a guardian is always prepared [mission]

[RED]

MISSION
PROTECT YO BALLS

OPPOSITION
tamara

Idle chatter hangs in the air, something Red is no longer used to hearing but he stays quiet, nods and smiles at every comment, before duly staring at the large amount of cargo in front of him. Crates would be the proper term, fresh from the small warehouse where they are made by craftsmen of the highest calibre, an apprentice or two running around to their master's wishes. They are filled to the brim with the specially made pokeballs, each a different burst of color and design, no doubt of different usage as well.

'Erry now and then a few of 'em goes missin. Freddy's been goin' off abou' lack a security but we can't afford that, is all we can do to lock 'em up before delivery and pray fer the best.'

Some part of Red pities them, their simple livelihood so easily broken because of what could be called as a common thief. He's agreed to watch over them for a few days, as dictated by his assignment but that feels sub par to what ought to be done. He's not even certain if he ought to blame a particular side, or blame the impending war entirely.

So he nods to workers, waving a goodbye, as they head back to their homes. The manager closes up the warehouse with chains that are worn and rusted, and a lock that feels as old as the town, before patting Red on the shoulder and leaving him as well. Red settles himself onto an old stump, just a ways off from the warehouse, huddles his body as his night shift begins.

The sun bids adieu, and the sky dims it's hue.

[tamara]

what is needed is not always right, but damn it all anyway -- this is war

the war is necessary. this, tamara knows. the league has gone far enough with their inability to counter the various teams that has cropped up over the years -- they have been in power long enough. their officials have grown stagnant, too content with the current status quo to change anything, where change is needed. but all the reasons in the world will never make it easier for tamara to outright steal. some might slap pretty words over the deed, call it confiscating or redistributing, but in the end, what boure is doing is stealing. the fact that zemina is doing it too only balances the scales; it doesn't put them in the right. still, boure needs the pokeballs, so boure will get the pokeballs. it would be a shame to have come out this far herself, only to go back empty-handed, after all. the sun is setting. this far into the war, she knows that it is likely that it is likely for the local craftsman to have posted a guard for the pokeballs -- perhaps one of the young boys around here, or an apprentice. she doesn't expect a former league champion to have the dubious honor. tamara only hesitates for a moment before striding forward again. she doesn't want to have to battle this man, but if she must, she will. not directly, though; no, she's not that suicidal. her fingertips in her pocket rub over zeus's pokeball lightly. beside her, charon has his eyes closed in concentration, yet walks with utter confidence. tamara won't look like herself tonight -- that is for certain. a young woman with pale hair and pink eyes walks with a xatu towards the warehouse, steps loud and clear in the night. "good evening," she starts, slowing to a stop aways from red's tree stump. the light is dimmer, but she smiles at him all the same. her eyes are soft, but are velvet-wrapped steel. "it's cold tonight, isn't it?" RED

[RED]

MISSION
PROTECT YO BALLS

OPPOSITION
tamara

Truth be told, he hadn't expected company so soon. Perhaps in an hour or two, when the sky has sufficiently darkened. He expected to hear some rusting, perhaps a murmur or two but it was even more disconcerting that he could hear the person out right, not an attempt to remain silent. He sits up a little straighter, peering at her from under his cap, lips pursed in a delicate line. She doesn't look familiar. Then again, after hiding away for so long there were sure to a ton of people who were making it out in the world. He remembers a time when he thought the world to be so small, now he can barely keep up with what was happening that it turned a frustrated tone in mind.

Red doesn't smile back.

Still, he stared back at her, clenched palms the only thing that even showed he was taking in her presence at all. His eyes momentarily flits at the Xatu, an urge to release Pikachu surfaces but he swallows it down. Battling is in his body, his mind and his soul. It wasn't beyond him to challenge a strong looking opponent, but it felt impertinent to do so at the moment.

