if I had you, RILEY

[isaac]

This is Riley's life: Blood, murders, sex, blame, alcohol, deaths, sex, drugs, blood.

Riley is a damaged man, to put it simply. He's heard too much, seen too much, done too much to ever go back to happy-go-lucky Riley. Galactic may not have done him anything bad, but the war has. He's empathetic only because he's an aura guardian. In truth, he's selfish. He rarely puts others before himself, and when he does, he makes sure he has something to gain from it.

He thrives on acceptance and praise. While he doesn't actively show it, it's apparent from all the danger that he puts himself into that he's waiting for someone to tell him that he's done a great job, or something along those lines. He's made many acquaintances, friends, enemies, and in-betweens. All as Christopher "Sully" Gray -- he hasn't a single friend as Riley.

[rui]

RUI && RILEY

Kane here, and I must say I'm glad to see the other Aura Guardian on this site taken up so quickly after being dropped/forgotten.

So anyway, I like the spin you've given Riley from being the helpful and nice mr. aura guardian people may expect after playing the Gen IV games, and I want to get Rui in plots with him. Before I do anything, I was wondering if there was some way we could intertwine their backstories? If it's not possible I'm totally cool with that and these two can just meet for the first time. (If you think there's a possibility I can give you Rui's backstory...or at least what isn't in her app/ what isn't detailed there). Either way Rui actually looks up to Riley because he's a powerful Aura Guardian and even though she's pretty decent herself she doesn't think she compares to him in the slightest.

She was also at the Battle of Iron Island because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time and basically forced to fight for Lux there because on Canalave's shores it was like "if you lot try to leave now you're getting arrested for insubordination" so she was kind of fucked there. Being there during the fight and seeing/feeling every person and pokemon's auras flaring during fights and rapidly expiring when they died was pretty traumatic for her. She also thinks her abilities make her a bit of a freak despite being an Aura Guardian lol.

...I think I rambled a bit and gave you more info than you need to know, sorry XD.

[/justify]

[isaac]

Hello there, Kane. Glad to have you plotting with Riley.

I'm not sure if you noticed, but Riley's really from Orre. He spent at most four or five years there before they moved to Sinnoh. I think that they'd most likely be meeting for the first time, though. Another thing: Riley isn't a famous Aura Guardian. In fact, he's strayed from the morals and values that make an Aura Guardian -- he isn't going to use his powers for good. He's using them for himself.

I wouldn't know if he's powerful, but he's definitely the Aura Guardian, even though the games didn't quite paint him to be a duplicate of Sir Aaron. Riley's shaken by the fact that Iron Island was a warzone, because he owns the place. He's moved on, though. Rui may have found traces of aura, or at least another aura user when she was in Iron Island.

[rui]

I did see that he's from Orre and kind of went "as;dlfkha;sdfb <3" at that, but the only reason I didn't mention it is because Rui was born in Johto XD; she was there for ... 12 years before her parents were murdered and she moved to Orre to be with her grandparents. Unfortunately I think they missed each other XD;

I guess him being famous was just the impression I got from the games XD (also him using the abilities for himself put an interesting twist on things. Rui would probably be confused if she ever found that out)

Either way, since he's the Aura Guardian I sort of imagined that the few others out there would know at least of him even if they never met him or had a face or a name? Maybe just identified him in a crowd/region by Aura? my headcanon is that they all have a bit of a different Aura than normal people, pokemon, and other living things, and there's like a network of it that runs through a place that branch off so things can be sensed a bit of a ways away When she trained in Sinnoh on Mount Coronet with the monks to hone her abilities I have it that she was told about Riley (or in this case the presence of another Aura User that wasn't a part of the monks' temple in Sinnoh)

I think the part about II is where we might be able to put some threads with these two together. Rui was wounded at II and put in a hospital in Canalave to recover, so since she could have detected another aura user while she was on II, imagine as soon as she got out she would be curious about it, because the monks never left/leave mount coronet and would have tried to follow it. where did Riley go after II? or did he stay on the island for x amount of time after the battle?

[isaac]

Haha, well, that can't be helped then. We'll just have to find some other avenue.

Rui probably never expected aura to be used selfishly. Riley used to be selfless, but ever since he's become a man that has nothing to lose but himself, he's gained a sense of self-preservation in whatever he does.

I expect that he'd have left traces or signs that he existed even though he never trained with anyone. You could consider him a prodigy or something along those lines, I suppose. He doesn't align for anything, except necessity and gain. Riley's a horrible person, but he believes that anyone in his shoes would do the same to survive.

