Makoto, safe to say, could feel some jitters under their skin as they had settled in alongside Zev, to case the joint. Really, they had been reluctant to join in with Rocket with some of the things they'd hear from the gossip of others - and yet, what other option did they have?

They didn't have a roof over their head before now - and they only had themself and their pokemon to watch their back, then. Noone who paid a living wage would hire a homeless individual from a whole other region, especially not one who had never gotten the chance to finish high school. And that's assuming that their past escapades didn't catch up to them in the process of settling down in Hoenn; though they were diligent in hiding their identity during thefts, particularly with the illusions of Tsume and Kuro, they were always a little paranoid that there might be a trail all the same.

Their only reliable option to improve their lot in life, was Rocket. And even if they had their misgivings about joining in with a criminal organisation... At the very least, it seemed as though they'd mainly be asked to do the sort of stuff they've always done. Steal, cheat, lie - all in the name of survival, and this time in the name of Rocket as well.

Much like Zev, Makoto would don dark-colored clothing, with a hood and mask to obscure their hair and face. But over that was the veil of illusions - ones to make them appear and sound as though a different person completely. Hidden in their shadow, Kuro lurked - the ghostly hisuian zorua watching Zev carefully - whilst Tsume stared out towards the sweeping flashlights and dark shapes of guards and pokemon on patrol.

As Zev spoke, Makoto's gaze slid towards him - and though there was that slightest bit of wariness, they still listened closely, giving a nod of acknowledgement. They weren't used to working alongside another human being - and this would be a bit of an adjustment period for them, for sure. But they'd prove themself to him all the same.

"... Were it just me, I'd see two... Maybe three, options." Makoto responded, in visible thought. "My Zoroark and Zorua, they are good with illusions, and... That's what I've mainly relied on, to avoid notice or getting caught. I could see myself blending us in with the patrol, maybe replacing one or two of the guards to hide in plain sight." Not by killing them - that's something that Rocket would likely have to teach Makoto in. At worst, they've only ever injured people in self defense - though the worst injuries inflicted on others were thanks to Tsume, the zoroark having a bit more of a ruthless edge. All to keep them safe.

"I also could use those illusions to camouflage us instead. Sneak past them, look for an opening to invite ourselves into the building." People weren't perfect - there usually was a vulnerability somewhere, be it something like forgetting to close up on the way out, or something more unforseen - like a lock being faulty. With bigger buildings, there were plenty of opportunities for something to exploit - and the duo would only need one to enter.

But finally... "... An approach from above might work, too?" Makoto mused out loud, glancing up towards the roof of the building. Though there were plenty of guards patrolling the yard, they weren't sure if they saw as many - if any - eyes on the skies. "I have a Crobat, who could bring us to the roof - but that's a bit riskier." But with the potential reward to match, if people thought that they didn't need to worry about locking up the upper floors.

But with that, they'd cast a glance back to Zev - briefly opening their mouth, closing it, then opening once more to ask "What do you think?" If they were going to get used to working with someone else, they'd have to get used to having input from others, too.

It seemed that Zev was sold on the disguise route - and at his instruction, Makoto nodded in understanding. Much like how his Cofagrigus would lift him over the fence, Tsume would pick up Makoto - the larger fox jumping over it, before setting them down on their feet once more.

And without need for prompting, Tsume and Kuro would both work together to shape together proper disguises for Zev and Makoto both. Veiling them in illusions, they'd both be made to appear as other people - with the proper uniforms of guards, from Tsume's observations of the patrols.

Tsume would briefly consider his options from here - looking to see if he could reasonably watch from afar, or if he should stay near them. Deciding that staying near Makoto was for the best though, he'd disguise himself as well, to appear as a Persian. Perhaps not a guard's first choice, but a feline pokemon's keen senses would make him appear to be a reliable nighttime lookout (and most importantly, not a fox who could twist perception) all the same.

(Kuro, meanwhile, didn't really need a disguise - just content to remain in Makoto's shadow like the little ghost it was.)

With a quick look-over to make sure that the disguises were as solid as can be, Makoto nodded to Zev - preparing a flashlight of their own to blend in alongside him, as the group made for the house.

Zev Harcourt

Taking in deep breath, Makoto fell into the role of a guard - one who belonged, just like everyone else. They fell in line with Zev, only sparing him the briefest glance before turning their attention to the general area ahead. And when he raised a hand to greet the guards, Makoto would give them a brief wave as well.

Tsume, meanwhile, acted in true Persian style; nose tilted up and tail giving an idle flick, giving off much the same airs as the often aloof and capricious felines he was mimicking.

