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Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 4:27 pm
After a few click-clicks here and some more tap-taps there, Willamina blinked. "The phrase is obscure, but I managed to get some close match." she replied.
Cetus waited expectantly. When Willamina didn't answer immediately, she inquired, "So?"
"It's an autobiography located on floor three, aisle eight." She looked to Cetus and could easily read her humphed expression: "You've got to be kidding me."
"It's your choice not to believe me, but it's located in that very location." Willamina added. "It's tilted Wilted by Jonathan Rose. Consider it, at least."
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Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 8:12 pm
"I've really got no choice now . . . " Cetus sighed. "It's my only lead." Before she pirouetted on her heel to return to the elevator and make her way up another two floors, Cetus peeled something from her pocket -- a burgundy colored handkerchief with a small, weighted item in the middle and twisted at the top -- and pressed it onto the counter. Willamina eyed it curiously. "A gift. It's not worth as much as I thought it would be and since you battled through teeth, bone, and bruises to get it, I figured it should be yours."
Willamina looked skeptical, eying it, but Cetus cut her off before she could continue. "Take it without any questions. I can admit, under my complete disgust at that fact you're a Rocket grunt with a terrible mouth plastered on your face, you've certainly earned my respect as a fellow vigilante. You and I share more in common and, well, you're cute for a wannabe bad girl. As I'll always say, reconsider your position in Team Rocket and join Team Galactic. I would love to work with you in our scouting department."
"Never," answered Willamina, unwaveringly.
Cetus shrugged. "Whatever," she sighed. "But, still, keep it in mind. Thanih, come."
Cetus was prepared to walk off now, but realized her little companion wasn't following after a few steps. Turning behind her, she noticed Thanih had fallen asleep near the counter; his back propped against the wood, head turned haphazardly over his right shoulder and his bone cane club hugged to his bosom. Cetus nudged him with the tip of her heel, which he responded violently to by reflexively bringing his bone club up and striking her in the ankle. She yelped, but faintly, before nudging him to follow her. Thanih did as obeyed after a yawn and few bleary blinks, both of them hobbling together off towards the lift.
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Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 8:31 pm
Willamina's hand was stiff and hesitant as she reached towards the small, bundled cloth. She was unsure what to think of this "gift." Who knows, what if it was a well concealed bomb? Truth -- the size was discredited her suspicion -- but she was, Cetus, part of Team Galactic. Their technology was unknown, which meant they possibly had the genius to make a bomb as small as an infant's forefinger. When the tips of her fingers touched upon the cloth, she let out an small, exasperated sigh when it didn't suddenly burn into flame under her lightly applied pressure. Even better, the item beneath felt round, hard, and surprisingly smooth. Upon further inspection (in other words, bringing the handkerchief up and dumping out the contents), Willamina discovered it was a white gold ring with a large, smooth jewel of chartreuse green embedded upon the front.
Almost gasping, Willamina stared wide-eyed at the very generous token granted to her. "The Jade Moon . . . " she muttered under her breath, than suddenly scooped the accessory up and skirted off to the back room from whence she came.
Cetus had gave Willamina hell during their last heist, where they indeed resorted to every physical and emotional attempt to fight for the large gem. Her opponent had obviously sought it for monetary value, but Willamina was attracted to it because of its color. It was unlike any shade of jade green she'd ever beheld. To be gifted something she had wanted did, in the secret confines of the back library keep, make her smile. She still hated Shinju's guts, but that feeling fell from incredible hatred to a natural dislike in that one moment.
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Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 8:59 pm
When the duo finally reached the elevator for the umpteenth time, the doors were left ajar. With slight gratitude to whatever Pokemon was up in those heavens, Thanih followed after his owner into it. As they entered, Thanih readied himself to strike Cetus if she just to happened to stare at the Jynx still tiff like a mannequin in the corner. Much to his surprise, she wasn't even considering the human shaped Ice-type. Instead, Cetus face was downcast, focusing at the the tips of her heels with an amused shine chuckling across her features. The older Marowak was truly confused and, when the lift reached the third floor, only followed behind the muffled clicks of his owner's heels against the plush, dark grey rug of the library's third floor.
Cetus's eyes slid across the aisles. Come number eight, she whizzed between the shelves, chuckled a little in mysterious entertainment, and suddenly withdrew her communicator. Thanih watched on in indifference. He was unsure what Cetus had planned, but now he'd find out. The Galactics communicator, thanks to her contributions from tech stealing, had mutated from a little black box capable of only on and off exchanges to a full blown cellular phone type item. She flipped the lid of the phoneesque item up, tapped a few buttons, and made a direct call to the police.
