Cap scoffed at the suggestion that he might have any clue where he was going. "Hell no, he said, picking his way around an icy boulder that, for a moment, he was very sure was a Pokemon. "I didn't get a map or anything, either. But, whatever we're looking for is some important thing, right? Important shit is always down. Depths of a cave, bottom of some vast ruins, whatever. I figure as long as we're going down we're going in the right direction." Genius plan. Absolutely foolproof.[break][break]

He swerved around another boulder, barely giving this one a second look. A mistake. That one was a Pokemon. Just as Cap passed, the Glalie rotated and groaned, yawning. There was a moment of peace before it realized there were trespassers in its cave—just enough time for Cap to whirl on his heel with a yelp. In that same motion (and strangely practiced) he swiped Ra from beneath his coat and physically threw the Pikachu at the threat. Glalie met Ra with a bone-jarring Headbutt, leaving the already-bewildered Pikachu all the more stunned.

[break][break]

+ Shizue Murasaki[break]a brumal bounty

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

How do I know you ain't a copper? Cap had to stifle a laugh. He was fairly sure that was the first time anyone had ever asked him if he was a cop. Still grinning, he said, "I guess, legally, I'd have to tell you if I was." But he knew a joke wasn't going to be enough to satisfy the question. So Cap rolled up his sleeve, showing off a long scar that traveled up the outside of his forearm. "Got this one running from the cops when I was eleven. Jumped wrong over a chain-link fence. Assholes didn't catch me, though. This one—" he tugged up his shirt to expose a circular scar on his midsection "—I got when I was fourteen. I tell people I got shot, but really the taser wound got infected. Actually, this one—" he pulled up a pant leg, balancing on one foot, and flashed another round scar on his calf "—is the bullet wound." There were more, littered across his body in a myriad of ways with a hundred different stories of escape and capture. Most of them blended in with the scars from his work in Kanto and Johto, though. Sometimes it was hard to remember where one ended and another began.[break][break]

"I've been running from the police since I was old enough to stand." His face grew serious, then, his tone dark as he met Virgil's gaze. "I'm no fucking cop."

[break][break]

+ virgil roach

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

He didn't argue with the use of the word "friend" whether it was true or not. While Virgil didn't exactly match Cap's energy one-for-one, the latter still wasn't sure exactly where their relationship landed. To be fair, he tended to internally err on the side of caution when it came to estimating the bonds between himself and another. Especially someone he worked with. Coworkers and bosses held a certain kind of power that Cap wasn't too keen on testing.[break][break]

He held up his hands in mock-defense when Remi waffled. "Fair enough, fair enough. I like the way you think, even if it isn't going to benefit me in the short term. Kitchen fires are always the hardest to put out." And he did prefer his home distinctly unburned. He polished off his glass and tucked it in the bin under the bar before pointing to Remi's drink. "You like that? Some fancy shit. How do you feel about cocktails?"

[break][break]

+ Remi Cassel

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

Cap and Ra had come to a tentative understanding. "Tentative", here, meaning Cap had stopped smacking Ra and so Ra had stopped shocking Cap. Neither was happy with this arrangement as each definitely wanted to continue their harassment of the other. The Rocket moved through the cave system, grumpier now than he had been even at the outset of this little excursion. When he saw a bit of movement out of the corner of his eye, he thought maybe his luck had changed. When he realized it was a Delibird, he was sure his luck had changed.[break][break]

"Looks like it's gift time for ol' Caprice," he grinned, shuffling towards the Pokemon. But he was forgetting that it was now well after the gift-giving season. The Delibird turned, regarded him with a careful eye, then began to rummage around in its tail. Cap rubbed his hands together. Finally, everything was on the up and up. Delibird had a Present for him, all right, and it was going to be the bomb.

[break][break]

+ skip.

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

Cap continued to search Virgil's features as he spoke, looking for any hit of concern or aversion. But he found nothing there. Just the rugged face of a man who, Cap guessed, had seen too much. Still, Cap kept his composure. His expression was loose and comfortable, nothing a passing bar patron might read as disreputable. After all, they were just having a regular old interview.[break][break]

Virgil asked how he could trust Cap, and the man gave a shrug. "Trust is always a leap of faith, even when you think it's guaranteed. It's not like I have references—at least, not any that would appreciate to be named." He grinned. "But you and I do run in the same circles."

