[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie breathed a deep sigh of relief when Mar leaped instantly into action after the net fell on them and quickly tore a hole through the ropes with her new cutlass. Those were the instincts of a seasoned and resourceful treasure hunter, she was sure of it. For perhaps the thousandth time this venture, she gave silent thanks for the fact that Mar was on her side.

"Thanks for the quick work!" the redhead panted, sheathing her saber and hopping awkwardly through the hole in the net. She'd never been happier to run into the daylight outside, with Mar close behind her. "We make a pretty good team!"

Not long after they sprinted through the entrance, the ceiling did in fact fall down behind them, just as Mar had predicted. Aurelie shuddered, thinking of what it would've been like to get crushed under those huge rocks. She gladly turned her gaze to the artifact in Mar's hand, gleaming gold as the sun.

The news that it wasn't the real artifact that Mar had been originally looking for didn't come as much of a disappointment to Aurelie, who hadn't been interested in the artifact's ghostly powers. She was more disappointed that they hadn't had time to poke around the inner chambers and look for more treasure. As Mar talked about the artifact, Aurelie just nodded and made a few sympathetic noises.

"I'm sorry it wasn't the real thing," she told the other woman, brushing a few strands of sweat-dampened hair off her forehead. "If you're interested in learning more about Darkrai, though..."

Aurelie pursed her lips in recollection. "I do remember one of our former Head Scientists used to—and probably still does—conduct a lot of research on dreams and seemed to have a...special connection to Darkrai." She could still envision the nightmarish Pokemon lingering close to Lulu Flint at the Rocket summit over a year ago. "If anyone in Hoenn would know a lot about Darkrai, surely it'd be her."

In the meantime, though, she regarded the heavy gold artifact contentedly. "But for now, let's worry about selling off that treasure! I know a fence in Lilycove City that I know wouldn't cheat us.

"After that, we can split the money and call it good, I think." Aurelie flashed a mischievous grin at Mar. "And if you ever need another blade or a comrade on your next adventure, look me up! I'll always be happy to help with either."

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT