#cail

[drawingbun]

A few days late, but better than nothing.

Happy 22nd Anniversary Pokemon Colosseum!

[minty-fivestar]

Orretober Week 2 - Join Cipher

Still sick this week, though getting better. Decided to work with the prompt Join Cipher!

I decided to write part of a scene that's still to come in my in-progress fanfiction, Pokémon Colosseum Redux. The context is basically: Cail is dating Sierra, one of my Cipher Peon OCs who is also Ein's younger sister and a relatively important employee in the team. Because of this, Nascour decides it might be useful to reach out to Cail and make an ally of him... Not explicitly "joining Cipher," but it was close enough. x)

I don't normally like releasing previews of unfinished stuff, but it's a brief enough scene that I think I'm ok with it!

Cail fidgeted as he stared at himself in the mirror one more time, feeling more out of place than ever. His reflection scarcely resembled himself, and his strange surroundings did nothing to make him feel any more at home.

He’d tried his best to dress up; he really did. But there was no way in hell he was getting a tuxedo or anything like that, even if it was for something as important as this. So the best he could make do with was his best pair of black jeans, a polished pair of work boots, and a borrowed cowboy shirt from Willie. But even as he ran a hand back through his green hair, he felt self-conscious—unusual for him. Half of it had to be nerves at being invited to dinner at Realgam Tower, of all places, but the other half was most certainly his desire to not make a fool of himself in front of Sierra, and the people she worked with and looked up to most.

The door opened behind him, and in the mirror, he could see Sierra step into the room. She smiled at him warmly, crossing over to where he stood and looping her arms around his waist.

“You clean up so well,” she teased, squeezing him a little before stepping to the side of him, to admire his reflection.

Cail rolled his eyes and turned to face her instead. His mouth twitched into a reluctant smile, taking in the sight of her in a cute purple dress with matching heeled sandals. He looked her up and down for a few seconds, before he reached up to brush his hand against her cheek. “Not really,” he chuckled. “But at least I have you to draw the attention off me.”

Sierra grinned and grabbed his hand to pull it away, but not before she pressed a soft kiss to it. “Cheeky,” she teased. “Come on, they’ll be waiting for us.”

The two exited the room and boarded the elevator a few feet down the hallway. Cail felt his heart pounding as they ascended to the top levels, where VIP guests at Realgam Tower were meant to stay and be entertained. Once the elevator doors slid open, Sierra led him down another hall, then through a door that opened into a luxurious casino. Rows of slot machines and tables for cards, roulette, and craps games spread out before them in a hall that still smelled like freshly installed carpet. But as their footsteps thudded through the empty room, Cail thought it felt more unsettling than awe-inspiring.

On the other side of the casino, Sierra exited through the main entrance of the room, then continued down a hall and hung a right to a set of elegant doors with curved handles. She opened one, but Cail hung back and took the door from her, waiting until she had entered the room fully before stepping inside himself.

Within, a long banquet table stretched out before them, covered in a long white tablecloth with many chairs filling the length on each side. Only one end of the table was set with a few place sets, napkins, and silverware, however. And as Sierra and Cail approached, they could see that a few people were already seated—Nascour at the head of the table, of course, and Ein to his right. The two were leaned in close to one another, speaking softly as they swirled their respective wine glasses, but when they noticed Sierra and Cail, they immediately straightened. Nascour, gentlemanly as always, stood up from his seat and held a hand out to Sierra. She moved to take it, and he pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles.

“Radiant as always, my dear,” he purred, before making a move to pull out the seat to his left. But then he stopped himself, as his eyes trailed over to Cail. He smiled and instead approached the new guest, one hand behind his back, the other held out to Cail with forward politeness. “Ah… the charming young man that has won our Miss Sierra’s heart.”

