|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
|
 Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:11 pm
Claire was sitting in a chair nestled in a corner of the laundry room while the consistent whirr of the washers and dryers nearby hummed in the background. Her knees were settled over one arm with her feet dangling down while she leaned against the opposite one, a clipboard resting against her legs. A pen was held loosely in one hand as she idly tapped it against the papers, her head leaning lightly on the back of her other hand with the elbow propped against the back of the chair. Ugh, paperwork. It was a necessary evil, of course, and one she didn't mind doing, but... But she'd much rather be out doing missions or helping her teammates than do paperwork. But, she reminded herself, she'd much rather be doing paperwork than be stuck in a hospital wing unable to do anything due to injuries sustained on more dangerous missions. A memory idly floated through her thoughts, recalling the impromptu visit she'd made to Aila after the smaller agent had been attacked by the Ho-oh on the volcano mission. Poor girl had been stuck there for... weeks? She wasn't really sure. Oh well.
A small sigh escaped her as her brows furrowed, trying to focus on her papers again. Luc squeaked at the sigh, his head suddenly popping up from a previously unknown space between Claire and the chair. She wasn't quite sure how he fit there, either. "What are you doing..?" She murmured, reaching a finger out to poke his long nose. He made a gleeful sound, reaching his stubby arms up to grab her hand instead and cuddle with it. "I can't work on this if you won't let go," she informed him gently. A small smile twitched the corners of her lips, giving him a rueful glance before pulling her hand away to continue the paperwork. Not without an affectionate pat on the head first, of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 12:35 pm
A young man in his twenties came in wearing a pair of skinny black jeans and a black, V-necked, long-sleeved shirt. His arms supported a small pile of neatly-folded clothes - most of which were black in color - but with a few that were brown, some with bits of ivory fur, some red, some that were white, and even some that peeked out with bright, hot pink. He looked rather lost in thought as he entered the room, staring at his clothes, until he happened to hear a familiar voice and looked up to see a familiar face to match.
"Ah! Claire-chan. It's been a while," he acknowledged, carefully placing his folded garments in a laundry basket before placing the basket atop a washing machine. "Talking to your pokemon, neh...? You must be especially lonely." He glanced down at Luc with a small sneer. "Hehehe. I didn't take you for the sort to talk to your pokemon in your spare time. Like a human, no less. Though I suppose if they're going to act as adorable at that, there's no help for it."
As he waited for an occupied washing machine to be finished with its current batch of clothes, he leaned back against one, supporting himself on his arms as he clutched the edge of the machine behind him. Crimson eyes regarded Claire's expression slowly as he casually crossed one leg over his other, standing one. "I don't think I've ever seen you smile before just now. It's sweet."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
|
Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 1:47 pm
The sound of footsteps reached her before the man spoke, and she turned violet eyes to regard him with a neutral expression. Oh, she still seriously disliked him, but she supposed he sort of deserved a second chance to prove he was at least useful to the Team. If his usefulness outweighed how annoying he was, then that (sort of) justified keeping him. And, if not, well... There were plenty of ways to get rid of useless individuals. "Agent Claire," she corrected, not missing the flash of bright pink amongst his laundry. "I didn't know you were a fan of such bright pink clothing, Izaya." She couldn't help but wonder what the garment was, but either way, the thought that he wore pink (or might) was a very amusing and satisfying one.
"Really, I'm surprised at you," she murmured in a not-at-all-surprised tone, slim eyebrows raised slightly as her eyes drifted back to the clipboard in her lap and then to the little albino Cyndaquil, who had ducked down to hide when Izaya entered. The only visible part of him now was the top of his head and his long nose as he peered cautiously out at the man who could quite possibly eat him in one bite. "Surely by now you've figured out a more effective way of training your pokemon. It's easier to command them if they want you to command them, but they won't want to do what you say if they don't like you. Most usually will anyway, but in such instances I find the results tend to be.. Mm.. A little lacking," she finished, tapping her pen on the paper idly. If he was waiting for the washer she was using, then he'd be waiting a while. He'd also be waiting a while for any response to his last comments.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 2:13 pm
"Right, yes, agent," he answered with a careless wave. He'd neglected to acknowledge that she had been promoted since their last meeting at the outpost. "Agent Claire-chan...I'm sure there are a lot of things about me you don't know." Izaya followed her gaze toward the bit of hot pink sticking out and he smirked. So long as he could help it, she wouldn't get to see him wearing that one. That was reserved for...special occasions. "I actually favor pink. A lot."
