MARCH UPDATE

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il buon vino non ha bisogno di frasca

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TAG WITH @cora

POSTED ON Nov 30, 2021 12:23:23 GMT

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[attr="class","corigid"]

[attr="class","corigidw"]

Ah, cleaning. Cora knew the bare minimum about it. Someone like her didn't have to clean - there was no need for her to dust or even do the laundry herself, there were many ways for that to get done without her needing to even be in the house![break][break]

And yet, for the glory of Rocket, here she was. Forced to trim and clean and organise an old, forgotten secret base that had since become - judging by the colours and patterns on the feathers lying about - the home of an Unfezant.[break][break]

The call to sit back and do nothing was strong, but Cora was here with Mars. Mars in admin mode, on top of that. She knew he wouldn't take her bullshit, but also... he was a friend, Cora considered, and even the laziest part of her personality didn't want to saddle him with all the work when she could help out by, uh...[break][break]

"What should I do to get started, hun?"

[attr="class","corigidtag"]Martín del Mar

[attr="class","corigidnotes"]

notes.

mission - secret base scrub

[attr="class","corigidpokes"]

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[newclass=.corigidpokes img] margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 5px; [/newclass]

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played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

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TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Nov 30, 2021 13:11:30 GMT

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[attr="class","textwt"]

[attr="class","textwtw"]

Cleaning.
[break][break]
It’s almost like a funny joke, because it’s very likely that no one in the world would ever assume that POG Bank CEO over here with his stylish designer suits is used to doing anything of the sort. He’s not, of course, and yet here he is all the same: at an abandoned base that has been overrun by pokémon, because Team Rocket thinks clearing it will make them look good in the eyes of the public.
[break][break]
Not a bad idea, in theory.
[break][break]
”We should start by getting rid of all the pokémon, then clearing whatever they have been hoarding in here.” Just as he gives the instructions, as if to mark his words, an apricorn slowly rolls over the floor to end up smacking against a black sneaker (the designer suits having been left behind for this mission in favour of a much more casual yet still equally stylish attire), and Mars’ gaze falls upon it. Why these pokémon would hoard something they can’t even eat is beyond him, but there seem to be a few of such fruits scattered all over the bunker-like structure.
[break][break]
”There’s probably some hiding and waiting to attack. You can take care of them, Cora.”
[break][break]
Upon saying this, he looks at her, for it’s clearly meant to test her abilities. And yet, despite the serious stare he gives her, there’s some mild encouragement in the way it’s said: you can do it.

[attr="class","textwttag"]Cora Valentine

[attr="class","textwtpokes"]

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[newclass=.textwtpokes img] margin-top: -10px; padding-bottom: 5px; [/newclass]

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played by

Evan

she/her

July 24th

Alto Mare, Johto

Model & Fashion Designer

Grunt

19 height

il buon vino non ha bisogno di frasca

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36 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @cora

POSTED ON Nov 30, 2021 13:52:01 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","corigid"]

[attr="class","corigidw"]

She rolled the ball of her foot over an apricorn she finds in a corner closer to her, too, and thought the same thoughts as Mars. Cora didn't pride herself on her knowledge of the world, sure, but even she knew you couldn't eat these things. Did the Unfezant think they were setting a trap or something? Pokémon could be smart, after all, but these were just birds. [break][break]

"Good plan, capo" She shoots a beaming smile over to him - it's second nature, after all. She always acted the same with the admins and underboss as she did with her fellow grunts, no matter how much trouble it could have potentially gotten her in. Cora just didn't think about these things. In her world, Rocket was serious, sure, but it was also fun. Something for a little rich girl to play in.[break][break]

You can take care of them, Cora only widens her smile. It was said so seriously, so plainly, but there was that little inkling there of motivation. She sure could! She unclips a pokéball from her satchel and lets Dolce out, who understands the cue right away and begins to CHARGE.[break][break]

While he prepares, Cora picks up the apricorn by her foot. She rolls it between her manicured fingers for a moment, then throws it with some force into the thick wall-like undergrowth. There's a fluster of feathers as the launched fruit obviously spooks some of the base's new residents, and she calls out for Dolce to let loose with a THUNDER SHOCK.

