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"Work got an overhaul - couldn't be better."[break][break]

Her tone is flat but there's a note of amusement as she regards him. She had never been particularly close with Abner before Rocket's coup, or whatever you wanted to call it. She seemed far more relaxed as a human being, though, than she ever did before.[break][break]

She's focused on the two female Pokemon semi-bonding over their carnage. Nidoqueen seems apt to improve the Pangoro's form, flexing her muscles and demonstrating ways to better herself. [break][break]

And then she DOUBLE-KICKS the crap out of the driver door.[break][break]

"I didn't know you were back in town."[break][break]



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Nidoqueen leaps into the air to drop down on the hood of the car with a BODY SLAM. [break][break]

Emma continues to regard Abner with mild suspicion and idle curiosity. Especially given his bizarre response - and he had been the one asking the question. What a strange man.[break][break]

"... yes."[break][break]

He approaches and she remains cold and unapproachable - her typical appearance. [break][break]

"You too, I think."[break][break]



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Emma wasn't hard pressed for cash, but given that this was a stupid easy concept and therefore stupid easy money, it was a no-brainer. Why wouldn't she beat up a trashed up car in order to add a little bit of coin to her back pocket?[break][break]

She brings with her a Nidoqueen, the immense Pokemon flexing as she makes her way to the center stage. Everything is fine and inconspicuous and generally indifferent until a grating voice calls out to her. [break][break]

'Wolfie? What the fuck? I haven't heard that name in--- oh."[break][break]

A sour look spreads over her face as she turns to face the man. He waves and she half-heartedly returns the gesture, though she isn't sure she's as pleased as he is to see him.[break][break]

"I don't know what you're talking about."[break][break]

In the background, Nidoqueen takes it upon herself to start smashing.[break][break]



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Emma watches with quiet anticipation - giving Cait the sense that she was lending aid, but only barely. The truth was, she wasn't entirely sure what it was Cait was even seeing. Her acting wasn't even true act, she was in the dark just as much as Cait was. She was just fortunate enough to have control over her mind and body during this entire process.[break][break]

The woman repeats the legendary Pokemon's name, and with it, Emma's confidence swells. It's only a matter of time. The darkness lingering at the window, pressing forward with fangs bared and eyes wild and hungry is encouraged by her fear. He's patient, his breathing heavy.[break][break]

Only when the Celebi appears, frantic, poisoned, afraid, does he strike. [break][break]

Zoroark had relied on his ILLUSION ability to hide and remain undetected. While his physical appearance had not really changed to fit the form of any familiar Pokemon - he had melded into the shadows on the wall, hiding in plain sight. And now, he strikes.[break][break]

The beast falls upon the frightened Celebi, snaring it in his MEAN LOOK that would trap the Pokemon in an illusion. What it would do to Cait was unknown, and frankly, Emma wasn't worried. She needed the legendary Pokemon trapped and alone in order to finish her job. With the mythical God out of her way, she would have full access to stealing Cait away.[break][break]

"It's here, Cait. We have to run."[break][break]

Emma was under the impression the poison in the woman's system would help her be more susceptible to orders, that she would willingly fall into Emma's shadow and follow her command. Regardless of if she attempted to fight, Emma would lead her toward the front door where their escape would be made. [break][break]

From the rooftop, a Noivern would sit perched and waiting, fully prepared to grab and claim the two of them. Zoroark would be able to handle and retrieve the Celebi, locking it in a mind-trap and weakening it enough to hand in separately.

