Evolutionary Theorist

Genetics are the building blocks of all life. Everything in this world that lives and respires is bound by the coding of its genes. But that's what makes Pokemon special, isn't it? What makes them unique is their genetic ability to evolve, change, adapt in spectacular, immediate ways. How do they do it? What is it about these creatures that allows for such spectacular alterations of form, size, mass? Well, we'll never find out unless we ask.

[gamblersgrimm]

Wrong Turn || Diane & Mewtwo

[gamblersgrimm]

Well, she said she wouldn’t try to capture him. Mewtwo still was terrible at reading human facial expressions, but he hoped that was one of sincerity. And Diane…. he couldn’t tell whether that was a female name or a male name. Humans were very confusing. He wished he had payed closer attention when Casey tried to teach him how to tell the difference. This entire situation would be so much easier if they were in a restroom.

<<Diane…. I have never heard that name, before. Certainly, you must be a unique species of human.>> Tilting his head, his tail began to swish gently back and forth and he edged closer to Diane, peering closely at her. <<I am called Mewtwo,>> he continued, <<though I am given to understand that, to fit into human society, pokemon will take on human names. I am still deciding. What about your name? Casey says humans pick names based on physiology. Is yours a male or a female?>> Though, he supposed in the long run, it didn’t really matter, especially if the human could get him through the halls without anyone mean seeing them.

Glancing away from Diane, Mewtwo spotted what appeared to be a door, and slowly opened it to peer out and down either end of the hallway. No one there. Good. That would make it easy for them to escape downstairs without much notice. <<I hope you do not mind if I request the route wherein we would least likely to be seen. I am afraid you Rockets tend to be—how does Stormy say it—trigger-happy. What do you do here, Diane? Have you lived here long?>>

[theories-on-evolution-blog]

Diane laughed gently at the Pokemon’s words.  “I never thought of myself that way,” she admitted.  A unique species -- well, at the risk of being egotistical, she was one-of-a-kind.  Much like the Pokemon before her, actually.  “It’s an honor to meet you, Mewtwo,” she said, offering her empty hand to him.  She wasn’t sure if he was familiar with handshakes, but it was at least a peaceful gesture.  “You don’t have to take another name, if you don’t want, though!  My parents gave me my name -- it’s a female name.”  At least, she’d never met a boy with that name...

“Oh, no, I don’t mind at all!” Diane said.  Given Mewtwo’s history with Team Rocket, she could think of one member in particular -- a particular blue-hared Executive, to be precise -- that the Pokemon needed to steer especially clear of.  “The labs tend to be rather quiet, at least -- Scientists don’t go out much, by and large.”  She spoke from experience: some days she needed to be reminded to do things at a reasonable time, like eating dinner before ten at night or sleeping before four AM.  She had at least gotten better about that since Ivan started taking over as her lab assistant, but that wasn’t to say she was perfect.  Oh, far from it. 

“The stairs will probably have the least traffic around here.  Most of the lab workers use the elevators, since they usually transport equipment,” she said, heading out into the hall and toward the stairwell.  “As for me, w-well...”  She was a bit worried about how the Pokemon would take it, knowing what she did...but honesty was the best policy, wasn’t it?  “I’m a Scientist, myself.  I’m studying evolution and Mega Evolution, at the moment, and I actually just got back here.  I’ve been working in Hoenn for quite a while, doing research on and gathering materials to study Mega Evolution.  What brings you here?  If you don’t mind me asking.”

[theories-on-evolution-blog]

steelingpeaceofmind:

Riley meets Diane’s smile as she opens the door. He’s very happy to see her. While Diane wasn’t the first person he spoke to when he came Team Rocket, she was the first he had an actual conversation with, if that made any sense. He was fond of her and considered her a friend, and wondered where she went to when he found her lab had been cleared out one day. She had been helpful to him many times, and he regretted not being able to thank her properly.