"That said, I think we met under pretty stressful circumstances which may have, more or less, influenced our initial impressions of each other. Maybe we should start over." Pushing off the washing machine, he walked over to her and held out a hand for a handshake. "Hello. My name is Izaya Orihara. Or Grunt Nakura, if you prefer." He raised his brows at her remark about being surprised at him. "Mm? what for?"
Ah, that was it. So that's why she was all friendly with her 'tools'. "Ahh...I understand where you're coming from, but I'm afraid I respectfully disagree," he answered, watching one of the washing machine's contents swirl about as he spoke. "Yes, I've become more effective in training my pokemon, but that still does not change their relationship to me. Like with humans, I find that friendship, while a strong motivator in some situations, is not always necessary or the best possible way to achieve the desired results."
He held up a finger matter-of-factly. "For one thing, to create any sort of bond with the tools one works with is a mistake. It's just as bad as trying to maintain a relationship with a coworker for many of the same reasons. It just doesn't mix with work. Emotions can be distracting and even detrimental on the path to achieve one's goals, yes?" His crimson gaze flickered to her out the corner of his eye to watch her expression; to see if she understood what he meant. "As a member of Team Rocket - and a high-ranking one at that - I'm surprised you haven't considered the problems that can arise from such situations."
The slim man ran a hand through his hair. "In that respect, I think the best method is to teach them who is boss and that they should obey to the best of their abilities in exchange for being well-taken care of. There are just some pokemon you can't force to love you after all, such as stolen ones. It makes no sense to try to befriend them." He held out his hands in a hopeless gesture.
"After a time, they'll start to grow on you and before you know it, you'll be spoiling them rotten, catering to their ever whim and answering to their every beck and call. After all, you don't see Executive Seth making friends with all his underlings in exchange for them working hard for him." He chuckled at the mental image that brought up. "If he did that, where would we be? There would be no order in the world."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
|
Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 2:40 pm
He favored pink. Well, that explained quite a bit. "I'm sure there are," she murmured. She was pretty certain she had more secrets of her own than he did - not that he'd ever find any of them out.
The outstretched hand was given a skeptical, mildly suspicious inspection - what was he getting at? - before she shook it with her own. As much as she wanted to give it a quick wave and throw it, she refrained, instead giving him a proper one with a firm grip. As much as she didn't like him - second chances, she reminded herself - she didn't mess around. Professionalism should come first. 'Should' being the keyword, because she didn't always follow her own advice. "Grunt Nakura, then. And it's Agent Claire - no honorifics or suffixes," she corrected him again in even tones. If she had to correct him a third time, she might have to call his respect for superiors into question.
"You surprise me again," she said when her hand was back on her clipboard, "by assuming I don't think of all the risks before choosing a course of action. I fully understand the risks associated with forming bonds with both pokemon and coworkers, and I form them anyway." Not that she expected him to understand any of that - his capacity for forming meaningful relationships with anything but inanimate objects seemed incredibly stunted. "While emotions can be detrimental, they can also just as easily be beneficial, it merely depends on the situation. And I'd have to disagree with you again - the behavior of stolen pokemon varies just as much as their appearances as a whole does. You can easily find stolen pokemon that are both vicious and bitter over it, or happy and quite content. I happen to have one of the latter. If forming bonds in a situation such as this is a mistake, then so is generalizing." In other words, he would still generalize while still made and kept friends. To each their own.
"I never said I forced mine," she said, idly flipping a page over on her clipboard. "They know to obey me, and in return I take good care of them and train them. If they enjoy it or even love it, then that's a bonus. Spoiling them," she turned to regard him again critically, "is a very large mistake, but an easily avoidable one, and any competent agent knows this."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 5:37 pm
"Heh." Sensing the firmness of her grip as she shook his hand and all that grip implied, Izaya continued to smile, pleased that she wasn't as fickle or violent as Seth. Like Aila and Faleen, she had about her a calm, professional air that he knew meant she took her work seriously despite what she may have been feeling. The agents of Team Rocket were well-trained indeed. Not that they were perfect enough to be inhuman - everyone made mistakes - but that's what made Izaya love them so much.
