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Victory Runs in My Veins

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POSTED ON May 23, 2024 3:08:00 GMT

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brave men rejoice in adversity, just as good soldiers triumph in war.

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This monster’s handiwork had left its mark across Johto. Soldiers were found choked to death on their blood with wide, red-rimmed eyes. An almost disturbing lack of care for life as the battlefield turned into some sick bastard’s testing grounds. A hint had brought her squad here—an abandoned farmstead north of Goldenrod.
[break][break]
A few orders were dispatched as the strike team closed in. They approached in a determined, companionable silence. The officer gestured them ahead—two to each of the outbuildings. Five to the main house. That left her and Minerva to take an old shed on their own. Lydia approached it with a set jaw. A gas mask across her nose aimed to filter out the worst of the poisons.
[break][break]

“Arceus protect us.” These are the last words Lydia says as she kicks the door open. Her gun resists in extended arms. An echo of her own break-in follows as the Lycanroc bursts through a window. “Put your hands up!” The officer challenges the open room with a barrel and a bellow.

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Shizue Murasaki

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Shizu, Theo

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POSTED ON May 23, 2024 15:12:02 GMT

Shizue slowly and without much urgency raised her head, looking at the rude intruder. Then, she put the cup of tea down onto the set again, carefully, not truly disturbing the tea’s surface – unlike this temporary home that was being disturbed all the same. She could hear that, especially when the guards Rocket had given her engaged others outside. Yet, she had remained here, committed to the tea ceremony she was having anyway.

Not like she was much use in a fight. Might as well keep on her finest kimono and drink the tea she enjoyed. “Good afternoon. I hope you do not mind if I keep them down instead. I would not want to spill any tea.” Her tone is reserved, but also polite and friendly enough. It very much sounded like someone that was accustomed to deal with bothersome people.

And that was what this lady was. Disrupting her nice break from research by just barging in, even bringing a Pokemon. Though the gas mask was relatively smart. There were lesser toxins everywhere here. Shizue was taking the antidotes regularly, some of them even being included in this very tea. It was a simple set of security measures, but also a decent one.

Plus, while she did not know a whole lot about people, she could tell by these words and voice that she was not in imminent danger. Those that would shoot at her being like this would not warn her, after all. “I take it you want to be disruptive to my research?”

Lydia Magnusson

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POSTED ON Jun 15, 2024 16:42:17 GMT

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brave men rejoice in adversity, just as good soldiers triumph in war.

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The blonde expected many things when she opened the door. They were prepared to face the worst. A beautiful poisoner sipping tea, however? That had not been in her lessons. Especially one who treated a military sting with all the urgency of a doorbell ring. For a moment, the soldier’s arm dropped from its former position.
[break][break]
Confusion rippled across Lydia’s face. But the mask hid it. The retort of the gun is deafening in this small space. What once was a pot of tea is now a mess of steamed leaves and shattered pottery. “I will not ask again.” A Kalosian accent spilled past the gas mask. At her side, the Lycanroc growled. Stones began to whirl around Minerva’s neck as the wolf peered suspiciously at the underside of Shizue’s table.
[break][break]

The woman’s next remark earns a narrowing of blue eyes. “Non.” The Kalosian started. “I am not disrupting your research.” That was far too nice of a word. That implied this monster would get to pick it up later. As if it was a guitar that had been collecting dust in a closet and not a deadly poison that had injured 23 of their men.

[break][break]

“ I am ending it, you monzter.” From her belt, she pulls out a pair of cuffs. These gleam in the flickering ceremonial candles.

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Shizue Murasaki

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? | N/A | QUARK DRIVE | DISABLE, SPIRIT BREAK,PSYCHO CUT, LEAF BLADE, MOON BLAST, WIDE GUARD

Gatien | Quark Drive | Tachyon Cutter, Smart Strike, Electric Terrain, Volt Switch, Future Sight, Volt Switch

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Shizu, Theo

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POSTED ON Jun 29, 2024 23:54:33 GMT

“You never asked anything to begin with. Especially not any questions worth answering,” she simply replied, shrugging with complete nonchalance. Naturally, Shizue was not someone to get as emotionally invested in things as this woman was. It was always perplexing to see people get so worked up about the little things. Especially when they were in, to them, hostile territory and apparently on their own.