So he was excited to find out that she was back. Riley takes pause at her question, wondering how he should answer her. How had he been? The past months at Team Rocket were distressing, frustrating, and not to mention tiring. He was no longer as cheerful or as idealistic as he was when he went in, but… many good things happened as well, and he had definitely grown as a person. Perhaps not for better or for worse. He was just more… complete, somehow. “Things are looking up,” he answers at last, and he decides that’s the most accurate response he could give. “I’m on break right now, so I’d love to catch up. How have you been doing?”

Diane beams at the news that Riley can stay.  Bustling over to one of the lab benches, she puts the tea basket down, marveling for a moment over the array of flavors before choosing one that looks nice -- a black tea with a variety of spices.  Chai has always been a favorite of hers, so this sounds right up her alley.  Opening the box, she scoops a spoonful into the strainer within the teapot and fills it with hot water from the kettle nearby.

“Have a seat!” she says, gesturing to the pair of chairs by the desk.  “I’m glad to hear things have been looking up for you lately.  I hope the legal department hasn’t been dealing with too much trouble on the Team’s account.  I’ve been doing great, though!  I just got back from Hoenn -- I was doing field-work and Mega Evolution research, and I came back with something of a treasure trove,” she admits, pulling a box out from under her desk.  When she opens it, a wide array of gleaming stones -- some polished, some raw -- shines under the lab lights.  “The only problem is, I don’t have any Pokemon to Mega Evolve,” she laughs. 

[shadowedsapphire]

New Friends// Diane Sapphire

[shadowedsapphire]

Sapphire flinched slightly away as she felt Diane’s fingers brush her hair to the side, bringing her eyes to the ground as she did. She felt herself stiffen at the question, but quickly relaxed her posture to not give herself away. She knew it was a hopeless endeavor. The bruises gave everything away. “It’s not important ma’am. I can’t tell.” 

She gave a soft smile as the ice was handed to her, and putting it on the bruises, letting out a sigh as she did. It felt nice to have any sort of relief from the constant pain. “Ahh, thank you I haven’t had tea in so long!” She put the ice down and drank the tea with gusto, and when she finished she stilled, and put the tea down and fiddled with her fingers.

“I volunteered for this position actually… it was the first chance I would have to have human contact again and be able to take up my research once more.” Sapphire fiddled further with her hands, one finger drawing blood on the inside of her palm. “My name… my name is Sapphire.” 

[theories-on-evolution-blog]

“It is important,” Diane said, her voice stern but still gentle.  This girl didn’t need someone yelling at her after what she’d clearly been through.  “You shouldn’t be treated like this.  Not anywhere.  Why can’t you tell?”

The Scientist still managed to smile when her guest downed the whole mug of warm tea in only a few moments.  “Maybe I should put the water on for another pot,” she chuckled, passing the cup back across the desk.  Pushing the chair back from the desk again, she moved across the lab to a kettle on another workbench, filling it with water from the sink and setting it to heat before returning. 

“Well, that’s the strange thing,” Diane said as she sat down again.  “I never put in a request for any kind of lab assistance, so I wasn’t aware there were any open positions.  The assistant I have now is all the help I really need.  Not that I don’t want you!” she amended hastily.  “I’m only saying that it’s...very strange, when there wasn’t a vacancy to fill.”  Still smiling gently, the Scientist rested her chin on her folded hands.  “Sapphire?  That’s a very pretty name -- and not a common one, either!  I’ve only heard of one other person with that name -- the daughter of Hoenn’s Pokemon professor, if I’m not mistaken.  What sort of research do you do?”

[shadowedsapphire]

New Friends// Diane Sapphire

[shadowedsapphire]

Sapphire noted the pleasant atmosphere of the lab, and the smiling woman in front of her and thought, maybe this part of her imprisonment wouldn’t be so bad. She sat when she was gestured to, and as the woman rushed to get what looked to be a first aid kit, Sapphire raised her voice in an attempt to discourage her. “Ahh, no, don’t worry about that, it-it looks much worse than it is–”

But for all that Sapphire tried to make it sound convincing, it fell rather flat. She wrung her hands together as she tried to think of some better excuse, something that would ease the worry she saw– no one here should even want to worry, this was all so confusing–

In the midst of her panic she didn’t even wonder if she was too bruised or beaten up to be recognized for who she was. 

