Seraphim was in his full cybernetic, ninja suit as he was with a new recruit. It was strange not being the newest member to Rocket anymore, but he had realized something about one of the newest members of Rocket. They were wholly unprepared to lead a double life which was a necessary skill in not being captured by the League.

"We are in an alleyway, because you stick out more than I do." Came the robotic sounding voice. "And that is saying something. Judging by what you just said, you seem wholly incompetent if you can't even afford to eat." It was an insult from one masked man to another. "I am also aware that you have no prospects outside of Rocket, considering you have no education past the age of thirteen." Which meant that outside of crime there was nothing this guy could do at the moment.

Amor wasn't here to fix his life, that would have to be on him, but there was an important lesson to be learned in putting on a front. In acting like you belonged even when you didn't.

"And that simply won't do, so today I am going to teach you how to blend if you want to learn. To belong even when you don't." With that a Zoroark would appear, and using it's Illusion to hide who he really was, Amor would take his cybernetic suit off, and in front of Kouji would be standing a very pale man, with snake like eyes, and long black hair. Wearing a business suit.

His cybernetic suit seemed to have some autopilot built in it as it simply closed up, and walked off like a sentient machine. It was just being piloted by Jarvis his Porygon-Z in all actuality.

"If you succeed, I'll buy your meals for the next month." Food was a powerful motivator when you were hungry.

Kouji Matsubara

The sickly pale man with long black hair would look at the youth that was on his tail, and quirk a brow. Amor wondered if he had ever been that care free? It was doubtful, someone like him didn't have the luxury to not plan several steps ahead. So as they walked they would talk.

"A boring normal job would be a good start. Did you ever think of the opportunities that exist in such a thing? You could gain valuable intel at a job, leverage the right job to the benefit of the organization. There are many uses for such a thing, if you think about it properly." Was he lecturing this overgrown child? Yes. Was it warranted? Also yes. "To have any kind of success brawn will only get you so far alone. Thinking one dimensional will cause you to fail, or worse, die." Cold eyes would meet the youths as they waded through the crowd, but no one paid them any heed. Soon they were at a little Tea Shop, and Amor got a spot for them.

Sitting down he waited for the waitress to find her way to them, but until then they would keep conversing.

"If we lose this grand war....What are you going to do with no skills? With no back up identity you are left quite literally on your rear end, and found wanting." Reptilian eyes met Kouji's once more as Geddon, the Zoroark, took his place at Amor's side, and just leaned in for head scritches.

"So what I want you to do, is observe the people here, first, and foremost. Tell me what you see, what you hear, what you notice. If you fail, you're going to be surviving on one slice of bread a day for the next several months."

@kouji

Amor listened to Kouji as he spoke, not once did he interrupt him even as he got a little louder. The boy caught himself, and fixed it. It was as impressive as it was disappointing, but that is what they were here to fix.

"That is all well, and good. But why?" It was a simple question posed to the one across from him. "Why did that man gain that wealth? Why does he favor his left leg? Why does she have a change of clothes?" Three questions all posed back to back. Why? Why? Why? To blend in you needed to understand more than just the bare minimum. The last thing Amor wanted was one of the new recruits to be captured by the League. Given this ones personality he figured he would sooner die than betray Rocket, but with all the other traitors recently, it was hard to say.

"Why don't you practice having a conversation. Go ask the old man about his phone. In case you didn't know, it's the latest model. You might learn something interesting." He stated simply as their waitress arrived to take their order for tea. Information was a powerful tool the way Amor saw it.

"If you come back with a good answer, then consider yourself the winner of this little challenge." A charming smile on his sickly visage greeted the waitress who did look off put by his appearance.

"Can I get two Lemon Honey teas please? My young friend here isn't much of a connoisseur of the stuff, so I figure starting him out with that will ease him into it." The waitress smiled back faintly, before scurrying off.


Kouji Matsubara

Kouji came back with three identifying marks for the man, and Amor just sipped his tea easily as he watched Kouji from the rim of his cup. It was a curious thing, that someone didn't see the world like he did, or have an innate thirst for knowledge. Perhaps he had made his group of acquaintances to scholarly, and it had given him the false impression that everyone to some degree wanted to learn more. It was entirely possible that he might have to rethink his strategy when dealing with this youth before him.

