[attr="class","littlejay"] jayden's tone is wry as he observes the battlefield before them.

[break][break] "you know. you could've left this up to the harvest team."

[break][break] after all, the mission detail had only mentioned stealing the pig pokemon. then again, it wasn't like jayden had a problem with it. he'd seen worse.

[break][break] clicking his voice under his breath, he directs his gothorita who immediately begin using PSYCHIC to collect the torn pearls into a soot bag.

[break][break] jayden flashes a smile at his old friend.

[break][break] "it's nice to be on a mission together."

[attr="class","ooc"] + mission: pearls before swine

☉

Asriel scoffs and chuckles sarcastically

"Knowing those idiots - they'd find a way to screw up." There was a burning hatred for people who made mistakes, it always reminded him of somebody. Walking over to the net he lifts it up, allowing more spoink to escape they run and bounce around frantically looking for any means of escape.

Their desperation amounted to nothing as luxray preyed on them with relative ease. A loud wail of a spoink was silenced by the sound of munching fangs. "Compared to rest of rocket, working with you is -" He pauses gesturing luxray to drop the dead spoink. Asriel then proceeds to rip the pearl off - this one required some more force but it finally gave, blood splattering on Asriel during the process.

"Always pleasant." He finishes with a huff, a hand wiping away blood that got in his eyes. "If only we could do a more meaningful mission."

jayden cross

---

mission

[attr="class","littlejay"] he can't argue — not that he'd want to without precedent. jayden knows what asriel is like when he doesn't get his way.

[break][break] he watches as the luxray drops the spoink, allowing the other rocket to pull apart it's jewel. jayden continues to fit the jewels into the sack, making quick work of what is otherwise an ordinary mission.

[break][break] "i might have something for you," he says a bit evasively. "i can't say much — but Felix Gallagher and i have something in the works. i'll tell you about it later."

[break][break] a spoink stirs, but hesus is quick to dispose of it. he gives a sharp bark, as teeth crunch against flesh.

[break][break] "is it odd for you? that i'm admin?"

[break][break] it still feels strange for him. even being appointed to beast felt strange. not that he could ever admit that to anyone besides asriel. only he understood what it meant to live under someone so influential. after all Raphael Pryde was his father.

[attr="class","ooc"] + mission: pearls before swine

☉

The number of spoink had dwindled, all that remained were the bloodied lifeless corpses. Truthfully Asriel didn't have a right to complain, he never cared for being in the spotlight in hoenn or in kanto. When there was a job that needed to be done, he would get it done no questions asked, That was the philosophy he would live and die by.

Cleaning his hands with a nearby rag Asriel listened silently as Jayden began to talk about his potential new project. Seeing how he didn't want to go into detail, he figured that whatever it was still needed to be fleshed out.

"If you need me, i'm there." the response is brief making it seem disinterested, but asriel would support jayden.

With the last spoink taken cared of, Asriel stands and walks towards the door only pausing with Jayden's words.

"Odd..? far from it. If you're asking me there's no one more suitable for the role." Unsure whether jayden wanted to hear praise from him he leaves it at that.

He opens the door, beckoning him to follow. "Enough of this, let's get food." The door is kept open for jayden as he waited for him to pass through.

While it was news to Asriel that Jayden made it to beast, he wasn't surprised in the slightest. Whatever his position was within rocket, Asriel will always support his childhood friend - the only one he had left.

"How do you feel about pork?"

jayden cross

---

mission

[attr="class","littlejay"] when Asriel Pryde looks away to wipe his hands with a rag, a small smile crosses jayden's mouth. unbidden. while he and asriel had been best friends for a while, their friendship was one that was not typical. after all, nothing could be typical when grown in such duress. together, they survived the likes of Raphael Pryde and dmitri volkov, like two weeds twisting and grown into powerful oaks.

[break][break] he knew that asriel would have his back, no matter what.

[break][break] "that's high praise," he remarks, a bit of a tease in his tone. "coming from you."

[break][break] either way, jayden accepts the invitation with a nod and hoists the bag on his shoulder. the door opens for them, and jayden follows his friend through the barrier.

[break][break] "pork? i'm not against it. let's get some with ramen."

[break][break] a kanto cuisune specialty.

[attr="class","ooc"] + mission: pearls before swine

☉

His shoulders shrug at Jayden's response. Was it really high praise? Asriel felt that it was a given as he knew what Jayden was capable of. "Pork Ramen.." he repeats while contemplating the choice.

Remembering the days they would feast on ramen after a long day of training, Asriel agrees with a nod. Walking towards the dorms of the submarine their footsteps echo on the cold steel floor. It didn't take long to arrive at his dorm, the door opens with a twist of the doorhandle - asriel never left his door locked.

greeted by the cramped dark empty room the light switch is flicked on with a swift motion. Heading towards the kitchen Asriel grabs an old pan and fills it with water, quickly pouring in water for it to boil.

He then quickly grabs two bags of instant spicy ramen and puts it to the side. Opening the fridge door he grabs some sliced pork and sets it aside on the counter, ripping the bags of ramen as he waits for the water to boil.

"So, how is it?" the two may hold different positions within the syndicate but their relationship will never change.

jayden cross

---

mission

[attr="class","littlejay"] there are not that many people that jayden feels so comfortable around, but Asriel Pryde is one of them. having grown up with him in kanto rocket, but also seeing him as a close rival, often played into that.

[break][break] the memories could filter in like an old video camera, the amount of times that they had shared a bowl of ramen like this.

[break][break] "it's good."

[break][break] his head tilts.

[break][break] "different, i suppose, from when we were kids."

[break][break] another pause.

[break][break] "i heard about your father."

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] + mission: pearls before swine

☉

Tossing the ramen inside the boiling water - it wouldn't take long for the noodles to be boiled. Asriel swiftly adds in other ingredients cracking open two eggs and the pork. He covers the pot with a lid to allow the noodles to simmer so it would taste even better.

Asriel nods his head as he tries to understand the position Jayden now found himself in. Personally he could never imagine being in his shoes, nor his fathers.

Within minutes the ramen is finished. Asriel places it in the middle so that the both of them can easily eat it together. He then slides Jayden a bowl for him to use.

His expression slightly twists with the mention of his father - clearly caught off guard.

"What exactly did you hear?" Asriel asks while passing Jayden a set of metal chopsticks. His face didn't display any curiosity but his eyes betrayed him.

Asriel wasn't always aware of what his father had been up to.

jayden cross

---

mission

[attr="class","littlejay"] he takes the chopsticks from his best friend with ease, and the bowl as well. when he removes the cover from the pot, steam rises to the surface.

[break][break] his stomach rumbles.

[break][break] "he's going back to kanto soon. for the moment, anyway."

[break][break] he slurps up the noodles, doing so with care.

[break][break] "will you miss him?"

[attr="class","ooc"] + mission: pearls before swine

☉

Asriel eats without care, he almost seemed disinterested in the conversation.

"Kanto huh.." The name stirs up forgotten memories but Asriel is quick to wash them away again as he takes a sip of water. The next question Jayden asks was quite surprising and Asriel chokes on his water since it came out of nowhere. He coughs but smoothly regains composure.

"No." He gives the single word response sternly. He gives Jayden a cold glare before drinking the spicy ramen broth. However Asriel feels that his reaction was a little dramatic and with a sigh he decides to continue the conversation since there wasn't anything to talk about otherwise.

"Do you know what for?" Asriel figured it was a simple visit to his mother. However he figured that Jayden would know more given his position.

jayden cross

---

mission

[attr="class","littlejay"] "you okay?"

[break][break] when his best friend coughs, jayden waits patiently for the fit to be over.

[break][break] the cold glare that asriel gives him is met with a blank stare of his own. even though he knows that the two both shared a strangely complicated relationship with their parents, it always seemed like to him that asriel has a more straight-forward approach. he resented his father, for reasons unknown, while jayden often spent much of his internal monologue grappling with it.

[break][break] "i imagine he was sent to our science division there, maybe to share some of the insight we've learned here." but it was hard to imagine that kanto needed anything to grow from, as perfect a utopia that it was. even so, jayden had to admit that there were some things particular to hoenn that would never make it to kanto soil without artificial intervention. "and your mother, of course."

[break][break] the rockets spent the next few moments in silent, through a shared comraderie. it makes him miss the old days of kanto, when things were much simpler.

[break][break] after a moment, he says:

[break][break] "i'm glad you're not going back."

[attr="class","ooc"] + mission: pearls before swine

☉