Lex doesn’t see how cold she is until Killian’s speechless surprise catches her attention. The tension in her stomach folds over itself, twisting into something different. Regret maybe? Being firm with him is just something she doesn’t do. Lex really isn’t the dominating type. It’s the fear of failure that drove her to such lengths. Even though this isn’t an official Rocket mission, they have instilled in her that failure is not an option.

She’s silent as she turns away, apologetic in the way her shoulder fall after a sigh as they move forward again. Eventually, Smoke finds them, and leads them towards the security office. There’s a drinking fountain across the hall, so Lex moves to stand near that instead of right in front of the door. A hand rises from the shadow with three tiny fingers held up.

“I’ll send Smoke and Gardevoir in to incapacitate the three inside,” The Gardevoir’s pokeball cracks open again. Instead of a flash of light, a dark, heavy mist oozes form the opening and onto the linoleum floor. After the command, the two ghosts slip beneath the door.

Lex watches It patiently. There’s a bit of a ruckus at the initial surprise, but it quickly fades as the security personnel succumb to their Hyponosis. A faint click is heard and the door opens slightly, inviting them in

Killian Decker

Ghosts on ships, that’s never a good omen. She knows that from the stories, but Lex’s poltergeists are her weapon against the superstitious pirates. A tall, strong man stands at the helm, his focus is sharp, gazing straight ahead at the vessel she and Killian had come from.

She’s quiet, as always. There’s no one else up here, thankfully. The rest of the crew must be down below, biding their time until he orders them to attack. A hand reaches out towards the captain from the doorway. It’s a signal for the ghost. Her shadow stretches forward beneath the iron door. Smoke creeps along the floor, encircling the captain in dark mist. It shocks the man. He immediately lets go of the helm, a confused, pinched brow prominent in his features. The Gengar rises before him. A terrifying, contorted MEAN LOOK appears in the wood of the captain’s wheel. He crawls out of it in a series of erratic movements, as if possessed by a demon. The signal to put him to sleep never comes. Instead, it’s a paralyzing fear that keeps him in pace. They need him awake. A flash brings the Gardevoir out as the door creaks open.

The redhead’s figure stands in the entrance with the Shadow Pokemon before her. The satisfied grin that sears itself into her crimson lips is unmistakably amused, “No sudden movements, Captain, or my ghosts may tear you apart,” He doesn’t head her warning. Instead, he attempts to flee for the other door. Lex's hand reaches towards him, the Gardevoir mimics the motion. The pink hue of PSYCHIC grips him.

Killian gets his answer when Lex swipes her hand towards the bow windows. Gardevoir obeys. It’s a deafening crash that shatters the glass as the man’s body tears through it and tumbles onto the ships deck. Lex exits through the new hole she’s made. With the aid of the Gardevoir’s Psychic she safely leaps to the deck, an unfamiliar and dangerous scowl is creased into her lips, “He tried to run,” she growls loud enough for Killian to hear. He’s alive, groaning in pain and rolling onto his back. Still useful. A boot rises to gently rest on his chest where shards of glass dig deeper into sensitive skin. He squirms, “I told you not to move.”

Killian Decker

Labs. Knowledge, Killian’s unabashed weakness. She knew it well. His thirst is often what kept him up and away from her until she enticed him with a suitable distraction. If Lex is honest, she finds herself jealous of his desire for knowledge. Sometimes, it felt like it burned brighter than his desire for her.

Regardless, she recognizes the look. Tension pulls at her stomach. A hand reaches out to firmly grip his wrist. The amber eyes that flash towards him hold a sense of unwavering, cold authority. For as much as this was their heist, this is her world. She wouldn’t let his obsession for secrets blind him to the mission, the objective. Entering would put them at risk of discovery. The badges they wore weren’t even their’s, after all.

“Focus,” it’s a command, sharp and straight forward. The firm grip on his wrist releases before they continue to casually walk down the hall, waiting for Smoke to return.

Killian Decker

Lex meets Roach’s tease with a scowl. She knows she red, she can feel the burn sinking into her fair flesh. It had been a while since Killian Decker had reapplied it across her. She hums behind a wicked grin, she can’t help herself but tease him, “Are you offering to lather me up?” Lex bends over and reaches into the bag nearby. She extracts a bottle of sunscreen, tossing it casually in one hand as if taunting him. Killian would certainly not approve but there’s mild amount of fun in making him jealous. He’s cute when he is.

He’s seems disappointed Aubie won’t be making an appearance. She’d love Aubie to get some more battle experience, but this wasn’t the setting to do that in. Plus, his moveset is more geared towards her needs than that of battling.