"As you wish, Agent Claire," he answered gently, deciding not to push it. If they were going to get along, he didn't want to try provoking her. It wasn't that Izaya held respect for his superiors in rank because of their rank, but Grunt Nakura did know how to show respect towards certain individuals. He personally preferred to allow those individuals to earn his respect for who they were as people rather than official ranking as Team Rocket members. After all, Seth was one of the highest-ranked members of the organization, but Izaya knew some trainees he had more respect for than that executive. It wasn't an easy thing to earn from him, either. Still, he knew how to behave and act docile when necessary.
"Well, no one can think of all of them," Izaya laughed, realizing he might have touched upon the young woman's pride. "But you're right...my mistake." He looked her over curiously. "I simply thought you were more intelligent than that, which is why I made the assumption. What need is there to take risks like those when it's not necessary to do so in order to work here?"
Just as Claire had expected, the informant didn't see the point of forming relationships at all because to him, besides what he could profit from, there was no such thing as meaningful relationships. There were contacts, allies, connections, employees, coworkers, and clients, but no one intimate. No friends, no family, no lovers. Such was the world of Izaya.
"Is that so?" he questioned as she spoke of emotions being as beneficial as they could be detrimental. "Can you prove it to me?" The man pivoted and turned to stand directly in front of Claire. "Give me an example of such a situation. It would be best if you didn't make it up, considering I'm understandably skeptical about this."
Orihara was genuinely curious about this. For most of his life he had been using people's emotions against them, so he only understood how human feelings made people malleable, gullible, and manipulable in a multitude of other ways - even brittle and fragile, if he pried at them long enough. Never once had he seen something he considered 'beneficial' to come from it. At least not for the person feeling the emotions.
He shrugged. "I'm so glad for you," he replied flatly, thinking with some resentment about his own purrloin. Those twins that seemed to obey anyone in the base but him - it was infuriating. "It's a shame I'm not a competent agent. Maybe one day, though, if I'm really good, I'll get to be just like you." His prior, merry demeanor seemed to have disintegrated into something bitter and sarcastic. If one didn't know better, one might have thought Izaya was jealous. Not of the agent's rank, of course, but rather the bond she had with her pokemon and others. She could allow herself to trust while he would not.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
|
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 7:26 pm
As he replied with her name as requested, she couldn't help but give him a skeptical glance. She didn't expect him to stick with it for long - he was an annoying little--second chances, she reminded herself again - but the fact he at least acknowledged it now was something. She couldn't let him get to her, that was all. Though it.. might prove rather difficult. "No, no one can think of everything," she relented with a nonchalant shrug, "but personally, I take those risks not only because I think they can be beneficial, I take them because honestly, I'd prefer to have friends than be a lonely recluse." Whether it was a smart decision or not in such a line of work and company as this was another matter entirely - it probably wasn't a smart decision - but she was, as he so aptly thought, only human. She longed for companionship just like everyone else did. Everyone, it seemed, except for him.
It was actually sort of sad, now that she thought about it. Did he even have any friends? With his behavior and seemingly insatiable thirst for personal information, she reckoned not.
"Prove it?" She repeated idly, focusing on a tile on the floor instead of her paper for a moment as she hummed thoughtfully. "I haven't been in too many situations in which I could prove it, although on one mission a close friend protected me from an attack by a Kyogre. I wasn't harmed, but he got a concussion." More thought. "As for pokemon," her pen tapped a few times on the paper again, "if my Pidgeot were out and you were too close, you would be torn to shreds in half a minute. Less if you were touching me, if that's the sort of example you were looking for." Ah, Odette.
