marcel considers his answer before responding. "we'll see how it goes." it's risky, he knows, but damn. all that talk had roused his suspicions, it was only inevitable his job had fostered and kindled the curiosity always burning in his mind.

he's patient as the window's worked open, picking up the tablet and slipping it into his bag. readjusting the strap across his body, he takes a step towards elijah. "i'm lighter than you, that's for sure," he returns easily before planting a foot on his palms.

getting through the window's easy with the combined upward force. once he's in, marcel cranes his head to check for any passing guards. all clear. both his dragonair and noivern are too inconspicious to make it through this mission easily, so it's his sneasel he releases from his pokeball. it's good to have a pokemon at the ready--in a worst case scenario, he can't afford to waste time fumbling round with pokeballs.

marcel leans back out the window, looking down at elijah. "need a hand?"

any response marcel might have thought of was lost to the sudden tension in the air. his sneasel knows well enough to check it out, crouched low to the ground to avoid detection. its head must have knocked the ajar door, because a creak that would have otherwise been lost to sound is enough to make him flinch in the silence.

marcel's body's moving on instinct as the door gets pulled back. a hasty apology is the only warning he has time left to give before he shoves elijah into the corner with one hand, the other grabbing a pokeball.

"thunder wave."

the closet's cramped enough as it is, marcel's pushed back into a shelf which digs painfully into his back. he thinks some mops might have been knocked over, but his dragonair's body seems to catch them and muffle whatever sound they may have made. they should have chosen another window, he thinks grimly.

the soft thuds of two bodies against the ground come like the answer to a prayer, and he lets out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"sorry," he repeats as his pokemon are reduced to red light, turning to elijah when he should be looking out the doorway, "really sorry 'bout that."


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"don't tell me you aren't curious too."

it's rhetorical, mostly, because marcel's eyes are already drilling into the door at the end of the hallway. for a moment, he's hesitant again. elijah's words strike a chord of worry--if they fuck up, if he fucks up...

his job was more than work, it was a dangerous game and, most of the time, he didn't even know the stakes until it was too late. he can't help the arrogant thought that this was for him, that this was to go wrong because no alternative was allowed. this was their move--

marcel wills his feet to move before his thoughts can spiral.

"we better get going then."

[attr="class","sbody"]

he sees the shadows before he hears their voices. pausing mid-step, he glances back at elijah to see if he was close behind, and if he had any clear idea of what on earth they were talking about.

the moment they're alone, marcel strides into the room, scouring around for anything that would catch the attention. he doesn't need to look long, though, for the vat stands right before him. his face is a picture of horror, confusion, and wonder, and he falters before he can react any further.

the wall of glass between him and the creature stops him from keeping a distance. he presses his palms against the glass, trying to get a better look. marcel had been ready for an artefact, a piece of technology, something he would know and instead was—

"what is it?"

knowing it was unlikely his partner would have a satisfactory answer, he steps back from the chamber and begins circling the room, looking for papers, a compute, anything that could help him make sense of this.

maybe it's selfish. maybe it's because they've taken so much from him, he wants to take something back. for whatever reason, greed or distrust, marcel isn't ready to hand over the creature. he can't help but feel relieved when elijah agrees.

the hand on his shoulder surprises him, as does the suggestion that follows. an uncommonly kind gesture, for a rocket, anyway, but he supposes elijah is the better half of that lot. looking back at his nidoking and their new find, marcel sends elijah a grateful smile.

"yeah, alright."