once verified, barnaby took a moment to appraise his partner-in-crime. the man was sleek, prepared, and seemingly no-nonsense. great for getting the job done, but would barnaby get to have a little fun along the way? that remained to be seen.[break][break]

he approached the hood of the van, now partially covered by a detailed map of the city. "yes, down to business. before we get too preoccupied, though, i go by BEE. i look forward to working with you." barnaby flashed him a pleasant smirk before turning his full attention to the map.[break][break]

"i scoped out the warehouse before you arrived. the cargo is indeed in the back, ready to be shipped. we just need to get it to the harbor without any... interruptions. perhaps this route would be best?" barnaby used his long, righthand index finger to slowly trace down backstreets and less-inhabited areas. once they had agreed on the best course of action, he'd step away from the van and gesture toward the looming building behind them.[break][break]

"shall we?"[break][break]

+ @alejo [break]
mission: poké-trafficking

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Ah, new grunts. Sticklers for rules and regulations, desperate to not fuck up and say the wrong thing. Thus, the keyword phrase.

It is all she can do to stifle her exasperation as she listens to the two chuckleheads recite their lines. She fishes the keys out of the ignition from the passenger side, seeing as her partner had forgotten to do so himself. That was grounds for taking the trip home in the back seat.

"Cut the formalities, kid. No one cares what your name is or what you wanna bee called."

Flippant as ever, she bumps the unnamed man out of the way and takes his place. She glances over the map spread out on the hood of the van and listens carefully to Bee's stream of information.

"Nope. Too easy. You want to blend in, not be caught outside the flow with your pants down. We'll go this route."

With a tap of her finger, she draws his attention to the well-used path. Plenty of people would be on the road alongside them, rather than alone on back streets in the middle of the night.

"Yep. Let's get started."

Remi turns on her heel and sets off for the warehouse, releasing her Pangoro and Beartic to trail along beside her.

BARNABY FINCH

☉

"Kid."[break][break]

Coming from a woman that couldn't be much older than him. Hell, if anything, she looked younger. The nerve.[break][break]

Barnaby didn't immediately respond to her. He observed the silver-haired ROCKET, cobalt eyes tracking her movements as she shoved the other grunt aside and took charge. Were her actions commendably bold or just cocky? He hadn't decided yet. [break][break]

"Fair enough. I do care to know the names of the people I'm working with, though." His voice was honey-sweet with an expression to match. Ever the charmer. There was nothing to gain from making undue enemies.[break][break]

"What's your name?" Barnaby glanced at the two Pokémon beside her. "Or will 'Bear Woman' suffice?"[break][break]

Regardless of her answer, he followed her inside the warehouse. He'd get the job done whether he made friends with this fiery woman or not.

[break][break]

❤ Remi Cassel [break]
mission: POKÉ-TRAFFICKING

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

He had a baby face, therefore, he was a baby, therefore, age was irrelevant. Besides, it was rude to ask a woman how old she was, so for all he knew, she was an ethereal, ageless angel godsend, and he was a puny pipsqueak.

Yeah.

"Name's Remi." Bear Woman, Remi laughs out loud. The noise is similar to a bark, and she glances at him with a raised brow from the eye left uncovered. She offers a crooked smirk and an amused shake of her head. "Bear Woman works too."

Once inside, the rattling, slamming, bellowing of a trapped beast draws their attention. It prompts another barking laugh out of the woman, even in spite of the danger they are likely investing their lives in.

"Think you can handle it, kid? Make sure not to get too close, it'd be a shame if it fried you."

There appear to be handles on either side of the crate, and her bears seem large enough to help carry on either side.

BARNABY FINCH

☉

Barnaby smirked as the ethereal, ageless angel godsend finally blessed him with her name. Her laugh was an unexpected but pleasant bonus. Looking Remi over, he noticed she had the figure and face of a model... but the tenacity of a beast.

With a teasing lilt to his voice he replied, "Bear Woman it is." There was a playful spark in his eyes as he met her singular gaze.

"Speaking of, why not add another to the party?" Barnaby smiled slyly before releasing his own bear, Bernadette the URSARING, to join Remi's pair. She wasted no time in helping the BEARTIC and PANGORO lift the immense metal crate. What the hell was in that thing, anyway?

