[X] My Assistant

[Eremol]

Careful… Silent as possible…

Julian was crouched behind a colorful vase of flowers, eyeing his target. The woman’s Murkrow had perched for a moment on a wall sconce and was preening its feathers. Very quietly, Julian had removed his suit jacket (after removing the page of his secret file from the pocket and shoving it in his shoe) and was holding it like a net, as if fishing for a Magikarp. He was waiting for the flying-type to turn its head the other way, or perhaps even fall asleep, and then he would snag it.

Suddenly, the padding of footsteps came from out of Julian’s view. The Murkrow was occupied with something that was low on the ground, by the looks of it. Hushed growls and barks came from the newcomer. Another Pokémon, wandering the halls? Julian considered that it might be the host’s Pokémon. He thought it more likely that he and Kanoa had utterly failed at the simple task of guarding the stairs.

After a few tense moments, the other Pokémon walked off. Now was the perfect moment to strike! Julian leapt up from behind the vase, holding his jacket out in front of him, and grabbed at the Murkrow. A brief skirmish resulted, along with several scratches to Julian’s arms – so much for not ruining his suit. The Pokémon flew from his grasp with a sharp caw, then took off down the hallway again. Julian cursed, and sprinted off after it. It was not going to get away from him.

He ran at full speed after the flying-type, making deep wrinkles in the carpets and even knocking over a table lamp. He finally came within arm’s reach of the Pokémon as they turned a corner, and-

-he found himself back in the first hallway! The Murkrow swooped overhead and landed back on its owner’s shoulders. Just then, Julian tripped and face-planted right in front of the woman in the purple dress.

“Ack,” he groaned, getting to his feet. “I, uh, got your bird back.” He grinned sheepishly as the small group regarded him in silent shock.

[stbyleth]

The fact that a lot of people were ending up near the top of the stairs amused Ben in a cynical way. 

Outside, he was a smiling young woman who needed help. 

On the inside, Benjamin was cursing that the boy wasn't as stupid as he thought. Kráka took a turn down the hall, and Ben stopped. He turned as a door opened and the other man emerged. “... My bird flew away~” he cooed. “I can't seem to get it though. Hm. It'll come back~ I'm sure. He always does.” He batted his eyelashes at the man as he took off after the bird, before turning back to Kanoa.

“My name's Lilja,” he said politely, in his woman voice. He curtsied slightly. “I'll go get my date, Terrence, and we can look for the Murkrow together—Oh! There he is!” Ben moved, bouncing slightly (for a first time girl, he was pretty good), and wrapped his arms affectionately around Beat. Lingering for good effect for several moments, he grabbed Beat's hand, the one on his belt, and pulled him back over to where he originally had been standing. He laced his fingers with Beat's. 

In just a few more minutes, a small black dog appeared, with a purple monkey pokemon holding onto it. He raised an eyebrow down at it when the presumable trainer appeared. A waiter? Yes. He looked out of place. Maybe it was just because his Houndour had run away. But something else. He looked a bit familiar.

When asked if he wanted something, he nodded. “A Screwdriver,” he said, without pausing. He was stressed. “Light on the orange juice, heavy on the vodka—”

He was cut off as claws landed gently on his shoulder. He looked up at Kráka and smiled. “Ah! Thanks very much!” he exclaimed, quickly returning the bird. He'd ask what he'd found later, when they were alone. There was a thud, and Julian was now at his feet. He made no point in going to help him up in the slightest. 

He turned back to the waiter, smiling. “We'll come with you. I'm sure Terrence wants a drink too~” He leaned up and reluctantly pecked his cheek. He unlaced their hands and locked their elbows.

Leading the way down the staircase, he put an arm around the other's shoulders. When at the bottom, they turned to the table where Beat left his pokemon. He turned to make sure they others weren't looking. If they came down and asked, he would say they were clarifying their drink orders.  

He forced the waiter into a chair and smiled almost hauntingly at him. “Why are you here?” he asked sternly. It was worth a try. If he was Aqua or Rebel, then he'd be nervous as hell. Magma civillians would be to clueless and wouldn't act nervous.

This post has been edited by The Mad Hatter: Jul 22 2010, 10:55 PM

[Kamaitachi]

Everything was awhirl around Kanoa for the moment. The cute guy with the dreads reappeared, but much to Kanoa's chagrin, his new acquaintance "Lilja" wrapped up around him immediately. Shame, really.

"Aren't you two a cute couple." a cheeky grin broke on Kanoa's face. He was completely convinced that Lilja was, in fact, a girl. Oh Kanoa...always so oblivious.

Then a waiter crashed up the stairs with a Houndour and an Aipom...which to Kanoa were simply puppy and monkey. Kanoa thought about ordering another bottle of wine, but then Julian crashed on the ground next to him, with the Murkrow flapping over to Lilja.

"Hey Big Chief, I'm gonna cut you off. No more Pinot Grigio for you." He handed the bottle to Khezu, the waiter "Make sure my buddy doesn't drink anymore. He's a lightweight."

He then bent down to help Julian up, and by the time that as done, the couple had disappeared with the waiter.

"What a fun lot of people." Kanoa smiled, plopping down on the top step, resting his chin in his hands. "Hey Big Chief. I'm gonna go take a cigarette break outside, k?"

The wine buzz was unfortunately a weak one, and was already beginning to fade. Kanoa briefly questioned whether or not that was a sign of an alcoholic, but quickly dismissed it. Without thinking really, he hopped up on the banister railing and slid down to the ground floor. It raised a few Oohs and aahs as he did, and he gave a cheeky sort of bow once his feet touched the ground. He then made his way outside to go smoke. This, unfortunately, left Julian to guard the stairs all by his lonesome.

