they're given another menial task; maki is starting to grow tired of these things. nevermind the physical torment, the mental anguish of doing the same things over and over is going to be the thing that breaks people... sighing, she gets to work, going down on her hands and knees to start sorting through the muck. the mochi pieces are somehow more disgusting than the bits of decaying flesh, as she picks up and puts everything in its proper place.

then comes the growling. she ignores it at first, but when the masked creature shows itself, she's quick to try and avoid it. usually her reaction time would be quick enough, but she's hampered badly by the toxic chain. grimacing, maki is pulled into place, left a sitting duck for punishment. the only thing she can do is try to twist around the toxic chain, ignoring the pain from straining it, to avoid the beast.

unfortunately, it's not enough. she's buffeted and beaten by the assault, though she doesn't cry out or show any sign that she's in pain.

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her theft does not go unnoticed, but then... she didn't really expect it to. everything here is an experiment, as she tries to decipher the rules and regulations so she can figure out just what sort of situation they're in and how to get out. the toxic chain isn't even necessary to get her to oblige removing the shard, and as she's hoisted in the air, she uses the opportunity to take a good look at the rest of the ward. her expression is blank as she scans it, looking for any signs of weakness.

then the screen lights up. maki watches with indifference as the pokeballs flash through, each being crushed until it reaches her own. her aurorus shows briefly, just moments before it, too, is smashed. the cries of pain and dismay can be heard around the ward as each ball is smashed, but maki remains silent for hers as she ponders this.

when she is released, she falls to the ground and then sits up, still thinking. "...either it's all a show of force with nothing behind it, or... our pokemon are indeed here," she muses quietly. either way, she sees something of a positive in this. one of her pokemon may be gone, but she has five left. if she can just determine a way to reach them, then she can fight back.

the trust or forsake game gives her pause. she rifles through her list of "appropriate reactions" in her head, but comes up blank. 'forsake' is obviously the correct answer, but saying as much goes against her disguise as the yukimura's caring young daughter. her cellmate votes to forsake, and maki stands up. "i won't participate in such a barbaric game," she states, turning away. there. my vote has been cast as forsake. with nobody the wiser for it, too. let them think she's truly an idiot, if they must.

any thought of resisting the suspicious mochi is quashed as maki watches the monkey pokemon kill the stranger in her ward. unwilling to die in a place like this, she obediently eats the mochi and watches as it takes effect, furrowing her brow. it's occurring to her that this is no normal kidnapping, and that there will likely be no rescue coming.

out in the ward, she can see the others more clearly. unfortunately, there's nobody she recognizes. staying silent, she picks a spot and starts working. she observes how sharp the shards are, and how easily one might cut themself on them... taking hold of one, she observes it carefully, and then carefully slides it into her yukata between her breasts, stashing it away for later. its use as a potential weapon is far more important than worrying about it pricking her.

with that done, she sets about organizing things. she doesn't trust the promise of "the chamber of desires", at all, but she's trying to play as nice as possible in order to trick her warden into thinking she's compliant. she doesn't talk to anyone, and focuses on the task at hand.

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upon waking, maki immediately takes note of her surroundings. it's a bit dim, but she can see the contents of her cell well enough, including the fact that there's another person here. for now, she brushes that to the side, instead getting to her feet so she can peer through the bars of her cage. her pokeballs are gone, as are the weapons she usually keeps concealed on her... this outfit has no pockets, so the only things she has to defend herself with are her wits and her own body.

no matter. she can make do with that.

she can make out other cells in the block, but she can't quite make out their inhabitants. instead she turns to her cellmate, someone she doesn't recognize. she doesn't know if they're with rocket or not, so it's best to play nice for now.

"excuse me," she says calmly. "are you alright?"