Thanks to the chip of the Rose Duchess embedded in the wiring of her communicator, Cetus was capable of jarring her signal a bit and keeping her number and location anonymous. To the police officer who answered, she spoke in a muffled voice, "I know the location of the stolen Jade Moon. In the library, the thief is the girl at the counter -- the one with twin braids. Search her -- the ring should be in a burgundy handkerchief."
The officer on the other end blinked and wrote as swiftly as he could to take down the sudden lead. He croaked when she finished, about to question more of who the caller was and how there would be a credit her, but Cetus slapped the phone shut before he could finish his inquiry. Smiling, Cetus pocketed the black flip phone.
"That's what you get for calling me a cheap bimbo." Cetus said, than turned, continuing her search for the rose that wilted.
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 5:49 pm
It was Thanih who found the water-bitten, paper bound book. It was pressed into the corner of a lower shelf, half-forgotten and absently wedged between a misplaced publication on Grass-type Pokemon and another documenting the life of one of the world's most influencing researchers: Professor Oak. His meaty fingers could not pry the thin tome out, so he whacked it a few times out of frustration with hopes it might rebound and poke out a bit to grant him grip. However, his rather violent actions only drove the book in deeper between the two. Thanih's anger was momentarily resolved when Cetus strode over, halted him by grabbing his shoulder, and fingered the book out herself.
Her dark teal eyes ran over the book. It looked thinner than the storybook about the so-called "Lorty," but Cetus wasn't going to refute the only clue to the message she had read before. She randomly flipped the book open and, surprisingly, there was a manilla envelope pressed between the pages of one-twenty-five and twenty-six. It look as weathered as the book, stained in the corner with what looked like the ring of a coffee soaked mug bottom and a few drips here or there of the aforementioned drink and ink. Scribbled in the center was the single name "Lorty" in twisty cursive. This would definitely point her in the right direction.
Before Cetus could even consider opening the faded flaxen sleeve, the blare of a siren was heard just outside the library. She panicked a bit, but than recalled her before phone call. Motterosa police were much quicker than Katarina officers, apparently. Than again, considering it was such a quiet town, the stationed fuzz in the area were willing to take on whatever calls they got -- truthful or otherwise. Did they even run her call to make sure it wasn't a dud? Whatever. Cetus just knew she had to herself out of there. Though she wasn't well known in the area, she was still registered into the worldwide Pokemon criminal database and was noted of being in the Zataon area. Considering that, there would likely be an officer who'd recognize her gorgeous face, so she had to split as soon as possible.
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 6:10 pm
There was only way in and out of the hellhole known as the Motterosa library: the front. With this attribute in mind, Cetus terribly chagrined. She'd be walking directly in front of the same power she was trying to avoid. She had no choice, but the Galactic grunt could not deny she was worried over the matter. Stiffly, she stuffed the book under her arm and turned. It was thin, so it was slightly hidden beside the curvature of her lean body. With it positioned vertically, one could hardly see it as when they viewed her profile.
In no time, the two had reached the ground floor. Cetus had nothing to concentrate on in the elevator, the Jynx like a hideous pugilist had gone off to her own devices. Maybe to pose in another area and gain more attention. Who knows. Sliding past the library counter, she was halted when Willamina happened to call her name. Her real name.
"Shinju!" she cried and the Galactic grunt stopped dead in her tracks, only granting the younger gal a brief consideration with a stare. "Did you find it?"
There was an unnatural warmth in the younger girl's voice. It caught Cetus off guard and honestly, she really didn't like it. C'mon, Willamina, regard her with that typical attitude of yours. Cetus preferred that than her sudden familiarity. At least the darkness between the two could prevent her from feeling guilty -- as she did now -- when she was going to have the gal apprehended by false accusation. Seriously. When was Cetus the Great ever to feel sorry for anyone, 'specially a b***h who gave her more trouble than her Pokemon?
"Oh, no, I didn't." Cetus replied and shifted her head slightly to the left in an awkward tilt. "Thank you for your attempt though."
"Oh, it's no problem." Willamina replied, returning the smile. "Um, see you later."
"Goodbye." Cetus returned than quickly left the library with a heavy heart. Oh, what a terrible thing she had decided to do . . .
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Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 1:26 am
Cetus pressed her hand flatly to the transparent door, shifting it open, than slid her fingers around the edge to hold it open. Thanih hobbled out, the end of his bone club making a hollow thump each time he stabbed it into the ground. As soon as the shiny Pokemon exited the premises, Cetus focused her gaze on the police car she had heard before. It was but one vehicle to investigate her claim. Considering her call, it was no surprise they only saw it as a dud. Her conversation wasn't even careful; she simply relayed the message in two breaths and clicked her phone shut. But still, the cops took her word and sent over a rather gangly looking fella over to investigate the mundane glasses girl in the library.
The boy, whose hair unfurled like an explosion on top his head, was colored a distinct maroon. His police cap more or less floated on top of his noggin than rested upon it. Hell, even the officer's face was upturned in an awkward, geeky manner that reminded her of that killed cop back at the Burgess estate. What was his name again? Pimple . . . or something like that. The boy was approaching her, but his attention was more directed towards the door she stood before than well, herself. Still, she couldn't deny that the boy probably took his job seriously and would likely recognize her face.
Cetus slid the book from under her pit, flipped over to a random page, and stuffed her identity into the Times New Roman font of Jonathan Rose's, "Wilted." The close proximity of the words prevented her from actually reading the text and actually looking busy, but it surely helped hide her panicked expression. She walked onwards, leaving Thanih in her dust, as she tried to flee the cop that suddenly walked passed her without consideration. Ah, good, good.
Cetus's foot barely grazed the edge of the library's first step before it suddenly became drenched in the downpour of the earlier grey clouds. She reflexively withdrew her foot, removed the book from her face, and stared upwards in frustration. Damn, she had forgotten about the rain! Thankfully, she was sheltered under the raised stone awning of the library supported by four Grecian pillars. Unfortunately, it was the only area she could thread under to remain dry. So much for the plan of going to the library to wait out the rain . . .
Thanih walked until he stood beside her, glancing his yellowed gaze up towards her face than over his shoulder to the library. His eyes than refocused on her once again and she returned his gaze. "Maro," he said, shifting his head to the library, and she replied with a small shake of her head.
"Y'know I can't go back in there," Cetus replied than sighed. "I set that girl up. If I return, she'll have my head."
"Marowak." Thanih's eyes fell towards the rain.
" . . . And I'm not willing to let either of us get soaked by the rain." Cetus obviously had her reasons (her hair frizzes when its wet!), but she was indeed concerned for Thanih's well-being. Considering he was a Ground-type with a few years on his shoulders, the rain would do more harm than good. What could she do? Cetus felt trapped on a perpetual island unable to cross the sea due to a storm or thread back to shelter because it was guarded by a rapid and soon to be subdued lioness. All she had to do now, in that moment, was think of her predicament and find a damn way out . . .
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Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 1:38 am
Her mind fell on bland ideas. Shifting her fingers into the pocket of her skirt, she withdrew Thanih's Pokeball and pointed it towards him. "Okay, Thanih, get back in your Pokeball." she said.
The Marowak narrowed his eyes at the freakish contraption and, bring his bone club up, walked it away like he was an amateur batter practicing his swings. The red-white sphere ricocheted from the bat, down a few set of stairs, before bouncing off and rolling under the police car. Cetus only pursed her lips . . . than exploded.
"You damn bonehead!" she bellowed at the Marowak, clutching her fists to prevent herself from hitting the senior Pokemon. "You just love to make things complicated, don't you?"
"Marowak!" Thanih retorted, standing his ground. Cetus could not understand a word of the reply, but likely knew it was a cry of protest. The shiny Pokemon hated being in his Pokeball. It made him feel trapped, isolated, and worst of all, neglected. Though he couldn't travel far without needing rest, Thanih enjoyed his freedom, which was the reason he was much more lax with Cetus than he had been a few days earlier. This trip to the library followed by her short discovery of something mysterious was the longest the Galactic grunt had given him freedom from that damned sphere. Like hell he was going back!
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 7:02 pm
An sudden intense scream followed by a smash of something glass or porcelain forced Cetus to grapple her Marowak under her arm, march out into the rain, grabbed the pocket sphere from under the cop car, and storm off to take shelter under a storefront awning a good length away. That before bellow and brash crash was likely Willamina putting up a fight. Obviously, she had been discovered and obviously, Cetus didn't want to be discovered by her as she was taken away into custody. By the time she found shelter under the navy shade, she was soaking wet and Thanih was wriggling like a Caterpie to be let down. Cetus placed him down gingerly and he, with a deep scowl sharpening his features, made a swing at her ankle again. She side-stepped his attempt and sighed. He got angry quicker than she did.