[Vena Sera]

'Man, it's like a train wreck,' Beat muttered. The hall was suddenly full of people and Pokemon - how a Houndour and an Aipom got upstairs was anyone's guess, but he was sure that at least one Magma was pissed off.

Unfortunately for Beat's sneaking skills, Ben sighted him fairly easily and...was he bouncing? came over to where he was standing, embracing him before locking their hands together. If this is what marriage feels like, screw everything.

While Ben chatted with the waiter, Beat took his time to carefully examine the hallway. The passage could be anywhere, but even if he did find it, getting to it would be a whole different issue. At times like these, Beat wished he'd picked up a Kecleon. Still focusing on the mission, Beat didn't notice Kráka's return and Ben's remark until too late.

Something cool and not altogether unpleasant touched his cheek, and the first thought that came into his head was, absurdly, Verdani's nose nudging him awake after a long nap. Blinking, he looked down at Ben, who was busy toying with Beat's arm. There was an odd look on his face, as if...

Whoa. Whoa whoa whoa. Back up the what the fudge train; did he just...? Quick, say something!

'Uh,' was Beat's reply.

☼

After being half-dragged down the stairs and across the ballroom in a haze, Beat was more than a little glad to sit down and try to collect his scrambled thoughts. The plates were empty and the Chinchou seemed to be asleep. Beat noted with relief that it was now a darker blue and a bit more round before recalling it. Verdani had curled up on the table, fast asleep. 'Some watch dog you make,' he muttered, absentmindedly fixing her bow. He couldn't help but look at Ben every few seconds - why had that been necessary? Not that it was overly painful or anything, but it was just odd and...

Beat was confusing himself again.

'Why are you here?' Ben hissed. If his intent was to terrify the poor waiter, he was certainly succeeding. Leaning back in his chair, the tall man peered around his partner's slim form, sizing up the waiter. Something was off about him - probably the hat - but Beat got the feeling that not everyone at the party was who they said they were.

A small growl tore his attention away from the two. Verdani was awake now, the fur on her tail bristling; her mouth open in a snarl. Looking up with a frown, Beat saw an important-looking man with a Magma symbol on his lapel making a beeline for the table. Returning all four chair legs to the ground, Beat gently grabbed Ben's arm and pulled him closer, muttering 'look out' in his ear.

'Excuse me.' The man's eyes were cold and the colour of slate and he was nearly as tall as Beat. He was no Lucario, but the dreadlocked man could practically feel the intense radiation from the figure. His grip on Ben's arm tightened a little and Beat forced himself to let go. 'I have received some complains from the other guests, saying that you let a dangerous Pokemon on the table.' His cold eyes darted toward Verdani, who stared back with equal intensity. 'I will have to ask you to put it on the ground. Also, I must ask why you are keeping this waiter from his duties, Mr...'

'Cleer.' The name simply popped into Beat's head, although he didn't know why. 'Terrence Cleer. And this young man is currently listing all the available drinks for me, so if you don't mind-'

'There is a menu above the bar.' The man interrupted, his voice completely monotone.

'Yes, but I- can't see well. Which was why Verity Danielle was on the table.'

'So, your vision impairs you from simply going to the bar?'

'And leave my Lilja all alone?' Beat said, feigning hurt. 'Or worse, take her with me? I wouldn't do that to my precious snowball.' When I get home the first ting I'm going to do is wash my mouth out. I hope there's enough soap.

'Very well then, Mr Cleer.' The man turned around and began to head out onto the dance floor, where a young couple seemed intent on sucking each other's face off. Before he was even halfway there, he stopped and turned around.

'Just note that we will be watching you, Mr Cleer.' And then he was gone.

'That was too close,' Beat said. Verdani gave a growl of acknowledgment, leaping off the table and onto the floor.

[Eremol]

The top of the stairs, a minute ago so crowded, was now empty save for Julian. The wandering couple, the waiter, and Kanoa had all left, leaving Julian a few minutes of peace and quiet. He felt relieved. That was too close, he thought to himself, taking his post next to the banister. If an officer had come over and discovered that so many people had gotten into the restricted hallway…

But it was over now, thankfully. He could just sit back and enjoy the rest of the party in peace. Suddenly, it struck him – the piece of paper was still in his shoe! He hastily bent down and removed his left shoe… but it was empty. Had he put it in the other shoe? Julian removed his remaining shoe, and groaned. There was no sign of the page from his secret file! It must have fallen out during his chase with that Murkrow. Julian looked back down the hall from where he sat, hoping it hadn’t been dropped too far, but the corridor was empty.

The party was starting to run down a little. He guessed there would only be about an hour more of festivities (the fourteen-year-old birthday girl certainly had her bedtime). Julian wondered if after the party he could go looking for the page. He certainly couldn’t leave now, and let just anyone waltz up the stairs again. Even if Kanoa came back soon, could Julian trust him to guard the stairs (instead of finding a small crowd waiting for him)? Julian decided he would wait for a while, not wanting to push his luck, and definitely not wanting to get caught abandoning his post again.

[Rasu]

Khezu took a mental note of the request and followed the couple downstairs. From there they led the way to their table - which was the one with the Chinchou and the Poochyena - and the girl insisted on Khezu to take a seat, little did Khezu know it wasn't just to be nice. Almost after Khezu sat down the questionnaire began. She didn't take long to ask him what exactly he was doing there and that left him wordless.

