IC/OOC Contact

[soggypastry]

This is Lightning; leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.


[ooc: Good for IC plotting or OOC contact if you can't nab me anywhere else. Just specify if IC or OOC, and what format for IC communication.]

Comments

text/private;

[islandshore]

Lightning, this is bad.

Somebody's stolen from Falkner. And given that there's only one organization I can think of that'd make such a bold move...

What should we do? Is there anything we can do?

text/private;

[soggypastry]

I heard. But other than keeping an eye out for any of the Pokemon he mentioned, there's not much we can do without more information. We're flying blind without any leads, and I doubt he has any.

[Hell, she doubts anyone has any but them. Still, Team Rocket isn't just two people and they...have a lot of ground to cover. Oh, what a mess...]

text/private;

[islandshore]

Yeah, you're right. And it's not like the Rockets are dense; they probably expect people to track them down.

Doesn't make it any else frustrating, though. I never thought they'd steal from someone with that much power here.

[And if they can do that, what's to stop them from targeting anyone else for good measure?]

text/private;

[soggypastry]

Most of them, anyway. And no thief worth his or her salt would stick around the scene of the crime for any longer than they had to. Not unless they're extremely arrogant.

Though they probably did it because they knew they could get away with it. For someone with that much power, Falkner's security seemed pretty lax. He's also relying on the police to find any leads, and we both know how useful they are. [Translation: not very.]

Not that the leads at the gym would matter much. They could have had those birds anywhere within ten minutes and we'll never find them now.

text/private;

[islandshore]

Yeah, no. The police aren't just incompetent; they're dense. The fact that even a serious warrant expires after a few weeks is pretty telling.

I feel like Falkner's underestimating Team Rocket. They've proven themselves to be nothing but capable in the past. Guess it was only a matter of time before they struck one of the gyms.

And if they hit Falkner, there's no stopping them from getting the other leaders, too.

text/private;

[soggypastry]

As if there was anything more that needed telling after they've sent the same warrants after people who leave their jobs a day early.

Everyone underestimates Team Rocket at first, Riku, but I think you're overestimating how powerful the leaders actually are or how much they care about what's going on. Sprout Tower nearly burnt to the ground and Falkner never got involved. The same thing happened when we had the swarms back in spring. They just didn't care. Not until now when it's personal and it's too late to do anything.

[Is that going to change for the others? Probably not. Not until all eight gym teams are gone, if that's what Rocket is after. There's only two ways this can go, and the first one isn't pretty.]

text/private;

[islandshore]

No, you're right. I guess it's just that you'd think they would care. They live in this world. They've been here longer than all of us, yet they didn't lift a finger in any of these past incidents.

I guess... maybe we shouldn't get too invested. Not now, anyway.

And maybe this'll teach them to start caring.

[But that's such a harsh outlook. Even then...]

I just wonder what they plan on doing with those birds. Even if they're strong, that alone won't work in their favor. Anyone can train a Pokémon to the max.

Those birds just have years of experience and loyalty to their trainer.

The only logical reason I can think of for the theft is shock value. People are getting riled up about it, after all.

[Heck, even he got put on edge.]

text/private;

[soggypastry]

I wouldn't bet on that. Falkner was upset, sure, but he didn't seem that worried. He seemed pretty convinced whoever did it would fess up and return the birds right there. I doubt he's had much experience with anyone who doesn't mean well towards him or his team.

[Perhaps it's a harsh outlook, but it's a realistic one, given what they know. It's not like the locals have ever cared about the safety of their world, after all. They hardly cared when the train was attacked, she remembers that much.]

But you're right about the shock value. Rile up a crowd and you'll be sure to have witnesses whenever you make your next move. If they wanted an audience, this would be the fastest way to get it without risking their own necks.

[It certainly makes enough sense, anyway, but she's waiting for the other boot to drop. She's used to more...violent approaches. None of this sneaking around in the dark stuff.]