If not for the wound in her gut, Andraste would have used the distraction of Gael as an opening to scale the brick wall that she was forced to face. But she never got the chance to, having turned for just a moment to see how many of the Pokemon and grunts were left after the hyper beam attack... only to notice the dark shadow of a man holding a shotgun to one of their heads. Keeping her cool in a heated situation, the lady gave absolutely no indication that she noticed him, not wanting the grunts to get the idea that they'd get a chance to overpower him.

Having seen her share of blood and gore in her life, Andraste didn't flinch with the first blast of the shotgun. It didn't matter that there was literal brain matter splattered everywhere in front of the man. She wasn't sure where his head had even gone. The second one was just as unlucky, and Andraste allowed herself to lean heavily into the brick wall, her hand on her bleeding wound as she finally allowed herself to relax. Relax and catch her breath because there was no way she'd outrun the blast of a shotgun or that Zoroark.

Gael, for their part, put themselves very firmly in front of Andraste, prepared to dig its feet in and protect her at all costs. Ena, the Espeon, slunk beneath her partner, the gem on her forehead gleaming even in the dark light as if a warning. The caterwauling of her voice gave yet another warning to the approaching man and the unknown Zoroark. Andraste wasn't sure that even Ena would survive the bullet of a gun, much less buckshot or whatever he was using.

"Stand down," Andraste breathed, accent thick, flinching because talking hurt and moving pulled at the deep wound. "Yeh don' need teh attack 'im," she murmured tiredly, starting to slowly slide down the wall. "Let 'im pass..."

Thomas Benoit

"I better not," Andraste quipped back a little sharply, her features crumpling with the pain. Gael and Ena backed down, but they stayed close, both eyeing the Zoroark with looks of distrust. When Thomas got very close, Ena snarled slightly, her hackles raising behind him. "No," she repeated, waving a hand at her Pokemon, "'S alright," she mumbled, turning her gaze to the masked man.

Helping him navigate the buttons of her jacket, she started to shrug it off slightly, gritting her teeth when she revealed the wound to the air. Tipping her head back, she took in a sharp breath and nodded at his assertion that this would sting. It did, and she found herself actually reaching out in order to grab his wrist after a moment, arching a bit as the pain surged through her.

Ena yowled and started forward, pushing herself against Andraste's good side with a quiet whine. Then the woman let out a slow, relieved breath once the stinging stopped. The Clawitzer was a surprise, but she didn't jolt away from it, either, watching the masked man more than she did his Pokemon. Her free hand threaded through her Espeon's fur. "Thank you," she said after a few long beats of silence once the move died down and left somewhat healed skin.

Letting go of his wrist, she swallowed, "I think discreet is best in this situation," she murmured, "And appreciated."

Thomas Benoit

She didn't give much of an answer at the time. Her only answer at all was pulling both of her Pokemon back into their Pokeballs. A flight would be much easier without them having trail along on the ground. But by the time she was being transported out of the alley, she had lost most consciousness, the bloodloss starting to wear on her ability to stay awake. As soon as they landed, it was Ena who popped out of her Pokeball and stuck to Andraste's side the entire night, even snuggling among all of the Audinos.

Come morning, Andraste was woken by a nasty nightmare, only to find one of the many Audinos cuddled up to her as if trying to soothe her. Reaching out, she found Ena's soft fur in the pile and stroked her back gently. "That's right," she murmured, slowly remembering where she had been taken. She didn't remember the journey, but she was starting to feel at least a bit less like death now that she had had a little rest. Her abdomen was still painful and achy and she didn't truly want to move, though she did try to sit up, disturbing the cuddle pile of Pokemon.

"Hello?" she called out, her voice a little rough at first before she cleared her throat.

Thomas Benoit

With the Audinos all seeming to scatter at the entrance of-- was that Lord Thomas Benoit? What the actual fuck?



Andraste sat up slowly, Ena shifting in her lap so that she was the center of attention. Frowning at Thomas, the woman took a moment to clear her mind and make sense of what it was that she was seeing. Was this the man that had rescued her the night before? For some reason, she wasn't sure why she was surprised. She'd seen his broadcast the summer before. It was hard to miss, and Andraste was sure that it had made it back to both Galar and Kalos...



"If I had to make an educated guess..." Andraste started, "You are the man who saved me and Lord Thomas both," Andraste continued, reaching up to stroke the ears of her Espeon. "I can't say that I'm entirely surprised, given your previous standings on Rocket activity," she observed, shifting a little more so that she could sit fully up.



Alright.



This scrawny kid had really filled out. Really filled out.



Not an unfair sight, but a very pleasant one. "Thank you for helping me. You and your little team," Andraste finally said, looking around the colorful room that still seemed rather sterile. An interesting combination. "So long as I can see the outside of this room," the woman mused, "I am very happy to take a few days rest, as you suggest."


Thomas Benoit

Andraste fixed Thomas with a look and tilted her head just slightly. "Thomas, then," she said, though she seemed just a bit uncomfortable only calling him by his name and not what should have been his proper title. It seemed disrespectful not to give him the respect he deserved despite his relationship with his family.

"Why did they disown you?" she asked, her brows furrowing, "You spoke out when few others would," Andy said slowly, "Their loss, I suppose," she murmured and started to slide to the edge of the bed. Her side ached, but it felt good to sit up and stretch just a little.

It did surprise her that she had just been left here, but she wasn't going to push about where the man had gone that had saved her. "It's unfortunate that I will not be able to thank my savior, then," she murmured, running both hands back through her hair and wishing she could shower.

She started to gather her long locks before pulling them side swept across one shoulder. Thomas asked her what had happened and she purses her lips together. "I was tracking a few Team Rocket members," she said honestly, "They caught onto me and attacked. I, stupidly, wasn't fully prepared for retaliation," she said, cursing herself. For all her military accolades... She'd been bested by a few thugs. It was irritating.

Thomas Benoit

Looking around the room, Andraste spotted the dark form of her jacket across the back of a chair. It was probably ruined, and that was mildly disappointing. It was her favorite leather jacket and it had been expensive as shit... not that money was much of an issue in any regard. Casting a quick glance at Thomas, Andraste slowly pushed herself to her feet and closed her eyes as she got her bearings. "I think I can walk alright," she noted calmly as she made her way to the chair and picked up her coat.

Shoving her hand into one of her pockets, she pulled out a hair tie and let a relieved expression cross her features. Without waiting, she pulled her long, dark hair up into a messy bun. She was already injured and she really didn't give a crap what her hair looked like at the moment so long as it was out of her face.

"Mhm," Andraste said about meeting her savior again. Perhaps she would, but that wasn't her main focus right now. The talk moved to Rocket and her mother and brother and Andraste reached out to put her hand on the back of the chair. Taking it as an excuse not to look at Thomas, she went back to fishing in her jacket, pulling her phone from it and turning it back on, checking the messages and news updates in silence for a long moment. She didn't really want to answer those questions, but she was sure she wouldn't have a choice eventually.

"They were murdered, and my investigations lead me to Rocket," Andraste said simply, clenching her jaw a little too tightly. "I don't need your condolences," she said brazenly, "Condolences don't bring them back, nor does it bring them justice. Just as thoughts and prayers do nothing to help those who truly need it," the woman murmured, glaring at her phone screen with her back to Thomas. "I think a guest room is a good idea," her tone was distant, cagey, as if she didn't want to explore the demise of her loved ones right then.

Ena jumped off the bed, pressing herself against Andraste's side and watching Thomas with a look that said she didn't quite trust him.

Thomas Benoit