PRISMATIC PENITENTIARY[break]SIGN-UPS

LOCK IN

CHARACTER: MAKI YUKIMURA [break]
WHICH WARD?: dumb...[break]
PREFERRED CELLMATE(S): this element is subject to change[break]
PKMN TEAM (6 MAX): froslass, houndoom, empoleon, malamar, aurorus, talonflame[break]
WHY WAS YOUR CHARACTER SORTED INTO THEIR WARD? (OPTIONAL): doesnt think for herself. just does whatever her family or rocket tells her to do.

she relaxes her guard as well, standing back. her answer comes rather dispassionate, but here in this place she doesn't have to pretend to be the kind, sweet daughter of the yukimura family that the public knows her to be. "yes. i'm interested." maki isn't looking to climb the ladder and become an administrator. even she knows she's not the leading type, and that she's much better at following orders. mostly she just wishes to be a useful pawn for rocket and her family.

in the end, she's nothing more than a doll herself.

"i'll do what it takes." the avatars are a threat to rocket's takeover of the region. even the ones who currently align themselves with rocket are an unknown element, and that includes jayden himself. "we have to be prepared for anything. if you have confidence in my abilities, then i'll use them as leadership see fit."

what, then? what is it?

he aims a jab at her torso. it's not possible to block it this time, so a variety of scenarios flash through maki's head at lightspeed. she could take the blow, then take advantage of the resulting opening to retaliate. she could simply dodge out of the way and continue their dance with neither ceding ground to the other. if she took that route, she'd have to rely largely on luck, just as much as skill, to carry her through.

there is one advantage to wielding blunt weapons rather than blades... maki twists out of the way, and then grabs his pole with both hands, still keeping hold of her own. her grip is tight.

"is this about s.p.e.c.t.r.a?" she's paused for a moment.

PURCHASING/REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

2X technical machine or record (120 PD) (ice beam and brick break for prinplup)
1X type 3 evolution (50 PD)

(evolution for prinplup --> empoleon)

TOTAL

do come again!

170 PD

the air crackles as the house burns. the force of the flames are hot enough that even standing by the van they can be felt, searing maki's skin. she watches, expressionless, as all evidence of their wrongdoing is engulfed in flames.

well, not all evidence.

she turns to dorian. alongside the smell of burnt wood and bricks is the scent of cooking flesh. "i can freeze the others," maki suggests. "then we can leave them somewhere they'll be found, but not before they thaw. it will obfuscate the time of death while still sending a message." not that she ever has to worry about being convicted of murder. her family has plenty of lawyers to make all her wrongdoings vanish into thin air.

[ dorian westcliff ]

maki thinks on her feet, as always. she doesn't stop the fight to think, and instead keeps her body moving, her weapon sliding away from jayden's. this time she chooses a frontal assault, knowing it will be least expected now after she's primarily been playing on the defensive. her pole pivots up at full force; anything less, she knows from experience, will be easily knocked to the side. she aims for his jaw. a blow to the head, even if it's lower, is usually enough to stun anyone for a couple seconds.

"it's not a mission briefing," she observes as she does this. "you're testing me for something. it may be a rather complex assignment. you're making sure i'm ready for something." since he's testing her combat skills, it's likely not a stealth mission. what could it be...?

the other dolls in the house continue to watch, faceless entities enraptured with whatever the hell is going on in the training room.

she takes up the wooden pole, and is barely given time to secure it in her hands before jayden is moving. he sweeps at her feet, and she takes notice of the movement out of the corner of her eye, instead focusing her line of vision on the center of his body. he aims to unbalance her, she thinks, so he can strike her and knock her down all at once.

she's quick enough to dodge the sweep. then comes the strike, as expected. she twists her body to block the blow, then dances closer to jayden, locking her weapon with his. maki fixates her eyes on jayden's face. "this isn't what you came here for," she says, no emotion in her voice. "what is the real reason?" despite the conversational tone, she's ready to retaliate if he strikes again.

it's easy to trick people into believing you have good intentions when you have a pretty face and a sweet smile. this is something maki knows well; her mother has always told her to use her appearance as a weapon, one that causes others to lower their guard around her. people want so desperately to believe that there is nothing ugly behind the beauty, and that appearances are always as they seem.

maki leads their captives away, knowing full well they would not survive this night. but her touch is gentle and firm, belying her wicked intent under that mask of patience and generosity.

once everyone has been secured in the van, or at least exited the building, she releases her houndoom. "shall we burn it down?" she asks dorian, angling her head.

[ dorian westcliff ]