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Mint is dressed for success, which for him was dark clothes and spare safety vests. Run of the mill construction worker off duty and easy enough to put on and take off. He's blonde again, though it's probably about high time he started varying his choice in wig. [break][break]

The grunt joining him was a mystery, not recognizing the alias or even having met them around. As he arrived to the designated spot with the cargo truck in tow, and hopped out. "Evenin'!" he greeted, voice low despite the chipper attitude. It's more controlled without the alcohol fogging up his thoughts. [break][break]

His smile faltered, however, hand moving to something on his hip as he saw Ashley Shepard . Red eyes widen despite a hand going for a pokeball already. The smile came back, though sharper for a moment. "Sawyer?" there's a pause as he tried so hard to remember details on him. He was fuzzy, but he was also not a Rocket. At least, he hadn't been when they'd met. Had he lied? Valid. But still kind of off putting. The gears shift in his brain and he lowered his hand before letting out a laugh. "What happened to being a cop?"

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"The bits I can remember, you weren't exactly pro-crime either." he said eyeing the grunt as he went through hsi spiel. It sounded practiced, and defensive. He had to laugh. Why'd he come back? "What happened to being a pokemon groomer?" he said with a smile that wasn't intended to be malicious. He'd remembered that much. Pet groomer. Cute image for an ex-bad boy. He wondered if all that went down the drain. [break][break]

He was fond of Ashley, in a superficial way. They'd only met for a few hours and Mint had been well into his cups before the guy took him for shots. He wavesd at the Scorbunny despite his smile faltering for a moment. "If you're going to name drop, you better address them properly. Underboss Beckett. Underboss Merlino. Admin Cross." he corrected, not wanting to witness another grunt having fire arm poitned in their face. [break][break]

"Mmm...pay for ice cream later and I'll consider it." he stated, nodding over at the truck as he checked the time. "We can continue this on the drive." With that, he checks the truck one more time before getting back in and waiting for the seconds to tick down.

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He doesn't want to be insensitive, but there's a lot Ashley dumped on him in that moment. Perhaps a vain attempt at closing off the conversation expeditiously. Not a chance. Context clues align and Mint raised his eyebrows quietly. Old best friend/Ex mentor. Theo/Jayden. He would sympathize if it weren't for the fact that he expected it from Rockets. Especially jayden cross. He still remembered the hands on his back slowing their massage in the hot spring as he questioned his loyalty to Rocket for a split second. [break][break]

But he won't press Sawyer. Grinning and letting out a small, 'Yippe!' as he went about his work. "I'll drive slow, buddy." he said to the Scorbunny as he moved the truck forward. "Mmhmm. Disappointed I don't look like the type?" he asked, voice lilting so sweetly in a tell-tale sign that he was annoyed for a moment. But not at them, at himself. "Wouldn't be the first." [break][break]

He gave a glance at him through the rearview mirror before teasing, "Don't pout. It'll give you frown lines." The truck inched out of the route and into the city proper now. Alls quiet so far. Pale green eyes stare straight ahead, idly placing a pair of glasses on his face. The radio on it springs to life with a small report update. "No news is good news..." he muttered to himself.

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He laughed. He'd probably been a little tipsy when he'd asked that. Then again, he didn't fully remember. Splashfest was a blur. A bad coping mechanism. Ashley, too, had been a victim of it. He'd apologize, but it wasn't like they spoke anytime after. Maybe that was selfish of him. "Wooow, really? Could've been a rich kid with drugs. Or a minor with a fake ID. Occam's razor and all that." he said. But he hadn't. [break][break]

"Projecting, much?" he asked, though he's more teasing than anything. He pulls on the steering wheel just a touch, their truck and low light moving with ease on empty streets. He obeys traffic signals and speed limits. Practiced despite not owning a car. "Doesn't have to be awkward. Just tell me what's wrong." he added, words gentle as they head for the racing gym. Its strange to visit it at night. Last time he'd been there it had been clear skies, sunshine on full blast. [break][break]

"Money." It's a curt answer. A simple answer. An acceptable answer. Now who doesn't want to talk? But Ashley doesn't need to know all the intricacies and feelings and baggage that came with him. Just that he was loyal. And he was good for his word. "jayden cross ." he added with another laugh. That sauna. Threat on your life seemed to change brain chemistry.