The amount of sarcasm in his voice at his last comment elicited an amused noise from her, and she couldn't help but smirk slightly at it. "Oh, it sounds like you'd just love that," she commented dryly, peering up at him with something akin to curiosity while she quickly studied his face. My, my, didn't he want to be promoted? Well, he didn't have to worry about that if he didn't bother to change his attitude. At that rate, he'd be a grunt for years.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 8:22 pm
Turning his back on the agent to crouch in front of the washing machine he was waiting on, Izaya stared through the small, circular window while he listened to Claire talk. He didn't feel like letting her see his face in this sort of mood. Besides, his ambiguous smile was beginning to hurt his mouth. He was tired.
"That's what most people prefer," he answered. "But only those who are capable of getting lonely. Others, like Agent Frost, don't seem to mind solitude." He sat down, crossing his legs on the mat beneath him and leaning back on propped-up arms. "Do you consider that friendship as part of the benefit, or something else entirely? Maybe a little extra?"
The grunt leaned his neck back and closed his eyes, facing toward the ceiling. "I just see friendship as a whole other risk entirely. It complicates things further under stressful situations. You never know when you might make friends with the wrong person, or, even after everything you've done for said person, they decide to change and stab you in the back."
The informant was known for his lack of friends by all who used to know him. Shizuo was constantly rubbing it in his face. Not that he would ever let anyone know, but it wasn't exactly that he refused to have them...he just didn't seem capable of making a lasting bond with another human being. Often he had to live with his loneliness and had moments of weakness where he tried to make up for it with some pathetic, desperate way.
It was almost as humiliating as when all his old high school friends except him had once been invited to Shinra's for hotpot - even Shizuo and Izaya's little sisters. Worse yet, when Izaya tried to ask his secretary, Namie, if she wanted to join him in their very own hotpot party, she refused, fully aware that Izaya had been trying to comfort his lonesome, friendless self. After all, she only spent time with him because she was paid to, and even then had threatened to poison his food several times when she cooked for him. Until he had joined Team Rocket and met people like Xander and Jerome, no one had even claimed to ever even like him, much less want to be his friend.
"Concussion or not, that was for the benefit of the team, not you personally," Izaya countered at Claire's example. "He probably would have done it for any other Rocket member, not just you." He scowled at the swirling, soaked clothes. "Pokemon don't count. They're just animals. If they obey, it's only because we feed them and take care of them. Your pokemon probably just considers you her property and thus acts aggressive towards those who might pose a threat to her ownership of you. Their mental capacity is nothing like a human's."
Lately, Izaya had come to question this, especially with his more recent experiences with people's pokemon and his own. For all intents and purposes, however, he chose to take this side of the argument on behalf of his love for humans. He could never like pokemon as much as he loved humans.
Glancing over his shoulder at the sound of amusement Claire emitted, he raised a brow before forcing his lips into another crooked smile. "Wouldn't I just?" he teased. "More responsibilities, more Rocket subordinates to look out for - oh, and that's not all! One rank higher, and I have an eternal pile of paperwork to sift through! I can't wait." He turned back to stare boredly at the washing machine. "...What made you want to join Team Rocket in the first place, anyway?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
|
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 9:13 pm
"We're all human," she stated in neutral tones, "and all humans get lonely. All of them, just to varying degrees." Insert (a rather long) meaningful pause. "I'm sure Frost loves his solitude more than others, but I'm equally sure he does get lonely sometimes, just less so than other people might." And she had a sneaking suspicion he had friends somewhere, a suspicion formed from vague hints she'd gathered in previous conversations with the pale blond man. She didn't miss the fact he used the other agent's proper title and not the annoying terms he'd used at the outpost, and made a mental note of it.
His next question required some thought though, and she leaned her head back to gaze absently at the ceiling. She was suddenly reminded of a strange fact she'd read somewhere - whenever people had to think of a question, they usually always looked at the ceiling. Her gaze returned to her paperwork. "I'm not sure," she admitted, brows furrowed slightly. "Possibly a little of both? I haven't put too much thought into it, to be honest." She didn't know why he liked to probe so much into questions... "But I don't disagree that friends can turn on you. I've had a few of those." The agent pursed her lips momentarily. "But overall, I think, most of the friends I've had didn't. And I'd have to disagree that he would've done that for anyone. He's naturally protective, so obviously he'd want to help out other members of the team, but I don't think he'd specifically endanger himself like that for everyone." For example, she couldn't see Lucas enduring another concussion for, say, Aulus' sake. ...or Izaya's, for that matter. No, definitely not Izaya.
