[attr="class","calebtext"]



Just like old times indeed.[break][break]
"We got snowed in one time, remember? Little dive bar in Saffron, when I first got my police job." Caleb chuckled, then took a sip of his own sazerac. "Unprecedented amount of snow for that part of the region." He shook his head, as if still in disbelief. They'd eventually braved the blizzard, Zev all but dragging Caleb back to his tiny apartment, the younger Harcourt having had one too many strong cocktails as they'd tried to wait out the snow.[break][break]
Umi, Caleb's Umbreon, was curled up against his feet. Like the Lycanroc who faced her, she kept her eyes open, ready to strike should Zev make any wrong moves towards her trainer; for she knew as well as Caleb - despite his current indulgence - that Zev Harcourt was highly dangerous. The two Pokémon complimented one another, shades of blue and black, canine forms graceful and lean - similar but also different.[break][break]
Not unlike the brothers that sat across from one another.[break][break]
"Do you like running a bar?" Caleb asked Zev, then, genuinely curious. Of course, he knew quite well that it wasn't Zev's only job: the work he did for Team Rocket was the reason Howling existed in the first place, as a cover to protect Zev's criminal identity. All the same, Caleb had never expected to find his brother doing something so...mundane. He wondered how many people thought of Zev as some normal, friendly fellow - a staple of their favorite neighborhood drinking spot.[break][break]
Ignorance was bliss, or so the saying went.

[attr="class","calebooc"][break]

BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","zevhtext"]



Zev chuckled at the memory before taking another sip of his drink. "I remember that. It was our favorite little dive bar for a while, until we found another one closer to the apartment."[break][break]

Not long after that snow-in, Caleb's lease on his flat had ended, and the two brothers decided to move in together. Despite the years apart, sharing a home as adults had not been too different to sharing one when they had been children.[break][break]

Some things had changed, of course: Zev had learned how to blend in with normal society, and his new job as a hitman meant he could afford nicer things. Suits, watches, cologne. He'd also done most of the cooking and had improved his skills with every meal. Thinking back on those years had partially given him inspiration for his bar in Hoenn.[break][break]

"It's not a bad business," Zev replied. "It can be stressful, but you meet a lot of different people and learn a lot of interesting things."[break][break]

He leaned back in his seat, the king of his domain.[break][break]

"What about you? Do you actually like being a Ranger?" the elder brother asked, a hint of mocking in his tone as he echoed Caleb's incredulity. The job was a fair departure from the younger man's previous career.

[attr="class","zevhooc"][break]

BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","calebtext"]



Caleb opened his mouth to reply with a resounding affirmative, thinking of the Slateport squad and how close he had grown with them over the past year. But then he closed it, saying nothing, taking a sip of his drink. Zev had not asked if he liked his coworkers, he'd asked if Caleb liked being a Ranger: those two things were not the same at all, in truth.[break][break]
Zev always did have an uncanny knack for picking at Caleb's insecurities. Zev had also often questioned Caleb's choices, scrutinizing them as a teacher might scrutinize an assignment, grading each one on a fairly difficult scale. Caleb could hear the undercurrent of mockery in his brother's tone. He knew that Zev did not think highly of the Rangers, and likely considered Caleb's skillset wasted on them.[break][break]
But Caleb also knew that it bothered Zev that Caleb no longer worked with him, regardless of what he was doing. The Rangers weren't exactly the pushovers an arrogant Rocket beast might think them to be - Zev had fought Tam Fawley to an even draw, after all - which meant that part of his brother's derision likely also came from a place of frustration with their current "arrangement": Caleb's rebellion against Zev's wishes for the two of them to return to the sort of life they used to have together.[break][break]
"Yes and no," Caleb replied truthfully. "I like the people, and the work can matter." He paused, contemplating his next words. "Sometimes, though, it feels as if I'm just a cog in another wheel, doing what some greater authority tells me to do..." He shrugged. "Maybe I'd be happier if I worked for myself, on my own terms."

[attr="class","calebooc"][break]

BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","zevhtext"]



"Maybe I'd be happier if I worked for myself, on my own terms."[break][break]

Zev took the comment in stride, his face a mask of geniality as he smiled at Caleb. Under the surface, however, he scoffed at such a ludicrous idea. Caleb had always needed guidance, even when they were children. He was nothing without a firm hand to point him in a direction and give him a needed push.[break][break]

And so Zev raised his eyebrow. "The last time you were on your own, you were doing hard drugs instead of attending class. I doubt you've been a model citizen these past three years, either. Are you sure working for yourself is a good idea, Caleb?"[break][break]

Layered thick on top of the mocking tone was the sound of genuine brotherly concern. The elder Harcourt watched the younger's facial expression closely from over the rim of his glass.[break][break]

"Or is this one of those… 'new year, new me' resolutions? Are you quitting alcohol after this?"[break][break]

After all, drugs were Caleb's vice. Even if he wasn't snorting lines off tables anymore, he was still drinking.

