azume | Second.

ENCOUNTER 2.

Saturday evening arrives, and with it the time to follow through on that invitation.

Upon entering the resort area, the group will be greeted - inasmuch as the emotionless can properly greet anyone - by staff that evidently works there. They don't appear to be affiliated with Team Galactic, at least not outwardly; they're all dressed similarly, but not in Galactic uniforms, and their hair is down and noticeably not covered in identical wigs. They seem to have retained some aspect of individuality, in other words, as opposed to being absorbed into what appears to be the Team Galactic hivemind, and while they don't seem genuinely pleased to see the lot of you, they'll smile politely as they usher you in, albeit in an odd, uncanny-valley sort of way that doesn't reach their eyes. A purely mechanical reaction, their bodies smile while they do not.

It's probably a little difficult to say whether that's preferable or not to the usual blankness you may be getting accustomed to.

However, they seem cordial enough as they escort all of you further into the resort proper, past several bungalows that likely contain a few rooms apiece for people to reside in for the duration of their stay. The walk will take you up a few sets of stairs built into the rock formation the resort is built upon, leading eventually to a restaurant that likely overlooks Lake Valor from the north side of the building - it certainly seems elevated enough, and the positioning is right. The seating area itself seems to have been prepared in advance for your arrival; rather than several separated tables, there's one long arrangement draped in white, with twelve chairs arranged down each side - twenty-four total - and one at the head of the table. That one appears to already be occupied with your host for the evening; the smile Saturn is offering is soft but it isn't nice, disingenuous in a way that's only slightly less unsettling than the mechanical expressions of the staff.

"It's good of you to join me." His voice is likewise soft but it isn't nice; just the same, he'll gesture at the rest of the table easily. "Feel free to have a seat, and keep your Pokémon out if it pleases you; this used to be a battling establishment, so the staff is more than accustomed to things like that."

Food will be brought out shortly after people are seated; there are no arranged seats, so you're free to sit wherever suits you along the table. It's likely noticeable once things are laid out that either the people here don't hunt or Saturn is aggressively vegan; either way, there's no meat involved and nothing that would insinuate that Pokémon were harmed in any way to obtain what's in front of you, though the food is still decidedly nicer and more substantial than anything you've had for the past week - high-class and freshly-prepared, and not...you know, relying on berries and nonperishable stuff from a department store shelf.

"Enjoy yourselves." Saturn's voice is still even, still calm to perhaps infuriating levels regardless of whatever the atmosphere in the room may happen to be, "since I did say that this was intended at least partially to apologize for the incident at the lakefront. And of course, you're welcome to ask whatever you like, seeing as you did have questions and I'm no longer strictly on company time. After all, a peaceful solution to this entire...situation is what we're all striving toward, isn't it?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...Ah, so that's it.

[Ignis folded gloved hands neatly on the table, a small and diplomatic smile on his face.]

You wish to observe us as we venture forth outside of Team Galactic's programming. Perhaps to see if our freedom from conditioning is temporary, or if we stumble across some fault in whatever removed this world's free will and manage to exploit it. Or perhaps for some other reasoning I've not yet the ability to estimate.

That latter one would be a fairly large transgression on my part, and would render me quite the traitor to the organization. To say nothing of threatening the peace we've been working toward for years. Finding a fault is one thing, allowing you to exploit it would be quite another.

You believe I would be willing...?

A truly loyal subject would refuse to allow even a minor problem to inconvenience his master's plans. The fact that you've even taken the infinitesimally small half-step of insubordination in refusing to report our existence tells me one of two things: either you believe allowing us to continue will serve some purpose of which we aren't aware--possibly even one running counter to those of Cyrus--or you're so incompetent as to simply not care.

[Another calm drink of coffee, followed by a pleasant smile.]

And I don't think you incompetent, Commander Saturn.

[The laugh that gets out of him is light and brief.]

That's because I'm not.

[Well, then.]

As expected, of course.

Neither am I. So I would caution you not to underestimate the type of things I might just believe about your intent.

Well, now I'm curious.

Oh, don't be ridiculous. I'm clever, not omniscient. I can only even guess at the fact that you have ulterior motives, I certainly can't tell what they are.

[Yet.]

No, no, that's fair.

[He seems so amused, though, good lord.]

I thought as much.

So I'm afraid I have to return to my original question: what manner of peaceful resolution is it you aim for here?

I would like to ask that you not interfere with our organization. I understand that our paths will likely cross occasionally, but I do have to ask that you refrain from openly trying to sabotage anything. I can only ignore so much, after all.

It already seems as if our goals have similar points at which they collide.

[The guardians, though he didn't bother to state specifics.]

I can certainly not promise any such thing, knowing that.

Oh, I'm aware that they do.

[The guardians.]

You still have interest in Lake Valor, then.

That's the interesting thing about blockades, Commander.

There's usually something worthwhile behind them.

Assuming I found something, then.

You shouldn't put words in others' mouths, it's impolite. I said 'usually.'

Impolite, perhaps. But was I inaccurate?

I should reiterate, I don't speak for my companions. How should I know what any of us assume?

[He just laughs a bit at that; again, it's light. Brief.]

Well, I can assure you that there was nothing at that lake that I found to be worth reporting.

[He actually seemed...oddly pleased by that.]

Considering you also don't find us worth reporting, that certainly does sound like it was a worthwhile expedition.

I've no idea what you're talking about.

[Saturn, for fuck's sake.]

I would suggest moving on to Pastoria City in the interest of recovery; you all seem a little...rough, and I would prefer you be in acceptable condition if you're going to insist on getting in our way.

[...]

You can spare the time; the current degree of "absolutely nothing" at that lake isn't likely to change, if I had to guess.

Oh, I'm sure we intended to. I'm not one to double back, as I've already mentioned.

[Apparently, that applies literally as well as metaphorically.]

When things do come to conflict between us, I'm certainly not one to be caught unprepared.

Second.

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