off the clock [mission]

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

ELYSIAN;

DIVINELY INSPIRED CREATIVE • PERFECT ♡

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

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Martín del Mar

off the clock [mission]

POSTED ON Dec 1, 2022 21:07:57 GMT

john nelson likes this

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For a long time, he had been alone. There had been no one he could trust, no one he could rely on, and no one who would stand by his side. On his own, he had survived. He had pushed forward despite all the horrors life had thrown his way. The problem is that just surviving will never be enough for Mars.
[break][break]
Prideful as he is, the realisation that he’d need to rely on others had been a bitter pill, yet every step of the way, he had carefully selected them: those he’d need by his side to achieve his every goal. Even when it had meant joining Team Rocket. A deal with the devil, a choice between the lesser of two evils, all because he had deemed their resources as necessary in order to achieve the one thing that had truly pushed him to come to Hoenn.
[break][break]
A smile finds its way to Mars’ lips, as if mirroring that of john nelson.
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”It’s not one particular trait, and it has nothing to do with personality or anything. You could be the most sour, apathetic asshole, but as long as you have skills, you have value.” That much is an admittance. He could go on about how important it is for someone to be passionate and driven and all the things he had said about his own success, but the truth is that a company like POG Bank is run like clockwork, and that means that every cog has its valuable function.
[break][break]
”It could be something that seems as simple as properly understanding your job or knowing how to talk to people. You’d be surprised how rare skills like those can actually be.” There’s a soft chuckle, and at last, he drinks: one short sip, measured and enjoyed to the fullest degree. ”Don’t tell the others that they can start acting like assholes, though. A good workplace atmosphere is important too.”
[break][break]
The banker grins at that very moment, as honest as he is amused.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]john nelson

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[break]
▷ Putting On A Front

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johnny

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thirty-five

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slateport city

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john nelson

off the clock [mission]

POSTED ON Dec 1, 2022 21:21:15 GMT

Martín del Mar likes this

[attr="class","samcam"]

It's an interesting answer del Mar gives him: 'skills'. Not necessarily the answer he wanted to hear, too, but when is anything so simple for him? He runs through the portrait of his younger self looking for skills that might have been desirable. By the end there weren't many.

His confidence had dried up, his battle tactics had gone rigid, his ability to talk to others took years to recover. But before the end?

Used to be, you put a pokeball in his hand and John could try anything. Fight any pokemon, face any trainer, talk himself up. Maybe if he had met his boss earlier -- if he wasn't his boss, but instead his friend or his rival -- that part of him could have been saved.

It's a nice thought. A daydream at best, but the picture of himself in his prime with someone who could help him realize his strengths and put them to work? What he wouldn't give to see that timeline -- maybe it's just life in one of those universes they're supposed to be connected to now.

Too bad he's stuck in this one.

"Please, sometimes I worry half my department would forget how to find their feet if I weren't there to direct them. They have a ways to go before they can start acting like assholes -- or I guess until I have to tell them not to because they're just so good," he throws out easy, with a lopsided grin that very abruptly vanishes as he remembers who he's speaking to.

"Not that any of them are underperforming. They're all doing their best just . . . ya know. They're on their way."

John wonders if maybe it's time to stop drinking and head out. He's getting a little too comfortable with the boss.

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Martín del Mar

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Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

ELYSIAN;

DIVINELY INSPIRED CREATIVE • PERFECT ♡

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

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Martín del Mar

off the clock [mission]

POSTED ON Dec 2, 2022 15:30:38 GMT

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He had not come to this bar to talk about the bank, much less his employees, but oftentimes Mars finds that fate has quite a lot of unexpected things in store, and tonight, running into john nelson had been in that list. The conversation also hasn’t gone exactly as he’d expect, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. He’s enjoying it – even when John shows clear trepidation in talking about those working in his department.
[break][break]
”Everyone starts off somewhere. They’ll do well with you to guide them.” His tone is as calm as it is full of certainty, perhaps purposefully intending to both show how much he believes in his employees and set an expectation. Even in this casual setting, when off the clock and drinking, Martín del Mar chooses his words carefully.
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It’s then that he reaches into the inner pocket of his suit jacket, brushing past the elegant tie pin that bears an ever-so-recognizable keystone – he always wears it, perhaps as a sign for others, perhaps as a warning, or perhaps because Hoenn is a dangerous place and having pokémon ready to mega evolve at a moment’s notice is necessary. The keystone does not activate tonight, though. Instead, he retrieves his wallet.
[break][break]
Of course he’ll pay for their drinks.
[break][break]
”Do you need a ride home, by the way? It’s getting kind of late.”

