tuesday week 13 ☆ interrogate cynthia club

[divinedescendant]

[Emmeryn spends the earliest part of the week floating the idea of getting everyone together at once, less in a way like she's taking a poll and more like this is totally happening so get your thoughts together ahead of time—and Tuesday late in the afternoon she gathers everyone, Lucas and Cynthia included, in the Pokémon Center. Better that they all hear the answers together, she figures; better that Cynthia doesn't have to answer the same question twenty-odd times, is how she presents it to her beforehand, while apologizing for asking her to be at the center of things like that. It all comes together regardless, one way or another.

So! Here we are in the Pokémon Center; maybe it's kind of a tight fit but, y'know, worse has happened. Worse will probably happen again in the future if we're being completely honest with ourselves. Duma, about as useful as ever, stands half-asleep at Emmeryn's feet.]

Thank you so much for agreeing to come see us all like this, Cynthia. We have quite a bit of catching up to do, don't we?

[floor's yours everyone please don't make emmeryn have to put on her babysitting hat]

Comments

[azumods]

You like putting words in my mouth, Ignis.

I'm not asking you to apologize for anything you've done. I do believe it's a noble endeavor that you're undertaking, and I'm not ungrateful. None of us here are ungrateful for what you've done. The region is better for it, and I want to believe that in time, the world can be, too.

However, I'm not going to listen to you accusing me of using you somehow, or intentionally acting against you, when as far as I can tell there's nothing I've done to deserve those accusations at all. I've had my tasks. You've had yours. We're working toward a common goal.

[radiantflame]

You claim to have been keeping an eye on us as well as attending to your own tasks- what have you been up to, exactly? Perhaps a little explanation would help ease the more doubtful among us.

[She is counting herself among the more doubtful, fyi.]

[azumods]

I haven't been "keeping an eye on you" in the way that you're all insisting I have. It's difficult to ignore the impact you're having on the world, and it hasn't been hard to work out where you are at any given time. You're a large group affecting the world - do you think that isn't going to attract my attention, especially when I want you to succeed?

[radiantflame]

Please answer my question.

[:|]

[discutio]

[he's not saying anything but that sigh is sure a 'tell me about it' tone.]

[azumods]

[Already did.]

[semistableman]

I'd be more worried about it attracting Galactic's attention, at this point. We're not exactly a subtle group.

[azumods]

[Mm.]

That's part of why I don't know how to feel about the disappearance of the Commanders. Outside of general worry for them, I would think that they would be turned out in force, not...this.

[anythingforyou]

[...Camilla's really not here for this meeting, honestly, but you know--]

That's...truly quite strange, and it seems like it would be strategically unsound to do such a thing?

[azumods]

It is. I have to wonder if Mars was mistaken about what Cyrus has been doing - this doesn't seem like him, but it doesn't exactly seem unlike him either.

[semistableman]

All three of them had very different impressions of him, when we spoke.

[azumods]

That doesn't surprise me. He's a lot of different things to a lot of different people.

[niceoppai]

So they just dropped off the face of the planet. Since you disappeared when you went into that other world... you think that's where they are?

[azumods]

...I doubt that, actually.

[hyruglyphics]

Why is that? ... I don't doubt your conclusion, but I am curious as to why.

[heritrix]

[Man, there is a lot of yikes going on. This meeting is getting off to a great start. With that in mind, this subject seems like a good time for her to jump in. The moment Cynthia claimed to have no knowledge of what had happened to the other executives, this was Rin's thought as well.]

Is it possible Cyrus is accelerating his time table? Letting his henchmen keep their personalities was always just a means to ensure they'd be able to carry out their jobs well enough; once he started closing in on his goals, it was only going to be a matter of time before he drained their spirits too.

He could have already started. Except... [Hrm.] Without the Lake Guardians he shouldn't be able to. Right?

[azumods]

That's my concern, too. That he's done something to them, either because he's closing in on his goals or for reasons that only he understands.

[...Cyrus, apparently, does a lot of things for reasons only he understands.]

In theory, though, he shouldn't be able to. In practice, he may have found another way. It's something I'll have to verify.

[semistableman]

That's what I've been thinking-- that he's done something to them.

[heritrix]

Thinking about it, there's a strong chance he might it. I've noticed it a few times myself, but even Lucas pointed it out the other day; even after all the changes that have taken place in the world as the Lake Guardians have been restore, the members of Team Galactic aren't recovering as quickly as other citizens we've met.

I could be getting ahead of myself. As members of his organization who were already sympathetic to his cause, it could be that they were more susceptible and are thus taking longer to recover. But in a worst case scenario, it could also mean he has another means of keeping them under his control.

[anythingforyou]

[...yeah, man, that's getting some mix of concern and disgust, honestly.]

...It wouldn't surprise me if she was, really. She's so wholly devoted to him, and believe in him so utterly; he'd likely be able to lie to her face and she'd take it at face value.

[Like, Camilla respects her, but good fucking lord. Get yourself some taste, girl.]

[azumods]

[...]

That's unfortunately how it is with a lot of Team Galactic. Cyrus and his views are important to them. Mars' devotion was just...a bit beyond the rest, from what I understand.

[perfectselfie]

If I can try and explain a little...the confusion came into place because of something Lucas said. He was surprised we had seen you because you had gone off to fight Cyrus with his friend Dawn, and she didn't come back. I don't think he had seen you since.

I think the timeline must be broken or something, because we definitely did.

I don't think you were acting against us, though. I think the waters just got muddied.

[azumods]

Lucas and I have discussed that incident. What happened there isn't anything for you to worry about; the result clearly is, but the specifics aren't.

[perfectselfie]

That's fair. I'm glad you were able to work things out.

[hyruglyphics]

[ Oh good, they talked. Zelda softly exhales. The fact is, she did want to ask more on that topic but after that rough opening to things and at such a big public venue...? Yeah, probably not. ]