A glass door from the Motterosa library suddenly swung open violently and the purple, puff-haired fella from before was struggling to lead Willamina out. She kicked, squealed, and spouted more derogatory terms than a hot-mouthed sailor as the officer pushed her along. Most of the expletives were aimed well at Cetus herself and the miffed expression of murder and stripping off various parts of skin were the most popular choices for the Rocket grunt to scream out. A single drop of rain dripped from Cetus soaked hair and before her eyes as she watched Willamina be led along and make a head first dive into the vehicle's back. Actually, it appeared as though the officer had pushed the lass in having lost patience with her constant struggles and shouts. The police cop than took the wheel, floored the car, and made off down the half-plaza with the sirens whirring as it passed. Cetus lips pursed, her hands balled into tight fists, than she turned and walked off, following the shadow of the overhead store marquee. Thanih, the loyal follower he was, staggered after her steps.
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 7:19 pm
A compact, open brasserie squeezed into the corner of a block caught Cetus's interest as she met the end of the above store shelter. They had rolled out a beige canvas due to the rain, granting the outside environment and its customers a lovely atmosphere to eat and enjoy. Ignoring Thanih, Cetus hurried along across the water-slicked asphalt to it. She didn't even consider someone seating her. Her bum squished into a chair before someone could speak up and prevent her otherwise from doing so.
Thanih reached the shelter a few moments after her. Sharply shaking his body of the rain, he hobbled to the table Cetus had chosen and struggled to climb into the adjacent seat. Though his upper body had gotten a good grip onto the chair, his hind were peddling upwards with hopes they might catch the edge and finally give him a chance to climb up. However, because Thanih couldn't raise his bad leg higher than his knee, his attempt was more a hindrance than helpful.
Cetus, too lost in thought to even consider helping, kept her vision downcast on the book she had set before her. Finally, a waiter stalked on over towards the mysterious pair. Before she asked Cetus for her order, she helped Thanih up, using her palms to provide a foundation for the Marowak to climb up. After fixing himself straight onto the chair, he was unsure how to thank the kind human. The green Pokemon settled for a slight nod towards her in gratitude than puffed up with his usual attitude of harsh indifference toward everyone and everything.
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 8:31 pm
"Um, ma'am?" the waitress croaked and was slightly taken aback by the jagged gaze she received from under a mush of hair liked soaked seaweed. "Ma'am, may I take your o-order?"
"Tea. Two creams, three spoons sugar." Cetus replied promptly, than fixed her gaze back upon her book. It was a moment before she turned back to the waitress and asked, "Do you serve alcohol?"
"I, um, yes, we do." she said behind her notepad, scribbling down "tea" is almost too perfect cursive.
"Include a shot of brandy in it too." Cetus added come the reply.
Cetus continued to think, but couldn't deny the waitress still standing perfectly still in her periphery. The damn teen reminded her of the Jynx from the library. Thankfully, this gal wasn't as frightening to look at.
"What is it?" she asked, voice low, trying not to sound too annoyed.
"A-And your Marowak?" the server asked and pointed the tip of her pen to the Pokemon who was looking off into the distance.
"Radish . . . " Cetus muttered audibly, than nodded her head. "Just get him a radish."
"A radish . . . um, okay." the server misspelled the awkward vegetable on her notepad, clicked the pen off, and swiftly turned on her heel. Cetus watched her bounce off, twisting a lip up at the brunette's twin tails that jumped with the girl's movements. Wasn't she a little too old to be wearing such a childish hairstyle?
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 9:04 pm
Never mind that. Cetus reached forward and turned the book to page one-twenty-six. The manilla envelope, as always, was squished into the binding of the book and slightly crinkled. Grasping the letter within her fingers, she slid her loose index finger through the flap, revealing the note inside. She unsheathed the slice of paper from its sleeve and unfolded it, allowing her gaze to glide over the words:
Dear Lorty,
Happy Birthday!!! I hope you Dont find it weird I put this note in this book. But because my mom is always looking over my shoulder, I had no other choice. I mean, why don't my mom and your mom want us to be friends??? We didn't do Anything wrong!
Anyway, I wanted to let you know that your gift is in the park. You know, our special place? I'm Sorry I couldn't give it to You directly . , . But its there in the hollow of that tree. I hope you like it!!!
- Dan.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 5:28 am
By the time she finished reading the letter, the shaky waitress had returned with her tea and Thanih's funny root vegetable. She ignored her order as she studied the note time and time again, but found herself unable to concentrate as her Ground-type took crunching bites from his radish. Neatly folding the note in half and half again, Cetus slipped it into the novel and turned her hand towards her tea. She brought it up towards her lips and sipped, enjoying and savoring the sweet and delightfully bitter taste of the brandy mixed tea.