"I... Uh... I'm-" moments later appeared a Magma guard that had his own questions for the group. This would be a good time for Khezu to start cooking something up to answer the question.. if it wasn't for the fact that Slinger Shot went missing that is. By the time Khezu focused on the answer the guard was long gone and pressure was starting to build up. Then it occured him. Why not tell them the truth? The real truth.

"I.. I'm here on a fight. On a fight to try and stop this nemesis between factions. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less." he tried his best to avoid mentioning his actual faction, just giving a vague answer to a vague question. Khezu let out a breath of relief, both for getting that question out of his head and to see Double S returning from the buffet with a dish full of exotic and normal fruits.

Khezu could tell that they we're very convinced but after an answer like that he guessed nobody would. Khezu didn't know what more to do other than hope that they would fall for it or else he would have to get out of there empty-handed and fast since the superiors didn't give him any piece of advice for a situation like this.

That's when he remembered something. His bow-tie had a small microphone incorporated. He remembered being told that he had to hold it to activate the mic and that's what he did. Making it look like he was fixing the tie he activated it and proceeded to continue with the chat.

"I'm sorry, but do you still want the drink or not?"

[stbyleth]

Ben was, at the very least, certainly startled when he was pulled close. He staggered a bit, falling against Beat; shivering, he looked at him curiously. Look out for what? Verdani was growling, and suddenly Beat had tightened his grip on Ben’s arm.

“Ow ow ow—” Ben shut up when the Magma guard came up. That was the reason that Beat was holding him so tightly. He didn’t wrench away; that would make it suspicious. Why would he be holding her so tightly? they would say. Then they’d figure out that something had made Beat nervous enough to hurt the girl. And they would keep an even closer eye on them.

He tried not to make a face when he was referred to as a ‘precious snowball’. He would have to tell Beat not to ever use that name for him again later.

Just as quickly as it started, it ended. He turned as the other man spoke and the guard went away. To stop the factions from fighting? What a lame answer. If he was Aqua, he should’ve thought of a more elaborate answer. Ben knows he would have. He couldn’t quite figure out exactly which faction he was with though. It was proving a bit more difficult than he imagined.

Ben took a seat in the chair next to Beat, crossing his legs and arms. If Afrit had been out of his pokéball, he would’ve done the same thing – possibly sitting on the edge of the table instead of a chair that was too large for him. Ben was rather taking a liking to Afrit; though he was not one of his original Pokémon and they had just met, he was still pretty neat. Besides, it was really an ego boost when you had someone mimicking you.

He glanced at Beat. He had put away his Chinchou, which Ben just noticed he had, and Verdani had hopped off onto the floor. Verdani wasn’t dangerous. Stubborn, yes. Dangerous, no.

“I’m sorry, but do you still want the drink or not?”

Ben turned back to him. “Ah? Yes I would still like that drink. Just one; heavy on the vodka please. Terrence, my most precious person ever,” he said, shoving sweet onto his voice as a comeback for precious snowball, “do you want a drink?”

[Vena Sera]

Beat's eye twitched. Evidently, the 'precious snowball' comment hadn't gone over very well - but then again, Beat didn't really have any experience of what you did and did not call your date. As far back as he could remember, he'd never actually been interested in someone.

'Uh, yeah,' Beat said, directing this comment at the poor waiter Ben had been yelling at. 'What kinds of wine do you have? I'd like something light.' He turned to face Benjamin, opened his mouth, and froze. He had just remembered the first time he'd ever had alcohol, and the ensuing chaos. Apparently Beat had an extremely low tolerance and had, after only one drink, spent the rest of the night believing he was a Bagon and tried to fly off the roof, bashing his head into the wall after his father had held him back. Melissa had put him in a choke-hold after that and he'd promised never to drink again. Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

Besides, being drunk could jeopardise the mission.

'Nevermind, that's a bad idea. I'll have a water instead.' Beat said, tapping his foot against the ground. He noticed that some of the younger partygoers were being ushered toward the entrance; the other waiters were beginning to bring out finger-foods to every table, rolling the buffet table away. The lights were beginning to dim and the Volbeat and Illumise Beat had noticed earlier began to glow softly, hovering around the ceiling. Slow, soft music came from the stage, and quite few couples took the dance floor.

Verdani grumbled under the table, glaring dully at Ben's shoes. When was this going to be over? She was going to sleep for a week when they finally got home.

'You can take a nap now, Verdani.' Beat said, leaning back to look under the table. After a moment, he shrugged and reached down, untying the bow from the Poochyena's neck. 'There,' he said, shoving the piece of fabric in his pocket. 'Roll around all you want.'

[Kamaitachi]

Kanoa stepped out into the garden, stretching languidly for a moment as he made his way over towards the bushes, a bit away from the backdoor entrance. Reaching into his pocket, he procured a pack of Numel Lights and flipped one out. He flicked his lighter idly as he slipped a cigarette into his lips, before placing the lighter back inside the cigarette pack with the rest of his cigarettes.

"These things'll kill me one day" he noted, feeling somewhat obliged to say it, seeing as everyone else often did. He relaxed for a moment, all the excitement of seeing Hottie McBeads, Frowny Lilja and Stumbly Waiterson fading away as he took a few puffs.

"Well" he noted idly as he peeked back towards the inside, seeing the Volbeat/Illumise chandelier disperse into many hovering, glowing lights. "At least I met one person." Big Chief Dreggs was probably waiting for him inside. He took another puff, watching the smoke disperse into the air in front of him. His free hand thumbed the two pokeballs at his belt: Skorupii and Budew. As a Magma agent, he'd been asked to specialize in Fire and Ground pokemon, but he'd decided to specialize in Grass, Poison, Ground and Flying types...other pokemon types he associated with the land. So far, in realizing his dream team, he'd gotten the Bug/Poison type Skorupii, and the Grass/Poison type Budew, which was a great start.

