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Thread: [M] Pokemon: Avarice Versus Justice! (Ashen and Headwrapper)

  1. #61
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    Clive took a long look around the station as he and Yulia exited the train, casually making his way outside. Saffron city was similar to Goldenrod in a lot of ways, but it was definitely the larger and more crowded of the two cities. Even from the front of the train station, the large tower of the Silph Company's headquarters can be seen, standing tall above the rest of the massive buildings of the city. Everything was structured efficiently in order to pack so many buildings and people so densely. The roads and walkways were meticulously labeled, and the residential buildings were lain out evenly like bricks.

    "We should speak to Sabrina, as well as convene with law enforcement here," Clive began, tightening his bag against his back. "Someone from the office should be working on getting us rooms in a hotel. Oh, actually..." As he was speaking, Clive noticed a message left on his PokeGear. He tapped on the screen and quickly scanned the message. His face scowled, the wrinkles on his forehead appearing more prominent. "They're uh, working on the rooms. I guess with the events taking place in the city this week, it is difficult to get two rooms in the same hotel for a few consecutive days. They said we have at least a room with two beds, and working on the second."

    He shrugged before starting in the direction of Sabrina's Gym. "No sense in worrying about it right now, I'm sure they'll figure it out."

    The walk from the station to the gym was a short one, made easier by the clear walkways of Saffron City. Clive stopped briefly to peek inside a window of the Dojo next door to the city's real gym, before his face twisted at the sight of muscleheads and their musclehead-type pokemon and he hurried over to the gym's entrance. He lead the way into the gym, only to be greeted with the sight of a large group of law enforcement, and a trainer standing between them all. Clive immediately recognized the trainer as the Gym Leader, Sabrina, with her long black hair and eyes that seemed to gaze beyond what was in front of her.

    "I foresaw your arrival," Sabrina said, calmly. "I felt it would save everyone time if you had the chance to speak with me and the SPD in the same place." She slowly stepped out from the large bundle of uniformed officers and detectives, and extended her hand to shake Yulia's and Clive's. "I am Sabrina, the Gym Leader of Saffron City." She turned her head towards Clive, interrupting a question forming on his lips. "My powers are not able to give me glimpses about everything, in fact, I have not yet been able to sense anything foretells of Avarice's plans for the festival that your partner has warned us about."

  2. #62
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    As they started their walk to the Saffron City Gym, Yulia's thoughts were swimming. She was already planning; she'd have so many people to talk to, so many clues for seek, so many sights to see. Work was a priority, of course, but Yulia wanted to take in this big city, to explore the larger-than-life buildings and experience the culture of a place with far more people than her tiny town could ever manage. The festival preparations were already underway, with a few banners hanging from buildings and street signs boasting a huge celebration. Between her breaths of excitement, a familiar fear crawled down her spine. So many people, so many bright colors and interesting Pokemon, just like it had been back then.

    She was pulled from her thoughts when Clive suddenly checked his PokeGear. So, there was a possibility they'd be sharing a room. Yulia noticed the way Clive seemed to grow uncomfortable at that, and she nearly laughed out loud. She didn't much care; she would do what she needed to, but Clive... Had he ever even had a girl in his life? The thought of him, ever stolid and cold, bumbling about a shared room with blushes under his skin, amused her greatly, enough to make her forget the trauma that had just stirred up within her mind.

    The gym was filled with all sorts of people, but Yulia was surprised to find police officers waiting for them. She cast a curious gaze towards Clive but said nothing. Walking inside, Yulia greeted the creepy gym leader with a smile. So, Sabrina had planned all this. She bowed her thanks. Once introductions were underway, Yulia explained in greater detail what she had witnessed, how she knew about the future attack, and her plans on stopping Team Avarice the day of the festival. As she spoke, however, she felt a dull ringing in the back of her mind, a quivering fear, a terrified girl begging to be let out.

