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 Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 8:24 pm
Things seemed better, they were going good for a while now anyway, and Agent Faleen was far from discontent about it. She was ready to move on with this new chapter in her life, forget certain unpleasant events and treat them as mere experience building lessons.
But the more she tried to struggle with it, the more she noticed it started affecting her mood, and her concentration.
She hadn’t spoken about the traitor Will since the mission or of this Lance, who he truly seemed to be, not in casual conversation anyway, and only the Elite Seth when he had brought her in for questioning about Will Foster.
She didn’t express much concern over it, she didn’t talk about what it might have brought to this organization… and she didn’t talk about her feeling on the subject…
But regardless of what she didn’t express, the fact was that it was bothering her, and after the third box she had knocked off of her new work station as she tried to set it up, she knew that she had to confront it, to finally put it behind her, so she could really move on.
Her pace was leisurely, though not hesitant, The fall of her boots echoed softly as she descended the stare case to the line of cells in the brig.
Carefully they made their way past cell, empty cells, until Hazel eyes found the one that wasn’t empty,
Here the thudding of her boots stopped, and scraped along the ground as she turned to face the cell, weight distributed evenly over her legs, hands closed at her side.
Dark blond hair hung as it usually did around her shoulders, the strands framing a still, unconcerned look on her face.
Per usual, Faleen was in uniform, as she preferred, though this time, instead of the gray she had been wearing for so long, her Uniform was new, and white, Proving to emblaze the red “R” much more brightly than the gray had.
though movement had stopped, Faleen said nothing, lingering in the silence of the brig.
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 8:55 pm
She had finally come for him. Nadja had taken him away to interrogate the league official that he infiltrated their organization and sabotaged their missions. But not before making sure Lance had been thoroughly sleep deprived beforehand to make sure that was tongue was looser than usual.
Despite that, the questioning session hadn't gone exactly as the elite had expected. Considering that Lance had already relayed most of his information to his companions, and had little to hide, he had been surprisingly forthcoming with the questions. That didn't mean he hadn't gotten roughed up by the elite, however.
Still, they'd finally allowed him to get some rest, although now he was without his cape. But thanks to his fever having broken, it wasn't as needed. Still, bruises, scrapes, and cuts were scattered across his body. Especially visible on his face and his uncovered chest with the exception of that bandage around his torso. He lay sprawled on the meager bed in his cell, getting some much needed rest.
However, the footfalls didn't fail in alerting him and Lance opened his eyes to look toward his visitor. He probably didn't look much like the friend Faleen had known, nor the distinguished champion of the Indigo league. His hair was dirty and unkempt, his skin a bit pale in addition to the multiple bruises and abrasions, golden eyes dulled with dark circles beneath.
Still, the voice was the same as he spoke, strained and fatigued. "Faleen." He had expected she would show up eventually.
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 9:14 pm
The first few moment she stood there, her Hazel eyes moved over his form, broken, dirty... he looked as Disheveled as she had expected, Those were not wounds he had from the cave, She knew he would be questioned, she only hoped they got something useful.
He was the first to say something, speaking her name, at this Faleen’s eyes rose to meet his, and for another long moment, she said nothing, nor changed her expression from that blank, professional posture, just staring back.
He didn’t look anything like Will, yet it was still his voice.
“I’m certain at this point there isn’t anything I can say to you that you haven’t already heard.”
What the first thing the Agent said, when she finally opened her mouth.
Her voice, was neutral, void of any form of emotion, anger, or otherwise.
He was getting just what he deserved, stripped of his pokemon, down to his bare chest, and left alone, in the cold darkness of the brig.
"..Lance" She finished, though this time there was a slight edge in her voice when she spoke his true name. Bitterness maybe.
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 9:26 pm
What he deserved was a matter of perspective. Although coming from her and the others in this organization, he wouldn't have been at all surprised. She was probably right, there's probably nothing she could have said that he hadn't already heard. He'd been called many different names, 'traitor' being the most numerous of them. Some of the more colorful ones coming from Nadja herself.
With a grunt and a groan, Lance pushed himself up to sit on the edge of his bed. Taking a moment's pause as he tried to recover from that simple action. He was sore all over, and the pain in his side hadn't yet subsided.
"Then why did you come?" He asked finally.
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 9:46 pm
"I'm not entirely certain why, closure maybe, The impulse to ask questions I probably already know the answer to. Or maybe becasue I was off duty, and had nothing better to do."
At this she gave a slight frown, eyes narrowing softly as her chin tilted up.
It was almost sickening, her days off were usually with him, -wasted- with him.
"I'm pretty good about admitting when I'm wrong, Will," She started, almost matter of factually, not even catching she had called him by the wrong name. "And boy was I wrong about you, you turned out to be a terrible Rocket."
Against she stated the obvious, but it brought into light just how foolish her decisions had been about him.
She eyed him again as he sat up, noting pain and stiffness, her gaze lingered for a moment on the bandage over his chest, covering his side where he had gotten shot.
