"Ah, on the contrary," Elisabeth said, a secret slyness to her smile, "your recent release served as our accidental introduction to one another. I'm always pleased to meet someone of your rare talents."[break][break]

Recruitment was one of Rocket's most crucial endeavors. Keeping an eye on the local incarcerated population for potential was simply good business sense.[break][break]

And admittedly, Elisabeth had been stalking this particular recruit for some time now. Her eventual joining of the organization had pleased her.[break][break]

"I'm glad the driver was adequate, however. First impressions matter more than they should, as I'm sure you know." Someone who had been starved of comfort as long as Marilyn had would settle for less, but that wasn't the point. Rocket would provide more than safety and reassurance; Rocket could provide a life of luxury and decadence to the right individuals, too. "I only hope this place likewise meets your expectations. Tell me, based on your experience, what would you recommend I order?"[break][break]

The older woman's Sinistea was soon joined by Elisabeth's Shadow Roselia, whose crimson-red petals glimmered brightly as she regarded her mistress with fondness.[break][break]

Whatever Marilyn suggested, Elisabeth would order it when the staff approached to ask for their selection.

[attr="class","ooc"] MARILYN HASEGAWA[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

The teahouse staff reacted promptly, bringing out the fragrant tea the moment the underboss inclined her head in approval. The warmth of the beverage suffused the space between them, and Elisabeth wafted the scent towards her with a hand, breathing in faint notes of citrus.[break][break]

"Ceylon," she echoed approvingly. "An excellent choice, one considered by many to be the finest tea in the world. I should've expected as much from a woman of your reputation."[break][break]

That Elisabeth had become something of a celebrity herself to incarcerated women hadn't crossed her own mind in the slightest. It was still strange to her, being thought of as infamous in an admiring way.[break][break]

"Do you miss it?" she asked, hesitating before she brought the tea to her lips. "The life you lived before, that is, in a place like this one."[break][break]

A hand airily indicated the Johtoian decor, and all the lavishness thereof.

[attr="class","ooc"] MARILYN HASEGAWA[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

"I can understand that, I think." Elisabeth's expression softened despite herself, and she hid her smile into her own tea cup as she listened to the older woman discuss her history. There was something about the tragedy of captivity that resonated with her, the loss of one's own agency and sacrificing one's future all because of one mistake.[break][break]

She'd been imprisoned, too, albeit in a different way. Her sin hadn't been killing a man, but loving him. Killing that love had been what freed her, in the end.[break][break]

Though that was just another shackle she'd chosen, wasn't it?[break][break]

"When I moved to Hoenn," she said, staring into the fragrant brew, "I wanted to start over. Kalos had nothing left for me but heartache. I wanted to seize power for myself, a sense of... agency, I suppose. It is difficult after not being master of yourself for so long, isn't it?"[break][break]

Her dreams hadn't involved serving the upper class with illustrious teas, or even becoming an exceptional poisoner for that matter. They'd been far more mundane: a happily married life, a career in the sciences, a family she'd make time for before losing them to time's inevitable march.[break][break]

"Someone told me once that youth and beauty will always fade, but no one can steal knowledge from you." She appraised Marilyn thoughtfully, perching a chin delicately on her hand. "Tell me. Would running a place like this again be something that you want?"[break][break]

She'd loved her little Petalburg flower shop for lesser reasons.

[attr="class","ooc"] MARILYN HASEGAWA[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

"If that is what you want," Elisabeth said calmly, her tea cup lowering to the table, "then I can provide that for you."[break][break]

A hand slipped into her purse, pulling out a checkbook that she placed beside the warm beverage. An empty cheque looked up at them both, ready to be signed.[break][break]

"Not all on Rocket strike from the frontlines. We have just as essential personnel in the shadows, gathering intelligence and providing safe harbor for our compromised members." A tiny chuckle followed. "And there are more questionable ways for an unwanted individual to die than in a tea parlor, I should think."[break][break]

She'd tucked her custom vials of poison neatly into flower arrangements, tied up with ribbons to hide their nefarious purpose. In many ways, a teahouse was an improvement on that prototype. It provided far more uses than a cottage in the woods, some she imagined Admin Bee's intelligence might think of using. Perhaps even as his civilian persona BARNABY FINCH, she mused silently to herself.[break][break]

"If you worry your reputation will precede you, rest assured that we can handle that. Admin fern delaney is famously gifted at spinning up new identities for those in need of alibis."[break][break]

The Shadow Roselia at her side stretched her arms, red petals drifting with the motion to fall on her mistress's blonde hair. Pale fingers casually flicked them away, unbothered by the interruption.[break][break]

"But if you host your home in Sootopolis, your infamy may even be a draw for the populace here."

[attr="class","ooc"] MARILYN HASEGAWA[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

A little curl to her lip betrayed her entertainment at the mention of MATIAS SILPH, and at the mental image of the older woman in front of her knocking him from the sky. "I'm certain he deserved it. I hear he is a thoroughly unpleasant fellow," she said idly, and neither statement was a lie in the slightest.[break][break]

Imagining MARILYN HASEGAWA in battle admittedly rose Elisabeth's eyebrows somewhat, but she knew better than most not to judge a book by its cover. Hadn't she been unassuming, too, once upon a time?[break][break]

"I would never seek to limit you, Hasegawa. Rocket would be far worse for pigeonholing women like us." It was still a peculiar concern though, Elisabeth thought, and the puzzlement in her expression showed as she listened to the older woman's rambling with endeared amusement. "And as for the establishment we find ourselves in being threatened, that is hardly a concern."[break][break]

Without explanation, she took the cheque and arose from her pillowed seating to engage in brisk discussion at the front reception counter. An intimidating demeanor that had been absent during their shared tea together manifested as she spoke in clear, confident measures, grinning like the Persian that had caught the Chatot upon her return.[break][break]

"As the new owner of this teahouse as of several seconds ago, I would be interested in hiring you to oversee all matters of ownership and overseeing its affairs, with full creative liberties as you desire. Congratulations." The paperwork appeared with a flourish in her hands, the ink newly wet from her signing. "You can make time to settle in, of course, and request any changes that might better suit the locale to your liking."[break][break]

Half of her had anticipated this outcome and begun the negotiating long before their little teatime tête-à-tête began.[break][break]

Besides, it felt liberating to be able to spend so lavishly after a decade of being forced to watch someone else spend what little was left of her own inheritance. It made her financially impulsive, but never enough to truly damage the immense fortune her husband's death had bequeathed upon her.[break][break]

Just enough to indulge in whimsical endeavors, like flower shops and teahouses.

[attr="class","ooc"] MARILYN HASEGAWA[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]