Operation: Express Car; [train plot log]

[these_balls]

Who: Everyone who wants to participate!
Where: Goldenrod City, the Magnet Train, Saffron City.
When: November 23rd, 11AM-5PM
Summary: Heist on the Magnet Train!
Rating: Might go up to PG-13, possibly R if exceptional violence of swearing occurs.
Log:

They've spent the last few days preparing. He wasn't sure at first, how this was going to turn out, but the Team is confident. They are confident and now he, Archer, is also confident. He has no reason to expect failure; he tells himself, even if they fail, this will cement them back in the public eye. A threat again. It makes his collar hot to think.

He reviews the plans again, Petrel's notes and schematics, engineering details. Phase 2 will be the most delicate, but he's confident in the abilities of the recruits. The aliens, the outsiders, are strange, but useful. They have skills no other Grunt would possess. Archer recognizes he has been given a tool, and only a fool would fail to use it.

At 9:30AM on November 23rd, Archer sends a message through the Rocket Network. It is short, and simple, and jubilant.

Operation: Express Car START

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It's a nice day out, considering. Cold, yes, but the kind of cold that buries itself deep in the lungs and blows the mind into crisp clarity. Cheeks are red, movements brisk to retain heat, and around Goldenrod's white-dusted Magnet Train station, the energy is thick enough to taste. People in their thick winter coats press together, some alone, some with families and friends, most with their trusted pokémon. The larger creatures are returned to their balls, tragically fated to miss the voyage, while smaller breeds are held in their trainers' arms or scurrying around their ankles.

The station attendants are supervising while customers pass through, touching the microchipped Rail Pass to the card readers and moving in slow, sluggish trails through the gates. There is no shoving; the atmosphere seems too cheery for it, excitement manifesting in the form of loud, vigorous conversation. The train itself is gloriously slick, smooth and polished as a new bullet or a freshly-minted coin, humming with power. We ask our passengers to please mind their electric-types, reminds the stationmaster over the PA, as we seek to avoid any trouble or inconvenience during the ride.

Once you've passed the gate, find a seat and stow away your luggage. Relax, unwind; it's a long six hours ahead.

[[ ooc: I kindly ask that players please DO NOT POST until all the subthreads have been made. Thank you!

GO FOR IT! Remeber to tag yourselves in!

NOTE: YOU CAN NPC ROCKETS IF YOU CAN'T NAB A PC ROCKET FOR PLOTTY FUNTIEMS. ]]

Comments

[tapestodiane]

Oh, my secretary.

_{[See, it's so normal to talk to himself that he forgets it's a thing that he does. And he answers in a way that practically indicates that should be more or less obvious.]}

[drugsbeleid.livejournal.com]

By using an audio recorder. [ Holland found the man strange before, but now he's definitely earning a place in the weirdo category. ]

[tapestodiane]

Yes.

<sub>[He raises an eyebrow slightly, but his expression remains curiously neutral. He's been called weird before, so the look Holland's giving him is hardly anything new, and he returns it evenly.]

[But you can probably sense that familiar mirth he always seems to have around him in that single word, too.]</sub>

[drugsbeleid.livejournal.com]

Why? [ He's (more than) a little curious. They've known each other for a while so he figures that asking won't hurt. A full grown man having what essentially appears to be an imaginary friend does make one wonder, after all. ]

[tapestodiane]

_{[Asking doesn't hurt at all, and the explanation is really a simple one.]}

Back home I'd send her my recordings. I realize the chances of her getting these "files" are slim to none, but I think we can all agree on how hard habits are to shake.

_{[He misses her, even if it probably doesn't show. The way he keeps talking to her is indeed a habit, but also something of a comfort.]}

[drugsbeleid.livejournal.com]

[ He nods, still finding the whole thing a little odd, but he honestly expected something much stranger. ]

Mm. You often end up falling back.

[tapestodiane]

_{[Coop's a pretty ordinary guy if you get down to it - he just .. has an odd way of expressing it most of the time.]}

Ain't that the truth.

_{[He lapses into a momentary but comfortable silence, then leans forward in his seat, looking at the Buneary in Holland's pocket.]}

How's the little guy doing?

[drugsbeleid.livejournal.com]

[ Velte peers up at Coop, ears twitching. ]

Good. He spends a lot of time just sitting in my pocket.

[tapestodiane]

I can't say I blame him.

_{[He reaches out to let the bunny investigate his fingers the way most animals seem to like. It's been a while, bunny. How are you doing?]}

[drugsbeleid.livejournal.com]

[ Velte is more than happy to give those fingers a quick whiff. Yep, he still smells like Coop! ]

He's a lot like the bunny I have back home. [ He may or may not have looked for an excuse to talk about his pets. ]

[tapestodiane]

<sub>[:D bunnyyyy. He scratches him very lightly behind the ears and by his cheeks as a response. He's realizes he's missed him a little, now when he sees him again.]

[And sure, Coop will take the bait. Mostly because he hears it's there.]</sub>

I didn't know you had pets.

[drugsbeleid.livejournal.com]

[ Velte licks him affectionately when he scratches him by his cheeks. ]

Her name's Maike. [ Or whatever the canon name turns out to be. ] She's a Holland Lop. Droopy ears an' all.

[ It's there alright, that enthusiasm. It's subtle, but you can tell he likes to talk about his bunny. ]

[tapestodiane]

_{[..aw. That's something he hasn't really heard in Holland before, so he looks up at him with a smile that lets him know he finds that great.]}

Maike. _{[Repeats it with a smile.]} Does that mean anything?

[drugsbeleid.livejournal.com]

[ He shrugs. ] Probably. It's a diminutive form of Maria.

[tapestodiane]

_{[He nods, pets Velte a final time and leans back somewhat.]}

I never had any pets myself, not even growing up. But I'm growing increasingly convinced that I will have to get one when I get home, if I can remember to.

[drugsbeleid.livejournal.com]

What kinda pet?

[tapestodiane]

A cat, I think. I couldn't have a dog considering the nature of my job.

[drugsbeleid.livejournal.com]

FBI, wasn't it? Unless my memory is failing me.

[tapestodiane]

Yeah, that's it. I never know where I might wind up.

[drugsbeleid.livejournal.com]

What do you do? Solve murders n'stuff?

[tapestodiane]

_{[He nods, gaze straying out the window. He's good at his job, but he doesn't really like it.]}

I work violent crime. Murder is just scratching the surface.

[drugsbeleid.livejournal.com]

I see. [ Meanwhile, Holland's thinking about cigarettes. Dammit, why can't he smoke on the train. ] Sounds interesting, either way.

[tapestodiane]

That's one way of putting it. Rarely a dull moment.

[drugsbeleid.livejournal.com]

Any stories? We've got a lot of time to kill.

[tapestodiane]

_{[He shoots him a look. People typically don't want to hear about it.]}

It's not generally considered pleasant conversation.