With the group easily passing by without any undue notice though, they'd make it to a garden - one that Makoto couldn't help but briefly admire. Though they'd never been in a place where they could pursue something like this, the idea of gardening was nonetheless a tempting one.

But, they didn't allow their focus to stray far -- not when they had a job to do. At Zev's gesture, they'd peer towards the arbour and balcony above, before nodding quietly in response to the whisper. They could do this.

Using Tsume as a boost - which may have looked strange to Zev, considering that the illusion was still present - they'd swiftly scale the arbour. Though, they did not hop onto the balcony immediately - instead peering just over it to double-check if there were any windows or glass doors that could be seen through, and if there was anyone else present. Not seeing anyone however, Makoto would glance to the two below, softly calling "Clear."

Tsume would make a couple of quick hops - one up onto the arbour, and then onto the balcony, to join his trainer. He glances back down - keeping an eye out on the surrounding area to watch Makoto's and Zev's backs, as the two waited for him to climb up with them.

Makoto was not the only one who was resourceful with their pokemon, from the looks of things. The thief watched carefully as Zev called his cofagrigus over, and instructed her to unlock the door - ghost-types were quite resourceful, weren't they? And it certainly gave them ideas for things to teach Kuro, once it evolved.

But once unlocked, the door would open into an office - quite the convenient reveal, if Makoto said so themself. One would think that such an important place would be more well-guarded, but well... As they said before - people weren't perfect, and they sometimes liked to neglect the security in higher-up floors.

But now was the question of actually finding the documents. At Zev's instruction, Makoto nodded - moving to the bookshelves and gesturing Tsume over to search with them. The more eyes searching, the faster they'd find the documents - and even Kuro, though it didn't leave Makoto's shadow, would idly peruse what it could see from its hiding spot.

At first, there was nothing of interest on the shelves. Though there certainly were documents stored here, a number of them seemed to be closer to that of records, or otherwise much too old to be what they were looking for. However, when Makoto noticed that there was a certain rhyme to it - namely, that there was some rough idea of chronological order in how things were arranged - it made searching much easier.

"Here." Makoto would finally speak in a similarly hushed voice, as they pulled out a binder and flipped through it. If the confidential stamp at the top of some of the documents within didn't confirm it to be what they were looking for, the fact that they were new unsigned drafts as Zev stated certainly was. They'd pass the binder to him - ready for them to make their escape before anyone noticed the intrusion --

-- But, the sounds of footsteps in what must've been the hallway beyond the office could be heard. And when those footsteps came to a stop before the door, Makoto made a quick gesture towards Tsume - who was already reacting. Though the disguise around himself broke in the process of changing focuses, he'd instead bring up what almost looked like a veil between themselves, and the front of the office.

On the inside of this veil, it was like looking through crystal-clear water - glassy and shimmering. On the outside though - if anyone opened the door into the office - it'd look as though noone was inside, that nothing had been messed with, that everything was secure as it should be.

Makoto - glancing to Zev - gestured for him to be quiet, and to follow, as they slowly backed away towards the door. It might've been an obvious thing - though given how illusions worked sometimes, it could've been easy to assume that Tsume was dampening noise as well. But there was only so much Tsume could focus on at once; not without risking losing the integrity of any illusions he was already maintaining.

Ideally, the person outside the office would simply not open the door, or if they did, notice nothing wrong and walk away. But just in case they needed a quick getaway, Makoto would pull out a pokeball - Nobusuma's - and prepared it. The crobat was quite fast, and would likely be able to carry both of them - albeit not over long distances.

Zev Harcourt

Tensions were high in that moment - Zev quickly gathering as much information as he could, whilst Makoto prepared for a potential getaway. Thief and foxes alike stared down the door - as the silence from outside went on for a few long moments...

... Before the silence was broken by the mystery individual's footsteps, as they - whoever they were - continued onwards down the maybe-hallway. Makoto waited until they couldn't hear anyone outside the office before they'd let out a soft sigh of relief.

Though they'd normally be better about keeping their cool solo, it was somewhat stressful not always knowing what to expect when working with others. Even if Zev was technically the one leading this entire operation, they still had to anticipate how things would go in moments like these.

But, the potential danger had passed - and as Zev passed them the binder, they'd pocket Nobusuma's pokeball so that they could put it back where they found it on the shelves. With that, it really would be as if nobody had been here - even though Rocket now had plenty of information on the documents contained within.

And with that, the two would make their departure - stepping out onto the balcony, and disappearing into the night.

Hopefully, they'd have made a good enough impression on their superiors with this work. There was plenty on the line, if they ran afoul of them in some way, after all. . .