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It's as if Cait's home, sanctuary, safe place, has taken a deep breath. When the sun sinks below the horizon, her Pokemon fall asleep with it.[break][break]

Emma Wolfe has been tailing the woman for weeks, making note of her habits, her routine. She knows what to expect - for the most part. She knows what the woman is capable of, but is also aware of how generous and compassionate she is, and that's the virtue she'll take advantage of.[break][break]

And she waits until Cait is asleep, deep asleep, before embarking on this expedition.[break][break]

But when she descends, she descends with purpose and conviction.[break][break]

She's already taken care of the majority of Cait's Pokemon. There are night-prowlers, of course, Pokemon poised to protect their master if anything was amiss. It was nothing that her own, trickier Pokemon couldn't handle. Delicate green leaves were susceptible to poison and frost. Swallowing them in the dark had come naturally.[break][break]

Whatever remained had been too far from the home base for her to worry about - they were too far away and she would be long gone with Cait in her possession before they had a chance to realize what had happened.[break][break]

In the dark, spiders wait, eyes blinking. Wolves lurk, teeth glinting, eyes glaring, breathing heavy.[break][break]

And Emma presses her against the door to Cait's cabin, horrible sobs wrenching her voice as she pleads. Raw fear, practiced, perfect, is reflected in her voice.[break][break]

"Please, someone help me! They're going to kill me..."

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Emma Wolfe

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Her heart rate is genuine, risen above the normal. There's a prickle of dread at the back of her mind that is real, not fabricated or acted. And it's because she had told her Zoroark to make it look real - to play the illusion against her so there would be no doubt.[break][break]

The door opens and she stumbles in, tears streaming down her face. Her eyes seem glazed over, confused. Like perhaps she isn't seeing what shes should be, seeing the woman behind the door. Instead, she seems horrified and terrified. [break][break]

But it passes as Zoroark lifts the MEAN LOOK on his master, allowing Emma to catch her breath and play along with the second act.[break][break]

Emma blinks back into focus, hands shaking as she hovers by the door, voice trembling worse than she expected it to.[break][break]

"I was - I was out for - for a walk." She swallows, tongue thick. "Something jumped me, it was a monster. It reeked of death or evil, it was terrifying, miss Alfric. Please, please help me. I'm so scared."[break][break]

And she is - courtesy of her Zoroark's uncanny ability.

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Emma Wolfe

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The Zoroark was careful to keep out of sight - at least for now - whenever Cait might glance around. The night was impossibly still, eerie in its silence. It was possible that even Cait's bug-types had stopped their soft hum.[break][break]

Emma comes in when she's invited, eager to put her feet in a sanctuary. It brings her real comfort, knowing that she was safe - even from her own monster in the dark.[break][break]

She listens as all of the locks are replaced, and discreetly looks around for some way to let Zoroark in later. She had an idea, of course, a plan, a strategy. She came prepared for anything - but she was keeping her options open.[break][break]

But she's pulled from her thoughts when Cait's hands rest on her shoulders, stilling the tremble that rattles her to her core. She sucks in a shaky breath, focusing on the woman's words, the curve of her lips, anything but the nightmare she had just run from.[break][break]

"I saw.. I saw fangs in the dark. Mesmerizing red eyes. They cornered me and fed me fear. I could feel it probing my mind, tormenting me, tricking me. And then I got the feeling that I had to run, so I did."[break][break]

Her Kalosian accent is thick, her focus on babbling instead of sounding intelligible. She stumbles over her words, struggles to remember because it had been a blur. But she could recall the beasts wide red eyes, the cackle in the back of her mind, the sinister feeling in her gut.[break][break]

"It chased me here and then it seemed to.. to disappear. But I can still feel it. It's watching me, I can feel it watching me."

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Emma Wolfe

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Emma shudders at the thought of it being a ghost. [break][break]

Fuck ghosts.[break][break]

Thankfully, it isn't a ghost harboring the darkness in her mind, but a werewolf. If only Cait knew what was in store.[break][break]

But she nods along with Cait's comforting words, following her deeper into her abode while the woman helps her get settled, calmed. There's mention of tea - and while Cait disappears to do just that, Emma begins scoping out the room.[break][break]

Her spiders have already infiltrated the area, swathed in darkness and ever careful and sure-footed. Her Galvantula's COMPOUND EYES locate an error in the windows, spindly legs and discreet webs allowing them to pry it open when the time arose. [break][break]

"I appreciate your hospitality, miss Alfric. I apologize for showing up like this."[break][break]

But outside, a crawling layer of POISON GAS and discreetly placed TOXIC inches around the building, securing Emma's plan would work. She wouldn't fail, not now that she had managed to get inside. [break][break]

And, Emma was fully prepared with a pinch of drug - something Rocket-made and fool-proof. Sometimes the head scientists came in handy for delicate missions such as this.[break][break]

Cait's herbalist tastes wouldn't see it coming - at least not until it was too late. Just a pinch added to her drink when she wasn't looking and she would start to feel strange. The reaction was different for everyone, likely, but the result would work in Emma's favor. It would help her be susceptible to Zoroark's influence.[break][break]

It was just a game of patience.

