Freddie stares at the outside of the third warehouse she's stopped at with squinted eyes. The numbers outside that set it apart from its neighbors are difficult to make out in the waning light of the evening, and made all the harder to spot for the way her vision swims. Yeah she's a bit sauced, who's gonna tell?

"0 . . . 1 . . . 4," she checks her phone with the same scrunched expression. Yeah, that matches. Posture relaxed, movements loose, Freddie returns her phone to her pocket and trades it for the weighty pokeball holding her Rhydon. She tosses it out in front of her. It slaps against the skin of her palm when it bounces back.

"Rhys, eyes peeled," Freddie says, words slightly slurred but still easily followed. The Rhydon nods before falling into step behind her.

She enters the warehouse recklessly. The door is kicked in and slaps loudly against the wall as she walks in without a care in the world. They're retrieving a corpse one way or the other -- she doesn't see the point in being precious about it.

She's a few steps in when she remembers she's supposed to have a partner. With a sigh she comes to a slightly wobbly stop and cups her hands around her mouth.

"Hey!" she shouts, "Did you get here before me!?"

mission
KING WAYLAND

☉

A small, lopsided grin spreads across Freddie's face when her call is answered.

"Your reply did the trick," she replies with a shrug and a laugh, "thanks for clearing it up for me."

While her partner inspects Rhys she shambles her way closer to his position in the center of the warehouse. Her steps are mostly even, but she can't help swaying a little.

When she crouches down to look at the bloodstain she more collapses than lowers herself to the ground. When the backs of her thighs hit the backs of her calves she bounces up into a proper squat.

"Don't be too disappointed, maybe whatever got this guy bleeding is still lurking around," she says, running a finger through the blood to test how fresh it is. It's thick, but still shifts around and sticks to her finger. Not flakey. Not quite dry.

"Or maybe the bleeder will want to fight when we find him. There could be another body before the night is through."

mission
KING WAYLAND

☉

"Guess so, was just trying to make you feel better," Freddie replies airily. She turns towards her Rhydon and makes unabashed grabby hands. Rhys accommodates her and offers her paws as support for her to stand.

Once she's up Freddie wastes no time clearing the space between her and her partner. A few tottering steps bring her directly in front of the man. She squints her eyes and looks him in the face.

"Wouldn't have fucked, I don't swing that way," she says dismissively, breath heavy and smelling of cheap whiskey, "but you're right . . . there's something about you."

Her drunken mind wades through her memory like a surging, knee-deep river.

"You from Kanto?" She takes a shot in the dark, turning on her heel to walk deeper into the warehouse at the same time she speaks.

mission
KING WAYLAND

☉

"Oh, that's charming," Freddie shoots back with a derisive snort and the flash of a scowl over her shoulder. His wink is met with a surprisingly strong and steady middle finger.

The way he practically recoils from the question isn't noted by Freddie. His response did a good job of kicking her into a less playful mood.

She walks off a bit further still. Sways a bit before leaning against Rhys's side. The Rhydon puts a protective arm around her shoulders as Freddie scans the warehouse floor for any clues.

"It was still wet," she shouts, her voice echoing off the high ceiling, "the blood! He might still be crawling around, might be dead but still warm! Look around and see if he managed to paint us a path!"

mission
KING WAYLAND

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"Considering how badly you just told me you take a hint? I just wanted to be safe!"

Freddie calls back, voice drawling and her body listing smoothly with the motion of her words. At her side, Rhys pulls her back upright before she can embarrass herself by tipping over. She gets an appreciative pat to the cheek for her good work.

In their part of the warehouse Freddie and her Rhydon come up empty-handed. The reason why is clear when her partner and his Lucario take turns barking across the empty space between them. Freddie sighs, they were unlucky. Just picked the wrong side to start on.

"Rhys, please," she says simply as once again she holds her hands out to the pokemon. Without hesitation or complaint, the Rhydon pulls Freddie up into her arms and begins plodding off towards King.

mission
KING WAYLAND

☉

There's a childish fun to be had in being carted around, even by your hulking tank of a Rhydon. Maybe especially then. Freddie closes her eyes and leans against Rhys's chest as the pokemon takes bouncing steps after King. With how stubby the breed's legs are, bouncing was practically a pre-requisite for running.

It's only natural when the Rhydon puts her down that Freddie is smiling, repressing drunken giggles that bubble up when her head spins upon putting feet to pavement again. Her irritation from King's earlier comment is forgotten. Her mood still manages to dampen the moment she smells blood on the air.

In the warehouse it had been faint. The blood thick enough it could be analyzed passively, like paint left out overlong. There's no mistaking it this time, though. The smell of copper hits her nose and instantly there's burning in the back of her throat.

"Bad break," Freddie sighs before walking closer. A couple steps more than King took, so that when she drops to her toes herself (a wobbly endeavor that nearly ends in her falling forward into the suffering man before them) she's close enough to put out a hand and cup the poor man's cheek.

"Hey, stay with me bud," her voice is stern but not ungentle as she pats at his cold face, trying desperately to get him to look up at her, "we gotta know what got ya before we can let ya go."

mission
KING WAYLAND

☉

The man slumps forward, his dying warning fresh on the air, and Freddie feels her throat close up for a moment. Has to blink her eyes a few times and give a solid cough to avoid embarrassing herself in front of the bastard lingering behind her.

The dead grunt is a stranger, but she can't help but see a hundred different men in his dead, vacant eyes.

She tries to look casual as she shifts the man's cap to hide them.

To her credit she manages to throw up one hand and catch her Rhydon's attention, swivel it around with her pointer and middle fingers extended like a pair of curious Shuckle. Rhys gets the picture and begins searching the roof, though with less finesse than her aura-sensitive counterpart.

"The fuck was what about?"

She answers the man's question while standing back up. Her head swims a little, but the familiar numbness washing over her does a lot to kill her buzz from earlier. She almost feels sober.

mission
KING WAYLAND

☉