[attr="class","cian"]with a baseball cap and a face mask, both shades of black, he deems it good enough to conceal his identity. not that he'd really mind the exposure — it'd just make things particularly different, but certainly interesting.

approaching footsteps have him turning.

"sir."

he's been in the organization long enough to know his place. he bows his head, showing the littlest bit of respect.

"cute espeon."

[attr="class","noodles"]Killian Decker

Killian spots the grunt off in the distance and increases his pace. "You can forgo the sirs; they're not necessary. Call me Killian." they were criminals, not businessmen or nobles. There wasn't any need to be so formal.

Loveless returns the grunt's compliment with a hiss and a flick of her tail but otherwise ignores Cian.

The admin shakes his head, "What she means to say is thank you. She's in a bit of a mood tonight." and Killian soon realizes why.

Their cargo is an Eevee. Not just any Eevee either, but one that suffers from a case of the shines. Its pale white fur is littered with an assortment of scars and other signs of experimentation.

"Who'd you get it from?"

CIAN MAHER - Mission

[attr="class","cian"]"killian, then."

what little tension rolls off his shoulders as he exhales. he'd never cared for formalities and he's somewhat relieved the admin feels the same.

attention drawn to the box, cian gives it a hefty pat, rattling its foundations which in turn startles the eevee inside.

"some crackhead scientist. said he didn't want it anymore. his loss is our gain, i guess."

a curious suspicion raises a question:

"you want it?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Killian Decker

A crackhead scientist, why wasn't he surprised?

Killian shakes his head, "What a waste." and to discard it once the scientist was bored no less.

Cian's question brings his eyes up from the box.

"It's already mine." he's curt, making it clear that his decision isn't to be questioned further.

There was one small problem, and that was the buyer. He was expecting a delivery. "Hm." actually, there were two issues. The events with Aoi come to mind. A similar situation had been the start of all her trouble.

He'll be fine. Unlike Aoi, Killian had sway - power inside Rocket. Enough control to decide that when an interesting 'tool' came along, he could claim it as his own.

"What else do you have? We'll give the buyer something to replace it."

CIAN MAHER - Mission

[attr="class","cian"]claim is laid out quick; he doesn't dispute it, not that he has much power to anyways. he simply brings both his hands up, surrendering.

"all yours."

the issue with the buyer hadn't occured to him until killian's question. his hands tap against his empty pockets.

"nothing, sadly."

nothing but his own.

"could just keep it for yourself. fuck the buyer and all that, you know?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Killian Decker

"I could, but that's bad for business." his arms cross, "We don't need the buyer badmouthing us to all his contacts." the dark part of him says murder is always an option.

Deadmen tell no tales, but they also don't buy any product.

A stupid but hilarious idea pops into Killian's head. "I have the perfect replacement." he smiles, chuckling to himself while he reaches for a Poke Ball. The Alolan Rattata inside appears next to the box in a flash of red light.

"We'll give him this. I've got plenty of them."

CIAN MAHER - Mission

[attr="class","cian"]his eyes fall on the alolan rattata, an ugly creature in comparison to the cute shiny eevee inside the crate. cian perks an eyebrow, questioning.

"i think the buyer's going to badmouth us either way."

he peers back up at killian as he crosses his arms over his chest.

"you a rat collector?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Killian Decker

"Really, you think so? Because I think he'll be extremely pleased with his purchase." he flashes a sly smile.

"It's all about how you pitch it. You see an ugly rat not worth its weight in Poke. You know what I see?"

Killian steps forward and takes the Rattata into his arms.

"The top percentage of Rattata. The cream of the crop. Bred from rat nobility, trained by the Kahuna of Melemele Island before being stolen and enhanced by Rocket experimentation."

He chuckles, pleased with himself.

"That's what our buyer will see too once we're done."

The rat is sat back down next to the box with a confused expression on its face. Killian offers it a friendly smile that calms its nerves. His head then turns back to Cian.

"Not really, we've just been having a rat problem at headquarters. I've caught like three of the bastards trying to get into my office so far."

CIAN MAHER - Mission

[attr="class","cian"]you know what i see?

"something more than an ugly rat?"

has to be for killian to take such a stance. but the more he listens, the more he starts to understand, and he's laughing by the end of it.

"you gonna do the talking or me?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Killian Decker

Good to see he wasn't the only one who found it funny.

"Hmm." his eyes dart back to Rattata.

It had been Killian's idea, but this was a chance to see what Cian could do. An opportunity to impress. Far be it for Killian to rob the man of his moment.

"I'll leave the pitch to you."

He glances down at his watch.

"Speaking of, we should get going. We're supposed to be meet at one of the nearby warehouses in twenty minutes."

A whistle and nod orders the Metagross to lift Eevee from the box with Psychic. It squirms, but the Iron Leg Pokemon is too powerful to be resisted. Killians swaps out the feline for his Alolan Rattata before closing the package.

He waits for Cian to grab the cargo before leading the way.

CIAN MAHER - Mission

[attr="class","cian"]"i'm sure we can make it."

twenty minutes is plenty of time, after all.

as soon as they're ready and the swap is made, he reaches down low for the cart, grabs it by its handle, and starts pulling it behind him. its wheels squeak against the ground.

they find themselves at the warehouse less than twenty minutes later. cian's leaning against one of the larger crates, arms folded across his chest, waiting.

"so, any hobbies?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Killian Decker

It wasn't that he thought they'd be late. Killian merely wanted to be early. They'd have a chance to look around and ensure nothing sinister was lurking in the shadows.

Metagross doesn't follow as they leave.

During the walk, Killian swapped out Rattata's basic Poke Ball for a Luxury Ball. Royalty deserved the best after all.

They enter the warehouse, and the admin starts to have a look around. Plain, empty except a few loose creates that haven't been broken down or carted off. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"I collect rare books." he answers, "Boring, I know." Killian chuckles.

"You?"

CIAN MAHER - Mission