[attr="class","text"]

Avante Bella was, on its surface, a beautiful place. Fine Kalosian dining in the form of a quiet speakeasy. The interior was dimly lit, the tables adorned with tealights casting shadows across gold tablecloths. The bar was intimate and cozy, and there was soft piano music coming from a lounge area in the back. It was invitation only, reserved for Mauville's finest.[break][break]
The perfect cover for an illegal boxing ring.[break][break]
Though Mei had given Marza her number, the Beast had not contacted her since their last encounter at Walpurgisnacht. This did not deter Mei; the other woman had struck Mei as stubbornly oblivious. That, or she had no idea how to actually ask Mei out. It was likely a little of both.[break][break]
So, naturally, Mei had taken matters into her own hands.[break][break]
"Table for two," Mei said to the hostess, handing over her invitation between two manicured fingers. The hostess scrutinized it with an unreadable expression, then motioned for the two women to follow her. She led them to a table in the center of the dining room, which pleased Mei. They were technically here on assignment, on behalf of a rumor regarding League officers sniffing around the Rocket-run establishment, so it was convenient to have a clear view of the front door, back door, and the other diners.[break][break]
"Sparkling water and a bottle of your house red," Mei told the waitress who promptly approached their table.[break][break]
After the waitress left, Mei gazed across the table at Marza, eyes shining with a sultry mischief. "I bet you'd make a splendid boxer," she mused to her date. It was a date, after all, whether Marza realized or not.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

"Mei," she answered simply, meeting his tender smile with a coy one of her own. "I'm nobody special, though. Just here to entertain." She winked. "You're the interesting one," she insisted.[break][break]
Of course, Mei wasn't just Mei. She was the Rocket assassin SOTERIA, assigned to eliminate the man before her in retaliation for his betrayal. One didn't just walk away from Rocket without consequences. If he was truly as relaxed as he seemed, then he was a fool. A man in his position ought to always be on his guard.[break][break]
Perhaps he was acting, too. If so, it did not worry Mei. She could play that game well: after all, she had bested many paranoid, vigilant men in her time simply because beauty was so often perceived as the same thing as innocence, which had always been to her advantage.[break][break]
"Shall we retire somewhere more private, perhaps?" She asked, touching his arm with light, playful fingertips. Her eyes shone with invitation: the promise of more than just conversation should he accept her offer.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","meitest5tag"]

[attr="class","meitest5ooc"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

The hand on her wrist - a desperate grip, full of longing - caused Mei's heartrate to skyrocket as she was prevented from leaving. She turned to face Marza again, and waited for a half-second for the other woman to pull her back in, kiss her properly. Those dark eyes, like pools of molasses, were hungry with desire - but there was something else, too: a strangled wariness. She doesn't trust me, Mei thought with a pang of displeasure. And could she blame Marza for her apprehension? Mei was a viper as much as a vixen, sent to poison as often as please.[break][break]
They stood there, gazing at each other, with a tension so palpable Mei could almost taste it. Mei wanted so much from this woman - selfish, needy. She didn't deserve it, and yet, she'd take it in a heartbeat if offered.[break][break]
In the end, it was not offered. Marza let her go.[break][break]
"You haven't disappointed me yet," Mei lied, flashing the woman a wry smile. Or was it her own stubborn insistence on letting this happen naturally that had disappointed Mei? Why not simply seduce Marza, wholly and completely, and be done with it? She didn't like what the reluctance implied. Emotions were complicated. Messy. Dangerous.[break][break]
"Let's do this again...properly. Not a chance meeting, but - " Her eyes danced with mischief, but also sincerity. " - a date."[break][break]
She reached into her purse and pulled out a card printed on thick black paper with a matte finish. She dropped it on the bar counter next to Marza's empty glass. One of her business cards, for her escort service. It had her phone number on it. Marza could find her through Rocket, of course...but this emphasized her point. You can contact me for something other than Rocket work, the gesture communicated. Or so she hoped.[break][break]
With that, she walked away, disappearing into the crowd like a pretty whisp of smoke.

MADE BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","text"]

Mei frowned. The land of the dead was not the sort of place that welcomed people like her. How many had she killed over the past several years? First in Kanto, now in Hoenn? She felt as if the very landscape - the mist, the bleak horizon, the eerie river - was harshly judging her sins with every step she took.[break][break]
She resented it. The dead ought to stay dead.[break][break]
"Mei," she said simply, by way of introduction. She recognized two of the men with her as fellow Rockets, but the other was a complete stranger. Not entirely sure of his allegiance, she kept her surname to herself. Not that she used her real name for her assassin work - Soteria was her Rocket codename - but it couldn't hurt to be generally vague.[break][break]
Beside her, Boreas fluttered, mustering a cool breeze merely by flapping his large, frost=tipped wings. The Frosmoth trilled softly, and she cocked her head at him. Looking in the direction he seemed to be facing, Mei noticed something intriguing in the distance.[break][break]
"Can't say I know much about this place, but there's some kind of boat docked by the bank of that river," she pointed, crimson nail polish standing out against the muted color palette of their surroundings. "Perhaps it will take us somewhere more interesting?"

