K_S
Unrepentent Giovanni and Rocket fan
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Need to run through Grammerly.
Green really hated it when adults dug into her phone.
After a quick review of Silver’s most recent send along, something that’d made Silvia laugh and soured Giovanni’s mood further. He’d gotten into her most recent footage and watched it, stony face, jaw muscle jumping, as he fought against some impulse or other that he obviously didn’t want to be public.
Well, that was his problem, he shouldn’t have taken her phone in a public place then.
Hovering over his shoulder, and probably reminding him why he couldn’t lose his cool just be being there, the pretty redhead watched as well. Face turning from amused to worried.
“Those definitely are new and not native to my Region.”
“The Liepard lines are a Kalos vanity,” Giovanni noted, dark eyes thinned, tone near monotone, “as are the corgunk and scrafty. They’re exotic, and transplants being used to transport… and dump.. .whatever that was.”
“I recognize the uniform, and while I could level some ugly claims at the Kalos embassy… I’m going to need more proof than one little girl’s video recording.”
Sitting across from the adults, Green sulked, stirring her oatmeal. Her breakfast, courtesy of the more considerate adult, was loaded with enough sugar to be deadly. With honey on top because Green was owed an apology and she’d take extra sweet as a starting point. She’d also sorta remembered that honey helped with aches (but was starting to think it might have something to do with aching throats, not bruises, because the extra sweetness wasn’t helping at all) gnawing on the coagulation of grain, heat, and sweet, while her privacy was invaded by adults.
Yet again.
“Someone’s looking to shake things up in Sevvi, gut your economy at the least. Why else drive something toxic across town and toss it into the ocean, there specifically?”
Face stilling into a no-tell stillness Silvia made a noise in her throat.
“I want to cross check that theory, and I’ve got a whole slew of ocean scientists who can figure the tides and what not.” And the woman, who was clearly more than just “pretty” gave Green the Look.
Oak had one like it.
The Look was a damnable mix of arcanine eyes and adult and it made Green’s skin crawl like Giovanni’s peculiar no-tell expression when she saw It. The last time It was tipped at her she found herself doing something stupid, dangerous, for the “right reasons” and look how far that’d gotten her. To a broken home and being on the run again, so no, Green wasn’t going to fold to The Look, thank you very much. Not today, not tomorrow…
“Sweetheart, are you ok?”
Green’d been pointedly looking outside, not looking at either adult, she jolted at the warm hand that closed over hers, not quite gripping. Green could twist her hand free, push back, get her stuff, and bolt.
She should, that’d be the smart thing to do.
But no, she had to look up, meet Silvia’s, because of manners and… ung she was taking the Look head on now.
Why why why…
In the back of her head, Green could hear Silver, his voice wry mimic of some league announcer as he listened to her bemoan The Look and how Oak’d used it against her.
“It’s supereffective.”
She’d told him to shut up, then, and right now it was on the tip of her tongue to just blurt that out right now, get her things, and run. Hypothermia, pneomiea, all that was nothing compared to the sheer insanity The Look had gotten her into before.
She’d gone to Silph for it. Red’s puppy eyes drawing her grudging cooperation…
Silver’d tried it then too, to talk her into a break in. A really stupid one. And she’d fallen for it, hook line and sinker. Green cringed into herself, wincing back form the touch because Arceus, she could feel herself getting sucked in. Nothing was even being asked yet and Green was utterly helpless for any case of puppy eyes. No matter Mask’s training, or her life, she really did have quad vulnerability to puppy eyes…
And wasn’t that a revelation.
“No.” Because she might as well try to get out of this, even if it was futile.
“Certainly,” and damned the man for sounding so compassionate, his eyes were hard though, Green could see that at least even if she couldn’t hear through his lies. “You can at the very least tell us where you were camped last night.”
“No I’m really not.” Green dug in, lips pressing into a thin line. “And I can’t. You can use my phone, track its location,” she’d never turned it off since no one knew she’d had it, it’d seemed a bit paranoid to bother. And funnily how she’s lost sleep over worrying about it, even as it was helping her now. “You can have my phone, if you get me a new one and pay a year on it. No turning it off later, no using it to bug me or look me up either, you do that, and it’s yours. But you leave me alone after.”
Ms. Silvia had let her hand go, though that troubling look of concern had deepened, even as Giovani, leaning on the table besides the woman, twiddled with Green’s phone. The man was clearly toying with the idea of not giving it back. Well Green wasn’t going to let him have it. Green tapped the table and held out her hand, request obvious, and in front of witnesses, well she wasn’t sure what he would do.
“It’s mine.” Green snapped.
“The preferred make and model for the replacement?” The Rocket was so still, an in that moment he was suspended over so many possibilities and telling none of what he’d do with his tone or features.
Was he amused at her vehemence, irritated at her refusal, something else?
Green couldn’t tell.
She checked a shiver and snapped the phone back. Quick and hard enough you’d think he’d count to make his fingers at the motions end, but he just leaned back, waiting.
“I… I need a computer to look this sort of thing up… I only used my folk’s to do school work.”
“Speaking about your folks…” The pretty lady pipped up.
And before Green could begin to spin a lie, an evasion part truth part falsehood-
(She was a trainer, swinging by. See her water team? They loved going to the ocean and Sevii looked so promising… and so on and so forth.)
Giovanni shook his head.
“Inaccessible I’m afraid.”
“You have more than one kid?” The woman canted a bitter look up, Green forgotten in that moment. Clearly irritated and alluding to some other conversation that Green knew nothing about.
“Silver’s called her his sister, in my hearing even, but the situation is a bit... more complicated than misplaced adventures in my adolescence... Perhaps, before you do your research, Green, I should tender all the appropriate introductions?” As if her opinion mattered. Still Giovanni was waiting, so Green nodded, and the man continued. "Miss Mayor and head of the Sevii Region, may I introduce you to Green Azule, ex-Mask of Ice Disciple, and keystone to Viridian Corp’s lawsuit into the Mask of Ice Johto/Kanto League scandal.”
Silvia made the Persian pinning Green down noise again, and the expression accompanying it was interesting. A mix of choking and constipation, utter indignation and horror, with a flush on top of it to round it all out.
“She’s just a kid!”
Huh, no wonder the woman had looked familiar.
“All the abductees that Mask took were horridly young. As you know… my son was less than five years old when he was taken…”
Silence, as Green contemplated the view out, it was raining meowths and growlithe, so out wasn’t much of an option. The Mayor of Sevii pulled herself together, while besides her Giovanni tapped one finger against the table. Calws clicked, heralding the feline’s return.
Alright so running was really out.
Green sighed, wishing she’s picked a different beach right now.
“You have a computer?” Pushing aside her meal, Green stood, and to that Silvia nodded.
“Most adults do. I’ll show you how to get set up.” The politician promised, and unlike most adults, the woman was true to her word.
XXX
Returning, the Rocket was the unpleasant scent of wet bird and the sound of waterlogged boots. And those sensations were a bit ominous when coming out of sleep. Only the softness around her and the warmth of the Persian draped over her kept Green from panicking. To better shake off the memory of old abductions Green struggled to sit up, and look around. It’d put a wall between then and now.
Having gotten up to flying into the teeth of a storm so to get Green’s demands “over with” Giovanni looked a mess. Some thumps, affirmed he’d made some sort of stop over by the door. Green could see more packs by the door and a shiny steel suit case that definitely wasn’t hers. Turning on his heel, to go deeper into the house, Giovanni stomped past her and the drowsy mayor. Looking distinctly wind burned, hair a mop on his head, skin pale from the chill, a ”sick Silver” sort of pale. He’d, by the sound of it, tossed a plastic box down and stomped off towards some unknown destination. Unknown, until Mayor Silvia looked up from her tablet and sprawl on a nearby chair and hollered at Giovanni that the bathroom was the third door, not the fourth.
A few heavy steps were the wordless response to those instructions...
Then the sound of running water, as perversely, the Rocket was going to take a hot shower after getting out of the rain.
Hadn’t he heard of drying off with warm towels and settling in front of a fire Green snorted, and then pushed off the Persian draped over her legs. Or rather, she nudged the cat, who opened a red eye, and with a murp, rolled over, letting Green get off. With a bit of squirming, mind.
“She’s friendy” her ass. Green knew when she was being herded about and controlled, even if that controller was soft and fluffy. Still, she was up and minding the water trail so she wouldn’t slip, Green nipped into the kitchen.
Wrapped in the ruins of a waterlogged bag, logo a mystery, was the phone Green’d ordered. The fluffruit 2000 x lite, a steely color closest to silver she’d found in the log. Near lost in the folds of a tearing bag were twelve cards. Premium plan chips, one for each month, labeled and stacked, they had unlimited everything, and sloshed clean from the down pour. The only packaging that’d made it was stuff protected by plastic covers…
That and a contract, wrapped in a ziplock bag.
