living la dolce vita [c]

Gwen grabbed the wrap from her bag and got on her knees before extending her arms into the freshly dug hole. The huge blanket of slick wrap was placed carefully in the bottom of it, pressed down into the sand before being pulled back against the walls of the hole. Bit by bit she tucked the edges into the sand and then tested the firmness of the sand a bit. Satisfied with it she stood up to walk over to her bag of fresh water but paused. A voice was calling to her.

"Dylan," the greeting was simple, accompanied by a nod, "Yes, but it would be better if you'd listen to what I told you." Gwen spoke bluntly as she walked over to the bag, grabbing the bag of fresh waters and carrying them to the edge of the hole. Once there she continued speaking, talking as she took the tops off water and began pouring them in a bottle at a time.

"How many times have I told you not to wear that hoodie outside? Do you want everyone to know where your allegiance lies?" Gwen herself had always avoided wearing any part of her Magma Uniform when out and about. It was dangerous. If someone you knew saw you your name would be everywhere within the week. Everyone would know you were a criminal, a member of the great Team Magma. It was something she didn't want to risk, not through her own actions or those around them.

After emptying a dozen or so bottles of water she stood and inspected the hole, looking carefully to make sure the water wasn't draining anywhere, and then dipping her arm into it to check the depth. She was sure a Magikarp would be fine inside. At least for awhile. Walking towards the edge of the beach she grabbed her fishing rod, looking over her shoulder before walking into the water.

"Feel free to stick around, but be quiet. I don't want you scaring away the fish," she even gestured for him to follow, afterwards putting her finger to her mouth to emphasize what she already said.

Dylan Allardice

"If you get too comfortable you're going to make a mistake," Gwen's voice dropped to just a whisper, but still her tone was serious, "No one is lucky forever, eventually you're going to get caught or someone's not going to buy the excuses you give them. And then you'll not only lose your privacy, but those friends you're talking about." This was something Gwen had thoroughly thought out several times before. Even if he was getting stronger, even if he had become a Sergeant, this was how it would go.

"Congratulations by the way," she threw out the bit of praise as she cast her line into the water, watching it settle feet from where she stood, water licking at her upper thighs. It still was quite an accomplishment. Personally she'd never cared much for becoming a member of the administrative branch. She wasn't the usual grunt. She didn't participate in many missions and so who was in charge didn't matter so much to her. She was here to study, not to lead or be led.

"Today I'm testing the ability of a Magikarp to adapt suddenly to different kinds of water," she spoke simply, still in little more than a whisper, "If we succeed in causing the seas to recede I want to ensure that the pokemon within still survive. It's common knowledge that Magikarp can live in any kind of water, but can it adjust quickly between something like salt and fresh? If it can, and we can figure out how, it's possible we could breed other fish pokemon capable of doing the same."

As she spoke she moved her line around a bit, hoping to make the bait at the end of her hook look a bit more alluring. Her face was serious as she worked, eyes locked intently on her bobber, waiting for the smallest change in depth.

Dylan Allardice

"Good, I'm happy you've seen reason," even in a whisper it was clear how serious she was about what she said, "What you can do about it though is keep it quiet. Like the whisper right now, you can keep your life and be a Magma without letting the whole world know. In fact you'll make a better Magma." She was completely honest with every word she said. Who wanted a member everyone could spot and identify in a crowd? How were you supposed to get anything done if you were arrested on sight?

"You want to climb the ranks, right? Well, learn to be discreet. There are many others who want to be where you want to be, and they're not nice kids like you. They'd rather tear others down than climb the ladder themselves. They lack the ethics you tote about on your sleeve," it seemed lectures were a staple of her meetings with Dylan. She wondered how this naive kid got so mixed up in the dealings of Team Magma. How he climbed the ranks and survived at all when he was so bright eyed and foolish in his interactions with others. It made her tired just to think of.

"As long as you're out in the open and lack that cutthroat attitude you'll lose this race of yours. And if you cross the wrong member you may even lose your membership, your pokemon, your life," she felt a tug on the line and so she tugged back, "Don't forget we're criminals. Some of us are just along for the ride, but others are murderers, thieves, and betrayers." One sharp pull and the Magikarp came up out of the water, wriggling and making some of the dumbest noises she'd ever heard. She reeled it in and pulled it off the hook before rushing to the Fresh Water pool she'd made and dropping him in.