[theories-on-evolution-blog]

“No offense intended, but I think I’d like to check that myself,” the Scientist said, taking her own seat and rolling over to Sapphire with the first aid kit open on her lap.  Gently, she moved Sapphire’s hair away from her face, frowning deeply at the bruises there and above the collar of her uniform.  “Who did this?” she asked, rolling away from the desk again and to a small refrigerator near the wall of the lab. 

It didn’t take long to figure out what the woman was up to.  Pulling out a tray of ice cubes, the Scientist cracked a few into a soft cloth and wrapped them up tightly before rolling back to Sapphire’s side.  “This should help a little.  Just hold it on the bruises, okay?”

Rolling back a few feet, Diane opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a clean mug, filling it with warm tea and pushing it closer to Sapphire.  “Here.  There’s sugar and cream, if you like it,” she added, tapping the lid of the sugar bowl.  “And I...don’t think I caught your name, actually -- I didn’t know I’d been assigned a research assistant, since I’ve never had one before,” she chuckled.  “Could I get your name, miss...?”

[gamblersgrimm]

Wrong Turn || Diane & Mewtwo

[gamblersgrimm]

Mewtwo couldn’t help but chuckle when the human started–oh, he so enjoyed starling them–and waited patiently until she finally found him and gathered herself enough to reply. He was happy when the human said he was in the basement, because that meant he had learned well enough how to head in the right direction. Perhaps he should think about asking for a map of the air ducts, should one day it no longer prove disastrous for him to be hiding out from the Rockets. Though, it occurred to him that if that day ever came, he would no longer need to use the air ducts. Hmm. That would be something.

<<Two basements?>> he repeated, mouth forming a small frown, <<I do not understand. Since when have there been two basements?>> Normally, he would wiggle his way around in the right direction until he found where he wanted to be, but if this human was correct–and he had no reason to doubt them–then he would probably need more than a vague direction to set off in. They seemed nice, too, or at least Mewtwo wasn’t sensing any ill will, so far. All in all, it didn’t seem like quite a bad idea. Grunting, he clambered around in the vent until he was able to back out and gently lower himself to the floor, shaking his head to lose any stay dust bunnies before stretching up to his full height.

<<If you know the way, I would be thankful for your assistance,>> he continued, <<you seem like a nice human. Will you promise not to try and capture me if I walk alongside you?>> Of course, it was better to be safe than sorry. If the human was here, they were a Rocket, and Rockets tended to have this habit of throwing pokeballs first and never asking questions ever. <<What is your name, human?>>

[theories-on-evolution-blog]

Diane nodded at the question.  “Yes, from what I remember.  Basement level 1 is the lab sector, and basement level 2 is storage.  It’s been a while since I’ve been here, so I hope it hasn’t changed,” she admitted sheepishly.  But her lab hadn’t been touched in her absence, which gave her at least some hope that things weren’t too different. 

As the Pokemon crawled out of the air duct and stood at its full height, the Scientist’s eyes went wide with wonder.  Could it really be...?  She recognized the Pokemon now that he was in plain sight, and the pictures on file in the scientific databanks didn’t do him any kind of justice.  But why would he be back?  And more than that, why would he be crawling around in the air ducts?  That didn’t seem at all comfortable. 

Diane went a bit pink in the face when the Pokemon called her a nice human.  Coming from him (if he was, indeed, who she thought), that was a very high compliment.  “A-absolutely!” she said.  “I’d be happy to help!  A-and I wouldn’t dream of capturing you,” she added softly.  “I’d...really just like to talk with you, if that would be all right.  My name’s Diane.  Could I ask  your name?”