Though she did lament the loss of a cup of tea in such a brutish manner. Honestly, that was all the more curious. “If you are already willing to see me potentially get killed by ceramic shards like this, you could just aim at my head instead. I detest half measures like that. It is frankly just a pathetic excuse.” After all, she didn’t make any such excuses for herself. She considered death an integral part of research. While not actively pursuant, she would never inject the thing next to a test subject and hope to spill some on them.

That would simply be inefficient. “Though I guess I am expecting too much of someone using the term of ‘monster’. Even as it is commonly understood, a ‘monster’ acts out of malice and an inherent desire to hurt. I see that more in you than me, really. I am merely working on my research, not assaulting people.” She added another shrug. “And you are mistaken if you think that you can end research. You can but delay it. Progress is the world’s most potent acid. It erodes all that was before, infecting minds over and over. An idea is something you can never stop. Even if you disrupt mine, someone else progresses it. All I achieved so far, I already shared with like-minded people.” For once, she would look up after finishing her tea. “Though I guess you would be more interested in the antidote. Especially given what may or may not be happening to nearby population as of now.”

Lydia Magnusson

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POSTED ON Jul 5, 2024 3:17:50 GMT

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brave men rejoice in adversity, just as good soldiers triumph in war.

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The soldier’s face contorted with distaste. Behind her mask, blue eyes became irritated slits. “You are right, madame. Excusez.” There’s an undercurrent of irritation to her words. “Will you put your hands behind your back willingly?” There is a noticeable heat to her normally icy tones. “Or do you want me to break them?” At the invitation to shoot her in the head, the squadron leader scoffed.
[break][break]

She went so far as to laugh. It is a cold sound. At her feet, Minerva barks. “I zink zat defeats the point of the warning, non?” You did not bring a dog to heel by smashing its head in. You either earned its respect or claimed your place as its superior.
[break][break]

In this woman’s eyes, Lydia saw nothing. They reminded her of a snake. Devoid of soul and viewing the world through detached, lidless lenses. “I am justified in my retribution.” The talk of innocence drew out another, sharper laugh. “Just because you do not hit does not absolve you of your sins.” She’d watched her compatriots be carted off on stretchers. The blood they’d coughed up had turned sickeningly dark on their faces. “Your work crippled my men."
[break][break]

Lydia’s icy eyes narrow to slits. “Zat is not progress.” She laughs. “And your ideas are not the only ones zat reincarnate.” She shook her head. “Again and again, we will rise to oppose you.” The woman’s next words strike like a lightning bolt. “What?”
[break][break]

Her eyes cast around for a moment. Briefly, she debates taking the research she can see and shoving it in the woman’s face. But there is no guarantee that will produce the desired result. A hand slides down to her belt where she flicks on the radio. It’s silent. “I hope you are lying.” There is a pause. “For your sake.”
[break][break]

A gun lifts to Shizue’s temple.
[break][break]

The radio ominously sputters.

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Shizue Murasaki

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POSTED ON Jul 5, 2024 21:53:22 GMT

Shizue sighed. “I forgot. It is the brutes, not the scions, that volunteer for this kind of work. So uncivilized.” While she said that, she did not really bother to do anything just yet. If she was being forced the choose between something disproportionate and submission, she chose defiance, albeit in her usual, subdued way. The most efficient way was to simply use gentle force and get your way, and was at least trying to force the other in that direction. Ultimately, was not actively struggling or anything. That was simply not her style.

Just like the other’s attempts to guilt her in any way, shape or form mostly fell on deaf ears. “Your men are soldiers. As are you. Did you not sign up to fight and give your life?” Shizue tilted her head slightly, almost as if she was being quizzical, even though the question was mostly just a rhetorical one. “Were they not hit by one of my creations, they would have been hit by another. Or they would have proceeded to kill others. Or break their bones, as you seem so eager to be.” A light shrug followed. “It does not really matter to me, beyond the immediate effect it may or may not have on my work. Regimes rise and fall all the time.”

Saying that, she found herself looking up at the other. Even she was not one that could simply ignore a gesture like that. But she kept her composure, at least. Shizue had learned that much in her years, after all. “Do you hunt for the maker of this gun, too? Or any of the other weapons you use? They might be more painless, at least if used to be that way, but a weapon is a weapon. Only unlike a gun, research in poison usually results in medicine as well. At least I never make any poison without an antidote.” She would simply stare into the other’s eyes without any malice, fear or even anger. The other might show ice or heat, but Shizue continued to be like the tea she brewed, simmering on a comfortable temperature. The implication still lived vividly in her words all the same, though.

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Victory Runs in My Veins

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POSTED ON Aug 22, 2024 21:31:28 GMT

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brave men rejoice in adversity, just as good soldiers triumph in war.

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“Says the poizoner.” The blonde did not give a Rattata’s ass what a terrorist thought of her. This woman might sip tea and play superior, but she was a common criminal. And, perhaps, in some ways, worse.
[break][break]

The woman snorts at Shizue’s next words. She would be glad to die for her country, but that does not mean she would not fight against it. “Zere is a difference between combat and chemical.” A bullet is cruel in its own way, but it is straightforward. It shatters bone and tears muscle. But it does not boil one’s lungs and conjure madness. Her mind then shifts to those she protects. “Your research does not distinguish between civilian and soldier.”
[break][break]

There were innocent Pokemon littering the battlefields between Rocket and her men. Poor children who had stumbled upon a misplaced canister.

[break][break]

The idea that Rocket was a regime is laughable. They are a bunch of starving Rattata with their tails tied together. “And yours will be no different.” At the talk of weapons, the woman shakes her head.

[break][break]

“Enough.” Her words are like a thunder clap. “Zis is not the time for philosophy.” It was the time for action. The soldier moves to pull Shizue’s hands behind her back. For a moment, she debates on stabbing the fiend with one of the many syringes that lines the walls. But that would be no better than what this thing has done.

[break][break]

There were other people that could make her talk. They specialized in ‘persuasion’.

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Shizue Murasaki

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Shizu, Theo

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POSTED ON Sept 5, 2024 15:51:46 GMT

Naturally, she still would not resist the physical assault. For one, she was well aware that she was not suited for it. Anyone that became a soldier and made it this far was naturally gifted enough to be stronger than her, even this woman. She had gotten some training, of course, but it was always pointless to get injured trying to fight someone better and stronger than herself.

And Shizue did not do pointless things. At least not if they costed any effort. Otherwise, she would also not have spoken to this lady, either. After all, it was probably pointless. Yet, talking was something that cost her nothing. “No weapon distinguishes between a soldier or a civilian. Not yet.” She chuckled slightly. “My research though? It one day just might. It should be possible to create designer poisons that are harmless to most and only kill the intended target. Your precious guns will not be able to do that.” It was a project she had started already. Of course, the process of developing it would require a lot of sacrifice that would be antithetical to what this woman wanted.

But ultimately? Shizue would make her obsolete. “In fact, once it is finished, there will be no more need for people like you to fight. Or to die, even. War is horribly inefficient when only a few on the top really need to die. And this is not philosophy, this is practicality. Even though it is probably beyond your understanding.” There was a lot more passion in these words than could usually be found with Shizue. A rare moment, in a way, as she did not share these kinds of things with just about anyone.

Peculiar that this one prompted it. But, in a way, she was asking for it. Most people simply didn’t. “That being said, I do not think I can just go with you right now. Are you truly willing to sacrifice your allies and whoever else might be affected by hoping that you can torture anything out of me in time?”

