the smell of acrid smoke follows dominic like a ghost. he knows it's all in his head - for this moment, the warehouse is empty save him, his houndoom, and the crates with capsules containing thousands of pokedollars worth of stolen pokemon.

he hears footsteps and turns, eyes narrowing at the newcomer's smirk. he thinks he knows this type of man and it not so much puts him on edge but it does force a grating sigh from his lungs.

when he speaks, dominic's gaze sweeps him up and down as though appraising him, and then settles on the outstretched hand. he takes it, his grip slightly more forceful than probably needed.

"dominic sinclair, procurer. you know the terms? 50% now and 50% on delivery."

he inclines his head to look at asher's houndoom with the same evaluating glance. "nice."

Asher Graham

dominic catches the way asher's gaze lingers and responds with a quirk of his lips, a razor-sharp half-smile. now this is interesting - and the man has money.

"great. this your first time having a hand in the business? i'll show you to the shipmaster at the docks," dominic says, jerking his head behind him.

"that's who the money goes to. the rest will need to be sent when the shipment reaches johto."

at the eye contact with its counterpart, dominic's houndoom tenses and bares its teeth in a silent snarl. unwilling to deal with a tantrum, dominic recalls it with a flick of the wrist. not like the pokemon would be much help actually carrying the crates.

Asher Graham

Dominic’s role in the exchange is simple; supervise, facilitate, ensure it all goes as intended and Rocket gets its cut. His mere threat is meant to be an implicit threat, but money is exchanged and everyone fulfils their part.

Standing with Asher at the docks, Dominic becomes acutely aware of the fact that dealing with their sponsors, striking deals and the like, had been something he never had a hand in even when he was underboss. In sum, Dominic spoke with violence and lacks his counterpart’s refined tact. He regards him for a moment through half-lidded eyes before speaking.

"Of course," Dominic says slowly, and then he continues as though trying to piece together words from a script. "I hear you’ve been very generous and I’m sure our administration wouldn’t want to lose you."

Asher Graham

"I collect the Pokemon," Dominic says with a thin smile. Whether it be hauling them from their natural habitats through force or breaking them out of a Pokemon Center - that’s closer to his area of expertise, and it shows.

He fixes Asher with a meaningful glance and inclines his head to the side slightly. "And if things get messy…" Dominic trails off, raising a shoulder in a half-shrug.

"I just make sure I- we get what we want. I’m guessing you’re the same."

Asher Graham

somehow, he manages to suppress his surprise.

expression impassive for a long moment, dominic inclines his head backwards, chin jutting forward and eyes narrowed - contemplative. he takes in leivern’s attire, mulls over the ease with which he just parted with money. in truth, he sees an opportunity in a suit.

his gaze flickers back up to make eye contact and the corner of his lips jerks into a ghost of a smile, enough to show the point of his teeth. he can do much worse than bite.

"tell you what," he drawls. "i’m open to hearing more about what you can offer. over drinks. on your tab."

they trace their steps back down the docks and through the warehouses. later, he’ll drink his fill, and later still, he’ll wonder how he got here.

Asher Graham