As before, the door swings open of its own accord.

However, the atmosphere of the office is different on this day. The same cold metal walls, the same chill in the air, but the PRESSURE is far lighter and the room smells of peppermint from a pot of tea on the desk.

Gavin nods to Isaac, and gestures to the chair. It's a comfortable one, this time.

"Please, sit. Have a drink, if you'd care to. I promise it's not poisoned."

He pours himself a cup, as if in demonstration, then takes a sip to let the liquid burn a path down his throat.

Where Isaac is lighthearted and warm, Gavin is deadly serious. Amber eyes pierce into the grunt's own.

"Have you ever been poisoned?" There's a weight behind the words that suggests because I have. "You should be most wary of those who've earned your trust."

He'd thought himself safe, once.

Never again.

After another sip of his tea and a moment to let his words of warning settle, he says, "Congratulations on your promotion."

"Perhaps something has changed between then and now. Perhaps I've found something out." He lets that ominous point stand as he sips at his drink, amber eyes never leaving Isaac. "I would not need to handle the mess."

They had cleaners for that, but his choice of words is deliberate. He would not need to clean up, but Gavin often chose to deal with the aftermath himself. It kept him grounded. It reminded him of what Rocket was. What he was.

Breath huffs from his lungs in a not-quite-laugh.

"Don't thank me yet. You'll get a pay raise, but the work gets tougher from here on out." He would not be so lenient with the failure of an associate, after all. "Do you think you're ready?"

Gavin nods, accepting the confidence.

A click of his tongue rouses the Klefki at his belt, the Pokemon shaking itself with a gentle jingle before its FAIRY LOCK on the desk drawer fades. A manila folder is withdrawn and slid across the table to Isaac.

"The details of your first assignment."

Their target was a man heading a small but notorious gang in Petalburg. Various details are listed, including a list of known Pokemon. Riolu is crossed out, with LIBERATED clarified below.

No mission partners are listed.

Gavin had suspected it from the moment he'd laid eyes on the file, but it's not until he sees the Riolu's visceral reaction to the target that he is certain. He stays quiet, allowing the moment between Knuckles and Isaac.

He nods when Isaac addresses him.

"You won't be going alone, of course." An associate was a step up from a grunt, but a mission this dangerous should not be undertaken alone. But Gavin understands the need for vengeance. A thirst unending. "I will accompany you, as before, but you will be given the command."

It was unusual, given Gavin's own rank, but he feels it important to test Isaac's ability to make judgement calls even in moments of extreme emotion. Important not for this, but for all that would come after. War.

"Should it become too much, you may rescind that command to me without shame. Are these terms acceptable?"

"No," Gavin says, calm but firm. "This is your mission. You will tell me when you're ready, and not a minute before. Take what time you need, associate."

He smirks a little, with the title.

"When preparations are complete, I will fit it into my busy schedule." Unfortunately, that schedule meant he couldn't linger on pleasantries. "Unless you have further questions, you're dismissed."