[medical-mishap]

Progress || Diane & Petrel

[medical-mishap]

Petrel couldn’t help it; he laughed outright at that, deeply and smoothly. “Respect?” he repeated, “Honey, please. You want that, do something a little more interesting than liquidizing rare candies. In the meantime, I’ll come and go as I please, alright?”

Nevertheless, as she went on and on and on, his eyes were drawn towards the USB in her hand. Wwwoooooow. He hoped she had that thing password protected, because if someone just reached out and…. grabbed it. His hand twitched. Ohh, the temptation. It was right there. In her hand. And she was rambling. He could do it. Oh, the temptation. Still, pushing buttons was one thing, getting punched by a woman and then possibly her stupid blue boyfriend was another, entirely—not to mention he could always just try and hack into her computer, later, if he got bored enough.

“What I would like to see is your report and your project proposal, so I can go over it before the Blue Meanie decides to just throw cash around at you.” Pausing, his gaze wandered back towards the mega stone box, a flicker of curiosity distracting him from the matter at hand. “What pokemon do you have so far for testing, and are any of those sablite?  Because if you need subjects, we can get you whatever you need.”

Actually, now he was a little intrigued, he had to admit, and it would be nice to work on seeing Slim mega-evolved. Alex would be proud. “You know what? Tea would be great, hit me and get talking. You don’t mind if I riffle through your shit in the meantime, do you?” Without waiting for any replies, he set off to begin, as he said, riffling through Diane’s things.

[theories-on-evolution-blog]

“Diane did not smile at Petrel’s laughter.  “You know, if you’d paid any attention at all to my previous reports, you’d know that what I’ve done so far is a bit different from ‘liquidizing rare candies,’” she said, her voice clipped and surprisingly cold for such a warm personality. And though she made no remark on his coming and going as he pleased, her expression clearly said that whatever he did, she was by no means obligated to like it. 

“Well, sir, if you want a report and a proposal, you’re just going to have to be patient,” the Scientist said in a dangerously saccharine tone.  “Both of those take time, and I’ve only just finished putting the lab in order again.  I’m not going to submit, to you or anyone, something slapdash.  That’s offensive to you and me,” she sniffed, tucking the flash drive back in her pocket.  “So until I can get my notes in order, I can’t give you a timetable.”

Still, the Scientist swatted Petrel’s hand as he moved to rifle through her things.  “Yes, I do mind,” she said.   Not that there were many things to go through, at the moment, with the box of Mega Stones under her desk and the top still relatively clean, except for a few calibration test printouts from her eqipment.  Instead, she opened a desk drawer and removed a large mug, filling it with tea and moving it across the desk toward the Executive, gesturing to the sugar bowl nearby in case he preferred his drinks sweet.  She scooped two teaspoons into her own mug before leaning back, stirring slowly as she considered.  

“The problem is that I don’t have any qualified candidates at the moment.  The only fully evolved Pokemon I have that would be capable of Mega Evolving was evolved with the artificial hormone in the first place, and the only other Pokemon I have that would qualify haven’t evolved yet.  And, of course, since I’m no trainer, my only viable means of evolving them would be with the hormone compound -- it’s a vicious cycle,” she sighed.  “The ideal candidate would be a Pokemon that doesn’t evolve, of course -- something like Absol or Kangaskhan.  Based on the small-scale studies I was able to do before I left, I think that we might be looking at resonance principles, meaning that -- theoretically -- if we’re able to replicate the specific frequency of each mega stone without using the keystone and amplifier settings, we could induce Mega Evolution without needing to worry about securing those hard-to-find materials.”

[theories-on-evolution-blog]

"Hello, Diane?" Riley knocks on the scientist's lab door, clearing his throat. "I hope I'm not interrupting you while you get settled back in, but I wanted to welcome you back to Kanto... Johto... John... to. Wherever this base is. I've brought you a tea basket to welcome you."