"Mish" he heard a quiet noise, mixed in with the rustling of a bush. He snapped his head over to where the noise emanated from, and watched in surprise as a little orb like pokemon with legs popped out.

Kanoa's jaw dropped. It was love at first sight. The little pokemon waddled about, with its little skirt frilling about as it did. However, in a sight of absolute cuteness, the little waddling pokemon had the most curmudgeonly, grumpy frown on his face.

"What the what?" Kanoa grinned widely as he dropped into a squat, eying the pokemon curiously. The pokemon had a curious glint to it and had nice red spots all over, but Kanoa assumed it was just a trick of the light.

"Do you live in this garden?" Nod. "Do you belong to anyone here?" Shake. Kanoa seemed quite pleased with these little answers. Good thing Pokemon understood english. "What's your name?"

"Mish, Shroomish!"

"Mishroom!" Kanoa cried excitedly. He knew that pokemon names were often amalgamations of normal words, or funny plays on prexisting words. Skorupii, for instance, was a play on Scorpion, and Budew was a portmanteau of Bud and Dew. Mishroom was probably a cute play on "Miss" and "Mushroom" since it looked like a grumpy lady Mushroom. However, the little pokemon adamantly shook its head, looking quite miffed at the mispronunciation.

"Shroomish."

"Oh, Shroomish. I get it, like...Mushroom-ish. You're a mushroom like pokemon." Kanoa nodded eagerly "Shroomish. Grass type?" Another nodded as it chirped its name in reply. Kanoa thought the high pitched, but gruff voice suited the pokemon perfectly.

"Well, Shroomish, I absolutely adore you. You're quite possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life. Care to join me?" The Shroomish tilted its head, appearing curious (albeit still appearing grouchy). "Oh, I've just joined Team Magma, and have no idea what that entails, but I'm new to pokemon, and new to the area. I'm trying to make new acquaintances, both human and pokemon...and of all the people and things I've met so far, you're my favourite!"

The Shroomish seemed pretty enchanted with Kanoa's casual but straightforward attitude. It waddled up to him, hopping up and down in front of him.

"So are you a boy?" The little mushroom pokemon nodded. (Well, nod is a poor descriptor. Shroomish more or less bowed with his entire body.)

"Nifty. Well then, I got a spare pokeball, so let me..."

The little Shroomish shook violently as he backed up. He frilled out his little 'skirt' and looked quite defiant at Kanoa.

"Oh right, I have to battle and catch you." Kanoa slapped the side of his head. "Forgive me, both of the pokemon I have now were gifts, I've never caught a pokemon before." The Shroomish looked a little irritated to have stumbled across a newbie trainer. "Okay, then I accept your challenge, Shroomish" Kanoa's grin widened even further.

"Budew, you're up!" Kanoa eagerly procured the pokeball for Budew, opening it in his hands, rather than throwing it out. A bolt of light arced up and backwards, appearing to strike Kanoa on the top of his head. In a little flash of light, the bud pokemon appeared, standing comfortably atop Kanoa's fedora. The trainer pointed towards the Shroomish

"Alright Buddy, Shroomish here has challenged us. Can you handle it?" The Budew nodded in reply (again, it was more like bowing his whole body). Though Kanoa couldn't see it, he simply assumed that the bow had occured. "Let's go, Tackle it!"

The Budew leapt off of Kanoa's head, flying towards the Shroomish. It was really quite cute as the two pokemon rushed forward on their stubby little legs, colliding like armless sumo wrestlers over and over. Neither of them really had arms, so it was an incredibly amusing sight. Kanoa took another drag of his cigarette as he watched the two repeatedly collide.

Not too long after, they both looked noticably winded. Kanoa figured it was time to change up strategy.

"Budew, Stun Spore." The Bud pokemon shook violently, a cloud of green sparklyness floated up into the air and towards the Shroomish. Evidently, Shroomish knew the cloud, and looked panicked as it washed over him. He shuddered tremendously, revealing to Kanoa had the paralysis had worked. Almost lazily, Kanoa lobbed the ball over at the Shroomish, who was struck and immediately sucked in. After a none-to-brief struggle, the ball pinged, indicating successful capture.

Kanoa picked it up, holding the ball in both hands with an affectionate smile. He had just captured the cutest pokemon ever, and it pleased him to no end. Budew hopped up and down excitedly, glad to have won another battle, and beamed brightly as Kanoa knelt down to scoop him up. He cradled the grass pokemon in his arms as he clipped Shroomish's new home to his belt.

"Whoops, guess we left Big Chief waiting, huh." Kanoa glanced around at the bushes, noting that there were a few berries growing there. "Well that's ridiculously convenient." he muttered to himself, moving over to where they were. One of the berries looked somewhat like a Pomegranate, which Kanoa remembered that Budew liked. "This must be a Pomeg Berry." he smiled, plucking one and placing it in Budew's mouth. Budew beamed happily as it ate, enjoying his reward for a successful battle.

Without further ado, Kanoa released Shroomish and Skorupii from their containers, watching as Skorupii moved over and plucked a Cheri Berry with his claws, placing it to his mouth and chomping away with his little pincer teeth. Shroomish, however, stood there, still shaking from paralysis. Kanoa sighed, placing a hand on his little head as he reached over and plucked one of the Cheri Berries, placing it in Shroomish's mouth. After a little chewing and a swallow, Shroomish's tremors slowly ceased, as if the paralysis had disappeared.

