By the time Mateo finished his stretches and notched another arrow in to aim he heard a voice call for his attention. His eyes remained on the target as he replied. "One sec! Got a good shot ready." He wanted to give all his attention to the stranger, so he had to get rid of the source of his focus first.

So the arrow soared and it hit northwest, a little farther off the centre than the first. Damn. Does he really get distracted that easily?

Oh well! Throwing negativity out the window, he carried his bow over his shoulder and turned to the newcomer with a grin. "Hey! Sorry about that. Between you and me I thought there'd be more people around." Mateo spread his arms wide, gesturing to the space around them. "I mean look at this place! Enough targets and bows to host a whole class and no one's here. Tragic how no one wants to learn how to shoot really." He wiped a fake tear off the corner of his eye, to showcase how much of a loss the art was...

Before he quickly clapped his hands together. "But I'm glad you're interested!" The older man offered a hand to the boy to shake. "Mateo Cortés, Teo for short! I've been trained in archery since I was a kid so I'd say I know a fair deal." Whether his hand was shaken or not, he'd eventually rest them on his hips once the gesture was done. "So what can I do for ya?"

absalom steel

[/b][/blockquote]

Confirming this gift! Thanks so much again Josh Devlin!

Oh geez.

Everyone's just- everyone's just so big. And loud. And knew exactly what they were doing.

Yes, he wanted to be involved in this task- it was a chance to prove that yes, he was more than capable of holding his own in a battle! Even though there was no battling here but there was independence! He was doing something all by himself for once- he was going to make Mateo proud!

But Arceus was it all so overwhelming.

Paco was so overwhelmed in fact that instead of knocking the Glimmora off the walls like he planned to, he sat down and let out some Fake Tears that were more likely to be real. Fortunately this seemed to cause the more motherly Glimmora to remove themselves from their spots to tend to the anxious Bonsly.

Well. Whatever works right?

Selena Desmarais Jack Napier Josh Devlin Eris Halla Callan Young noah faber Yujin Ha

One moment Mateo was rushing through the halls to his destination, the next he was sitting on the floor, his arms at his sides and papers falling down around him.

He let himself lay there for a moment to breathe, unsure of what just happened. Slowly he let himself sit up, rubbing his head with a hiss before looking across to see- a girl? What was she doing here? And why was she apologizi--

Oh right, the papers. They're scattered all over the place. Madame will not be happy with this.

With wide eyes Mateo shifted to a kneeling position and he began to move the loose sheets into a pile. "It's okay, I should be the one who's sorry," he spoke quickly, voice hushed. He shouldn't even be talking to the guests. "You should head back, I don't think you're supposed to be here."

marilee beaufort

Mateo and his crew were taking a well-deserved rest - well, continuing to for his other two Pokémons' cases - when the floor beneath them started to rumble. He stood from his spot while his team became equally alert. Earthquake? Pokémon digging underground? It was hard to tell the source these days.

He looked around and eventually spotted something in the distance, squinting to see what he could be. It was growing larger and that's when he realized.

Was that a pride of lions? And they're coming this way?!

Well that's not good.

Mateo was quick to return Paco to his Pokéball before whistling to the rest of his team. They were better at traversing terrain than the Rock-type. "Guys, we gotta move!" His Tranquill Vendaval quickly took to the skies while Bella, his Leafeon, hopped her way up the branches of a tree. Seeing this as a good idea, Mateo did the same, letting the tree's height keep him away from the stampede making its way through.

Only when he was up there did he notice that not all of them were lions, but they were wearing something on their backs. Saddles? Someone owns this group? Oh he sees the person now- riding on one of the Pokémon no less.

Another whistle sounded from the trainer, hoping to get the guy's attention. "Hey! That whole pack yours?"

Josh Devlin

Well things took a turn fast.

Distrust rang high between the two dealers, neither offering to display their half of the trade. They could've just done it at the same time but nooo, instead they're just sizing each other up and seeing who would break first. If Mateo had two cents to give to this conversation, he'd say the big guy was the one who started it and escalated it beyond what's necessary. His opinion didn't matter though, not when the verbal match turned onto a physical one. He'd seen enough to know this was the operation he was after.

Mateo used the noise of the fight to hide his pull on his arrow, only letting go once one man was standing over the other. The arrow soared, its intention being to leave a scratch under the Rocket's lifted arm, then another over the large man's shoulder before embedding itself right next to his head. Unless the two made sudden movements it would hit both targets.

Whether the shot actually made its mark or not, Mateo made his presence known. It wasn't like the arrow wouldn't have done that already anyway. "How about another option? I leave with the package to see how its contents should best be used, and we all walk out of here in one piece." He notched another arrow. "I won't miss a second time."