"If she was possessive to the point of considering me her possession, then I wouldn't have a full team of other pokemon without problems from her, would I?" She countered, the tip of her pen scratching lightly at the paper as she wrote a bit. Luc watched from behind her arm as Claire's legs swayed a bit over the arm of the chair. "Their intelligence varies greatly, actually. While my Pidgeot definitely isn't the brightest crayon in the box, my Pikachu has proven to be quite clever. Just because they're pokemon and incapable of doing the same things humans are doesn't mean they're all dumb as a post. That and psychic types tend to be incredibly smart. Brains of super-computers and all that," she said with a vague wave of her hand. It was all in their pokedexes, if he cared to look. That and if he bothered to go to a computer, she was sure he'd find tons of research to attest to their intelligence.
"It isn't all paperwork, though that is a substantial portion of it," she admitted in rueful tones. "But some agents oversee certain aspects of training, usually with the trainees. That and having more respect from the rest of the team - usually," obviously not always, "and with more responsibility. The typical things you're supposed to get with a promotion. That, and having your own bedroom is pretty damned nice. I'd much rather share my bathroom with one other person instead of the entire hallway." Ugh, that had been horribly annoying.. But she was past that now, and infinitely glad of it. His next question, while unexpected, required no pause for thought. "That I can't tell you," she said evenly, idly marking off certain parts on the paper before flipping to the next one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 6:52 pm
"Oh? And since when did you become such an expert on humans?" Izaya asked with a chuckle. She was right, of course, but there was no way he'd acknowledge that. Not to her face, anyway. He wasn't about to swallow all of his pride for the sake of getting along with Claire. It was, as he had just stated, dangerous to get too close at all. A good, healthy distance of dislike was enough of a barrier between them, and the grunt intended to keep it that way.
"There, you see? You admit to not having put too much thought into this. That's why you're so susceptible to the possible disastrous consequences that result of false friendship. Knowledge is power, and experience brings knowledge. Doesn't sound like you've had much of either. Just how many true friends do you currently believe to have? A better question might be: how many friends have you had in the past that you thought were true?"
Huh. He paused, waiting for her to elaborate on the friends who had turned on her, but she chose not to. Perhaps she would later. Maybe she was uncomfortable about the subject or maybe they simply didn't mean anything to her at all. If it was a minor enough betrayal, then it probably wouldn't have impacted her a big deal, which would contribute to her optimistic outlook on friendships.
"You don't think so, but again, there's a lack of proof," Izaya answered Claire. He seemed to follow her thought pattern, because he smiled again as he added, "I didn't think anyone would come to my rescue when I was trapped under that arcanine. Turns out I was wrong, but that was only because I was new to the whole 'team' thing. Don't tell me you saved me just because you liked me. We both know that'd be a lie." True...she hadn't technically endangered herself in her attempt to help him out, but she had risked one of her pokemon for a guy she had known and already began to hate in the span of a few minutes.
"You don't have problems with her interacting with your other pokemon?" Grunt Nakura asked, seeming mildly surprised. "Even if that's the case, it's still not a valid argument. She just might not consider them threats to her ownership. There's no way to validate anything in regards to pokemon behavior, so let's drop that." Izaya didn't move as he continued to sit in front of the washer, but he did catch a hint of Luc stirring from the pokemon's reflections in the room of smooth, shiny metal surfaces.
"That reminds me. I wanted to thank Zeus sometime, but maybe you can save me the trouble by passing on my gratitude," he told Claire, though it was hard to tell from his tone if he was being sarcastic or not. He still seemed doubtful of pokemon intelligence and their ability to process things like gratitude in the way humans could, but he didn't altogether deny it anymore, either. It didn't matter. They didn't interest him like humans did. Humans were so much less predictable and harder to manipulate than pokemon. That was what made them more interesting. Even super computers couldn't feel or react to emotions like humans.
