as heinous gas permeated the air. the ravenette inquired as to whether the cajun newbie had been ready to dive into filth. with his gas mask on, he'd examine the building that emitted literal toxicity. "by any chance, is dere a reason we clearin' this out, cher?" he'd look to his female companion. trying to remember as to what was their reason for being here again.

zane didn't understand fully the scope of their job. did those of rocket really want a building as old as this? had there been something valuable inside? "mon ami, i jus' can't seem to understand as to wha' one could gain from dis." it seemed wasteful to risk their life in securing a building. "if dere's some content the bos' wants you to fetch, i'd understan'. but if it's ta claim some ol' building, he best be trying to gain some profit." zane had little interest in risking his life as though he were some lowlife grunt.

this woman on the other hand. he didn't know her story and, for now, he had little interest. "i just need you to make it make sense, cher."

@klara

the grunts of rocket were all, in their own way, complex. each with their own goal and reason for being. this woman had a deformed feature from what he was able to see. her hair hid an eyepatch. had he been standing in front, or had little attention to detail, one could probably ignore it.

and then there was the device. her way of communicating. was she, too, a mute or did she just despise talking? either way, zane could only assume she didn't exactly have the most prettiest of backgrounds. what did his mother get him into by coming to this region, honestly. zane had to admit it though, "a dangerous woman stands before me, and i don' particularly hate it." he'd follow the woman and her pokemon behind.

"we could easily end this with a simple match," zane suggested as he followed the dominant woman. "isn't blowing things up the rocket way, no?" their job was to exterminate what resided in the building. zane didn't sign up to be a custodian, but this was his chance to see what it was like being on the field. to see what his mother had been investing herself into. he was a representative, after all. plus, he had nothing better to do back in almia.

"mon ami," he spoke through his mask, grabbing the rocket soldier by her shoulder. "we can end this in one go if you're willin' to be the grease." and by that he meant the "bait". "you lure of all dem in, and i take care of the rest."

@klara

guess he wouldn't have the chance to live out his desire...this time.

it was then the sound from her phone emitted a strange noise. in a flash the yellow mouse would disperse into the thick fog of poison. observation allowed zane to assume this was some sort of telegraph messaging. the pikachu moved without hesitation while @klara remained close by with her device. rumor had it that the trainers of hoenn were unique in their own way. it was an intriguing skill that must have took time to develop.

"you're just full of surprises," zane commented, "if you keep dis up i may just have to steal you myself, cher." his mother would be happy to pay for a female bodyguard. her strong belief that the women of today could change this world had rubbed off on her son; the same way his fathe's cajun accent had rubbed off on him. "oh, and one more thing mon amie," he'd shout loud enough for her to hear, "you may wanna recall your pikachu back, unless you don' mind it getting caught in absol's crossfire." he would hold the dark-type's ball in his hand, preparing to release the devil's song.

"i wanna finish this as quick as possible, i've got a banquet to attend in the morning." hidden behind his gas mask was a half baked smile, "even man needs his beauty sleep, cher."

"engage, snow white!" releasing snow white the absol into the fray. the pokemon stood tall amidst the smoke, but once inhaled it would come to realzie the situation. "let's play them a little song, perish song!" with a snap of his finger the pokemon would come to unleash a displeasing harmony. whether the pikachu would come to be inflicted wasn't of his concern.

as the cursed melody echoed, the gathered poison-types fell to the dark songster's harmony. had there been more in hiding they, too, would come to befall before death's song. "return," zane ordered as a red beam of light would pierce the fog and return his now poisoned absol. "you did good, snow." now it was just a matter of what to do with the group of weezing.

"now, cher, with our job done. let me add a payment on top of declan's." it was no secret that altru incorporation, among those of rocket, was currently in cahoots with the researchers of rocket; declan himself had also been aware of this, but that's a discussion that was held between he and zane's mother. "we need to gather these pokemon and bring them back to the lab, i'll make the call for some assistance." he'd wave his cellular device toward @klara . "they'll help our scientists back at headquarters with the research that's happening." such acts the scientists were carrying out on pokemon were deemed illegal, but it's not like they haven't done worse.

after all, the shadow lab is practically full of inanimate corpses.

money really did talk, all while being the root of evil. zane eyed the woman briefly. unsure of whether he saw her as pathetic or inspirational. he knew not the tragedy of poverty. only that it brought out the worse in you, it made you unable to ignore even the most heinous of acts. such feelings were all done out of desperation.

he felt sad for the woman, he thought.

he wasn't sure though as, again, this was something he had little experience. he didn't know of her circumstances, so he wouldn't judge too harsh. but he was very curious to see as to how far she'd be willing to go. someday he'd toy with this thought, but for now zane would merely release a sigh. a half cocked smile worn, "let's just say i'll pay you decently for a simple job. you'll have the money in your account by the time you're home."

as zane went to make another call, he'd halt. his body would turn back to the woman, "ah, and if you're interested in another job, with proper pay, give me a ring." zane had interest in the woman. interest full of curiosity.

@klara