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"Mmm...I don't think assuming everyone you meet is Rocket is the simplest solution, every time." he countered. Not even criminal was affiliated with Rocket, even if he remembered a push for Sootopolis centric ones to join. There's a type of extremism that's associated with Rocket not everyone can agree with. But everyone can find common ground when it comes to money. If they were as numerous as that, then they wouldn't be struggling for power with League, but overrunning it like Kanto. [break][break]

Then again, maybe a factor in the Kanto win was the brutality of it all. He sets aside the thought to ask THEO BECKETT about later, in another ass beating session. [break][break]

The mood turns more sullen, and he frowns, glancing over at the pair every so often as he slows the truck in front of Josh Devlin 's gym. Or well, the hub of it. He let's the engine idle for a moment, smiling brightly despite how difficult it might've been for Ashley to ask. "I consider jayden cross the first friend I made in Rocket." he said. The awkwardness of their older conversations afforded the Admin a certain type of genuineness to his words and actions. He would fucking kill him, if Mint so much as breathed mutiny to Rocket. But he helped him too. Advised him as efficiently as he could. Acquiesced to his demands. It didn't matter if it was appeasement or not, one sided or not. "And probably the only friend I have left." Perhaps that's a lot to put on another man, but Mint is inherently selfish. [break][break]

He eyes Ashley with sympathy. Rocket is not easy for him, he can tell that much. But he can't comfort him either. He doesn't understand the hurt, and can't begin to imagine their situation. He barrels past it instead, opening the door and hoping out with his case. "C'mon, we're on a time limit." he said, breaking the flow of the conversation entirely and getting to work. He set down his little suit case, unlocking the back of the truck and letting out a sleepy looking Tangrowth. "Linguini, show him what's up." he said, voice low as the pokemon waited for Ashley and Sunny.

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Mint doesn't respond, but he files away that little detail in the back of his mind for later. Kanto. Another one. But Ashley is not as sharp as Jayden. Maybe he was better at hiding it. He puts a pin in it and works on his cameras, opening a little laptop and typing away on the ground. He runs through basic checks. The lenses, the connection, whether or not his little cams are recording properly before they're ready to set.
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Linguini meanwhile coos softly, pleased at Ashley's compliment. He lifts an arm gently high fiving the little bunny and nodding form side to side. He's happy to meet people, especially on this kind of mission. Quiet, and without conflict. The Tangrowth did not seem fond of brutality, and the sharpness that was sometimes asked of him.
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He gestures at the truck full of wooden crates, covered with loose tarps. Though, a vine moved to lift up one of the edges and show Ashley. A bright red Rocket R is emblazoned on the cargo. But the peak would reveal almost every facet of the wooden crates were like that. He drops the tarp back down before more vines curl out of his body and he begins unloading.
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They're close enough to the gym that it would, very obviously, be found as well as cause a scene. Liguini points this point by gesturing before pantomiming a camera with his hands and then a surprise expression. Hand rise to his face as he quietly gasps before dropping the charade and getting to work.

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Mint gives a grin and a thumbs up at Ashley as he sits on the truck, clicking away at a laptop. It's practiced at this point. He can do it faster than before now. The case of little cameras blink on, various colorful LEDs blinking to show they were ready for action. If one looked closely they might even see the lenses moving and adjusting in a test recording. [break][break]

He doesn't mind the quiet, ears perked for any other cars or pokemon that may come aorund. But it's quiet, and Linguini was capable of doing perimeter checks. Plus they were disguised for a reason. He hadn't given the gym leaders a break, attempting his best as making each of these drops right after another. Weeks of prep and organizing logistics with jayden cross so he could just dump all of these as quick as possible. [break][break]

"I'm ready, Linguini." he said, waving over the grass type. He looked down at Ashley. "I'm gonna set up these cameras, and they'll videe and send me whatever the gym leader does tomorrow when he finds these." he said kicking his feet. "The supplies are real, courtesy of Wyndon Pharmaceuticals."

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