[Game] Lord Windos' PokeRole Adventure: Celadon City Vandel

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

You were right in assuming she'd be skeptical of your claim of THAT much time passing, as she lowered her hands back to her lap and stared at you incredulously, but she held her tongue and let you continue speaking without interjecting, uncertainly nodding for you to do so. What you said sounded like complete hogwash to her, but given the evidence she....OD herself, yet somehow survived and is suffering severe memory loss.....anything could be possible. Especially....in such a hellish situation as the Outbreak.

That silence persisted as you recapped the events that happened thus far, her expression shifting from shock, horror, bitter rage, and sorrow as you described what you've seen/encountered with your motley part point by point. In particular, the most prominent feelings you picked up from her at this point, however, was just.....numb, dismal, and worn out acceptance . Everything you described and told her about was what she had to live through from the very beginning of the Outbreak, from when it was at its worst in the first few days, to the long, nerve wrecking weeks of living like a trapped Ratatta that followed. She wished she could be more horrified, more outraged at what's happened, at how much things have degraded and stayed the same since the Outbreak, and at how long it took for somebody to do something meaningful about it - which were mercenaries/private investigators at that, not the National Guard that were supposed to help them in the first place - but she just.....couldn't.

The phrase 'conditioned to accept horror as the norm' sprang to mind. Her....resignation also probably touched a little close to home for you, given you've lived through your own version of hell the first few years following your exile, before Petrel provided you salvation in the form of inducting you into Team Rocket. History is circular, some say....

Alexandria was, understandingly enough, jarred out of wallowing in bleak despair/apathy when you moved on to 'current' events, nearly falling out of her seat when you revealed the full, unvarnished truth of what had happened to her. That she didn't just miraculously survive OD on morphine, and was just put in a coma for weeks without somehow also not wasting away during it, as she first though, but that she actually died by her own hands, but yet lives again. It was hard enough believing her first thoughts on her....situation, but this news, THIS.....

"W-W-What? What?! H-How?!"

Her questions were, of course, promptly answered by you, though they were hardly any help in her understanding what the fuck was going on with her. Well, not quite; she comprehended what you were saying perfectly well, but she had an exponentially harder time of accepting the information she was being given, for it sounded literally impossible and beyond reason.

"M-Mew....revived me? As a.....Tarous Hybrid? What. That's....that's ridiculous! Purely inconceivable! Is this.....just some sort of jest? A lark? To hide some awful truth from me, or make a tasteless joke to calm me down? W-Well, its not appreciated, let me tell you sir! I'm just as human as the rest of us, even with all the Radiation bathing the area! See for yourself-"

It was at this point she took your advice and pulled back the sleeve of her lab coat, and reveal her newly tanned and very muscular arm to you and herself.

"...Ah."

That was all she could say at first as she took in the sight of a couple of changes she'd gone through. Slowly, the minotauress then reached up to her forehead with her other hand to where you indicated her horns were, and, soon enough, was gently caressing them. Additionally, she also happened to notice that her change in natural hair color, something you failed to mention to her.

"....Oh....so you are telling the truth. About.....everything. …..Oh."

Alexandria then brought her hands to her abdomen, and started to....feel herself up, gazing downwards upon herself as she poked, prodded, and pressed all over, her expression one dazed and of morbid/clinical curiosity.

".....It.....feels like I have gained a six pack and.....chiseled physique as well from....the Tauros Mew used to revived as well. …Huh."

She then faced you again, looking.....completely out of it, as she stared right through you.

"....I always wished that I was more fit, but I don't believe I envisioned becoming so.....like this. I guess this also.....explain my temper breaking earlier. ……………………………Ah."

…It appears she's in shock now.

...At least its not worse.

Yeah, it could be a lot worse...

"...on the bright side, your colleagues' sacrifice also wasn't in vain.  There are some other pressing things we need to discuss, though, Alexandria.  Such as...oh yes, right, I haven't introduced myself yet.  Name's Reiner, Dragon Tamer and partner of Mew.  Pleasure to meet ya."  He extends a hand to offer a handshake.

Given that it's anything but normal in the current situation, a little normalcy in the formalities might help, I suppose?