Riley was never in Iron Island during the battle. He was surprised to find out that a battle had taken place, but he never returned. At the moment, he works for an agency and is all over the regions doing his work. I don't doubt it for a moment that his aura comes off more controlled and calm than the untapped or unharnessed ones of non-aura users.

We could have it that the monks considered him a rogue user. The next in line to be an Aura Guardian, yes, but not the best possible candidate. Would Rui seek him out? Would she find herself on the wrong end of Riley's gun?

[rui]

Basically she never even so much as thought of the possibility that Aura could be used selfishly like you said. Part of that comes from the monks training her no different and her lack of branching out her mind to other possibilities, and the fact that she only reason she discovered hers was because of Shadow Pokemon and so she, in a childlike mindset, thought “oh this ability can only help others” and was fine with it because that’s the sort of person she is. XD. Either she didn’t think of other possibilities for its use, or didn’t want to.

Given his aura being controlled and calm as you suggested, I imagine if Rui meditates/focuses long enough after first sensing traces of it and managed to get the slight feeling of it again somewhere else (in the same region as him at the time, for the most part, maybe an island just off the coast of one of the main regions for the absolute extent) and would probably try to follow it out of curiosity and the want to find someone else like her that didn’t live up in the mountains like monks. I like the idea you have for the monks considering him a rogue user, that makes it a bit more interesting.

That being the case they probably would have just mentioned it once or twice to her and spoke of it no more for the whole “don’t get caught up with someone we don’t know” sort of talk, but now that she’s not under their guidance anymore she probably would try to seek him out to satisfy something she’s wanted to know about for a few years.

She very well could find herself on the wrong end of his gun, she seems to have a habit of letting her curiosity get the best of her and finding herself in not-so-great situations (like this could very well be, how she was first met in Colosseum after being bagged by Cipher, etc.) lol. I imagine it could very well be quite the interesting thread(s) for this. Because of how she is, if he didn’t give her a good impression the first time they meet, she would prooooobably still try to at least be friendly to him, even if he didn’t return the favor ^^

[isaac]

I think that's where they differed. Riley didn't experience a moment where his powers could be used for something else. Rui would probably have that moment of insight when she detects his presence (which would coincide with his losing his calm, come to think of it), and subsequently goes on a search for him. It'd work.

I'm not sure if Riley would make a good impression on Rui. It depends on the circumstance of their meeting. Despite her friendly disposition, Riley would still be wary of her.

Also: I happened to notice that he's younger than Rui. Hah!

[rui]

Sounds like a plan to me, from the insight to the searching. Good way to start their relationship.

Even if Riley didn't make a great first impression, like said, she would still be friendly. I'd want to say it's like this obnoxiously insatiable urge she has to be nice to everyone she meets but that wouldn't be entirely true XD

Either way, sounds like we have a good thread-starting plan, so shall we? ^^ I can start it if you need, but if you want to start it too it's cool. If I start it though I'm gonna ask if it's cool with you that she detects his different Aura to give her a trail to follow? Also, what Region should we put it in?

And yes omg she is older than him. I know I kept re-realizing this each time I looked at his app(s) in the past for some kind of information and it was just a "holy crap" moment each time XD I kinda view him as older than her regardless >>

[isaac]

I think a reasonable starting point could be a sudden spike, or flare of aura in the area she was in. Perhaps nothing too large, just a sudden spike beyond normal capabilities? It would certainly be what separates an aura user from a layman. I'd like it to be in Sinnoh... How does Sandgem sound to you?

Thank you for offering to make the thread. That's great.

[lucian]

Hello; remember me? I answered your want ad elsewhere. Well, here's Lucian.

The praise and acceptance he needs, Lucian is free to provide. At the same time, he's sure to be using the man for his own objectives —the agency's objectives. Aura users are rare, and one prodigy such as him would be best to keep under wraps. They would be co-workers.

[isaac]

Hey, Emrys! Thank you for picking up the wanted ad!

Haha, I'm sure that their relationship as colleagues isn't going to be as simple as that. Riley technically doesn't serve under Lucian. They're similarly-ranked, but due to how their agency works, most of the time Riley has to listen to directives from Lucian. Riley's just in it for himself; Lucian doesn't seem to think that way, does he?

Lucian's a manipulative man, after all.

[lucian]

As you've said, Lucian certainly doesn't think that way, but Riley is free to believe that. A tool is only useful when it listens.

[rui]

Sounds good to me. Sandgem is a good location for me as well. I’ll get writing it after I eventually sleep.

With luck I’ll be able to get that thread up over the weekend. Worst case will be middle of next week but im aiming to avoid that. ^^ ill post the link here when I finish it.

[rui]

got the thread up here ^^
if you want/need anything changed just let me know