Hushed Words ;; Johto ;; Mission ;; Gold

[KANE]

battlerocket said:

The lights were dim in the club as the teen leaned against the bar; one hand situated on the cap on his head to cast a slight shadow over his eyes; avoiding attention was not hard when there were people on either side of him but you could never really tell. There was the distinct sound of music in the background; the DJ had chosen a rather bland song for the day but as long as it was adequately loud, the boy supposed he didn't really care much. The sound of the music would help to hide the conversation when the other member arrived, and they got down to business. Not that anyone would really notice two young teenagers in the midst of dozens of others, but you could really never be too careful. Finger tapped on the bar in a slow, rhythmic beat; his feet tapped along to the music so that he would seem like he was enjoying himself. In truth, he was a bit nervous, and a bit impatient. Was the other late, or did he just have a horrible sense of time altogether? It wasn't like the report was anything really special, but it had some crucial information that really couldn't afford to be bypassed.

There was a tap on his shoulder; he resisted the urge to whip around and instead, turned slowly, ,seeing the bartender's curious face by his side. The man offered him a drink; he politely declined the offer and simply made up an excuse that he didn't handle his liquor very well and reinforcing it with a rather wide grin. Instead, he rolled a couple of coins out of his pocket and twirled them around on the table, watching the lights of the disco ball turn various shades and hues as the dozens of citizens danced to the beat that was being kicked up by the song. It seemed like he was the only one that was standing there at the moment; surely, that would be enough of a sign to when the officer actually showed up. Otherwise, he had no real idea as to how they could really draw themselves out from the crowd without other people, other very crucial and dangerous people from recognizing him as someone out of the ordinary as well. He fingered in his pocket for the various pokeballs that were stored in there; faltered for a moment, then stopped. It would be way too suspicious to bring one of them out in this type of situation; why would he need a pokemon in a club, anyways? Nothing really seemed to support his theory so he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his floppy, dark blue pants instead and let out a slight huff as he looked at his wrist, only to remember that he had no watch. Figured.

He had on his normal attire; the red hoodie was there and underneath it was the black hat with a yellow stripe crossing through it, hiding his jet-black hair that spiked out everywhere when he had nothing on his head. He looked like some sort of gangster; truly, he even had on a pair of sunglasses that served no apparant purpose other than to make himself look 'cool'. They were a strange contrast from his goggles but those were in the pouch he carried by his side; strapped onto his belt and out of sight. Briefly, he wondered if there was any Lux members that were in the club; searching around and pricking their ears to any sound of movement that would give them enough of a reason to suspect that a Nox member was in the same vicinity. Would it be enough to start up a fight in this sort of situation? He didn't really mind having to battle, but the report might slip through and be forgotten if that happened, and he at least wanted to get that out of the way before that actually happened. Perhaps there would be someone worthwhile to fight this time other than weaklings.

His hat tipped over his eyes as he leaned further back on the edge of the bar, eyes warily scanning around the crowd of teens as his foot slowly tapped up and down to the beat. It wasn't so bad. The situation could have been much worse.

[KANE]

Alyssa was dressed rather covertly. She had, for the time, retired the victorian-style dress that she had taken to wearing in the past couple of years. She returned to the clothes that she wore through her whole pokemon journey – red pants with too many pockets to count, a black sleeveless turtleneck, and mid-upper-arm length gloves that left her fingers free. The thought of everything that had happened at an alarmingly quick rate within her life span was frightening. The pokemon world had become something of a battle ground. No longer did trainers battle for fun, they battled to survive. They battled because they were told to. Because trainers no longer saw eye-to-eye on some of the more important things in life. People had chosen sides. No longer was this a friendly world.

Alyssa hid her frown as she picked her way up the mountain to Blackthorn City. It had been so long since she was last here. She’d retreated to Hoenn to stay with her mother and father for long periods of time, contrasting how her journey had started out. Last time she was hear she was battling Claire for the Rising Badge. Alyssa sighed and paused mid-way up the steps that would take her to the small plateau on which Blackthorn City rested. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her red beanie cap and placed it within her jaws as she tied her hair up in a ponytail. Twisting it around, she flattened it against her head before pulling the hat over it, making it stick out in all directions just below the edge of the hat.

Her white hair made her recognizable because it was uncharacteristic for someone her age. It was smartest to hide it. Pulling a pair of black, rectangular sunglasses out of her pocket, she slipped them on. Sure that wasn’t a crucial part of hiding who she actually was, but it couldn’t not help in this situation. If any members of Lux were crawling about and recognized her there was sure to be a fight. However, the more pressing matter was meeting with her partner for this mission. She had no idea who it was supposed to be…the only thing she knew was that he was male.

