The evidence decorates his face. Bruises blossoming across his skin, crooked nose, blacked eyes, split lips. Chu-e flexes his hands, feels his bloody knuckles pull over the skin. With it written all over him, how could he lie?

"Yeah." Because he's young and angry and willing to bare his teeth but he's not stupid.

"That fucker started it, though!" And in his mind, young and ignorant, he had ended it. Even at the expense of the mission.

[attr="class","beck"]theo turns his head just enough to reveal the bruises that litter his cheekbone down to his jaw. somewhere, behind layers of trained cruelty, are remnants of what once could have been pity. compassion. he sighs, taking a step towards choi.

"you failed the mission. you know what happens when you fail."

[attr="class","noodles"]Chu-e Choi

There is one step back the smallest movement, as Chu-e tries to process and decide how to proceed. Lips twist into a snarl, ugly and vicious, as his knuckles whiten into fists.

Heart beats like a rabbit caught in a trap.

Instead he steps back forward, raises his head high, unwilling to be cowed. Sadly, he still hasn't learned when to shut his mouth just yet.

"He fuckin' deserved it." Said like he would do it again in his thick Sinnohan drawl.

[attr="class","beck"]it's not cruelty that forces his hand, that sends a hook right into choi's abdomen — it's mercy. the blow is meant to stagger, disorientate, and it's what allows theo the simplicty of taking a step back before lunging forward with a kick to choi's temple.

"do you deserve this, then?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Chu-e Choi

He can't bite back the "oopf" if he tried, the wind knocked out of him from the punch. He staggers, as expected, but the kick knocks him down. Pain explodes all over him, the previous injuries reawakened by the new. A thin stream of blood trips from the temple, soft skin forced open.

But Chu-e still doesn't lower his head, instead scowls up at the older man.

"Fuckin'- guess so. Unless ya' gettin' some jollies out of this."

[attr="class","beck"]"you still don't seem to understand, choi."

another kick is thrown at the same temple. theo learned a while ago that hands bruise too easily — kicking is more efficient, less painful. he takes a step towards choi, towering over him.

"when you fail, you get punished. the same goes for everyone, even me."

[attr="class","noodles"]Chu-e Choi

Another wheeze of pain before he buckles, bows his head a bit, lifts a hand to press against his throbbing head. Chu-e licks the salt and metal off his lips, spits it on the floor- at least has the sense to not spit it on THEO BECKETT's shoes.

Unfortunately for Theo, he's taken the wrong lesson from this.

"This ain't anything to do with that guy whose face I broke? Just failing?" He's still fresh enough the new hasn't worn all the way off yet. He's fucked up, more used to street fights than punishment.

[attr="class","beck"]"the guy could be dead for all i care."

blood-tainted spit splatters onto the ground. the sight, as gruesome as it may be, registers as nothing more than a necessity to theo. until choi learns to obey, blood will continue to be spilled.

"you ignored my orders. you let the target escape. you failed. that's all that matters."

[attr="class","noodles"]Chu-e Choi

There is an assenting "Huh" that comes from Choi at this. THEO BECKETT might be able to see the gears turning in his mind, how the ideas are being put together in his dense little skull.

Blood is dribbled on the floor as he shows teeth again, this time a grin.

"Will anyone clean me up or am I on my own?"

Chu-e is a lot of things. Stupid isn't one of them. He's still angry and in a lot of pain but Theo has provided him something more valuable than any spite at the older man for his new wounds.

An outlet.

[attr="class","beck"]choi's grin, of all things, is met with particular distaste. lowering to a knee, he lashes his hand forward, grabs choi by the jaw, and squeezes.

"don't ignore my orders again. am i clear?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Chu-e Choi

He doens't pull away. In Chu-e's eyes is a fire, something burning and terrible, something that no amount of abuse or lashings would ever be able to take from him. Oh, he wouldn't fail again, THEO BECKETT could count on that. He just might not like what he's created.

"Crystal."

[attr="class","beck"]theo releases his grip, wipes his bloodied hand against his dark slacks, and takes a step away. he approaches the window again, eyes immediately gazing out at saffron. again, he focuses on nothing in particular.

"clean yourself up and get ready to leave. you have fifteen minutes."

the fifteen minutes pass and some more and they find themselves approaching a bar on the outskirts of saffron. it's nondescript apart from its name: jazzy rattata.

"owner owes us about five grand. get it from him."

[attr="class","noodles"]Chu-e Choi

He cleans up quick, as instructed. A few of the fresher wounds still weep.

The bar makes Chu-e wrinkle his nose. Reminds him of the place that he broke Monica out of. He wonders if they sell trafficked girls in the back, too.

"What's he look like?" He's still underage and can't just go in without knowing that much. A knife is pulled from his pocket, which he idly twirls between his fingers.

The picture of nonchalance. This will change.