"Oh good, I guessed right." Shroomish even seemed somewhat impartial to the taste, which if Kanoa remembered correctly, was spicy. He smiled as he recalled all the pokemon back to their balls, then clipped them back to his belt. With that, he sauntered back into the home, then up the stairs to where Julian was waiting.

"Hey Big Chief, didjya miss me?"

[Eremol]

Julian was becoming anxious. The buffet was being rolled away, children were being escorted from the ballroom, and the lights were starting to dim. He could sense the evening was coming to an end soon. The dancers below were engaged in a lively waltz, but Julian had altogether tuned out the music. He was peeking nervously down the hallway, trapped in his indecision: stay or go? His problem was solved promptly.

“Hey, you!” called a voice. It nearly stopped Julian’s heart. They knew! He turned to face the voice, and saw the Magma officer who had first assigned Julian and Kanoa to the stairs. He was approaching from the dance floor.

“Oh, hello again…” Julian murmured, trying to avoid sounding suspicious.

The officer reached him, crinkling his brow. “What are you mumbling? Anyway, we’ve gotten orders that the ball will soon be over. As far as we know, no imposters have been found, so I consider that a job well-done.”

Julian smiled meekly. “That’s good…”

“Yes, and that also means that you and your friend can return to the party. I think I can handle things up here for now.”

Julian sighed with relief. “Oh, that’s great. Now, um, I’ll just be right back…” he said, making for the second floor hallway.

“Wait, where do you think you’re going? You’re still a guest, and no guests are allowed up here. Please return downstairs until the end of the party.” The officer sidestepped Julian and blocked him from the second floor.

Julian cursed silently at himself. He couldn’t reveal to the guard why he needed to go down the hallway, because that would mean revealing he had been there already, or that he had sneaked into the file room and stolen a page. With a scowl, he started down the stairs.

“Hey Big Chief, didjya miss me?” It was Kanoa, returning from his smoke break. He looked puzzled that Julian was no longer at his post.

“Our shift’s over,” Julian said, ignoring the question, “and I can’t go back to the second floor.”

[Rasu]

After taking a note of the requests Khezu headed for the bar to get the drinks, sadly eying the buffet leaving the scene. He picked up two glasses and started to pour in the drinks, heavy on the vodka, light on the orange juice. Just as requested. Doing the same with the other glass, instead with water, of course, his PokeGear started shaking violently, sign of an incoming call. Trying to pick up his phone with one hand and pouring the water with the other wasn't meant to end well and it didn't. Focusing his attention on the phone made him overfill the glass with the water resulting in one of those "Crap!" moments. Now a bit mad at the person on the other side he finally picked up the call.

"WHAT?" he shouted to the microphone on the Gear, surely leaving whoever was on the other side clearing their ears.

"Moga? Is that a way to speak with your higher-ups?!" Khezu took a step back from the also raging voice from the other side. Obviously he had done a mistake. A big one, in fact. Khezu was now trying to find a more isolated location to freely speak with the Aqua officer in line before continuing the call.

"I'm sorry, sir... I.. Uh.. I spilled my drink, that's it. And with the anger of the moment..." the Aqua officer could have cared less about the explanation. He was there to deliver a message and that is what mattered.

"Ahem, well that's not the reason I called you, Moga. I'd like to inform you that we received the data from your microphone. It seems like you found the other agents, good job. Now that you all meet up you can proceed to gather some more information"

"The other... agents?" Khezu seemed puzzled at what the officer had just told him. Before he could ask him about them the Aqua had already concluded the call and so Khezu was left wandering alone, again.

"Well, I only turned my mic on a while ago... So maybe... Ah, crap, the girl and the guy" he facepalmed as hard as he could for not realizing sooner. He hurried up back to the bar, picked up the drinks - the water glass still full to the top - and hurried up back to the table.

[knil1]

Jened casually strolled down the halls. His night-vision was poor, but he knew that there wouldn’t be many people roaming the second floor as he was. He walked down the hall towards the lit area leading to the staircase down the first floor. He got up on his toes and looked around the corner. He noticed some people were returning downstairs; a waiter, the mysterious couple, and two others.

With the coast being clearer than he expected, he returned into the darkness.

Ardaine led them, looking door to door. She let out a muffled noise when she found her rock and walked over to it. Jened could hear voices inside, and from what he could hear, a restroom break was to be carried out in a moment. Jened grabbed the rock and ran back down the hallway. He jumped into a closet and shut himself in, making sure to sit behind a few storage boxes and large coats.