Sighing, she picked up her pace on the steps before reaching the flat ground. The City didn’t look any different at a first glance, but Alyssa noticed subtle changes. The entrance to the ever-guarded Dragon’s Den had apparently lost some of its upkeepers, and the general area of the City was shrouded with what could have been called a fog of glumness. Although it wasn’t prominent, the City felt different.

What is this world coming to… she wondered silently, forcing back another frown.

Walking to the Club Meteor, Alyssa slipped inside rather easily. She was met with blasting music from the DJ, many colored lights and a disco ball. …Kids these days… she thought, pursing her lips very slightly. The tone wasn’t all too catchy to her in the least. However, if it was something that would keep people busy and their attention diverted from someone other than themselves, Alyssa knew she shouldn’t complain. Shoving her hands in her pockets, she strode towards the bar, just passed a young man dressed in incredibly casual attire. Looking at the bartender, Alyssa spoke, her words short and sharp, though not rude.

”Negroni. On the rocks.”

She waited only two minutes before her blood-red drink slid towards her, the ice within the glass swishing as it came to a somewhat sudden halt in the curve of her hand. Sighing, she sat a bit straighter before bringing it to her lips.

Now there was only one thing to figure out. Was she still waiting for someone, or were they waiting for her? If the latter was true, then who were they? She knew they would know the keyphrase, but if she accidentally let slip to a member of Lux, all hell would break loose. Glancing past the rim of her drink, her bright blue eyes looked over the sides of her dark glasses, at the young man with the yellow-and-black hat. Something was giving her a funny feeling about him, and she supposed that after a reasonable amount of time passed, she would start her part of deducing who she was really waiting for.

[KANE]

The bartender had moved away from him after he had told the man that he didn't want a drink; business was obviously still well and even as the teen looked over the rims of his pair of sunglasses, he noticed that another had come to the same general area, and that she had caught the attention of the bartender by buying a drink for herself. He focused his eyes only briefly on her; others didn't really catch his attention and he didn't want to talk too much, lest he cause any commotion or blow his cover; Lux had definitely known him to be a member of Nox and he couldn't get the thought that one of them could be lurking around the corner, waiting for him to speak and throw himself into their hands, quite literally, to say the least. He thought about it for a moment as the music continued to blare on either side of him; the DJ had ended the current song with a flashy finish of different shades and hues of lights that bounced off of the disco ball and reflected on the brightly lit floors; dancers had jumped up at the last moment and he had to admit; it looked pretty amazing when an entire crowd was synchronized. The man was now pumping up the crowd with words that he was speaking from the microphone and headset wrapped around both ears; they were screaming and he found it hard for himself to think clearly in this type of environment. Yet he knew that this was good for him; for the person who was supposed to meet him here. The fact that they both didn't know each other was a problem that had not come to mind when he had first reported to Nox but now was too late to fix that prospect, seeing as they had to finish this report now while they still had the chance, and the keywords in mind.

The teen gave a light sigh as he stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans, wondering if he looked weird standing around, not drinking anything and not dancing either. It wasn't that he couldn't handle his liquor well, like he had told the bartender, and it certainly wasn't because he didn't want any; the nervous energy was already causing him to doubt himself a bit and he didn't need to take the risk that he could get intoxicated before the other arrived. As his eyes scanned around, he noticed that he was not the only one that had failed to participate in the next song the DJ cranked out; truly, this one was even louder than the last and it was not bland in any way, shape or form; seemed he had underestimated this club after all. True, he was one of the independent ones that had chosen not to participate in dancing with any particular person; and yet, the one that had come in and ordered the drink was not participating either. She almost looked like she was waiting for someone. Was it his imagination? Gold asked himself the silent question as he squinted behind the sunglasses; staring at her sideways so that he would not attract too much attention. The last thing he wanted to do was have a Lux member at his throat.

And yet, he couldn't get the slight feeling of doubt out of his mind; she was wearing a hat much like he was and had on a pair of shades as well; she couldn't very well be a gangster, however; her clothes didn't reflect such and he just couldn't help the thought that she was trying to seem inconspicuous, much like he himself. Was it because she was also hiding from Lux members that could have been positioned around the club? At the thought, he moved his feet a step to his right, an inch closer to her and prayed in his mind that she didn't think he was a stalker of some sort. When he was close enough so that they were within talking distance, even through the shouts of people and the blaring music, he spoke; casually, almost like he was conversing with an old friend. "Pretty crazy place, huh? Didn't expect it, given the things I've heard about this place." He could only hope that the small risk he had taken wasn't in vain.

