"Doctor Balfour, is that you?"

The voice called out clearly in the relative serenity of the forest, a deep timber that stirred certain memories in Zev's mind. Memories he replayed in his head more often than he wanted to admit, ever since their encounter one night a couple of weeks ago.

Nenet.

Zev froze, uncertain how exactly to proceed. The grave his Pokémon had dug was not that far behind him, and from the sound of it, she was coming closer. Quickly, he released his Lycanroc, Luna, from her Pokéball. Nenet had been delighted to discover, upon waking up in the morning, that he had a Rockruff. Perhaps he could contrive a simple excuse for tramping through the woods using Luna and simultaneously distract the woman.

Feeling more secure in his plan with Luna at his side, Zev shouted back, "Sorry, not him! Are you lost?"

It was only then that he resumed walking again, this time in Nenet's direction. He saw her moments later, fanning herself with a book. Luna's ears perked up upon seeing the woman, and she bounded over, barking a greeting.

Neffatari Nzingha

NOTES
+ Mission: A Deadly Job

Luna took to the attention immediately, her front paws tapping with excitement on the ground, her tail wagging. She even tried to lick Nenet's face.

Zev came up behind his Pokémon. The genuine surprise coloring his features transformed into a bemused smile as he gazed upon Nenet with Luna. Unlike with most people, he had enjoyed his last encounter with the woman, so a smile didn't seem out of place. And besides, if he was nice to her, perhaps she might show continued interest in him.

"I was in Fortree on business," he replied. That was not a lie. "We were heading back but Luna needed to walk around a bit. It's a long drive." Partial lie. It actually was a long drive from Fortree back to Slateport. "But she's no longer a Rockruff, so we're farther from the car than I expected to be," Zev concluded with a laugh.

Luna looked up at him and, for a split second, Zev braced for the Pokémon to act surprised. But the Lycanroc had gone with him on enough jobs lately to know he kept many, many secrets. She simply barked again, tail still wagging, and turned back to Nenet for more pets.

There was still the pressing matter of the grave.

He blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"Hey, would you like to get coffee? I was going to stop in Mauville for some, but if you're still working..." He trailed off, hoping her use of the past tense 'needed' meant she was done.

Neffatari Nzingha

NOTES
+ Mission: A Deadly Job

Of course Zev would pay for the drinks. He'd invited enough women out to coffee or a meal to know that he should always pay for the first time, at least. Not that his previously entanglements with women ever amounted to much. They always demanded more from him than he was willing to give — whether it was time, attention, affection — and were quick to dump him when he failed to meet their expectations.

Suffice to say, Zev had no idea what Nenet expected from him, but he was not going to pass up an opportunity to maybe, just maybe, get her in his bed again.

"My car's this way," he said, gesturing in the direction of the main road.

With his Lycanroc loping at an easy gait ahead of them, they hiked their way to the parked car. Luna jumped into the back seat while Zev opened the passenger's side door for Nenet. And then they were off, driving down Route 119 toward Mauville City.

The café he chose was one of those chain franchises that had stores in other big cities, but it was not nearly as ubiquitous as some of its bigger competition. He bought a cold brewed unsweetened black for himself and a much, much sweeter iced caramel macchiato for her. They sat opposite each other at a small table beneath the exquisite air conditioning of Mauville's interior while Luna curled up at their feet with a bowl of water and some Pokémon treats the café sold.

"So what do you do with the data from the Institute?" Zev asked, not actually caring to know, but willing to make idle chitchat about her work. She had said she wasn't much of a conversationalist, but people always liked to talk about themselves. "How does that affect your astrological observations?"

Neffatari Nzingha

NOTES
+ Mission: A Deadly Job

Zev Harcourt was not an unintelligent man. Sure, he did not go to college, but his grades in high school were pretty good. In fact, he considered himself pretty smart, considering the skills he regularly used to infiltrate people's homes, piece together strategies for killing them, and get through life without anyone realizing he buried bodies all over Hoenn.

But Nenet's answer was on an entirely different level. He understood it in the sense that the data helped her work and that the dome was altering the weather, making everything hotter. But she spoke rapidly, as if he were a colleague, as if he knew what 'reduced imaging solutions' and 'the wind speed at the jetstream layer' meant.

What's more, the scribblings in the book were totally nonsensical to him. Numbers, phrases, arrows pointing here and there, charts. If she could make sense of all that, her intellect was far, far sharper than his.

Still, he kept eye contact with her and sipped his coffee in polite silence as he listened.

"I'll be honest, I don't really understand," Zev said with a self-deprecating laugh. He had a feeling she appreciated honesty. "It sounds frustrating as hell, though."

Neffatari Nzingha

NOTES
+ Mission: A Deadly Job

Nenet's touch was electrifying. Zev glanced down at her fingers on his skin before slowly raising his eyes again to meet hers. The blue of them went dark as a mischievous grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"How could I refuse such a generous offer?" he replied with a chuckle, turning his wrist so he could lightly capture her fingers in his hand. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, caressing her in turn.

But they soon released each other to take out their phones and exchange contact information. Putting his phone away again, he drank the last of his cold brew and casually said to Nenet, "You know, I'm free for the next few hours, until the bar opens this evening. We could make a little time for that lesson at my place if you have some to spare."

Neffatari Nzingha

NOTES
+ Mission: A Deadly Job