before she enters, dahlia is quick to recall her stoutland into its ball. the large mop of dog phases away in muted red. a tail of red whips back into the capsule as the door opens, her own white parasol wrapped tight with the click of a small white button.

she waits for her guest- but she does not need to wait long. as he enters, dahlia stands and reveals her damp jacket folded neatly over her seat.

"mr. wledig! no, no, i just arrived." dahlia smiles, her hand extending past the white curtain of her sleeve. "it is a pleasure to meet you— and your riolu too."

she takes her seat, sweeping low to its wooden plane.

"and how are you this evening? enjoying the rain?"

Gwyar Wledig

Agents

Hopefully this doesn't end as a gossip piece in HNN.

[player]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/850907874325823529/873390743643906138/Rainy_Day_Cafe.mp3[/player]

It's relieving to hear for the man, his smile having grown slightly while shaking her hand.

Raki seems excited to be acknowledged, tail waggling as he leans over the table to extend his own paw towards her.

"Yes! This weather suits me well. Anything that brings the temperature down even a little is more than fine by me. Tropical heat simply does not agree with me."

Freezington thoroughly prepared him for one side of extreme weather while leaving him thoroughly unprepared for the other.

The man turned his gaze towards the large window besides them, showcasing the busy streets of the Ever Grande.

"With the weather so cool, I finally managed to take a stroll through the city, since I had some time to kill. 'Tis not my first time in Ever Grande, but I had been so distracted during my previous visits, I hadn't quite realized just how beautiful it was."

Not as beautiful as his previous business in the city, but that was over now, unfortunate as it might be. Thinking about it still hurt, but ultimately, it was perhaps for the best.

He needed to stay on task; distractions would just hinder his work.

If he said it enough, maybe he would start to believe it too.

"But I'm sure you don't want me to bore with such things." The man said with a chuckle, turning his gaze back to the woman. "Have you come to a decision regarding INTERPOL's proposal, Commissioner?"

---

TAG: dahlia goode

in time, she shakes the riolu's paw too. a light cradling of paw before the softest release.

"i've been mulling it over." dahlia sets her hands on her lap, fair skin like silken ghosts across the darker material of her pants. "however, i do have to raise the question: does interpol not trust our officers?"

upon her face there is no frown. no stern sign of offense. instead, she smiles innocently. a question asked out of some crafted curiosity.

Gwyar Wledig

Agents

Hopefully this doesn't end as a gossip piece in HNN.

[player]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/850907874325823529/873390743643906138/Rainy_Day_Cafe.mp3[/player]

A fair question, and her beautiful smile does quite the stellar job at putting the man at ease.

He gathers his hands atop Raki's head, an overly proper response quickly penning in his head.

"Not at all! INTERPOL admires the way the Hoenn League has handled the unprecedented, numerous and consecutive crises that have assailed Hoenn these past 4 years."

It was was a grand feat few regions could hope to replicate. By comparison, Kanto had fallen from the word Go, and Johto had recieved naught but one invasion attempt.

"However... Given the many happenings that have occurred within Hoenn, 'tis simply in the world at large's best interest to see Team Rocket brought to justice. Several of its members stand at the top of INTERPOL's Most Wanted list."

Declan Walsh. THEO BECKETT. dorian westcliff. Chu-e Choi, may he rot eternally in hell. Several others came to mind, though a good number of them resided in Kanto, where they were, for the moment, untouchable.

"Such people cannot be allowed to seize the power of the Legendary Pokemon that have become a common sight in the region."

The AQUA Initiative existed; INTERPOL was certain that Team Rocket was devising its own countermeasures towards it at this very second.

"I am here not to supersede your Officers, but to assist with my and all of INTERPOL's means. It is our wish that when Team Rocket is brought down, every member will be accounted for, and all loose knots will be tied up expediently."

There would be no recovery, if he had anything to say about it.

"Hence... my superior's proposal."

He must be indistinguishable from the average Hoenn Officer.

---

TAG: dahlia goode

it is a constant tug-of-war. her own interest's. the league's interests. hoenn's interests. the world's interests. each tier renders the previous smaller, a microcosm of the other: a tiered telescope that refuses to collapse.

and yet, it is a constant threat. collapse, erasure— the very firmament on which dahlia stands upon is an illusory foundation.

she nods along, noting and aligning herself with gwyar's explanations. accountability, however, must be honoured— and that matter would be breached in due time. however, other thoughts preoccupy her, a line from the handsome blond lingers and hangs from her mind and tongue.

"i agree about the legendary pokemon," dahlia says, "but i'm afraid that to some extent, we'll lack some control." her blue eyes glide toward gwyar's. "after all, most legendaries pick their ambassador. not the other way around." she pauses.

"why do you think some side with rocket?"

Gwyar Wledig

Agents

Hopefully this does end as a gossip piece in HNN.

[player]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/850907874325823529/873390743643906138/Rainy_Day_Cafe.mp3[/player]

He met her gaze, nodding his understanding.

She was precisely right- which was what made taking Rocket down quickly so important.

At the very least...

Their numbers needed to be culled.

A smaller pool of candidates should hopefully help.

He hummed at her question, his and Raki's head both beginning to tilt at the same time.

Grasping his chin while Raki began to thoughtfully paw at his snout, a response being penned once more in his head as Raki very seriously yipped his own hypothesis.

"Perhaps Rocket's 'stated' goals better align with their own agenda? I'm afraid I am not personally acquainted with any of the 'big' legendary pokemon. I can only infer from past reports."

Galar was not a particularly religious nation, and he was certainly galarian on that front.

It meant that he did not view them as benevolent or malevolent deities- just like really smart, frighteningly powerful pokemon.

The one exception? Galar's own legends.

Yes, he was most definitely biased.

They were all framed either as heroic folk-tales or not so childish fairy tales. Zacian and Zamacenta were the gold standard for all heroic legends, Calyrex was the prototype for all Once and Future Kings... and the two horses were the boogeymen parents used to keep the kids inside.

"Do you know, perhaps?" He asked, both him and Raki leaning in with obvious curiosity. "You've been exposed to them far more than most would dare dream of in the past four years."

---

TAG: dahlia goode

"old history regales us with fairytales and myths." dahlia hums loosely, voice a soft leaf against the din of their rainy cafe. "but that's all we have aside from contemporary happenings."

shaking her head, her blonde hairs droop to tickle her cheek.

"i wish i knew more." the commissioner shuffles her feet underneath the table. "in any case, mr. wledig, i hope you're prepared for the storm ahead. your job may put you in direct danger of rocket— unless, you're used to such a life?"

Gwyar Wledig

Agents

Hopefully this does end as a gossip piece in HNN.

[player]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/850907874325823529/873390743643906138/Rainy_Day_Cafe.mp3[/player]

The man tried not to be too distracted by the way the woman's bangs caressed her cheeks, cupping his chin thoughtfully. Even the league had nothing?

"I see. Did all attempts at drawing answers from AQUA aligned Legendary pokemon fail?" He asked after a moment, .

He couldn't imagine they hadn't at least tried. It was a rare chance to directly question creatures of legend. So either questioning had failed, or the pokemon themselves weren't too sure of why they were there.

At dahlia goode's question, he smiled, placing his chin atop his palm as he looked out into the city.

"Perhaps."

Raki threw a fist into his paw, grinning up at the Commissioner.

"If it would be possible." The man spoke after a moment, his eyes still towards the window. In the far distance, one could see in the sea's horizon the vague shape of Sootopolis' mountainous walls rising in the air- seemingly tiny from where they sat.

"I would like to be assigned to Sootopolis." He said. "There seemed to be some... issues, last I was there."

---

TAG: dahlia goode

"according to story, it means they're taking a side." dahlia says of the legendary pokemon. regardless of whether the man before her could be trusted or not, the lip remains free. the truth remains sealed. "but i would not be surprised if they each have their own individual motivations."

she raises a brow at the mention of sootopolis. the crater city, already punished by some otherworldly rock, breeds something dark and viral by its rocky enclosure. myth may run deep within its briny borders— but stories twist the more they echo.

"why?" the commissioner asks. "you understand that it's occupied by rocket, yes?"

Gwyar Wledig

Agents

Hopefully this does end as a gossip piece in HNN.

[player]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/850907874325823529/873390743643906138/Rainy_Day_Cafe.mp3[/player]

"Precisely." He responded, nodding- before pausing as he felt movement within the building.

A waitress finally approached the two, menus in hand.

Right. They should at least buy something if they were gonna be there.

Grabbing the menu, Gwyar quickly and randomly pointed at a menu item, the woman writing down 'Pumpkin Spice Frappe' on her notes before turning her gaze to the commissioner.

Once she had her order, the woman dismissed herself back to the counter.

"The SCPD is currently slightly understaffed, is it not?"

Resignations in the wake of the rocket takeover, while not particularly honorable, were a reasonable reaction if one wanted to make sure they would still be alive and well by the end of the year.

A feature common to cities controlled by crime syndicates was the high mortality rates within its police force, after all.

The ones willing to do their job, at any rate.

"The closer I work to Rocket, the more opportunities I'll have." He said, moving a hand over the other. "And... It's a chance to look into the SCPD's high brass, as well."

For all of team rocket's preparation to go off flawlessly- For both Gym Leader Melody, and the Mayor, to be kidnapped and ousted respectively- for a such a large amount of citizens to be allowed to riot in such a manner-

There had to be either major incompetence within the force... or a willing dereliction of duty.

Corrupt Cops were common enough even in regions without a massive Criminal Syndicate running around. Even a single Rocket in a position of high rank could be devastating to the league's ability to act against them.

"If the news are to be believed, a representative for Sootopolis has already been elected for a council seat, yes?" He said, correcting his posture on the seat and jostling Raki. "Father Bill Anderson? He must have a large escort."

He paused.

"I would like to ask that you put me in it." He said after a moment.

It would not be too unusual for transferring officers to be employed in an escort first, after all.

---

-AUTUMNAL BINGO: Pumpkin Spice Post Prompt

TAG: dahlia goode

dahlia pauses, allowing the idea to settle like a pidove-cloud of morning tea. a blink clarifies the vision.

"not a bad idea." she admits. the rain taps against the cafe windows, clinging onto their panes as if straining for a view. "then, it's settled. we'll station you with councilman Bill Anderson then. further details will be sent to you."

within ever grande's streets, the rain thickens against the wilderness of conversation both inside and out.

"mr. wledig, however, there is one thing i must impress upon you. remove any delusions of grandeur you may have. for your sake. for your safety." dahlia says, voice firming into a warm stone. "i have seen countless trainers play the role of hero, only to realize that the world works differently. indifferently, even. i worry that your spirit might be at risk of being broken."

Gwyar Wledig

Agents

Hopefully this does end as a gossip piece in HNN.

[player]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/850907874325823529/873390743643906138/Rainy_Day_Cafe.mp3[/player]

"Understood." He said, nodding sharply. "I appreciate your concern. I'll be sure to heed your words."

Regardless of his experience, Team Rocket was its own kind of beast. He couldn't let self confidence turn to reckless arrogance. His spirit might be broken, sure, but it was much more likely for his body to break before that.

"That is all I had on the Agenda." He said after a few moments of silence, prompting Raki to reach into the man's jacket and produce a notepad.

The puppy flipped through the contents while nodding to himself, before nodding one final, definitive time and letting them know that, indeed, the agenda was complete with a yip.

On cue, their maid appeared with their orders on a platter, setting them in front of them before bowing and making herself scarce.

Gwyar eyed the Pumpkin spice frappe thing he had randomly ordered with a tipped brow.

It looked... sugary.

"Looks like something my daughters might appreciate more than I." He said wryly, sighing at his random choice.

His diet did not allow for these kinds of carbs. He pushed the frappe to the side, were Raki promptly snatched it off the table and began to swallow down.

He turned his gaze away from the tempting display and towards the window once again, leaning his head atop his palm.

Despite the window granting them a view of the beauty outside, the same could not be said for the other side of the glass.

Several of his pokemon were tucked away in nearby corners, blending in as urban wilds and doing their best to keep this clandestine meeting, well, clandestine.

His Hypno was taking care of the image projected outwards through the window besides them. A clever mixture of Light Screen, Hypnosis and Nightmare serving to prompt any onlookers to unconsciously look away.

His Decidueye ghosted through the skies, utilizing its sharp eyes to serve as a lookout, gazing down from great heights.

His Kirlia passed herself off as a wild street performer, dancing about to the melodic chords of a homeless man who owned nothing except for a guitar underneath the shadow of a tree, keeping the web of spies connected through her telepathy as the rain fell upon the leaves.

Galatine was hidden within the shadows of the Cafe, guarding him, as ever, while keeping track of the staff.

Raki was being Raki.

And just in case- Gwyar had gone ahead and made use of some light make up and light touches to his hair. Subtleness often went farther in throwing people off than overt changes.

He liked to be prepared. If he was going to enter the force as a regular joe, he couldn't well be caught spending time with the Commissioner right before appearing before the public with a Councilman now, could he?

After a moment of silence, the man turned his gaze away from the window and regarded the commissioner.

A quirk of his lip preceded his question.

"Do I seem that unreliable?" He asked humorously, almost but not quite grinning. "I've been wondering recently."

Probably not unrelated to Eva Morales.

---

-AUTUMNAL BINGO: Obscure Post Prompt

TAG: dahlia goode

dahlia shakes her head in slight arcs. like a crystal chandelier: catching light in the fragile blue prisms of her eyes.

"why? has anyone told you you're unreliable recently?" dahlia says. "this is a fight against an ideology. regardless of one’s skillset, progress against team rocket will take time." and yet, she wonders how much patience she will need to exercise until the rocket scourge is gone.

she has her doubts that it will ever disappear.

Gwyar Wledig