    When the briefing was done, Yulia excused herself. She stepped outside and clutched at a cigarette. "Stop it," she mumbled to herself. Lighting her cigarette, she also dove into her purse for some painkillers, a combination she had been warned about too many times. She threw them back without water and nearly choked on the mix. Taking a long drag, Yulia shifted. She was excited; that much was clear from the pounding of her heart and the dance in her soul. She was going to stop an attack from Avarice, saving who knew how many Pokemon, and hopefully bringing many grunts' time with the organization to an end. She hadn't been expecting this, though, these repressed memories, the trickling terror that came with the thought of going to a festival. She needed to get away from her own thoughts, but how?

    Yulia was only gone for a few minutes, and when she returned, she walked back to Clive. "Sorry about that," she murmured, and she wondered if her partner could smell the smoke on her breath. She'd never been one to hide her habit, but absently she wondered what he thought about it, how he perceived it. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving." Maybe getting something to eat would be the distraction she needed, she hoped. She motioned towards Sabrina, talking to one of the police officers. "Are they up to date? Maybe we can get something while they figure out hotel arrangements, yeah? I'd love to try whatever cuisine is popular here."
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  3. #63
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    Clive had been standing with his face buried in his PokeGear at the time Yulia returned to the inside of the gym. Occasionally he glanced upward to watch his Umbreon chase after one of Sabrina's Abra, only for the psychic Pokemon to teleport a few paces away. Neither Clive nor Sabrina seemed to mind allowing the Pokemon play together, as both were clearly tending to other matters. Clive hurriedly finished typing and sending a message once Yulia approached, and turned to face his partner.

    He faintly picked up the scent of cigarette smoke from Yulia, which he had grown accustomed to during their travels together. It was a common habit to have, especially in their line of work. Much like caffeine, it was never something Clive allowed himself to crave. There was only enough time and energy for him to focus on his work, after all. "Yeah, they're pretty well caught up," he said, glancing back towards Sabrina and the officer she was speaking to. "The festival is scheduled to go on, as planned, but the security detail will be much higher profile."

    The detective gave his PokeGear a quick glance one more time before looking back to Yulia. "You're right that it's about time we ate." After recalling his Umbreon, Clive bid the Saffron gym leader and the Saffron City law enforcement good bye, noting that they will meet again the next day to prepare for the festival and the potential attack from Team Avarice. Within moments he and Yulia were back on the yellow-brick streets of Saffron. Clive was fairly certain the hotel it was planned for them to stay in had a restaurant, but he wanted to stall before having to check in. The office at GRPD may just need the extra bit of time to get them a more ideal rooming situation.

    He pointed down the street he and Yulia had walked down to reach the Saffron Gym. "I think I saw a few steakhouses on the way over here. Not really sure if that's going to be the go-to spot or not. What do you think?"

  4. #64
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    Yulia let her mind wander in response to Clive's suggestion, picturing the delicate and expensive meats they would have available in a city restaurant. A steakhouse sounded perfect, just the thing to satisfy her hunger, though she wondered if perhaps the setting was a bit too formal? She and Clive, entering a restaurant by themselves, dressed in the formality of their uniforms; what would onlookers think? She looked over her partner, at his small eyes, his smile-less lips. He was handsome, in a way, probably even above her if she were batting for that team... Shaking her head, she dismissed the childish thoughts. "Sure," she responded, "let's check it out."

    The smell wafting from the first steakhouse they passed was enough to pull Yulia into its comfortable atmosphere. Diners filled the tables, each dressed in their own business casual way. The lighting was dull here, almost romantic, and the waitress greeted them with a bright smile and a chipper, "Table for two?" Once shown to their seats, Yulia was amused at the menu, laminated and inked with unique patterns across the borders of the paper. She read over some of the dishes--sautéd Tauros, pan-seared Bouffalant, sirloin Miltank--and her mouth began to water. When was the last time she'd eaten at such a place? "What a menu," she murmured, eyeing the T-bone Camerupt herself. "So many choices..."

    Once the waitress had returned to their table, bringing with her the drinks they'd asked for, she took their orders and scurried off again. Now, alone with Clive, Yulia watched him curiously. Perhaps now was the time to tell him about her trauma? A new pain blossomed in her head, this one coming from above left ear and working its way towards her back. She winced at it, knowing its cause and not wanting to yet do anything about it. It would be a safety hazard, she thought, not telling him. "Clive?" she mumbled quietly. She realized she might not be audible over the murmur of the restaurant, so she cleared her throat and tried his name again. "We should talk about something."

