001. [Voice / Action for Goldenrod Rocket Base]

[twinsanity]

[PRE-POST WHATNOT]

[Alfred has been here for a few days by now, getting used to the place; those who have been attending the mandatory training may or may not have noticed the newcomer who's been there with them. His clothes are military-styled, a bit too ornate for the location, and he hasn't been wearing the uniform; however, it's as though he's been making a concentrated effort to not be sociable. For the most part, it works - he's generally silent unless addressed, and any attempts to address him will get an eyeroll and brief but pointed answers if anyone tries - and so for the last handful of days, he's managed to conceal how utterly unnerving this is for him; so many people in this area with no idea how they got there, so many dragged here from different worlds, and if anything the streaming feeds over the device aren't helping.

He'd gone upstairs to the outside once, just to make sure that he's not being fed the most ridiculous lies ever about this being a different world entirely, and he's not sure whether the knowledge that he isn't is welcome or not. However, with the outside world came civilization and stores and the ability to purchase things at said stores; he hadn't been around this many people in years, but none of them really mattered in the scheme of things. Right? Of course they didn't.

Only one person mattered for the most part, and it seemed she had been brought to join him here; as long as he had her, everything else was secondary.]


[VOICE]

[There's a new signal broadcasting tonight; no video, but a decidedly feminine voice coming over the feed, soft but firm and to-the-point in tone.]

While I've realized that there's likely no chance of going home - not anytime soon - the opportunities this place has offered are completely subpar.

Are there any opportunities for advancement or employment in this world that don't involve hideous amounts of travel or retail work? I'm horribly overqualified for the latter, and the former...

Let's say I'd prefer to avoid it; it's been such a long time since I've done anything of the sort.

[...Charming.]


[ACTION]

[It's been a little while since we've had a newcomer to the Rocket science labs; there's certainly a new one in there today - a woman in the standard-issued Rocket uniform, being followed around by a massive and rather...unstealthy metal ant. Most of her long blonde hair is tied back simply to keep it out of her face, though she's got bangs brushing low over her forehead and light makeup dusted over her features; she seems to be annoyed by that incredibly short and mildly kicky skirt when she moves, one of her hands sweeping down as though to ensure the skirt is staying down, but other than that she seems pretty comfortable in her surroundings. She's not questioning what she's been told to do for now, even if data entry is still more than a little below her; after all, access to the database is definitely a good thing.

As such, there's not much entering of data getting done today; she's a bit enthralled by the reports of what happened in July of 2012. There's nothing too extensive in there, but it's just extensive enough...

Of course, she can be found elsewhere in the base as well, as the day wears on; she's a bit hard to miss, what with the metal ant rather loudly gashunking along next to her. She seems generally in control, though it's evident from the way that she pauses once in a while, bringing a gloved hand up in front of her mouth as though contemplating something and looking down the hallways before seeming to think better of exploring them, that she's...more than a little lost, um.

New people, pretty much.]

Comments

[Action]

[crackpotcrocker]

[Denzel sits at the desktop, typing. However, he doesn't per say seem to be doing his data entry job at the moment, considering the number of pages the man is purposely letting pile up. The man is also not wearing his Rocket uniform but rather his usual clothes of white shirt, black tie and black pants. The computer screen reflecting on his glasses, one may see that Crocker is looking up information on Clefairy, the Moon stone, outer space, Mt. Moon, Celebi, types of Pokemon, and Ilex Forest. The man is multi tasking at a horrific rate, as he leans naturally over the keyboard. However, a small groof from Growlithe, which the Pokemon lies at Crocker's feet, watching for anyone coming in, catches Denzel's attention.]

GAH! I'm working! I'M WORKING! [Quickly minimizing the task bars and pulling up the data entry software, while grabbing a paper with the other hand. The man continues typing in a hasteful manner. However, after a moment or two looks over and notices that the new person has gone to their own computer, which Denzel slowly stops typing.]

Oh, perfect. [Suppose he's not along here anymore and notices the ant] What Pokemon is that? [Stating to his self for the most part, mmm, she doesn't look familiar though Crocker can't tell if she's new or not for sure. Finding an excuse, Crocker takes his empty coffee cup and walks just past her but stops and looks over her shoulder from a far to see what she's doing.]

[Action]

[dresstoimpress]

[...oh...good lord. Lovely.

The assertion that he's working will just get a rather dismissive handwave in his direction; clearly she couldn't care less about what he's doing over there, he's not her employee. However, she can't ignore the question nearly as readily, though she doesn't offer any sort of glance in his direction.

She'll address him, though, her voice a bit on the cold side.]

That is apparently called a Durant; it's been following me around all morning.

[...Mm. She doesn't seem too bothered by that staring over her shoulder - as long as he's keeping it from afar, she doesn't really care if he knows what she's doing. If it's not terribly important, there's no need to act like it is; if it is terribly important, she wouldn't be doing it out in the open.

Just the same, this person is potentially a resource. Possibly. Doubtfully.

...the jumpy ones tend to give up more information than they realize, right?]

Have you been working here long?

[Action]

[crackpotcrocker]

[Denzel knows that she wasn't his employer now that he got a look at her, however one doesn't know when you're not paying attention. That and Crocker, for being a teacher for so long, has eyes on the back of his head but not the side of it. Crocker isn't bothered by the cold side of her voice, actually that is more welcome than someone being perky.]

I see. Hmph, interesting - POKEMON [The man slightly twitches in place.] Partner, than again it's not as strange as a living creature which appears to be a snowflake, yes.

Let's see, the mission was back in July so, two months, although I will have been here three months, why?

[dresstoimpress]

[As long as no one's expected to be terribly friendly, we're in business, good sir.]

I've just arrived recently; I was hoping for someone who can actually give me information. But since you're here, I suppose you'll work.

[...]

You can start by telling me about the snowflakes.

[crackpotcrocker]

Ah so you are new. [Denzel did wish he could say he knew that but he actually didn't.]

Pull up the Pokemon, Cryogonal on the computer there. [And she'll see exactly what Crocker means. Meanwhile, Growlithe is smelling Alfred and her Pokemon a very friendly fire dog after all.]

[ACTION]

[greatestcool]

[Ryuunosuke is heading back to his room to get changed from work when he sees "Alexia." He pauses for a moment before approaching, smiling happily.]

Are you lost? I don't think I've seen you around here before. I would've remembered someone as cute as you!

[Oh yes, it's been a long time since he's seen a girl he'd love to kill. ...Well, ignoring the NPCs, since there are quite a few NPC girls he'd love to kill.]

[dresstoimpress]

[Um.

...um.]

..."Cute."

[That's about the only word she manages for a moment, though she's quick to toss her head a little and look Captain Flirtatious over for a moment; the servants always knew better than to try anything like that, not that it seemed to cross their unwashed commoner's minds in the first place, and while that was definitely a good thing while everyone was in the same situation, for now it's left her unsure of how to handle this.]

I'm just not familiar with the layout, that's all. I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually.

[...RIGHT. CAN SHE JUST...KIND OF TURN AND TRY TO VACATE NOW, OR...]

[greatestcool]

Yeah! You make that uniform actually look good!

[Aww, what a shame that she's not used to being called cute! She really is adorable!!]

I'm sure you will! Are you looking for something in particular? I can help you out!

[dresstoimpress]

[...what are you doing, you horribly strange individual.]

I'm just getting acquainted with it - it's fine.

[There's a definite sharp edge to her words there; she doesn't bother to visibly calm herself, either, though she does decide after a moment to push on ahead with the general interaction - maybe this person will actually say something useful once he's gotten all the looking out of his system.]

How long have you been here?

[action]

[ortion]

[New people in the labs? What is this madness?

Dist is quite surprised to see a new face when he enters to begin his daily routine of...whatever mad science is on the agenda. Probably something terrible as usual.]

Well well, what do we have here?

[He makes his way over to where the woman is sitting and places a hand on his hip when he stops about a few steps away from her. He's smiling, although it's not exactly a kind smile. There's something off about it. Still, he seems to be polite enough for the time being.]

It's not very often that we get newcomers down here. Are you finding everything well enough?

[Instead of waiting for an answer though, he just glances over to see what she's checking out.]

Ah, interested in the mutation reports, are you? It's hard to believe it has already been over a year since I wrote those up with Gorthan. Time certainly flies.

[action]

[dresstoimpress]

[If he's trying to get her to look, he's definitely succeeding. She studies him for a moment; the hair and the clothes and the...everything else all sort of fall under "that's new" territory, though honestly, she doesn't seem too fazed.

Really, though, she's not here to chat; it's fortunate that last bit manages to catch her attention before she waves him off with some sort of pithy remark. But the words have done their job well enough; as it stands, the most she does is glance back at the screen long enough to find the citations.]

That would make you Dist, then...they're interesting reports.

A bit simple, of course; a shame about the results. But they're certainly interesting.

[action]

[ortion]

That would be me, yes. [He chuckles.] I suppose that makes my introduction unnecessary, doesn't it?

[He frowns slightly at her comment, but doesn't seem to take much offense to it. In fact, he completely shrugs it off.]

Indeed, it is a shame. However, it opened other possibilities so it wasn't a total loss.

Is this a subject that you are familiar with?