Her own side throbbed uncomfortably in the memory, but she ignored it, returning her cold gaze back onto him.
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 9:53 pm
A rueful smile crept onto his face at those words, while he leaned forward, his hand clutching his side.
"You're right, I'm a terrible Rocket, but that was kind of the point wasn't it?"
He could take that as a compliment really. He never wanted to be a good Rocket, or a Rocket at all. He simply did what he had to do, and what he thought was right.
"I think what you want to say, though, is that I'm a terrible friend. And for that, I am truly sorry. I was careless." Had he not allowed himself to get on friendly terms with Faleen, this would have been far easier.
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 10:08 pm
"Teh" Faleen let off a noise as if holding back what could be taken as a sarcastic laugh. At his apology, something she didn't expect, she looking away for a moment while she shook her head, disbelieving "Coming from you, I'm not certain how much credibility that holds."
Here she felt silent again, but her body posture was far from,
Though it was still straight, and dignified, it held a certain stiffness that just carried the discontent she was feeling.
"You were just doing your job though, right? What do you care, so don't apologize."
Why would he bother, she knew he didn't mean it, so she didn't want to hear it. There he was sitting there, trying to act like the good guy, like the stupid hero. Idiot.
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 10:15 pm
Wasn't he though? But then he wasn't really thinking of it that way.
Closing his eyes, he mulled over her words as his brow furrowed thoughtfully. He didn't expect her to believe him, but it had to be said regardless, otherwise it would continue to nag at him.
"I was," he confirmed, for he had just been doing his job. "But I wasn't faking it. I genuinely like you, and that was my mistake, because the result is my only regret." He had never intentionally meant to hurt her, but unfortunately it had happened because of his own carelessness.
"It's such a shame that you're in this place." He said softly under his breath.
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 10:39 pm
Here she lingered in silence for a long time after he spoke, though she didn’t look away from him, several times she tried to, but it only translated into her boots shifting on the ground as her weight was swayed from one to the other.
Her brow furrowed before she finally spoke, look still that of distaste. “I didn’t want to hate you.”
She wasn’t sure why she was telling this to the Champion, man who had mastered something so many people strive for it was almost surreal. “I already hate so much in this world; I didn’t want you to be one of them, but I do.” Here she paused, swallowing a couple of times, glare only becoming colder with the last statement that she had barely caught.
“I am more than proud to be in ‘This place’. Don’t ever forget, I even told Will, I’m a Rocket, FIRST and foremost! So don’t you start thinking you’re doing anything noble, and don’t get the wrong idea about me!
I know your kind; you’ve all got this twisted ideal of nobility, created by your warped fantay on how you think the world should be. Well guess what, it’s not that way! You think you’re doing “good” when all you’re doing is saturating in pretentious lies!”
Her anger was clear by now, her darkness apparent, her glare completely void of any friendly notions. Not bothering to hold back anymore in the name of her dignity.
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Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 6:29 am
"I know," Lance replied with another sigh. "That's when I realized I had made a mistake." He had been so stupid. He didn't actually think he could make a friend in Team Rocket, but he had tried regardless. After all, it wasn't easy to be stuck in a place for over a year and have no one to really talk to. Lance had been weak and now he was suffering the consequences for it.
However, he did frown as Faleen commented on her ideas about him. He didn't want to argue with her, and simply shook his head. "My only goal here is to protect Pokemon. Think what you will, but regardless of ideals, you and your "family" are criminals and its my responsibility to help put a stop to it."
Her anger didn't faze him for he had expected it. There was likely nothing Faleen could say that would hurt his feelings. While he did regret hurting Faleen, he had offered his apology and it was the best he could do. The fact that they were enemies, couldn't be avoided.
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Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 8:21 pm
The lingering feeling of humiliation grew in her, while he just sat there… so calm, it might have been easier if he would argue back, even though it wasn’t needed… He wasn’t wasting energy or time, and she couldn’t blame him.
This must be a constant argument between Rockets and others outside the organization, one where there would be no victor… he was right not to continue.
Keeping careful control over her breath, she managed to take a couple of silent sighs, calming herself down enough to realize the pointlessness of what she said, and her face flushed slightly in embarrassment, not liking it when she lost control.
He was older that his Rocket profile had indicated, and he’s been at this for a while, how many times had he heard someone say just what she had.
She didn’t bother apologizing though, but she did take a moment to gather what composure she could though the internal storm she was feeling.
Standing here, looking at him was proving to be fairly difficult, The fact that everything she had bottled in so tightly since the mission was trying to force its way all out at once, anger, humiliation, frustration, Hate. Standing there Seething wasn’t going to accomplish anything, and something magical wasn’t going to happen to make things okay.
“I didn’t come here to rant like that” She admitted, after she had trusted herself to speak with a more level tone.