Cail swallowed and took a deep breath before he moved to shake Nascour’s hand firmly. “Yes, sir,” he acknowledged. “Cail Anderson. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Nascour Breaire. And the pleasure is all mine, I assure you.” The taller man took a step back, eyes watching Cail expectantly; fortunately, the young rogue immediately realized what he had to do. He stepped behind Sierra’s intended chair and pulled it back for her. Sierra sat down, and he carefully pushed her chair back in. Nascour nodded approvingly and returned to his seat, while on the other side of the table, Ein stood up as well. Cail made sure to walk over and shake his hand, too; the scientist’s expression, while somewhat dubious, wasn’t as hostile as Cail expected. The two nodded silently to one another before Ein sat down again, and Cail returned to seat himself next to Sierra. She shot him a pleased smile and touched his knee under the table before she turned her attention back to Nascour.

“I’m sure it’s a bit unusual to accept a dinner invitation here, of all places,” the Cipher Executive began, “but my reasons for this are twofold. One is, quite simply, to allow the kitchens and their staff a test run of a meal service ahead of Realgam Tower’s opening. But two, more importantly…” He trailed off, his eyes darting between Ein and Sierra. “…I wish to express things that are only for your ears. My own staff, while well trusted, are perhaps too loyal—in the sense that they will not question me or my ideas. But you, on the other hand… Master Ein… Miss Sierra… I trust you two to not only have the intelligence to polish my ideas, but also the confidence to challenge them, if need be.”

The two siblings exchanged a glance, before nodding. However, Ein couldn’t help but speak up. “With no offense meant… why, then, allow Sierra’s… paramour to be here?” He shot Cail a neutral look over his glasses, before taking another drink of wine.

Nascour chuckled softly, but did not answer right away, as several servers entered the room and began to pour wine for the two new guests. They also set platters of charcuterie before them on the table, before leaving to allow the diners to savor their appetizers in peace. Only after everyone had served themselves some food and tasted their wine did Nascour continue.

“Mr. Anderson is invited tonight because I have need to assess his… trustworthiness,” he explained, almost too casually. Cail felt himself stiffen a little, even with Sierra’s hand on his leg squeezing him reassuringly. “After all, what is precious to Miss Sierra should be precious to me, so to say. And if he wishes to remain close with your darling sister, well… he’ll have to learn sooner or later how to keep Cipher’s business close to his chest.”

“I see.” Ein didn’t seem to sound disappointed, but he didn’t sound enthused, either.

Nascour sat back in his seat and gave Cail an appraising look, hands folded on the table before him. “I am not normally given to trusting people outside of those I’ve personally assessed, but… in recent days, I’ve seen the value of outside perspectives,” he acknowledged. “And if Miss Sierra already trusts you, then I am inclined to do the same.”

Cail shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Um… sorry, but… I’m still kinda confused,” he admitted. “Don’t get me wrong; I’m grateful to be here, and I’m grateful you trust Sierra’s judgment of me. But… I’m just a guy. A random dude off the Pyrite streets. And if I wanted to join Cipher already, I think I already know all the avenues to do that…”

Ein scoffed a little, but crossed his arms and shrugged. “Sierra has already kept us appraised of your… reluctance to be tied to any allegiance, Cipher or otherwise,” he said wryly. “We are aware.”

Nascour chuckled, picking up his wine glass again. “Indeed. I can respect your desire to remain… unaligned. I’m not here to offer you a position. No… I’m here to trade you a favor… for a favor.”

At that, Cail leaned forward a little in his chair, intrigued. “What kinda favor?” he asked, unable to hide his curiosity.

“Whatever you should wish, within our power.” Nascour’s mouth twitched into a pleased smile. “Luxurious accommodations at our very own Realgam Tower? Money to buy what you wish? A new car, new clothing, new Pokémon?” His eyes darted in Sierra’s direction. “The freedom to pursue Miss Sierra, knowing that opportunity is laid at your feet, only waiting for you to take it if you should be so bold? By all means.”

Ein immediately jerked his head toward Nascour, scowling. “Now wait just a minute—”

Sierra snorted ungraciously into her napkin, and Cail felt his face flushing with surprise. “H-Hold on… I don’t…”

“It’s a lot to take in, I’m sure. But the favor remains open. Whenever you decide to call upon it.”

Cail swallowed, glancing between both the Cipher Executive and his somewhat-pouting chief scientist sitting next to him. “That’s… really generous,” he admitted. “And what exactly would you want in return…?”