She could make out a sharp signature that aas probably Giovanni’s on the bottom, but the rest of the writing was small print mumbo jumbo and so folded over Green’d have to dig it out to start reading. So Green didn’t bother.
Just stared at the things he had hared off into a storm to fetch. A bit numb, because it’d been a long long time since she’d gotten anything from someone.
Even if this was a classic case of “something for something”.
Looking back Green realized that They had given her things, things they thought she wanted, Mask had given her just enough not to die and taken everything else in the bargain… And Silver gave and gave, not expecting anything, not even thanks. And she hadn’t thanked him, not when he’d nearly gotten caught, breaking into places and fetching her soft warm things almost frantically those first few weeks.
Suffice to say, gifts were weird.
Footsteps from behind made Green look up, blink sharply at the stinging behind her eyes, as she saw the Mayor coming over, grumbling about men and their thoughtlessness at the water trail, then looking at her and smiling a small smile.
“Hey, he got you the right thing, right?”
Green nodded, not quite trusting herself to speak.
“Need help getting it open?”
A thump and click of claws affirmed that Persian was going to be wanting snuggles and herding her around into a spot so she could nap again, to that inevitability Green sighed. Time was limited, might as well make what she could of it.
“You got scissors?”
“Of course.”
One small perusal into a drawer by the sink, a rather mundane affair of odd and end hardware things that made sense, even if the duct tape in there didn’t, Silvia had a small pair of scissors on hand and movwd to passed them along. A merow, utterly insulted, sounded, and both woman and girl looked to the cat, who had reared and flexed a paw, pointedly.
“Offering to do the honors Persian?” Sevii’s mayor hummed. “Are you his personal paper assistant than?”
Whiskers twitched, near warping the cat’s snout into a smile, tail lifting, more to tone than words, the cat yowled, a friendly seeming, “Per!” as she batted at the box. Almost pointing at it.
“Pushy aren’t you.” Mayor Silvia chuckled, putting the scissors in her pocket. “How about I let you have go and if you can’t safely open it I’ll use these, fair?”
The cat’s responding meow was part ascent, utter sass, and a perfect fit for a Rocket’s pet, really, she was.
The phone was deboxed, the box in pieces and batted about, and the device was activated and charging by the socket closest to the front door when Giovanni stepped out of the shower. Sevii’s mayor was off to make calls deeper in the house, private adult only calls she hadn’t wanted Green to evesdrop on, and curiously she’d said as such, to Green directly.
“They aren’t about you, they’re work related. Mainly about the video, I need to let people know, and later mail those files out, if you’ll allow me to.”
Since Giovanni had held his word Green’d hold to hers. She’d made some noise that’d been taken as agreement, and more tired that anything else Green’d taken her sprawl back on the couch. The free entertainment of watching Persian play had been enough to keep her there, and the weather outside enough to keep her from planning on going out. It’d graduated from moewth and growl’s to arcanine and Persians, the only mercy was that there was no thunder, no power surges.
Being trapped with Rocket in the dark was not Green’s idea of a good time, even if they were sorta working together.
Content to let the good mayor think Green trusted her Green waved her off. Wished her a good day at work, even though it wasn’t quite a right fit, and with a smirk the woman had left. With her team on her belt, trust wasn’t an issue, Green had rain and type advantage if Giovanni descided to do anything stupid...
And seriously, considering Persian’s track record of getting her paw caught in the box, and wandering to Green with a soft mewl to “fix it”, and that it’d been the sixth time thus far…
Yeah, Giovanni had a team of five ‘mon that could fight, this cat, surprise pouncing non-withstanding, wasn’t going to be a problem in a real fight if a box kept beating her.
The water from the shower cut off, and stepping out into the hall, a purloined hotels towel scraping up loose water and hairs, the Rocket stepped onto the scene of Green “saving” his cat for the seventh time. Old phone in her lap, and talking to Silver on speaker, an extra pillow shivered, showing it to be Jiggly, who wanted attention, which Green lavished while teasing Silver about something. In short, Green was a picture perfect image of teenager multitasking with a bit of a ‘mon twist.
Silver, unwilling to take the ribbing while being down, bit back with a bit of snark of his own. “How do you keep getting into things? I thought being normal meant you didn’t get involved in this stuff. So why do you keep getting up to your ears in crazy, huh?”
“How was it my fault the hot dog men decided to descend on the beach? And it’s not my fault that they’re crazy. I’m just trying to get out of this before it gets worse. I keep telling myself, just a few more days but… I’m gunna ask to get out of here tonight.”
“Seriously, do it. Say I’ll come if he doesn’t.”
There were footsteps behind him, almost besides him. Without even turning to look Giovanni cut his arm across the hall, stopping Silvia from stepping through, a glare over his shoulder stilled her greeting, and both adults lingered in the hall. Listening.
“I don’t think blackmailing the Boss of Viridian Co.’s smart Silver.”
“He says he’s my Dad.”
“And Mask said he was bad, and Red said he was bad, and Blue, and Yellow, and Oak, and that police guy, Lookie-”
“And they’re all liars. Right? They all stabbed us in the back when we didn’t do what they wanted. And you said Mask’s full of tauros shit, he’s always been. Good people don’t kidnap kids, right? They don’t ask them to do dangerous things? We don’t have to do dangerous things anymore, right? That’s what getting out meant. No masks, no danger.”
“Yeah,” Nipping her lip Green went back to grooming Jiggly with her hair brush. “You really think it’s a Team thing, but not a Rocket thing?”
“Yeah, Yellow looked them online at school and then got in trouble for looking them online at school. Guess they’re another “adult only” thing. Yellow called it classified, or said the adults called it that, but I don’t think she knows what that means.”
Yeah, Green figured. Classified meant get caught reading or talking about it and Mask locked you with Brown until you froze to death. So Yellow really didn’t know what that word meant. Neither really wanted to explain that to her though.
“You know…” And by that hum Green knows Silver’s putting something together, something Green wouldn’t like. “You always blamed me for our crazy stuff. And you can’t do that right now because I’m not there…”
“I could roundabout blame you, he is your Dad.”
“Says he is.”
“He got set on fire for you Silver, dragged you out of a fire that that crazy Rocket set up. He punched Mask for you, and Sird, and Proton, and probably Red. With lawyers, he punched Red and Blue with lawyers... I’m pretty sure it’s more than “thinks he is”. Anyways…”
Giovanni tapped on the door frame, cutting off... whatever Green was going to say. What was she going to say? Green wasn’t sure, all thoughts died in her head. With a curse Green jolted, Jiggly whining under her because that’d been a tangle she tugged.
“Umm he’s here.” A long moment, than Green swore again. “They’re both here… him and the mayor…”
“You really think she’s my Mom, or going to be my new Mom? I mean, that’s what adults do at sleep over’s, right?’
Oh Arceus, Silver, why did you have to say that, right now?
Moaning, Green slumped near double. Hiding her face in her hands. Silence... save it wasn’t. Silver nattered on about “why were mayors so important anyway?” and realizing he wasn’t going to shut up Green straightened, daring a peek at the adults.
The mayor looks like she was about ready to die. Giovanni went a weird shade of red, and then cleared his throat.
“No, she’s not and is not going to be.” The Rocket cut in. And, oh thank Mew for someone with a brain who could think through sheer embarrassment. Green almost liked the man just then.
“Was that-?” Realization hit and Silver squawked. “Why am I on speaker Green?!” The boy’s voice was cracking in his panic. “Oh my Mew, how do I hang up, how do I…” Beeping, as he tried a few buttons the volume went down a bit, a small mercy since he was in the yelling stage of his panic. “YELLOW, HELP ME HANG UP!”
Green whined in her throat. “I’m sorry, he’s normally like this.”
“You’re not funny.”
“Yes I am…” Because there were two roads, making things better, and making them worse. And they didn’t get away from Mask and Rocket and crazy League peoples by being good. “No, bad cat… How did you get his Persian to want to eat phones? How did Sneasel teach her to all the way from where you’re at?”
“That’s not my faul- Yellow, thank Mew… How do you-?“
Silvia snorted, seeming to shake off her mortification as Silver sunk further into his, by the panicked sounds from the phone.
The bweep of dial tone confirmed someone had hung up at last, Yellow or Silver, Green didn’t care. And really, she probably should have herself. Oh well.
“So, hi?”
“In ten minutes,” Giovanni ordered, looking odd. He wasn’t in his rocket uniform, but rather a button down shirt rather fussily done up and slacks. Both black, with a flick of green around the cuffs and neck to keep the whole thing from being monotonous, or funeral wear worthy. They were patterend after leaves, leaves attached to smoke grey branches, that glinted. Some sort of cuff link around them caught Green’s eye. “You are calling him back and telling him not to come, when your transport falls through for tonight.”
“He’s going to know you said to say that. He’s not stupid.” And Green wasn’t stupid, or going to offer anything like a promise for that.
“Then you are going to call, and I’m going to explain to him why he’s not to come here.”