The two fire Pokémon sat in the closet, uninterested of the big rush their trainer made to hide. Luckily, Jened made the right decision and ran in the direction opposite the restrooms. As Jened sat in the closet, he felt the rock, noticing something odd about it. It was an oblong shape at one angle and circle shaped at another, and off of the back of it a bar stood out. He felt the grooves and was confused as to why Ardaine believed a doorknob would be a good marker. He set it in the corner of the closet, where, he believes, it still is.

~~~

The Rebel twisted the closet's doorknob slowly, doing so while pulling it towards him. A tactic he believed made the click of the doorknob quieter and it prevented the door from randomly swinging open. He saw silhouettes of men return to the meeting room and close the door behind them. The remaining length of the meeting was in question, so Jened advanced as quickly as possible. He held his ear to the door and muffled voices found their way to Jened’s inner ear.
Jened had, at one point, been in a mansion before, and remembered all of the secrets they had to offer. Such as underground stairs and the like. He had an idea and advanced to the neighboring room on the right. He found a closet on the left side of the room and things were looking up for him. He cautiously walked over to the closet and lay on the ground. No light was coming in from the closet, so he deemed it safe to proceed. He pulled the doorknob and clicked the door open.

In his mind, he rejoiced to find that the closet contained what he was looking for. Upon further inspection, a square groove was in the back of the closet, and on the underside of the square, light lit up a small portion of the carpeted floor.
It was a perfect place to spy, aside from the fact that boxes everywhere had the ability to fall with the slightest air movement. Jened backed out of the room and as the closet door closed, he heard a tiny object collide with the wall as his fell.

He took long, quick, quiet strides, which, to his displeasure, made him look a bit mental. He could hear the old doorway crack open as Mr. St. Saëns, (assuming that's who he was. Who else would know of the secret door?) took it upon himself to see what the noise was.

He brushed it off as nothing, but a Magma Agent was sent down the hall to examine each room.

By the time the Agent reached the room to the left of the makeshift conference room, Jened was walking down the stairs, headed for the entrance to the secret underground tunnel in the hidden corner of the ballroom.

~~~

Jened had no idea of how to get out of the passage, or if there was anybody on guard duty at the secret entrance. He returned Aglaia to her Pokéball and took a chance.
Chances weren’t at all improvised. Jened had a way of coming up with scenarios off the top of his head, that would get him out of most situations.

He knocked on the “ceiling” and after a moment, it slid back and he could put his scenario into motion. It was the same man he had talked to earlier, and led to believe that a group of kids weren’t who they said they were.
Jened eyed the man, impassive as the Magma man’s eyes stared at the intruder coldly. “What were you doing down there?”
“I was on guard duty. Agent Braun wished for a few drinks and sent me down. I had to take the passage to avoid the idea of something important upstairs spreading.”Jened stood stoic, and his Growlithe eyed around looking professional. “I have the list of drinks he wanted if you want it.”
“Proceed, when you return, I’ll take it to him.” The man moved aside hesitantly and Jened was greeted by the sound of music and people’s mumbled conversations.

Ardaine dropped the act and jumped around her trainer happily, expecting a treat for doing so well.
“How about as a reward, I take you to a fancy ball and let you serve yourself at a large buffet?” The Growlithe stopped jumping and walked next to her trainer, her head hanging down.

Jened walked over to the bar to order some random drinks. The waiter looked as though he was having trouble with his cell and a drink, so Jened ordered from another waiter.

As the drinks were being prepared, the Rebel took a look around what was left at the party. Many people had left, and the setting of the ball had become darker, probably to encourage people to leave via making them sleepy.

He noted people he had observed earlier, and what they were doing. Once the drink order came, he took the tray over to the corner and handed the man the tray.

“Elite Braun will probably be confused. He’s had a horrible mental illness for a while now and is only a member out of pity. Today is his last day. Just be sure to refer to him as ‘sir’ and if he decides he doesn’t want the drinks, walk away. Maybe the men in the meeting will want them.” As Jened debriefed the Agent, he looked at him, believing most of the story to be fake. “It’s terrible though, Mr. St. Saëns was going to give Elite Braun’s position to whoever was kindest to him. I find it heartless.”
With mention of an Elite position up for grabs, the man was probably already in the hallway, looking for his superior.

Jened took the time to sit down and enjoy the music before he would have to return to his hidden spot once all paranoid beliefs were lost. What he heard might just make himself a better player.

This post has been edited by knil1: Jul 28 2010, 12:05 AM

[Kamaitachi]

Kanoa tilted his head curiously "You're speaking in riddles, buddy. I got the part where our shift's over, but why do you wanna go back to the second floor? It's boring up there." Kanoa noted that Julian seemed pretty distracted "Well, let me know if you wanna sneak up there. We'll figure something out. In the meantime, I'm hungry! Just come get me if you're up for some mischief, k?"

Without waiting for a response, Kanoa strode off. The two battles he'd had today had surely worked up a bit of an appetite, seeing as all he'd had to consume so far were a few glasses' worth of wine. Making somewhat of a beeline for the buffett, he stopped when he noticed Lilja and her friend and immediately changed course, walking casually over to them.

"Hey, Lilja, how's it goin'?" he grinned broadly as he sidled up to their table. "Are you guys enjoying yourselves?"

[stbyleth]

Benjamin stared at Beat as he changed his mind, barely able to decide what drink he wanted. Sure, being drunk could jeopardize the mission. But he was only having one drink. And one glass of vodka with a bit of orange juice couldn’t hurt him. Could it? It’s not like he drank often. And he was Icelandic! Yeah! He could take it!

He watched as the waiter dashed off, then got bored. Turning his attention to the ceiling as most people were, he was absolutely dazzled. No matter how much he absolutely loathed the Magma operatives running this, the ones calling all the shots in a back room, he knew that they could throw a party. The Volbeat and Illumise danced slowly, almost at a slow and steady waltz. Nothing was too fast. It was if they were playing a silent melody with their bodies. Occasionally the light shifted to various other colours; and in the way they hit the Volbeat’s lights, it was as if it were raining rainbows.

Realising what he had just though, Ben shook his head. That was what a failure would think. He was not one of those sorts. But the lights were astounding. The reds and oranges touched upon his pale face, and with a quick glance at Beat, the blues and greens were falling gently onto Beat’s. It was pretty – Beat was pretty – wait, what? He didn’t think that, and he quickly dismissed the thought of getting rid of first thought.

Now he was confused.