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]john nelson

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johnny

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thirty-five

august 21st

slateport city

homosexual

office worker

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have you realized

all the things you'll never be

20 height

everyday i think a little less like how i did when i was younger

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john nelson

off the clock [mission]

POSTED ON Dec 2, 2022 21:57:31 GMT

Martín del Mar likes this

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"I sure hope so," John sighs. Half out of exasperation at the idea of it -- it feels like he's always mentoring someone in the office, it never ends -- and half out of relief that his off-hand statement didn't ruin the mood of their little heart-to-heart. The last thing he needs tonight is to be the reason one of his team gets sacked.

With no drink in front of him to distract him it's impossible to miss the way his boss reaches into his suit. The gleam of his key stone (which he tries not to stare at, or be jealous of too obviously). Etiquette dictates that John should argue when the wallet comes out, but to be honest? He doesn't have it in him right now. The man is richer than him by who knows how much -- let him cover the bottom-shelf liquor he's been drinking.

There is a line, though, and it's drawn at the offer for a ride.

"Nah, I'll get a cab. Or walk, now that I think about it," that actually sounds really nice . . . walking home under the moon; knowing there's no dome separating him and the celestial body. The cool air on his skin in a Hoenn safer than it was yesterday. A chance to soak it in before the sun explodes or whatever is next for the region.

"Yeah, I think I'll walk. But thanks for the offer, boss."

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Martín del Mar

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Azul

Mars | Tuesday

He/Him

August 4th

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Bi / Demiro

POG Bank CEO

Underboss

ELYSIAN;

DIVINELY INSPIRED CREATIVE • PERFECT ♡

1008 height

Veni. Videre. Vincam.

awards

4,525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mars

Martín del Mar

off the clock [mission]

POSTED ON Dec 3, 2022 16:48:40 GMT

john nelson likes this

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Perhaps someone else would insist if they were in his place, but Mars doesn’t. It’s not that he doesn’t care about john nelson’s safety, nor is it about the fact that he’s the sort of person who only gives people one chance (although he generally is), but simply that everything is much easier this way. If he’s alone, he can just teleport back to his apartment in Mauville Hills. He has a lot to do when he gets home.
[break][break]
”Sure, just be careful out there.” He says it with a chuckle while paying their bill, as if it were a joke, yet it absolutely is not. Mars knows well just how dangerous Slateport can be. A lot of his operations with Team Rocket are right here, in Hoenn’s precious metropolis.
[break][break]
With the bill paid, Mars stands, donning on the black overcoat that had been on his chair and leaving a half.empty glass of gin behind.
[break][break]
”I’ll see you at work, John. Have a good night”
[break][break]
Instead of offering him a handshake, just this once there is a pat on the back, coming in the company of a slight yet serene smile.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"]john nelson

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[break]
▷ Putting On A Front[break][break]
We can wrap with your next post! TYSM for the thread, I had a lot of fun ♡ I'll get started on the next

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johnny

he/him

thirty-five

august 21st

slateport city

homosexual

office worker

civilian

have you realized

all the things you'll never be

20 height

everyday i think a little less like how i did when i was younger

awards

96 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @john

john nelson

off the clock [mission]

POSTED ON Dec 4, 2022 3:18:49 GMT

Martín del Mar likes this

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"Yeah I'll keep my eyes peeled" John replies in a similarly light-hearted tone, but with the same underlying seriousness of someone who knows the underbelly the city now unwillingly supports. Slateport has never been the safest city in Hoenn but it's no secret that Team Rocket has never fully let go of their initial foothold in the region.

Thankfully he lives in the Upper District, and knows which places to avoid on his walk back from the Lower.

"You have a good one, too, boss," he says with a small wave as del Mar exits the bar. He polishes off the other man's gin before pounding a glass of water and heading off.

The air is as nice as he thought it would be. The moon more beautiful than it's been in months.

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Martín del Mar

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