Why did this always happen to her? Just when the Galactic grunt thought she had received another lead, a steel wall obstructed her path and prevented her from continuing on. Oh great. The park was not far. Though she didn't frequent Motterosa as often as Katarina, she was aware of certain major locations in the quiet suburbia. The park just so happened to be one of them. Motterosa's park was a direct triumph of Mother Nature's elegance in comparison to Katarina's. The big city's park was overrun with trash, thanks to the carelessness of its inhabitants and their constant hustle-bustle. Motterosa's park reflected its greenery like a golden badge which it most certainly deserved for its well-being.
Unfortunately, the park also had an overflowing plethora of trees. Its rolling verdent hills and shallow grassy fields made trees capable of growing in any section of the land. This also made it popular for forest and field Pokemon to romp and roll around. Truly, the park could be considered a second Safari Zone. However, attacking this problem certainly made Cetus think. How could she do this? Even if she released all her Pokemon to start up a roundabout study of all the trees, it'd take days. She didn't have that kind of time! Shinju was just about prepared to throw off the hunt completely, but the thrill to search, find, and discover was still there. Honestly, this was the most fun she's had in ages. What could she do?
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Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 12:01 am
Once again, her gaze traveled back to the book. Without another thought, she reached forward, shifted the book to stand before her between forefinger and thumb, and simply stared. The thin, hardcover tome was darkened a light oak color with the words WILTED etched in a familiar gold filigree and the name "Jonathan Rose" beneath it. Decoratively, the gentle and stylized silhouette of a dying rose grew from the bottom right corner where Cetus had her thumb pressed to the uppermost top right angle. It was filled in by the same glittering hue, shimmering as Cetus tilted the book to and fro to catch the warm glow of the lights above. A slim finger pried the cover open and held it in place. Cetus read the title, an exact duplication of the front, than shifted a few more pages ahead.
The page she landed upon was a single, plain sheet with the italicized message, "To my one true love, Charlotte" written a bit above its center. Her head sank backwards a bit, considered the name, than the storybook, than eventually moved on without even giving the thought any more consideration. It was a stupid idea anyway. Cetus thumbed a few more pages with her occupied hand, reaching the beginning of the novel, but was cut off by a too familiar voice beside her.
"Jonathan Rose?" the curious inflection in the voice queried. Without even looking at the waitress, the Galactic grunt knew the question was following by a sharp tilt of her head. "That name brings back memories, haha . . . "
The following statement stole her attention. "You know him?" her expression said before she even mouthed the words.
"Oh, um, yes, I do." the waitress replied, bouncing up on the rounds of her feet. The gesture made her appear more childish in addition to her bashful appearing pose. She held a round, silver platter before her than censored out a section of her middle. Her fingers clasped its underside a bit hard, making her knuckles look bony. The waitress's head, cocked to the side as Cetus had guessed, was crinkled in both nostalgic happiness and professional congeniality. "I read him a lot when I was younger."
Cetus nearly pipped up and say, "You are young" but noticed the single accessory of the gal's left hand slipped onto the ring finger. The rock on the blasted thing nearly blew her away.That alone meant she was engaged. How old exactly was she and who the hell was her fiance? The chairman of the Pokemon Fan Club? Than, following up to continue the conversation, she asked, "What can you tell me about him?"
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Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 12:30 am
"I can't tell you, um, much." her waitress said, blinking. "I just read a lot of his storybooks as a kid . . . never did any research on him or whatever. By the way, my name is Dottie."
Did she also cross her Ts? Shinju's blank expression could only mean she didn't care. "So, Dottie," she said with a small smile. She couldn't deny that her waitress's name reminded her of a Betty Boop cartoon. "What about his stories? What were they mainly about?"
"Ummm, mostly about Pokemon going on adventures and stuff." Dottie replied. "My favorite one was about a very curious Aipom, hehe. I think his name was George?"
Cetus tried to look considerate for a moment, putting two and fish together. "Did he write a story about a Chikorita?" she asked but only obtained a shift of the waiter's shoulder in reply.
"I'm not sure." she replied. "He's wrote a ton of books with all types of Pokemon as main characters. I wouldn't be surprised if he did. He owned a Chikorita, after all."
Cetus blinked. Well, this was certainly interesting. "Do you happen to knew its name?"
"I think it was Lorty?"
Cetus nearly snapped her fingers. Great, just the lead she needed. "Dottie, mind bringing me a second serving of tea?" she asked and pushed her teacup to the edge of her table. "I've got some reading to do."
Thanih blinked. There was a hint of jubilation in her tone.
"Oh, and another radish for Thanih."
Dottie nodded and bounced off, completing forgetting Cetus's cup as she turned.
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