Lydia Magnusson

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Lyds

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POSTED ON Sept 8, 2024 16:02:47 GMT

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brave men rejoice in adversity, just as good soldiers triumph in war.

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The blonde often presented an icy exterior, not too dissimilar to this rat before her. But this poisoner--a name perfect for a shadowed coward—raised her hackles. Partially because she disliked having her own inscrutability tossed back at her, mostly because the woman’s poison was killing her friends. As Lydia drags the taller woman from her seat, the handcuffs are notched tighter.
[break][break]

Minerva is quick to flank Shizue. Ivory teeth glow in the flickering light of the abandoned farmhouse. The blonde expects a trick. This entire endeavor had been too easy. There do not appear to be any Pokemon lurking in the rafters. “A human can tell the difference.” This is followed by a rough jerk as she moves to lead Shizue outside. “Death is not meant to be impersonal.” Lydia scoffs. “Your idea sounds like a pyramid scheme. Robbing lives now because it may pay off later.”.
[break][break]

The idea of there no longer being a need for soldiers draws a wrinkle from Lydia’s nose. There were some causes worth fighting for—some problems that could only be solved through war. “And who decides which people need to die? Rocket?” Her expression is one of disgust. She has seen the madmen that comprise their ranks. Heard their laughter as they slaughter soldiers with indifference. “I would rather take a chance with ze gun.”
[break][break]

A growl rumbles in the Kalosian’s throat. “I am not ze monster here.” Lydia scoffs. “Zere is no need to torture you.” The very idea that she would violate the rules of war like that rankles her. The handcuffs would at least make fleeing difficult. “But zat does not mean I trust you. I am—ah, what iz ze word—capturing you.” She clicked her tongue as Minerva began ripping through the laboratory in search of anything useful. Scientists typically kept notes.
[break][break]

“It would not do to have you run away before you upheld your end of the bargain.” Besides, there was no evidence that Shizue’s threats held water. Still, as she guides the scientist to a seat beside an empty wall, she lifts her radio to her mouth.

“Tango Squad—” Her voice is incredulous. This rat is bluffing.

Gloved hands turn over a paper on the table before her. Unfortunately, there’s not a cartoonish vial with a skull or the word ANTIDOTE printed on it. She has a degree and passed chemistry, but this is foreign. And ciphers had always given her headaches.

The radio crackles. It falls silent. With a frown, the officer tries again. “Tango. What’s your status?”

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Shizue Murasaki

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POSTED ON Sept 23, 2024 21:59:35 GMT

This was rather uncomfortable. She decidedly did not like it, of course. But she was well aware that this was not exactly something that could be changed. Apparently, some people simply had no self control. It was not something that she could understand. After all, she would have been perfectly fine to talk things over with some tea, even listen to the other’s arguments. Yet, this young lady was apparently too caught up in her own anger to consider reason at all. Which was sad and made it kind of pointless to even respond. “Rocket, the League, someone always decides who dies and does not. Just like your superiors decided to risk your deaths to come here to capture me.” It was as simple as that in her mind. Weapons were weapons. People used weapons. They decided what happened. Not her. She just gave them the option.

Besides, there was one very simple truth that the other probably would not want to believe. “Do you really think your superiors would pass on that option, if it was presented to you? Naturally, they would not want to get their hands dirty with the development of a designer poison like that. Correction, they would not want to get caught doing that. But if they were offered the option to kill Rocket leaders in such an efficient way, they would simply do it.” At least that was her impression so far. People in power were all like that. It was how they came to power. How they preserved it. How they lived it.

All the while, she watched the girl search for something, all while the call she had made to her allies was left unanswered. Naturally, she did absolutely nothing to set off the Pokemon watching her. Shizue was, in general, not someone who made a lot of excess movements to begin with. Always carrying herself with poise and restraint, she was not giving this woman any satisfaction there. Not even when she had to look up at the other from the seat she had been forced onto. “The antidote is here. But without knowing which to use you will likely just worsen their condition. It is now you who decides who dies and what sacrifice is worth it. I am perfectly willing to allow you to save everyone, if terms are agreeable.”