[attr="class","corigidtag"]Martín del Mar

[attr="class","corigidnotes"]

notes.

mission - secret base scrub

[attr="class","corigidpokes"]
DOLCE ♂︎ PLUS - EERIE IMPULSE / GROWL / TAUNT / CHARGE / THUNDER SHOCK / OVERDRIVE

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played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

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4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Nov 30, 2021 15:19:16 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","textwt"]

[attr="class","textwtw"]

Capo.
[break][break]
The word leaves a bitter taste in his mouth, for as much respect as Mars may have for Team Rocket, it’s far from a mafia in the proper sense of the word, no matter how much they may pretend and no matter the fact that their structure may make it seem otherwise. If this were an actual mafia, there would be no children running around doing whatever they wish. If this were actual mafia, grunts wouldn’t feel like it’s okay to address their higher ups so casually.
[break][break]
Having been conditioned all of his life to be mindful of such things, Mars stares at Cora, all of the usual warmth gone from that amberlike gaze of his. It’s a silent warning, and one she should heed, but instead of making any reproaching comments, he simply turns to look at their surroundings when the Toxtricity is released.
[break][break]
So dark.
[break][break]
So damp.
[break][break]
There’s the cries of the Unfezant the moment the THUNDER SHOCK overtakes the bunker, wings fluttering and plumes filling the air. It’s annoying, and blushing a small feather off his coat, he calls out a Braixen. ”Light.” The pokémon waves its wand in a swift motion, spinning it around with flair, and when it does, half a dozen WILL-O-WISPS begin to float all around them, illuminating the abandoned base.
[break][break]
”Just scaring them away doesn’t mean they won’t come back, how will you deal with it?”
[break][break]
This time, he’s talking to Cora.

[attr="class","textwttag"]Cora Valentine

[attr="class","textwtpokes"]

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played by

Evan

she/her

July 24th

Alto Mare, Johto

Model & Fashion Designer

Grunt

19 height

il buon vino non ha bisogno di frasca

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36 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @cora

POSTED ON Nov 30, 2021 16:07:03 GMT

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[attr="class","corigid"]

[attr="class","corigidw"]

There was so much that Cora would never know.[break][break]

Hard work, real pain, real suffering - it was foreign to her. Everything in life had been easy, in her eyes, a blessing of circumstance. The right place, the right time - golden luck that paved the way. In truth, she came from a family that didn't have to struggle to put food on the table, who could give her pocket money to save, that were around enough to give her the good life that built her.[break][break]

She played games in a criminal organisation that allowed literal children to work for them - how would this ever be something real? No matter how many lives were lost by rocket hands, it would struggle to ever be more, in her eyes, than games played in a doll house. Sleep with a powerful man, take his money for the good of rocket, never lift a finger otherwise. Joke with your bosses. Flirt with your colleagues.[break][break]

The temptation to say I dunno, who cares? was overwhelming, but had enough sense, at least, to not do that. She turned to him as Dolce returns to her side, the birds in the brush crying out, some disappearing off and out of the base. The wisps bathe the place in a warm glow, twinkling like Christmas lights against her green eyes.[break][break]

"...Would just cleaning the place up a little stop them from coming back? Since it wouldn't be all gross and... bush-y?"[break][break]

She genuinely didn't know. If she had been the kind who worries, it would've made her think - How did I get this far without being able to answer a simple question like that?

[attr="class","corigidtag"]Martín del Mar

[attr="class","corigidnotes"]

notes.

mission - secret base scrub

[attr="class","corigidpokes"]
DOLCE ♂︎ PLUS - EERIE IMPULSE / GROWL / TAUNT / CHARGE / THUNDER SHOCK / OVERDRIVE

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played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Nov 30, 2021 17:12:28 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","textwt"]

[attr="class","textwtw"]

How did she get this far without being able to answer a simple question like that?
[break][break]
Mars watches one of the Unfezant run around in a panic, and even though he wishes Cora will think for a moment and come up with the right answer, she doesn’t – no matter how obvious it may be to him. Disappointing.
[break][break]
The Braixen looks up at him expectantly, as if knowing exactly what to do and awaiting the command; her wand being spun around and around while her large ears remain perked up. And yet, no matter how long she waits, the command does not come, and the Unfezant continues running as if it were desperately searching for the obvious exit lying behind them. Why are some pokémon so damn dumb?
[break][break]
”No. Do you think it was ’all gross and... bush-y‘ when they showed up? It’s their territory, they will likely feel compelled to return unless something they’re scared of moves in.” Which isn’t the right answer here, obviously. ”You could kill them all, but that would be wasteful.”
[break][break]
Wasteful.
[break][break]
It’s said matter-of-factly, since this too isn’t the right answer. A ranger would probably think of relocating the Unfezant to a safer and nicer location, but Mars? Mars always thinks of ways to profit from every situation.

[attr="class","textwttag"]Cora Valentine

[attr="class","textwtpokes"]

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played by

Evan

she/her

July 24th

Alto Mare, Johto

Model & Fashion Designer

Grunt

19 height

il buon vino non ha bisogno di frasca

awards

36 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @cora

POSTED ON Nov 30, 2021 19:38:59 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","corigid"]

[attr="class","corigidw"]

"No, good point, so..."[break][break]

Perhaps, deep in the multiverse, there is a crimelord Cora who knows exactly how these things were best to be handled. That Cora was not this Cora, and she gave the game away by staring blankly at Mars for just a few seconds. Her gaze flicks to the Braixen; to the Unfezants as they flustered their way around the bunker, then back to Mars as the lightbulb abive her head flickers on.[break][break]

"...We could keep them for rocket. Capture them, maybe sell them?"[break][break]

She says it like she's answering a question rather than providing her own idea. She never doubted herself, but a situation like this one made her feet unsteady - things usually had such simple answers. Fashion, to her, was so simple, despite how creative and out-of-the-box you needed to be to thrive in it. There was also rigidness, sizes were certain measurements, colours were certain hues. Coats, fur, miniskirts, all came and went during specific times of the year. But rocket work changed with every mission, with every variable.[break][break]

It was a lot to keep track of.[break][break]

"I'm sure someone will have use for them outside of the black market. Experiments, even?"

[attr="class","corigidtag"]Martín del Mar

[attr="class","corigidnotes"]

notes.

mission - secret base scrub

[attr="class","corigidpokes"]
DOLCE ♂︎ PLUS - EERIE IMPULSE / GROWL / TAUNT / CHARGE / THUNDER SHOCK / OVERDRIVE

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played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

POSTED ON Nov 30, 2021 23:41:12 GMT

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[attr="class","textwt"]

[attr="class","textwtw"]

Ah, there is it.
[break][break]
Not so hard, is it?
[break][break]
An eyebrow quirks as he listens to Cora’s words, his attention finally shifting away from the terrified Unfezant and returning to her. In life, there’s a way to benefit from just about every situation; something to be gained even when at the greatest disadvantage. Things like those come as innate to Mars – a way of fighting, of surviving, developed long before Team Rocket became a part of his life.
[break][break]
Cora, on the other hand? Cora is the sort of person who has known little about disadvantage up until now, the sort of person many probably think him to be because of the acts he puts up.
[break][break]
Isn’t it ironic that by joining Team Rocket she put herself at a disadvantage? Is she even aware of that?
[break][break]
Probably not, but she’s learning how things work, and that’s what matters to Mars.
[break][break]
”Exactly. Unfezant aren’t a particularly valued pokémon, but all pokémon can have their use and purpose. The lab always needs more test subjects, and if they don’t, sending these to the black market would be less wasteful than killing them… or to a butcher.”
[break][break]
It would also be less messy, especially with the base already being in such a terrible state.
[break][break]
With a faint smirk, Mars reaches for a pokéball, nodding towards the Braixen. The fox wags her tail as if saying ”Finally!” and with a flick of her wand, a couple of the WILL-O-WISPS are shot towards the Unfezant, instantly BURNING it.
[break][break]
”I’ll help. Let’s get this done quickly.” With these words, the pokéball is thrown, the Unfezant instantly disappearing in a flash of light.
[break][break]
One down.

[attr="class","textwttag"]Cora Valentine

[attr="class","textwtpokes"]

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played by

Evan

she/her

July 24th

Alto Mare, Johto

Model & Fashion Designer

Grunt

19 height

il buon vino non ha bisogno di frasca

awards

36 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @cora

POSTED ON Dec 1, 2021 22:35:35 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","corigid"]

[attr="class","corigidw"]

She listens carefully - Mars is, to Cora, a friend, though he may well have thought differently. She cares about his thoughts, and more importantly within the current situation, she cares about his knowledge. Friend or not, he is also a mentor: an admin. A fact she often forgot, and one she should take advantage of more often if she actually cared about making anything of her time within Team Rocket.[break][break]

All pokémon have their use and purpose.[break][break]

She nods, casts her eyelashes down for a moment towards the empty pokéballs she keeps at her hip.[break][break]

"Dolce. Have at it."[break][break]

He does, of course, leaping into action alongside Mars' Braixen and putting things into OVERDRIVE. The two Unfezant surrounding him go down with little fuss, half-conscious by the time Cora launches the pokéballs their way. The birds are enveloped in the ball's red light and taken in.[break][break]

"Thank you" - to the Toxtricity at her side for taking the flying-types out? To Mars, maybe, for teaching her? A little bit of both. She turns to the Admin and smiles - a little less cocky this time.

[attr="class","corigidtag"]Martín del Mar

[attr="class","corigidnotes"]

notes.

mission - secret base scrub

[attr="class","corigidpokes"]
DOLCE ♂︎ PLUS - EERIE IMPULSE / GROWL / TAUNT / CHARGE / THUNDER SHOCK / OVERDRIVE

close tab

played by

Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars