MARCH UPDATE

POSTED ON Jan 20, 2024 7:54:48 GMT

Grigori approached the office with only slight apprehension. Sure, he’d seen plenty of bossy admins in his many years of employment. The kind that everyone hated at best, that were to be avoided at all costs, and likely held the record for written complaints to Human Resources (not that they cared either). Hell, he even held proof as to what he was going to claim to Elisabeth Fioreli.

But only a fool entered the lion's den both willingly and without hesitation. They died fast, usually without any clue of what occurred. Perhaps a better fate– the heartbeat in the back of his head felt atrocious. He could only imagine how it’d pound in his chest as he stared down the ferocious beast with fangs bared.

But it was important that he do this. Anger Management? Sure, he had failed the course numerous times. More than he could recall. But the last two times he’d been assigned both willing and not, he passed with flying colors. A role model, even.

So, with one deep belly sigh, Grigori the Grunt knocked softly on the wooden door to Ms. Fioreli’s office. After a few moments, he cracked the door open a smidge. Just enough to reach his head through and quickly take stock of the situation.

“Ms. Fioreli,” Grigori said quietly, “I know I did not make an appointment, but is there any chance we could chat for a spell? Shouldn't take more than a few minutes.”

Elisabeth Fiorelli

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POSTED ON Jan 20, 2024 20:43:51 GMT

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Grigori had caught the Rocket underboss in a moment of unfathomable boredom.[break][break]

Unlike THEO BECKETT and Cillian Quinn, who held great expertise in the field of battle, Elisabeth's background made her more equipped at handling internal bureaucratic matters. Much like an Ariados smoothing out the errant strands of spider-silk to ensure a flawless and well-structured web, she pored over endless documents and reports to keep abreast of Rocket's overall operations and personnel.[break][break]

It was a task she had allowed to lapse when overwhelmed by the parasitic influence of Wo-chien. With her head clearer these days, she had a more acute view of how lax she'd become in this duty.[break][break]

Which made any interruption from the tedium a pleasant one.[break][break]

Green eyes flitted up from her papers to him, and Elisabeth leaned back, taking a moment or two to file through a mental Rocket database before plucking out a name from the dross of memory.[break][break]

"Sokolov," she acknowledged, folding her hands across the desk. "What brings you into my office?"[break][break]

Hazy details pieced together quickly, forming an incomplete profile of the man: typical Rocket muscle, chastised for his temper during that one meeting for violent impulses, recently placed under an anger management program. Oh, and previous snail janitor.[break][break]

A vague realization he might not be very fond of her for a combination of those reasons sparked in her mind, but she suppressed it.[break][break]

Being unliked was part of her job.

[attr="class","ooc"] Grigori Sokolov[break][break]

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POSTED ON Jan 21, 2024 6:20:21 GMT

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This wasn’t a no, at the very least. She even remembered Grigori’s name. More likely a sign of concern, but it did not stop him from quickly entering and shutting the door quietly behind him. Now, he was fully submerged inside the den of the beast. Perhaps not in looks, but certainly in demeanor.

Reputations were not changed in a single night, after all.

“I hope not to be intruding onto your business, but I will keep it quick regardless,” he said as he slowly approached her desk. It was easy to see the manila folder in his hands, one that was evidently thick.

While not as easy to spot from a distance, said distance closed before long and became impossible to ignore once the cream-colored folder was laid on her desk. Gently, with much consideration for the rest of the paperwork that adorned her desk. Brown eyes met her green ones, his filled with careful determination.

“To keep it short: I was assigned to the Anger Management Program very recently, perhaps even by your hand,” he put his arms behind his back and stood at attention, “but I disagree with the assignment, and ask to be removed from said program effective immediately.”

“Inside that folder will be records of my previous two assignments to the exact same program, as well as the flying colors that followed my ‘graduation’, as one might put it,” he explained.

If Elisabeth were to open and examine the files, what he described would be exactly as written within the first part of it. Nothing but glowing compliments and certification of his control over his anger. It seemed impossible to suspect him of ever being full of anger and rage.

But if she went any further, she’d see a drastically different story. A history of failure.

While said failure ended around three years ago, history did not hide anything. Back twenty-five years, when he had first been assigned, each review held a wide swathe of dismal remarks. From the nicest yet honest truth to the harshest of criticisms perhaps ever seen in the program, an entire spectrum of how he failed to show any restraint made itself shown.

One that was almost impossible to ignore.

“I understand if you need time to review my case,” he said, “or possess any doubts, Ms. Fiorelli. If you have any questions or concerns, I am here to answer them to the best of my ability.”

Elisabeth Fiorelli

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POSTED ON Jan 21, 2024 8:01:13 GMT

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What an intriguing little narrative he'd handed her. She'd always enjoyed a good mystery novel.[break][break]

Elisabeth leaned back in her chair, sifting through the documents at a leisurely pace. Her eyebrows rose faintly the longer she delved into the paper trail, and she glanced up at the tall man, pursing her lips.[break][break]

A faint floral scent wafted from the pink orchid seated on her desk, its sweet aroma filling the brief silence that fell between them.[break][break]

"Restraint is a difficult thing to maintain," she opened, letting the manila folder rest on her desk. "I wonder, Sokolov. Why do you believe you were brought into this program in the first place?"

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POSTED ON Jan 22, 2024 17:18:24 GMT

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A jolt of panic shot through Grigori’s eyes. Fuck. She knew about the incident with Zev Harcourt, didn’t she? That… complicated things tremendously. That, or it involved the meeting in the Cave of Origin. The one where he tackled her. Which made it extremely personal. Both options boaded ill will for his request.

And both had some higher position pissed off at him.

“I believe I was placed in there because of the incident at the last major Team Rocket meeting. The one where that beast arrived from thin air,” Grigori guessed. The safer of the two options; the one that didn’t get him on yet another shit list. If this wasn't it though... “The one where I assaulted you.”

“Which, I must apologize for… and ask you to understand the circumstances,” he added on carefully. The verbal equivalent of walking on eggshells. “Once that feline showed up, an awful aura filled the room. Everyone was affected, including myself.”

“I will not hide behind the excuse it provides, but rather use it to springboard into an opportunity to explain the situation and tie up any loose ends regarding that situation,” he said. He sniffed once, then twice. He stole a long glance at the pink orchid on her desk. An… orchid, if memory served correct.

The grunt’s muscles relaxed all over his body, and his posture suffered ever so slightly for it. At least the lioness knew how to appear approachable at first glance.

Elisabeth Fiorelli

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Lisa Bortiforte

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POSTED ON Jan 23, 2024 3:38:08 GMT

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"Far be it from me to judge Ruinous behavior," she quipped with dark humor, deeply amused despite herself at the shame that accompanied his behavior around Chien-Pao. Hadn't she done far more reckless things under the influence of Wo-chien?[break][break]

Though she supposed blighting the entirety of the Petalburg Woods could be classified as beneficial to Rocket's terrorist image. Regardless, here they were, two impulsive individuals worsened by the influence of two Ruinous Pokemon.[break][break]

"But the papers you hand me detail other incidents and histories," she continued, shuffling the papers neatly to remind herself that this fact was so. "It is the nature of Ruinous Beasts, likewise, to draw upon existing feelings in their vessels. You cannot act on something you do not, in essence, secretly wish to do."[break][break]

Her own anxieties had been manipulated to great effect by her patron, leading her to blindly seeking out one man's assassination based on little more than a haunting resemblance to another.[break][break]

The orchid drooped ever so slightly at that recollection, its shift barely perceptible and seemingly coincidental.[break][break]

"So I will ask you again, Sokolov. Why are you here? What weakness in you," she clarified, an eyebrow raised, "did Chien-Pao prey upon?"

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POSTED ON Jan 24, 2024 17:39:25 GMT

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And there was her attack: A pounce. A single, effortless strike that let the lioness sink her teeth into Grigori’s neck. Like he asked for it himself, he walked right into the worst possible situation of this conversation. One he knew could potentially happen, but no way to predict.

Underboss Elisabeth was a rightful bi– unpleasant woman.

How the hell did he navigate his way out of her grasp without lying? A near-impossible feat. But the clock ticked, and the orchid watched with bated breath.

“I do not disagree with your assessment of secret desires. But, I would argue that subconscious desires drive us to action more often than we would believe,” he said. Fluff that didn’t answer either of her questions immediately, but let him segway.

“I would say the Chien-Pao acted upon this subconscious desire, rather than any active but secretly kept passion of mine. And if I had to guess upon what the basis of that subconscious desire was…”

Oh, there was a potential out after all. Not a very good one. In all honesty, there was still a non-zero chance that she ordered a secret hit on the man right after or during this impromptu meeting. But the alternative was the silence that damned him, or an outright confession… which did the same thing.

“I will apologize in advance. Ms. Fiorelli, your conduct when around that snail was quite abhorrent. Many grunts complained about your demeanor and were very much unhappy with the situation overall,” he adopted his rigid stance right away, as if to brace himself against the storm. “And all I’ll say is that I did not disagree with them at the time.”

All of this was perfectly true, if damning. For Arceus’ sake, she locked him with howard slayte and Shred inside the private Rocket baths with the damn thing. Downright disastrous, and at least one of them should’ve perished inside there. But Howard is a lucky kind of guy, Shred is constantly ingesting arguably more lethal poisons on a daily basis.

Elisabeth Fiorelli

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Lisa Bortiforte

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POSTED ON Jan 24, 2024 23:45:00 GMT

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Elisabeth rested her chin on her hand, peering across the desk at him. Her green eyes regarded him with an intensity that would be disconcerting even if the two weren't a supervisor and employee.[break][break]

"You speak a great deal for a man who fails to answer a simple question," she noted, seemingly unfazed by his accusations of her demeanor. People had said worse things of her, and likely would continue to do so.[break][break]

That he found her unpleasant around her patron was, well, to be expected. That he had feelings about it was not really her concern.[break][break]

"I am inquiring as to the nature of your affliction," she continued patiently, as if explaining something complicated to a small child. "In other words, the reason behind your desire for violence, subconscious though it may be."[break][break]

She clicked her tongue expectantly.[break][break]

"Or are you going to deflect again? I can be patient, Sokolov, but even I have my limits for incompetence."

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POSTED ON Jan 25, 2024 5:32:49 GMT

Grigori raised an eyebrow. “But… apologies, Ms. Fiorelli.”

Looked like he either overestimated her abilities, or his words had left something to be desired. It wasn’t like there was some deep, dark hidden meaning in his words. No secret phrases to summon a hit squad to sink their submarine, nor rescue him from the mouth of the lioness.

“Then I’ll be a little more clear: a problem with authority.”

“To cut the chaff, I’ve had… problems with those above me in one way or another. Ones that I’ve struggled with it for a long time, as you’ve noticed in my incredibly long history report,” he bobbed his head toward the wayward file, now as much a spectator as the orchid, “and it’ll corroborate what I’ve said.”

"And one I've since rectified. If you double check my latest completion of the program, you'll find it is around the date of that meeting in the Cave of Origin," he said.

There was no way in hell he got off the hook after this. He could already hear the ‘I don't care’ in his mind. The formation of the phrase behind her eyes, prepared to come out into the open air. This had been an sudden meeting, yet she's been in control the entire time. Even worse, it was in front of such a lovely flower.

Lovely as a flower in the possession of such a vile woman could be.

Elisabeth Fiorelli

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POSTED ON Jan 26, 2024 2:01:24 GMT

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"Ah." A small chuckle escaped her lips, dark with its own amusement. "So that's why you tackled me, then. Given my 'abhorrent' reputation with the grunts."[break][break]

Colorful word, that.[break][break]

She arose from her seat with an almost feline stretch, the flower on her desk strangely shivering slightly with the movement. Cocking her head at him curiously, she crossed her arms, seemingly at ease despite the obvious disparity in their heights.[break][break]

"So has that been remedied, then?" she asked, stepping closer. "Your issue with authority, that is."[break][break]

There was a provocative nature to her smile, like a Persian toying with a Rattatta before pouncing.

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POSTED ON Jan 26, 2024 2:21:02 GMT

Somehow, some way, Elisabeth continued to surprise him. The tone in her voice, her word choice, her cadance. The way she stood a few inches shorter, yet towered over the grunt. There was clear-as-day writing on the wall, and yet Grigori still managed to miss it from behind all the flowers.

Not that he had been terribly far off the mark– but in a way that caused him to clench his hands from behind his back.

“If I may be as bold as to make an assumption,” he stood in the most proper salute the woman had ever seen in her entire life, eyes now focused on the back wall instead of her, “you would like me to prove it for you?”

Elisabeth Fiorelli

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POSTED ON Jan 26, 2024 3:30:47 GMT

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"What an intriguing notion. Yes, that sounds like it would be quite entertaining."[break][break]

The salute was examined and admired for its effortless precision, though her eyes lingered a little longer on his eyes and how they refused to fully meet her own.[break][break]

Her fingers tapped against her crossed arms, a quiet metronome to the ticking of her thoughts.[break][break]

"And how would you prove such a thing, Sokolov?"

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POSTED ON Jan 26, 2024 3:35:23 GMT

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"I follow your orders, Ms. Fiorelli."

Absolute control, within the palm of her hand.
Hook.
Line.
Sinker.

Elisabeth Fiorelli

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Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

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Bioterrorist

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5'9" / 175.26 cm height

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POSTED ON Jan 26, 2024 3:43:48 GMT

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"Well, then. Let's make this interesting."[break][break]

She smoothly pushed away from where she'd leaned against her desk, making her way to the cabinet at the back of her room. Back exposed to him without a care for the danger of the man behind her, she filched out two glasses and a bottle of wine before she returned to him. Without ceremony, she poured two cups of the dark liquid, then took a small vial from her sleeves.[break][break]

"Are you familiar with Nihilego poison?" she asked him conversationally, dipping the curious ingredient into one of the cups so that the liquid instantly curdled. "Nasty thing. Makes you hallucinate, exaggerates all your stress responses, and forces you into the most paranoid version of yourself. People go mad in the Ultra Deep Sea when swarmed by the things."[break][break]

So saying, she handed him the diluted glass, a mocking smile on her lips.[break][break]

"My order, Sokolov: drink."[break][break]

She clinked her drink against his, waiting for his answer.

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