nemo letting go [dat old man]

Sitting atop Victory Road had become a pastime of his. Watching the sea roll by Ever Grande City and towards continental Hoenn was something that he'd realize he enjoyed. It was like watching the flow of life through a different pair of eyes. Water never flowed in the same place twice in this ocean, just as life never lived the same day.

It really was quite something, how calm quiet could lull one's mind into a state of insightful thought. The sun remained relatively well-situated in the sky, casting its light and heat upon the land before it began to sink though after the time of its highest peak passed.

A hot puff of air by his face made him turn his head to Themis' blue muzzle. She'd been laying quietly beside her master until now, but something was compelling her to descend. Drake could gather a slight glimpse of what his Dragon was feeling - she just wanted to get off the rock.

"Alright, lass. I'm goin' "

Moments after he situated himself upon her back, they had descended to the ground and Drake stepped off, placing a hand beneath her chin, vaguely wondering what had driven his dragon to the ground when he heard a familiar voice.

Upon turning, he was graced with the sight of a friend. Despite the flash of displeasure at being called 'old' he couldn't help but grin, all the while wonder why she was there.

I'm not old... he silently grumped.

"O'course we can," he told her, coughing into his sleeve once before turning to gesture to the League Hall. "Let's head in." Turning, sure she would follow, he set off, returning Themis to her pokeball.

[[...orz. they'll be shorter I swear. smack me if theyre not XD]]

Drake glanced at Renae as she began to speak. Writing, no surprises there. She was an avid writer, and Drake had only once in a while picked up one of her works to keep up with her. The censors in Lavender Town, huh? Brushing his fingers across his moustache briefly in quick thought, he spoke as well.

”They censored your work? Yours?” A frown creased his brow as he reached forward to the glass doors of the League Hall. Being the gentleman that he had become, Drake pulled them open and held it for her, gesturing with his free hand as if to say ‘ladies first’. ”It’s a shame to hear.” He told her. ”Surely there be other pieces far more deserving of censors than any of yers?”

[[Lo and behold you're right XD]]

The lines on Drake's face deepened as his frown did as well. Although he had allied himself with Lux didn't mean he completely agreed with their ideals. In his mind, censoring something like Renae's writing was like destroying a work of art by ripping it to shreds before the artist's eyes. The Elite Four member nodded in understanding when she passed through the door, her smile pulling a smile from him as well.

He followed her in soon after she passed, pulling the door closed behind him. Drake shoved his hands ungracefully into his pockets as he thought about her words, a brief flicker of contemplation crossing his face before he nodded to one of the booth-tables on the far side of the entryway of the League Hall, his limp carrying him past Renae towards the place they could sit. "Yer question has an answer that ye already know - there is none."

Pulling a chair out for her across from where he would sit, he spoke again. "The prospect of peace ye wrote about and yer philosophy could be considered a dream, and some wouldn't want that dream ta risk becomin' a more solid idea."

The smile threatened to pull at one side of Drakes mouth into a smirk rather than simply a smile. A gruff, short laugh escaped the Elite Four member as Renae sat, the glasses she'd quickly retrieved in her hands. The guardian-esque feeling he received from interacting with those notably younger than him didn't fade with Renae.

He gave her chair a light pat as she made herself comfortable and spoke. Sitting across from her, his hard eyes studied the young woman while she continued to speak, pouring the glasses when she was finished. "Nox has a dream, and Lux did at some point." he thought about his words, taking in his hand the glass of golden-hued whiskey she poured for him. "If Lux still has a dream, it be veiled from my sight and yers - 'm sure we're not the only ones."

Raising his glass slightly for her to meet if she so elected with hers, he continued. "The ice, 'm afraid, is aged unpleasantly - less demand for it has made it sit fer a long while." He gave a small smile. "...n'my opinion, it's best straight as is, though."

Drake's lips quirked in a bit of a grin at her small joke, though clearly she was in no fit state to put her full heart or mind into it. He raised his glass to his lips as she did and sipped the warm whiskey, letting the burning sensation claim his throat and tongue. His hard eyes softened slightly as he listened to her words, half-staring at the rim of his glass and occasionally moving up to look at her.

He kept his eyes on her until her voice quieted, and he swallowed, placing the glass on the table before. "Long ago as it may have been, dreams still exist...some people hold them in higher regard than others, though, and chase them actively." he smiled a little. "My personal take is that other higher-ups in Lux believe humans cannot help or direct themselves, so they assume we need somebody to hold our hand and guide us."

Drake brushed his fingers against his moustache for a moment in thought. "Those that take the initiative to have power tend to fail to realize that the power they seek even more of may prevent them from accomplishing their goals. In my opinion, sometimes to do the right thing that you truly want to do, you can accomplish your goals without having a position of high power."

Drake inhaled deeply for a moment, downing the rest of his drink and letting the feeling burn on his tongue and throat while he spurred his thoughts onward, towards something he felt was acceptable to give Renae as an answer. Her questions were so specific, yet open for interpretation in Drake's mind. They were questions that would normally have been expected of someone beyond her years, not the young woman sitting before him. A quiet sigh escaped him as he leaned back against his seat, crossing his arms against his chest while he debated the many answers he could give her.

His siding with Lux had no bearing on what he would say here and now to Renae. He would make sure of that, and he couldn't care less about what a supporter of either faction would say about it. Once her words died, he was going to speak the truth of his mind.

"I believe Lux started as how you pictured it - shepherds, but they evolved quickly - comparatively speaking - into guides and directors from how they started. Watching from afar as I did, that is clear to me. From what I've seen recently, I agree that we are not at peace. We are far from it, and it will take a while to get back to the state we were once in...which was closer to peace than we currently stand at now.

"Lux is doing what they believe is right, and what they believe will get them to peace as soon as possible, even if the methods they choose to get there are anything but peaceful. In my opinion, Lux has no purpose if they cannot do what they were born to do. Things should be let go and the world should return to how it once was. Despite the benefits innocent civilians all over the world have gained thanks to Lux, the world as a whole has lost so much more. Yet the idea of making peace, and the power granted to Lux with the responsibility to do so has blinded them."

He sighed, a bit more audibly this time. The tiredness in his eyes for once reflected his age.

"I've seen much happen in my time, yet this is something that outshines all the rest in the way of significance - good or bad. The atrocities committed by Teams Magma and Aqua cannot compare to Lux's deeds in a good way and a bad. Though they are similar they remain different, though I believe that Lux has surpassed Aqua and Magma in their actions, unfortunately, and what I see is a downhill slope. Nothing is worth that if it means the world will be less of a place than it used to be."

[[......sorry for the length OTL]]

He nodded slightly and drummed the fingers of his crossed arms against the blue coat he always wore. She was insightful, and that was one of the tihngs he respected most about her. She brought up a good point – Nox did not exist before Lux, or even immediately after Lux had started, they rose up after Lux had time to implement their policies and allow the citizens beneath them to adjust.

The cycle of the fight for power and a way to live life would be never-ending.

Drake had gotten the feeling that Renae would question him with why his loyalties fell where they did. He sighed a bit, pushing himself up to sit a bit straighter as he answered. ”Some may call me reason cowardice...let ‘em call it that. I sit with Lux for no reason more than I wish to have minimal involvement in the war.” Leaning forward slightly, he placed his forearms on the table and interlocked his fingers, looking at her. ”Neutrality in this means Lux, regardless if ye like it ‘r not. The only thing I want is ta see Ever Grande maintain the prestige it once had. Although I have some rank as a City Admin, I don’t do much for Lux’s cause or laws...I allow Lux and Nox to come and go as they please in Ever Grande.”

A gruff laugh escaped him. ”Hell, I don’ even ask. So long as nobody causes trouble, I don’ care.”

A bit of a smile remained on his face. ”Lookit me, Renae. ’m too old to be gettin’ any deeper in this than I already am keepin’ Ever Grande the way it was – open t’all. Ye can’t expect me t’leave without good reason...I jus won’t.”

Though it was a bit more than a simple, direct answer she may have been looking for, it was the truth.