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"Miss Alfric?"[break][break]

Emma's eyebrows rise as she lowers her own cup, as she watches the poison take effect. It wouldn't kill her - wouldn't even harm her, really. But it would bring fear and unease, cloud her mind of proper judgement, make her limbs weak, her body slow.[break][break]

The woman calls out for Celebi and Emma feels the rise of adrenaline in her veins. Anticipation encourages her every move - if Cait was calling for the mythical Pokemon, it would make her plan easier. Celebi was the one problem in her nearly perfect plan. The Pokemon was unpredictable and virtually unobtainable.[break][break]

For now, anyway.[break][break]

Emma stands when Cait does, setting aside her cup with haste. It teeters, nearly falling to the ground as she reaches forward to catch Cait. She's stumbling, legs wobbly, and she falls back into her seat. She's alarmed and dizzy, and there's a knock on the window as the monsters in the dark come out to play.[break][break]

"What's wrong? What's happening?"[break][break]

The window is open, a breeze is filtering in. And eyes linger in the dark, their malicious glow magnified by the hallucinogenic poison Cait has ingested.

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Emma shudders at the thought of it being a ghost. [break][break]

Fuck ghosts.[break][break]

Thankfully, it isn't a ghost harboring the darkness in her mind, but a werewolf. If only Cait knew what was in store.[break][break]

But she nods along with Cait's comforting words, following her deeper into her abode while the woman helps her get settled, calmed. There's mention of tea - and while Cait disappears to do just that, Emma begins scoping out the room.[break][break]

Her spiders have already infiltrated the area, swathed in darkness and ever careful and sure-footed. Her Galvantula's COMPOUND EYES locate an error in the windows, spindly legs and discreet webs allowing them to pry it open when the time arose. [break][break]

"I appreciate your hospitality, miss Alfric. I apologize for showing up like this."[break][break]

But outside, a crawling layer of POISON GAS and discreetly placed TOXIC inches around the building, securing Emma's plan would work. She wouldn't fail, not now that she had managed to get inside. [break][break]

And, Emma was fully prepared with a pinch of drug - something Rocket-made and fool-proof. Sometimes the head scientists came in handy for delicate missions such as this.[break][break]

Cait's herbalist tastes wouldn't see it coming - at least not until it was too late. Just a pinch added to her drink when she wasn't looking and she would start to feel strange. The reaction was different for everyone, likely, but the result would work in Emma's favor. It would help her be susceptible to Zoroark's influence.[break][break]

It was just a game of patience.

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The Zoroark was careful to keep out of sight - at least for now - whenever Cait might glance around. The night was impossibly still, eerie in its silence. It was possible that even Cait's bug-types had stopped their soft hum.[break][break]

Emma comes in when she's invited, eager to put her feet in a sanctuary. It brings her real comfort, knowing that she was safe - even from her own monster in the dark.[break][break]

She listens as all of the locks are replaced, and discreetly looks around for some way to let Zoroark in later. She had an idea, of course, a plan, a strategy. She came prepared for anything - but she was keeping her options open.[break][break]

But she's pulled from her thoughts when Cait's hands rest on her shoulders, stilling the tremble that rattles her to her core. She sucks in a shaky breath, focusing on the woman's words, the curve of her lips, anything but the nightmare she had just run from.[break][break]

"I saw.. I saw fangs in the dark. Mesmerizing red eyes. They cornered me and fed me fear. I could feel it probing my mind, tormenting me, tricking me. And then I got the feeling that I had to run, so I did."[break][break]

Her Kalosian accent is thick, her focus on babbling instead of sounding intelligible. She stumbles over her words, struggles to remember because it had been a blur. But she could recall the beasts wide red eyes, the cackle in the back of her mind, the sinister feeling in her gut.[break][break]

"It chased me here and then it seemed to.. to disappear. But I can still feel it. It's watching me, I can feel it watching me."

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Emma moves onto the next room with purpose. She is ultimately forced to fish through the Rotomi for a Pokemon randomly received through the internet - thank you - and comes out with a Toucannon.[break][break]

The bird is incredibly heavy propped up on her forearm, but it does its job well. The BULLET SEED rapidly strikes the Ferroseed from a distance, preventing the bird from being injured itself. Five dangerously high-speed seeds bounce off the Pokemon's shiny surface, and Emma glances around at the rest of her group to see if they'd follow her lead.

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