    She twirled the straw in her glass of water, watching as the ice cubes dipped below the surface. "I'm from Snowbelle City," she said, something she'd surely told him before. "We didn't have much in the way of festivals. It was too cold to. My parents worked all the time, and I was an only child, so I spent many of my lonely days playing with Zita in the snow in the Winding Woods near town. But, well, one day, there was a festival coming to Lumiose City. I begged my parents to take me, which involved taking off from work and making the lengthy journey to the center of the region. It was... a big deal, and I'm still not sure why they agreed. So finally, I left my small Snowbelle, and I was in the big city.

    "I imagine that festival was a lot like this one will be. There were people and Pokemon everywhere, and so much food, and decorations, and games... It was paradise for me. I remember being so excited I couldn't talk straight. We spent hours there, me hopping to every game or attraction. I even got Papa to try and win me a stuffed Pokemon, though I don't remember if he did. But eventually, I found a balloon I really wanted, a yellow one. It was all by itself, so I tried to grab for it, but it seemed to float away. I kept chasing it, and next thing I knew, I was away from the festival, lost, and I was staring into the eyes of a Drifloon. I didn't know what was happening, I was too little, but I started crying for my Mama and Papa. Then a different Pokemon came, a Hypno, and it scared the Drifloon away. It wanted me, or more accurately, it wanted to feed on my dreams. And, well, it did, for weeks. It was only after I returned home that I even knew how long I had been okay. I didn't talk for a couple years after the incident, I was so spooked. Those weeks were agony, being kept only to see vivid nightmares in my sleep, captured like a puppet and used to be tortured. I'll... never forget it."

    Yulia cleared her throat. Her gaze had fallen to her glass again, but her hand was still at her straw. Had she ever spoken about what had happened to anyone but her ex? She wasn't even finished, she hadn't told him everything, but she didn't know how much more she could talk about. Her head, now pounding, was preventing her from even thinking straight. She shook her head lightly, still avoiding his gaze. "It's been years since then," she said, trying to keep her voice more level. "I'm alright. I've learned to cope, and now it's a part of my past like any other. I just..." She turned to the window towards the entrance of the restaurant, towards the streets of Saffron. "I haven't been to a festival since, and I just wanted you to know, in case anything happens."

    Within her mind, a little girl screamed to be acknowledged. No, Yulia hadn't told Clive everything that had happened, but would any of the rest of her story matter? If Clive only knew, he'd trust her less, would perhaps send her to the jail cells they were trying to use for the Avarice grunts. Yulia didn't know what sort of future she'd hold with Clive, but she knew she couldn't destroy what they had now, not from running her mouth about her buried trauma.
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  5. #65
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    After being seated, Clive leaned back casually in his chair as he looked through the menu. Unsurprisingly, he did not display the same interest and excitement that Yulia did, only silently glancing back and forth between different options on the menu and offering a quick "Hmm" when Yulia commented about the options. Upon making his decision, he laid the menu back on the table as he peered around the dimly lit restaurant. He actually quite liked the lighting itself, its softness soothing to the eyes. He was sure some psychologist somewhere thought that lulling the sense of sight would bring out other senses, making the food taste better and all of that, but Clive was content with just being in the dark.

    His eyes wandered from table to table, observing the other diners briefly before moving on to the next group. Business people chatted up a storm over drink and prime cuts of meat that they could charge on their companies' dimes, small groups of young adults laughed loudly as they shared the newest viral videos on their PokeGears, and couples both young and old quietly enjoyed each others' company, hardly looking away from each other as they talked and ate. Inwardly, Clive was glad to see people enjoying their lives. Although he was only observing from the outside, he knew that without the work he and his colleagues dedicated themselves to, this kind of peace would never exist.

    Clive snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Yulia call his name rather loudly, only then realizing how long he had been ignoring his partner sitting across from him. His expression quickly grew somber as Yulia began speaking, clearly identifying that whatever she was about to say was rather important. Almost automatically, his eyes watched Yulia carefully, memorizing her expressions as she spoke, his peripheral vision catching subtle body language.

    The detective winced as soon as a Hypno was mentioned in Yulia's story. Clive knew all too well how Hypno and Drowzee preyed on the young. Those same Pokemon catalyzed the case that put him on the map as a great detective, after all.

    The detective shifted slightly in his seat. It may have appeared he was merely reacting to Yulia's story, and as much it did pain him to hear what his partner had gone through, there was more that caused Clive to stir. There was a sudden guilt that had welled up in him, as he thought back on his first large case that invigorated his career.

    He remembered the faces of the parents of the children he had rescued. They saw him as a hero, a savior. Hell, even for a little while, Clive allowed himself to believe them. Fancied himself a hero, accepting the praise without a second thought and springboarding his reputation. Only now, did he realize, that his role was only a minor one for those children, who had to go through so much more before returning to happy or normal lives. Even now, looking at someone who had gone through as much or more of the same trauma that they did, Clive had no idea what to say. Some "savior" he was. He wondered if Yulia had ever studied any of his past cases, if somehow she thought he could relate to the horror.

    Clive exhaled through his nose as he pushed back his thoughts, focusing back on Yulia. He remained silent as he let her continue, his eyes actively watching her even as she avoided glancing back. Finally, Yulia concluded her story and explained her motivation for letting Clive know so much about her past. There was a long silence afterward, as Clive silently mulled over what he had heard and tried to formulate a response.

    Although Yulia seemed fixated on peering out of the restaurant's front windows, Clive continued to watch her carefully. There was no easy way to see Yulia's eyes from the side and through her glasses, yet he began drawing an outline around her face with his gaze, habitually memorizing every detail of her features. He halted as he watched his partner's lips, fixating on them for a few seconds and watching her nervous breaths.

    He leaned back in his seat, forcing himself to stop interrogating with his eyes, or "staring" like Natasha constantly told him he was doing. He wanted to say something, he could see that Yulia needed him to, but it felt like Clive's brain would short circuit every time he thought he knew what to say.

    What would his dad have done, he wondered. His hand gently caressed the damaged Pokeball at his hip, his fingers carefully sliding around the sharp slashes in the metal. Without another thought, Clive reached across the table and give Yulia's forearm a gentle squeeze. "Thanks for letting me know, Yulia." His gaze sought to meet hers, hoping she would brave away from the front windows and return back to him.

    A few moments later, the waitress returned with the detectives' food. She stood awkwardly for a moment until Clive shyly withdrew his arm from Yulia and made room for the food to be served.
    Last edited by Headwrapper; 10-03-2019 at 08:00 PM.

  6. #66
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    The silence after she'd finished speaking was pulsating, and Yulia squirmed under its weight. What was Clive thinking of her? She could only imagine what was crossing his mind. My partner is a basket case, he'd determined, finally readying to dismiss her. How could someone so traumatized work on a case like this, anyway? Regardless of what Clive thought, Yulia knew she had to do this, had to pursue this case, had to keep working. Without her ultimate goal of bringing down Team Avarice, Yulia wouldn't know what to make of her entire existence.

    If he thought ill of her now, he certainly didn't say so. Yulia jumped at his touch, gentle and intimate for the cold detective. Had he ever touched her before? A handshake, maybe, but this was sweeter, came from somewhere not professional. Yulia looked up at him, frightened dark eyes peering over thin frames. There was something in his expression, some nostalgic pain, some buried regrets. She wanted to ask about what was running through his mind, but despite her own openness, she felt it wasn't her place to. He had a right to his secrets, just as she had a right to hers. Still, that wouldn't stop her from wondering, worrying. Maybe Clive didn't see insanity written across her forehead. Maybe, instead, he saw a bit of himself looking back.

    Yulia didn't have a chance to respond before their waitress returned. Yulia thanked her for delivering their meal, and she looked over her plate with a subdued hunger. The steak looked beautiful, juicy and steaming, decorated lavishly with bright vegetables. The conversation lingered in her mind, and doubts filled her throat. Did she say too much? How could she get Clive to trust her, too? And at the end of this week--would she be okay in another festival? She tried to dismiss the thoughts, but the only replacements were those of the pain in her head. She was itching for a cigarette, another so soon, but she was determined to get through her meal.

