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Marza's hand on Mei's mouth was enough to shock the assassin into silence, despite the fact that it also physically forced her into silence. It was a strong hand, the skin rough and calloused, and with the sudden motion, Mei found that she was pulled even closer to the other woman. Marza smelled like tobacco and leather and cedar, but with a hint of citrus from the cleaning supplies she'd used to get rid of the blood in the carpet. Mei's cheeks felt suddenly hot, and for the first time that evening, it was the seducer who became compromised. Mei barely registered the intruder - some mistress of the dead man - hardly able to focus on anything more complicated than breathing. So much for being in control of the situation she'd put both of them in.[break][break]
It - whatever it was, reverse-seduction? - was over before it had really started, however, as the two women toppled out of the closet along with a haphazard collection of mops as soon as Marza opened the door.[break][break]
"Annoying? Quite the contrary," Mei quipped, composure returning in a rush of flipped hair and suggestive grinning. "That was a best-case-scenario sort of complication, wouldn't you say?" Things could have gone a lot worse, after all - what if it had been the police for some reason? What if the mistress hadn't left so readily? What if they'd had to fight? It could have become messy.[break][break]
In any case, Marza might not be self-aware enough to realize it, but Mei certainly did not think the other woman regretted the few minutes they'd been so physically close, no matter what she grumbled about.[break][break]
Mei stepped lightly over to the window. "I think I see him, actually," she murmured, squinting into the darkness. It did seem as if a large bird was flying their way, sans corpse. She winked at Marza. "See? All according to plan."

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"Okay, okay, that's a little too much extra snow, I think," Mai cautioned Iris, patting the Amaura on the head in gratitude. Everything had been iced over with a fresh sheen of frosty material as the miniature avalanche came to a halt. Iris trilled happily, head-butting Mei affectionately. Mei giggled, amused despite herself.[break][break]
"Well, we have plenty of icicles now, for decoration." She also remembered the Cheri Berry branch Nephele had found, and stuck that on top of the snowboy for good measure. The bottom could still use a little building-up, she assessed, but overall it didn't look half bad.[break][break]
Feeling a sudden burst of nearby heat, Mei looked around for its source. To her right, she spotted a pink-haired woman with a Vulpix cleverly using fire to perfectly shape her snowballs. "Hey, that's smart," Mei called over to Giselle Sigebrand. "Your progress is looking good, too!"[break][break]

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Mei continued to work on her snowboy, frustrated that each new ball of snow she formed seemed to end up a bit too small to actually function as a proper bottom for the figure. Nephele fluttered about, trying to be helpful, but Mei waved her off. The young woman sighed, then stepped back to take a break and clear her head.[break][break]
"Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way," she muttered. "Sorry, darling," she said to Nephele apologetically, then returned the Swablu to her Pokeball. In her place, she brought out Iris, her Amaura.[break][break]
"Can you help me out, dear? She asked the small blue dinosaur. Iris trilled eagerly, seemingly excited about the frigid temperatures of their landscape. "See if you can help me build up some of this snow."[break][break]
Iris nodded, then focused her gaze on the balls of snow Mei had been shaping. She began to conjure a miniature AVALANCHE, which rapidly produced more snow on top of all of the work Mei had completed so far. Mei hoped it would help...[break][break]

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Mei gladly took the hot beverage offered to her by Yumi Hasegawa. "I did build these as a kid, but admittedly, I was never very good at it," she chuckled. "Your observation betrays my lack of talent." After all, neither of the balls of snow Mei had rolled thus far were meant to be the bottom of her snowboy. One was supposed to be the middle and one the top. They were both a bit too big, it was true. She set her drink aside after a few sips, and knelt down to start re-shaping them.[break][break]
"I know it takes longer if I do it myself, rather they rely on a Pokémon to do the work," She eyed Yumi's Mimikyu, but not unkindly. "But there's something nice about doing this every year. No matter how successful I am, I like the tradition." With that, she focused on her task, humming along to the Santa Baby tune that had started playing over the speakers.[break][break]

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"Deal!" Mei chuckled at Yumi Hasegawa's suggestion. "I'll add that to my shopping list." She had a few other gifts in mind, as well - for coworkers and friends alike.[break][break]
At that moment, one of the Darmanitan judges sauntered over, and Mei smiled at him warmly despite his rather haughty gaze. He eyed her snowboy with an appraising look, but quickly moved on when he realized hers was not yet complete. At least she was more than halfway done...that was more than a few other folks around her could say.[break][break]
Nephele gave the retreating form of the Darmanitan a huff, then flitted back over to Mei and deposited a fancy-looking branch of red cheri berries onto the ground next to the half-completed snowboy.[break][break]
"Good thinking," Mei praised the Swablu. "We can use those as a decoration, perhaps."[break][break]
A snowball fight seemed to be breaking out nearby...Mei hoped a stray one wouldn't interfere with her snowboy. And Arceus forbid anyone accidentally ruin Yumi's...that woman had a temper![break][break]

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Rocket Recruitment (Act I)

