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He gave the Charmander a slight glance that carried the hidden message of I know already. He wasn't stupid. He knew well enough what would happen if he told anyone else which is why he had refused to give Alfred knowledge of the pendants. Why he hadn't told him that his father had been brought back to life. Why he was very, very careful to let Sasha take the mirror and let Archer know about it. Why his mind raced quietly at the back of his thoughts as he tried to cobble together enough lies and half-truths or open statements to get around these facts.

"He's not as I said, but he's a valuable ally. He'll be helping us considerably in the time to come. Might even be necessary." He shrugged apologetically. "Not all lies are meant to deceive the unknowing. Sometimes they're to trick the people who do." He had fully intended to give Alfred a measure of the truth to begin with. Less than it's entirety, most likely, but much more than what Archer would have allowed him. He would try to leave out the parts that would kill them both, if possible.

His eyes followed Alfred's finger to the Flygon. "That's one of Lady Neon's associates. He's more a pack mule than anything, from what I can gather. She's the one who brought the Charmander here; when the journal didn't show up she decided to pursue some options we had previously abandoned." He didn't really know why the seemingly retarded creature was there, besides to carry her candles.


Serrin nodded as they went down the hallway. "I'd be happy to." The tension in the situation had forced some (though not all) of the maturity back into his voice. He progressed onwards into the kitchen where he promptly set to pulling out every plant he could find. He handled a jar of what appeared to be Cinnamon with his vines as he spoke. "Put on a kettle for me, please. Also fetch me a small bowl if you could. " As he turned over the various spices in the kitchen to examine them, he could be heard muttering in dismay about the "poor maintenance" and "mediocre handling" of the food.

"Thanks. Do you have any preferences for your tea?" Serrin set about organizing the spices into four distinct groups. By the time he had finished, he had separated about 30 spices from one another with just a few in each area. The rest were shoved off to the side, with a exception of two that were kept in between the four more distinct groupings.


"Probably to try and break the tension. For Lady Neon the situation must have been quite stressful to observe." He glanced at Ice as the silly Flygon bounced around the room and tipped everything that came within five feet of him. Well, now was a good a time as any. "I'm waging war on Arceus, Alfred. Not in the figurative sense, as if I were merely struggling against the balance. I mean literally. The only reason I'm not dead yet is he doesn't know how much I know. I've pushed forward into a fight far too dangerous for mortals." He paused for a moment, considering how to phrase it all. "I can't give you any details. Please, trust me when I say that I wish I could. If I tell you, you'll be dead within the week." He spoke earnestly and openly. He really did wish he could tell Alfred what was going on. To get his counsel and his advice. His help as the master of Rebirth and his power as the vessel of Suecra. To know that he wasn't risking the lives of everyone with only Serrin to aid him. It was a monumental task. It was terrifying, what they had planned.

But the solace and comfort was not worth Alfred's life.

Serrin looked at the oven with a start. "Woah, hey!" His vines shot forward to pull the oven door open slightly to help vent the smoke. A large cloud of black smoke shot out, tripping the smoke detector and turning the sprinklers on. He would, once the smoke cleared some, see how the cookies were.

Tolin sighed. s**t. A week, really? "We can stall the cycle with the pendants. In fact, we need to do that right now." He strung the three chains around his scythe and turned the point upwards. He let them slip off onto the couch beside Alfred. "The plan calls for Suecra. Once the plan has largely been completed, we're going to retrieve the mirror. The horn will be used to absorb Suecra and Creaus. Once the balance has been stalled as best we can, we'll kill Arceus. His death will destroy the balance, briefly. But we can draw back his soul using a ritual and then force Suecra and Creaus back into him. If we can complete him, he might be strong enough to repair the balance."

He sat down beside Alfred, mulling over what to tell him of the Elite. Well, everything. He would simply have to express all that he could as carefully as he could. "None of this leaves your confidence. Don't tell a soul. The guilds are going to take care of Nico. But he's barely a nuisance. Arceus made 17 pendants which were blessed with power. He ******** up a few times before making his 17 children. 17 beings with his blood that bore the pendants. Half of them are dead. The pendants grant one the power of a god even as they drive the wielder insane. Mortals have gotten a hold of them, and their use is destroying the balance. Those that aren't in use have created a void which is also tipping the scales. I've sent a legendary out to kill them, take the pendants and destroy them. Once the pendants are gone, Darkrai should be easy to find and kill. Then we kill Arceus and repair his being." It wasn't all that complicated a plan in the long run. Kill Nico, kill Darkrai, kill god... It was pretty easy on a step-to-step basis.

Serrin stared into the oven. The cookies were fine, at least. There was that. He eased the temperature on the stove down as he began to sprinkle light mixes of this and that into each cup. The sprinklers had since stopped; probably someone turned them off. Something strong for Tolin, something mild for Lady Neon and himself and something light for Alfred. He didn't know how the Gardevoir preferred his tea, but it was always a safe guess. His vines shot upwards to wrap around a small hook at the ceiling, probably used for holding a pot. Turning himself upside down, two puffs came out of his bulb. He let himself back down, grabbed the bowl with his vines and began to swish it's contents around. Convinced that it had been adequately mixed, he fed them into the cups. A fair amount for Tolin and a light amount for himself and Alfred.