    "Like I said," she mumbled, taking a knife into her hands and cutting into her meat, "I'm alright, yeah? In fact, I look forward to experiencing this with you, taking down a bunch of grunts and maybe enjoying a bit of the festival in the meantime. It'll be fun." She shoved a forkful of food into her mouth. Her inner voice was screaming to her, begging her, taunting her. Yulia turned away, trying to gauge how this headache would progress. After she swallowed her first bite, Yulia felt her vision blurring. "Er, sorry, Clive," she mumbled, already pushing from the table. Her eyes wandered the restaurant, searching for salvation. "I'll be right back." As she started away, a dizziness seized her legs, staggering her. She mumbled something about being clumsy and, awkwardly, waddled away to the bathroom, where she locked herself in a stall and just about collapsed.

    By the time she again opened her eyes, someone was calling out to her. "Sweetie?" called a light voice, the voice of an elderly woman. "Are you alright? Do you need me to call someone?"

    Yulia looked around, at the cramped stall, the wet floor. Her purse was open in a puddle, and a bottle of painkillers had rolled out. At least she'd had the sense to fall onto the toilet and not into it. She stood up on shaky legs, head still hazy. "I'm okay," she replied, though her voice wasn't convincing.

    "Are you sure?" The older woman knocked on the door. "You've been in there awhile."

    Clive. Yulia gathered her pills back into her purse. She flushed the toilet and opened the door to find warm brown eyes staring at her. Yulia thanked the woman for her concern, which only seemed to grow as she saw Yulia's face. The younger woman gently pushed past her, making her way to the sink and mirror, where she saw a new, bleeding gash running along her scalp. Blood had trickled down the side of her head, probably from where she'd bumped it... on what? "I'll be okay," she kept repeating, half to convince the older woman and half to convince herself.

    Situations like these were not uncommon, but Yulia resented the timing. Had Clive thought she'd ditched him? Did she want to explain why she often passed out in public restrooms? She cleaned up her new wound as best she could, and she brushed some hair over it to hide it. Her glasses were crooked, and she'd have to fix those later, but mostly she looked presentable, if not a bit sweaty. Wiping herself off with paper towels, she rushed out of the restroom and went to find Clive.

    Luckily, he was where she'd left him, though she had no idea how long he'd been waiting. "I'm so sorry--" she started, but she didn't know what to say. Could she blame this on nature's call of womanhood? Somehow, she doubted he'd fall for that. As she took her seat, she figured there was no reason to lie. "I blacked out," she admitted, trying not to make it sound like a big deal. "It happens a lot. Some brain thing. Never got it diagnosed properly. Really should." Her staccato sentences felt foreign on her tongue. She shook her head, trying to focus again on her meal, hopefully now not cold. "I'm sorry, this is a lot to pile onto you at once, isn't it? I've dealt with it all my life, so I'll be okay." Not quite the truth, but close enough.
    Last edited by Ashen; 11-21-2019 at 04:35 PM.
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  7. #67
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    Clive began cutting up his own steak quietly, as Yulia carried on. She still seemed... off, but understandably so, Clive thought. She may have just felt a little flustered after reliving and opening up about her experiences. Clive continued to work at his food in silence, letting Yulia expel what she had to say. Before long, however, his partner would stand to excuse herself. She stumbled slightly as she went to leave. Clive frowned, his dark eyebrows pinching together as they furrowed. His instinct told him there was much more wrong than Yulia feeling a little bothered from her earlier confessions, but despite this, he remained silent as he watched Yulia leave.

    A few hypothetical explanations crossed his mind as he slowly picked at his food. Was it a girl thing? It was possible, he supposed, if she was unprepared. He was not convinced though, because most women were usually fairly adept at masking something so private from people if it was not their business. Society had a funny way of conditioning them to do so. If that was not it, though, then what? Smoking in the bathroom? That would not make any sense either. If she really could not resist the urge she could easily have just gone outside. Maybe some personal medical issue he did not know about, then. Should he not have been made aware if his partner did have any serious medical problems that could impact her effectiveness to work? Maybe not, there was probably some law that ensured the right to withhold medical disabilities to prevent hiring discrimination.

    Clive eventually resolved to the fact that he did not know enough about Yulia to be predict her strange and sudden departure. However, his suspicion was hardly sated by this, especially once he had finished the food on his plate and Yulia was still yet to return. He waited, glancing at the clock on his PokeGear occasionally and sometimes turning his head in the direction Yulia had left. Was she up to something? Did some Avarice member get to her somehow in the brief moment she and Clive were separated? Finally, Clive decided to it was time to make a move, but just when he went to stand, Yulia had returned. Clive was not happy with her explanation for the extended disappearance.

    He sat up straighter, a vein bulging slightly on the side of his forehead. "Bullshit," he said flatly, his annoyance clear. "Yeah, you probably did pass out, you look like a damn mess, but no one has 'some brain thing' that has never gotten diagnosed. What, you just waltzed through the academy without thinking once that you should understand why you might randomly pass out? Didn't cross your mind that it might get you killed in the field?" He glanced down at his tightened fists and white knuckles and quickly relaxed them, drawing a long breath as he did so. He sunk back down into his chair as he exhaled. He spoke again after sitting silently for a few seconds. "We'll talk about it later, just eat your food. I'll be waiting outside." Suddenly, he stood up and tossed enough cash onto the table to cover their meals plus a tip for their server, and left to go wait outside.
    Last edited by Headwrapper; 11-15-2019 at 04:22 AM.

  8. #68
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    Yulia quickly noticed Clive's empty plate and his expression. There was irritation there, mixed with concern, curiosity. She didn't know what to say to him; how could he accept any apology she'd have? The truth wouldn't make any sense anyway, and she was used to writing this kind of thing off. It wasn't a big deal with her, just something, she'd gotten used to, but as she gave her explanation, she realized that wasn't going to work with her partner.

    He was angry. His voice was too steady, the kind of subdued but very present anger her father had always reserved for her. Yulia's gaze immediately fell as he called her out, and she saw his fists, his snow-capped knuckles, itching to strike. Panic washed over her, and quickly she thought of ways to get out. Would Clive hit her? No, he wouldn't dare... would he? She had mace in her bag, and her keys could be a switchblade if she needed them to be. It would take too long to call her Pokemon; could she defend herself alone? He wouldn't do this in a restaurant, he wouldn't, he couldn't...

    By the time Yulia found the nerve to reply, Clive was storming away. She held up a hand as if to stop him, but he was already on his way, determined. The gentleness from earlier, his hand on her forearm, that tender squeeze; where had that man gone? And why had she frozen up like that, so defenseless, so pathetic? She looked to her plate, to her steak barely touched. Her appetite was gone now. "I hope you got what you wanted," she mumbled. The tears springing to her eyes felt foreign, not hers. "I... I know I may get killed," she continued in a softer, more childlike voice. "That's what I've wanted all along."

    Yulia couldn't take another bite of the steak she'd ordered, and for a brief moment she mourned the opportunity. She doubted Clive would be coming out to eat with her again anytime soon. She looked over the bill and set aside her half in her wallet, intending to pay Clive back later. She didn't need him paying for her, especially not after that. The way he reacted, where had that anger come from? Shaking her head, Yulia got up from the table and headed outside. "That's why I hate men," she said softly, and she paused, as if expecting a response. It took her only a few moments to realize her ex wasn't around, that she hadn't spoken to her in months, that she, just like everyone else Yulia knew, had been pushed away by this brain thing.

    Clive was where he'd said he'd be, and Yulia slowly approached him, not wanting to startle him. She didn't know what was going through his head anymore. Would he request a different partner for the remainder of this case? What would she do then? She shook the thought and cleared her throat. "Um, thank you," she said quietly, hand fetching the money she'd set aside. "I don't really need you to cover me, but I appreciate the thought." She motioned the money towards him. "And uh, thanks for coming out with me." Her smile was clearly forced, but her voice sounded genuine, if not pained. She averted her gaze, wondering if there was anything left planned. She would do anything for a shower.
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    Once Clive made his way outside, he sucked in the evening's air, holding it in as he briskly made his way in the alleyway between the restaurant and the neighboring building. Almost as soon as he was out of view from the street, his body jerked as he grabbed the damaged Pokeball from his belt and threw it as hard as he could, exhaling loudly. A large clang boomed back at him when the orb hit a metal trash can, leaving a dent in the soft aluminum. Some startled Rattata scurried away and disappeared behind other various nooks, and the ball fell to the ground, laying open and revealing the black surface on the inside.