[KANE]

Alyssa sipped her drink slowly, moving her eyes away from the younger man and dragging her light blue gaze around the club. She couldn’t help but wonder who exactly her partner was. She had only briefly met a few members of Nox in her time and was able to identify them by face. However, she was never told who her partner for a mission was unless it was something they tackled together and got a chance for introductions, not something as dangerous as this mission right in the heart of Lux territory. She sort of hoped it was someone lesser known to Lux than even she was. She’d managed to keep a low-profile throughout the time she’d been forced into Nox.

I just want this all to end… she thought sadly, planting her chin in her hand and staring down into the bright red drink. The world should go back to the way it was…and I wish there was such a thing as neutrality still… There was no gray area in the pokemon world now…it was black or white, and you were forced to choose. Hell, the closest thing to neutral was Lux under the oppression of the League. …New personal goal… she thought, blinking as she downed the rest of her drink and landed the glass rather sharply against the counter. Luckily, it didn’t break. Create a ‘gray area’ in the world. Step number one to ending war once and for all.

A new song was cranked up in volume as the DJ hit the switches on his sound mixing board. The bass of the beat thumped through Alyssa’s body, sending vibrations ringing throughout her limbs. Truly the pounding was annoying, but at least it was keeping busy. It was more up-beat and catchy than the last song, and Alyssa found herself even bobbing her head slightly for the first few series of beats before she stopped. She spun her empty glass in her fingers and waved the bartender away when he offered her a second drink. One of those was more than enough for her when she was supposed to be on a mission.

She could afford no risks. She was already taking high stakes as it was, sitting in the middle of Lux territory.

Suddenly a burning feeling penetrated the side of her neck. She was being watched, but by who? She scarcely turned her head and tilted it downwards slightly, letting the sunglasses slide down her nose to peer over them more easily. The light caught the young man’s sunglasses just right so she could only just see through their dark tint into his eyes. Their gazes met for an instant before she looked away, but kept her attention on him, her brain on high-alert in case something happened.

However, he spoke with a bit of a smile, and an almost jovial tone to his voice in causal conversation.

”Pretty crazy place, huh? Didn’t expect it, given the things I’ve heard about this place.”

Alyssa tensed slightly. That was strikingly similar to the key phrase she would need to pass on to whatever Nox member was here and receive one back. Was that his way of potentially casting his line out to hook his partner? She swallowed. He had taken a risk, definitely. But, now it was her turn. If he was a Nox member, that would’ve made their lives so much easier. However, if he was Lux, Alyssa was ready for shit to hit the fan…more specifically her to hit the fan and make her own escape exit through the ceiling with Flygon.

She chuckled a little and turned slightly to look at him, as not to be rude. Before she spoke, however, she glanced around to assure that they were the only ones within the range her voice would reach. The bartender had disappeared to the back for a moment, so there was no worry for him to eavesdrop, and they were the only two at the bar. If he is Nox, that should change. We might start to stick out like sore thumbs…

”Yeah. I thought Blackthorn City was only hyped up because of their fame for Dragons. Surprisingly, it’s a real funky town.”

She swallowed and clamped her jaws shut and waited. She had uttered her part of the key phrase. Now just to hope he was her partner.

[KANE]

He held his breath as she turned towards him, only to let it go a moment later as he leaned backwards onto the counter; nothing being given away by the light in his eyes and certainly no action to signify that he was tense or nervous in any way. The laugh was a good sign, but when he thought about it some more, it could have meant many things; to a Nox member, it could have been the relief of hearing the phrase that he hoped would bring out the right keywords, but on the on the other side, it could have been a brief moment of victory of a Lux member before they prepared to battle, well aware from his tone that he was the member of Nox that they had been waiting for. He shook his head; when thoughts turned that way, there really was no optimism, and 'looking on the bright side' had never sounded like more music to his ears as she turned to him; the gesture of glancing around briefly not doing anything to his already tense nerves, wound up and around by the blaring music and the adrenaline that seemed to coat the entire place. When he had heard of the key words, he had wondered what they had meant by it; now that he was actually experiencing the club at its peak[and perhaps not even], he understood it perfectly. It's a real funky town, huh?. The words formed around his lips and while he did not speak nor murmur them out loud, they rang loud and clear in his mind as if preparing for the phrase to follow.

It took him a moment to realize when the statement repeated itself that it was no longer in his mind; thoughts did not make noise and he turned around to stare at her; the young lady with the shades had spoken and the gears in his mind began to turn as he gave a light smile in return, not meeting her gaze but scanning the crowd of dancing citizens that only seemed to get more intense by the second. "I agree with you on that one. But it's an alright town once you get used to it." He shrugged his shoulders up and down as he leaned against the bar once more, stealing a glance over his shoulder to see if the bartender was coming back or not. "If you leave now, it's a long road home." Eyes cast themselves over at the line of wine bottles that were bordering the shelves where the bartender once stood, the small puff of air that counted as a 'sigh of relief' escaping his lips as he licked the edges, where they were starting to crack a slight bit. Now that that had been over and done with, the prospect of the drink couldn't hurt, but then again, he'd never had the best of luck with getting stuff when he needed it.

Waiting wasn't the best idea that he could think of at the moment; the two of them clumped together by the bar was suspicious enough - sure, the fact that he was a guy and she, a girl helped because it gave him a last ditch excuse of dating if it really came to that; there were plenty of pairs around but most of them were dancing to the beat that was being steadily cranked out. The more they stood still by themselves, off to one side while the crowd was there on the other, the more attention they would draw towards themselves, and he certainly didn't need any trouble from Lux, not after they had already gotten this far in the process already; now they knew who the other was; it was a start; a small start, but a start nonetheless. Now he just had to move on to the key point of everything that had led up to this.

"Would talking here be sufficient?" He inquired curiously; certainly, he didn't mind talking there but if the bartender came back, things would start to get troublesome. As amusing as the thought was of him being an agent, he found it oddly possible; the man himself wasn't all that old and while he had to admit that the man didn't look the part, well...neither did he. He waved his hand over a couple of the wavy chairs in one of the corners next to the bar; a round, blue table in the middle but no one bothering to sit down for a brief break; it would be the perfect place to talk without anyone eavesdropping but nowhere was 100% safe now that the war broke out. "Though I have to admit, that was the first risk that's actually paid off." He grinned; he really couldn't help it; too much tension led to the belief that he could have lightened up the situation if he tried, and while his sense of humor was not necessarily always the same for all that he met, eh had to say that the one he had just uttered sounded oddly normal; laughable, even. What a surprise.

[KANE]

Alyssa remained tense after she spoke. She didn’t know what his reaction would be. For the love of Arceus let it be a good reaction that wouldn’t force her to flee immediately and cause damage that would alert Lux to possible activities of Nox in their territories. The pounding music made her entire body tremble with the vibrations passed through the room to each person as though they had invited the thumping to invade their limbs and make them move more easily with the beat. She sat still with silence awaiting his answer. She knew the return words she needed, ‘It’s a long road home’. Even if he did answer right, what was the probability that he was actually with Nox, and not a Lux agent that had miraculously managed to get wind of their key exchange words.

As soon as he spoke the needed words, she straightened, immediately snapping her gaze from her drink and the bar to his eyes. She could just make out over the very top of his sunglasses that his eyes were golden. She noticed that he had been careful when he spoke, too, checking for the bartender. Alyssa feared that anybody watching them could count the two of them alone as suspicious, particularly since this club was quite the life of the town. She supposed that if necessary, they could pose as a couple that was looking for a bit of satisfaction from the drinks served before they continued dancing or…something a bit more vulgar than Alyssa cared to think about. It would fit, though, for two people their age. He didn’t appear to be all too much younger than her. While she waited for him to continue, she was working her brain to think up possible scenarios, and possible reactions for every scenario.

For as long as she had been with her beloved Espeon, she had managed to develop bit of a sixth sense as it were. Nothing extraordinary like Sabrina, but she had become more in-tune with the people around her. She had a strong sense of justice…what was right and wrong…and from this she was able to tell when someone was lying, or trying to deceive an innocent ‘victim’ in this case. Lastly, she had been able to ‘feel’ people. The vibes one got from a rotten-to-the-core person came from almost every person…albeit different vibes for the different types of people. Something didn’t seem right about him, so she figured it best to get away from him while they still could.

She looked back at her drink when he spoke, seeing as the bartender had just come back.

”Would talking here be sufficient? Though I have to admit, that was the first risk that actually paid off”

His words were still quiet and she nodded, glancing over to where he gestured his hand. ”One moment…” she said. They needed something to cover as though they had been waiting for each other all along. Spontaneously talking then going elsewhere away from potentially prying ears.

Flagging the bartender down, she ordered two drinks. One for him, one for her. That way it wouldn’t look like they were separate. She ordered his fruity drink virgin, because she was unsure of what he could both hold and preferred. Essentially he was getting blended fruit juice in crushed ice. For herself she got a Stinger. She paid the bartender before handing him his drink.

”This should be fine…” she said with a nod, walking over to the table. Once there, she sat down, her back to the dancing crowd, both so she wouldn’t have to be looking more directly at the flashing lights and also so she could hear him better, with her attention focused away from the sounds.

