emphasis, unwittingly putting his left hand closer to Sub. "All of the power he has, that he wont ever give up, all comes....from..." He would pause mid-explanation, a metallic ting suddenly alerting him to the fact that Sub had just dropped his artifact directly into Reno's hand. And before he could get any momentum back for his explanation, Sub simply....up and admitted his real name. The name that Reno literally had to gain from a child's last vestiges of consciousness and power imprisoned by a hell creature of minds and death.
Sighing in resignation that he had been outplayed, Reno would speak up. "Hows about you explain to the rest of them how you got Sub as a name? I'm sure they'll be riveted and mystified by your life as a literal choir boy." He said, resigning himself to the wait and see mindset that Blizz had.
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Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2019 11:30 am
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2019 2:31 pm
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Reno Vantas Reno would square up with Lykas, alternating his gaze between the hybrid and Odd as he spoke. "My reason is the simple fact unlike whatever small potatoes secret that you have, Sub's secrets regularly and systematically attempt to annihilate us all, whether you know it or not. His whole out of sync with time thing basically drove me to....damn near everything bad that happened in my life. Hell, if you want a perfect example, there is his channeling." As he spoke, Reno would stretch out his arms for emphasis, unwittingly putting his left hand closer to Sub. "All of the power he has, that he wont ever give up, all comes....from..." He would pause mid-explanation, a metallic ting suddenly alerting him to the fact that Sub had just dropped his artifact directly into Reno's hand. And before he could get any momentum back for his explanation, Sub simply....up and admitted his real name. The name that Reno literally had to gain from a child's last vestiges of consciousness and power imprisoned by a hell creature of minds and death. Sighing in resignation that he had been outplayed, Reno would speak up. "Hows about you explain to the rest of them how you got Sub as a name? I'm sure they'll be riveted and mystified by your life as a literal choir boy." He said, resigning himself to the wait and see mindset that Blizz had.
"Sub's secrets aren't what's doing any of it. The secrets are always meant to try and protect us as long as possible. Up until he told us about his connection to Ein, how many times did we really have interactions with the guy?" Lykas pointed out rather plainly, looking straight ahead at the door frame across from him. "It wasn't until after we all learned about Sub's connection to Ein that the man became a major threat to any of us. Every time we encountered him before that, we actually forced ourselves into his path and he more or less ignored us unless we were actively getting in his way."
Odd shook his head to Lykas. "Not entirely true, Lykas. Ein was actively out to get us, eventually. He just wasn't in any hurry and wasn't making it obvious he cared until more recently." The Ghost channeler retorted. "But that doesn't change the fact that Reno seems to be letting his grudges guide his emotions." He added before looking rather calmly to Reno. "Every 'bad thing' that ever happened to you, pushed you in a direction. However, you had as much choice in whether that direction was good or bad as you had fate, destiny or whatever else you might call it, pushing you in it." He pointed out. "You could have decided that your direction wasn't a bad one. Especially after learning of Sub's connection to your past, you could have seen it as something guiding you to where you needed to be rather than forcing you somewhere against your will."
He heaved a small sigh before offering Reno and somewhat consoling smile. "Consider this for a moment: How many of us here do you consider friends? How many of us would be dead long before now had you not been directed to become a part of this group so you were around to assist us?"
Turning back to Sub again, both he and Lykas would nod in time, glancing between one another for a moment. "I think we'll stick with 'Sub'. It feels more like you after all these years." Odd told the man.
"I agree completely. 'Victor' sounds too normal for someone like you." Lykas agreed with a smirk to the Snagem leader. |
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2019 5:18 pm
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"Ouch, you're really trying to go for my spiritual throat today, aren't you?" Sub said in reply to Reno's request that he explain his chosen name. In an attempt to delay answering that particular question for just a little bit longer he paid attention to some of the other Snagems for awhile. "Yeah, Shades was my least favorite alias. Lame in hindsight." He replied to Cera, sighing in embarrassment that he actually went by that for a time. "Sometimes people give you a nickname, especially in criminal circles, and it unfortunately sticks." He shrugged.