"He travels alot? Did you ask where? Why does his daughter worry?" Things to engage the man, and keep him talking, Amor was a bit amused that Kouji didn't see that. Though he was doing his best to not lower the boys morale to much. "These are valuable skills you know? Even if you only ever use them for Rocket, knowing how to bait an opponent with the right information is just as effective of a tactic, as punching them in the face." Amor explained as he grabbed a sweet biscuit from a basket, and took a generous bite of it.

"You just have to get the information first. Take you for example. From my research on you, you only have your dad left. Your childhood home wasn't to hard to track down. If I so desired I could just go burn it down, and murder your father, and you would be all but powerless to stop me." Amor explained casually to him taking another sip of his tea.

"Knowledge is power, and that is the point of today's exercise. Blend in, gain knowledge, and insight of those around you, put those skills to use, and even if Rocket falls, you might still be able to get ahead of the curve." Amor explained to him with a gentle tilt of his head, which probably looked odd with his current disguise.

Kouji Matsubara

Amor met the youths gaze unflinchingly, it was the worlds most interesting game of 'don't blink first', but the real question would be who would lose? So teal met gold evenly, and he tapped his cheek curiously. There was a particular order he wanted to tackle those statements in.

"You have a naive view of the world right now. To simply think that you want to die with Rocket, is a bold statement, when you have no idea what the future holds. Always leave leeway, because someday, something could come along, and change that. Riches, power, love, any of those things are possible for anyone. So don't be stupid boy." Amor internally sighed as he realized that he sort of sounded like his own father right now.

"As for my ideas for outside of Rocket. If the entire organization fell tomorrow, it would not impact me in the slightest. I would still be able to live comfortably, and do what I wanted. So yes." Though he didn't say how, or why that was the case, but he just curled his lips into a serpentine smile.

"If you think all you will have to worry about is yourself....You are very mistaken on how Rocket actually operates." Amor explained to Kouji Matsubara, and took another drink of his tea. "The fact is I know who you are. Which means the League can find that out as well. I would kill your father sure, but they would torture him to get information out of him, and sure you could say that he won't crack. But that won't save him from the invasive nature of a psychic pokemon will it? You don't blend in, which makes you a liability. And in turn that makes him a liability, for everyone in this organization. Mutually assured destruction is Rocket's way. We work together not because we want to, but because we have to." It was a fact.

"And if my real identity ever gets betrayed, you can rest assured. I am prepared to salt the earth to fix it." The smile never left his lips, and he rested his chin in his palms. "So to answer your question about what the trick is. First you have to be personable. A nice smile, a greeting, there are a myriad of ways. Find out if you have common ground with them, and if there is none, build some. Gathering information is no different than a normal conversation. You can have a normal conversation right?" came a quirked brow.

Kouji Matsubara

Sometimes it paid to just listen, you could learn so much about a person by just shutting up. Sadly that wasn't a skill many possessed, but he listened to the youth, and few things caught his attention at the very least.

"Not many people think of the value of Psychic Pokemon. There are even some that can delete, or manipulate memories. It's quite an interesting process honestly." He explained to Kouji Matsubara, but then the boy seemed to be flattering him, and he wasn't sure how to take that. "I wouldn't consider myself smart, I've just had more experience. And this, well it's something." Was Amor truly loyal to Rocket? To the point that he found them useful, and he wasn't willing to besmirch the name of the man who had recruited him. Yes. In every other regard probably much less.

Though that was probably to be expected by most of Rocket, everyone was serving their own self interest, it just happened to lend itself to the main goal. The more power Rocket gained, the more likely you were able to achieve your own goals. So you had some incentive to help out.

"Chances are you, you don't have a lot in common with anyone outside of Rocket. Perhaps we should switch the focus of this excercise into broadening your horizons." He mused as he took another drink of his tea, and he stood up. Tapping his cheek thoughtfully. "I may have approached this wrong." Mulling it over a little more. "I have a better idea, come on." Amor spoke swiftly before leaving the money on the table to pay for their drinks, and walking off. "And don't steal that." He warned Kouji Matsubara sharply before heading towards the townsquare. Maybe his lesson was flawed from the get go.

So they would have to rethink their strategy.

Kouji Matsubara