“Because things are “picking up” because of these “hot dog men”? He’s not going to-”
“The “hot dog men” are Team Flare, and unlike Rocket they regularly target families. They went after honest ittaliano businessmen, kidnapped their kids, and skinned them alive on television to make a point. I had to pull Viridian corp out of Kalos after that debacle because the police were paid off enough to pretend to not know what was going on, as were the League. If Silver’s here, alone, and Flare even suspects, they will do anything to get him. Because if they do that they get Kanto in their pocket in one stroke.”
Silence, than in a tone of sheer disgust, the good mayor spoke up. “Gio, you don’t talk to kids about stuff like that it’s not-“
“Will he listen if you tell him that?”
Green chewed her lip, running a hand over Jiggly while she thought.
“Mask did worse, threatened and did.” Brown for an example. The things Will did to them for others. “If I tell Silver that he’s just going to get mad and try to stop them himself.”
“Which is unacceptable.”
Green nodded, agreeing with the man for once.
“Why can’t you get me out of here, tonight?”
“Because if Flare’s dumping crap into the ocean, they’re doing more. Watching the ships, the shipments, what not. Any commercial source is suspect. And considering the weather I’d not recommend surfing. Even if the weather were fine you could be abducted off your ‘mon as easily as off a ship.” Flicking a glare, to Silvia, then Green, he concluded. “They’re trying to get a foot hold in Sevii. Your bonds to Silver aren’t exactly a secret as despite his many lies, Blue Oak did not lie about that when he testified, that Persian’s more than out of the bag.”
“Blue Oak talked about Silver and Me?”
“Looker used that as justification to look you up. He intercepted you on your way to Sevii, on the road.” Actually, on the beach before they started surfing to Sevii. He’d tolerated the ice beam Silver had Snea’ chuck at him well enough. Really been focusing on Green, now that Green thought back on it. And while the promise of a new adventure had had some allure, home had been right there… So Green had said no, and when the man had pushed, gotten rude. Said a few disgusting things even. Silver had had Snea’ toss a hail behind them before Green had summoned Blasty to get them going.
And the agent hadn’t pursued. Or approached either one of them after. Perhaps thinking they both were incurable familiia members, whatever that meant... It’d been one of the man’s insults, anyways.
And how Giovanni had known about that, Green had no clue. She hadn’t been talking to Yellow then, still that wasn’t important. If Giovanni knew, then other Bosses might too.
Which actually made his threat make sense, and made it closer, and scarier, all at once.
Checking a shiver, Green tipped her head at the man, just… thinking. Finally she wondered. “And how is it leaving…. When I’m supposed to leave, going to be safer?”
“You’ll be leaving with me. I’ll personally escort you to Viridian. As for what happens after, I doubt it will be Flare related. Flare has no hold in Kanto.”
Flare probably had graves in Kanto, definitely not holds if the Rocket’s tone meant anything…
And besides him, looking utterly lost, the poor mayor was certainly adrift. Finally, drawing a deep breath, the woman spoke up, shaking off her shock it seemed. Pushing into the room, she took her old chair and Giovanni followed after her, standing behind Green’s couch. She kicked at his hands, because tehywere there, missed on purpose, and he canted a mild look at her malice, something almost fond twisting his features before he went to the opposite side of the couch to loom there.
Cutting off her access to the door, but then Persian popped up on the other side of Green and lay down, really cutting off her access to out.
“And what do the young ladies parents have to say about this… her leaving, her being the target of an international gang abduction? Do they even know what’s happening?”
“Oh them?” Green snorted, affecting a brittle brightness. Trying to just avoid looking at the Rocket.
Because Giovanni’s giving her a look that reminded her of the table, it was patient and placid, signifying what’s said is in her hands.
“Don’t you know, Mask doesn’t exist Ms. Mayor? He’s just a figment of my imagination. I managed to swindle all those other kids and lock them up all with my figment of my imagination when I was five. I even conned poor Mr. Sakaki, and his lawyers, and the police and everything.”
And Sevii’s mayor, looked from Green, to Giovanni, horrified and sick.
“What- why…”
“They had custody of my son… while I was recovering from cancer treatment.” The Rocket tabbed on. “They kicked him out for his “delusions” about Mask, making him homeless after he resisted their gas lighting and had an episode, a flashback relating to his trauma, in public. Silver was… an undesirable in their eyes. When my son left they turned their attentions to Green, and Green… while reasonable in her caution when dealing with a nearly unknown man… reached out to me for assistance.”
The Rocket shrugged, a mute, “and here we are now,” if Green’d ever seen one.
“They sent cray-cray doctors after me.” Green concluded. “I said Mask was real, that I was sane, and am emancipated since... income, trainer, and have a record in the league and stuff…” Green ticked her points off on her fingers, twiddling them a little. “Anyways, I looked it up. Nothing’s expired yet. Anyways, they had guns with darts, I have a Blasty, and now they have a new back door and I’m sorta on the run again? Except there aren’t ice types trying to re-abduct me, and the police are a joke.”
While the poor mayor strangled Green rewound what she said in her head, and tabbed on. “I mean, sorry, but they are, still… sorry I guess?”
“It’s I…”
“Five minutes, then you call.” Giovanni ordered. Then tilting a look towards Silvia sighed. “Ms. Mayor, if I could coax you to come with me so we can talk about the specifics.”
“Why isn’t.. child services…”
“Ew.. no, I’m not Oliver Quick. You’re not putting me in an orphanage.” Green slumped on the pillows, scooping up Jiggly. “I spent enough time in a cell, years in a freezer, so, no. Not that again.”
“Twist. And no, we aren’t. No one’s calling protective or using freezers.”
Yeah, that’d be a mess, huh? Big bad crime Boss having to deal with judges and interviews and house inspections…. It wasn’t quite the temptation to blurt out as it’d been at their home, but Green snorted, unable to not laugh at the idea in her head.
“What were you, an English major?” Green sneered.
“International business major, minor in theater, actually.”
Green might of over tossed Jiggly at the shock of that one.
“You were a theater kid-“ Jiggly floated down on Green’s head, getting her flippers in Green’s hair and her bulk on Green’s shoulder. “You’re kidding.”
“I had to learn how to make my voice carry at meetings and how to get attention from a room full of people from somewhere. I also wasn’t above taking few “frivolous” courses to piss off my parent off…”
Green’s trying to imagine Silver taking anything to tick anyone off. He’s just too laid back for that… And imaging Giovanni as a knobby shorter version of himself, a black haired lankier Silver, is making her head hurt. Because how… what… Had he had to act in ”Oliver” like the singing version, is that how he knew it wasn’t Swift... or whatever it’d been?
“Three minutes.”
The threat’s almost friendly, which makes it a bit scarier than his idle malice from earlier.
“What?” Because Green’s still struggling, trying to get the Silver Giovanni theater class hobgoblin out of her head and not doing a good job of it.
“The call?”
Oh right the, do what I say or I’ll kill you for letting Silver get in danger, call. Right.
That.
“Also, I’d recommend coming across some income and submitting it through the league channels in the next week and a half, your League immunity is close to expiring.”
Then with a pat to Jiggly’s head, he’s walking around the couch and gone, taking the mayor with him. To threaten, or sweat talk her around to his side of things, Green’s not sure.
She’s not even sure she cares, really.
Flipping open her old phone, Green sets Jiggly off her head, on the couches back, and Persian pops up. Setting a paw on Green’s feet. No running, got it. Claws tap against her toes, a peculiar beat interspaced by purrs… And it takes one repetition before Green realizes what it is. She glares at the cat.
“Nu uh, you get that song for being a good cat. Threatening to squish me until I sing it is bad cat behavior…” Flipping open her phone, Green tried to ignore the not so subtle threat, even as the cat slinked closer, going from looming to draping. Taking inspiration from Green’s complaint the feline spread out to better squash the girl into the cushions, claws tapping, purrs in tune…
Just as the call goes through and Silver picks up.
“Green…” He’s on speaker and a bit tinny. “What… Why are you… Are you singing?”
It takes some squirming, and a kick, but Green’s no longer being smothered to death by death kitty.
“You’re Dad’s cat, sucks. And tell Yellow to look up Sakaki and theater, it’s the only blackmail were going to get for ages. He’s probably deleated all of it, but its’ got to be somewhere on the internet.”
After all everything was.
“You can do it yourself; I mean you’re going to be in Viridian in a day or two, right?”
“About that…”
Suffice to say Silver’s not happy. But he’s informed as to why she’s not coming, and less than thrilled because she tells him that Giovanni had wanted to not tell him everything, than Green turned around and told Silver everything any way.
“I really don’t think we want to get sucked into a.. Team whatever this is turning into.” Green huffed, smacking the cat who is purring into her ear in time to the song that Green’s not singing. “I mean, they skin people alive Sil’ that’s… I… I can’t even think about what they’d do to you if they did that to some rich guys kid that wasn’t a Rocket. I don’t want to ever think about it, about that maybe happening to you… I just…”
“I won’t come.” And it’s a promise, tight and unhappy, but Silver keeps his promises so some of the tension in Green’s chest eases. Because her brains thinking of skinned kid and thinking about Brown, and her head’s not a pretty place. His promise helps her push that back a bit. “Unless they get to you, they hurt you, then everything’s off. I’ll freeze every one of them if they touch you.”
“I’m not stupid Sil’, they won’t even know I’m here.” She’d roll, but couldn’t and Giovanni’s Persian is eyeing the phone and it’s shiny screen with curious red eyes. “Hey, do you have any spare money? I need to put something in my League Account so I don’t lose my license.”
“Why don’t you ask F- H- Giovanni?”
“So I can shake your Da’ down for money?”
“N- ye- I don’t know how to answer that…” A huff, and grumble as Silver, who could move, did, by the sound of the interference. “Look, I used almost all of mine on silly string and potions and glitter.”
He’d glitter bombed floors of the league, snow glitter bombed, and Green figured it had to come somewhere. But all his money, on prank materials?
“Sil’ what did I tell you about rationing?”
“This from Miss. I need money to keep my license.”
“Yeah, Mr. I glittered Sabrina’s office and made glitter snowmen in Kogas so much so I’m broke.”
“Hey, he can’t ninja now, he just sparkles, right?”
And there are footsteps coming from down the hall and Green’s laughing anyway.
“Yeah like a Galar ponyta. Bet he clip clops in those funny wood shoes of his and sparkles for days after he gets his paperwork” probably not, but Silver’s snorting on a laugh. “I’m not alone, so I gotta go. I’ll call you from my new number sometime tomorrow.”
“Talk to you then.”
The screen goes dark and there’s a flicker of red and the relief of all that weight going away as Persian’s recalled.
“You really didn’t have to hang up on my behalf.” The Rocket demurs, clicking the cat’s pokeball on his belt.
“Considering Silver doesn’t trust you...” Much less like, though green’s not mean enough to say that. “I kinda did. You asked me to lie to him, and I didn’t, and he knows that now. He also says that “you suck” because you freaking ordered me to lie to him and he didn’t like that. Oh and “Don’t do that again, or he’ll glitter your Viridian office”. And also, you owe me money. For courier services...”
The last had been Yellow’s suggestion, popping in and out, listening as she’d gotten ready for school. She’d chimed the suggestion out on her way out and it’d sounded good for the two ex-disciples that had no clue what a courier was. Giovanni settled on the edge of the couch, there’s enough room that Green doesn’t feel crowded, but still she scrunches up anyways and glowers at him, Blasty’s pokeball in her hand.
Because he’s not going for his wallet.
And Green really needs him to do that, that or she’s going to have to go out the second it stops raining and pick a fight with someone. There’s all of nine trainers of Sevii, not counting herself, and they smarted up ages ago and won’t battle her. If she punches one of them first they might. Maybe.
Hopefully.
“And you have the proper paperwork to prove your income? All the lines crossed, everything dotted? Because now that Oak’s dropped you as his protégé, you have to file it now, you’ve no dex to automatically record your battle history. So I’m assuming you’re prepared and just need me to pass up some money and sign?”
Paperwork? Green froze, because she hadn’t known. And he’s smiling, a smile like his Persian, all edges and taunting and smugness. And if he were a hair closer Green’d kick him, but he was set just so she couldn’t.
“And two witnesses, I’ll of course sign, since I’m seeing my money go to your person, but who else will you have…”
“You… I… paperwork?”
“Paperwork. You know, active poof of employment.”
And Greens’ recalling threats, and taunting and… and she really really doesn’t want to work with Sabrina. If he says she has too, she’s gone. “And you have something… planned?”
“Right up your alley, I’ll even have Sevii’s good mayor sign off on it, it’ll be unassailable. Unless you want to try to get a job, while you’re on the run? No worries, you have about a week to think it over…”
Mew, she’s about ready to scoot forward to kick him anyways. But she doesn’t. because he’s got her paperwork, she just has to deal with him for a minute, perhaps two more…
“What’s the job?”
“If I wanted to break into this…” And he’s turning a tablet over, the one tucked under his arm, so she can see the screen. It’s got a building and a logo that looks a little like the logos on the hotdog peoples’ shirts. “How would you suggest I do so?”
“A water processing plant?”
“Some competitors in the science community that the good mayor is looking into.”
Huh, weird but… alright.
“How much time do I have to plan this?”
“A week, give or take.”
So basically today. Since slowpoke mail was named slowpoke for a good reason.
“Well, I guess you can get the blue prints and stuff since she’s the mayor. I’d get those, and someone sneaky, and do a tour. Like a bigwig person tour that’ll pull the executives and stuff out of their offices. That gets all the smart people out of the way. Probably faster than a fire. And when I was doing that tour I’d send someone with you, through the roof or something with the ‘prints, to poke around while you distract the big wigs by asking a lot of questions and making scenes and stuff… We… did something like that at Silph, timing a break in when there was a tour by V-. “ By him, Green realizes with a wince. “Well, that’s not important. But it’s worked before. So that’s how I’d do it, if I was in a rush.”
Which Green is.
Black eyes consider her, weighing some factor against another.
“I told you how I’d do it; I did your job…”
“And I’ll give you five thousand for it, no strings attached, because you did. Though you should really consider clearing pay before offering your services. And while I could hire someone else to do the “sneaky” bit,” A Rocket, perhaps a team of them. “I’ve a further proposition… Something that if done just right, may very well speed both our departures off of Sevii. We could be in Viridian day after tomorrow if it plays right.”
And to that temptation, Green runs a tongue of her lips, itching to taste the salt-less air, see the thick shades of trees again, see Silver, just to be able to be. And be in peace. No police, no reminders of them. She might be able to make a home in Kanto, and if not Kanto some other region, but to do that she has to get out of here first.
“How’s it going to work?” Green questions, because she hadn’t before and gotten off lightly, he’s not likely to be that nice twice. “And how much are you paying me?”
“Quite a bit.” He hums, evading as casually as breathing.
“Yeah, how about a number? Related to my pay. And then a description of the job that’s honest? I might say yes after you and the mayor sign off on the first job I took.” Because she’s not letting him off on anything, she wasn’t that money, no strings attached to stay no strings attached.
Fool her once…
Well there’d be no twice, and with a laugh, Giovanni stood, going to the briefcase by the door. Her papers aren’t all the way on the top, but near enough to make her feel important, even if it’s kinda accidental ego stroking on his part. She’s not vital, thus not on the top, or expendable, and thus on the bottom. Right in the middle feels safest and middle toppish makes her feel a little special.
“For services rendered to Viridian Gym and Viridian Co?” She parrots off the paper, not understanding the legalese in the slightest but able to pick out whom she’s getting money from.
And wasn’t that a kick in the face? Because by taking employment form him, as a person and a business, her trainer ship –and freedom- depended on him keeping his station. Which meant that if he ticked her off Green couldn’t go to the police, with his Rocket card, or telling Looky, or anything to anyone. Ever. And he and his Persian, they’re a pair, he’s nearly purring as he watches her put it all together, dark eyes glinting with unspoken mirth.
Green couldn’t even warn Sevii’s mayor about anything. She’s going to have to stick up for the Rocket and provide cover stories if anything goes wrong in Sevii because signing this was linking him to her. Her freedom to his good name, at least until she was eighteen and legal an adult.
It also was taking her out of the goodie goodie squad… indefinitely... And Green’s focusing on that silver lining, and only that, as she scrawls her name in the marked spot. Trying not to feel bad for Mayor Silvia or anyone else ever that has to deal with Giovanni from here on out.
Because she might not be an adult, but she gets responsibility. And in doing this, protecting him even a little, she’s a tiny bit responsible for everything Giovanni does from here on out. Because she’s part of it. And that thought makes her stomach clench as he takes the papers from her, as he calls out to Silvia, “for her “help” for a moment”.
And the mayor comes in, warm from the glow of success, smirking, hanging up her phone as she comes in.
“Booked it. One surprise inspection, and proof from the permits office of lawful wrong doing. We’ve enough proof to put them on the ropes for building outside of zone and using wrong permits. They are’t celared for those tnaks of whatever, we don’t even need to open them up. Just see them. The clutch of Cloy’ heads at R and D are going to be forwarding their information on… Well where they think the stuff was dumped and…”
“Will this help?” Green offers her phone, location app and travel history on the front screen. A toss and the woman’s startled, but catches it easily enough.
“More than you can imagine, thank you very much Green.”
“Yeah.” Green waves off the woman’s thanks. And since Giovanni’s close enough, she nudges him extra hard with a foot because she can. “About that…”
“Of course, Gio walked me through how this works.. Can I borrow your?- Thank you, Gio.” And the mayor signs, never really getting what she’s signing up for, and Green tries not to get sick, but it’s hard. “I’m just glad I can help you out a bit, you’ve done so much…”
“Think nothing of it.”
Green really hated it when adults dug into her phone.
After a quick review of Silver’s most recent send along, something that’d made Silvia laugh and soured Giovanni’s mood further. He’d gotten into her most recent footage and watched it, stony face, jaw muscle jumping, as he fought against some impulse or other that he obviously didn’t want to be public.
Well, that was his problem, he shouldn’t have taken her phone in a public place then.
Hovering over his shoulder, and probably reminding him why he couldn’t lose his cool just be being there, the pretty redhead watched as well. Face turning from amused to worried.
“Those definitely are new and not native to my Region.”
“The Liepard lines are a Kalos vanity,” Giovanni noted, dark eyes thinned, tone near monotone, “as are the corgunk and scrafty. They’re exotic, and transplants being used to transport… and dump.. .whatever that was.”
“I recognize the uniform, and while I could level some ugly claims at the Kalos embassy… I’m going to need more proof than one little girl’s video recording.”
Sitting across from the adults, Green sulked, stirring her oatmeal. Her breakfast, courtesy of the more considerate adult, was loaded with enough sugar to be deadly. With honey on top because Green was owed an apology and she’d take extra sweet as a starting point. She’d also sorta remembered that honey helped with aches (but was starting to think it might have something to do with aching throats, not bruises, because the extra sweetness wasn’t helping at all) gnawing on the coagulation of grain, heat, and sweet, while her privacy was invaded by adults.
Yet again.
“Someone’s looking to shake things up in Sevvi, gut your economy at the least. Why else drive something toxic across town and toss it into the ocean, there specifically?”
Face stilling into a no-tell stillness Silvia made a noise in her throat.
“I want to cross check that theory, and I’ve got a whole slew of ocean scientists who can figure the tides and what not.” And the woman, who was clearly more than just “pretty” gave Green the Look.
Oak had one like it.
The Look was a damnable mix of arcanine eyes and adult and it made Green’s skin crawl like Giovanni’s peculiar no-tell expression when she saw It. The last time It was tipped at her she found herself doing something stupid, dangerous, for the “right reasons” and look how far that’d gotten her. To a broken home and being on the run again, so no, Green wasn’t going to fold to The Look, thank you very much. Not today, not tomorrow…
“Sweetheart, are you ok?”
Green’d been pointedly looking outside, not looking at either adult, she jolted at the warm hand that closed over hers, not quite gripping. Green could twist her hand free, push back, get her stuff, and bolt.
She should, that’d be the smart thing to do.
But no, she had to look up, meet Silvia’s, because of manners and… ung she was taking the Look head on now.
Why why why…
In the back of her head, Green could hear Silver, his voice wry mimic of some league announcer as he listened to her bemoan The Look and how Oak’d used it against her.
“It’s supereffective.”
She’d told him to shut up, then, and right now it was on the tip of her tongue to just blurt that out right now, get her things, and run. Hypothermia, pneomiea, all that was nothing compared to the sheer insanity The Look had gotten her into before.
She’d gone to Silph for it. Red’s puppy eyes drawing her grudging cooperation…
Silver’d tried it then too, to talk her into a break in. A really stupid one. And she’d fallen for it, hook line and sinker. Green cringed into herself, wincing back form the touch because Arceus, she could feel herself getting sucked in. Nothing was even being asked yet and Green was utterly helpless for any case of puppy eyes. No matter Mask’s training, or her life, she really did have quad vulnerability to puppy eyes…
And wasn’t that a revelation.
“No.” Because she might as well try to get out of this, even if it was futile.
“Certainly,” and damned the man for sounding so compassionate, his eyes were hard though, Green could see that at least even if she couldn’t hear through his lies. “You can at the very least tell us where you were camped last night.”
“No I’m really not.” Green dug in, lips pressing into a thin line. “And I can’t. You can use my phone, track its location,” she’d never turned it off since no one knew she’d had it, it’d seemed a bit paranoid to bother. And funnily how she’s lost sleep over worrying about it, even as it was helping her now. “You can have my phone, if you get me a new one and pay a year on it. No turning it off later, no using it to bug me or look me up either, you do that, and it’s yours. But you leave me alone after.”
Ms. Silvia had let her hand go, though that troubling look of concern had deepened, even as Giovani, leaning on the table besides the woman, twiddled with Green’s phone. The man was clearly toying with the idea of not giving it back. Well Green wasn’t going to let him have it. Green tapped the table and held out her hand, request obvious, and in front of witnesses, well she wasn’t sure what he would do.
“It’s mine.” Green snapped.
“The preferred make and model for the replacement?” The Rocket was so still, an in that moment he was suspended over so many possibilities and telling none of what he’d do with his tone or features.
Was he amused at her vehemence, irritated at her refusal, something else?
Green couldn’t tell.
She checked a shiver and snapped the phone back. Quick and hard enough you’d think he’d count to make his fingers at the motions end, but he just leaned back, waiting.
“I… I need a computer to look this sort of thing up… I only used my folk’s to do school work.”
“Speaking about your folks…” The pretty lady pipped up.
And before Green could begin to spin a lie, an evasion part truth part falsehood-
(She was a trainer, swinging by. See her water team? They loved going to the ocean and Sevii looked so promising… and so on and so forth.)
Giovanni shook his head.
“Inaccessible I’m afraid.”
“You have more than one kid?” The woman canted a bitter look up, Green forgotten in that moment. Clearly irritated and alluding to some other conversation that Green knew nothing about.
“Silver’s called her his sister, in my hearing even, but the situation is a bit... more complicated than misplaced adventures in my adolescence... Perhaps, before you do your research, Green, I should tender all the appropriate introductions?” As if her opinion mattered. Still Giovanni was waiting, so Green nodded, and the man continued. "Miss Mayor and head of the Sevii Region, may I introduce you to Green Azule, ex-Mask of Ice Disciple, and keystone to Viridian Corp’s lawsuit into the Mask of Ice Johto/Kanto League scandal.”
Silvia made the Persian pinning Green down noise again, and the expression accompanying it was interesting. A mix of choking and constipation, utter indignation and horror, with a flush on top of it to round it all out.
“She’s just a kid!”
Huh, no wonder the woman had looked familiar.
“All the abductees that Mask took were horridly young. As you know… my son was less than five years old when he was taken…”
Silence, as Green contemplated the view out, it was raining meowths and growlithe, so out wasn’t much of an option. The Mayor of Sevii pulled herself together, while besides her Giovanni tapped one finger against the table. Calws clicked, heralding the feline’s return.
Alright so running was really out.
Green sighed, wishing she’s picked a different beach right now.
“You have a computer?” Pushing aside her meal, Green stood, and to that Silvia nodded.
“Most adults do. I’ll show you how to get set up.” The politician promised, and unlike most adults, the woman was true to her word.
XXX
Returning, the Rocket was the unpleasant scent of wet bird and the sound of waterlogged boots. And those sensations were a bit ominous when coming out of sleep. Only the softness around her and the warmth of the Persian draped over her kept Green from panicking. To better shake off the memory of old abductions Green struggled to sit up, and look around. It’d put a wall between then and now.
Having gotten up to flying into the teeth of a storm so to get Green’s demands “over with” Giovanni looked a mess. Some thumps, affirmed he’d made some sort of stop over by the door. Green could see more packs by the door and a shiny steel suit case that definitely wasn’t hers. Turning on his heel, to go deeper into the house, Giovanni stomped past her and the drowsy mayor. Looking distinctly wind burned, hair a mop on his head, skin pale from the chill, a ”sick Silver” sort of pale. He’d, by the sound of it, tossed a plastic box down and stomped off towards some unknown destination. Unknown, until Mayor Silvia looked up from her tablet and sprawl on a nearby chair and hollered at Giovanni that the bathroom was the third door, not the fourth.
A few heavy steps were the wordless response to those instructions...
Then the sound of running water, as perversely, the Rocket was going to take a hot shower after getting out of the rain.
Hadn’t he heard of drying off with warm towels and settling in front of a fire Green snorted, and then pushed off the Persian draped over her legs. Or rather, she nudged the cat, who opened a red eye, and with a murp, rolled over, letting Green get off. With a bit of squirming, mind.
“She’s friendy” her ass. Green knew when she was being herded about and controlled, even if that controller was soft and fluffy. Still, she was up and minding the water trail so she wouldn’t slip, Green nipped into the kitchen.
Wrapped in the ruins of a waterlogged bag, logo a mystery, was the phone Green’d ordered. The fluffruit 2000 x lite, a steely color closest to silver she’d found in the log. Near lost in the folds of a tearing bag were twelve cards. Premium plan chips, one for each month, labeled and stacked, they had unlimited everything, and sloshed clean from the down pour. The only packaging that’d made it was stuff protected by plastic covers…
That and a contract, wrapped in a ziplock bag.
She could make out a sharp signature that aas probably Giovanni’s on the bottom, but the rest of the writing was small print mumbo jumbo and so folded over Green’d have to dig it out to start reading. So Green didn’t bother.
Just stared at the things he had hared off into a storm to fetch. A bit numb, because it’d been a long long time since she’d gotten anything from someone.
Even if this was a classic case of “something for something”.
Looking back Green realized that They had given her things, things they thought she wanted, Mask had given her just enough not to die and taken everything else in the bargain… And Silver gave and gave, not expecting anything, not even thanks. And she hadn’t thanked him, not when he’d nearly gotten caught, breaking into places and fetching her soft warm things almost frantically those first few weeks.
Suffice to say, gifts were weird.
Footsteps from behind made Green look up, blink sharply at the stinging behind her eyes, as she saw the Mayor coming over, grumbling about men and their thoughtlessness at the water trail, then looking at her and smiling a small smile.
“Hey, he got you the right thing, right?”
Green nodded, not quite trusting herself to speak.
“Need help getting it open?”
A thump and click of claws affirmed that Persian was going to be wanting snuggles and herding her around into a spot so she could nap again, to that inevitability Green sighed. Time was limited, might as well make what she could of it.
“You got scissors?”
“Of course.”
One small perusal into a drawer by the sink, a rather mundane affair of odd and end hardware things that made sense, even if the duct tape in there didn’t, Silvia had a small pair of scissors on hand and movwd to passed them along. A merow, utterly insulted, sounded, and both woman and girl looked to the cat, who had reared and flexed a paw, pointedly.
“Offering to do the honors Persian?” Sevii’s mayor hummed. “Are you his personal paper assistant than?”
Whiskers twitched, near warping the cat’s snout into a smile, tail lifting, more to tone than words, the cat yowled, a friendly seeming, “Per!” as she batted at the box. Almost pointing at it.
“Pushy aren’t you.” Mayor Silvia chuckled, putting the scissors in her pocket. “How about I let you have go and if you can’t safely open it I’ll use these, fair?”
The cat’s responding meow was part ascent, utter sass, and a perfect fit for a Rocket’s pet, really, she was.
The phone was deboxed, the box in pieces and batted about, and the device was activated and charging by the socket closest to the front door when Giovanni stepped out of the shower. Sevii’s mayor was off to make calls deeper in the house, private adult only calls she hadn’t wanted Green to evesdrop on, and curiously she’d said as such, to Green directly.
“They aren’t about you, they’re work related. Mainly about the video, I need to let people know, and later mail those files out, if you’ll allow me to.”
Since Giovanni had held his word Green’d hold to hers. She’d made some noise that’d been taken as agreement, and more tired that anything else Green’d taken her sprawl back on the couch. The free entertainment of watching Persian play had been enough to keep her there, and the weather outside enough to keep her from planning on going out. It’d graduated from moewth and growl’s to arcanine and Persians, the only mercy was that there was no thunder, no power surges.
Being trapped with Rocket in the dark was not Green’s idea of a good time, even if they were sorta working together.
Content to let the good mayor think Green trusted her Green waved her off. Wished her a good day at work, even though it wasn’t quite a right fit, and with a smirk the woman had left. With her team on her belt, trust wasn’t an issue, Green had rain and type advantage if Giovanni descided to do anything stupid...
And seriously, considering Persian’s track record of getting her paw caught in the box, and wandering to Green with a soft mewl to “fix it”, and that it’d been the sixth time thus far…
Yeah, Giovanni had a team of five ‘mon that could fight, this cat, surprise pouncing non-withstanding, wasn’t going to be a problem in a real fight if a box kept beating her.
The water from the shower cut off, and stepping out into the hall, a purloined hotels towel scraping up loose water and hairs, the Rocket stepped onto the scene of Green “saving” his cat for the seventh time. Old phone in her lap, and talking to Silver on speaker, an extra pillow shivered, showing it to be Jiggly, who wanted attention, which Green lavished while teasing Silver about something. In short, Green was a picture perfect image of teenager multitasking with a bit of a ‘mon twist.
Silver, unwilling to take the ribbing while being down, bit back with a bit of snark of his own. “How do you keep getting into things? I thought being normal meant you didn’t get involved in this stuff. So why do you keep getting up to your ears in crazy, huh?”
“How was it my fault the hot dog men decided to descend on the beach? And it’s not my fault that they’re crazy. I’m just trying to get out of this before it gets worse. I keep telling myself, just a few more days but… I’m gunna ask to get out of here tonight.”
“Seriously, do it. Say I’ll come if he doesn’t.”
There were footsteps behind him, almost besides him. Without even turning to look Giovanni cut his arm across the hall, stopping Silvia from stepping through, a glare over his shoulder stilled her greeting, and both adults lingered in the hall. Listening.
“I don’t think blackmailing the Boss of Viridian Co.’s smart Silver.”
“He says he’s my Dad.”
“And Mask said he was bad, and Red said he was bad, and Blue, and Yellow, and Oak, and that police guy, Lookie-”
“And they’re all liars. Right? They all stabbed us in the back when we didn’t do what they wanted. And you said Mask’s full of tauros shit, he’s always been. Good people don’t kidnap kids, right? They don’t ask them to do dangerous things? We don’t have to do dangerous things anymore, right? That’s what getting out meant. No masks, no danger.”
“Yeah,” Nipping her lip Green went back to grooming Jiggly with her hair brush. “You really think it’s a Team thing, but not a Rocket thing?”
“Yeah, Yellow looked them online at school and then got in trouble for looking them online at school. Guess they’re another “adult only” thing. Yellow called it classified, or said the adults called it that, but I don’t think she knows what that means.”
Yeah, Green figured. Classified meant get caught reading or talking about it and Mask locked you with Brown until you froze to death. So Yellow really didn’t know what that word meant. Neither really wanted to explain that to her though.
“You know…” And by that hum Green knows Silver’s putting something together, something Green wouldn’t like. “You always blamed me for our crazy stuff. And you can’t do that right now because I’m not there…”
“I could roundabout blame you, he is your Dad.”
“Says he is.”
“He got set on fire for you Silver, dragged you out of a fire that that crazy Rocket set up. He punched Mask for you, and Sird, and Proton, and probably Red. With lawyers, he punched Red and Blue with lawyers... I’m pretty sure it’s more than “thinks he is”. Anyways…”
Giovanni tapped on the door frame, cutting off... whatever Green was going to say. What was she going to say? Green wasn’t sure, all thoughts died in her head. With a curse Green jolted, Jiggly whining under her because that’d been a tangle she tugged.
“Umm he’s here.” A long moment, than Green swore again. “They’re both here… him and the mayor…”
“You really think she’s my Mom, or going to be my new Mom? I mean, that’s what adults do at sleep over’s, right?’
Oh Arceus, Silver, why did you have to say that, right now?
Moaning, Green slumped near double. Hiding her face in her hands. Silence... save it wasn’t. Silver nattered on about “why were mayors so important anyway?” and realizing he wasn’t going to shut up Green straightened, daring a peek at the adults.
The mayor looks like she was about ready to die. Giovanni went a weird shade of red, and then cleared his throat.
“No, she’s not and is not going to be.” The Rocket cut in. And, oh thank Mew for someone with a brain who could think through sheer embarrassment. Green almost liked the man just then.
“Was that-?” Realization hit and Silver squawked. “Why am I on speaker Green?!” The boy’s voice was cracking in his panic. “Oh my Mew, how do I hang up, how do I…” Beeping, as he tried a few buttons the volume went down a bit, a small mercy since he was in the yelling stage of his panic. “YELLOW, HELP ME HANG UP!”
Green whined in her throat. “I’m sorry, he’s normally like this.”
“You’re not funny.”
“Yes I am…” Because there were two roads, making things better, and making them worse. And they didn’t get away from Mask and Rocket and crazy League peoples by being good. “No, bad cat… How did you get his Persian to want to eat phones? How did Sneasel teach her to all the way from where you’re at?”
“That’s not my faul- Yellow, thank Mew… How do you-?“
Silvia snorted, seeming to shake off her mortification as Silver sunk further into his, by the panicked sounds from the phone.
The bweep of dial tone confirmed someone had hung up at last, Yellow or Silver, Green didn’t care. And really, she probably should have herself. Oh well.
“So, hi?”
“In ten minutes,” Giovanni ordered, looking odd. He wasn’t in his rocket uniform, but rather a button down shirt rather fussily done up and slacks. Both black, with a flick of green around the cuffs and neck to keep the whole thing from being monotonous, or funeral wear worthy. They were patterend after leaves, leaves attached to smoke grey branches, that glinted. Some sort of cuff link around them caught Green’s eye. “You are calling him back and telling him not to come, when your transport falls through for tonight.”
“He’s going to know you said to say that. He’s not stupid.” And Green wasn’t stupid, or going to offer anything like a promise for that.
“Then you are going to call, and I’m going to explain to him why he’s not to come here.”
“Because things are “picking up” because of these “hot dog men”? He’s not going to-”
“The “hot dog men” are Team Flare, and unlike Rocket they regularly target families. They went after honest ittaliano businessmen, kidnapped their kids, and skinned them alive on television to make a point. I had to pull Viridian corp out of Kalos after that debacle because the police were paid off enough to pretend to not know what was going on, as were the League. If Silver’s here, alone, and Flare even suspects, they will do anything to get him. Because if they do that they get Kanto in their pocket in one stroke.”
Silence, than in a tone of sheer disgust, the good mayor spoke up. “Gio, you don’t talk to kids about stuff like that it’s not-“
“Will he listen if you tell him that?”
Green chewed her lip, running a hand over Jiggly while she thought.
“Mask did worse, threatened and did.” Brown for an example. The things Will did to them for others. “If I tell Silver that he’s just going to get mad and try to stop them himself.”
“Which is unacceptable.”
Green nodded, agreeing with the man for once.
“Why can’t you get me out of here, tonight?”
“Because if Flare’s dumping crap into the ocean, they’re doing more. Watching the ships, the shipments, what not. Any commercial source is suspect. And considering the weather I’d not recommend surfing. Even if the weather were fine you could be abducted off your ‘mon as easily as off a ship.” Flicking a glare, to Silvia, then Green, he concluded. “They’re trying to get a foot hold in Sevii. Your bonds to Silver aren’t exactly a secret as despite his many lies, Blue Oak did not lie about that when he testified, that Persian’s more than out of the bag.”
“Blue Oak talked about Silver and Me?”
“Looker used that as justification to look you up. He intercepted you on your way to Sevii, on the road.” Actually, on the beach before they started surfing to Sevii. He’d tolerated the ice beam Silver had Snea’ chuck at him well enough. Really been focusing on Green, now that Green thought back on it. And while the promise of a new adventure had had some allure, home had been right there… So Green had said no, and when the man had pushed, gotten rude. Said a few disgusting things even. Silver had had Snea’ toss a hail behind them before Green had summoned Blasty to get them going.
And the agent hadn’t pursued. Or approached either one of them after. Perhaps thinking they both were incurable familiia members, whatever that meant... It’d been one of the man’s insults, anyways.
And how Giovanni had known about that, Green had no clue. She hadn’t been talking to Yellow then, still that wasn’t important. If Giovanni knew, then other Bosses might too.
Which actually made his threat make sense, and made it closer, and scarier, all at once.
Checking a shiver, Green tipped her head at the man, just… thinking. Finally she wondered. “And how is it leaving…. When I’m supposed to leave, going to be safer?”
“You’ll be leaving with me. I’ll personally escort you to Viridian. As for what happens after, I doubt it will be Flare related. Flare has no hold in Kanto.”
Flare probably had graves in Kanto, definitely not holds if the Rocket’s tone meant anything…
And besides him, looking utterly lost, the poor mayor was certainly adrift. Finally, drawing a deep breath, the woman spoke up, shaking off her shock it seemed. Pushing into the room, she took her old chair and Giovanni followed after her, standing behind Green’s couch. She kicked at his hands, because tehywere there, missed on purpose, and he canted a mild look at her malice, something almost fond twisting his features before he went to the opposite side of the couch to loom there.
Cutting off her access to the door, but then Persian popped up on the other side of Green and lay down, really cutting off her access to out.
“And what do the young ladies parents have to say about this… her leaving, her being the target of an international gang abduction? Do they even know what’s happening?”
“Oh them?” Green snorted, affecting a brittle brightness. Trying to just avoid looking at the Rocket.
Because Giovanni’s giving her a look that reminded her of the table, it was patient and placid, signifying what’s said is in her hands.
“Don’t you know, Mask doesn’t exist Ms. Mayor? He’s just a figment of my imagination. I managed to swindle all those other kids and lock them up all with my figment of my imagination when I was five. I even conned poor Mr. Sakaki, and his lawyers, and the police and everything.”
And Sevii’s mayor, looked from Green, to Giovanni, horrified and sick.
“What- why…”
“They had custody of my son… while I was recovering from cancer treatment.” The Rocket tabbed on. “They kicked him out for his “delusions” about Mask, making him homeless after he resisted their gas lighting and had an episode, a flashback relating to his trauma, in public. Silver was… an undesirable in their eyes. When my son left they turned their attentions to Green, and Green… while reasonable in her caution when dealing with a nearly unknown man… reached out to me for assistance.”
The Rocket shrugged, a mute, “and here we are now,” if Green’d ever seen one.
“They sent cray-cray doctors after me.” Green concluded. “I said Mask was real, that I was sane, and am emancipated since... income, trainer, and have a record in the league and stuff…” Green ticked her points off on her fingers, twiddling them a little. “Anyways, I looked it up. Nothing’s expired yet. Anyways, they had guns with darts, I have a Blasty, and now they have a new back door and I’m sorta on the run again? Except there aren’t ice types trying to re-abduct me, and the police are a joke.”
While the poor mayor strangled Green rewound what she said in her head, and tabbed on. “I mean, sorry, but they are, still… sorry I guess?”
“It’s I…”
“Five minutes, then you call.” Giovanni ordered. Then tilting a look towards Silvia sighed. “Ms. Mayor, if I could coax you to come with me so we can talk about the specifics.”
“Why isn’t.. child services…”
“Ew.. no, I’m not Oliver Quick. You’re not putting me in an orphanage.” Green slumped on the pillows, scooping up Jiggly. “I spent enough time in a cell, years in a freezer, so, no. Not that again.”
“Twist. And no, we aren’t. No one’s calling protective or using freezers.”
Yeah, that’d be a mess, huh? Big bad crime Boss having to deal with judges and interviews and house inspections…. It wasn’t quite the temptation to blurt out as it’d been at their home, but Green snorted, unable to not laugh at the idea in her head.
“What were you, an English major?” Green sneered.
“International business major, minor in theater, actually.”
Green might of over tossed Jiggly at the shock of that one.
“You were a theater kid-“ Jiggly floated down on Green’s head, getting her flippers in Green’s hair and her bulk on Green’s shoulder. “You’re kidding.”
“I had to learn how to make my voice carry at meetings and how to get attention from a room full of people from somewhere. I also wasn’t above taking few “frivolous” courses to piss off my parent off…”
Green’s trying to imagine Silver taking anything to tick anyone off. He’s just too laid back for that… And imaging Giovanni as a knobby shorter version of himself, a black haired lankier Silver, is making her head hurt. Because how… what… Had he had to act in ”Oliver” like the singing version, is that how he knew it wasn’t Swift... or whatever it’d been?
“Three minutes.”
The threat’s almost friendly, which makes it a bit scarier than his idle malice from earlier.
“What?” Because Green’s still struggling, trying to get the Silver Giovanni theater class hobgoblin out of her head and not doing a good job of it.
“The call?”
Oh right the, do what I say or I’ll kill you for letting Silver get in danger, call. Right.
That.
“Also, I’d recommend coming across some income and submitting it through the league channels in the next week and a half, your League immunity is close to expiring.”
Then with a pat to Jiggly’s head, he’s walking around the couch and gone, taking the mayor with him. To threaten, or sweat talk her around to his side of things, Green’s not sure.
She’s not even sure she cares, really.
Flipping open her old phone, Green sets Jiggly off her head, on the couches back, and Persian pops up. Setting a paw on Green’s feet. No running, got it. Claws tap against her toes, a peculiar beat interspaced by purrs… And it takes one repetition before Green realizes what it is. She glares at the cat.
“Nu uh, you get that song for being a good cat. Threatening to squish me until I sing it is bad cat behavior…” Flipping open her phone, Green tried to ignore the not so subtle threat, even as the cat slinked closer, going from looming to draping. Taking inspiration from Green’s complaint the feline spread out to better squash the girl into the cushions, claws tapping, purrs in tune…
Just as the call goes through and Silver picks up.
“Green…” He’s on speaker and a bit tinny. “What… Why are you… Are you singing?”
It takes some squirming, and a kick, but Green’s no longer being smothered to death by death kitty.
“You’re Dad’s cat, sucks. And tell Yellow to look up Sakaki and theater, it’s the only blackmail were going to get for ages. He’s probably deleated all of it, but its’ got to be somewhere on the internet.”
After all everything was.
“You can do it yourself; I mean you’re going to be in Viridian in a day or two, right?”
“About that…”
Suffice to say Silver’s not happy. But he’s informed as to why she’s not coming, and less than thrilled because she tells him that Giovanni had wanted to not tell him everything, than Green turned around and told Silver everything any way.
“I really don’t think we want to get sucked into a.. Team whatever this is turning into.” Green huffed, smacking the cat who is purring into her ear in time to the song that Green’s not singing. “I mean, they skin people alive Sil’ that’s… I… I can’t even think about what they’d do to you if they did that to some rich guys kid that wasn’t a Rocket. I don’t want to ever think about it, about that maybe happening to you… I just…”
“I won’t come.” And it’s a promise, tight and unhappy, but Silver keeps his promises so some of the tension in Green’s chest eases. Because her brains thinking of skinned kid and thinking about Brown, and her head’s not a pretty place. His promise helps her push that back a bit. “Unless they get to you, they hurt you, then everything’s off. I’ll freeze every one of them if they touch you.”
“I’m not stupid Sil’, they won’t even know I’m here.” She’d roll, but couldn’t and Giovanni’s Persian is eyeing the phone and it’s shiny screen with curious red eyes. “Hey, do you have any spare money? I need to put something in my League Account so I don’t lose my license.”
“Why don’t you ask F- H- Giovanni?”
“So I can shake your Da’ down for money?”
“N- ye- I don’t know how to answer that…” A huff, and grumble as Silver, who could move, did, by the sound of the interference. “Look, I used almost all of mine on silly string and potions and glitter.”
He’d glitter bombed floors of the league, snow glitter bombed, and Green figured it had to come somewhere. But all his money, on prank materials?
“Sil’ what did I tell you about rationing?”
“This from Miss. I need money to keep my license.”
“Yeah, Mr. I glittered Sabrina’s office and made glitter snowmen in Kogas so much so I’m broke.”
“Hey, he can’t ninja now, he just sparkles, right?”
And there are footsteps coming from down the hall and Green’s laughing anyway.
“Yeah like a Galar ponyta. Bet he clip clops in those funny wood shoes of his and sparkles for days after he gets his paperwork” probably not, but Silver’s snorting on a laugh. “I’m not alone, so I gotta go. I’ll call you from my new number sometime tomorrow.”
“Talk to you then.”
The screen goes dark and there’s a flicker of red and the relief of all that weight going away as Persian’s recalled.
“You really didn’t have to hang up on my behalf.” The Rocket demurs, clicking the cat’s pokeball on his belt.
“Considering Silver doesn’t trust you...” Much less like, though green’s not mean enough to say that. “I kinda did. You asked me to lie to him, and I didn’t, and he knows that now. He also says that “you suck” because you freaking ordered me to lie to him and he didn’t like that. Oh and “Don’t do that again, or he’ll glitter your Viridian office”. And also, you owe me money. For courier services...”
The last had been Yellow’s suggestion, popping in and out, listening as she’d gotten ready for school. She’d chimed the suggestion out on her way out and it’d sounded good for the two ex-disciples that had no clue what a courier was. Giovanni settled on the edge of the couch, there’s enough room that Green doesn’t feel crowded, but still she scrunches up anyways and glowers at him, Blasty’s pokeball in her hand.
Because he’s not going for his wallet.
And Green really needs him to do that, that or she’s going to have to go out the second it stops raining and pick a fight with someone. There’s all of nine trainers of Sevii, not counting herself, and they smarted up ages ago and won’t battle her. If she punches one of them first they might. Maybe.
Hopefully.
“And you have the proper paperwork to prove your income? All the lines crossed, everything dotted? Because now that Oak’s dropped you as his protégé, you have to file it now, you’ve no dex to automatically record your battle history. So I’m assuming you’re prepared and just need me to pass up some money and sign?”
Paperwork? Green froze, because she hadn’t known. And he’s smiling, a smile like his Persian, all edges and taunting and smugness. And if he were a hair closer Green’d kick him, but he was set just so she couldn’t.
“And two witnesses, I’ll of course sign, since I’m seeing my money go to your person, but who else will you have…”
“You… I… paperwork?”
“Paperwork. You know, active poof of employment.”
And Greens’ recalling threats, and taunting and… and she really really doesn’t want to work with Sabrina. If he says she has too, she’s gone. “And you have something… planned?”
“Right up your alley, I’ll even have Sevii’s good mayor sign off on it, it’ll be unassailable. Unless you want to try to get a job, while you’re on the run? No worries, you have about a week to think it over…”
Mew, she’s about ready to scoot forward to kick him anyways. But she doesn’t. because he’s got her paperwork, she just has to deal with him for a minute, perhaps two more…
“What’s the job?”
“If I wanted to break into this…” And he’s turning a tablet over, the one tucked under his arm, so she can see the screen. It’s got a building and a logo that looks a little like the logos on the hotdog peoples’ shirts. “How would you suggest I do so?”
“A water processing plant?”
“Some competitors in the science community that the good mayor is looking into.”
Huh, weird but… alright.
“How much time do I have to plan this?”
“A week, give or take.”
So basically today. Since slowpoke mail was named slowpoke for a good reason.
“Well, I guess you can get the blue prints and stuff since she’s the mayor. I’d get those, and someone sneaky, and do a tour. Like a bigwig person tour that’ll pull the executives and stuff out of their offices. That gets all the smart people out of the way. Probably faster than a fire. And when I was doing that tour I’d send someone with you, through the roof or something with the ‘prints, to poke around while you distract the big wigs by asking a lot of questions and making scenes and stuff… We… did something like that at Silph, timing a break in when there was a tour by V-. “ By him, Green realizes with a wince. “Well, that’s not important. But it’s worked before. So that’s how I’d do it, if I was in a rush.”
Which Green is.
Black eyes consider her, weighing some factor against another.
“I told you how I’d do it; I did your job…”
“And I’ll give you five thousand for it, no strings attached, because you did. Though you should really consider clearing pay before offering your services. And while I could hire someone else to do the “sneaky” bit,” A Rocket, perhaps a team of them. “I’ve a further proposition… Something that if done just right, may very well speed both our departures off of Sevii. We could be in Viridian day after tomorrow if it plays right.”
And to that temptation, Green runs a tongue of her lips, itching to taste the salt-less air, see the thick shades of trees again, see Silver, just to be able to be. And be in peace. No police, no reminders of them. She might be able to make a home in Kanto, and if not Kanto some other region, but to do that she has to get out of here first.
“How’s it going to work?” Green questions, because she hadn’t before and gotten off lightly, he’s not likely to be that nice twice. “And how much are you paying me?”
“Quite a bit.” He hums, evading as casually as breathing.
“Yeah, how about a number? Related to my pay. And then a description of the job that’s honest? I might say yes after you and the mayor sign off on the first job I took.” Because she’s not letting him off on anything, she wasn’t that money, no strings attached to stay no strings attached.
Fool her once…
Well there’d be no twice, and with a laugh, Giovanni stood, going to the briefcase by the door. Her papers aren’t all the way on the top, but near enough to make her feel important, even if it’s kinda accidental ego stroking on his part. She’s not vital, thus not on the top, or expendable, and thus on the bottom. Right in the middle feels safest and middle toppish makes her feel a little special.
“For services rendered to Viridian Gym and Viridian Co?” She parrots off the paper, not understanding the legalese in the slightest but able to pick out whom she’s getting money from.
And wasn’t that a kick in the face? Because by taking employment form him, as a person and a business, her trainer ship –and freedom- depended on him keeping his station. Which meant that if he ticked her off Green couldn’t go to the police, with his Rocket card, or telling Looky, or anything to anyone. Ever. And he and his Persian, they’re a pair, he’s nearly purring as he watches her put it all together, dark eyes glinting with unspoken mirth.
Green couldn’t even warn Sevii’s mayor about anything. She’s going to have to stick up for the Rocket and provide cover stories if anything goes wrong in Sevii because signing this was linking him to her. Her freedom to his good name, at least until she was eighteen and legal an adult.
It also was taking her out of the goodie goodie squad… indefinitely... And Green’s focusing on that silver lining, and only that, as she scrawls her name in the marked spot. Trying not to feel bad for Mayor Silvia or anyone else ever that has to deal with Giovanni from here on out.
Because she might not be an adult, but she gets responsibility. And in doing this, protecting him even a little, she’s a tiny bit responsible for everything Giovanni does from here on out. Because she’s part of it. And that thought makes her stomach clench as he takes the papers from her, as he calls out to Silvia, “for her “help” for a moment”.
And the mayor comes in, warm from the glow of success, smirking, hanging up her phone as she comes in.
“Booked it. One surprise inspection, and proof from the permits office of lawful wrong doing. We’ve enough proof to put them on the ropes for building outside of zone and using wrong permits. They are’t celared for those tnaks of whatever, we don’t even need to open them up. Just see them. The clutch of Cloy’ heads at R and D are going to be forwarding their information on… Well where they think the stuff was dumped and…”
“Will this help?” Green offers her phone, location app and travel history on the front screen. A toss and the woman’s startled, but catches it easily enough.
“More than you can imagine, thank you very much Green.”
“Yeah.” Green waves off the woman’s thanks. And since Giovanni’s close enough, she nudges him extra hard with a foot because she can. “About that…”
“Of course, Gio walked me through how this works.. Can I borrow your?- Thank you, Gio.” And the mayor signs, never really getting what she’s signing up for, and Green tries not to get sick, but it’s hard. “I’m just glad I can help you out a bit, you’ve done so much…”
“Think nothing of it.”