Cillian Quinn

with eager eyes, she soaks up the sight in front of her, listening keenly. the miasma-like fog that rises from his hands was a truly impressive display.

"let the record go to show gavin merlino is currently producing a fog-like miasma from his palms."

she does indeed reach out to touch it, but realizes it feels no different than the air around her. her eyes widen slightly.

"it's properties resemble that of a ghastly's haze, albeit thicker and more defined. furthermore, there is no notable physical feeling associated with touching it, similar to that of the aforementioned ghost-type pokemon."

she looks back up at the underboss.

"would you say your miasma reacts in similar ways to host-controlling parasites? are the creatures you hold under your control aware of it's actions?"

Lulu Flint | MISSION

DISGUISE

with a casual swipe of the other woman's badge, she's in.

a cool breeze pushes past, but she quickly closes the door behind her, removing a specially designed vial containing her arbok's GASTRIC ACID and pouring it on the lock and handle.

no one would be coming through here.

the hallway was decently sized, an L shape that turned to the left. four doors total lined the walls. one of them would likely hold her target. one or two bodies moved behind the frosted glass of the doors, their shadows momentarily visible before moving away.

she'd have to play this just right.

"how close are you?" she whispered into the ear piece, unaware of the test currently underway for her.

Cillian Quinn

natalie smiles, lips pulling back into a grin that shows teeth.

"that's good to hear, mr. merlino." not that she particularly cared. rocket's goals weren't hers. but the illusion of support went a long way.

"please explain, as best you're able, the abilities you've received from your patron."

Cillian Quinn

his pause doesn't go unnoticed. but it does go unmentioned.

"and, what if perhaps lugia's course of actions were contrary to rocket's own goals? do you believe that is a possibility?"

Cillian Quinn

she doesn't stop to write anything, merely picking up from the questions answer.

"your abilities are derived from it's power, correct? would you way you are subservient to lugia? if it ordered you to do something, could it exert it's influence over you to ensure you comply?"

Cillian Quinn

natalie takes the completed form, crossing a leg over one knee. her outfit was made complete by the stark opal white doctor's coat. she speaks into the recording, looking at gavin as she does so.

"gavin merlino. avatar of the legendary pokemon, lugia. beginning report."

natalie places the metal device between them on a sleek metal tray.

"i will now ask you a series of questions or prompts, mr. merlino. answer them as truthfully as you can."

a pause.

she continues.

"please state the nature of your relationship with lugia."

Cillian Quinn

while gavin changes, natalie prepares the other items. when she returns, she hands gavin a clipboard with a typical medical questionnaire. nothing too advanced. she saves that for their one on one.

"set-up for the lumbar," she orders the aides, who move to do so. eager to not be sharing the same room as the underboss. natalie on the other hand, would like nothing more.

she waits a minute, to allow him to finish, then she grabs a stool and moves to sit a few feet away.

there's a click of the voice recorder.

"are you ready mr. merlino?"

Lulu Flint | MISSION

DISGUISE

natalie shrugs, though it's imperceptible to the other woman. at least, she believed it to be. the fate of some kid who got in a little over his head was inconsequential. she was just a little curious is all.

natalie moves a bit further in the alleyway and away from prying eyes as she prepares.

she reaches into her bag and dabs at water with her fingers, running it over her eyes and make-up, smearing it. her hands go up, tossing and disheveling her hair. natalie then reaches down and removes a shoe, tossing it further down the aisle while tearing one of the strings of her top. lastly, she places her hands on the dirty, disgusting ground and rubs some of the grime and asphalt into her skin.

one mugged woman coming right up.

with emmy award winning skills, she rounds the corner, half-limping, half-running- full screaming. "help! oh my god please help me! i was just attacked!"

two men break off from the security detail, running with a fervor she's rarely seen. they push past her and into the alleyway. a woman, older, with crows feet and coffee stained teeth approaches. natalie forces her body to shake. not a difficult task, with the adrenaline coursing through her.

with the sympathy of the crowd on her side, she's ushered past the checkpoint and led further in. worried murmurs linger among the crowd, but her eyes focus on only one thing.

"p-please, the bathroom."

the older woman complies, guiding her by shoulder to the bathroom. she's kind; offering words of encouragement in natalie's ear. she almost feels bad for what happens next.

once they're both inside natalie reaches into her bag, pulling out a small vial that she uncorks. leaning into her role, she tosses her arms around the older woman, sobbing. as she does so, she pours the STUN SPORE down her shirt. the results are nearly instant and the old woman locks up in her grasp.

in the next two minutes natalie is able to successfully drag the woman to a stall, change into a secondary outfit, remove her wig and put on an even larger set of sunglasses.

"oh my gosh the poor thing! she's going to need some time." her words echo as she leaves, a small group of on-lookers standing by. mostly men. always men. like the need to play the hero was instilled in their dna.

finally, natalie moves to a door at the end of the lobby, the older woman's badge in hand.

"i'm on my way now," she says under her breathe, likely barely audible to the other woman.

Cillian Quinn

for a final time, natalie gives a glance over at the window housing the shadow pokemon. she wonders for a moment, biting the inside of her cheek, but follows in the wake of the underboss. her heels once again stand out in the silence of the hall. like before, she knocks ellis's nameplate down as she passes.

she truly excelled at being petty.

should they make it to the lab with no incident, gavin would find a small team waiting for them. they were professionals, chosen to be nothing more than extra hands when natalie required. they reeked of fear. a single bed stood out from the rest. a hospital gown and large plastic bag in waiting.

"we will need you to remove your personal belongings," she says, walking past the man. at one time this was likely his lab. in a fashion, being an underboss still made that correct. but this was her battlefield. and she rarely relinquished command. "they will run through a series of tests themselves, though returned to you just how they were turned over. do you wish for privacy while you change?"

somehow she knew he would be difficult about this.

excellent.

Cillian Quinn

"excellent," natalie responds again, her smile showing teeth. "not having to explain will save us both time."

the chemist matches the legendaries glare with one of indifference. if anything, she seemed amused by it's response. even the god's could be difficult, if they chose.

but, what if she pressed a nerve?

"i understand. i will annotate their reluctance in my report."

she moves to the side as the door clicks open, revealing a path for the underboss to lead, should he wish.

Cillian Quinn

natalie stands silently while gavin confirms what she already knows. she typically wasn't the type of person to relish in her victories. but this one? there was a satisfaction that she just couldn't do away with.

"excellent. i'm glad you've come around, mr. merlino." she made sure to as polite and professional as possible, but not to borderline meek. why? she suspected it would irritate him even further.

gavin didn't know it yet, but the tests had begun the moment she walked through the door.

"we've made preparations downstairs in the lab to run a series of tests. the standard kind. MRI, blood work, spinal fluid. nothing too bad." she contemplated worsening the experience based off his attitude, but decided against it. natalie had undoubtly deserved it. plus, he'd gained points with her for not backing down.

she moves to the door, but stops for a moment, turning her gaze onto the warden behind him. "if you don't mind as well, we'd love a blood sample of your, uh- sponsor."

Lulu Flint | MISSION

DISGUISE

despite not used to following directions, natalie nods. she leaves less than a minute after lulu, moving towards a different route. she was outwardly calm, but couldn't suppress the thrill that threatened to burst from her veins.

natalie rounds a corner herself, finding the aforementioned door lulu mentioned. security camera's monitor the league members that enter and exit freely. she eyes the metal detector and guards stationed nearby, an idea forming.

she listens though, as the instructions come; the descriptions. natalie turns her back to look into a small mirror and 'check her make-up.' emerald hues ensuring she isn't approached.

"and if he's already talked?"

Cillian Quinn

the atmosphere shifts. it's ever so subtle; barely noticeable if you weren't looking.

it wasn't the first time.

her back to gavin, there was a good chance her hungry smile went unnoticed as he rises to her challenge. the entire exchange leading to this moment; the crescendo in a beautiful symphony. natalie turns to face gavin once more, hands folded supplicantly at her abdomen.

"would you like me to stay in the room while you do?" she says, ignoring the threat in his words. she found men liked to posture alot. when a woman did something, she didn't give prior notice.

"i found mr. walsh to be quite charming when we spoke."