Lydia Magnusson

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POSTED ON Oct 8, 2024 13:51:08 GMT

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brave men rejoice in adversity, just as good soldiers triumph in war.

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The blonde was not impressed by Shizue’s pragmatism. Certainly, many people believed her to be a being of logic and facts. They associated ice with emptiness and a lack of imagination. They neglected to remember the sparkling beauty of a first blizzard or the grin of a child in a snow drift. But Lydia was also a spiritualistic woman. The soldier believed in a higher power and its guiding hand in her life. And often found these laws at odds with her heart.

[break][break]
But she was obedient to her Lord.
[break][break]

Blue eyes narrowed to slits. “Zat is where you are wrong.” Blonde curls toss around her neck as she shakes her head. “I chose to risk my life.” While disobedience could garner court martials, it was not as if her supervisors held a gun to her head. The people with her risked their lives because—ultimately—they chose to. Just like this rat chose to excuse her own actions with degrees of separation. “And it is the soldier who brandishes the weapon.”

[break][break]

She had met those who would supervise. They were typically strategists and glorified office workers. They were not people who cared to risk their lives. And, ultimately, she did not feel comfortable without the human element of war. It was ultimately people like her who would stop evil from propagating. Corruption was best excised from the inside out.
[break][break]

Shizue’s next words draw a shiver. Blue eyes drift toward the ceiling as if seeking divine guidance. “Non.” When she speaks, her voice is a rumbling grown. “I do not.” She feels her nose wrinkle in distaste. She could imagine the fools holding the button in their hand. All the ways they would justify this quick finish to the war. A hundred lives traded for thousands. “But zen they would not be my superior.”
[break][break]

Big words that ring hollow. Would she try to stop the men and women who controlled these dogs of war? Or would she just watch while they threw her another bone?

[break][break]

The silence on the radio is punctuated by a groan. “Mag—nuss—” A few seconds later, someone coughs wetly in the background. “Minerva! Go!” The wolf bows her head before dashing out the door in a blur of rocky shards.

[break][break]

With a snarl, Lydia whirled on Shizue. The look in her eyes if almost feral. Those men are her family. And her icy mask can’t hold the passion back. With a strength that belies her frame, the soldier slams her hands on either side of the scientist. Her chest heaves as her eyes shri[break][break]
nk to pinpricks.

‘We do not negotiate with terrorists.’ That is what she intends to say. The woman has no intention of bowing to this green-haired freak. The sounds of quiet, writhing distress feel almost deafening.

Instead, her response is a reluctant hint: “What do you want?”

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Shizue Murasaki

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Shizu, Theo

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grunt

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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POSTED ON Oct 21, 2024 22:29:37 GMT

Shizue simply nodded. “You chose to risk your life. So did I. I have no delusions, people such as you will always come after people like me.” Briefly, she closed her eyes, relaxing. Unlike the other, she did not gaze skywards in search for guidance or absolution. As always, she looked inside. And from within did well up conviction. Hers was not a path threaded lightly. “You may call it a sunk-cost fallacy. Maybe it is. But I charted my course knowing the sacrifices that would be needed. To stop halfway, for any reason, simply does not sit right with me.” For once, she was meeting the other halfway in terms of ideology, though of course, they were still incompatible one way or another. But still, an understanding did seem to form here.

Especially when the girl realized her situation and apparently started to see reason. Still dispassionately, Shizue watched things play out. This all was, at least to an extent, going just as expected. The enemy had come here wearing gear to counteract gas, but they did not wear full hazmat gear. It was easy enough to set traps that could circumvent basic countermeasures, if they were expected.

Though, of course, she would have preferred not to use them. Despite the blonde’s sentiment, Shizue still insisted on not being a monster, at least in some respects. “I will not waste your time with meaningless drivel, given you find yourself in a hurry now,” Shizue replied, catching those icy gazes with the kind of alert calm one would find in a cornered poison type, debating when to sting if it became absolutely necessary.