Diane is what some people would (rightly) call a workaholic.  She’d only been back at the Indigo Range base and already she’s back at work, putting her compiled field notes in order for further investigation.  After all, a good experiment needs a well-founded hypothesis. 

She’s startled out of her thoughts by the knocking at her door, but delighted when she recognizes the voice that accompanies it.  “Ah, Riley!” she calls, smiling as she opens the door.  The sight of the tea basket is especially nice, since she hasn’t had a chance to stock up since her return, and her stash has been running low.  “Thank you so much!  Oh, this is perfect – how have you been?  Do you have some time to sit and talk?”

[workaholic-anonymous]

Flowers, Surprise! || Diane & Archer

[workaholic-anonymous]

An honest grin splitting his face for the first time in a long while, Archer wrapped his arms around Diane the instant she hugged him. A deep breath—she still smelled like Diane, but he could have sworn he caught a whiff of his birthregion’s air—and perhaps he clung to her maybe a second longer than what might be deemed appropriate, but eventually he pulled away to examine her from an arm’s length, frantically evaluating to make certain she was in good health.

“I’m glad you’re home,” he said after a long moment, “I am so, so very glad you are home. It’s been a little… quiet… without you here.” For a moment his smile dropped, but a moment later he held the small bouquet out to her. “Here,” he said, “your coming-home gift. I apologize, it is a little… lackluster….”

“May I help you unpack or settle in, at all? I’d love to hear all about your expedition!”

[theories-on-evolution-blog]

Even if Archer might suspect the hug lasted longer than propriety might allow, Diane didn’t notice at all.  She was really home, and she couldn’t think of any better homecoming present than getting to see the Executive again. 

In fact, the Scientist seemed almost reluctant to pull away, though she did without complaint, smiling up at Archer as he looked her over.  She’d gotten a bit of color in her time away from all the outdoor work.  “Usually I think quiet around here would be a good thing,” she chuckled. 

The sight of the flowers, though, made Diane’s breath catch.  “Oh, they’re beautiful!” she said, taking the bouquet in hand and breathing deeply of the scent.  “I think it’s a perfect welcoming gift.  Thank you so much, Sir...”

At the offer to help, though, Diane laughed.  “Oh, I can always use an extra set of hands.  I’ve managed to get all the equipment uncovered, but I still have a lot of things stashed in the closets at the back of the lab that needs to come out.  And I can tell you all about the trip while we work, if you’ll tell me more about how things have been here.”

[shadowedsapphire]

New Friends// Diane Sapphire

She was alone.

For quite possibly the first time in months, the lack of her captor and subsequent imprisonment was like a weight off her chest, and she made her way down the science labs trying to find the one Damian had told her to find. 

“Now go find the science woman you are going to help. Don’t make a scene, just keep your head down and be a good girl. I will find you later. Behave.”

She made a disgusted little noise in the back of her throat, and looked up as she passed a darkened window. The reflection that stared back at her was haunting, as she hadn’t truely seen herself since this whole ordeal began. The side of her face was heavily bruised, and she could see Damian’s handprints rising higher then the high collar of her uniform that did a better job of hiding everything… else. 

She looked every inch the battered little bitch and she hated it.

She did her best to unclench her fists as she came upon the room she was supposed to find her superior in. She gave a soft knock on the door before speaking softly. “Hello? Miss Diane? I’m the new research assistant…?”

[theories-on-evolution-blog]

The sounds coming from inside the lab were decidedly...strange, for a room in a Rocket base.  Instead of screams or whimpers from caged Pokemon, the sound of soft classical music escaped into the hall once Sapphire came close enough to the door.  And layered over it was a melodic hum of someone inside, clearly enjoying the instrumental strains. 

At the knock on the door, though, the humming stopped, followed in short order by the music.  “Ah, please, come in!” a cheery voice called as the door opened, revealing a rather small, stocky woman wearing a lab coat and glasses.  She was smiling brightly -- another rarity in Team Rocket, to be sure...