"Just keep that in mind," she sighed, pulling out a notebook and pen from her bag and watching how the Magikarp reacted.

Dylan Allardice

Gwen couldn't help but think that the boy just wasn't suited for this life. His ideals were so strong, his faith in the humanity of every single member in the group unshakable. The mere fact that he thought he could change a whole organization was both admirable and the greatest show of idiocy she'd ever witnessed. Yet she stayed quiet. Why she couldn't quite place, but she didn't want to crush his hopes.

Instead she focused on the Magikarp in the pool. For awhile it seemed uncomfortable, splashing around in the water worriedly, gasping under the water like it couldn't catch a breath. Then, slowly, it adjusted. It went from uncomfortable, to uneasy, to the same dopey fish it always was. The whole process was documented by Gwen. She scribbled a page of observations, then another page of speculation, then a last page on how to apply that speculation. The experiment was quick and to the point. Much more so than most.

"Interesting," was all she had to offer before wrangling the fish out of the hole in the sand and carrying it bodily to the sea once again. There she dropped it, and there she watched it do much the same thing. Hands and body sopping wet she walked back to her notebook and wrote in it again, smearing a bit of the text but nothing so bad she wouldn't be able to read it.

"It's amazing the way people evolve when left in a group like ours," she sighed, sitting the sand and placing her notebook back in teh bag, "Some people do what the Magikarp here did. They feel out of place and nervous at first, but eventually come to accept it. The stealing, the fighting, the trouble making. The others, they fall off. They never get past that feeling that things aren't right, and eventually they get in trouble for it.

We're Team Magma. We seek to dry up the seas and expand the land so that man can prosper and the pokemon we favor can flourish. We're not sure how quite yet. We've talked about manipulating Legendaries, of causing volcanic disasters, to simply terraform with our pokemon. All disastrous plans that will complete our goal but kill pokemon and people alike, but we'll use them anyway. Our very existence is a crime, but one we've all accepted and agreed with for our own reasons.

To change the nature of our group you'd have to change the goal, and there are far too many devoted to that goal to just let it go. I myself have devoted over half a decade to this, have labored for hours studying maps, learning about climate changes and how to induce them, examining pokemon and how they act when it happens. I've tried to make sure that when we make our change it's as harmless as possible, but even I want it to come to fruition. Even I would be upset to watch all that work vanish.

I guess what I'm saying is if your ultimate goal through leadership is to change this group, you may want to consider giving up the red for a set of badges and fighting us like all the rest," Gwen's expression was a bit sad, but her voice was sure. And then she sighed and returned to her usual self.

"But that's something to consider another day," she spoke simply before standing, bag over her shoulder, "I've got data to analyze."

Dylan Allardice

Gwen couldn't help the grin Dylan inspired. The boy had heart, a lot of heart. Personally she doubted anyone could change Team Magma and take it from where it was. Corruption was in its bone, the blood that kept its heart pumping and the gears that kept the machine moving. But she guessed, if anyone had the tiniest chance to make a difference, if she was being as optimistic as she could manage, that maybe Dylan had a chance.

"Well then Sergeant, I'll look forward to what you can do," she spoke simply, adjusting the bag on her shoulder before turning to look at the remnants of her test. She picked up her shovel and put it in her bag, grabbed the fishing rod with one hand, and turned to look at the water filled hole.

"It sounds like you're waging war on a concept, a battle rarely won, but I'll give you my vote of confidence," she continued, pulling the wet wrap from within the hole and kicking in its walls. The sand turned into mud as it soaked in the water, and then to clay as the sun warmed it. She wondered if the seafloor would do the same if they had their way.

"But if you mess up and get the big dogs on you don't come running expecting me to bail you out," while she grinned saying the words her eyes were a bit sharper than one would expect, "You know I'm a researcher, but you don't know where I got my start." She held the expression for a few seconds before the facade broke and a short spiel of laughter escaped.

"Just kidding," and she turned to go, just like that, waving over her shoulder as if an afterthought as she began walking away. While she did she wondered. What would she really do if that boy got on her bad side?

Dylan Allardice