Gavin, too, seems out of place on the dingy Mossdeep docks. With his tailored suit, he might well have been mistaken for lost if not for the confidence in which he maneuvers through the location. This is a place he's been before.

He spots her easily, for she sticks out like a sore thumb.

He, too, had arrived early. He always does. But he waits, out of sight, watches. You could learn a lot about someone by their mannerisms when they thought they were alone.

Eventually, when it draws closer to the time, he approaches from the back.

"Ms. Fairbanks."

If she paid attention to the news, she might know his face. His name. Gavin Merlino, Kanto war criminal, known Rocket agent.

"Come, we can talk more inside. It looks as if it might rain."

His lip twitches as if sharing some private joke before he turns to lead the way.

As someone who had mastered the art of watching and listening herself – not to speak of being supremely bored while waiting – Vio at least felt like she was being watched for a bit. That wasn’t really an art, obviously, given that she did stick out. Heck, she often stuck out in areas and places where she did technically belong, since she specifically styled herself that way. Despite being a runaway, she did enjoy the attention nonetheless. But she was wary, at least in an area like this one.

Fortunately, she was not attacked. Didn’t mean that what she was doing was completely safe, but she’d known that much going in. The guy she saw when turning did look more like what Glitch described though, so she figured it couldn’t all be lies and such at the very least. “It is not prudent to assume that everyone knows you, just because you have been on TV,” she noted, while turning, once she got a better look at him. As a matter of fact, she had seen his face on TV, along with a known association to Rocket. But she sure as heck had not bothered to learn his name.
Still though, he offered her to go in, so why not? That was expressly why she had come here, after all. “Still, yes, it is probably best to get inside,” she agreed and followed along, utilizing a moderate amount of care just in case.

"If I didn't presume everyone knew, the League would've found me by now."

It's not arrogance but caution that sees him operate under the assumption that everyone he meets will know his name, his face. He could have come disguised, but doing otherwise was a sign of boldness.

He leads the way to a building along the docks. A Klefki slips from his belt to unlock it, then secure it once more as it closes behind them.

It looked to be a storehouse of some kind, boxes and crates stacked along the walls. He leads her to a back room which, while not pristine, sported a cleaner atmosphere than the rest of the building.

Gavin sits down, motions for her to do the same.

"Why do you want in?"

“I guess, but that only applies when it comes to caution. Not giving your name to someone you are talking to and just expecting them to know it is a bit rude. Which, in turn, means I have no idea how to address you, unless you want to be called ‘Father Rocket’ or something.” Granted, that was not the very first thing that came to her mind. But using the other word for father would probably be a bit too childish, so she remained at an elevated level.

And since he was talking so openly, she figured that she could, too. Crumpling her nose briefly, she inwardly sighs with some relief when the enter a more refined area. Slightly more refined. Thus, she takes a proper seat of her own, opposite of his. “So far, I only heard a few nice things from our mutual acquaintance. He offered me this chance to learn more and potentially join, but, if I may be so frank, I have not been part of anything organized for quite a while now. But since I am technically not exactly a law-abiding citizen and since I would like to find a place to belong, I wanted to at least hear what your organization is about proper, instead of filtered through the news.”

"Oh, I didn't expect you to know." He lifts his shoulder in a shrug. "I tend to keep introductions until later, just in case."

He leaves it there, vague.

"But since you've clearly recognized me from the news, else you wouldn't have commented on my notoriety, there's nothing stopping you from looking me up. Terribly inconvenient, being wanted." He doesn't sound bothered. "My name is Gavin Merlino. Call me whatever makes you feel most at ease."

Once they're sitting, Gavin pulls a pack of cigarettes from his blazer and lights one. He tilts his head to blow the smoke away from her.

"Do you smoke?"

She doesn't look the type, but looks could be deceiving.

"Well, let's start with what you've heard, then. What do you think Rocket is about?"

“Not habitually,” she replies, leaving it at that. As a matter of fact, she had at some points smoked for the sake of appearances. There were certain, lucrative clubs where it was the norm. But she never made a habit of it. Much like with coffee and drinking alcohol. She had other actual vices. Those were just accessories, really.

“Well, a girl I know told me Rockets were callous monsters waging wars on innocent people. But she is kind of a lying Pelipper, so I figured she was probably far off. Mostly I know of random crimes and the likes. But I figure the sources I got are all a little biased. My father, my real father, he was big into league stuff too. But I could never stand it.” She shrugged. It wasn’t just contrarianism, but she didn’t want to stick entirely to half-truths and the like. “I do try to keep an open mind on these matters. After all, I am hardly a saint myself.”

"Then indulge at your leisure, or don't."

Gavin sets the pack of cigarettes and his lighter on a surface beside them, an offering should she so choose.

Her answer tells him little, though he listens intently.