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

Now it was Mei's turn to frown. Marza either could not tell that Mei was flirting with her or she was...ignoring it. Was the other woman really so oblivious? The thought made Mei want to laugh and sigh at the same time. But the other possibility - that Marza was choosing not to respond to what Mei thought were obvious advances...well. That was downright idiotic. Mei knew she was attractive, and she knew Marza agreed.[break][break]
Maybe she finds it hard to believe someone like you would want a woman like her?[break][break]
"You're doing just fine," Mei murmured. Knocking back the rest of her drink, she scooted to the edge of her barstool, far enough over so that she was practically spilling into Marza's lap. Boldly, she leaned up and kissed the other woman on the corner of the mouth; it was far from a friendly peck on the cheek, but not quite the full-on hunger of something passionate and intense. It was suggestive: a promise of more to come, should the other woman desire it. Mei wasn't going to force her. This wasn't one of her deceptions, and Marza wasn't one of her clients.[break][break]
"I have to get back to work now," Mei sighed softly. The man she'd arrived with was probably passed out at a blackjack table or something. Best to find him before the second half of her payment eventually disappeared into a taxi without her. She was reluctant to leave Marza, but she also knew she had given the woman plenty to consider.[break][break]
A part of her wished Marza would grab her, hold her back from slipping away, kiss her back. She gazed up at her fellow Rocket with a needy expression, lingering despite her declaration of departure.[break][break]
Seduction was a dangerous game. On the rare occasion, it ensnared the seducer just as easily as the one she hoped to seduce.

MADE BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","text"]

Mei crept along the dark corridor, passing a supply closet, some sort of break room for employees, and an employee-only bathroom, until she stood in front of the back door leading into the public showroom of the jewelry emporium. Before opening the door, however, she paused, weighing her words.[break][break]
"I am curious about a fiend of yours..." Mei began, trying to keep her tone casual. Frustratingly, the mere thought of Marza Volchitsa made her heart flutter in a stupidly distracting way. "I want to get to know her better. I want to...appeal to her."[break][break]
Pushing open the door, Mei lead Fern into the wide open expanse of the showroom. The normally bright flood lights were shut off, the entire space bathed in shadow. The display cases were obvious, however. One didn't need a great deal of light to appreciate what was contained within them.[break][break]
"She's a stubborn, closed off person...and rather oblivious. So, any advice would be appreciated." She grinned, thinking of Marza's signature scowl. "I'm talking about Marza, of course." In case Fern had not already guessed.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

The man who manifested out of the depths of the cavern was so striking, Mei couldn't help but stare openly at him for a few long seconds, completely forgetting about her surroundings. She drank in his handsome face, perfect hair, and chic demeanor with her bright seafoam gaze, absolutely delighted by her good luck: what had seemed like a failed attempt at some well-earned beach relaxation had instead produced an opportunity to flirt with a gorgeous stranger.[break][break]
Mei swiftly collected the Pokeball within which the wild Vanillite had vanished, then sidled over to the man so that she wouldn't need to yell back across the expanse of the cave's mouth. Amphitrite followed dutifully after her mistress, gliding effortlessly over the rocky ground.[break][break]
"Hey cutie, indeed," the escort smirked, responding to his self-indulgent wit. "I wasn't going to go much further, but if you're looking for some company, I'm all yours." Her tone suggestive, she flashed him a quick wink.[break][break]
A sleepy Beartic lumbered across their path just then, emerging from some cozy corner, likely roused by their voices. Amphitrite, concerned that it might be angry its nap had been disturbed, quickly sent a DAZZLING GLEAM right at it. Mei tossed another Pokeball, just to be sure the bear would stay out of their way.

MADE BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","meitest5tag"]

[attr="class","meitest5ooc"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","text"]

Suggestive seafoam eyes, accentuated by dark eyeliner, met Remiel's gaze. Painted crimson lips curved up into an amused smile. Mei sipped her own drink - whisky neat, a brutally straightforward drink that reminded her of Marza Volchitsa - then purred back, "Have no fear, darling. I always take my payment upfront." She winked.[break][break]
Even if she had not been paid yet, the dinner alone had been exquisite. Rarely did Mei get the opportunity to dine at such a high end establishment, even while working. She had spent weeks subtly exerting her influence onto the resident Unovan ambassador responsible for inviting her to tonight's event, carefully establishing herself as the perfect arm candy for a meeting between important political figures. Mei had trained from a very young age to make men believe they were smarter than she was, which inevitably led to them underestimating her. She'd wormed her way into more than one top secret meeting simply by looking pretty and keeping her mouth shut.[break][break]
Tonight, she had played her part flawlessly - she'd done her research, specifically targeting the ambassador with a known drinking problem, who liked his women petite and dark-haired. She'd become practically invisible during the political discussion, enjoying her meal with an air of graceful gratitude. And most importantly of all: she'd caught the eye of Remiel Calcifet.[break][break]
They were now the last ones remaining at the dinner table, exactly as she had intended.[break][break]
"You know," she purred, getting up from her seat and floating over to where the Galarian ambassador was sitting. She set her drink on the table with a soft clink, then slid smoothly into the chair next to him. "Just because my client had to call it an early night, doesn't mean I have to." Her tone was soft and seductive, the song of the siren drawing in her prey.[break][break]
As she drank him in, she couldn't help but think that Remiel really was quite handsome, with those dreamy summer sky eyes, cute professorial glasses, and stylish elegance.[break][break]
It was almost a shame she would be killing him this evening.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]