only soliloquy

@onlysoliloquy ft wallace – a dialogue over tea.

Lisia was a rising star, a coordinator with a flair for the extravagant. It was all Mikuri, down to the colour of her hair, but Daigo hadn’t managed to put two and two together until Mikuri casually mentioned something about Lisia being his niece just a moment ago.

Today was the second Saturday of the month. Daigo and Mikuri had somehow come to a mutual agreement that every second Saturday was a day to sit down, have some tea, and maybe catch up a little or not at all. Last week, Daigo had read three chapters of a book, and Mikuri had painted something that vaguely looked like a bonsai.

This week, all Daigo’s brain would think about was Lisia. For the past twenty-something years or so, Daigo had been under the impression that Mikuri was without close relatives of note. Just like he was, if it weren’t for Aurea and Uncle Cedric and, well, Mikuri himself.

Did Aurea know, too? Did she simply neglect to tell him?

No, that wasn’t right. They never talked about contests, anyway. It just wasn’t their sort of thing to worry about. Lisia would never have become the centre of their conversation.

Daigo raised an eyebrow over the pale rouge of his tea. He sipped at it, if only to seem polite before bluntly expressing his thoughts:

“You have – a niece? What’s next, a son you’ve fathered, I don’t know, maybe a decade ago?”

Mikuri flipped through the pages of a cooking magazine, which he happened to be the cover of. He was posed eating a batch of home-made biscuits and chocolates, elegantly arranged in a thin dessert glass. 

[ WEALTH ] $ Financial : wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty . ✚ Medical : fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non applicable ✪ Class or Caste : upper / middle / working / homeless / slave / unsure ✔ Education : qualified / unqualified / studying / other   ✖ Criminal Record : yes - major crimes / yes - minor crimes / unsure / none /

[ FAMILY ] ◒ Children : has a child or children / has no children / wants children / had child or children ◑ Relationship with Family : close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) (Doesn’t know they fucking exist) / has no siblings / sibling(s) deceased ◔ Affiliation : orphaned / adopted / disowned / raised by birth parent(s)  / not applicable /fostered away

[ TRAITS + TENDENCIES ] ♦ extroverted / introverted / in between / fluctuates between the two ♦ disorganized / organized / in between ♦ close-minded / open-minded / in between ♦ calm / anxious / in between ♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in between ♦ cautious / reckless / in between ♦ patient / impatient / in between ♦ outspoken / reserved / in between ♦ leader / follower / in between ♦ empathetic / unempathetic / in between ♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in between ♦ traditional / modern / in between ♦ hard-working / lazy / in between ♦ cultured / uncultured / in between ♦ loyal / disloyal / unknown ♦ faithful / unfaithful / unknown

[ BELIEFS ] ★ Faith : monotheist / polytheist / spiritual / agnostic / atheist / undetermined / questioning ☆ Belief in Ghosts or Spirits : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care / scared of them ✮ Belief in an Afterlife : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✯ Belief in Reincarnation : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ❃ Belief in Fate : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care / questioning ✧ Religious : orthodox / spiritual / liberal / heretical / not religious ❀ Philosophical : no / hardly / somewhat / very / yes ~  Superstitious : no / hardly / somewhat / very / yes

[ SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION ] ❤ Sexual : hetero / homo / bi / ace / pan / demi / other / questioning / curious ❥ Sex : sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favourable ❣ Sexually : adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / virgin / curious / inhibited ⚧ Potential Sexual Partners : male / female / agender / other / none / all ~ Romantic : hetero / homo / bi / aro / pan / demi / other / questioning / curious ♥ Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable ⚧ Potential Romantic Partners : male / female / agender / other / none / all % Gender : male / female / demi-male / demi-female / genderfluid / nonbinary / agender / other / questioning ^   Sex : cis / trans / other / private

[ ABILITIES ] ☠ Combat Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none   ≡ Literacy Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ✍ Artistic Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ✂ Technical Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none *  Survival Skills  : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none @ Social Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

[ HABITS ] ☕ Drinking Alcohol : never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / to excess / trying to quit / only with friends / on special occasions ☁ Smoking : never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / to excess / trying to quit ✿ Other Narcotics : never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / to excess / trying to quit ✌ Medicinal Drugs : never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / to excess / trying to quit ☻ Indulgent Food : never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / to excess / trying to quit &  Indulgent Sex : never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / to excess / trying to quit / $  Splurge Spending : never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / to excess / trying to quit ♣ Gambling : never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / to excess / trying to quit

Wallace turns out to have been watching by the door, drinking honeyed tea and looking particularly smug. He only has three words for his friend.

Today was a day of great misfortune, of impending tragedy. Monsters were upon them in numbers that would surely lay waste to Chaldea if left unchecked. Fallen from a direct onslaught, heroes beaten in a simple game of attrition. What would the stories ever say about them? A dark cloud of uncertainty floated over their legacy. History must not be abandoned.

Yet the man with the many gifts laughed. The blessed vessel threw out his arms to the sides and laughed at the sorrow to come. “Rejoice, Master! The desperation we seek is upon us. Tomorrow foretells but a single thing - no, two things! Joy! And a feast! From here, we rise stronger. From the darkness, we become better!”

Pandora discarded his civilian attire in favour of the white dress Aphrodite had given him. On his hands, he summoned the transfigured pithos given to him by Zeus, a giant battle hammer that was as black as his silky hair. 

 “Master Shirou,” he said, the exuberance vanishing from him. “For this battle, I may have to sacrifice the entirety of my sanity for greater power. I’m not sure if I would be able to keep you safe. Us Servants are replaceable. I want you retreat to somewhere safer.” He smiled a bit. “Maybe you can offer a prayer to the gods for me.” 

Wallace surveyed the streets full of trainers from far and wide. They mustn’t amount to no more than fifty and there were two reasons for that. One was the qualifications required for this tournament just by in its being in Sootopolis. The hidden city was not an accessible place that casuals and amateurs could simply stop by in. Wallace had also forbidden the noisy helicopters from obstructing the sky, effectively kicking out the media from covering the tournament. It must have seemed like an unusual move from Wallace, who would be performing for the tournament’s opening act. But this move was already a practiced pattern. When Sootopolis was concerned, Wallace was stingy from the gazes that he would let in its world.

They were welcomed to see it. Anytime they could teach a Pokemon to dive or fly, with the badges to use them.

The second reason was a humbler one. Sootopolis was a grand, but small city. These many people would make it unusually crowded in less than a day.

“Oh?” Wallace have always had an excellent vision. One time, Winona, the Gym Leader of  Fortree, refused to believe the claim that he could slightly make out the figure of a camouflaged Keckleon. 

But it wasn’t a Keckleon he had caught passing in the crowd, though she did camouflage herself decently enough. He had never seen the Kanto Champion personally before, but Wallace’s ability to recognize faces just from pictures was a frightening talent of his.

For a second, he debated letting her be, but they were heading in the same direction. It wouldn’t feel right to ignore her.

“Hello, Leaf. I take it you’re participating, and not watching from the stands?”