    Clive drew another long breath and released it as he walked to pick up ball. He tried to shut it, and then realized that he broke the latch and it would no longer stay closed on its own. Whatever. He was glad he let the anger out somewhere no one saw, and he could think straight again. He could be himself again.

    He emerged from the alley, and found a spot on the brick wall at the front of the restaurant to lean on while he waited for Yulia. He still held the Pokeball in his hand, lightly turning his wrist back and forth so that it would close and reopen as he mulled things over. "He was a fool for thinking he could even come close to fully trusting Yulia. He knew from the way she talked and acted that she was always hiding something, or bottling up some sort of trauma, but right when he thought he was beginning to understand what that might be she proved that there was plenty more that he did not know.

    Clive had his reasons for resenting having a partner, although it did not help that he naturally worked better alone in most cases. He thought about his father's old partner, who he used to call "Uncle Richie" as a kid. Clive remembered seeing Uncle Richie almost as much as he saw his mom and dad. Clive also remembered seeing Uncle Richie's face on the news when the warrant was out for his arrest the night Dad had been killed, and Mom went missing. How much did Richie lie before then? How many demons did he have in the closet before one of them finally crawled out?

    Maybe history was meant to repeat itself.

    Clive eventually glanced up from his broken Pokeball, noticing Yulia's approach. He squinted his eyes, staring at the money the woman was waving towards him for a few seconds. He cleared his throat before stepping away from the wall, walking passed Yulia and pretty much ignoring her fake smile and her thanks. "I'm not covering shit. The next one is your treat. Actually, all the food I like is cheap, so you owe me the next two. Also, you pissed me off, so make that the next three. And every time you have a brain thing, I might also have a brain thing and lose count." Clearly, he was willing to pretend the whole thing did not happen, pending certain conditions.

    He slid the Pokeball in his pocket and replaced it with his PokeGear too look up the directions to the hotel as he walked. "Not much left to do now besides hole ourselves up in the hotel until we get back to it tomorrow." He frowned, reading the text from the office. No luck. Just 1 room 2 beds. I will email the reservation to you. Sorry!

  10. #70
    The Ashen One
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    Yulia stilled when Clive spoke to her, harshly dismissing her money and demanding she pay for his meal the next several times they went out to eat. Did that mean... he wouldn't be leaving? She straightened, watching his body language. She wasn't going to speak, to anger him even further, but perhaps this meant, all things considered, she would still have a partner by the end of the day. She would still have someone helping her take down the organization she'd set her life against. Maybe, then, she hadn't ruined things for once.

    She noticed the Poke Ball in his hand, the same one he'd had earlier, at the judge's office. She didn't dare ask about it, but she noticed how easily he was opening and closing it. Was it broken? She wanted to know more about it, but she knew she was on thin ice already. Whatever that Poke Ball meant to Clive, she was probably never going to find out at this rate. She watched Clive approach the front desk, praying she wouldn't have to put up a front for much longer.

    Finally, after everything that happened, Yulia was thankful to be heading back to the hotel. She noticed Clive pulling up directions and didn't question him, instead silently following behind him. Her head was still pounding, and she was feeling faint again, but she wouldn't be passing out again. She'd be good for a while, she usually was, but she felt her skin tingling, her body itching for something. As much as she hated her brain thing, she would have given anything to have one just then, one severe one that kept her under forever. She knew one like that would never come, and that it wouldn't solve anything, anyway. She had to be the one to stop Avarice, and without her, she feared what would happen to all the Pokemon in the world.

    Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed the hotel getting so close, and as Clive went inside, she scurried along, pretending that she'd been aware of her location the whole time. The hotel itself was a nice place, fancier than any building her small town had back home. She was excited to take a long, hot shower, and just lie in her bed, naked, until morning. She wonders if they had managed to get two separate rooms, and silently Yulia panicked about spending the entire night with a man who quite possibly hated her.
    Thanks to Craze for the beautiful Bravely set!

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