Something appeared to block Katherine's path.

As if from thin air a pale Ariados would lower her Camouflage to reveal herself. The spider stared at Katherine, waiting patiently to be noticed. As she stood in the Elite Four member's way, it shouldn't take more than a second.

The Ariados stood absolutely still, her posture being neutral to portray a lack of aggression. Still, there was no guarantee that her companion wouldn't attack. Once she was confirmed to be seen, the spider calmly crawled toward a nearby tree. She would latch onto the bark, pulling herself up effortlessly until her body disappeared among the leaves.

Oscar walked out from behind that tree. His hands were up, wishing to display a lack of violent intent. He kept his hands up as he addressed the ex-Rocket.

"You aren't an easy woman to track down. Took Emma nearly a week just to find you. Uh Emma being the Ariados, not the assassin." Oscar smiled briefly, but it seemed to falter under the weight of uncertainty regarding his current level of safety. "I'm just here to talk. If you'll allow me I can show you that I don't have any pokeballs on me."

Katherine Fairburne

Oscar smirked, carefully opening his coat to show that he indeed had nothing on his belt. He even turned around, lifting the coat's back to show that he wasn't hiding anything on the back of the belt either. Oscar was careful to keep his head turned so that at least one eye stayed on Katherine. Didn't quite trust her enough to turn his back on her blindly.

Oscar turned back, "You must know by now that I was the Rocket in the skull mask. Y'know, the one you threw off into the abyss." Oscar's tone was casual but his face was stern, he didn't expect her to feel bad for nearly killing him but that wouldn't stop him from being bitter about it. He continued, "Anyway, I know better than to fuck with you and your worm god."

Oscar flatted his coat and shrugged, "As fun as it would be to kill myself in a hopeless attempt at revenge, I really just have questions. And you happen to have answers." Oscar opened his coat and gestured to the inner pocket. "Lollipop?"

Katherine Fairburne

Oscar chuckled as he chose a lollipop from the cigarette holder he hid them in. He found nothing she had said to be amusing, he just wanted to mask his bubbling frustration. Bubble gum? BUBBLE GUM!? No wonder she was known as The Malevolent. Oscar hated many things in this world, and bubble gum was easily in the top five. Of all the fiendish sweets to like, shame on her!

With his oral fixation satisfied, Oscar swallowed his pettiness and nodded. "Fair enough, but I have conditions. You can only ask as many questions as I ask and no questions about stuff you know I can't answer." Oscar didn't wait to hear her agree, these were simply his conditions it was up to her to follow them or not. He gave but a second's pause before beginning.

"With that being said, I'll get this over with. Make it easy for both of us. Now Katherine allow me a moment of vulnerability to admit that I saw you as The quintessential Rocket. I didn't know you very well at all and what I heard impressed me as a grunt, so I sorta idealized you in my head. So here I have the perfect example for how a Rocket should be, and she flips sides. That's something I didn't see coming in a million years. So it begs the question, why? What was so bad that you felt you needed to leave?"

Oscar chuckled as he raises his hands, "I need to know, Rocket's never been perfect but to drive Katherine fuckin' Fairburne away--that takes something big."

He waited for her answer, and subsequent question.

Katherine Fairburne

Katherine's answer was perfectly understandable, but Oscar was left unsatisfied. Perhaps he was hoping there was more to it, to learn some sort of secret that would--never mind. Oscar nodded solemnly, she had answer truthfully so he would do the same. He was taken aback by her question though, it was deceptively simple. 

He crossed his arms as he provided a straight forward explanation. "Sootopolis was an easy choice. It's built into a crater with limited ways to enter directly. With some fortification, it can be easily transformed into a fortress. From there we can coordinate other objectives with little fear of losing the city. The spire was a factor, but since it was destroyed we're just left with our original vision. As for Melody, I'm not privy to the exact reason. As gym leader she has a fair amount of influence over the public, she was likely removed to avoid the risk of her interfering. That's just a guess though, take it with a grain of salt."

Revealing all this made Oscar sweat. If anyone knew he was giving this information, as trivial as it was, he's likely be shot in the face. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that. Oscar gave Katherine a moment to absorb that information before extending his next question.