He nods, to answer the question though in truth the cold doesn't bother him, not after the years on Mt. Silver, but he can still discern what could apply as freezing for many others. His hand unclenches, if only to appear more relaxed. His voice comes out, soft and ragged, as if he was afraid that his voice might fly away if he were to speak any louder. "Are you the thief?"

He was never one for small talk.

[tamara]

what is needed is not always right, but damn it all anyway -- this is war

his voice is soft, and tamara needs to strain her ears to hear. when she does, she almost wishes she hadn't, because what the man before her asks is a loaded question. is she a thief, or a revolutionary? that is the question forever asked, isn't it? tamara gives no outward change in expression but tilts her head instead, a movement reminiscent of a bird, just like the one beside her. there is no one good answer to the question, so. "has there been a thief around here?" she wouldn't be surprised if there had been -- she's only recently gotten the assignment after all -- but if the previous liberator had been boure, that information hadn't been given to her. if she is not the only one here tonight, if zemina is going to make an appearance in addition to red, then that will... complicate things. "i wasn't aware that the village's pokeballs were being stolen," -- by someone else -- "has it happened recently?" if tamara is honest with herself, she is simply stalling, now. but she feels justified in asking. this is information she needs to know, and if she needs to get it from someone other than boure's intelligence network, then so be it. it doesn't change her goals tonight, but if she can distract red enough to slip past him without a fight... as much as she's stalling, it's worth a try. RED

[RED]

MISSION
PROTECT YO BALLS

OPPOSITION
tamara

He mules the question in his head. His information had strictly said that the pokeballs were going missing, speculation of a thief were imminent but of course no one had been able to lay eyes on the mystery person so there was no concrete evidence of him. But the fact was that supplies were going missing, and it was dampening the business of these craftsmen, this was what Red couldn't take. The boy was all too familiar with greedy intentions, which was why he thought this mission was of importance. In the end, there must be someone taking them, unless those were pokemon who were gathering up the processed apricorns for some reason, so he nods in answer.

She doesn't answer his question, that much he notices but he pegs her to be more concerned than she lets on. "Several incidences." He answers calmly. At least that was what the manager had said. By the time they noticed the missing stock, the ones they had thought were a simple miscount as it wasn't every day that they readied their pokeballs to be shipped out to the rest of Johto, they were losing boxes and the thief shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. "Not... Every night." Red pertains to the frequency, staring at Tamara with new found curiosity.

It was a bit strange that she seemed so interested, but Red gave her the benefit of the doubt. For all he knew, she was a native, simply trying to look out for her town, which was always commendable in his book. He jostles in his seat, a bit uncomfortable with present company. It wasn't anything about her, she didn't give off any aggressive vibes that he could pick up. It had simply been too long since he'd been in the presence of others, and by now the doubt of socializing well was getting to him. In fact, he has already forgotten one of the most key aspects of a proper greeting, one that he was quickly rectifying.

"You are...?"

[tamara]

what is needed is not always right, but damn it all anyway -- this is war

several incidences. she doesn't know which side, by whom, but the fact there have been repeated times that she hasn't been told about is disconcerting. what if another thief were to steal their way into this night, and they happen to be zemina? she's quite sure that they're not boure, now, since she is the arceus-damn sinnoh general and she'd made sure her people knew where she'd gone. but that still doesn't rule out zemina, and now that she really thinks about it, nor does it kopec. that it doesn't happen every night settles something, at least. even if they are leaving things to chance -- she might as well be the only one here tonight. she doesn't react to the tidbits of information red gives her, instead humming slightly in thought. the night is still cold, and the jacket underneath charon's glamour can only do so much. she smiles slightly, though, when he asks after her name. tonight she is not tamara; that name is too closely related to boure for any amount of assurance for the mind. "i'm auryn," she says instead -- her second skin's name. she nods to charon beside her, who doesn't react at all. she wonders how much concentration he's pouring into this illusion, especially for an ex-champion. "this is ankou." and, since they are running on a schedule and she has run out of time to stall: she carefully slides a hand into her pocket to withdraw a single pokeball, and tosses it to the ground. the resulting ampharos stretches and gives the man a cheerful greeting, the symbolic light on his tail waving enthusiastically. "hyperion." the ampharos waves again, and gives red an -- apologetic? -- smile, before he gathers his hands and a light shines. the power gem lights up brightly, and when it dies down, the self-proclaimed auryn is gone with her pokemon, having teleported directly into the warehouse. whether or not she'll be followed is... something else, but tamara doesn't feel like finding out. she gets to work quickly, and hopes to a god she doesn't believe in that when red reaches her, it will be too late. RED basically zeus charged up a power gem as a distraction and they fled for the hills warehouse. if there's anything you'd like me to change just let me know <3

[RED]

MISSION
PROTECT YO BALLS

OPPOSITION
tamara. is totes cool. <3

He's only given a moments notice before he realizes what's going on. He pulls his arms up to shield himself, pokeball slipping from his hand as he guesses what is about to happen. Espeon comes popping out from her pokeball, an almost immediate reflect on as the light pierces through the night, acting as a beacon for anyone within a ten mile radius. It might not have been too bad if it was day time, but with the veil of darkness that surrounded them, it was near blinding. The light dies down eventually, but it takes red more than a few precious moments to get his bearings again, rattled by the brightness.

Some part of him is already chiding himself, inwardly cursing for letting down his guard, but that wasn't what was important. Clearly, Auryn was no where near the main entrance and that might have been enough to dissuade him, but the warehouse was large and several entrances were bound to be easy to break into. He shoots the Espeon a look. She couldn't possibly track them, not when she hadn't even managed to track down their psyche. But Red had to make his priorities clear. The safety of the supplies. "Check for them inside." He orders. The Espeon nods, glows a purple hue, and nods, pawing at the locked down. Red bites his lip, staring at the lock.

"Break."

And just like that, the lock bends and breaks, and all Red has to do is pull away the chain and rush inside. Of course, the inside is even darker than the inside, which leaves the boy standing in the dark, bumping into tables and chairs with none but the Espeon for a guide. Espeon at least, could maneuver around. But all he was doing was making noise, no doubt alerting Tamara of his progress.

[tamara]

what is needed is not always right, but damn it all anyway -- this is war

if she had her way, tamara -- no, auryn right now, with the risk of psychic attack she has to think of herself that way -- auryn would have teleported straight into the warehouse to begin with. but that is not how teleport works, and that is something that ankou has told her would be hard on him. and auryn does not like to put additional strain on her pokemon if it is something that she can prevent. their original plan reflects that -- distract the guard on the warehouse, get inside, teleport the cargo out to a pre-determined location guarded by boure. a nice, neat operation that isn't designed for combat of any kind, relying on hyperion's distraction to incapacitate. auryn... has had to improvise, and so far, it's worked well. still, it leaves them all with a disadvantage -- even with hyperion's light, the warehouse is large, and dark. by the time that red has entered the warehouse himself with his own pokemon, auryn has only located the first of the new shipment of pokeballs. time, time, time. the one thing that she keeps running out of -- always. "distract them," she calls out to hyperion, who nods and moves to intercept espeon and red. auryn herself is moving the crates so that at the very least ankou has to exert minimal psychic power to teleport them, while keeping up her glamour and fending off any psychic attack that come their way. this is the original plan, shot to hell -- but auryn will take what she can. hyperion does his part and readies another power gem, this time aimed directly at red and the espeon. whether or not that same trick will work twice is something that he will not presume to guess, but if they do manage to evade he will follow with a zap cannon. if not -- well. the power gem in and of itself is a powerful move. he resigns himself to the smell of burning and a bright light. RED the only names that espeon will get if she tries a psychic scan are the ones that auryn gave. hyperion is prepping another power gem that'll go off about the time of your next post, and will follow up with a zap cannon if necessary. ankou is actually fairly vulnerable to a psychic attack, too. again, if anything needs to be changed just let me know <3