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

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?

[oceansbane]

[You can have a flippant gesture for your effort, you. Generally dismissive of the question, though his gaze remains locked firmly on her.]

Well, given that you thought you were dreaming, you certainly didn't start out here, did you?

[beautyburning]

[Her mouth twists. Humiliating...] Right. Of course.

[oceansbane]

[He laughs a bit at that, the sound darkly subdued.]

So anxious, Marge - why don't you relax? Aren't you happy to see your leader?

[ He pauses in his pacing, having contented himself with getting a good look at her; he draws his left hand back to rest it against his hip, his fingers kneading lightly into the fabric of his coat.]

Or would you rather be alone right now? I can think of several reasons why things may have changed. I wonder if they're the same as yours.

Tell me your thoughts.

[beautyburning]

[All right. Those questions aren't good questions. Combined with the predatory look in his eye, Courtney really doesn't want to answer them. Play it safe - she tries to think of something noncommittal she can say. It's difficult, given how incredibly distracting Maxie is.]

Just...confused, boss.

[shut up she is not at her best right now]

[oceansbane]

[He tips his head a bit, seeming to think that over for a moment, though his gaze doesn't leave her. She really is anxious, and despite his earlier wording he can really only think of one reason why she might be responding to him like this.

Admittedly, it's a very, very good reason...but. Technicalities.]

Oh, but that doesn't answer anything, now, does it...?

But I'm in a good mood, and since you've just arrived here, for now I shall humor you - the important thing is that you're no longer in Hoenn. This place is an island; some say it's another dimension altogether. Given what I've seen, this is both the most ridiculous explanation I've heard and yet the one that makes the most sense.

It exists outside of our world. Pulls people in whenever it likes, from wherever it likes. Sometimes you get more than one of the same person, though they're not the same at all, really. For example, there's another version of myself running about right now. You'll know him when you see him; he's the pathetic, uncoordinated individual currently

[beautyburning]

[Courtney's surprised - Maxie's actually allowing her to slip out from under his (uncomfortably focused) examination; he's actually moved to the safe subject himself. She doesn't let herself hope that this means she's out of danger, though. As much as she'd really, really like to.

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

[oceansbane]

[If he notices anything off about the change in her stance, he doesn't comment on it; though it's not in direct response to her movements, he adjusts his own as well, folding his arms lightly across his body, low against his abdomen.

Though the gesture is casual, his gaze is alive. Burning.]

It can be considered many things, I'm sure. If you don't believe me, I suggest you wait until you've spent some time here. See the place for yourself. Get to know it properly.

[His hand tightens slightly against the fabric of his sleeve, bunching the material a little before releasing it; it's a slow, steady process, over and over, though it's something he doesn't seem terribly aware of. It's an idle motion, really - something for his body to do while his mind works. After all, he's been very aware of exactly how separate one's mind and one's body can become since Groudon had overtaken him in the cavern; if the...unfortunate incident a bit more than a month ago is any indication, this place doesn't intend to let him forget.]And now that you

[beautyburning]

[Courtney's fingers clench slightly, and Ninetales growls momentarily at the rough treatment, but Courtney was prepared for something like this and is able to reply with only a little hesitation.]

I'm...not really sure. [That, at least, isn't a lie. She has a lot of memories of what happened, and even more memories missing or incomplete, but she can't seem to put them in any kind of order right now. She isn't even exactly sure what she'd been doing before waking up here. That's...perturbing, now that she thinks about it, but it can be addressed later, when her former leader isn't staring at her like that.]

[oceansbane]

[Wrong answer.]

Why don't you actually try for me this time? Give me a guess.

[beautyburning]

[Shit. Time to lie, if she could think of something with him goddamned staring at her like that.] ...Groudon. I think...there was an explosion of energy. It's difficult to recall anything. I think I must've gotten thrown badly by it, lost consciousness or something.

[oceansbane]

[An explosion of energy? That...the battle, that had...happened during...the battle...hadn't it?

He doesn't remember.

Should he remember?

He remembers the cave, and the feeling of heat searing through his body, and dimly wondering why it wasn't killing him from the inside; then there were...thoughts, something else's thoughts, and he had dropped out of consciousness at one point, and when he had awakened he didn't...exist anymore, his body wasn't his own and his thoughts were still something else's, patterns he didn't recognize, and his memories and understanding were gone for the time being - all of it back now, of course, but there's still the undeniable feeling that none of it is...his. His body, his mind, his life - none of it is really his anymore; it belongs to someone else, though he can't say whom, and he imagines eventually that this thought process, too, will be wiped clear like whatever existed before this, and his essence will die but his body will remain and it's. It's

[beautyburning]

[Courtney really hopes that a version of her that's still loyal to Maxie would stare at him with the same level of being totally unnerved, because she really can't stop. Though it doesn't seem like he's actually capable of noticing, at the moment. Obviously she's gotten to him. Thankfully.

After a while, she shifts a little awkwardly.] So...what now, boss?