“Your apology doesn’t make me feel better, nor does getting angry over this. I’m not so naive to think that coming here will change anything, or make what happened go away…”
Here she hesitated, looking away again to stare down the hall, seemingly struggling with what she wanted to say.
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Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 8:36 pm
Lance sat there in silence as Faleen struggled to gain her composure, seemingly realizing that arguing was a fruitless effort with him. He was glad for that, since he had no desire and really didn't want to hear it either. He was tired and it was only giving him a headache. As she had suspected, he'd heard similar arguments many times. It wasn't unlike what Nadja had said to him, although in much harsher tones than Faleen's. His words to the elite had an even more negative affect on her as well, since she clearly harbored more anger and resentment against him.
"I didn't suspect it would," Lance said before gritting his teeth while pushing himself to his feet. He paused a moment, bracing himself against a wall before walking toward Faleen. "Still, I felt it needed to be said."
He came to stand before her, mere inches away with nothing but cold iron bars between them. Despite the obvious fatigue and pain that was evidenced on his face and in his posture, the dragon master still held himself with a measure of dignity. He wasn't so easily broken as lowly scum from Galactic. His golden gaze held a quiet but steady resolve as it was fixed on her, waiting for what she was going to say.
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Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 8:58 pm
He rose, and moved toward the bars, Faleen held her ground, but a sharp looked was turned back toward him and for a time, she stood, almost in defiance as she faced the dragon champion.
“I’m going to say this, so I can be done with it and get on with my life.” She started, rather firmly. “I figure you won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, you’ve managed to get me to tell you certain things I’ve never expressed before, so whats a little more as a farewell.”
Gloved hands clenched at her side, despite internal understanding, telling herself over and over again not to put so much into this.
She continued though.
“… Will was a good friend, no matter what way I look at it, I did enjoy what time we did have, and I was looking forward to working together more, improve. I wanted to see how great he would become. I admit how idiotic that sounds, especially now, but it just snuck up on me.
But for that time… it was nice.”
She didn’t like that he was so close now, her body tensing more, fighting the impulse to step away , she continued to glare at him.
“Don’t go reading into this, for as much as I liked Will, I despise you multiple times over."
Her jaw clenched.
"To me Will died in that cave!”
It was after this statement that, very suddenly, her angry features actually broke, and for a moment, the true anguish of what she had been feeling shattered her guarded surface. Her boot shifted quickly as she took a sharp step back. Throat closing up so that she only managed chocked noise before stopping all attempts of talking all together.
She had come here, to see him one more time, to remind herself of her embarrassment, and enforce that this had to be yet one more mistake she would never make again.
But the thing she had not expected was an emotional response like this.
For as angry and as humiliated as she was, the fact that she had lost a friend, someone she considered a good friend, pierced her more that she expected.
Horrified by this, her face dropped from Lance, refusing to look at him and her arms crossed over her ribs, closing herself off further, keeping her eyes locked on the ground by the bars, unable to speak.
Why now! Why now!
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Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 9:21 pm
There was a stoic silence from Lance as he listened to Faleen's words, but to say that it didn't affect him would be a lie. As well as the emotional response she seemed to be having.
A part of him wanted to reach out to her, to say some comforting words, but it was better that he didn't. For the both of them. He was no longer the friend that she had confided in, and he never would be. That was the hard truth of it all, and that's what stung so badly. They each had their own paths to take. He knew what he had to do.
"You're right, Will died in that cave." Lance said evenly before turning his back to Faleen. "And I'm the one that killed him. You can hate me all you like, I don't mind. But I can say with certainty, that he did care about you and I think you became a better person for it. Take what you can from that experience and move forward with your head held high."
He didn't know if she would take any of that to heart, but he hoped she would. His goal had been to destroy Team Rocket, not to destroy her. However, it was time to cut ties and leave the regret behind.
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Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 9:52 pm
Shoulders tenses up a littler as he talked, the black fingers of her gray gloves clenched over her arms. The Agent listening to every word he was saying. Boots drawn in together, She rained where she was, still keeping her face turned down, and hidden.
When he said didn't at all escape her, partly filling her with a familiar grief of loss... and the stabbing spark of... revenge.
Her body slowly went numb, brought back to a very dark time in her life, a time before she found Team Rocket.
A coffin... someone next to her was crying.. she wasn't, couldn't.
A stillness fell over Faleen, forming into a calm, allowing her shoulders to relax, and her arms once again lower to her side.
"I was so stupid" she spoke first, though barely loud enough for anyone but her to hear.
"I'm going to take what you did." She spoke up again, turning her head up to look at his back. her expression was a little strained, and she looked as if she was still struggling off a sadness, but she was determined to overcome it.
"And I am going to use it, I'll use it to better Team Rocket, and we will do everything in our power to hurt everything you stand for."
Her eyes narrowed again, though softer this time.
Coming from Seth, his words would carry much more meaning to her, but she wasn't one of the good guys. She was a Rocket Agent! and she would always stand by Team Rocket, no matter what happened.
"You'll see what Darkness is capable of."
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