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As the Corviknight launched out the window in a flurry of black feathers, Mei returned Boreas to his Pokeball with a quick flick of her wrist.[break][break]
"Quick, in here," Mei suggested, grabbing Marza's hand without thinking and pulling her towards the office storage closet from which Marza had recovered the supplies she'd needed in order to prepare the body for disposal. Marza was a bigger woman than Mei, but perhaps out of surprise more than anything, Mei was able to move her. The door still ajar, Mei shoved Marza inside, then slid in after her. As softly as possible, Mei pulled the door closed.[break][break]
This is how, naturally, Mei came to be trapped in a very small space with a woman she was certain would be quite compromised indeed to be in such a precarious position with one such as Mei. Who could blame Mei for indulging, knowing she had an effect on Marza? Though the assassin had over a decade of experience seducing people, what had become routine felt thrilling now, as she clutched tightly to Marza's bulkier frame and tried her best not to kick over any stray cleaning buckets. The warmth of the other woman was something of a comfort beside her as they waited.[break][break]
There was just something about the way Marza looked at Mei - as if she were infuriated a woman could be so desirable - that made Mei's stomach flutter.[break][break]
Marza's stubborn streak was cute, was what it came down to, she supposed.[break][break]
Or perhaps Mei had been alone for far too long, and it was awfully nice to have a partner.[break][break]
"Do you think we'll have to stay in here all night?" Mei teased, voice barely louder than a whisper, sounding more pleased than bothered by the prospect.

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Hands on hips, Mei assessed her progress so far. Her snowboy was starting to look a bit like a humanoid shape, so that was good. Nephele's gathered sticks would make for decent arms, which Mei attached to her snowy figure carefully, so as not to accidentally knock the whole thing over. The little Swablu flitted around the structure, creating a shimmering COTTON GUARD around the entire thing, hopefully bolstering its defense against...well, anything that might sabotage it.[break][break]
"Yes, I still want to go shopping for gifts," Mei replied to Yumi Hasegawa, amused. Yumi didn't strike her as the sort who liked to buy other people gifts. All the same, it was too easy (and too fun) to tease her roommate, so she continued, "Have anyone special in mind? I hope there's a gift for me this holiday!" She winked cutely. "If you need any ideas, I could really use a new travel makeup bag..."[break][break]
Did Yumi have a special someone in mind these holidays, though? Someone who wasn't her roommate? Now Mei was truly curious...

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Rocket Recruitment (Act I)

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When the door opened to the private salon, Mei was lounging against the back of a comfortable couch, casually sipping an espresso. Rocket headquarters had a number of meeting halls, training rooms, and study chambers one could use for private appointments - or just private time, period - and Mei often took advantage of them for both their convenience and their propensity for having high-end espresso machines. Rocket certainly knew how to do caffeine right, for which Mei was appreciative.[break][break]
The first thing Mei noticed about the young pink-haired woman - girl, really - was her complete and utter lack of grace. And her lack of confidence. And her lack of style.[break][break]
Ok, well, it seemed she was lacking in quite a few areas - but that was why she was here, was it not?[break][break]
"Stand up straight, don't slouch," Mei commanded pleasantly, making no move to get up from the couch. She set her espresso cup down on a side table next to the couch with a soft clink. On that very same table, a Sensu-form Oricorio perched watchfully, the very definition of elegance. Mei had brought along Macaria to this particular lesson for that very reason: she was just another lesson in propriety, a refined dancer.[break][break]
"An apology can go a long way, but excuses are unbecoming. Knowing the difference is of the utmost importance when it comes to the art of becoming a proper lady." She paused, keen seafoam eyes scrutinizing the girl as if she were a blank canvas, and Mei the artist who would decide what to paint on it. "My name is Mei Liu. You must be Harper Mann?"

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"Our twist!" Mei declared, delighted - if only because it meant she wouldn't have to explain to Marza Volchitsa the details of why this kill had gone slightly awry. The truth was that Mei was unaccustomed to doing her job with a partner; not that Marza had disturbed her process - in fact, the other woman had been perfectly patient and dutiful about it - but things had a tendency to go slightly wrong when one had an audience. Hundreds of perfect solo hits, now one slip-up. Not that it was really a slip-up; nobody had ever said killing had to be clean: in fact, it was more commonly the opposite. Mei was merely a perfectionist.[break][break]
And, she was finding that, for some reason she could not properly explain just yet, she wanted Marza to respect her.[break][break]
The assassin hopped down from the desk and sidled over to the window, unhurried. Beside her, Boreas hovered dutifully, awaiting her verdict. "There is a car pulling into the driveway," she reported, tone curious. "In the mission file I received, it said he has a daughter with his ex-wife, but the young woman should be out of the country - she was last seen in Unova, for university, when the dome went up. The marriage ended on bad terms, so I doubt that's the ex."[break][break]
Mei turned to look at Marza, who's work had been completed. "How quickly can your Corviknight get him out of here? We'll have to use a different window, one of the ones in the back - overlooking the sea." She paused. "As for us...well, we ought to hide, I suppose. Unless you've got another idea." Admittedly, Mei did not have any Pokémon with her that could conveniently teleport or carry them away. If Marza's Corviknight was occupied with the disposal of the body, they would have to wait for the bird to return before they'd be able to ride him to safety.[break][break]
There was, of course, the option of getting rid of whomever had just arrived. Mei didn't love that idea...mostly because it would complicate things, and she rather disliked complications.[break][break]
And anyway, Mei wasn't a monster.

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