[break][break]

+ virgil roach

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

Cap cursed the expense of Moon Stones. If Nemesis or Narcissus had evolved already he'd have a much easier time dealing with the rampant electricity. As it was, at least Juno's Volt Absorb kept her from being bothered and Paris' Lightning Rod ensured that Cap wasn't the one hit by any stray jolts. Which was lucky for him because the electricity was flying everywhere. He'd been smart enough to bring along earplugs but, as the trio wandered through the trashed Power Plant, the thundering boom of the Electivire was enough that he could feel it rumbling in his chest as if a Raikou had been trapped beneath his ribs.[break][break]

It would all be worth it, he told himself. Certainly, if he managed to walk away with one of these Electric Pokemon it'd be worth a pretty penny. And Cap wasn't above swiping some exposed copper wire in the midst of the commotion if he got the chance. What was a little wiring between friends? He was doing a service chasing away these destructive Pokemon, and he deserved to be paid for his efforts.[break][break]

GE8TNIVL

[break][break]

+ ooc notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

"Shizue, huh. Good to meet you." Cap screwed up his face a bit. He hadn't even considered introducing his Pikachu. He patted the pile of Pokemon beneath his jacket and said "This is Ra. Useless lump." The boat slowed and bumped up against the shore of the interior of Shoal Cave. Cap climbed out, glad to have his feet on solid ground again. Once he and Shizue were (more or less) safely on dry land, Cap started down the slightly-less-rocky area that pretended to be a path. The chill was biting, more and more so as they traversed.

[break][break]

+ Shizue Murasaki[break]a brumal bounty

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

He was here. Again. As he stepped off the ferry, Cap couldn't help but grumble. The things he did for Team Rocket. Ra, as was customary by this point, poked his head up out of Cap's jacket, hissed, and snuggled back into the warmth.[break][break]

"Eventually, you're going to evolve and you won't fit in there anymore," Cap growled into his jacket. In response, the Pikachu let out a tiny zap of electricity. Cap winced, thumping the lump of Pokemon beneath his coat with a hand. Zap! "Fuck!" He swatted at the lump again. Zap zap zap![break][break]

Okay, this was going nowhere.

[break][break]

+ ooc notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

"Oh," he scoffed, "For both of us, surely." She sipped the drink like a champ (not that Cap had any doubts about her; she looked like the kind who knew her way around a bourbon, fancy or otherwise). He grinned at her commentary on Virgil. "I'm lucky enough I keep finding folks who do." From childhood onward, he thought.[break][break]

He gave her a cockeyed smile. He hadn't noticed she conveniently forgot to introduce herself. No matter, he wasn't going to push. "They are indeed." Generous was a way of putting it. He couldn't help but think of Remiel's party. Had it been generosity or just showing off? Cap supposed it didn't really matter. He'd gotten some free food and booze out of the deal, and more entertainment than he'd truly wanted. "Hey, next time maybe mention your favorite bar and have them send some of that generosity my way, too," he said with a wink before taking another sip of his drink.

[break][break]

+ Remi Cassel

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

Cap scratched at his chin for a moment, seemingly focused on facing the liquor bottles. Finally, he shrugged a bit and turned to Virgil again.[break][break]

"I'm an information broker. Bars are good sources of information." That was putting it mildly. It was like going straight to the faucet, so to say. Get people just a touch inebriated and they were ready to tell any halfway charismatic stranger about every detail of their lives. A lot of that information wasn't useful, but there were diamonds to be found. And identifying them was the difference between a gossip and a professional. "Plus, I do some acquisition and offloading from time to time," a pause while he searched Virgil's face, "Stealing and smuggling." Moment of truth to find out if his information about Ritual was correct.

[break][break]

+ virgil roach

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

Got a smile, that was always a good sign. "Ah shit, you saw Cocktail? That movie made me want to be a bartender. 'Course, I was already working in bars by the time I saw it. Reignited the passion, let's say." He hazarded a glance around the nearly-empty bar. A little showmanship might get them more customers. But that was a conversation for later.[break][break]

He had a vague hope that Virgil wouldn't look too far into the Murkrow Bar. He'd worked there, it was true, but his employment had ended with a no-call no-show when he left suddenly for Rocket work. Not exactly something he could divulge to his old boss there. So he'd been rightfully fired and barred from working there ever again.[break][break]

Ah, and there was the other work topic, right on time. "Nothing that'd interfere with my duties at the bar," he said. Or, at least, if it did interfere with his work, Virgil was more likely to be sympathetic. He hoped. Cap cast one more glance around the bar to assure they weren't being spied on. In truth, he would've felt more comfortable if it had been livelier; people tended to lose threads of conversation when there were a hundred different things being said. "Actually, my other work would probably be a benefit around here."

[break][break]

+ virgil roach

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky