this is not where she belongs. esser is the odd one out, lost in a somber worry about the consequences of their action. the thrill of the hunt does not bless one that's so used to being prey. her age, her stature, even her pokemon work against her. she's a feeble girl wrapped up something bigger than herself. the pre-heist jitters that exudes from everyone else reminds her of this. tonight, her job is simple; don't screw this up.

black, on black, on black. there's no flare to her outfit. the staple red R is smoldered for their need to hide. or at least esser omits it from her details. she knows she's a burden - so she makes herself indistinguishably. she's used to that - a pawn left and forgotten behind the display rocket's true pieces.

"yes."

it's a blatant lie. her hands shiver as she stumbles out of her seat. esser's terrified.

@dorothy @leia

safety in numbers - their courage is a boldness that esser cannot hope to carry. instead, she's ushered along by the doctor, an expert in knowing just the right action to ease her in. "i'm okay," she rescinds, "we should just grab whatever you two want and get out." she doesn't add in the part about not wanting to hold them down. esser is well aware that she's a ticking time bomb. it's not how; it's when.

for now, they're safe. the hypnotist's little mishap hadn't set anything off, yet. but their discovery paints a different picture. this won't be a simple smash and grab. no, they'll need a little more umph. "let's hurry." esser's frantic, thrown off by the empty display cases. for once, she leads the charge toward the back and is rewarded by an abrupt blare. her mindless rush had tripped one of the infrared alarms. aside from the constant wailing and blinking red lights, nothing's changed. but now time is of the essence.

"oh god, i'm so sorry."

she fucked up. again. they're too far in, so esser doesn't clam up. but it still effects her. she's getting sloppier by the moment.

@dorothy @leia

what powerful pokemon. esser is left in awe at the incredible display. this time, she knows her place. she takes a back seat to the operation, dwelling on his mistake, allowing the inadequacy to seep in. in front of the brute force of her partners, esser can only offer up six measly mutts, none of them strong - a true personification of their trainer.

a little reassurance isn't enough to comfort her now. it's a battle against her own psyche but they don't have time for that. esser continues behind them, keeping enough of herself together until they're in the clear. other than that, she's the same as always: useless.

@dorothy @leia

esser doesn't even get the chance to protest leia's proposition. her attention is diverted elsewhere - where it matters. that son of a bitch has a gun, an actual fucking gun. she panics, throwing herself to the floor showing the stark contrast between her and her superiors. was she incapable, god yes. stupid? eh, debatable. but even esser realizes the very real danger they now face. scraping her elbows against the hard, tacky carpet is a small tax to pay to avoid being gunned down like the degenerate that she is.

even so, orders come and she must go. laid out against the floor, esser is in the perfect position to roll out her balls. an array of different flashes unleash the eevee horde. "we need the jewels eevee," she pleads, granting them permission to scamper into the safe and COVET anything valuable. anything they can't carry out in bags will find a secure spot underneath some fur.

@dorothy @leia