”I’d have to say the same….” she said, hoping he got that she was referring to the risking he mentioned. ”I was debating if I should go for it or not…” she told him, a bit of a grin cracking her lips as she pulled her sunglasses off, letting her bright blue eyes adjust to the dim, but now slightly brighter light of the club. What a place… she thought, shaking off the more teenage atmosphere it was giving her.

[KANE]

Admittedly, he had to remind himself that this was his first time doing something like this; code words and working undercover wasn't really his thing, and while it didn't rile him up as much as battling did, he had to admit that it wasn't half bad. Sure, there was always that nagging doubt in his mind that something was off; the possibilities of what Lux members could be disguised as were endless, after all; they practically owned the place. Then again, as long as he remained inconspicuous and natural, the chances that the cover would be blown would be much less than if he were to continue to the adrenaline pump that he was experiencing at the moment. Speaking the necessary words had lifted quite a bit off his chest, but he couldn't help but feel that something was still off; the bartender had a weird aura around him that he couldn't quite place and now that he was feeling more like himself now that the first part of the plan was done and over with, he could tell that it wasn't just some sort of hallucination. Gold shifted to one side but didn't turn his head around again as she reacted to what he had said; it was fairly obvious that she was the one that Nox had decided to send to recieve the report but there was no telling what her thoughts about him were just yet. perhaps once they had a chance to sit down they would be able to talk properly; getting to know one another was one way to break the tension, he was well aware of this.

His eyes were drawn almost instictively behind him as there was movement from that general direction; the bartender had come back and he saw that she had noticed this as well, it was more bad luck than anything that he had spoken at almost the same time, and his eyes narrowed slightly behind the shades almost as if he were expecting the bartender to jump at their throats from that statement alone. There was a pause; he caught the drink in his palm and dug in his pocket for some spare change to offer out towards Alyssa - he couldn't let her pay for it, that was for sure - and after the bartender gave a nod and wandered off towards another tired couple taking a break from the dance to quench their thirst, took a sip. It wasn't that alcoholic; he wasn't that picky about things but preferred not to get too intoxicated if possible in situations like such and while he was quite certain of the possibility that it could happen, he was pretty sure of just how much liquor he could really hold. It wasn't so much as to satisfy him; the liquid was thirst quenching and with a shrug, he supposed that it would have to do. Besides, they weren't here to play around. This was business.

Nodding at her response, he followed her towards the blue table in the corner; literally crashing down onto one of the chairs and makign them shift slightly under the sudden pressure, though he was confident that it had not been enough for them to break. "Hey, life's full of risks. Gotta know when's the best time to take them and when's the best time to back off." Shrugging his shoulders up and down and giving her a rather sloppy grin he leaned backwards, almost so that the chair went with him as well so that he was now on its hindlegs, something that was dangerous to those that were inexperienced and had little to no balance. Chit-chat was fine - they needed the cover so as to not stand out more than they already had - but the sooner he got out of the place, the better. They could get to better know each other when the proper time came. "Alright, I'll cut to the chase." He leaned forward and dropped his voice down an octave; no one dancing even blinked at him but then again, he wasn't paying particular attention to them in the first place.

"It's nothing big; but it's pretty important all the same." he paused for a moment, thinking of the best way to phrase things so that the message could be relayed as quickly as possible. "There's been an unusual amount of Lux members at the ruins due north of this town; the place with all the Unown, yeah?" He'd met someone familiar there too; the trainer left that out almost intentionally as he fidgeted and leaned backwards again, careful not to knock over his drink in the process. "I don't think they're just there for show either, if you know what I mean." He had to really be careful; now that he was actually speaking, it dawned on him that the meeting part had been the easy step of the process; the deafening noise of the dancers and music weren't helping and if this continued, they'd soon have to shout to hear each other. It didn't bode well for either of them. All the more reason to hurry up. He bit his lip and said nothing more, waiting only for her response.

[KANE]

As soon as they had exited the ‘range’ of the bar tender, Alyssa felt a bit of tension disappear from the air. For some reason, he just gave her a bad vibe. She glanced in the direction of the bar, before at the partner she had gained for this mission. Judging simply by his body language, Alyssa had the feeling that he was getting at least a slight vibe along the same lines from the tender, who appeared – for the most part – to be going about his business. However, Alyssa couldn’t help but get the feeling that he was glancing in their direction every so often. She couldn’t see much through the white bangs obscuring her face and line of sight, but she decided it smartest to stay alert just in case.

The last thing Alyssa wanted was a battle, but anything was possible. And in the modern day, it wasn’t unheard of for someone as simple as a bartender – normally a civilian – to carry pokemon…for whatever reason.

She turned her cerulean gaze to him when he spoke again. ”Hey, life’s full of risks. Gotta know when’s the best time to take them and when’s the best time to back off.” How true was that? Especially in the world as it was now? Some of the more paranoid people were convinced that even in lands that their faction was in control of they had to be careful so much as stepping foot outside. That was true to an extent, however…Alyssa felt that only the leaders and primary fighters would be targeted for that…at least at first. In a game of chess, the pawns went first. However, this wasn’t chess. In fact, ‘game’ almost failed to describe the tactics that some people would resort to in war.

All’s fair in love and war, huh?

Alyssa sipped her drink, the hearty burn of the alcohol in her drink being offset by the flavor. She sighed quietly as he leaned forward, in a manner she assumed was supposed to clue her into getting down to business. Sure enough, he confirmed that with his next words, which had been dropped to a more ‘you-and-me’ level of conversation. The leisurely position he had taken up, she could only assume was as an offset for anyone possibly watching them, like that bartender, whose gaze Alyssa could feel burning into the side of her head every thirty seconds.

Damnit, he’s getting annoying… she thought.

”Alright, I’ll cut to the chase. It’s nothing big, but it’s pretty important all the same. There’s been an unusual amount of Lux members at the ruins due north of this town; the place with all of the unknown, yeah? I don’t think they’re just there for show either, if you know what I mean.”

Alyssa nodded slightly, considering what this meant.

”Well…” she said, keeping her voice low like his. ”That’s certainly…off.” she scratched her cheek lightly with her finger in a rather absent-minded manner. ”I guess it should have been expected, though…” she stated, running over various things in her head. ”Have you tried looking around to find what youre looking for…” she was speaking in a rather ‘covering’ manner there, as not to simply say ‘investigating’, ”…or have you decided to wait for a better day?” In the way of there were too many Lux crawling around and it would be smartest to wait for another Nox to see what all of the hubbub was.

[KANE]

The exact second that she had shot back with a response was not one that he remembered clearly; the trainer had been having trouble with losing track of his own thoughts lately and when he finally registered what she had said in his mind, his answer was rather abrupt and disjointed, almost as if he had just come out of some sort of trance. Then again, it was only to be expected. The dance club, the fact that this was all undercover work[not to mention that tedious bartender that was still glancing in their direction once in awhile] and the drink could get to you after awhile, and considering the fact that he hadn't been to a club in ages - the alcohol was another subject altogether but he told himself that he could think about that later. "Well..." He began, then stopped for a moment, gritting his teeth slightly in a clenched grin as the picture of his rival flashed in his mind once more. "Let's just say something got in my way. I was going to investigate but since that didn't get a chance to happen, I thought I'd report it first just to be safe." He had thought that it was a good idea back then but now he wasn't so sure. Something like this was not something he was familiar with, even despite the few years the war had been going on already, and from the looks of things, it was much more risky than even he himself going to investigate in the first place. Then again, there was no point in dwelling on things now that he had gone and made the decision.

"What do you-" He broke off, eyes casting themselves up almost instinctively as he looked across the room, training his vision at the spot where he had surely felt more than just a stare the entire time the two of them had been talking. "Hold on." Their voices had been getting increasingly softer as the dancers behind had gotten even louder in volume and though it was good for hiding the topic they were talking about, the fact that he was leaning in to be able to hear her had just about diminished the entire 'casual' aspect altogether. His sunglasses, now that he fingered at them with a hand, were tilted slightly down so that the top half of his golden eyes were revealed and though his hoodie was still on and the cap fit snugly around his hair, some of his bangs were showing through the front. And as luck would have it, he was the one that was facing the bartender.

He shot a quick glance at the bar and wasn't surprised when the man was no longer there, though the nervousness increased in intensity as he glanced around and noticed that the black and white outfit was nowhere to be seen, even among all the colors of the disco ball and the fancy clothes of most of the dancers. Then, as he was bypassing a particularly energetic young lady, the speed in which he was looking diminished and in that split second, he saw the man, crouching down somewhat low and hiding so that his head was hiding behind her shirt, that of which was a blazing shade of yellow that surprisingly, didn't stand out too much among all the other colors of the dancers by her side. He narrowed his eyes; the man had merely been a suspect to him to begin with[he suspected his partner thought the same by the way she had looked at him but didn't want to jump to conclusions] but with the way he was acting now, that suspicion had become a reality. He was hiding something; if not Lux, Gold didn't have a clue what else it could have been, really.

He'd stared a second too long; in a flash, the bartender's eyes laid on his own and he noticed that they were a hard shade of navy blue before the man got up and began to walk briskly towards them, ignored by the dancers around him and weaving his way around the ones that blocked him smoothly, almost as if he knew the place far too well. The trainer bit his lip, then steadied himself. Calm down. He took a deep breath and began to relax, leaning backwards in his chair again almost in a last attempt to convince the bartender that they weren't hooligans or drug dealers, if that was what the man had in mind. However, as he got closer one of the lights from the disco ball managed to hit the side of his palm, reflecting off the object in his hand that Gold had just then noticed. There was a flash of black; the metal on the muzzle was what cinched the deal, though. The man had a gun in the palm of his hand, and something told him that it wasn't for any target practice.

"Shit." He swore quietly, though the sound was amplified by his irritation at the entire ordeal, mixed with some sense of relief that he had managed to get the report all out before they were discovered. "Looks like the cover's been blown." He got up out of the chair and in one swift movement, motioned towards the man closing in so that Alyssa could see for herself. His feet were already moving across the pavement, hell, if she hadn't moved then he was going to lash out a hand and pull her along with him. Pokemon were one thing; a gun was an entirely different story. Pokemon didn't get killed, but humans could. "Come on, time to scram." He paused for a moment and located the fastest way through the doors. The dancers would be the bartender's downfall. They would buy enough time for the two to get past, as a gunshot was much too risky among so many people. "We split up as soon as we get out those doors, yeah? Sound good to you?" Once they were outside then he could speak normally; if he tried to tell her that he appreciated the brief time they had spent talking now it would only hinder them. Instead, he crossed an arm over his head to pull the hoodie farther down his head and tapped his feet, waiting almost impatiently with her answer so that they could get out as soon as possible.

[KANE]

A lapse of silence followed her words, and she wondered if he had lost his concentration. If he had, she wouldn’t hide the annoyance that she’d felt creeping up inside of her. Sure, she wanst gun-ho for missions and would like them to go as smoothly and nonchalantly as possible, but losing track of what you were doing, particularly in enemy territory, was something that could be dangerous for anybody involved. Just as she was about to say something, he spoke again, a small grin taking place on his features after a short amount of time. ”Well…let’s just say something got in my way. I was going to investigate, but since that didn’t get a chance to happen, I thought I’d report it first just to be safe.”

She nodded some. He’d made a wise decision with that course of action. Though he was still young and fit, probably an incredibly able-bodied trainer, taking on more than one member of Lux head-on was close to a suicide. More than two for sure. If he wanted to delve further into something, then the most intelligent thing to do was wait for backup. Although, Alyssa knew she was not somebody to represent the form of backup. She was simply a messenger…a relay leg to get information from one part of the pokemon world to another. Reaching her hand forward, past her empty glass, she pulled a napkin towards her, spinning it around slowly as though she was simply playing with it. In truth, she was debating writing down her cell phone number for him to contact her in the future.

”What do you –“

[/b] the abrupt pause almost made her jump. Abrupt pauses never meant a good thing, but now it could mean something dangerous – given the time of war, and their current location. She looked up at him, her cerulean eyes obscured by her white bangs, although her vision was not. ”Hold on.” Alyssa mentally took a step back from the situation. They were leaning close together, a sign that they wanted to be heard without anybody else hearing them. Though at a first glance it could pass as people trying to hear each other over the pounding music, they had unfortunately remained that way, even during the breaks of quiet.

He fiddled with his sunglasses somewhat and brought them slightly down the bridge of his nose, revealing his eyes for the first time. They were a brilliant golden color. She leaned down slightly, discreetly trying to see beneath his hood. She saw what was either stripes of white or yellow and black for a cap on his head beneath the hood, and jet black hair sticking out.

…no way… she thought. Is he….Gold? she wondered in a bit of surprise, her eyes not totally able to contain the expression. She’d heard of him during the time she spent in Johto, but never did she think she’d get the chance to actually meet him. His gaze darted to the bar, quickly followed by hers. The bartender was no longer there.

Damn… she thought, automatically on high-alert, her muscles wired and ready to bolt when necessary, the ‘fight or flight’ instinctive reaction kicking in. She looked back at the boy’s eyes and followed them. They were moving, looking around behind her before they seemed to lock onto a target. The bartender maybe? She looked as far out of the corner of her eyes as she could without turning her head at all. What was happening behind her? She was practically fidgeting out of her skin wanting to know, but something told her if she turned around she’d be dead.

”Shit. Looks like the cover’s been blown.” At that, Alyssa’s eyes widened and she reached into her pocket, pulling out a pen and scribbling furiously, though legibly, on the paper. She wrote her contact information down. Now was the time to do something like that;

I’m Alyssa Akiyama. You may have heard of me as Hoenn’s Abyss. My number is 3-08-1993. Hope to see you again sometime, and not in enemy territory. Just text or call.