[attr="class","zevhooc"][break]

BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","calebtext"]



Caleb raised an eyebrow at Zev. What was his brother talking about? But then it occurred to him: Zev couldn't possibly know how much Caleb had changed. He hadn't known Caleb was in Hoenn until a few weeks ago. He couldn't fault Zev's memory, could he? After all, Caleb had been something of a mess in Kanto. Hell, he'd barely scraped by for a year in Hoenn.[break][break]
But the past two years...they'd been different.[break][break]
"Actually, I don't do drugs anymore - haven't in years - and I only drink occasionally now," he explained, glancing at his half-finished drink. The old Caleb - the Caleb that had been seeking a dreamless slumber to escape the nightmares that plagued him - would have been three cocktails deep by now. The new Caleb would maybe order a second - maybe not - throughout the course of the night. He didn't depend on alcohol anymore for relief from his pain. It was still something of a marvel, but he'd come to accept that he was actually starting to heal.[break][break]
"I guess if I have a resolution, it's to..." Caleb paused, searching for the right words. The sudden memory of angelo vestri's roguish grin surfaced in Caleb's mind. "See more of the world." He blurted it out, unexpectedly. Quickly, he tried to justify what he meant. "I spend a lot of time in Slateport...but there's so much out there to explore, you know? Hell, all these distortions and rifts and portals into strange worlds popping up lately..." he shrugged, trying not to come off as too overly eager, worried Zev might think him childish. "Guess I'm just curious."[break][break]

[attr="class","calebooc"][break]

BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","zevhtext"]



"I remember," Zev said about the drugs. "I made you quit them."[break][break]

The change in drinking was new, though. Caleb had always been a heavy drinker, even though Zev had tried teaching him how to slow down. The elder Harcourt's gaze flickered down to the cocktail in the younger's hand, noting that it was only half-finished.[break][break]

"It's good you're taking it easy with the alcohol, too," he said, deciding that his reminders had finally gotten through to Caleb, even though they had spent much of the last three years apart. "You're thirty now. You're an old man like me."[break][break]

He took another sip of his drink as he listened to Caleb talk about resolutions. Zev had never been one for making resolutions himself; he was a man who checked goals off a list instead. He was not like people who dreamed.[break][break]

Caleb, though, had always been a dreamer.[break][break]

"You always were a curious one," Zev conceded, not sharing his thoughts. Then, just as unexpectedly, he said, "I think I'll go to Alola this year."

[attr="class","zevhooc"][break]

BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","calebtext"]



Zev's "resolution" certainly caught Caleb off guard.[break][break]
"Alola?" He asked, incredulous. "Why there of all places? I mean, I hear they have nice beaches and delicious seafood, but..." He narrowed his eyes at Zev, suddenly suspicious. "Wait a minute, does this have something to do with that woman from the masquerade?"[break][break]
Zev had never shown an interest in world travel; granted, neither had Caleb really - not until he'd met Angelo recently. For Caleb, Kanto had been a cage...he hadn't often felt like he had the freedom to travel, even if he had the financial means to. People had needed him and, susceptible to coercion and desperate for purpose, he had never been good at saying "no." But Zev was a creature of habit, devoted to his routines - always a bit of a homebody in Caleb's memory, content to do the jobs assigned to him without much need for variety. Zev hadn't exactly been much of a socialite, either.[break][break]
The fact that Zev had come to Hoenn was an anomoly in and of itself, but there had been a reason for it - one that outweighed whatever inconveniences and irregularities he would have to face. So, to hear that he suddenly wanted to travel to a different region for...vacation? To rest? To enjoy someone else's company? It was strange, to say the least.[break][break]
If it's about her, then he must really like this woman, Caleb marveled.

[attr="class","calebooc"][break]

BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","zevhtext"]



Caleb knew Zev better than anyone, so it came as no surprise that the younger Harcourt immediately and accurately guessed why the elder wanted to travel to Alola of all places. Zev had never expressed interest in traveling before, not in earnest, and he still didn't care for it.[break][break]

But Neffatari Nzingha was Alolan, and she'd mentioned possibly visiting her family in the late spring or summer. Not only that, but her words implied Zev would be accompanying her — whether he liked it or not.[break][break]

Instead of admitting that Caleb was right, Zev merely shrugged. "No reason," he replied, his expression neutral as he downed the rest of his sazerac. Afterward, he set the empty glass down on the table with a satisfying thud.[break][break]

"I should get back to work. We should do this again," Zev said to his brother, a slight smile drawn over his face.[break][break]

Of course, underneath the friendly offer was a promise and a threat. Zev would make sure it happened.

[attr="class","zevhooc"][break]

BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","calebtext"]



Caleb's suspicions did not waver, but he dropped the subject of Zev's "girlfriend" for the time being. Like with Isaac Merlo, Caleb had so many questions for this woman - if she really was involved with his brother - but he'd just have to be patient. Eventually, he'd figure out how to encounter her again. Or, the relationship would turn out like all the rest of Zev's short-lived past trysts, and Caleb would never see or hear about her again.[break][break]
Caleb finished up the rest of his drink, deciding he didn't really feel like having another - not if Zev was going to head back to work. Caleb hesitated slightly at Zev's casual request - we should do this again - wondering just how much "hanging out" would convince Zev that Caleb was ready to go back to Kanto with him.[break][break]
In the end, Zev couldn't force Caleb to go back. So how could spending some time with his brother every month hurt? If anything, he could keep tabs on Zev's - Rocket's - activity better that way.[break][break]
"We should," Caleb agreed, getting up from the table. "I'll be in touch."

[attr="class","calebooc"][break]

BY GUNSMILE