That was when Ulla asked a question and he was more than happy to pick it up before circling back to Reno's. "Good question! Let's see...uh I think I should be about...sixty? Or rather I was born around sixty years ago, give or take a year I suppose. It's hard to give a definitive answer. The only reason I didn't age was like Ein was thanks to finding and spending a considerable amount of time at the Sinjoh Ruins. Time doesn't pass there, at all, if you will it to. I spent a lot of that stolen time to study and prepare for Ein. Wrote some books on information I collected, which you might have already read down in the library. Stuff like that." He answered Ulla.
Shooting Lykas and Odd a smile, thankful that they would still call him Sub, the Snagem leader remembered he still had yet to fulfill Reno's request and gave off an annoyed grunt. "It happened when I was still a child myself." He started. "I was raised by the monks of the Tin Tower in Ecruteak City. I never knew my real parents, the story goes I was abandoned as a child, dropped off at the tower and that's that. I never could discover the truth behind those claims, the monks had a policy of almost out right denying the orphans of the tower ever had parents in the first place. Something about detachment from the past and yadda yadda."
Grabbing a nearby chair he would sit down to finish the rest of his story. "Any who, when I was about twelve another orphaned boy was brought in, one a few years my junior named Subbarao. See where this is going?" He said, letting that question linger for a few seconds before continuing. "To make a long story short...er...he died unexpectedly one day. Killed by a Beedrill while trying to rescue a lost Hoppip from a tree. It devastated me, destroyed me in mind and spirit. I discarded my own name and fled the Tin Tower to start a new life, adopting the name Sub in homage of the fellow orphan I had grown to consider my own brother and only family. After that I jumped around from city to city, region to region, taking on new identities and living a life of crime. That was until my encounter with Ein which led me onto a path of redemption and to the present day."
With that said he turned his attention back to Reno. "That good?" He wasn't angry with the Psychic Channeler for having him tell that story, not in the least. He just didn't really care for reliving it.
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2019 6:59 pm
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"I think the reason you passed out is because you used up so much energy trying to fix my broken ribs and arm. Which, you did do for the most part - it just needed Doc Owl along with some days of rest to do the rest, and I'm grateful for that. "I wasn't as worried as I'd otherwise probably be because of that, but I'm really happy you're okay, now."
I didn't really have anything to say about Sub's story other than asking him whether he prefered Victor or Sub at this point, considering how much crime he's admitted to doing after taking the latter name for himself, but that could wait. Keiko did, however. "Wait, I feel like I've heard that story before. Didn't you say Subarrao died to a Clefairy and that's why you hate pink things?" she asked, looking at herself as if suddenly remembering she had pink fluff covering her feet, ankles, wrists, and most of her ears, and feeling a bit bashful as a result.
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Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2019 12:37 am
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Aile would get ready to say something to Sub as he came by, but something about his demeanor told her that she should hold off. She turned to took at Robert, who shrugged and brought out a device from his pockets, while he motioned his head to the rest of the Snagems, effectively telling her to pay attention, and he could wait. She nodded and leaned against the wall, listening to Sub and the others air their thoughts after his explanation. She purposefully kept herself from commenting, mostly because she wasn’t sure how to organize her thoughts. Finally, she shook her head, deciding to throw in a distraction. She nudged Robert before walking forward, clearing her throat. “Erm, so, sorry to probably distract from this discussion, but, I, ah, I have someone to introduce. I intended to do this in private, Sub, but, well..” She shrugged as best as she could, what with holding an egg and all. “I suppose this might be as good a time as any. So, everyone, this is my friend Robert, and someone I can fairly confidently say that is the reason I’m standing here currently. And he’s got a gift for us.”