Liepard is pleased when the SCRATCH lands, knocking the Cubone on its ass. The dark-type snickers, flicking his tail in delight. It’s a short-lived celebration. The small Cubone is quick to get up, even after the adorable little cry, and rushes towards the feline. Liepard cries out in surprise, but also pain, when the hard skull bashes against his legs.

He shakes it off with a low growl, leaning back into a pouncing position, before lunging forward to close the short distance again. This time, he aims to tackle the Cubone and PLAY ROUGH.

Liepard is hit with Headbutt!
Lieaprd uses PLAYROUGH!

virgil roach

Lex locks eyes, only momentarily, with a passing guard. A small smile and polite nod towards the man doesn’t elicit suspicion. If anything, the act puts him at ease. He doesn’t hesitate to return to his conversation, not even sparing a glance at the badge the rocks against her chest.

It’s after they pass her eyes start to dart around the corridor, quickly reading whatever room titles were available to try and discern any clues as to where they need to go next. It’s then that Killian, in all his expected brilliance, leans close to whisper a plan. She quickly calculates in her head and nods, “Brilliant,” she’d kiss him again if she could, “You heard him, Smoke,”a subtle movement of her hand send the shadow racing across the floor and out of sight. He’d be much faster as locating the room than them.

Meanwhile, the hall seems to be coming to an end. Most of the name plates so far have been offices with the names and titles of their occupants. She takes the next right; another hall stretches before them but with more promise. It seems to have more labs on this level. Perhaps they could get to the fifteenth floor through one of them. Her pace slows, becoming more casual as she waits for the specter to return with directions.

Killian Decker

A frown is accompanied by the light shrug of her shoulders. He has been distracted; she understands. She should have done her due diligence as well and should have known this elevator only went to the ninth floor. It’s nothing they couldn’t work through together, “It’s fine, a little challenge has never stopped us before,” and it wasn’t going to stop them now.

When Killian steps forward, Lex glances back up at the numbers. The feel of his hand on her waist is surprising. She’s malleable to his touch, like always, and turns to face him. The frown returns, but it’s playful. He stole her line, “I love you too,” she manages before he brings their lips together for a quick kiss. It lingers when he pulls away just before the elevator doors open.

Lex pushes the warmth down and back to bring her mind back to the mission. She steps out of the elevator with confidence, turning . . . left. Because, why not? There was no room for hesitation, especially if someone was walking. She has no idea what they’re looking for but hopefully one of them would know when they saw it.

Killian Decker

“Hm, perhaps we didn’t contact the right people,” she agrees. Her arms cross in frustration, fingers tapping rhythmically against the fabric of the lab coat as the numbers tick by slowly. For a high-tech place, their elevator is a piece of shit it seemed.

Nostalgia hits her too. Lex partially turns to look at him with a soft smile, “I miss it too,” she admits, turning her body to follow her gaze. It’s a playful grin that tugs at her lips, “Looks like we’ll just have to find more things to steal,” the number above her head flashes to 6.

Killian Decker

The thief tilts her head slightly at the sight of the Noctowl. Sure, it is out with its trainer, but she wasn’t expecting him to actually use the Noctowl in a battle against her Electrivire. As expected, Fernando’s reputation has preceded him. Despite the obvious advantage Bal has against the Flying-type, she doesn’t expect this to be an easy battle by any means. That’s fine by her, Lex has come to appreciate a challenging fight.

A recognizable and predictable series of commands is spoken by the Gym Leader. The Noctowl obeys, jumping into the fight with a HYPNOSIS.

Balthazar shifts, a low growl rumbling through his throat. Hypnosis is an often-used tool among Lex’s team. The Electrivire would rather not start the battle out sleeping. A thunderous clap sounds across the beach as his large palms slap together. As they separate, a glimmering shield PROTECTS him from the psychic energy that pulses his way.

FERNANDO SILPH

• player/ooc name: BD
• character tags: Alexandra Briarwood & Eva Morales
• dropped characters' tags (if applicable): None
• ic posts for characters: For Lex & For Eva
• any notes/comments: Love you all SO much and thank you for making this such an amazing site <3

A flash of light brings the Gardevoir back, empty handed. Lex is quick to return the pokemon to it’s pokeball. If they needed her again, she’d be ready. For now, Smoke and Inteleon would do just fine.

Lex chooses not to answer Killian’s question. The grin she flashes him should be enough for him to assume. He knows her well enough to not need words. Still, she can’t help herself, “You look cute in a lab coat,” and by cute she means sexy, and by sexy, she means ‘save that for later’.