An aggressive roar followed by flames lapping out the slats of the cage gave Barnaby his answer.

"Fuck, no kidding." He didn't think they'd be transporting a literal dragon, but ya know, just your typical ROCKET shenanigans. The explosive behavior from the CHARIZARD wasn't going to cut it, though.

"Gabrielle," He called as his PERSIAN was released from her ball. "HYPNOSIS, please. All that commotion will draw unwanted attention." Soon enough the Flame Pokémon was slumped down in the middle of its crate, sound asleep.

Remi Cassel
mission: POKÉ-TRAFFICKING

☉

She catches onto the teasing lilt in his tone and it pulls a smirk more firmly across her face. Intrigue and some sort of hunger glints in her eye as he ups the ante with another bear.

If nothing else, it certainly puts him in her good books. It's not every day a man knows how to handle a Pokemon like that. Remi is not the least bit subtle about how she sizes him up this time, or how she admires the hulking frame of miss Bernadette.

"I wasn't lying. Charizard aren't something you just fuck around with for the hell of it."

He calls for someone named Gabrielle, and she raises a brow, only to see that he was referring to his cat. Knock off a point for that, never mind the fact that she has a Meowth of her own at home. She picks up strays, okay? Especially if they like bears.

"Convenient."

Remi appears quite satisfied and impressed by the HYPNOSIS display. With a unceremonious thud, the Charizard falls asleep. His bellowing is soon replaced with snores. The flames stop pouring out of superheated bars, and, after Beartic steps in to cool them off, all three bears are able to lift the heavy crate up off the ground.

"Shall we, then?"

BARNABY FINCH

☉

"You're right. They're a hot commodity." Pun not intended. "Let's get this guy where he needs to go so we can get paid."

As they conversed, the bears went to work. With three of them pitching in to move the crate, it only took a few minutes for the trio to make it to the van.

"After you." She had come sweeping in with such confidence, he figured he'd let her take the lead.

For now, at least.

Barnaby followed behind and opened the cargo doors for the bears when they got close. The sound of metal scraping on plastic echoed into the night as they pushed the crate into the prepared space. He hopped in afterwards, throwing a fireproof blanket over the cage. A little extra concealment never hurt.

Then, he called his PERSIAN over. "If you hear any sounds coming from this thing, Hypnotize it again."

With that, he jumped down from the back of the van, closed the double doors behind him, and recalled his URSARING. Remi had the keys, so Barnaby took shotgun up front. He figured she would already be waiting for him in the driver's seat, ready to set out.

Remi Cassel
mission: POKÉ-TRAFFICKING

☉

"Hah. Good one."

After a minimal amount of blood, sweat and tears, some idle banter, and laughter, they manage to load the crate onto the back of the truck. The Charizard is still snoring loudly, with smoke trailing from between the bars. It honestly looks quite uncomfortable to be cooped up in such a tiny cage.

Too bad.

Remi only sticks around until the blanket is thrown overtop. Afterward, she immediately heads back around to the front of the truck to hop in the drivers seat. Not that she thought that it was in danger of being stolen from her, but because she has an ego the size of Sootopolis city's Olympic swimming pool.

"Locked n' loaded, love?"

Remi side-eyes him before popping a pair of sunglasses on and coaxing the truck into roaring to life. She gives him half a second to confirm before she kicks it into gear.

BARNABY FINCH

☉

With a spring in his step, Barnaby jumped into the passenger seat of the van. He glanced over at Remi as he did so, seeing her slip some sunglasses onto her face. Didn't she know it was fucking pitch black out right now? He smirked.

Hah. She's really playing up the whole badass bitch bit.

But damn, did it suit her.

"Yes, ma'am."

The door slammed behind him.

"Let's hit it."

Remi Cassel
mission: POKÉ-TRAFFICKING

☉

Oh, she knew.

His 'ma'am' prompts her to lower her sunglasses and wink at him with a purr. The truck rumbles to life and the back of the truck remains absolutely silent (except for the snoring Charizard), and they pull off and out of the dark warehouses and onto the busy streets.

A scandal, right in plain sight.

BARNABY FINCH

☉