"Well, you're a woman. Of course you'd want your space," Izaya teased, though he did mentally admit that the idea of one's own bedroom would be nice. Even if he still had to share it with his pokemon. "Ehh...?" he spoke up, twisting his back to turn partially toward her, amused by her refusal to answer his last question. "Can't or won't? My my, everyone keeps such secrets around here..." It wouldn't have been fun if they didn't. The more highly-guarded the info, the more valuable it was.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
|
Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 8:44 pm
"When did you?" She countered. As far as she could recall, she'd never mentioned being an expert - and obviously she wasn't - but then, he'd never claimed it either. "Mm" was the only response he got for his second round of interrogation questions as she idly flipped another page, the pen scratching across its surface in a few small areas. No matter how much he asked, she wasn't about to elaborate anything personal. Theoretical, sure - but personal? Hell no.
"If I did say that, it would be the worst lie I've ever told," she admitted with a slight smirk. "You and I both know I did it to protect the team. We can't have grunts being arrested, especially if they haven't proven that they can be competent agents. Can't have the police finding out any of our more closely-guarded secrets, like where the base is, can we?"
"No problems at all. It's men she has issues with," she informed him casually. The only response he'd get to his mention of apologies was a short movement of her hand to her belt, and a sudden flash of white light produced a chubby Pikachu. Zeus yawned before looking around boredly, though his green eyes focused on Izaya for a few moments, as if studying him very closely. Not that his expression would show it, of course - he looked bored and, quite possibly, unimpressed. Probably because both were true. He peered up at his trainer momentarily for some form of instruction, but when she continued to study her papers, the electric-type yawned again and flopped onto his stomach, his gaze lazily sliding to the washing machines. Why couldn't there be a tv in here..?
"And you wouldn't want your own space?" She asked, eyebrows raising slightly as she glanced towards the grunt again momentarily, but she turned back to her paper as he turned to look at her. She smirked at her papers. "Oh, I could if I wanted to, but I don't, so I won't. And of course, everyone keeps secrets." Not like he'd find hers out, anyway. The thought of his annoyingly persistent, interrogative nature coupled with a secret he couldn't learn was amusing. Very amusing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 8:49 pm
"Answering a question with a question. That's a first sign of insanity, you know," he told her off-handedly. "To be honest, though, I've been observing humans since I made it my hobby in middle school. I'd like to think I know a fair bit about human behavior. The way you seemed so convinced that all humans get lonely makes me think you feel you've got proof to back it up. Is that true, or is that all just baseless speculation?"
She seemed to begin to tire of feeding his knowledge by answering his barrage of questions and merely ignored some. Claire didn't seem to find it critical to her argument to reply to them. Interesting.
"There, see? That proves my point. We're all obligated to look out for one another if only on account of the team. To take a protective action like the one you said that man took for you and misinterpret it for something like friendship is just silly. There's no point in seeing something that isn't there."
"...Oh, is that it?" he asked, smirking at the mention of Odette's problem. What a stupid creature. No doubt it was probably lower on the intelligence scale, whatever the range was for pokemon. Still, sometimes less sentient beings were the most obedient. These thoughts were interrupted, however, by a flash of bright light that illuminated a Pikachu as it faded. Izaya blinked at it.
She didn't actually expect him to speak to the thing, did she? The informer took Zeus' bored look for a dull look of stupidity. He pouted, regretting his request to thank the pokemon. Ignoring the electric-type, he turned back to stare at the washing machine when Zeus flopped onto his stomach, acting as if he didn't even know the Pikachu had been released, or for what reason.
"I never said that," he replied blandly at her mention of wanting space, his irritability hinted at in his tone once again. Focused on the swirling clothes, he failed to catch Claire's smirk. "Fair enough," he answered, his interest in her suddenly seeming to have waned as he gazed unseeingly ahead, contemplating something.
It wasn't as if he had any reason to believe there was something interesting about her secrets, anyway. Most peoples' were boring. "You probably have a secret crush or a distant lover you don't want to talk about. Maybe you joined Team Rocket to get back at your parents for sending you away from home. Really, after hearing so many stories, it starts to all sound the same."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
|
Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 9:47 pm
"Is it? My friend must be rubbing off on me, then." The phrase 'still crazy' flashed across her mind as a few memories surfaced from.. Arceus, when was it again? It hadn't been last year, had it? My, how time flies. "It means I feel I've seen plenty to make a general statement, but don't care to put in the effort to prove it to you. I've better things to do." Like finish this paperwork. A soft 'hm' of amusement escaped her at his statement of teams again. "If you say so," she said amicably, although her tone easily showed her opinion wasn't about to change, and disregarded his entirely.
