The Rime of the Ancient- Okay, stop that! [Alba]

[Catzandbirdz]

Somewhere within a cluttered room, there is a small notebook. The faded green cover is
rather plain, slightly stained, and pretty beaten, but the lock to the side holds.



You get the feeling it may be best to leave this dingy thing... undisturbed.

Pokémon © Nintendo
TRHQ © Dante-Sayre
Journal layout by
Catzandbirdz

 

[Catzandbirdz]

pg. 1

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_________________This journal is the property of Alba Ross.___________________

___Only Me, Myself, and I are permitted to read and/or write within these pages. ___

_______To anyone else who may find themselves viewing these contents...________

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___Start praying.______________________________________________________

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___Because I WILL find you._____________________________________________

___And it WILL NOT be pretty.___________________________________________

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[Catzandbirdz]

pg. 2

_Data Entry #001______________________________________________

For my own records, I will be keeping track of any and all personal
information which I have released, either for personnel files, or in general
communication.


Name: Alba T. Ross
Sex: Male
Age: 38 (as of Sept. 2010)

Height: 5' 10"
Weight: Still pretty much a light-weight
Eyes: Hazel-Green
Hair: Silver blond (a.k.a blond with grays starting... ahem)
Corrective Lenses: Yes

Marital Status: Twice Divorced
Mental Status: I'm off my rocker insane, says the paperwork back in Saffron. In reality, I'm fine. Really, I am.

Current Occupation: Team Rocket TraineeGrunt
Previous Occupations: Bartender. I was in the Saffron City Police Department before that, but that detail is only on a need-to-know basis.

Current Residence: Team Rocket HQ, Kodo
Previous Residence: Saffron City, Kanto

Specialty: Unknown

General Appearance:
I've been living out of my suitcase for- what?- a month now? Two? Well, not
"now" anymore, since "now" I'm in TR. In any case, I've lost even more
weight since leaving Saffron. I guess living the camping/homeless lifestyle
to save some money will do that to you. Almost scared myself looking in
the mirror last week. My face... it's gotten thin. So has the rest of me, but
at least my clothes can hide that for now. I'll need to scout out the
locations of a gym and good eating place, and see if I can't get back into
shape. Who would have thought that a criminal organization could be almost good for a person's physical health? Go figure.


I probably should have expected it, but there seem to be some rumors going around...  

[Catzandbirdz]

pg. 3

_Data Entry #002______________________________________________

___A little more about me:______________________________________________

__Don't know why I'm bothering with this, but here goes. My full name is Alba Taylor Ross, and, yes, __

__there is a pun to it. My parents were strange like that. I was born and raised in Kanto's Saffron City. _

__I don't hold any love for that city anymore, though. I put everything I had into becoming a cop there. _

__It was my greatest dream and achievement. The only goal I ever really strove for. Not even the _____

__divorce with my first wife, Marianna, could bring me down. Probably because she still cheered me on _

__as a friend after. Barely four years later, though, it was all taken away._____________________

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__There were cries of "murder," "manslaughter," and other such nonsense, and once the politics of it all_

__got involved, it didn't matter that the dead guy had put his gun in my face first. Rather than lock me _

__away, for something I never even did, I was instead booted from the force. Officer Jenny, no clue ____

__how she related to all the other Jennys, tried sticking up for me. It didn't matter, though.____________

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__I moped around a bit, and finally found a new job as a bartender. Not long after that, my second wife,

__Samuela, was caught cheating on me. Cue another divorce, but this one wasn't as clean as the first. _

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__Time's pretty much just a haze after that. Nothing of importance ever seemed to happen, outside of _