"You haven't given anyone up yet. I for one am very appreciative, though I'm curious--why?"

Katherine Fairburne

Oscar lurched, stifling a cackle. He shook, slowly swallowing it back as he regained his composure. He raised a hand, breathing heavily as he recovered from his near  laughing fit. "I mean no disrespect, it's not your fault honest. It's just a bad question for me."

Oscar shrugged, raising his arms just a bit higher than his shoulders. "I got no clue. Neither does anyone else. That thing is a complete mystery, people are looking into it but they aren't me." Oscar craned his neck, his arms limply falling to his sides. "Tell ya what, since I hurts to leave it at 'I don't know', you can have a second question on your next turn. Only this once."

Oscar folded his arms, his bemused disposition rapidly fading. Back to a more serious posture, he threw out his next question. "The league can't possibly provide anything more than Rocket did. Whatever you're gaining has to be coming from somewhere else, or at least I'm fixated on that idea. If I'm right, what's the real source behind your change of heart?" As an aggressive opponent of the League, Oscar couldn't imagine them providing anything beyond freedom. Was that really all Katherine wanted? Was that all she needed? The idea made Oscar shudder, he hoped there would be more to it.

Katherine Fairburne

Oscar twitched more noticeably, his scowl turning into a brief snarl as his frustration peeked. He was a moment away from taking his anger out on Katherine before he suddenly caught himself. His shoulders went slack as he looked down and breathed deeply. Oscar straightened up quickly, his expression glazed as he stared past Katherine.

"Forgive my outburst, I'm disappointed. Perhaps I was hoping for something--more. Something I could use to--" Oscar shook his head, running his hand through his hair as he sighed deeply. "Never mind that. Thank you for being honest. Now for your questions--" Oscar cracked his neck as he shrugged, "No idea. It's not who you would think though, the head scientists have their own concerns. From what I've heard we're looking toward--eccentric methods. That should yield quicker results. As for what you should know..."

Oscar crossed his arms, unsure how to answer at first. What the fuck could a traitor need to know? Oscar pursed his lips, traitor or not Katherine could prove to be a valuable asset in the future. At least for Oscar and his ambitions. He looked her in the eyes and spoke plainly. "I have no interest in hindering you. If you stay out of my way, I'll stay out of yours. Everyone and their fucking grandmother in Rocket wants your head, but unless I'm ordered to you won't see me trying anything. You'll know if I've been ordered because I'll be wearing that mask from Sootopolis. Don't let your guard down though, it's only a matter of time before Rocket makes moves against you specifically."

Oscar turned away, a brief sign of some sort of thinnest amount of trust. "Perhaps we should meet again. When there's more to share. I'll be in touch." With that he walked off, strolling onto the park path as if nothing happened. 

Katherine Fairburne

Oscar had made a mistake. He had forgotten who he was dealing with, and very quickly paid the price for his insolence. Before he could even react Katherine was upon him, her hands wrapped around his neck like a damn snake. His initial shock caused a daze that missed a few words as she hissed in his face, but he was soon focused entirely on her and what she had to say.

Oscar knew this wasn't an attempt on his life, Katherine was making a point and he paid very close attention. He did not fight back, instead smacking the ground so that Emma knew not to attack. Oscar's eyes went wide as he struggled to breath, the grip of her nails feeling like needles. Yet even through the pain and discomfort, Oscar stayed focus. 

As Katherine let go and departed, Oscar gasped. Her message was heard loud and clear, though Oscar would not get the chance to relay that before she disappeared. Oscar growled lowly, slowly rising  as he rubbed his neck. He could feel the indents left by her nails, they stung to the touch. He should have known better than to not bring a pokemon with teleport for a quick getaway, he was too confident that she wouldn't attempt anything. He had forgotten that, while she wasn't a Rocket, she was still a hard-ass at heart. 

Emma appeared at Oscar's side, looking up at him as if waiting for orders. Oscar sighed, his neck burning as air was pushed through it.

"I guess I should get her number."

Katherine Fairburne 

--End--