...though it faded rapidly as she took in the condition of her new assistant.  “What happened?” she asked, waving Sapphire inside and gesturing for her to take a seat in the chair beside the desk, even as she bustled across the room to fetch the first aid kit off the wall.  

[medical-mishap]

Progress || Diane & Petrel

[medical-mishap]

Well, well. Look who grew a spin while she was gone. Petrel’s eyes lit up in devious glee; it was different for one to be tired of his bullshit versus one being done with his bullshit, and that difference was willingness to shove back at him when one was finally fed up. Not even Archer seemed to want to face him head-on, anymore, and it was a rare day that the purple executive was able to play any of his little games.

“Well, if you can’t replace any of it,” he said slowly, as if speaking with a child, “mayyyyyybeeeee you should be a little more careful where you put it.” Nevertheless, he eyed the stones casually—mega stones? He’d never seen one in real life, before, and he was given to understand that they were quite rare. She’d done well, finding that many.

“Those’ll about do it, yeah,” he said, nodding, “I mean, as far as answering my question goes, not as far as progress goes. I mean, I know they’re not easy to come by, but I guess I had higher expectations, what with how the big man rants on and on about how great you are and all.” He shrugged. “Well, I suppose while I’m here, you could run me through how long you think your current little research adventure is gonna take you.”

[theories-on-evolution-blog]

“Or perhaps,” the Scientist shot back, her tone clipped, “you should show a little more respect for the Scientists who work for you.  I might not be an Executive, but the last time I checked, I’m still doing valid and valuable research for you and Team Rocket on the whole.  The  least you can do is knock and wait to be invited in before throwing open the door.  It’s called common sense and courtesy, Sir.  With all due respect, it would serve you well to start using both.”

Diane closed the box again, carefully placing it on the floor and sliding it underneath her desk.  “As for your expectations, if you judge only by material results, then you’re going to be disappointed.  The research notes I’ve accumulated while I was away are much more impressive, but due to space constraints, I don’t have physical volumes on hand for demonstration purposes.”  So saying, the Scientist pulled a simple thumb drive out of her lab coat pocket, holding it up and shrugging.  “It doesn’t look like much, on the outside, but there’s a real wealth of information here.  Things that the scientific community is still pondering over, things Kanto has never seen before...”

It seemed like she had forgotten that Petrel was there at all.  She smiled down at the memory stick resting in her palm.  She’d worked hard on accumulating it all, and just knowing what such a humble thing contained made her heart swell with something very much like pride. 

She returned to the present soon enough, though.  Tucking a lock of hair back behind her ear, the Scientist took her usual chair behind the desk, gesturing for Petrel to take the other chair nearby before gesturing to the teapot.  “Would you care for some tea, sir?  Really, I can’t give you an approximate timetable on when you’ll see results, or even what the results will be.  Field research is all fine and good, but there are a number of things that can only be uncovered through laboratory research.  I have plans, certainly, but hypotheticals require trial and error, and before I can even get to that stage I need to work with these raw materials and get a baseline for comparison.  I’m also going to need more research subjects, since I’d rather not muddy the results by applying Pokemon from the Evolution Project to anything involving Mega Evolution -- it’s an easily eliminated variable, after all.  So I suppose the real question is, what exactly are you expecting to come out of this?  I can at least try to offer some answers there,” she said, leaning back in her chair and folding her hands. 

[medical-mishap]

Progress || Diane & Petrel

Progress. That was all that mattered in the world of Rocket science, and as far as Petrel was concerned, if projects weren’t meeting some ridiculous standard or another, it was well within his power—his duties, even—to motivate their masters. Or, depending on his mood, revoke all of the funding. Really, it tended to depend on whether or not he’d gotten his lunch break for once, or on alternate Tuesdays, how high he was, at the time. Base was boring, however, in that all of the scientists that had hung around recently were making progress decent enough to leave them alone, and Petrel hadn’t much reason to stray from his work in the infirm—not until today, that was, when he’d been able to take the time off to go annoy a certain scientist that he was still totally making a mask of.

