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absinthe adjusts the curves of the mask clinging to lower half of her face as she braves the glare of the midday sun. her gaze sweeps over the fields, cold and calculating, as if she is mentally cataloging each element of the landscape for some unknown, future purpose. the rhythmic thrum of the psychic pulse, faint yet insistent, is impossible to ignore.[break][break]

"yes," answers absinthe in a low, cold tone. "usually rocket does it for me nowadays. sometimes i need more than they are able to provide."[break][break]

absinthe's nose wrinkles. she would rather be in the lab right now. the chemist evidently isn't used to the sun, given the deathly pallor of her skin.[break][break]

the psychic energy in the air grows thicker, pressing down like a weight. "yes, i feel it," absinthe continues, her voice now almost a whisper, as if speaking louder might shatter the delicate balance of power in the clearing. "they're close. stay focused. i want those pearls by sundown."[break][break]

palming the pokeballs hanging on her waist, absinthe slowly creeps forward. where there is a mindnumbing effect, there are spoink. they need only to follow the trail now.

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Absinthe, or ‘Abby’ as Aisling had mentally begun to dub in her mind, was gracious enough to answer her. She tilted her head to the side at the response. "'More than they are able to provide?'" She was unabashed in her questions. "What are you using them for?"
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Suddenly the mental image of her partner using the pearls to play catch with her pokemon sprung to mind and Aisling bit her lip to stop an immature snicker. Maybe it was the headache that was causing her to lose her mental facilities.
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A brief frown lanced across her face at the order. She didn’t appreciate being told what to do, but at the same time had no desire to take the reins and responsibility.
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"Sure thang boss." She said, continuing to follow pulse of psychic energy.

[break][break]
It wasn’t long until they reached a meadow. The almost cartoonish sound of springing permeated through the air and there was the telltale pink glimmer of pearls. There were more Spoink than Grumpig, and they milled around the field.
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Aisling quirked an eyebrow, her Flareon pokeball in hand, and looked over to Abby, waiting for the other to make the first move.

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absinthe's eyes flash as she glances at aisling. "drugs," she murmurs. "the pearls, when ground finely, act as stabilizers for some chemical reactions. invaluable, really."[break][break]

with some time spent wandering ahead, following the trail of psychic energy, a meadow opens up before the fiends with a sea of spoink bouncing therein, oblivious to the fate that awaits them. absinthe's hand trails down to her coat and then beneath it, where her grip tightens on an unseen object, and she lowers down into a crouch. if the spoink are startled, it will be harder to catch them to take their pearls from them. absinthe has found more success in going slowly.[break][break]

"spoink are curious creatures," absinthe says in a tone hardly above a whisper. "always in search of a bigger pearl. they'll drop everything to find one. they just don't have a great idea of which ones are authentic, and which aren't."[break][break]

absinthe suddenly reveals a large, round ball of aluminum foil from her coat. without warning, she throws it into the meadow. as if on cue, a nearby spoink turns towards it and bounces over. it seems happy, evident only by how much higher it now bounces. absinthe sends aisling a sharp look.[break][break]

"now you can try to take the pearl without startling it."

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Aisling was momentarily startled by how frank Abby was. Drugs? She’d experimented in the past, but that was as a user rather than a dealer. She spared a glance at her partner again. Abby certainly didn’t appear like the type to regularly indulge in drugs. Must be involved in some money-making scheme then.
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When Abby went into a crouch, Aisling let out a disappointed sigh. She was the type to go in guns blazing to get the job over and done with. It seemed her partner in crime preferred to be more subtle. Her explanation made sense though.
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It was amusing when, true to Abby’s predictions, one of the Spoink bounced over, and switched its pink pearl with the aluminium ball. When it bounced away, Aisling scurried over to put up the pearl. It was heavy in her hand and shimmered with a mild iridescence. Even Aisling had to admit that it was rather beautiful.
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"Surprising how easy that was. I’m surprised there aren’t more poachers around doing this." She tossed the pearl in the air and caught it with her other hand. She ended up releasing Ninetales from its pokeball. Couldn’t hurt to have extra help if it was as easy as tossing a ball. The pokemon stared at the Spoink in disinterest and then looked to Aisling.
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"Got any more aluminium?"