__going to and from work each day. My skin paled, my body slimmed, and my hair grew out. Sam took _

__pretty much everything, yet still bugged me on a regular basis. Jenny and Mari always did say I was _

__too nice. I just... didn't care anymore. Finally, and I don't know what did it, something happened. I __

__don't know how to describe it, other than I must have finally snapped. I packed a bag, abandoned ____

__what little I had left, and caught the next ferry out to the Kodo region. Not much happened after that, _

__other than traveling around for a time, seeing the sights. It's funny, though. I spent most of my life __

__determined to fight back against all forms of evil, especially that of Team Rocket. Who would have ___

__guessed... that I'd one day join them.________________________________________________________

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__Marianna, forgive me...____________________________________________________

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[Catzandbirdz]

pg. 4

_Data Entry #003: Activity Log____________________________


Current Activites ( 8 )
~ (5) ~ [PRP] So glamorous! ~ w/ TawnyAngel (Aulus)
~ (6) ~ [ORP] The New Guy
~ (10) ~ [PRP] Old Dog, New Tricks ~ w/ BlackFireKitsune (Claire)
~ (12) ~ [PRP] Cupcake Interlude ~ w/ BlackFireKitsune (Claire)
~ (18 ) ~ [PRP] A Nosy Visitor ~ w/Kitomyx (Izaya/"Nakura")
~ (19) ~ [PRP] Patients have no patience. ~ w/ BlackPidgeot (Asch)
~ (21) ~ [PRP] (currently unnamed) ~ w/ Tinnunculus (Alphard)
~ (22) ~ [PRP] Visiting Hours ~ w/ BlackFireKitsune (Inigo)


Previous Activities (13)
~ (1) ~ [PRP] For Whom the Bell Tolls ~ w/ Suudonym (Lucas) ~ So, apparently, I'll be rooming with a Grunt named Lucas for an unknown length of time. The guy seems nice enough, and it's oddly reassuring to meet someone here who isn't insanely younger than I am. Not sure how well I'll sleep, knowing about the gun collection he has, but it's not like I sleep much to start with. I just hope he'll keep them locked up as much as possible.
~ (2) ~ [PRP] Time for cookies? ~ w/ BlackFireKitsune (Claire) ~
~ (3) ~ [PRP] Down Time ~ w/ BlackFireKitsune (Claire) and Suudonym (Lucas) ~ Lucas received a blow to the head during a mission to find Kyogre. Claire brought him back to the room to rest and heal, and we'll probably take turns among us and Merry to keep an eye on him. He was so out of it thanks to the concussion, I get the feeling the next week or so will be anything but dull.
~ (4) ~ [ORP] Celebrating Our Destiny!
~ (8 ) ~ [ORP] What Logic Concludes
~ (9) ~ [PRP] Salmonella Poisoning ~ w/ BlackFireKitsune (Claire) ~ I went to Camphoreon for my day off, and happened to run into Claire. It looked like her hip was bothering her from when the group went missing the other day, but I didn't want to offend her or be rude, so I kept quiet for the most part. After we loaded her new TV into the van, though, I saw two people I had hoped to never run into again... Ever.
~ (11) ~ [PRP] He Ain't No Rambo ~ w/ BlackFireKitsune (Claire) ~ I should've seen this coming.
~ (13) ~ [EVENT] Something Strange in the Neighborhood
~ (14) ~ [ORP] [POST-RAID] Those Who Remain ~ I heard the team that went out on a mission returned successful, but one had been lost in the process. I know a couple of the people who went on that mission! It felt like someone had just told me one of my nieces had been in an accident, and couldn't tell me if she was one of the people killed.
~ (15) ~ [PRP] Nunca Más, Nevermore ~ w/ BlackFireKitsune (Inigo) ~
~ (16) ~ [RAID] Out of the Blue (aka IT'S A TRAP!) ~ I was so excited for this. My first actual mission! It was supposed to be a simple go in, steal an item, get out. But... it didn't go that way. It went so very... very.......wrong...
~ (17) ~ [POST-RAID ORP] What The Hell Just Happened? ~ I... don't know what to say...
~ (20) ~ [ORP] Can't Stop the Signal ~


Unfinished Business (1)
~ (7) ~ [PRP] Another Long Day ~ w/ Suudonym (Lucas)



Important Dates
Nov. 7, 2010 -- Joined TR a few days prior. Met roommate Lucas.
Sept. 13, 2011 -- Promoted to Grunt rank.
Jan. 2012 -- Attended 1st raid. Mixed feelings on its success.
 

