[attr="class","icon"]

She doesn’t expect her first task to come though so soon. She hasn’t tenured a resignation (or been fired,) from the Fortree PD yet. Maybe it’s a test, of sorts?[break][break]

She meets THEO BECKETT in the rolling fog, adrenaline already prickling under her skin.[break][break]

Well, yeah, she read the file. Of course she read the file, so it earns him a nod. But when he speaks again, Blue frowns. It’s not like the file provided much detail, beyond who the athlete is and why they’re important.[break][break]

“What exactly am I beginning?” she asks flatly, before tacking on a hasty, “sir?” to the end of her question.[break][break]

Is it…a simple hunt? Bloodsport? She doesn’t know.

[attr="class","icon"]

the "sir" isn't needed, at least not like it would've been back in kanto. now, it falls on deaf ears.[break][break]

her question earns a simple answer, one said as though it is absolute. no questioning, no disobeying.[break][break]

"find them."[break][break]

his stoutland barks, eager to start as well.

[attr="class","bottom"]blue murtagh[break]
mission![break]

[attr="class","icon"]

“Right.” She supposes that’s as much as she needs for now.[break][break]

Both of the poochyena flanking her are decked in k-9 tactical gear, the two trained as a working pair. She’s had them since before working for the PD, but Bonnie and Clyde have at least assisted her cover.[break][break]

They’re better actors than she is, probably.[break][break]

Red eyes cut to his stoutland, then back to him. Is she meant to outpace it?[break][break]

She doesn’t stop to ask this time, and instead clicks her tongue twice, then turns toward a rockier outcrop higher up the mount.[break][break]

The poochyena are trained to work together, but they surge ahead and split in a V with her at the point. Both utilizing ODOR SLEUTH to track the moving target in question.[break][break]

If they’re moving.

[attr="class","icon"]

he does little to hide the stopwatch he pulls from his pocket. the moment her poochyena surge ahead, he clicks it, starting the timer. it should be no surprise that this assignment serves as a way to assess her skills and to see if there are any gaps that need to be filled.[break][break]

his stoutland barks, running after the smaller dogs.[break][break]

the target is in fact moving, located at least four floors up by now as they attempt to make their way out of the mountain to scale up to the peak for whatever reason. perhaps it's desperation.

[attr="class","bottom"]blue murtagh[break]
mission![break]

[attr="class","icon"]

Blue eyes the stopwatch for a moment. Her stare only flits up to connect with his evenly before she takes off after them. Should he be looking for it, he’ll note the flash of challenge in the red of her irises. Or rather, the acceptance of it.[break][break]

It’s a good thing that she’s in good shape despite her poorer eating habits. It’s something the fighting rings and active work on the police force have kept tip-top for her, whether she wants to admit it or not. So it’s not difficult for her to ascend the levels of the mountain, sight still trained on her poochyena.[break][break]

Bonnie seems to catch a scent and veers off toward the right.[break][break]

She follows, but all that’s found is an abandoned mountain bike. “Good. Track, find.” The canine gives it a good whiff then darts back toward the main path. [break][break]

Maybe they knew someone was coming? Why abandon the bicycle in favor of walking or running, if not for irrational, fear-driven thought?

[attr="class","icon"]

the acceptance of his challenge is curious but it is to be expected. it shows the fighter, someone who had been caged up far too long under the tight hold of espionage and law enforcement.[break][break]

he has an easy time keeping up with her, having trained for most of his life.[break][break]

the abandoned mountain bike is glimpsed over but it's his stoutland who gives it a proper whiff with its ODOR SLEUTH. it follows after the poochyena, identifying the same direction.[break][break]

the question now is: why did they abandon the bike?[break][break]

up ahead, he catches a flash of orange, one he so easily recognizes as:[break][break]

"rangers. two that i see."[break][break]

they appear to be following down the main path as well no doubt looking for the missing athlete.

