Before exiting the cargo truck, Felix had sliced off the layers of rope around Cassidy, allowing only a single piece of it to remain; the one bounding his wrists. "Move." He commanded, pressing the cold muzzle of the pistol against the back of his head. Now that they were out of the public's eye, it was easier to be more forward with his threats. It also made moving this bastard ten times easier.

As they approached the mouth of the building, Felix noticed a familiar frown approach him from their left. "No." He replied, voice cold and remote. The further they moved into the dimly lit space, the more obvious his next order became. "Sit." A solid shove sent the man flying to the steel chair set afoot before him.

Then, with his muzzle now snuggled into his front temple, Felix awaited for further instructions.

Martín del Mar

The pleading held no effect on Felix. His expression mimicked that of an executioner-- blank, detached, and inhumane. Unlike Mars, who perfectly tucked away his emotions, he looked as though he was voided of them completely. He was a dog bred and born to carry out the commands given to him.

When Cassidy mistakenly looked towards him for help, Felix only dug the muzzle deeper into his temple, reminding him of where he stood. There was no pity to spare. It didn't mattered if he was falsely accused, or if he accepted the money for a noble cause. It didn't even matter if that caused mirrored his own. Because none of that concerned him.

Martín del Mar

The syndicate?

Felix's eyes widen by the slightest margin. It was something only an observant person would notice, as his expression remained untouched otherwise.

Typically, he'd block out any 'useless' information, as it wasn't his job to care much about the whys or whats to the mission. That would only muddle his objective, he would say. But he couldn't ignore this.

His eyes instinctively flicked over to the admin. It went beyond his typical lines of professionalism, but again, he couldn't resist the urge of gauging the other's reaction.

Martín del Mar

Annoyance. Disgust.

These were sides of Martín del Mar that Felix hadn't seen back in Highschool. It wasn't until his time at Sinnoh's syndicate that he noticed glimpses of these expressions, and even then, those moments paled in comparison to the man that stood before him now.

Cassidy's distressing screams fell on deaf ears, as Felix had already grown accustomed to blocking the man out. It was a skill that unfortunately came with his experience in the field. What he did hear, however, was Mar's command. Like a sharp whistle beckoning a dog to yield, it sliced across the barrier of sound Cassidy's wails created, and directly slipped into his ears.

What did he think?

Well, that was simple: nothing. ANVIL's wasn't betrayed by the man-- Rocket was. His information wasn't leaked out-- Martín del Mar 's was. Besides, even if it was the other way around, his answer wouldn't waver much. Mars was the with the whistle, and Felix was the one who bared the fangs.

"Up to you." He answered, eyes set back onto the sweating Cassidy Belmont. "...but I don't see much worth left in him."


If Martín del Mar wanted an answer from him, that was it.

Martín del Mar

Felix's expression mirrored that of the admin -- cold, calm, and seemingly unaffected by the display of cruelty displayed before him. Even Mars' story failed to elicit a noticeable reaction from the stoic dog. But, unlike before, and unlike any other experience he had encounter since traveling to Hoenn, he had to forcibly snuff out the inklings of emotion that threatened to leak out his thoughts.

It was a trick he hadn't employed since his early years in ANVIL, as his signature blank expressions had begun to become natural over the years, and frankly, he hadn't expected today's mission to break that record. Because it wasn't the cruelty in Cassidy's disposal that dazed him, or the preachy lesson the admin had snuck in with it - those were both things he had grown accustom with and had already acknowledged early on into his career as a mercenary.

What left the largest impression was the story Martín del Mar gave with it all.

Once the shot rang out and Cassidy's lifeless corpse lazily slumped back into the chair, Felix slowly lifted the gun from it's temple and fastened it back in it's holster.

A sharp silence brewed between them as he did this, incrementally increasing in intensity as the general took a step back, then slowly averted his gaze back towards Martín del Mar .

For the tiniest hair of a second, Felix didn't see the admin of Team rocket, or the head of POG bank, or the heir of the Sinnoh Syndicate. He saw Martín del Mar - the guy he spent countless afternoons practicing with after school; the guy he shared a lunch table with; the guy who always had a flock of people orbiting around him in-between periods; the guy teenage Felix always desperately wanted to be. And, for that tiniest hair of a second, he felt himself -- the oldest, childish, naivest part of himself -- yearning to ensure that same guy was okay.

But, of course, that was just a fantasy. The admin had drawn a clear line in the sand, and the ANVIL general could do nothing but reinforce it. "Got it."

With a few more seconds of silence between them, his eyes eventually returned to the slumping body. With a frown, he spoke one last time, "I'm heading to the pub after this-- do you want to come? I'll cover this time."

Martín del Mar