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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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 Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 9:30 am
A month.
It had been almost a month now since the last mission in which a significant number of their team had been captured by the enemy - including Aulus, Hayes, and even the Boss's own brother, who was likely their main target - almost a month with no sign of them. They'd been snatched up by Galactic and the whole lot of them had disappeared without a trace, with the rest of the team scrambling and struggling to try and find them. They had no clues though, no leads, not even a scrap or shred of any helpful information. It was frustrating, maddening, and made Claire either want to scream in frustration and beat the crap out of a punching bag, or what usually happened, curl up in a ball on her bed and cry herself to sleep. It was almost more than she could bare.
Every day when she wasn't stuck at the base due to inconsequential and mandatory drivel, she flew all over Kodo on Odette. Over the past few weeks she was almost certain she'd covered the entire island at least a few times. She'd lost count after a while. It didn't matter, really; the only thing that did matter was finding their missing teammates.
She really missed Aulus...
Unfortunately, both bird and rider had to take an occasional break every once in a while, and one such occurrence found them in a large, open field on the western half of the island. Claire assumed it was somewhere near Makko or Jinko, maybe even closer to Sandalwood, but in the end where she rested didn't really matter. It only mattered how long she stayed there before she would deem the break over and move on to search more.
Odette disagreed - while she enjoyed being out in the sun, she'd been in way too much sun the past few weeks, and today was no different. Despite her love of flying and showing off, she was starting to tire of these all-day excursions. Thus, the bird was busy preening underneath the large tree they'd stopped at - trees weren't so plentiful out in the middle of an open field, after all - while Claire leaned against its trunk. Zeus was sleeping beside her, curled up next to her hip while Cassiopeia dozed in the agent's lap. Violet eyes were cast downward at the sleeping Pichu, but she wasn't really looking at her, nor was she really paying much attention as she stroked the tiny electric-type's back.
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 10:07 am
A short distance away a creamy coloured Liepard was slinking along with her belly low to the ground and a bag gripped in her mouth; she had stolen the lunch and she had no intention of being found until she'd eaten all the good bits! Feeling very very smug the slinky pokemon was paying close attention to what might be coming up behind her to reprimand her and steal her prize. She was not paying enough attention to what was in front of her.
Teazer froze. There was an Absol in front of her. <-uck 'ou!> she yowled indistinctly, <'his ish mine!>
Tortie snapped sneeringly, paused, and then hackled.
Teazer dropped the bag and hissed, all her fur puffing up. She would have kept on asserting herself, but the Absol jumped at her. Giving a yowl of distress she ducked under the larger pokemon and sprinted over to the nearby tree, totally ignoring the human and other pokemon underneath. Once up out of reach she turned to hiss at the patchy stranger and launched a Pay Day full of assorted low value currency at her face. Great! Where was that bloody great lump of human and those tame idiots when you needed them?
Said bloody great lump and pokemon of assorted tameness were in fact just stepping onto the field when the commotion started. Dith groaned; Teazer was annoying the local wildlife was she?...
Waaaaait.
He recognized that Pidgeot. He recognised that Absol too. It was that girl again. Brows knitting he broke into a run; Teazer might be a handful but he was still very fond of her, and wasn't going to let a (probable) rocket's pokemon tear her apart. When Teazer was hissing down and flinging coinage at Tortie he was about half way across the field, all of his pokemon keeping pace with him except for Zla who had gone invisible and - he assumed - moved on ahead.
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 10:25 am
None of the group noticed the commotion until the yowling started, and by the time Claire had spotted them, the whatever-it-was was already shooting over them and into the tree. The agent was on her feet in an instant, Cassia toppling from her lap with a startled cry as excess electricity involuntarily sparked from her cheeks. Zeus had grabbed her by the scruff and dashed to the side, still holding her in his mouth as Claire raised one hand to deflect any incoming attacks as the other flew to her belt to--
Oh, a Liepard. Well.
Both hands dropped with a sigh, brow furrowing as she evened her breathing to calm down. She really didn't need this kind of adrenaline rush right now. Zeus made an aggravated noise before he carefully set Cassia back down - she was still frightened though, so she hid between his paws for the time being - and Claire glanced at Ode--
"Odette, no," she said quickly and firmly, staring hard at the bird who had readied a Hyper Beam and had been about to fire it straight into the tree. The beam of light vanished as the Pidgeot turned a confused and irritated look at her owner, who simply put her hands on her hips. "No." Well, fine. Odette huffed and turned her back on Claire and resumed her preening.
Violet eyes turned next to Tortie, although she didn't get any closer. She didn't want to know where the Liepard was getting all these coins that it was launching at the patched Absol. She really wasn't too sure what had happened or why this started, nor was she sure if the Absol could even get to the cat stuck in the tree. It was actually sort of comical.
While the gathering was distracted by the commotion, it seemed Zeus was the only one to notice the approaching human. He recognized this man, and his ears slowly moved back against his head. He didn't like this human.
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 1:24 pm
At the bottomed of the tree Tortie growled and snapped her teeth; she could launch an attack up at the cat, but it seemed that The Female didn't want it hurt, and currently The Female controlled her pokeball.... Also she'd been good to all of them.
Teazer hissed, tail lashing; how dare that ugly beast say such a thing about her?!
"Teazer! Get down here at once!" Dith jogged to a halt and gave the Liepard a Look that promised dire consequences if she disobeyed. A few moments later an abruptly purring cat jumped down out of the tree and padded over to Dith to rub around his legs. Dith sighed; fickle little thing, it was hard to resist giving her a stroke but he managed it. He then turned to the girl with the purple eyes. "We really need to stop doing this, humm?"
Once his trainer was standing still Viktor jumped lightly up onto his shoulders and looked down on Claire and her team calmly while the second, much smaller, Espeon sat some paces back looking detached. The small chunky Ponyta stood still beside Dith with her ears perked up curiously and her nose whiffing to catch the scent of these semi-familiar people. Of Zla, as usual, there was no sign.
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 1:33 pm
"...we do," she agreed, watching the Liepard with a wary glance. It wasn't very unlike Zeus, really. Just.. only if there was chocolate involved. He would have been angry with her if he knew what she was thinking, but he didn't; he remained where he stood on all fours not far away, a tiny Pichu still hiding beneath him. She seemed to be gaining courage at this point, though was still hesitant - her nose was peeking out, but she remained safely beneath the elder electric-type for now.
Claire moved the short distance to Tortie before she reached down to scratch the tall dark-type's head. One advantage the agent had over Aulus in this department was fingernails. "What brings you all the way out here? Day trip?" He did live in Camphoreon, after all, or that was what she'd assumed.. That was where she'd met him both times before, so it seemed a pretty safe assumption.
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 2:05 pm
Civility so far. Strange, being polite to somebody he was 95% sure (give or take) was part of the very gang he was aiming to kick where it hurt. Dith tucked his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans and nodded. "Day trip, training trip, yes. It was going quite well until Teazer stole my lunch; you haven't seen a brown paper bag have you?" He'd been really looking forward to the tuna sandwich, it had had salad cream and spring onion in it and everything. He still had two apples and a piece of cake in his bag but that did not make a lunch; he was going to be starving by the time he got back to the city.
"And you?" Dith nodded at Odette. "Out for a fly?"
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 2:12 pm
Despite the circumstances of their last meeting, it was hard not to be at least civil or polite. Besides, all he'd really done were ask questions, it wasn't as if he'd hit her or insulted her mother or something. That, and he was a friend of Frost's, and he did seem like an inherently nice person.. He'd already made it onto her list of 'do not steal from unless ordered to' and she felt no need to remove him from that list yet.
His question garnered a sidelong glance from Claire, aiming her gaze at the bird in question before she dipped her head to one side briefly in a sort of shoulderless shrug. "..you could say that, yes. I was more.. looking for something." Well, someone, but that someone was in the something she'd been searching for relentlessly over the past month. ...thinking about it was upsetting, and she was upset so often that she was just tired of it at this point, so she grabbed hold of his other statement and ran with it instead. "Training's good," she commented with a nod, shifting her attention to Cassia as the little Pichu finally wandered out from underneath Zeus and waddled closer to the enormous giant of a human. "Cha?" She quipped in her tiny voice.
Claire watched her for a few moments before focusing on Dimitry again. "I assume 'Teazer' is your Liepard," cue head-nod in the feline's direction. "And I can't say that I have... Though if you want, I bet I could help you find it fairly easily."
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 2:22 pm
Looking for something, eh? An easy target perhaps? Perhaps her absent friend? Maybe she was scouting for powerful wild pokemon or the site of artefacts or something. Whatever she was looking for it was probably the worse for anyone outside of Team Rocket if she found it....
But she was making a kind offer. He did not - could not - believe that everyone in Team Rocket was bad. He suspected that actually the majority of them were decent normal sorts who'd made a bad choice and were stuck with it now; he couldn't imagine that such an organization took kindly to people handing in their two week notice. In extraordinary circumstances ordinary people did extraordinary things, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse.
"Yes, she is, and thank you, I would appreciate that," Dith said after a moment, kneeling down and holding his hand out to the little Pichu. "It has tuna sandwiches in it," he added, "I expect she'd been plotting to steal them since she saw me make them this morning. I actually caught her after chasing her down for stealing a sandwich from me, seems to be hard to train out of her."
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 2:40 pm
A simple nod acknowledged his acceptance and she reached to her belt to pull out a pokeball. "I wouldn't be surprised, some pokemon are little thieves like that. Zeus would do that if I'd brought chocolate with my lunch," she said, then caught the Pikachu's incredibly hopeful gaze and gave him a rueful look, "which it doesn't, so don't even think about it."
The Pikachu made a noise somewhere between a 'harumph' and a growl, visibly deflating at this news before wandering closer to the large human to make sure Cassia was alright.
Said Pichu was perfectly fine, and busy sniffing each of the large man's fingers.
Claire pressed the catch on the ball she'd pulled out, and when the light faded it left a bright and energetic Growlithe in its wake. "Artemis," she said when she put the ball away, and her tone of voice attracted the fire-type's attention immediately. She knew what was coming. "Find. Brown bag with tuna fish in it. Be gentle. Go," she instructed, and pointed in the general direction of where she assumed the Liepard had come from. That was where the commotion had started, at any rate, so that was as good a place as any.
Artemis barked once to communicate her understanding before she bounded off in the direction indicated, looking incredibly happy to have an important job to do.
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Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 3:04 am
"Ah well, she makes herself useful in giving me change for parking meters," Dith said with a shrug, stroking Cassia's tiny head with one finger and picking up a few coins with his free hand. Nickel, tuppence, something he didn't immediately recognise and what looked like a washer. "It's been theorized that Pay Day teleports small change that has fallen down the back of sofas," Dith said with a glance up at Claire, "Makes as much sense as anything else I suppose."
Talk about inconsequential things, because confronting her never seemed to go very well.
"Your Growlithe seems well trained," he said with a nod as the fire type bounded off, "Cute too." And happy. None of her pokemon looked unhappy... well with the exception of the Pikachu but that looked like sulkiness, he was clearly well treated no matter how much of a pain in the arse he might be to her at times.
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 10:40 am
"Well that's good, at least. I assume she uses that move a lot?" Hum, teleporting change from the backs of couches... There were things that made even less sense, really, and she wasn't about to waste time worrying over something that inconsequential. She had much bigger things with which to concern herself, like finding Aulus...
"Hm? Oh, Artemis." Violet eyes shifted to watch the fire-type rummage around the field. The grass was tall and obscured her legs and lower stomach, but her fluffy tail waved around above her like a furry pennant while she hurried every which way with her nose to the ground. "Thank you. I'm pretty sure she thinks finding things is a game." But that made sense - if work was a game, then it was fun, not work, and the pokemon would be more willing to do it.
The Growlithe in question suddenly jerked her head up and barked twice, dipped her head briefly, then came bounding back towards the pair with something brown swinging from her mouth. Before Claire could object with 'that isn't gentle at all!' Artemis had halted in front of Dith and deposited the bag at his feet with another excited bark before she pranced in place, whining quietly with her tail wagging. She did good, right? She was a Good Dog? She was, right?
Cassia had been happily rubbing her head against Dith's large fingers before the large Growlithe surprised her, and the little Pichu jumped backwards with a yelp as some excess electricity sparked harmlessly from her cheeks again.
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Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 11:30 am
"Seems to be her own personal favourite," Dith agreed, "maybe it's supposed to be some kind of insult, I don't know." Teazer was a confusing beast... hovering right by his elbow, because look what the clever Growlithe had brought back. Dith grinned and scratched the long fluff on her head, chuckling briefly as Cassia sprung back. "Did that surprise you малютка? I'm sure she didn't mean it; thank you Artemis."