[He's always happy to see more scientists who are into fucking around with genetic makeups of organisms.]

[action]

[dresstoimpress]

[There are not nearly enough scientists into fucking around with genetic makeups of organisms.

Somewhere in there she's aware that this isn't a conversation that she wants to be having with an expert; just the same...]

Of course. My family has specialized in genetic engineering for quite some time now - creating bio-organic weaponry is what we do.

voice;

[timelymaid]

I actually haven't come across job openings outside of retail or service work, surprisingly enough!

voice;

[twinsanity]

[Well, at the very least he's calmed down a bit since the initial post; still half-dressed out and speaking in a register that's far more suited to Alexia than himself, however.

Which is all that matters, really, since voice-response it is.]

I suppose they think it's charming, to treat everyone as though they're on the same level - despite the fact that it's certainly not. What do they expect the actually qualified people to do, work with everyone else?

voice;

[timelymaid]

I think so? I mean, I haven't really seen a way to get jobs like - hm, a professor or a researcher or a police woman or anything really exciting! It may be because we're not native to this place.

I honestly make most of my money through battles and breeding, though.

voice;

[twinsanity]

[...ugh. Dear god.]

Tell me about this 'breeding' you do, then - I'm assuming the point is to get the strongest genetic combination possible out of these animals we've been given?

[VOICE]

[sadisticwarfare]

That depends on where you are. The smaller cities like Violet don't offer much other than retail work, but Goldenrod has plenty of other opportunities. Where are you now?

[TIME TO SEE IF THIS IS A ROCKET.... look he's bored and has nothing better to do okay.]

[VOICE]

[twinsanity]

[Finally, someone presenting information that might actually be useful. Thankfully, Alfred's calmed down a good amount since the initial post went out; the repetitiveness of data entry and the knowledge that there's something to do that will interest his sister in this hellhole have been nice, as has...well, locating his damn room.

However, he's still speaking in a register that's far more suiting to Alexia than himself; whether the mental dissociation is still going strong or it's just a habit that he has yet to notice from the rest of the day is a bit hard to tell at this point, but so it goes.]

Is that so - I've been in Goldenrod for a few days now, and I certainly haven't seen anything that isn't either retail or centered around these...

[...]

...lovely pets we've been given.

[VOICE - LOCKED]

[sadisticwarfare]

Unfortunately you'll find that almost all of the work in this world is centered around the creatures you've been given. I do have one more question for you, if you don't mind: what do you know about Team Rocket?

[What an elegant topic shift...]

[VOICE - LOCKED]

[twinsanity]

[Well, if it's any consolation, he's no stranger to hideously inelegant topic shifts himself; if you're willing to pretend he's elegant, he will gladly return the favor.

As it stands, that just gets a quiet tch out of him.]

And who are you to ask about something like that - why assume that I know anything?

[action]

[artfuldestruction]

[Kato is poring over one report or another when he walks into the lab, so he doesn't actually notice the newcomer for a moment. He's been busy trying to finish the repairs his old Hydreigon had made to his machines - even before he'd left, there was still a fair bit of work to be done. He's gotten used to the markedly quieter lab, and tends to really only spend his time with Dist, anyway.

So it's quite a surprise, really, when he notices the woman standing by one of the benches, turned away from him and adjusting that ridiculous skirt the female members are forced to wear (not that that's too bad of a thing....).

For a moment he's tempted to ask her if she's lost.

However, the chance that she could be a legitimately new member of science department makes him hold his tongue.]

Enjoying the uniform?

[action]

[dresstoimpress]

[...god, all the people in this room are absolute winners, aren't they. As it stands, she'd be rather appreciative of the meta-knowledge that Kato managed to stop himself from being an asshole; unfortunately, he switched from that line of thinking right into...well, being an asshole.

Thanks for that, bro. As it stands, you'll just be getting a bit of a Look and a quick once-over.]

Hardly the choice of words I'd use for it.

[action]

[artfuldestruction]

[That makes Kato laugh softly, turning away and placing his report down on the bench.]

We do have labcoats you can wear if you're uncomfortable it in, you know. They're not the most practical of uniforms.

[Sadly enough, he's speaking from experience.]

I take it you're new?

[dresstoimpress]

[Well, at least this one is, for the time being, reasonably amiable and less full of

1. stupidity
and
2. smug

than everyone else she has come across so far; as such, that'll at least get him something of a curt nod and little-to-no eyerolling. Good...job?]

I've been here for five days so far; it's my first time in the lab in that time. All the training they're putting us through, most of it a waste of time, has made it difficult to see the place properly.

But you sound like someone who's been through all that already...?

[The light lift at the end of the sentence renders it more a question than a statement; hopefully you'll be of some use, man.]