But luckily, his alcohol had come. He took the beverage, stared at the klutz of a waiter for a moment, before sipping through a small straw. He mixed around the ice and contents within the glass before taking another drink. The orange juice was just great enough in quantity that he didn’t need to cough at the sudden intake of vodka as he had done in the past; however, the vodka still triumphed. His throat now felt like it was on fire. There was a pleasant buzz already in the back of his mind; one that was barely noticeable.

Benjamin nearly choked on an ice cube when the Magma operative came over to them. Coughing now, he slapped his chest for a moment in the dim light and cleared his throat.

With a croaky – but still that feminine one – voice, he said, “Excuse me, sir... We would like to be left alone... Sorry about that...”

In all actuality, he wasn't sorry at all.

[Vena Sera]

Beat winced as he took his water, the liquid sliding down his hand and wrist onto the table. Either the glass had been in a sauna or the waiter was having problems - judging by the look on his face, it was the latter. With a muttered thanks Beat sipped at his drink, bringing it down from overflowing to a little below the rim. Setting the glass down, Beat glanced at Ben to make sure the alcohol didn't go straight to his head.

"Hey, Lilja, how's it goin'?" It was that guy from upstairs again. Beat stifled a laugh and under the table, Verdani rolled her eyes. It was funny watching all those guys hit on Ben - was he really that attractive? - but if the smaller man got any more drunk the harmless comments would turn into a punchfest. Smiling broadly, Beat draped his arm around Ben's thin shoulders.

"Yeah, we'd like to have some alone time. Sorry, man." There was an accompanying growl from Ver, the Poochyena sticking her nose out from under the tablecloth. Still smiling, Beat leaned over and gently bopped Verdani's nose, resulting in a short, confused bark before she pulled her snout back under. Laughing softly, Beat righted himself, arm still around Ben.

"So, what's the new plan?" He said, turning his face to Ben's ear keeping his voice low. To everyone else - especially the clumsy waiter and the dense guard - it wouldn't look too suspicious. "Are we gonna look for that secret passage soon, or do you want to finish your drink first?"

[Kamaitachi]

Dismissed immediately. Evidently Kanoa's sunny disposition was not appreciated by the two. Crestfallen, he gave a sort of spiteful bow and strolled casually back over to the buffet, shoving his hands into his pockets and assuming his usual slouch. It was odd, he had joined Magma, and had great high hopes of making a multitude of new friends...but so far almost everyone seemed far to stuffy. He regretted the dartboard decision to join Magma...perhaps the Rebellion or Aqua were looser and more free. At the least, though, he'd get some work done and get paid, and that would have to suffice for now.

So far, aside from winning a battle against Big Chief Dreggs and capturing the Shroomish outside, it seemed like a bust of a party. At this point, he really just wanted to dance in the middle of the room with some tall, dark and handsome gentleman, he decided he'd do his best to blend in a little bit.

Snatching up some tasty looking morsel from the buffet, he popped it in his mouth and swallowed it down quickly. To be fair, it was delicious, but at this point, Kanoa rather fancied a milkshake and some french fries; fare obviously not to be found at such a fancy do.

Kanoa looked around, once again noting that he was completely and utterly alone, and aside from Lennox and Julian, no one really seemed to want anything to do with him. With something of a sad sigh, Kanoa plopped himself down on the stairs, forgoing all pretense of high class and just slouched, elbows on his thighs and cheeks in his hands, utterly and completely bored.

After a moment, he reached back and drew out the new pokeball, releasing the Shroomish into the room. The usual flash of light ensued, but he tilted his head in confusion when the shroomish continued to sparkle for a moment after his release.

"Oh my." A woman with a sequined too-tight dress and a gaudy feather boa blinked as Shroomish appeared. "I was unaware that anyone would have any of the Shiny Pokemon present."

Shiny pokemon? Kanoa blinked, Is my new buddy something really special?

"How much?" she asked in an interested tone, leaning in towards him. He smelled her perfume earlier, but the proximity to his face, and the quantity that had been applied was intensely discomforting. Kanoa pulled a face.

"Not for sale." Kanoa scooped Shroomish up in his hands, carrying him like a doll. "He's my friend...I don't sell friends."

"Hmph." The woman sniffed, tilting her head back slightly to look down on Kanoa "Suit yourself, I would've paid a hefty sum to add it to my collection." With that, she walked off in a fairly ungainly fashion, causing Kanoa to snicker at the thought of a walrus in flip flops.

"So, Shiny Shroomish. Nifty." He pat his new buddy on the head, smiling as the little pokemon wiggled affectionately in his grip. "At least I made one new friend tonight."

[Eremol]

This was insane. What the hell was he thinking? If he got caught…

Julian, in all his years and wisdom, was attempting to scale the back wall of the Saint Saëns mansion. After brushing off Kanoa, he had proceeded to storm out into the gardens, ruminating on that damn piece of paper he had dropped on the second floor. Was it really so important? He could be risking his job by trying to retrieve it – no, he had already risked his job. Now, nearly fifteen feet in the air, he was risking his life.

The gardens were fairly empty now, and he could sense everyone was beginning to filter back into the ballroom for the closing ceremonies. He had hopped a long hedge (snipped to rectangular perfection) and found himself at the back end of the house. Here he was far away from the noises of the party, and could focus on devising a plan to get back to the second floor hallway. There was little light, but he could make out a window about twenty feet up that was slightly ajar – quite careless of the host to leave a window open in the middle of the night. It was almost too easy. Long vines snaked up the wall of the mansion, and Julian found that they were strong enough to support his weight.