The balding man gave Aile a bemused look as he put away his device, chuckling. “Hellofa introduction. I woundn’ta put it dat way, but I suppose if yeh tink so. So yeh, meh name’s Robert, an’ I’m just a simple barkeep, now. An’ all I did was find dis lass wanderin’ around. Anyhoo, as an initial tanks fer freein’ Orre, I figured dat I could call in a few favors from meh homeland. Teh start, I have a couple special eggs here. Dere’d be tree, but lil’ lassie here’s gettin’ one, regardless. Figure you’d be teh one teh know who should get dese oter two. One fire type an’ one grass type. Specifically, dey be deh starters dat one might get in Galar if yeh talked teh deh professor dere.” He waved his Blissey over, who held the other two eggs.
Aile blinked, looking down at her egg. “Ah huh… Wait, so this is Galar’s water starter?”
“Yeh, dat be a Sobble. Deh oter two are Socorbunny an’ Grookey.” The ancient looking Blissey would hobble up and hand Sub one of the egg containers, with a green ring on the bottom of it. “I at least wanted teh deliver dese in person, if notin’ else. Teh be able teh say tank yeh fer wat yeh did. I honestly appreciate wat yeh did fer Orre, even if it was a bit on a later den expected timeframe.” He gave a deep nod, pulling out a device for a moment and seeming to read something, then nodding and putting it back in his pocket.
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Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2019 6:29 pm
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"I dunno, it could work if you wanted to send your regards," Cera remarked. She didn't have anything to say about the story; she knew how it went and why there'd be a lot of displeasure in revisiting it. Instead, she'd look away a bit and hope the subject might change to one a tad less awkward.
Luckily, that would come quickly in the form of Aile and Robert, allowing Sol to also shift from the awkward realization that Sub was actually about as old as he was. "You know, I thought I recognized you," he remarked, looking towards Robert. "Apologies for how long it took and getting you wrapped up in all this, though. Wes and I could unfortunately only do so much, though the info you or the Kids Grid were able to provide was invaluable to our efforts. Anyway, Galar, you say?"
He thought of pulling out his SNAG to check for anything, but having not heard of the region before, he had his doubts that searching about it would yield anything. "Can't say I've heard of the region, let alone been there. Does explain why your accent's always been one I couldn't pin down, though. In hindsight, I should've just asked at some point. Not that I could afford to recently... I can assure you we'll take good care of those three, though."
"Hm... no, not a region I've heard of either," Aden chimed in. "May have to try and visit there sometime."
"Um, how old is that Blissey, if I can ask?" Amaranth asked, watching as she hobbled up to Sub. "She either must've came with you to Orre or been with you around when you moved..."
"Oh, um, nice to meet you? Feel like I've seen you a time or two, but I wasn't much for talking. Also, um... actually nevermind," Cera finally spoke up, feeling something about the eggs. Like they weren't far from hatching or something. There was definitely more energy coming from them than she expected, though. |
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Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2019 3:44 pm
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Espeon_Commander “Yeh, dat be a Sobble. Deh oter two are Socorbunny an’ Grookey.” The ancient looking Blissey would hobble up and hand Sub one of the egg containers, with a green ring on the bottom of it. “I at least wanted teh deliver dese in person, if notin’ else. Teh be able teh say tank yeh fer wat yeh did. I honestly appreciate wat yeh did fer Orre, even if it was a bit on a later den expected timeframe.” He gave a deep nod, pulling out a device for a moment and seeming to read something, then nodding and putting it back in his pocket.
Sub accepted the green ringed container, examining it with a healthy amount of curiosity. "Grookey, huh? Sounds like something loud and obnoxious. I have just the person to give them to." Sub said with a devious grin before setting it on an end table. "Tell me, Robert. Think you could procure a few more of these mystifying eggs? I can pay handsomely. And also tell me more about this place called Galar?" He asked the man, stepping up to him and throwing his arm around hi shoulders. |
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Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2019 10:13 pm
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Reply