[Catzandbirdz]

pg. 5

_Data Entry #004: Items and Possessions_______________

• Journal
  
• TR Pokedex
  
• Standard Pokeballs
  
• Hair tie
  
• Favored green sweater
  
• Glasses case
  
• Mini flashlight
  
• Basic survival gear
  
• Standard issue TR grunt uniform

 

[Catzandbirdz]

pg. 6

_Data Entry #005: Photo Records__________________________




An acquaintance sent this to me. Something about some computer game
he plays, and how he could use the character simulator to make a
character that looks sort of like me during my bartending days. I don't get
it, but he thought it was hilarious.








My Halloween costume as a magician. Everyone who attended had to pull a costume theme randomly from a hat.  

[Catzandbirdz]

pg. 7

_Data Entry #006: Pokemon Log__________________________




Spook the Chingling

Moves: Wrap, Astonish, Confusion, Uproar
Joined at: Ambergris Town
Currently: In Party

____________________

"CHING!"

"AHHH!"

And that was how it all began: an abandoned building, a hungry yet hyper Pokemon, an outcast human, and a sandwich. Peanut butter and jelly. Mixed berry, to be exact.

As water began to gather in the odd creature's eyes, Former Officer Taylor Ross of the SCPD let out a sigh and frustrated sound. The creature, some kind of odd, oversized bell Pokemon, had been hovering and bouncing around him for the last several minutes now, each time hoping to gain a better angle by which to steal the glorious meal. To be frank, the creature was irritating, was getting on his last nerve, and almost made him wish he still carried a gun. Almost. Scare tactics only, of course. Honest! "Oh, for crying out loud- Alright, fine. Here then." Being careful to not make too much of a mess with the jelly, Taylor started to tear off a small section of the sandwich. Not even a quarter's worth.

Instantly, the bell ceased in its frenzy. Taylor watched bewildered as it plopped down to sit about two-feet from his left thigh, staring intently at the hands holding the sandwich. The bell thing was serious. It meant business. It was also, Taylor realized with a lurch, not only using a look of pure intent and determination, but also... Taylor sighed. It was hungry. This creature was hungry. And Taylor was hungry. They were both hungry, both always on the lookout for the next meal, however small it might be. Both hopeful and grateful for whatever they could get.

Taylor closed his eyes and bowed his head in brief thought. When they opened again, they looked from the sandwich, to the bell thing. The bell thing hadn't moved. Hadn't tried to snatch the food during the lapse in the human's vision. It just kept staring, ever hopeful and longing, trembling just the slightest, even. Taylor shifted the sandwich in his hands, and finally tore it. "Here."

"Chingling?"

"What? You're not going to tell me now that you can't eat PB and J's, right?" The corner of the human's mouth twitched upward just the slightest in a smile. The bell thing stared at him, maybe not quite believing that a human could act in such a way. But this one was, and, eventually, the corners of the bell thing's mouth turned upward as well.

"Li~ng." The bell-thing quietly accepted the offered food. But it didn't immediately gobble it down. Instead, it held its meal carefully, studying it as though trying to decide the best approach.

Taylor chuckled lightly. "For being such a spook before, you sure are calm now." He glanced out of the glass-less window nearby, taking an unhappy note of the incoming gray clouds. "Maybe that's what I should call you. Spook. They called me Ross back home. Well, when I say 'home'... Ross or Taylor. I don't think many knew my real first name, and even fewer of them actually called me by it. What about you? Any chance of telling me your name?"