"I'll be back for the kettle in a moment." They lacked the kind of acute bipedal hands they would have needed to carry the filled mugs upright without spilling anything. He grabbed a fair plate from above with his vine and gingerly set the four glasses on it, being careful not to lose any of the contents. He coiled his vines around to form a sort of platform for the plate, which let it sit snugly on top of him as he walked off.


"The longer we wait the worse off we are. They won't revert the damage already done." He glanced at Alfred for a moment. The man was obviously a bit unstable, though it was hardly surprising after everything he had just heard. "You're going to die", "We're killing Arceus", "Your 3rd-in-command is planning to kill us". Well, the latter of the three hadn't been stated, but it was well enough implied. "Put them on when you feel it's necessary, but don't wait too long." It didn't matter what pendant Alfred wore if his mind was already far gone by the time he put it on. If he wore one he would, at least, be partially functional. With Lucinda at his side he could avert most of the issues of the pendants.

Tolin nodded. "She's not. She's also the one that took the mirror, and please don't give her even the slightest clue. The moment she realizes her cover is blown she'll have you by the throat. If you're lucky she might decide to imprison you rather than kill you, but I doubt it." Sasha did not seems like the type to take prisoners. In fact, she seemed quite the opposite... much more like the type to stab prisoners in the face for shits and giggles. "As for having an associate... that's a bit of a complicated story. Suffice it to say, he threatened to kill me the last time we spoke. You could say we aren't on the best terms. We really only stand each other out of necessity; I work with him because of his strength and knowledge, he works with me largely because of my position. He isn't the type of person you track down unless it's necessary." He tapped one scythe lightly against his exoskeleton as a realization dawned on him. "Oh, yes. He also probably stands me because I have a 'fragment of intelligence', or something to that effect. He doesn't have much tolerance for... challenged individuals."

Serrin popped in for a moment towards the end of the conversation to put a plate down near the couch before promptly leaving.

He spoke slowly and calmly. "...You've done good, Alfred. You've done better than anyone else could."

Serrin hurried back into the room, the kettle being held by his vines well above his head. He quickly poured the water into the four cups. After taking his own, he held out each one to it's owner. His, Alfred's and Tolin's had been spiked slightly, although he didn't view it as such; the practice was common enough... somewhere... He shook his head slightly. Tea time wasn't the time for that. There was just enough to improve the mood and concentration, although only marginally. The Kitchen lacked the distinct variety of herbs that he needed to make proper tea, although it should still be quite delicious.

Tolin took his tea with an appreciative nod. A light sip had him feeling much better, much more relaxed. Much more alert. It paled in comparison to the tea of his youth, but it was magnificent in comparison to anything he had drank in over two decades. "Thank you, Serrin."

Serrin merely grinned in reply.

So quickly? Was the pendant affecting him already? That was... much faster than Tolin had expected. Well, perhaps it was a relief that it had begun to act so quickly. It guaranteed his mind was safe. He would have to speak with Lucinda later in order to tell her the truth; it certainly wasn't safe to let an over-emotional Alfred tell her.

"Ah! No, hold on please." Serrin's vines stretched outwards to stop Lady Neon from drinking the tea. "Please, ah, leave that one for Alfred. I'll prepare another for you. It will only take a moment." Without giving her time for her response, Serrin fled to the kitchen.

Tolin watched as the Bulbasaur fled with mild amusement. He was always very particular about the "right tea to the right person", even back then. "Sorry, Neon, but would you mind waiting a moment? It should only take him a minute. He makes tea for specific people and it always upset him if the wrong person took the wrong glass."

Serrin hurried back into the room with a cup refilled with the spices and leaves he had used before. His breath came in gasps; he had evidently ran all the way to the kitchen and all the way back. He promptly placed the cup beside her and refilled it with what was left of the water. He then went back to his own tea, which he sipped lightly. A look of content immediately spread across his face.

Tolin sipped his lightly, watching his friend's antics with passive amusement. "The Elite are going to try and kill us." He took another light sip and turned to face Lady Neon. "What we're trying to do is an insult. It's sacrilege. Trying to complete Arceus is heresy against everything they were born to believe. Even if we were to somehow kill Arceus and fix him with them still alive, I wouldn't be surprised if they went on a rampage and killed as many living things as they could." The took a deep, long sip. "They're destroying the balance regardless. The pendants are dangerous to the order of the world; they only exist because Arceus saw the possibility of foot soldiers as more valuable than they damage they would cause. He was wrong."

Tolin shook his head. "I don't believe they do. Sasha told me that 'Arceus will restore the balance or he will wipe the earth. All he does is for the greater good.' or something to that effect. The Elite don't seem to have any plans beyond what Arceus commands them, and I doubt he's commanding them at all. If Suecra is any indication, all three gods should be nearly dead. And, of course, anything we do to the balance that was not commanded by Arceus is a 'threat that must be eliminated' to them." He continued drinking his tea idly. It was the truth; whether or not the Elite wanted the balance restored, they would kill anyone who tried to fix it in their ironic, blind loyalty to a dying half-god.