“Knock knock, look who’s here!” he announced as he strode boldly through through the lab door, “hope you’re being productive, because if you’re not, I’ve got an entire set of equipment that needs cleaning. Don’t imagine you’d have fun tidying up the meth lab, though.”

“So, how was the triiiiiip? Hope you made some headway out there, otherwise we’re going to have problems~~!”

[theories-on-evolution-blog]

“Aah!”

Ordinarly people had the decency to knock and wait to be invited in before throwing her door open.  And given that she had been preparing to move the last of what she’d brought back from Hoenn from where she’d originally left it by the door, the sudden entry nearly knocked her off her feet -- and almost made her drop the box, as well. 

“I’d rather not go near any sort of meth lab.  You know, you could have waited to be invited, sir,” the Scientist muttered, gripping the box a bit tighter and moving back toward her desk.  “I can’t replace any of this.”

Putting the box down, she opened it to reveal a gleaming array of stones -- some polished, some raw, but all semi-transparent around a solid swirl of crystals.  “So, does that answer your question?” she asked, gesturing to the treasure trove.  “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

[gamblersgrimm]

Wrong Turn || Diane & Mewtwo

Rocket HQ was, to put it bluntly, a mess. It was big and confusing and no matter how much Mewtwo tried to learn the ariados web that was the building’s air ducts, he kept getting turned around and lost. He was pretty sure the air ducts changed their position from day to day, much like the staircases in the latest book he had stolen on one of his midnight grocery runs. At this point, the psychic-type was pretty sure HQ was some kind of magic. No building was rebuilt that quickly after a fire.

Still, eldritch abominations aside, Mewtwo was still lost. Very, very lost. So lost that when he thought he was coming out of the air duct closest to the boilers, he actually popped his head out into a room he had never seen before. Frowning, Mewtwo glanced this way and that until his eyes fell upon a human on the far side of the room. Well, hopefully they weren’t going to try and catch him, because he really needed directions, right now.

<<Pardon me,>> he called out to the human, <<I seem to be lost. Could you direct me to the basement? I am looking to shop for furniture.>>

[theories-on-evolution-blog]

“All right, let’s see...Phyllop tank, check; Vesper bed, check; Lycan toys, check -- okay, I think that should be just about everything!”

Or at least everything she could think of off the top of her head.  While it was easy enough to return the lab to working order, it was the personal touches that made working there particularly enjoyable.  Fieldwork was all fine and good, but she’d missed having a Horsea bobbing around nearby, or finding that the teacup she was reaching for felt strangely furry and giggled when she grabbed it.  

But now she could safely say that the lab was starting to feel like home again.  Phyllop was stretching his tail in his sparkling clean tank, Vesper was sleeping under the desk, and Lycan was cheerfully murdering a plastic toy with a broken squeaker in the corner.  She finally felt like she could concentra--

The Scientist practically leapt out of her chair when she heard a voice in her head.  Looking around frantically, she saw nothing obviously amiss -- none of her psychics were in sight (not that it had sounded like any of them), she didn’t have an earpiece in, so...

...it took her a few scans to finally notice the head poking out of the air vent on the far side of the lab.  She stared for a moment in blank shock, adjusting her glasses a few times to be sure she wasn’t seeing things (she wasn’t, the head didn’t move even when the lenses did), before finally moving around the desk and picking her way toward the far end of the lab. 

“W-well, this...is the basement, technically,” she said.  “This is the science wing, on Basement Level 1.  I think Basement Level 2 might have supplies?  I didn’t know there was furniture for sale, though.”  Maybe that was something new they’d added during her absence.  “Do you need help getting out of there?  We can look together.”  Phyllop could always use a bigger tank, after all.  Aquariums counted as furniture, right? 