At that, Nascour’s smile turned only slightly unpleasant. “I am told you are a well-connected man. And such a man is worth his weight in gold. That is why I’m willing to offer you a blank check. All I ask in return…”

He paused, leaning forward. Only then did Cail take note of the unnatural red tinge in his eyes.

“…is whatever you know about these so-called ‘heroes of Orre.’ The ones called Wes… and Rui.”

A/N: Context--the reason this is going to be a bit of a problem for Cail is that by this point in the story, he's close friends with Wes and Rui. Unbeknownst to Sierra. Oops.

Yes, I'm old enough that the coincidental Matrix reference is not lost on me, haha. I'm not sure why I originally decided to go with that name, but it's two decades too late to want to change now!

[nolan-higdon]

In the "Age of Generative Warfare," the fog of war is no longer a metaphor, it’s an algorithmic reality. From deepfakes of the 2026 Middle East crisis to "AI slop," our defenselessness against synthetic media is a mandate for Critical AI Literacy. We must interrogate the tools before they automate our reality. Read my latest on why CAIL is a vital requirement for a sovereign public: https://nolanhigdon.substack.com/p/the-age-of-generative-warfare

[genericcharacter]

The Cail

what about The Cail what do people think about The Cail its its a cat and a snail

[dirtyorreconfessionsandco]

Officer Johnson's so unexpierinced at patroling, as well as romantic and love advances. He's such a cute virgin, that may or may not be taken by Cail (or some dom woman)

[cipher-legal-and-ethics-dept]

Nascour rage baiting and engagement farming on Twitter, part 3/?

[halnye]

[day 1: fav oc]

Bit of a late start bc I haven't been feeling well but here's my girl Cail! :3

[death-breeds-wisdom]

Notes on inner monologue:

Izzy's inner monologue is overly dramatic and self loathing. Constant grand statements, ramblings and trains of thought that get off the track immediately. A lot of overthinking. The word fuck is overused. Sentences sound like dialogue. The metaphors are simplistic.

"The shower is cold and sharp. I revel in its clarity, while watching the water turn red as it spirals towards the drain. While running my fingers through my hair I identifying every bruise, welt and wound. My hands travel down to my bruised neck, still sore from yesterday. My breath hitches and shallows until I'm barely breathing. Tears start running and I don't know why. I can't breathe. Fuck. Why. My mind keeps flashing back to yesterday. Why am I crying? I had been dreaming of it for weeks. Why? I can't hate what happened so why do I still hate so much? I can't stay here, crying in the shower, barely even standing. Why am I still here, I should just- the door opens... [-]"

Julia's inner monologue is characterised by constant thoughts directed at God. Completely black and white world view. Long, layered sentences, laced with poetic metaphors. Ramblings, but less so of the overthinking kind (think: Izzy) and moreso about the state of the world.

Heddy's inner monologue is pragmatic. It sounds as though she's always brain storming. She is afraid of her own thoughts, so she jumps around a lot. She stops thoughts when they get too real. She is afraid of who she is, but she hides that fear as well. She is tired with herself and everyone around her.

"I had missed my chance, I, the utter idiot, too occupied with not getting spotted. If he dies then it's... my fault. It would've been anyway, but here I have to witness it. Having thawed my feet out of frozen fear, but still mentally trying to distance myself from the thought of these idiots dying here because of me, I ran along the river until I saw the skinny idiot fighting tooth and nail to hold both of them up. Still alive."

Roz's inner monologue consists of short, straight to the point sentences. Almost like Hedry, constantly trying to make sense of her surroundings and trying to come to the most logical conclusions. Often leads to over thinking.

Cail's inner monologue is erratic. Random snippets of surrounding radio stations get interjected. There's a lot of extra information they're constantly taking in. Noticeably less visual descriptions of their surroundings. Inner monologue is heavily influenced by classical literature.

Mika's inner monologue is very technical. Might include long lists. The descriptions are detailed, slightly influenced due to him being the eyes for Cail. Less than average emotions present (in contrast to Hedry's and Izzy's inner monologues).