route_1065 | Neither a borrower nor a lender be

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Neither a borrower nor a lender be

Who: Gorthan and Descole.
Where: The labs at the Team Rocket HQ in Goldenrod.
When: Um, today?
Summary: Gorthan will be away from Goldenrod for a few days. He needs to make sure that the labs are left in good hands.
Rating: PG
Log:

It was quite unfortunate that Gorthan had had so little time to monitor Descole's progress within Team Rocket's scientific division. As far as he could tell, the two of them were like-minded enough. Supposing they started working properly together, they could be a force to be reckoned with...

Now was the time to see if the other scientist was truly worthy of working alongside him, Gorthan reckoned. Personal matters would keep the Evronian Branch Chief away from the base for a few weeks, something which only his superiors knew, besides himself. He had to make sure that, in the meantime, his talents would not be missed, and that, upon his return, everything would be as he had left it, if not better.

The tall man entered into the laboratory unannounced, his step a little slower, his broad shoulders a little straighter than usual.

" 'Virtue itself scapes not calumnious strokes.
The canker galls the infants of the spring
Too oft before their buttons be disclosed.
And in the morn and liquid dew of youth
Contagious blastments are most imminent.
Be wary then; best safety lies in fear;
Youth to itself rebels, though none else near.' "

While he was no actor, Gorthan's diction was elegant, flawless. Only the Bard's words could mark the significance of this moment for him.

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It had only been a few days since Descole had had to stop one of the new arrivals, a young green-haired man with a rose-colored mask and an unsettling demeanor, from blowing up the lab by attempting to vivisect a Voltorb; even now that they were on somewhat better terms, he hadn't the vaguest what he was supposed to do with this 'Kato' fellow he had been given to work with - outside of, for the time being, be grateful that he wasn't here. The sound of the doors opening was enough to get him to tense - surely the maniac hadn't run out of things to amuse himself with already? - but no, the voice greeting him was a familiar one. Decidedly more welcome, all things considered.

Descole turned around to greet him, the usual smirk present across his features; it would have to do in place of a smile, as he never was terribly good at that. He was still dressed in his usual attire, the old-fashioned suit with the white boa around his neck; at least he'd left the cape back in his room for now.

"'I shall the effect of this good lesson keep
As watchman to my heart.'"

That out of the way, he shifted position a bit, clasping his hands lightly in front of his body, his fingers entwining themselves lightly around each other. Waiting, but not overly submissive in doing so.

"Dare I ask what the occasion is?"

Gorthan hesitates a bit before answering Descole's question. He does, however, nod in approval when the other man answers in kind to his quotation. Actually... just knowing that he's around someone who can do that makes Gorthan's heart soar with joy. But no hint of that is evident now.

"First of all, allow me to apologize to you. The occasions we have had of working together have been scarce thus far. I believe it is unfortunate, and as a strategy, it was likely unwise."

"Possibly." The response was quick, and not lacking in confidence. "If anything, it may have delayed progress a bit more than was necessary, but it isn't anything that can't be remedied. While I won't say it isn't unfortunate, it also isn't unsalvageable."

Gorthan nodded. "I believe so."

He glanced around the room, his eyes seeking books and tools, trying to determine what Descole had been studying and working on. "What have you been devoting yourself to, as of late? Be as explicit as you can, if you will."

Descole laughed a bit at that; the sound couldn't have been more sarcastic if he tried. "You mean aside from keeping the newcomers from destroying the lab? Really, Gorthan, it's as though they're allowing anyone in here these days."

He paused after that was out there, however, before moving on to actually answer the question. "Weapons development has been my primary assignment, although I admit I'm used to working on a much larger scale than this, and I haven't been given a particular direction to be focusing my efforts toward. As such, my secondary project has been more of a personal one, involving the researching of these creatures we've been given to work with. The Steel-type in particular fascinates me; I've never been one for traditional biology, but sentient or not, metal is something I can work with. The process called 'evolution' in this world is something that tends to defy expectations, with newer stages often being discovered; given how these Steel-types tend to evolve, I wouldn't be surprised if mutations could be induced with a strong enough magnetic current. It's something I'm looking into, at any rate."

Gorthan folded his arms across his chest. "While I cannot say I am familiar with these 'newcomers' that you speak of, I believe you are more than capable of evaluating whether it's best to keep them out. Even in this strict hierarchy, you should learn to take matters into your own hands."