[attr="class","bottom"]blue murtagh[break]
mission![break]

[attr="class","icon"]

She’s not sure how far back into her past he’s looked. How doing so would reveal a pattern of being not much more than a leashed attack dog, waiting for the chain to drop so that she can ruthlessly lunge forward. Tumbling around in petty crime before she wound up in the rings, commanded by her old handler.[break][break]

Then Rocket and, by proxy, the constraint of law enforcement and the pressure of keeping a poorly constructed cover.[break][break]

Even if meeting CALLISTA MOON again, and then Shinra Moro have caused conflicted, confused thoughts to flicker through her mind from time to time, this feels good.[break][break]

It’s what she’s good at.[break][break]

Her stare moves up to the rangers when Theo points them out. She whistles low and her second poochyena veers toward them as she catches up. Serving as a distraction, the YAWN Clyde levels at one ranger as they peer down at him allows Blue the chance to slink up behind the second, arms locking around their neck in a sleeper hold until they slump in her grip.[break][break]

The first unable to provide assistance, overpowered by the sudden bout of drowsiness. She looks back toward the underboss, then down at the rangers, who could honestly come out of it at any moment.

[attr="class","icon"]

clean, precise, and efficient. he watches her deal with the two rangers with trained ease, earning nothing more than a nod from him after. it is what he has come to expect of her, after all.[break][break]

killing, as he has come to learn, isn't always a necessity as they had been originally taught. he points to a set of tombstones off to the side, then reaches down to start dragging one of them over.[break][break]

"tie them up and move on."

[attr="class","bottom"]blue murtagh[break]
mission![break]

[attr="class","icon"]

“Got it.” She doesn’t have any rope of her own, so she rummages in one of their survival packs until she finds some nylon rope— probably used for scaling rock faces if needed. That’ll work, right?[break][break]

With awkward help from the poochyena, she pulls them together and loops the rope around them. She’s not exactly the best at knots, but if she does so enough times, it’ll provide a suitable enough interference.[break][break]

At the last moment, she kicks their bags of supplies (and probably pokeballs) off the nearest cliff edge and then clicks her tongue to pull Clyde back into the upward run.[break][break]

That time without so much as a cursory glance back at Theo.

[attr="class","icon"]

without casting a glance back at him, she continues, and that fact alone tells him of her confidence.[break][break]

a minute passes before theo catches a glimpse of something. a break in the path that leads to more treacherous territories full of uneven ground and sharp rocks and fallen vines, some of which look trampled over.[break][break]

without thinking about it, he whistles, then gestures down the trail which might explain why they had abandoned their bike in the first place.[break][break]

"down there."

[attr="class","bottom"]blue murtagh[break]
mission![break]

[attr="class","icon"]

Much like a well trained dog, Blue turns in response to the whistle. Halts in place, even, waiting for a redirection in her course. If she weren’t in a zone of fixated concentration, or if she was with someone else, she might’ve been offended by the signal.[break][break]

But years of experience in the kickback of failure to comply with command have worn Blue down into a creature who bends under a superior hand.[break][break]

Theo is her underboss. She does not desire reprimand. It’s as simple as that.[break][break]

Ruby eyes follow his indication, and she doesn’t tarry. The rocks and tangles don’t daunt her, and she approaches the loose gravel before skidding down to the lower, more strenuous path.[break][break]

A whistle (from her this time) draws both poochyena to her heels. One lets out a low bay— a sign that the hunt draws to a potential closing point.

[attr="class","icon"]

eventually, the trail does lead to a bitter end, and it's there that they find the athlete. with a crazed look about them, they turn back and immediately reaches for a pokeball on their belt. they practically slap it open to call out their pinsir.[break][break]

"stay...stay back!"[break][break]

theo, sliding to a halt, takes a moment to observe.[break][break]

"your call."

[attr="class","bottom"]blue murtagh[break]
mission![break]

[attr="class","icon"]

“Got it.” When they finally find their mark, she expects more marching orders. But that is not what she receives.[break][break]

Her head tilts curiously at the underboss, though her expression doesn’t falter in its removed neutrality. Then Blue’s glance moved back to the panicked athlete. With a few sharp whistles, her poochyena are on the pinsir, (maybe) unfairly tag teaming it.[break][break]

One BITES at its feet in an attempt to bring it down. The other charges it, slamming into its middle in a furthered TAKE DOWN.[break][break]

She doesn’t immediately move—interested to see what they do. If they will stay, or abandon their Pokémon in the effort to get away. It’s an important evaluation in her mind on how to proceed. She’s violent and she revels in the fight, but this isn’t a fight.[break][break]

It’s a test. More for her than the athlete she’s eyeing. Without the final command, will she be rudderless and revel in excess force? Or will she be self-sufficient and practiced enough to only do as the job demands?