She stood up as soon as he did, his words of urgency barely registering in her head. They weaved in and out of people, losing the threat in the crowd as they ducked in and out of sight until they were outside. She pulled ahead of him, clasping her hand lightly around his wrist as she led him around the corner of the bar where they would barely have time to exchange very few words of farewell.

”It was good to meet you. I think I know who you are now. But you don’t know who I am.” She pulled his wrist towards her, palm upwards, before placing the napkin with her information in his hand, closing his fingers around it securely. ”That will tell you. Now get out of here fast. Don’t get yourself in trouble.” The time it took her to snatch a Timer Ball off of her belt allowed him space to talk. Silently summoning forth the Flygon that was contained within the ball, she began moving forward. She was on his back practically as soon as the red energy from the ball had taken the solid, visible form of the dragon-type pokemon.

She looked once back at the young man she assumed was Gold from Johto. ”I hope to see you again. Just use that napkin. I’ll deliver this information. Let’s fly, Flygon!” The green pokemon clamped his forearms tightly around her legs, holding his trainer securely against him as he took off like a rocket, whipping his tail against the ground as he flew off, almost straight up to gain some altitude before they flew away.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[KANE]

He watched her expressions change in sync with the words he had spoken and while they all seemed reasonable enough to pertain to the situation, he wondered why he was the only one talking. He stopped, using the brief span of time that it took her to get ready to his advantage as he stopped to think about it so that it didn't cloud his mind while they were escaping. She didn't have any input that would help them in this sort of situation - what input would, anyways? - so there was really nothing left to say until they got the fuck out of there to begin with. The teen whipped off his sunglasses with a flick of his wrist and stuffed it into one of the pockets on his baggy shorts, narrowing his eyes and keeping a close watch on the bartender to make sure the distance wasn't in the red zone already. The glasses were no longer needed; his hood wasn't either, but personally, the trainer thought it looked rather cool, but the dark shades would only do to slow him down and he zipped up the pocket while also thinking about just what options they had to do next. The dancers hadn't noticed the gun in the man's hand and he wasn't surprised, but looking at a black and white uniform hadn't ever been so nerve wracking since the last time he had fought with Team Rocket, and that had been red.

He bit his bottom lip in thought as his partner got up and they were on the move once again, still unable to shake the thought that the bartender would attempt a shot, even among the many people that were crowding the club with every step that they both took. A girl blocked his view for a second before dancing out of the way, casting a dirty look at the bartender as he bumped into her and continued forward without so much as a muttered apology, barely audible through the blaring music that was coming from all sides. More people blocked his view and as the distance became increasingly wider between them he let himself - forced himself - to relax and follow Alyssa, who had taken up the lead while he was busy being paranoid and looking over his shoulder. Gold let out a small puff of breath as a small bit of light filtered through and saw the pair of double doors just in front of them. He barged out after his partner, looking over his shoulder one last time. No bartender in sight. They were good for the time being. But how long would the security last?

He heard her speak this time and his brain was functioning properly enough to actually pay attention this time; perhaps it was good that he had. However, it wasn't surprising. He wasn't one of those 'undercover agents' seeing as it wasn't his style and his features were rather distinctive as well; he only suspected that she had confirmed his identity when his glasses had slid down the bridge of his nose that time he had fingered at them. He made no effort to resist though was slightly hesitant at the gesture at first; when she pressed the piece of paper into his hand he remembered her scribbling something down onto the table when he had been speaking, though he had been too focused on the bartender to really pay too much attention to that. Was it a name? A number? he wanted to open up the paper to look right away but it was risky here, so for the time being he speculated some theories based off of the information she had given her and nodded, fingering at a pokeball of his own as she took one from her own belt. "Same to you. It'd probably be best for both of us to steer clear from here for a stretch." She let out one of her own pokemon but he refrained, looking up at the Flygon with a slight grin on his features. First class.

"Got it." He curled his fist into a thumbs up. "I appreciate it. It was good talking with you today; hopefully, we'll meet under...better circumstances next time around." The last words left his lips as she took off and he tossed the pokeball in front of him almost lazily as he looked over his shoulder once more to make sure there was still enough time left. The square was folded hurriedly but neatly and Flare looked at him almost questioningly as he climbed on the pokemon's back, giving the paper a brief scan to get the basics, but not the exact numbers. "Alright." He gave Flare a light pat on the back. "Let's get out of here. And fast." As Flare nodded and picked up speed, Gold put a hand on the pokemon's back to steady himself and briefly ran Alyssa's name in his mind again, a slow smile creeping onto his features. A full report and a girl's phone number. Not bad for a day's work.