"One need only look to Rocket's history to know there's some truth in what she's said. Not all of them were innocent, but some. We're out for ourselves, in the end. Rocket is a business, and we intend to make money."

He does not sugarcoat as some would, for Rocket is not a decision to be made lightly.

"You say you're no saint. What have you done?"

She doesn’t indulge, mostly because she doesn’t take anything that might be a narcotic from a stranger, even if they were supposedly trustworthy. But also because she liked being fully concentrated on the conversation. “There is always some truth in things like this. A complete lie is always the hardest to sell. Hence, it’s best to add as much truth as you can while still keeping your slant.”

That was, after all, how she pulled off her own scams. Always, she only lied as much as was necessary but kept a good deal of truth around as well. That was usually what got others to believe her. Even if they really, really should not. “Mostly theft, identity theft, obviously lying to police a lot. I tend to not resort to violence though, so I never ventured into the worse matters. Though I did once burn down a place. It was more of an accident.” And besides, apparently Rocket had been involved too, so they had been blamed anyway. Not that she would bring that up here. Only as much truth as was beneficial to her, after all.
“I’ve always been out for myself, after leaving my old self behind. One time I tried not to be, I got burned. So I might as well continue down my path. Though I reckon Rocket is about a bit more than that. After all, can’t be a proper organization without the members being in it for the greater ‘good’.”

Gavin puffs idly on his cigarette as they converse.

"Mm, avoiding violence isn't always a possibility," he cautions. "What would you do if the League were to close in, and you couldn't run?"

It's mostly rhetorical, though he does leave space for her to answer should she wish.

He shakes his head at the mention of the greater good.

"There will always be those who see Rocket as a means to a greater end. I won't say there's no place for it; should we accomplish our goals, then all who follow us will prosper. But we're not working for the 'greater good'. We're working to make a profit. We're working toward whatever the boss wants."

He is careful not to name Declan Walsh, nor Gavin's own rank.

"If you join Rocket, you're not out for yourself anymore. You're working for us."

“The greater good of the organization, obviously,” she replied. She had not thought that he would actually consider her talking about the societal one. Or maybe he just wanted to make a point. Certainly an option, one way or another. But she’d best make sure he did not think she had any delusions about this being a net positive thing for the world.

Though there was a good enough point being made. This place did work for a specific person, someone she had no clue about to begin with. “But yes, I am aware of that. Though it actually would help to know what this boss’ goal are in a more concrete way. I do get the secrecy, but everything so far has been relatively vague. I mean, if it’s just money, that is probably more easily made in the stock market. I always had a feeling that there is…more to Rocket. A kind of spirit, maybe?” It was difficult to put into words. But in her opinion, there was no true money to be made in wars and the like. Hence, there had to be more to all this.

Gavin lifts his chin in acknowledgment as she corrects his assumption, catching on. Perhaps this one wasn't as clueless as he'd thought, then.

"In that, we are not lacking. I have dedicated my life to Rocket."

At first, it hadn't been a choice. Later, when he'd had to make his choice, it had felt like his only option. Rocket had shaped him into their perfect, obedient soldier. Outside of it, who was he?

"The stock market did not bring the whole of Kanto to its knees." There's a hint of a predator that lurks behind his smile. "Ours is a power this region will bend to. When it is ours, so are its resources."

There's an edge to his tone that Gavin either cannot or chooses not to hide: an edge of ambition, of lust for control.

"Those who work with Rocket will prosper. But if you want to know more..."

He trails off, seeing if she'll catch the implication.

‘Yet,’ she wanted add, but decided not to. The stock market certainly had yet to do it, but she wasn’t exactly convinced that it couldn’t happen. Far from that. These sorts of things could spiral out of control quite easily, especially in a world where there was no such thing as a gold standard backing the Pokedollar at the end of the day.

Plus, that wasn’t really the point here, anyway. She did catch what he wanted to say at the very least. Anyone could get money. But it was something else to also acquire a wealth of power. The kind that money alone could not buy.
Plus, he said ‘when’, not ‘if’. He seemed quite certain that they would acquire it eventually. “Well, if you put it like this, there really isn’t much point in not joining to begin with.” Clearly, she had gotten a lot more relaxed and informal even with her speech. Possibly a sign of growing more comfortable, though with her, that could also well be an intentional implication.

“But yes, on its own merits, I am interested. Though, on the other end, what kind of use would Rocket seek to make of someone like me?”

He leads her into his point, nods when she reiterates the implication. They would all belong to Rocket, someday. Those who bend early would reap the greatest reward.

"Now you're getting it."

When, not if, because the alternative was failure. Failure wasn't an option.

"Theft and deception provide a solid foundation upon which to build. Rocket can mold you into whatever it needs."

He'd been a scientist, but Rocket had needed a soldier — a leader.

"Is there anything you wouldn't do for wealth? For power?"

He leans forward, like they're sharing secrets.