No, he had to stop and think for a moment. What was he getting himself into? Then he realized: suppose he left the page from his secret file where it lay – if someone were to find it, they would definitely know that he had been sneaking around! Now it was not so much about reading the page, but retrieving it before it was discovered.

And now he was almost at the window. He was fairly confident he could make it; frequent trips into the Hoenn desert had made him into an excellent climber, and this was nothing compared to hundred-foot cliffs. He could do this. Julian’s hands and jacket sleeves were scratched from sharp brambles, but he continued undeterred. Suddenly, he could feel something small and round drop from his jacket pocket. One of his Pokéballs! As it fell towards the ground, Julian reached out his left arm in a vain attempt to catch it, but doing so caused him to lose his grip! His right hand slipped from the vine it was clutching, and Julian started to fall backwards headfirst. He cried out, wondering how he could survive a fall this high, when suddenly he was frozen in the air. Julian was floating! He craned his neck towards the ground, where, to his surprise, Baltoy stood, eyes aglow with a blue light.

“Baltoy!” he called down to his Pokémon. “How did you…?” It was then that he realized: the fallen Pokéball had miraculously landed on its release button, sending out the Psychic-type. Baltoy must have used its psychic powers to stop Julian’s fall. He could now feel himself being lifted through the air, up to the open window. His hands clamped onto the concrete windowsill, and he could feel Baltoy’s psychic push lessen.

“I can’t thank you enough!” he said to his friend, who spun around in a happy sort of dance. Baltoy gripped its Pokéball with both arms and floated up to greet its master. Julian grinned as Baltoy placed the red-and-white ball on the sill’s edge and pushed the button, returning itself. Julian placed the Pokéball safely in his pocket and hoisted himself up and through the window.

[Rasu]

The first thing Khezu noticed after returning to the table was the newcomer. The guard that was previously up-stairs had made is way back down and conveniently sat down right on Khezu's chair. He placed the drinks on the table and seriously hoped the guy didn't want anything to drink too since Khezu wasn't in the mood to return back to the bar after what happened. Luckily, the "couple" managed to find a way to make him leave soon enough. Khezu simply took his chair, turned it around and sat facing the table. He observed the guy whispering to the girl but Khezu couldn't exactly ear them.

"Hey, hey, no need to keep secrets here. We're on the same side here." he blinked his eye while trying to keep his voice as low as possible to avoid any suspicions from the guests or guards. "Name's Khezu. Khezu Moga. I got confirmation from the base that you're here for the same reason as me. Either way, you better finish up those drinks soon. We got work to do." he stopped to take a breath and take a bite on an apple brought to him by Double S, swallowing it before he continued.

"It would make things harder if I didn't know your names. Your real names, for that matter." he took another bite before proceeding.

"Oh, right. This here is Slinger Shot. You can call him Slinger, Double S, whatever suits you best." the Aipom cheerfully followed with a "Pom!" before climbing back to Khezu's shoulder.

"Well then, lets get this party started?"

[stbyleth]

Ben shivered slightly, eyes closing a bit. It wouldn’t look suspicious, yes… but it felt odd. Is this what couples do? Well then…! He would play along with it. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t done anything else that couples do almost exclusively – like kiss him on the cheek and sit in his lap. He was upset somewhat that they hadn’t had the time to dance, however…

He whispered back, mouth close to Beat’s cheek, “Well, I was hoping to finish my vodka first. But it might look better if I took it with us and throw the glass off a balcony or something.”

That guard was gone and he was thankful. He felt uneasy around Magmas, and felt like he was going to strangle every single one of them eventually. He’d do it too, most likely, if given the chance. He mused silently to himself that he should become an interrogator for captured Magmas… Would be a fun job!

Then the waiter had begun talking about sides and all that stuff, and it took Ben several minutes to realise what… exactly he had been talking about. Blinking… he said, “… My name is Benjamin Venfsukja – codename is Lilja. Please refer to me as that when we are undercover,” he said, pursing his lips as he glanced at the Aipom. He wasn’t too fond of monkeys. But he guessed that Double S would come in handy eventually.

Although he was quite comfortable in Beat’s arms (for some odd reason…), Ben stood up, grabbed his clutch, and nodded. “Where to first?” he asked, a frown tugging at his lips.

[Vena Sera]

A broad smile crossed Beat's face as he leaned forward, towards Khezu. "Had a feeling we'd find the other guy eventually. Name's Beat, codename Terrence. The little terror trying to bite my shoe off is Verdani." A growl followed suit, along with another tug on his shoe. Shaking the leather deathtrap a little, he 'accidentally' swept a fork off the table, bending over to pick it up.

"Alright, Ver. We're gonna go find that passage soon, so can you go scout ahead for us?" The Poochyena's sour face told Beat plainly that no, she did not want to do this, but he knew she would anyway. Giving the Bite Pokemon an affectionate pat he stood, placing the fork haphazardly next to the plate and stretching briefly. Beat placed his hand on Benjamin's back, careful not to ruffle the fur collar. "I was thinking we'd check upstairs, first...Oh wait, the guards are back. Uh...how 'bout around the outside of the mansion? There's gotta be a secret garage or tunnel or something, in case the Magmas need to scramble. What do you think, Khezu?"

Without waiting for the waiter's reply, Verdani padded out from under the table, shooting a murderous glare at Ben as she passed. She decided that maybe later, after the mission, she'd chew up his dress or hide his shoes or something. The little Bite Pokemon's tail was puffed out almost as much as possible as she passed through an open set of doors into the night - the air had gone from pleasantly cool to chill.

Watching his spiteful Pokemon walk out the doors, Beat rolled his eyes and sighed. "I swear, I don't know what's gotten into her."