[workaholic-anonymous]

Flowers, Surprise! || Diane & Archer

It was three little words that spurred Archer into action, that day: Diane was back. It seemed that was all he needed to break him out of his funk, all he needed to forget his unfortunate road-trip with his fellow executive. Dropping his current stack of papers, Archer had run out into the hallways and bolted for the elevators; finding them all to be either far to slow, or Lugia forbid, occupied, he opted for the stairs, instead, and it was about half-way to Diane’s lab that the thought of flowers crossed his mind. A few detours later, he acquired a small bouquet (that he totally didn’t deck a grunt in the face for) and continued down the hallways until finally, finally, he skidded to a stop outside of Diane’s lab.

Totally not out of breath, Archer rapped precisely at the door—one, two three—before turning to lean against the wall and regain his composure, taking a preemptive hit from his inhaler. “Miss Skala!” he called between pretending not to wheeze, “Miss Skala, are you in?”

[theories-on-evolution-blog]

It actually hadn’t taken as much time as she’d feared to put the lab in order.  Part of it was the fact that she had help, of course: Ivan might not be able to hear, but he readily followed her lead once she started on something.  Having more helping hands made the work go significantly faster.

Really, all she had left to do now was unpack what few things she’d taken with her when she left and the remaining items she’d stored in the lab closets.  It felt wonderful having her old teapot and mugs back after practically living in the field for so long.

The Scientist turned away from her teapot when she heard the knock at her door, already smiling.  Just before she could call for her visitor to come in, though, she heard a voice she recognized -- and one she’d been missing for much too long.  Instead of calling out to him, Diane practically flew across the room and out the door, beaming from ear to ear. 

“Archer!” she cheered -- and in an uncharacteristic move, the Scientist hugged the Executive.  “I’ve missed you so much!  How have you been, sir?”

[theories-on-evolution-blog]

pensive-doctor said: //keeping an eye on this because I would really like to reblog this but I’m going on holiday this week so replies might be too spotty

Oh, no, don’t worry about that at all!  I hope you have a fantastic time on holiday. nwn If you’d like, I’d be happy to write up a starter just for you for when you get back! <3 

[theories-on-evolution-blog]

Welcome Home | OPEN

“Ah, it’s so good to be back,” Diane sighed, leaning back in her chair with a mug of fresh, hot tea.  She’d missed this relaxation, after all the fieldwork in Hoenn.  Sometimes it was nice to just relax and have an opportunity to process her findings, instead of just moving straight on to the next site.

As she plugged in her thumb drive to transfer her notes onto the computer, a knock at the door caught her attention.  “It’s open!” she called.  “Come in!”

[theories-on-evolution-blog]

This has been a long time coming.

I'm sorry for being so absent lately from both Skype and the group on the whole.  Lately I've been on an emotional rollercoaster that only seems to be going down.  A lot of old issues I thought I'd managed to get under control have reared back up, and it's left me an emotional wreck struggling to keep things together.  I haven't been able to write, I've barely been able to interact with people, and in general I'm just doing badly.

Working through it all has been a slow process, and I'm realizing that a hiatus isn't going to be enough.  As much trouble as I'm having right now, I'm afraid it'll take still longer to work through everything that's weighing me down.  As much as I hate to do it, and as much as I wish I didn't have to, I have to drop my characters.

There's no saying that I won't be back sometime, once I can get over what's weighing me down.  I love you guys so much, I'm so sorry for letting you all down these past few months, and I can't thank you enough for letting me join this wonderful community: your warm welcome for an OC and some odd takes on classic characters.  I've loved every thread and every interaction, and I can't begin to express how grateful I am for everything.  I've had an amazing time here with you all, and I hope I can come back someday soon.

~ Diane-mun

[theories-on-evolution-blog]

// briefly breaking hiatus because while my mom and I were digging around looking for something else I hit the motherlode