At his suggestion of such a ludicrous reason for her joining, she couldn't withhold the sharp chuckle that escaped her. "Are you serious? As if I would join for such immature reasons. I don't know what poor souls you've talked to that joined for such flippant reasons as that, but I can assure you I joined for very good reasons." Not that she'd tell him what those reasons were, lest he somehow manage to figure it out for himself.
The Pikachu's ears flicked back a bit, eying the man with slightly narrowed green eyes. Why was that imbecile here? Did he have laundry too? ...come to think of it, why were they sitting here still? He pushed against the floor with his stubby arms, leaning back onto his hindlegs before turning to his trainer. "Chuu?"
"Not until the laundry's done," she replied simply without looking at him, idly flipping to another page.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 10:15 pm
"Ah, yes, well that's what you get of having friends," he answered sourly, as if it were a bad thing. "The word 'all' is not a good term to use in a general statement if your intention is to seem credible," Izaya replied. "And if you didn't intend to prove your point in the first place, then you shouldn't have bothered to argue it. You just wasted both of our time and energy disagreeing with me about something you didn't even feel strongly about to begin with. That's pretty disappointing, especially as the behavior of an agent."
She was starting to bore him with her apathetic attitude toward his opinions. Rather than taking her amicable phrase for what its tone said, Izaya took it as a sign of defeat that she no longer wanted to argue. What a shame. He had sincerely been looking forward to finding out what drove her and so many other Rockets to want to risk things like friendship.
A smile returned to his lips, however, while his back remained to Claire. She had taken his bait just as he hoped she would when he'd made up his own guesses as to why she had joined. It was the perfect way to goad insecure individuals into retaliation. The fact that she felt the need to defend herself by denying his guesses proved that she was exactly that - an insecure individual.
"Of course they were, of course! Probably something more dramatic, like you were seeking revenge on a Rocket who stole your pokemon as a child, or maybe you've just always wanted to grow up to be good at something and criminal activity just turned out to be that something. I'm telling you, I've heard it all." With what he knew of Aila's story, it really did seem that way to Orihara. "I'm an info broker. There's only so much that can interest me these days." He sneered at the Pikachu and held up a hand in greeting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
|
Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 10:44 pm
The statement just made her chuckle. "I never said it was a bad thing," she admitted, then added, "and considering you and I are both here waiting for laundry and simply talking, does it really matter what the topic is or how far we choose to pursue it?" To her it didn't - and whatever he took her refusal to continue as, defeat or otherwise, it didn't matter to her either. He could call it what he liked, she was just killing time until her laundry finished anyway.
"Of course you have," the agent responded in the same tone as before - the same disregard for his statement. "Of course, of course. I'm sure you have." Not.
She still had no intention of telling him her reasons, so his bait didn't get him very far.
Zeus just so happened to glance back at Izaya in time to catch the sneer and his hand, and in response the Pikachu's ears flicked back, green eye narrowed and he let out a low growl. He really didn't like this guy's tone. He turned back to Claire again. "Chu." Violet eyes slid to the electric-type, one eyebrow raising in a silent question. "P'ka? Chuu?" Zeus made a vague gesture over his shoulder towards Izaya.
Claire glanced at the grunt momentarily before focusing on the Pikachu once more. "Laundry."
"Pika..?" Another vague gesture over his shoulder, this one a bit more dismissive in nature. He received a shrug in response, to which he gave his trainer an exasperated look and put his paws over his eyes, then slowly slid them down his face. "Pikachuuuu..?" A third gesture, this time at the machines humming along the wall, in which he jerked his tiny thumb over his shoulder.
"It'll be done when it's done," she replied, brow furrowing a bit before she turned back to her paperwork. "If you're so impatient you can check the timer yourself." The Pikachu's ears flicked back, but he didn't bother trying to communicate with her anymore. Instead, he turned to the machines and (not without grumbling) he jumped, somehow managing to scramble up onto the top before ambling across the row of washers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