“I’m glad he’s been so useful,” she smile, eyeing the Inteleon as he disappears from sight. With both pokemon concealed, it’s time to move on. Lex follows Killian out of the room, not bothering to inspect the corridor. She’s meant to know exactly where she’s going, after all. It’s a confident stride and brings her closer to the elevators in question. She remembers the motion she witnessed earlier. With the ID card in hand, she mimics it, and the elevator’s button lights up to signal it’s approach.

They know exactly where they need to go. So when the elevator doors open and the two enter, Lex is surprised when the number of floors ends short. Her hand freezes in place, calculating a series of possibilities. Regardless, they can’t seem out of place (or let anyone in the elevator with them) so she chooses the highest floor and the doors shut “Hm, there must be another elevator somewhere,” she whispers, glancing towards Killian.

Killian Decker

Lex breathes a sigh of relief that matches Killian’s when the scientists slump to the floor. The tension in her shoulders fade and she’s quick to join him in stripping the professionals of their garments and IDs. A command from Killian leeches through as they work. His authority always stimulates more erotic thoughts, but she resists the urge and simply responds with a grin and a wave of the hand to send Gardevoir off to retrieve their belongings.

By the time she’s shrugged on the lab coat, Gardevoir has returned with two belts lined with pokeballs in hand, “Excellent work,” she praises, taking her belt and strapping it on under the lab coat. A few buttons conceals them from sight, “Now, take care of these,” After a moment of consideration and before she gives the official signal she specifies a location, “I think an alley in the Slateport Outskirts will do,” People will probably just think they are drunks passed out half naked in an alley. Plus, they’d be hard pressed to find a phone anywhere around there once they woke up.

Red lips pull into a tight grin, “That’s one word for it,” Excited, but always nervous. It kept her cautious and careful. A flash of light sends Gardevoir away with the two scientists and their belongings. Another flash released Smoke, the Gengar. The ghost is excited. An enthusiastic lap around the room nearly has him bouncing off the walls, “Settle down,” she hisses, gently waving a hand towards her shadow. The Gengar melts into it without resistance.

Killian Decker

Yes, this is very close to what Killian sounds like when he drones on about his latest obsession. Lex listens because she loves him. She would probably sound similar if she had something she could nerd out about, but she isn’t that interesting.

Killian keeps asking them questions, distracting them with their work and expertise. If you really want to keep someone’s attention, get them talking about what they love. It’s enough for Lex, who is continuously scribbling down “notes” to break her concentration on the notepad without them noticing. It’s a quick look around the room. Trained eyes catch the shine of a security camera tucked into a corner. Her hand subtly drops to her side. The thief’s fingers flex in a very specific way and direct the Gardevoir to the camera’s location. Her shadow shifts, and races across the floor and up the wall in a dark blur. A dark hand reaches out and gently plucks one of the wires to short circuit the video.

It’s another, more obvious hand signal that pushes the Gardevoir towards the two scientists. The ghost bleeds form the wall into her physical form. Two hands reach out to grip the humans in psychic energy. The concentrated pressure around their throats causes them to choke in surprise as she turns them around to face her. Crimson eyes flash a deep pink, and HYPNOSIS lulls the scientists to sleep.

“We won’t have long before they notice the camera is broken, gather their things quickly,” She doesn’t need to tell him that but she does anyway as she moves forward towards the female scientist to grab her ID and clothes.

Killian Decker

Blah. Blah. Blah. Note. Note. Note. The boring part of this job has her squirming on the inside, ready to move past this quickly and onto the next level. Patience is often what makes the different between success and failure. Luckily, Lex has a lot of it. Killian asks a question and she immediately follows up with another to keep them talking, “Oh! What an exciting prospect! May we observe the process?” she pauses, tapping the pen to her chin, “It would make quite the intriguing article for our readers, I’m sure – How to Touch the Stars, the Story of a Rocket’s Journey to Space” Corny? Stupid? Yeah, but people would probably eat it up.

Lex notices the subtle nudge, letting the periphery of her vision do the work. She understands what Killian suggests, it’s a logical leap and next step. Perhaps making the professors observe the launch, throwing them into the natural habitat, would be enough of a distraction to acquire the key card without too much suspicion. Ditching them would be the hard part, but nothing a little HYPNOSIS and a rogue closet couldn’t fix. Or she could just swipe it then. Oh the possibilities.

After some deliberation, and probably thanks to her stellar article title, they agree and lead them into the room preparing to launch their next rocket.

Killian Decker