He stepped closer to Descole. "Forced evolution, triggered by magnetism. Fascinating. And yet, it would only work for one specific type... unless we can prove otherwise. Given the incidence of evolution by exposure to Stones and other objects, one has to wonder whether magnetism is, in some degree, involved in all evolution processes. We could get started on experiments, if you have not done so already. When I return, obviously."

And that was Gorthan's first mention of his upcoming journey away from Goldenrod. It was far from being just an afterthought, however, as the word "return" was uttered with a mild stress.

Descole didn't exactly pay too much mind to the comment regarding the hierarchy, and "learning" to take matters into his own hands; he had long ago become accustomed to the fact that Gorthan tended to take himself Entirely Too Seriously, and as such, he'd learned to shrug off comments like that. If it was particularly annoying, he'd suddenly become incredibly busy while shrugging them off.

There were ways to handle people like this, and Gorthan was one of those with whom the fight would be more trouble than it was worth. Simple as.

However, that last part...begging the question a bit, were we?

"Going somewhere then, I'm assuming - that certainly explains the greeting, if nothing else."

Gorthan nodded. "I leave tomorrow."

He started pacing around the room. While his attitude was pensive, his head remained high, his eyes alert and often looking back to Descole. "Behave yourself, while I am gone. Neglect to do so, and I will know. Keep our equipment clean and functioning. Prepare the subjects you wish us to experiment on, and ensure that they are fed and cared for as is adequate."

He stopped in his tracks then, his eyes firmly fixed on the other man. "Perhaps you are not able to see it yet, but our work is becoming increasingly instrumental. Our services will be needed more and more, and invested in accordingly. Needless to say, the required standards are high. Do you truly believe you can meet them?"

Descole just laughed a bit at that, the sound soft but vaguely derisive; that was getting into annoying territory. Time to look busy, then, though he wouldn't ignore the remark.

"Don't assume you know what I see and what I don't, my friend - I've headed plenty of my own operations back in England, without requiring someone to hold my hand. Rather large-scale operations, really.

Believe me, our precious lab will be in one piece when you return. I'll even keep the newcomer from blowing it up - he's talented but incredibly destructive, by the way; good for making weapons but little else. I'll see what I can assign him to in order to ensure he stays out of the way."

"Very well. Even that is obviously of use to us. I'll be sure to talk to him when I return."

Now, on Evron, when Gorthan spoke to his technicians, their attention was fixed on him as if their very lives depended on his level of satisfaction with them - as a matter of fact, that was usually the case. So it was very unusual for Gorthan to speak to somebody turning his attention elsewhere. Then again, this was Earth. He could let that slide.

But something about what Descole had just said had piqued Gorthan's attention.

"You are from England?"

There was a bit of excited curiosity in his voice that he really couldn't hide.

Descole glanced up at that; he hadn't expected quite that level of excitement, and he couldn't say he knew where in the world it had come from. Unless...

...ah. This one was a bit of a Shakespeare enthusiast, obviously; perhaps that was why?

"I consider myself to be such, anyway, yes. Why do you ask?"

"It is a country I would very much like to visit, if and when the circumstances allow it." As in, if he ever was made to leave this unusual world.

"What is it like to live there in your epoch of origin?"

Descole returned to the work he was doing previously - senseless organizing, more busywork than anything, but it was something to keep his hands occupied; he couldn't exactly explain why, but it tended to help with getting his thoughts in order.

"The epoch? Well, I don't exactly have anything to compare it to, now, do I?" He paused for a moment, however; he wasn't blowing Gorthan off by any means. "I hear that it's apparently rather quaint, and I suppose I can't argue with that. It's more peaceful than some of the other worlds that have converged here, at any rate. Both World Wars have long passed, and from what I understand there are only two so far; I imagine that's a decent enough sign."

Another pause. "My time is given toward the unearthing of ancient civilizations; given that I can devote time to that, rather than constantly fretting about my own civilization dying around me or somesuch, I think that says we're pretty well-off, don't you?"

"Indeed. It is only in a prosperous country that a study such as yours may flourish. I hope for you that you do not take that prosperity for granted. A world's - or a nation's - balance is as delicate and intricate as the many threads composing and holding together a cleverly written story."

Gorthan turns his back to Descole now, making it clear that he's about to leave.

"One last word of advice, Descole. Drawing a definite line distinguishing between life and machine... I hope you are aware of the dangers of that conceptual idiocy. It simply does not hold. Even less in this world, as I am sure you have seen. Even metal lives."

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Neither a borrower nor a lender be

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