The bell thing stared curiously up at him before shaking its head-slash-body. "Chii~"

"Don't have one?" A nod. Taylor smiled. "Spook sounds more like a joke. What about... hmm... Wow, what does someone name a bell? How about Aria? I think a friend once said that was music related."

The bell tilted down and then up again in a more cheerful nod. "Ling ling."

The human chuckled for the first time in a long while. "Alright, then. Hello, Aria. You can call me Alba, or Al for short."

And so, they both set to eating their respective sandwich halves. And if the bell thing named Aria's half was noticeably the larger of the two, the human named Alba didn't seem bothered at all by it.

One day later...

"CHING!"

"GYAAAHH!"

"Chi~ hii~ hii~ hii~!"

"THAT DOES IT! FORGET WHAT I SAID BEFORE. I'M CALLING YOU SPOOK!"

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Twitch the Pidgey

Moves: Sand-Attack, Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind
Joined at: HQ Kitchens, from Grunt Claire
Currently: In Party

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Pellentesque vel metus orci, a eleifend enim. Sed non elit sed neque fringilla gravida. Duis et bibendum velit. Phasellus consectetur, neque id lobortis aliquet, dui nibh varius lacus, quis dapibus tortor dui quis neque. In accumsan eros sed felis euismod in tincidunt risus aliquet. Vestibulum ut eros eget elit gravida dapibus eget nec diam. Nulla condimentum auctor luctus. Suspendisse venenatis, nisl at bibendum lacinia, metus turpis dictum orci, vel iaculis orci sapien vel lorem. Donec scelerisque sollicitudin nisl, et tincidunt erat bibendum in. Aliquam scelerisque lacinia urna, pulvinar feugiat augue gravida vitae. Phasellus consectetur condimentum vestibulum. Fusce dui neque, gravida dictum porta at, porta ac risus. Donec eget purus sed elit pulvinar ultrices.

Aenean sollicitudin diam eleifend felis consectetur sollicitudin. Sed vel lacus magna, vel mattis turpis. Curabitur dignissim enim nec nisl tristique ullamcorper. Vestibulum ut turpis sed nisl congue scelerisque. Curabitur varius rutrum pellentesque. Quisque viverra egestas lorem, faucibus volutpat quam sodales a. Sed id felis sed ante ornare facilisis vitae ut nunc. Fusce quis massa lectus. Cras placerat neque ipsum, eget vulputate diam. Aliquam augue ante, laoreet quis ultrices a, rutrum sit amet mi. Nunc in pretium ipsum. Aenean rhoncus, nibh et facilisis pretium, mi dui auctor lacus, et pretium ante ante quis odio. Sed volutpat elit id ante fringilla et sagittis sem interdum. Sed ac elit velit. Mauris fermentum lobortis lorem, nec dictum neque posuere non. Nulla lobortis est massa, sit amet ullamcorper nisl. Sed ullamcorper lobortis ullamcorper. Proin facilisis commodo enim, ut tincidunt nulla laoreet eu.

______________________________

Hazel the Deerling

Moves: Sand-Attack, Double Kick, Leech Seed, Take Down
Joined at: HQ, via Lore
Currently: In Party

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Pellentesque vel metus orci, a eleifend enim. Sed non elit sed neque fringilla gravida. Duis et bibendum velit. Phasellus consectetur, neque id lobortis aliquet, dui nibh varius lacus, quis dapibus tortor dui quis neque. In accumsan eros sed felis euismod in tincidunt risus aliquet. Vestibulum ut eros eget elit gravida dapibus eget nec diam. Nulla condimentum auctor luctus. Suspendisse venenatis, nisl at bibendum lacinia, metus turpis dictum orci, vel iaculis orci sapien vel lorem. Donec scelerisque sollicitudin nisl, et tincidunt erat bibendum in. Aliquam scelerisque lacinia urna, pulvinar feugiat augue gravida vitae. Phasellus consectetur condimentum vestibulum. Fusce dui neque, gravida dictum porta at, porta ac risus. Donec eget purus sed elit pulvinar ultrices.