It still seemed as if words could sway the pendulum, however. “You must have a spare communication device. I simply wish to walk away. Once I left your immediate range, I will tell you which of these contains the antidote.” This time, it was on her to take a deep breath, steadying herself. Maing that kind of demand obviously would not go well. But it was still the best way to resolve all of this. “I know you do not trust me. But you have listened to me, have you not? I have nothing to gain by killing your friends or going back on my words. Hence, I have no reason to do so. Besides, I do have my own pride. That is why I have been giving you the truth and nothing but so far.”

Lydia Magnusson

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May 12

Goldenrod City

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Victory Runs in My Veins

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POSTED ON Nov 3, 2024 2:40:09 GMT

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brave men rejoice in adversity, just as good soldiers triumph in war.

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The blonde nodded. “Zat is war, non?” Sometimes you were the predator and others you were the prey. Today, she was a cat putting down a plague-ridden mouse. Though she did not intend to bring her master the woman’s corpse. There were questions to be answered after all. And, as far as she knew, dead bodies did not talk. “I zink we are in agreement.” There’s a dark hiss to those words.

[break][break]
It is apparent their gear was not enough to stop what rolled their way. Sapphire eyes dart toward the barn.

[break][break]

Lydia’s limbs quiver in a mixture of worry and rage. If Shizue is a snake, then she is a mongoose with its teeth bared. But this particular serpent is curled around her (figurative) kits. In the face of that, all the concurrent evolution in the world is meaningless. Now, her nails bite into her palms. “How kind of you.” The demon lays out her deal plainly. The soldier’s hand slides to a nearby bag and pulls out a walkie talkie.
[break][break]

“I have met more trustworthy Gengar.” The soldier is quick to correct. “But trust is a two-way street, non?” A click of her tongue brings her loyal hound forward. The Lycanroc stops in front of Shizue. Already, the blonde is moving to help the scientist to her feet. The cuffs remain on. Winning this battle—bringing in this one woman—would not win the war. Besides, what was important was healing the citizens and her soldiers.

[break][break]

She caught this foul wretch once. They could do so again.
[break][break]

Don’t negotiate with terrorists. The words ring hollow in her ears.

The key to Shizue’s bindings are attached to a carabiner on the hound’s bullet proof vest. “Minerva will gize you ze key when you uphold your end of the bargain.”

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Shizue Murasaki

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Shizu, Theo

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POSTED ON Nov 6, 2024 22:54:10 GMT

It was always irksome to negotiate with people in this kind of mindset. Shizue could see it, how this person could barely restrain herself. How she was looking for ways to still get what she wanted out of this. Or maybe it was more struggling to even accept needing to deal in this way. She had heard that adage, too. Though she would never consider herself a terrorist, she was not oblivious enough to think the other would think of her in any other way. That woman had evidently given into her anger already. That much was clear.

Fortunately though, a cool head seemed to prevail. Though it was not in a good enough manner. Shizue was pulled up, some hair falling into her face which she could not brush away. This blonde simply had no manners or class. So, she sighed. “The irony of it all is that I truly have no reason to betray you in this matter. Yet, you only make it harder for both of us out of narrow-mindedness.” For once, she actually complained. Mostly because this was all kind of silly. She had already given her terms. Forsaking them to appease someone who already expected betrayal was simply not going to work.

“As you said, trust is a two-way street. Logically adhere to that. Your path allows you to not need my trust, as you only have to give up anything once you know I uphold it. In the meantime you demand me to trust you to give your dog that order. And not tell it to maul or detain me. Your plan is rejected.” Saying that, she simply finagled the walky talky into her hands, even as they were still behind her back.

“Now, if you will excuse me, I will simply proceed with my original plan. I will radio you when I deem myself to be sufficiently far away.”

Lydia Magnusson

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Lyds

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Goldenrod City

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Victory Runs in My Veins

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