While Dith was busy talking to Claire's pokemon, Teazer decided it was time to make another strike. As she pounced on the bag, however, Viktor hopped off his trainer's shoulder and Yawned at her. Blinking the creamy cat stumbled forward a few paces, which turned into the circling motion of a feline about to lie down. Before she completed the little ritual however she fell asleep and flopped down into the grass.
Shaking his head, Dith recovered his lunch. "Last time I make tuna with her around," he muttered.
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 11:50 am
Teazer wasn't the only one affected by the Yawn, as Cassia mirrored Viktor with her own tiny, squeaky little yawn before she curled up into a tiny ball and fell asleep. Zeus made a gruff noise before he carefully grabbed her by the scruff and walked back over to Claire. It seemed the protective electric-type wasn't about to leave the sleeping Pichu anywhere near the large human. He didn't trust him.
By the time he reached her and placed the sleeping Cassia at her feet, Claire had pulled the love ball from her belt and recalled her, then immediately replaced it. Either she didn't want to waste time, or she wasn't fond of the specific ball the Pichu was kept in. Either, for her, seemed just as likely, because right after putting the ball away she knelt down and rubbed Artemis's head with both hands. "Good girl," she said in soft tones - the Growlithe looked ecstatic to hear this - before the agent leaned over to rummage through her bag a moment. Artemis looked even more excited at this, so much so it seemed almost as if she'd turn inside-out if she were anymore eager, before Claire pulled a tennis ball out. She waved it once for the Growlithe's benefit - or to tease her, either one - before throwing it as far as she could, which was a considerable distance. The puppy pokemon yipped happily and bounded off after it while Claire straightened up and dusted herself off. "That's why I don't eat chocolate with Zeus around," she commented, giving the Pikachu a pointed look. He just glared at her and harumphed before crossing his arms over his chubby stomach. "She'll get better, I'm sure. How long have you had her?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 12:02 pm
Dith took a pokeball off his belt, following suit in returning sleepified pokemon. "I've had her a few months now," he replied, "first wild pokemon I ever caught actually, sad as you might find that." He'd never needed or wanted more pokemon than just Viktor before but now... well there were things to be done, and so far he had found himself very fond of all of his new acquisitions.
"Haaaaunt...."
Ah, and of course there was Zla; not technically his, but the Haunter's experience was a welcome addition to the team. Dith turned his head in the direction of the hesitant call, wondering what had the ghost feeling perturbed.
The contents of the young woman's bag were moving around.
Before Dith could call a reprimand however a still invisible hand lifted something out and tossed it to him. Catching it reflexively Dith had been about to apologise and hand it back when he actually looked at it. It was a pokedex. It was black. It had a red R emblazoned on it. Gripping it firmly to prevent it being snatched away Dith pursed his lips and aimed it at Zla, who had just manifested. The holographic image of a Haunter popped up, displaying available information to the side. Dith looked back at the Rocket.
"Nice gear you people have."
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 12:25 pm
Claire nodded as he spoke, though her gaze shifted to the sleeping Liepard before it disappeared. "It takes time," she said with a shrug, glancing down at Zeus when the red light had disappeared. "It's taken about a year to get him to behave better..." Why was her bag moving...?
A Haunter. A Haunter was rummaging through her bag.
Before she, like Dimitry, had a chance to say or do anything, something was tossed in his direction. She knew what it was before it had even been completely pulled from her bag, and she also knew this wouldn't end well. Regardless she tensed, watching it arc over into his hands, watched his expression change and his grip tighten, watched the image pop up and hover over the display.
"Thank you."
If he had expected some sort of complete change in her demeanor, her expression, a change in anything - he wouldn't get it. She remained in the same position, the same posture, everything. The only difference was the alertness in her gaze. Zeus and Odette, on the other hand, had visibly tensed. The bird had stopped preening, and the Pikachu had uncrossed his arms. The both of them looked alert and ready, waiting to carry out any order their owner gave them, although she gave none just yet. Instead she just stood there, watching the trainer curiously. What would he do now that he knew? She was sure, almost completely positive, that he'd at least had serious suspicions. There was no way he wouldn't after their last meeting. He would've had to be incredibly stupid if he didn't.
While she had stayed mostly unchanged since before he had been tossed her pokedex, there was one thing that did change - her tone. Before it had been casual, nonchalant, relaxed. It was still partially calm but there was an element of seriousness in it now, although it lacked any sort of bite or venom. "I'm going to have to ask for that back, we're really not supposed to go showing it off to people."
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