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absinthe's voice drips with derision when she responds. "most poachers think with their wallets rather than their heads."[break][break]

regardless, absinthe indeed came prepared. at aisling's question, the chemist pulls her bag around her shoulder to reveal an entire tote filled with aluminum foil spheres. readily, the woman hands a multitude of the tools to her partner in crime, eager to get the pearls she needs and to return to her bar. god knows she would rather be working on her chemicals than duping such lowly creatures, but that is neither here nor there.[break][break]

"spread them out. we should have a field of pearls soon enough."[break][break]

with that, absinthe ventures further out into the meadow, tossing the aluminum spheres into the tall, untamed grass as if she were sowing seeds. venturing closer and closer to a treeline, absinthe eventually comes to peer into the dark underbrush in search of any more spoinks. the chemist narrows her eyes, attempting to cut through the darkness with her gaze, only to catch her attention on a flash of white hidden deep therein. she tilts her head to the side. are those...?[break][break]

the flash of white blinks. they're eyes. a loud snort follows soon after. the underbrush parts to reveal a grumpig, and absinthe stumbles backward. another snort, and it paws its hooves into the soft, loamy earth underfoot. desperate to keep tensions low, absinthe throws an aluminum sphere before the grumpig. it ignores it in favor of advancing on absinthe further.[break][break]

"fuck."

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Stowing the pearl in a large bag, Aisling snorted in response to Absinthe's comment on the intelligence of poachers. She was beginning to like this woman. Something about the blunt no-nonsense attitude that was rather attractive to someone as apathetic as Aisling.
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She took an armful of the aluminium balls and began tossing them into the meadow. Ninetales would then retrieve the dropped pearls as though it was playing fetch. Together. Abby and Aisling forked out in separate directions, making steady progress until Aisling heard Abby swear.
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A Grumpig was advancing upon her companion. Immediately, Aisling retrieved her other pokeball, releasing Flareon as well. The Grumpig was yet to charge, but Aisling was unwilling for it to make the first move. Heaving her bag over her shoulder, Aisling dashed forward, Flareon sprinting forth as well.
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"Scary Face!" She called out, and Flareon leapt between Absinthe and the Grumpig. Its muzzle curled into a vicious snarl, revealing a set of white fangs.
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Grumpig squealed in surprise, but its fear was shortlived as it lowered its head and began charging, aiming to ram its head in a Zen Headbutt.

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just as absinthe takes another step back, a being of orange interposes itself between her and the advancing grumpig. aisling's flareon, absinthe realizes with a start, coming to defend absinthe from the beast.[break][break]

embarassing, really. had absinthe's lower face been left uncovered, there would exist the slightest spot of red. she doesn't see herself as a maiden in need of a saving, nor of aisling as the knight in shining armor. even so, it is nice to know that the other woman has her back. it is a low, simple comfort that absinthe often refuses to recognize.[break][break]

there is no time for musing, of course. the grumpig is on the attack, and absinthe would rather not see the flareon ran into. she reaches into the dark depths of her coat and pulls out her own pokeball, which she tosses. in a flash of bright light, trypsin, her seviper, appears, leering through the darkness at the grumpig's muscular form.[break][break]

absinthe points. "night slash."[break][break]

and trypsin obeys. flashing forward with unimaginable speed, the seviper's tail warps with inky black energy as it strikes out towards the grumpig. flesh connects with flesh, and the grumpig goes reeling back, the zen headbutt abandoned in favor of regaining its bearings. dark purple bruises bloom on the thing's skin, but it yet has some fight left in it. lifting it's head, light begins to gather and scintillate around the black pearls on its head and body. POWER GEM beams towards flareon.

