vidrio_de_oscuro | IC Inbox

Hi! I'm talking to Dr. Flugslys, right?
Where are you right now? I wanted to talk about something, but I think it's better to do it in person.

Oh. Doppio, wasn't it? I suppose I could break away from work for a bit. Where should we meet? Haven't wandered terribly far from Goldenrod.

Let me think...
Have you ever been to Ecruteak City?
You could just warp there if you have, otherwise it might take you a few days to get there.

[Likewise, Doppio could warp all the way back to Goldenrod, himself... but he's a good three towns away, and he'd rather not be queasy for this.]

[Ugh, what does he want that Flug has to make all this effort???]

... I suppose I can accomodate that. I've mostly been busy, minus the little bit of socializing everyone just had. But Malbjorn could do with some fresh sights.

[He's already spoiling his new little boy to death.]

I'll be over in ten.

Not that busy, I hope!
I'll try to make it quick though. See you soon.

[And, in ten minutes or so, Doppio has warped to Ecruteak City. As expected, using two warps back to back has left him feeling only slightly dizzy!... He might want to take a break before he warps back to Blackthorn, huh.]

[He doesn't bother responding to the texts, getting ready. Shortly after Doppio arrives, Flug doss as well. The warps have nothing on shadow travel - he'll take a minutes wooziness over screams of the damned and spine-cracking pain. When Flug arrives he takes a minute to put himself back together, brushing off, while juggling a Cubchoo from arm to arm. When he spots Doppio, he straightens his goggles out approaching.]

Ah! And there you are! Aren't those a wonder? [Gesturing back to said warp pads, temporarily distracted from the bitterness of being mildly inconvenienced.] ... what is it you needed?

[At the moment, none of Doppio's Pokémon are out. Which isn't necessarily odd, unless one wonders, on a metatextual level, why this would be mentioned at all.]

Uh-huh. [And hey, for what it's worth, it doesn't seem like he's here to chit-chat either!] Can you come with me? I wanna talk somewhere more private.

[Oh. Hm.

Flug's not an idiot. The sudden curtness throws him slightly off, trailing away from his thoughts. He braces slightly onto Malbjorn, trying to gauge things. Hes not good with confrontation - not without his tech, at least. Or maybe he's overreacting? Hes barely talked to this guy, what problems would he even have with him!

Malbjorn makes a light worried noise at being compressed and Flug snaps out of it.]

... ah, yes! Lead the way. Will, uh, will this take long? [He follows at a bit of a distance, just to be safe.]

Mm, I don't think so? It's not supposed to take that long, anyway.

[At least Doppio sounds... pretty casual about whatever this is, rather than angry. Nothing about him, from his posture to his physique to his manner of speaking, is evidently intimidating.

~~Then again, maybe Flug knows better than to let looks deceive him.~~

Doppio leads him back behind an old, empty building. It's a quiet place; nobody else is likely to come by.]

Okay, here we are.

[He reaches into his bag. Might need Cristina for this.]

... ah. Is this a. Pep talk of some kind?

[He laughs nervously, settling into a corner. Listen - he's seen all kinds of villains at this point. And all kinds of schemes. If he hadnt been cautious, he'd be dead, like every Head Scientist that filled the position before him.]

Judging by the privacy, I'm assuming this is Rocket business?

[Ah, there's the Pokéball he's looking for. And--

It's that very same Pokéball that his gaze lingers on, rather than Flug, as he replies.]

That's right. I guess that's pretty obvious, huh? That Rocket business is private?

[What ensues happens very fast. Doppio turns and sends out his Morpeko, and almost as if at the flick of a switch, the two of them are on Flug: the Morpeko in mid-air with menacing, sparking electricity, visibly not in the best of moods, and Doppio aiming to grab Flug by the collar.]

So why the hell did you babble to a civvy fucking taking notes on Team Rocket, huh?! Are you an idiot or do you just not give a shit?!

[Oh God, oh no.

This is. Admittedly not what he was expecting. He flinches, jerking back, as if to make a run for it, but Doppio has him caught by his lab coat. His first response comes out as little more than a squeak before he can gather himself.]

C-civilian? Nonono, there has to be some mistake! I've barely spoken to ANYONE here, much less about Rocket business!!

[His mind is blanking on how to react. He doesn't have any gear. And though hes been working hard on strengthening his team, he knows this guys been here longer than he is, and is skeptical about if hed even stand a chance, or just making the situation worse.]

Edited 2022-05-27 20:11 (UTC)

[The Morpeko, for her part, lands on the ground and makes no further advances, simply baring her teeth (and who even knew Morpeko had so many teeth?) as sparks go off all around her. And Doppio... Well, he's only grabbing Flug's coat. But with the grip he's got going, and judging by the look on his face, he might very well be hurting Flug if his hands were literally anywhere else.]

Layton.

[~~Also, have his eyes always been green??~~]

That ring a bell, or am I gonna have to jog your memory, huh?

L-Layton?

[That... absolutely rings a bell. A cacophony of them, in fact. One might even say it raises some alarms.

Flug wriggles a little in the grip. He's not about to explain the Hierarchy of Hats, both because that information is rather sensitive, and because Doppio doesn't seem particularly patient at the moment. But what the hell was Layton's game??]

W-well -- well what did he say? Listen, I-Im sure this is some kind of misunderstanding, h-haha! Y-you see, Layton is --

[... okay, he doesn't have a clear follow-up to that, artificial pupils darting in thought before settling on:]

-- a-a trusted client.

[... Client?

Doppio's Morpeko may still be raring to go, but as for Doppio himself... Some gears are turning. ~~Not exclusively his own.~~ His eyes narrow, and though he doesn't let go of Flug, his grip does loosen.]

What do you mean?

[Doppio seems to accept that. Time for Flug to start talking very fast.]

O-oh! You know he -- well I mean -- I don't know him personally! But we spoke a bit at prom, I took note of him what with his. [Pausing, making a half-hearted mimicry of the top hat.] He wanted to know what I'd been up to and what I'd heard about going-ons and things, if I'd heard anything about Rockets, if there was anything planned for the event...

[He talks with his hands, flourishing, babbling, attempting to find something that will assure Doppio that this wasnt worth beating Flug into a pulp.] Ah, you know! Business talk, villains exchanging info! [Another nervous laugh.]

[What the-- Villains? What is he talking about? This makes so little sense that Doppio isn't even sure if they're talking about the same person, or if they were on the same page to begin with, or whether Flug is just fucking stupid and Doppio doesn't-- he can't--]

BRRRRRRRRING-A-LINGALINGALINGALING!

[Anyway, that's the noise Doppio makes with no warning whatsoever.]

Shit, [he hisses before, once again, performing his best imitation of a phone - at which point he lets go of Flug, but not without telling him, with a finger pointed straight at him:] Don't you dare move!

[As Doppio crouches and gets his PokéGear from his bag, his Morpeko chitters aggressively at Flug. She looks like she's five seconds away from starting to nibble on him.]

[... well that was new.

It at the very least stuns Flug into complacency, sitting placidly, legs crossed - albeit inching himself some distance from the Morpeko, casting it occassional glances. What was even happening at this point?? He does also take the time to start nervously searching his pockets to hold onto Lektor's ball, just in case.]

[If Flug tries to listen in, he might be able to catch some things. Doppio saying he's TRYING; Doppio apologising for his outburst; Doppio admitting he's at a bit of a loss. Even if he doesn't catch the particulars, though, there are other things one could possibly notice, such as the fact that nobody can be heard responding.

Or, you know, the way he's holding his PokéGear like it's a phone.]

... Got it. I'll be changing directions. Beep.

[With that, he puts his Gear away and turns to face Flug again. How's it hanging? Still in the same spot? Not being eaten alive by an Electric/Dark hamster yet?]

Okay, first things first... I was just trying to warn you, so don't worry about THAT.

... g-great!

[He does not know how to respond to that! He settles for raising his free hand shakily into a thumbs, head nodding like an off-kilter bobblehead.] A-already letting it go!

[He is not already letting it go.]

So I'm... alright to leave, right?? [He's already getting to his feet, graceful as a wobbly-kneed, newborn deer.] Right! I'll just be--??

Not so fast!

[As if on cue, Doppio's Morpeko aims a Spark mere inches away from Flug's foot.

(Meanwhile, Doppio clenches his hand to keep himself from fidgeting. He honestly feels a little bad that he hasn't fed Cristina yet - they had to ensure she'd be feeling cranky for intimidation purposes - but he needs to focus on finishing this before he can make it up to her.)]

Tell me everything you know about Layton first.

[When Doppio spoke to Professor Layton, the man came across as a self-proclaimed detective, but Flug makes him sound more like he's part of the criminal underworld himself.

Keep calm, Doppio, and get to the bottom of the matter. Unveiling the Professor's intentions should be your first priority.

That was what the Boss said, so now he's got to do his best.]

[Flug yelps before straightening himself out, doing his best not to move a muscle out of line.]

I don't know what else you want me to tell you! I already said, everything I told him was because he's a client! I mean, not a personal client, I can't say I'd heard of him before, but Jefecito Chulo has so many customers and subsidiaries, it's honestly hard to keep track of all of them! But I recognize the top hat, and he assured me, he's working on some very important things right now!

[He doesn't feel good about potentially violating any sensitive information - but certainly the Professor will understand? He'll have to contact him, see if he can straighten out the misunderstanding himself.]

All I told him was everything I already said! He asked about Team Rocket, I thought it would only be fair for someone of his status to at least get some answers!

[... Yeah, nope, never mind. He still doesn't get what the hell Flug is going on about.]

His... Huh? Status? Isn't he an Archaeology professor?

[Flug takes a deep breath to organize himself. He probably needs it. He has been talking a lot and very fast. He's also doing very badly at answering Doppio's questions, somewhat cautiously circling. He still really needs to talk to Layton - though hey! If Layton was going to blab, he might as well do the same.]

From where I come from, there's! Certain indicators of rank within certain circles, and Professor Layton stood out as having one of those indicators! I wouldn't have told him what I had if he didn't!

Will you stop beating around the bush already? I don't understand a damn thing you're saying!

[Uh-oh, the volume of his voice is on the rise again. At least this time he isn't grabbing Flug!... Cristina seems to be charging up some kind of attack, though.]

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some time after prom WAVES HANDS

waves wildly back

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1/2 with my sincere apologies

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