The scratches were actually on purpose, but they didn't need to know that.

Isaac Merlo

"'Scuse me pardon me guy who's incredibly late coming through!!!"

Mateo sped through the streets of Slateport for one reason and one reason alone: he gave his word that he'd be at today's charity bake sale but his alarm didn't go off so he overslept. Like an idiot. It wasn't like he toiled away at an oven either; there were no baked goods he needed to bring, he was only bringing himself. The only thing left to complete the picture of a man in a rush was a piece of toast in his mouth. The granola bar he was chewing on was pretty close though.

Several people bumped into and half-assed apologies given later, Mateo made it to the booth only - he checked this watch - 10 minutes late. Arceus he was the worst person alive. If they weren't doing good things today he'd be lamenting. Letting out a wheeze, he put on a grin as he saluted at a person who seemed to know what they're doing. "Mateo Cortés reporting for duty! I don't do much baking but I'm good at following directions, so just put me somewhere and I'll follow your lead!"

amaryllis karneva

"No way, you guys got an archery range here?!"

This was the first thing Mateo said once he stumbled upon the place on his arrival to Rustboro, and man was he excited. The bow was his life after all. This was Mateo's calling, a place were he could show his mettle in! At least publicly speaking, he wouldn't count his alternate persona in his ability to demonstrate his skill.

He entered the facility the first chance he got, and while he didn't have his weapon with him, the ones the place had would do him well. It was just for fun away. He only needed his own bow when things got serious- like there was a competition he wanted to win. Gotta bring the best of yourself something like that.

For now Mateo borrowed one from the front desk and went to his lane, quick to notch an arrow in and let it fly. It hit just right of the bullseye. He smiled. "Not bad without a warm up." He did need to stretch though. Last thing he wanted was to pull something out of excitement.

So that's what he was doing now, pulling his arm over his chest as he mentally planned his next shot.

absalom steel

Supply runs weren't Mateo's favourite thing to disrupt. Most of the time they were done by those low on the ladder so to speak, where efficiency was preferred but ultimately not mandatory. It just needed to be done. It unfortunately meant that stopping such a thing didn't result in a failed mission. He only delayed its success until it was someone else's turn to come under fire.

This was a problem. One Mateo couldn't figure out how to solve yet.

So in the meantime he continued as he did, this time situating himself in a tree in the park after scaring asking politely where the next transfer would take place. Unbeknownst to anyone coming in, he was the first person on the scene, already hidden once the newcomer walked into his view.

One person with their hands holding a box, mask worn to hide their identity. While that was suspicious, Mateo couldn't really take action on someone who was just standing around. No, he needed to wait for the potential other half to the transaction.

So he kept still, bow and arrow held in his hands in hopes that another does come by with the goal of taking the package away.

Isaac Merlo

While nights like this were outside the norm, it happened often enough that everyone in the house knew the part they played. Influential people were to have dinner in the estate, so everything must go perfectly. Meals have been chosen and practiced well in advance. The main areas and dining room were spotless. The front-facing staff even dressed for the occasion. Meanwhile Mateo's job was simple.

He must stay out of sight.

Unsurprising really, given the fact he was just a cleaner. No one wants to see them mill about in the middle of passionate discussions about their business dealings. So the small boy traversed through the halls instead, holding onto a stack of envelopes and paper that was to be loaded into a printer. Letters needed to be prepared. Emails weren't official enough for invites to a gala, the hostess once said.

Maybe high-class social gatherings were normal...

marilee beaufort

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CURRENT

The Mirror Never Lies (mission) - with Isaac Merlo
A Nice Day Out - with Josh Devlin
One Small Step (past) - with Marilee Beaufort
Shoot Your Shot! - with Absalom Steel
Let's Give This Bread! (mission) - with Amaryllis Karneva

PLOTS TO START

None currently!

"Okay buddy, one more time! I know you can do it!"

Mateo had been out here for a good... thirty? Minutes now? Which didn't seem all that much for a day as nice as this, but given what he's been doing, thirty minutes may be too long at this point.

He was training his newest addition to the team. Paco, a Bonsly that was rather small for his species, was trying to pick up a stone. The rest of his Pokémon were off to the side sunbathing, seeing no need to better themselves until the Rock type caught up to them in strength.

A grin stretched across Mateo's face when the Bonsly held the rock over his head. "Perfect! Now Paco, use Rock Throw!" The miniature tree heaved the stone back as far as he could before letting the thing soar.

Only for it to reach a foot in front of him.

Mateo's smile fell as quickly as it rose, and he brought his hands to his face before dragging them down with a groan. "Ooookay. You know what- how about we take five?" As if on cue Paco fell over, seemingly fine with that plan. The guy laughed. "Yeah. Good try bud."

Josh Devlin