Aenean sollicitudin diam eleifend felis consectetur sollicitudin. Sed vel lacus magna, vel mattis turpis. Curabitur dignissim enim nec nisl tristique ullamcorper. Vestibulum ut turpis sed nisl congue scelerisque. Curabitur varius rutrum pellentesque. Quisque viverra egestas lorem, faucibus volutpat quam sodales a. Sed id felis sed ante ornare facilisis vitae ut nunc. Fusce quis massa lectus. Cras placerat neque ipsum, eget vulputate diam. Aliquam augue ante, laoreet quis ultrices a, rutrum sit amet mi. Nunc in pretium ipsum. Aenean rhoncus, nibh et facilisis pretium, mi dui auctor lacus, et pretium ante ante quis odio. Sed volutpat elit id ante fringilla et sagittis sem interdum. Sed ac elit velit. Mauris fermentum lobortis lorem, nec dictum neque posuere non. Nulla lobortis est massa, sit amet ullamcorper nisl. Sed ullamcorper lobortis ullamcorper. Proin facilisis commodo enim, ut tincidunt nulla laoreet eu.

______________________________

Trick the Shuppet

Moves: Screech, Night Shade, Curse, Shadow Sneak
Joined at: Ambergris Town
Currently: In Party

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The newspaper crumpled with ease in Alba's grip. The sound itself echoed loudly in the lounge, but Alba didn't care. No one else was in there at such a late hour, anyway.

It had started much as it always had. Alba had shut his eyes long enough to fall asleep in the dark room he shared, his mind had drifted, and he'd woken short of breath and wanting little more than to lay there and sob. He was tired, dammit. He didn't want to think about guns, or court rulings, or a scheming wife, or... or... or rooms fitted with all the furniture a newborn's bedroom would need-

OKAY! Time to get up! He may have never known Aila, but it had definitely left a mark on Inigo, and someone so young and so nearby being killed... it brought back older memories than what usually taunted Alba from the dark corners of his mind. He wouldn't be able to continue sleeping for that night. Behind him, Spook chimed lightly in her sleep on a spare pillow, but otherwise didn't wake as her human dressed and left the room.

That was how Alba found himself in an empty, silent lounge at 1-something AM. For a time, he sat and reveled in that silence. But then he had laid eyes on newspaper that had been left out. It was a week old by then, but that didn't matter. What mattered was the name that caught his attention.

Thompson.

Alba snatched up the paper and quickly flipped through the pages to the article. It was Thompson's fault. This was the man who had brought Alba's life crashing down. Had turned Alba's own thoughts against him, had schemed with Sam--Alba's WIFE--to make Alba take the fall for something Alba was still trying to comprehend. And while Alba now sat there in an empty room, unable to do something as simple as sleeping because of the mess Thompson had helped to make him, Thompson was back in Kanto, growing his business and improving his image with donations of ridiculous amounts. They even had a picture of "Thompson and his wife, Samuela Thompson, enjoy talking to guests at the charity event."

It made Alba sick, and he did the only thing he could: he took it out on the newspaper. The next day, Alba had a hard time playing "okay," but somehow managed to pull it off. The day after, he used his day off to head for Ambergris.



To Be Continued...  

[Catzandbirdz]

pg. 8

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[Catzandbirdz]

pg. 9

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[Catzandbirdz]

pg. 10

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[Catzandbirdz]

pg. 11

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[Catzandbirdz]

pg. 12

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[Catzandbirdz]

[Near the back of the journal, some news clippings can be found. Most of the articles appear to be several years old.]

The Kanto Press

SHOOTING LEAVES MAN DEAD
Officer under question

What began as a quiet Saffron day ended in bloodshed. Officers raided a business on South Street Tuesday evening, on suspicion of manufacturing and selling illegal substances. Near the end of the raid, shots were heard from the back of the establishment. Investigation revealed Officer Taylor Ross standing over the body of █████ , who had been struck dead by a bullet wound to the chest. █████ , age ##, was the eldest son of █████, who has served in Saffron politics for over a decade. █████ 's reason for being present at the raid location is currently unknown, and his parents have released a statement denying their son's involvement in any illegal activities. "He was harmless," says his mother, █████ . "[He] never owned or fired a firearm in his life, and always kept himself out of trouble. I can't understand how this could happen."

Ross has refused comment. He has reportedly been suspended with pay during the investigation. "[Ross] did what he had to," reports Officer Jenny. "He's not a rookie. He's well-trained, and knows what he's doing." The family of the deceased begs to differ. Charges of manslaughter have been filed, as well as a lawsuit against the city for wrongful death. CONTINUED PAGE A4

The Pelipper Post

FIRST TRIAL TO BE HELD THIS WEEKEND
"Missing" evidence could ruin defense

Survey Mankey

Complicated Conspiracy, or Delusional Deputy?
Vote now for a chance to win a TM!

Comments (251)

The Saffron Times

GUILTY!
ROSS ENTERS PLEA DEAL

 

[Catzandbirdz]

Quote:

I did it! I finally graduated! Got my badge and everything. Mari's been joking about how I'll have to get a buzz cut now, but it really is just a joke. My hair has always been pretty short. I can't even imagine having it grow longer than what's allowed by regulations.

Quote:

Sam's been acting odd lately. She says it's just work, but I don't understand her boss' thinking. If the business is here in Saffron, why does Sam need to go all the way to Viridian for a meeting? Isn't that what the video phones are for?

Jenny stops by the bar with some of the old crowd every now and then. I don't know why I mentioned the meetings, but I did the last time they were in. Jenny made a face, but didn't say much about it. One of the guys said something about checking some details when they got back to the station, though. Sure wish I still had the job and clearance to do that sort of thing...

Quote:

-started on that ungrateful... WITCH! I mean, come on. It's one thing to take the house, or even the car like Mari did, and just about everything else, but the POKEMON?! Not that I miss the furball. Sam caught it during that first week after the wedding, and from the start it was completely devoted to her, just like the rest of them. Should've seen the sign. Nothing like a Skitty hairball in your shoe to slap you in the face and say, “Good morning, Al. Your life is going down the drain... AGAIN!” At least Mari's Pokemon never revolted. Still, I tried taking care of them as much as I could. Not my fault the marriage didn't last. I wasn't the one that cheated!

Quote:

Date: Who cares
Time: Who cares again

I think I'm going mad. My apartment's a mess, my job is never-changing, someone's been helping themselves to the tip jars again, and if I have to listen to one more drunk lowlife carry on like the one we had tonight, the job might not even be a factor anymore. I actually started thinking about how I miss Mariana sometimes. Arceus, did I mess up there. I saw her a few days ago at the store with her two kids and her Mudkip. She's done pretty well with raising them. The kids, I mean. Mudkip's doing well, too, considering his age. I think Mari's been using an Everstone to keep the little guy that way. She's had him since before we met, and that was... a really long time ago...

I think I need a vacation.

Quote:

Date: Still not caring!

Camphoreon City, here I come! Never been to the Kodo region before. Hope it's nice, because it was the first available ticket I saw at the port, and the ticket is only a one-way. I told my manager at the bar just what he could do with my position (no need to repeat the exact words, I'd have been fired for language alone if I hadn't already been quitting), went home, packed my bags, left the keys and last of the rent with a friend so he can have or sell whatever was left before the landlord does, and headed for Vermillion's port.

Oh, and as for Sam? She called about an hour after I quit work. And I snapped.

Big time.

We've been divorced for half a year now, and I finally told her just what I thought of her.

Sure hope the ferry hurries up. Sam'll probably have me dragged back to court and sued for all I have left if she catches me.