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Absinthe was surprisingly quick to respond. Her Seviper also had that same speed. Aisling watched with hidden awe as the Night Slash hit the Grumpig. She was quickly brought into action as Grumpig clearly was far from giving up.
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"Dodge it!" Aisling called out, though it seemed her command was unnecessary as Flareon leapt out of the way of the Power Gem.
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She then turned to Ninetales who'd abandoned its job of collecting the abandoned Spoink pearls. With a grin, Aisling uttered not a pokemon move, but a different command.
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"Fetch."
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With that, Ninetales pounced upon the Grumpig, sinking its teeth into pig pokemon's black pearls and tearing them free. The Grumpig only squealed in horror, not unexpecting such an shameless invasion of its space.
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They'd still got a job to do after all.

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absinthe watches with a cold, calculating eye as aisling’s ninetales lunges forward, fangs bared. the grumpig lets out a horrified squeal, its attempts to fight back futile against the ferocity of the ninetales’ attack. the dark pearls that once adorned the grumpig’s head and body are now clutched in the fox’s jaws, torn free in a display of raw, brutal efficiency.[break][break]

the grumpig, realizing its defeat, turns and bolts, squealing in terror as it disappears into the underbrush. the meadow falls silent, save for the rhythmic bouncing of the oblivious spoink still scattered around.[break][break]

absinthe steps forward and her seviper returns to her side like a loyal dog, glaring up at her for further orders, but absinthe's eyes are fixed on the spot where the grumpig had stood. a glimmer catches her attention, and she kneels down, picking up one of the black pearls left behind. her gloved fingers brush against it, feeling the warmth still clinging to its surface, the faint trace of blood smearing its iridescent sheen.[break][break]

“brutal,” absinthe murmurs, her voice barely above a whisper as she examines the pearl. she turns it over in her hand, and the corners of her eyes crinkle in malevolent delight. had there not been a mask over her mouth, she might have been seen smiling. “but efficient.”[break][break]

she tucks the pearl into her bag, a small trophy of their work, and then straightens up, her gaze shifting to aisling. “nice work,” she adds, her tone matter-of-fact, but with a hint of grudging respect.

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Aisling could not help but have a cold smile on her face as Ninetales not only successfully wrenched free the small black pearls, but also sent the Grumpig fleeing with its curly tail between its legs. Ninetales snorted with haughty pride as it returned by Aisling's side to deposit the black pearls into the bag of pink ones.
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Aisling grinned upon hearing Absinthe's approval. "I've always preferred a more direct approach." She winked.
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Aisling turned back towards the rest of meadow where many of the Spoink had scattered from the commotion. Only a few remained, still bouncing around oblivious to the fate of one of their compatriots.
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She jingled her bag of pearls. "Between the two of us, are these enough pearls for your purposes?" She suddenly felt rather tired, having done more work today than she had for the past week.

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absinthe watched as aisling’s ninetales added the black pearls to the bag with the pink ones, the sight of the mix triggering a spark of satisfaction deep within her cold heart. the operation had gone more smoothly than she’d expected.[break][break]

absinthe glanced at the remaining spoink, still blissfully unaware of the fate that had befallen one of their own. a fleeting thought crossed her mind—how easily manipulated these creatures were, how simple it was to take what she needed without any real resistance. a tiny smirk, hidden beneath her mask, played on her lips. the weak lived to serve the strong, cole once said. absinthe was beginning to understand these words.[break][break]

hearing aisling’s question, absinthe reached out and took the bag from her hands, feeling its weight. she gave a brief nod, her pale eyes narrowing slightly as she considered the haul.[break][break]

“this will suffice,” she replied, her voice low and measured. “more than enough.”[break][break]

with that, she turned, signaling for her seviper to follow as she began to walk back toward the treeline. “let’s get these pearls back to my lab. i'll pay you in the extras—and a drink on the house.”

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