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Emma Wolfe

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"Miss Alfric?"[break][break]

Emma's eyebrows rise as she lowers her own cup, as she watches the poison take effect. It wouldn't kill her - wouldn't even harm her, really. But it would bring fear and unease, cloud her mind of proper judgement, make her limbs weak, her body slow.[break][break]

The woman calls out for Celebi and Emma feels the rise of adrenaline in her veins. Anticipation encourages her every move - if Cait was calling for the mythical Pokemon, it would make her plan easier. Celebi was the one problem in her nearly perfect plan. The Pokemon was unpredictable and virtually unobtainable.[break][break]

For now, anyway.[break][break]

Emma stands when Cait does, setting aside her cup with haste. It teeters, nearly falling to the ground as she reaches forward to catch Cait. She's stumbling, legs wobbly, and she falls back into her seat. She's alarmed and dizzy, and there's a knock on the window as the monsters in the dark come out to play.[break][break]

"What's wrong? What's happening?"[break][break]

The window is open, a breeze is filtering in. And eyes linger in the dark, their malicious glow magnified by the hallucinogenic poison Cait has ingested.

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Emma watches with quiet anticipation - giving Cait the sense that she was lending aid, but only barely. The truth was, she wasn't entirely sure what it was Cait was even seeing. Her acting wasn't even true act, she was in the dark just as much as Cait was. She was just fortunate enough to have control over her mind and body during this entire process.[break][break]

The woman repeats the legendary Pokemon's name, and with it, Emma's confidence swells. It's only a matter of time. The darkness lingering at the window, pressing forward with fangs bared and eyes wild and hungry is encouraged by her fear. He's patient, his breathing heavy.[break][break]

Only when the Celebi appears, frantic, poisoned, afraid, does he strike. [break][break]

Zoroark had relied on his ILLUSION ability to hide and remain undetected. While his physical appearance had not really changed to fit the form of any familiar Pokemon - he had melded into the shadows on the wall, hiding in plain sight. And now, he strikes.[break][break]

The beast falls upon the frightened Celebi, snaring it in his MEAN LOOK that would trap the Pokemon in an illusion. What it would do to Cait was unknown, and frankly, Emma wasn't worried. She needed the legendary Pokemon trapped and alone in order to finish her job. With the mythical God out of her way, she would have full access to stealing Cait away.[break][break]

"It's here, Cait. We have to run."[break][break]

Emma was under the impression the poison in the woman's system would help her be more susceptible to orders, that she would willingly fall into Emma's shadow and follow her command. Regardless of if she attempted to fight, Emma would lead her toward the front door where their escape would be made. [break][break]

From the rooftop, a Noivern would sit perched and waiting, fully prepared to grab and claim the two of them. Zoroark would be able to handle and retrieve the Celebi, locking it in a mind-trap and weakening it enough to hand in separately.

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Emma Wolfe

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Emma's hands are surprisingly gentle as she guides the woman out the door. She's an expert, she's done this before. This is arguably her least messy operation, she's being careful, gentle, articulate.[break][break]

There's an oversight in her planning - a Hypno that had managed to slip past her Pokemon's first advance. Or maybe it had displaced the poison trap she had set. It was no matter.[break][break]

She's oblivious to the threat the Hypno might pose, the connection between it and Cait. But her Pokemon are efficient and on high alert. Her Galvantula means to catch the Hypno off guard with a BUG BUZZ before trapping it in an ELECTROWEB. Whether it solves the problem or lends her enough time to escape with Cait in her possession is not her concern.[break][break]

Her Pokemon would come through, as they always did. They were an extension of herself, her armor, her tools.[break][break]

"We're almost there, miss Alfric."[break][break]

Overhead, a shadow falls over them as a Noivern lowers, talons outstretched. The Pokemon is emitting a supersonic, high-frequency warm up to a BOOMBURST. It's meant to act as a barrier, to keep any Pokemon away from them.[break][break]

Emma looks up, biding her time. Cait's inebriation would make it difficult to get her on the Noivern - but she had time. Noivern would make it work.

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