Tormented Souls (Open/Mod)

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] What was it about this forest that drew him here? It was by far quiet yet he found it’s sounds soothing. Relaxing and nerve calming almost. It’s continues hum of natures creatures were at least tolerable compared to the bellowing of the city. An escape. That was what it was. A place he dwell peacefully in without the interruption of the tormented souls of the pitiful city folk who insisted on burring him under their filthy, pathetic lives. Only a handful of those people would ever be worth a dime compared to the rest yet even they were trapped under the false chains of the nobles. It infuriated him so much he wished he could crush each one of them with his very hands. Watch the spoiled, selfish brats burn under their titles. But… that all took time. There time would come and the people worthy of power would take their places among their people. Yet even as he thought this, Lance Rossi, could not clear the bitter thoughts from his mind. He had only just realized his pace had quickened as his anger rose and forced himself to come to a stop. His hand had quickly dropped to an outside pocket of his black suit pulling out a small silver case. A pulled a single, specially bought cigarette from the tin lining of the case, placing the smoke into his mouth and shoving the case back into his pocket. Retreating his hand from his pocket once more he held a lighter up to the cigarette sitting between his lips and gave it a few flicks. After the second try the lighter lit up, the shinning flame cutting a smidge of light through the darkness of the forest’s night as he lit the cigarette. Once the lighter was returned, Lance out a long, soothing breath of air and smoke, pulling the cigarette from mouth. They had an amazing power that calmed his soul momentarily before causing great grief as he craved for more. He knew, if it not by a man’s hands, the cigarettes would someday be the death of him. With a few more puffs, Lance slowly leaned himself up against one of the many ancient trees. His cherry blond pony tail dug slightly into his head causing the tie holding it up to loosen a bit. The usual black tie around his neck had been loosened as well and hung sloppily around his neck and down his unbuttoned jacket. The only other colour he wore than black was the white dress shirt under the black jacket. His boots, pants and hair ribbon were a perfect shade of black. Like many men, suits looked good on him. This one was a bit plain compared to his usual but he liked it. Now it would be filled with the smell of smoke as he let the cigarette he lit burn slowly between two fingers. His eyes had closed as his mind raced back onto the events of the week. The last time he had been here he had run into one of the most unimpressive knights he had met in a long time. It no longer surprised him that his dear brother, Felis, had hired him. He knew his brother was slowly digging himself an early failure but he had no clue how quickly until after meeting Migual. The poor idiot had no clue how to be a duke. It was deliciously perfect. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Admiral Striker General]

[cs=3][atrb=style,height:87px;width:469px;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/kalitable2.png,bTable]
[atrb=style,width:215;border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,height:265;width:221;border:0 black none;color:b7b7b7;][scrolly:h(265),w(221),sy,as(padding:4px;)]FFFFUUUUUUU-- Kali growled to herself even as she let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head and eventually whole upper body in frustration. This... was the worst day she'd had... in a long, long, LONG time. First, of course Siavush had to go and get himself fucking fainted by a Mothim ten minutes into their searching on the day she left her Revives at home. Then the damn thing revealed a love for shiny things and stolen her damn ring! Helen wore herself out Teleporting all over the forest for half a fucking hour to keep cutting it off, not to mention got pretty banged up herself from those super-effective blows. At least she'd gotten her ring back, but it was staying deep in her damn bag until she was away from this place. But of course that was only the beginning. No, she had to run into a whole damn mob of Sawsbuck led by an aggressive Meganium, and the lot of them combined managed to injure Nibbler's leg, overpower Stormy, and even bang up Kjaerlighet. Leo wasn't worth trying with his abysmal speed and ridiculous type disadvantage- not to mention she couldn't let Kjaer fight safely any longer and she wasn't about to throw out her very last Pokemon on something like that. So, she'd done the only thing she could have and run like crazy, getting rather bumped and bruised herself in the process. In fact, she'd only outrun them about twenty minutes before, and hadn't stopped walking since just in case. She'd actually had Stormy throw out some last minute Thunder Wave to slow them down, and imagined the rest weren't eager to leave their already-slow leader completely behind. Without that crowd control, she was certain she'd never have been able to escape such angry Sawsbuck on their own turf. And of course, she hadn't even managed to catch any of them... Ugh. Well, at least she could almost go home. Not that it wasn't already late as hell and Leon was going to be worried sick (or he damn well better be; if she walked in to find him so absorbed in his work he actually had no idea what day let alone time it was again she'd beat him over the head). But better late than never, she supposed. She'd just been concerned their distance attacks might have shot down her and Kjaer if she'd tried to fly before; she was alone a smaller target more capable of squeezing through thick lower brush. Now that the coast had been clear for a while, though, she could find a place to rest a minute soon and then go ahead and pull her on out. Good riddance, too. She'd come here hoping for interesting Pokemon (and maybe a Musharna to distract Cheshire's antics) and out of curiosity about the bioluminescent botanical life, but- while it may have just been her mood- actually seeing it all was kind of creepy. A few minutes later, Kali did spot a clearing opening up, not really paying much attention as she stepped out into it and all-but-fell back against a tree, uttering a tired but relieved sigh to the sky. Oh sweet Arceus, it felt good just to stop walking, even without sitting down yet. Flinging her head back forward, she stood upright and reached up to pull her hair down out of its disheveled pony tail, thinking to fix that before settling down; as per usual, appearance was high on her list of priorities, even with no one el- Kali's eyes widened a moment in shock as she resisted the urge to jump. Oh shit, there is someone else here! Before she had even been able to fix her hair, her eyes had locked onto a man in a somewhat tossled suit standing across the clearing. Her first reaction was to break down with the whole 'oh thank goodness, mister I'm so lost, can you help me?' ploy. Then she remembered she really didn't need anything. She had some Potions she'd use on Kjaer just before they took off, and she couldn't think of anything else she'd care for from this wretched excuse for a forest. Then she remembered she'd said she was going to try to make more friends, even if just shallow and casual ones. Straightening up more and trying for something of a 'strong but approachable' (or perhaps just 'totally worth your time and not annoying I swear') look, she called with just a slight weariness in her otherwise confident tone, "Oh hey. Sorry, I didn't see you there." [/scrolly]	[atrb=style,border:0 black none;]
[atrb=style,height:22;border:0 black none;]

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] There it was. The sound of the crackling leaves and pressed earth bringing the bitter end to his human free night. He dim ocean blue eyes hadn’t even cracked open to confirm that there was in fact another being breaking his silence. Yet that tiny fraction of aggravation had already began to swell in his temples. It did not matter where he ran, where he hid or even where he dared venture, the blasted universe would send someone to find him and dampen him mood. A heavy breath of air escaped his dry lips as her voice brushed the hair in his ears and rang the ear drum. Those brilliant blue eyes flickered opened yet he did not turn to look at the infernal woman quite yet. If the world was descending the very cretin he had avoiding upon him then he would take his time responding to it until he was good and ready. So he calmly lifted his cigarette to his lips one last time and took a long puff from it. Holding it for a moment, he let out a long stream of smoke, his blue pupils turning finally get a look at the silvered haired woman. “Yes, that tends to happen when one is trying not to be seen” He claimed in a rather mellow, calm voice. He took a few steps closer to the girl, dropping his cigarette onto the ground and setting it out with a shiny black shoe along the way. “Are you in need of assistance? You look as if you’ve been to hell and back.” He had stopped only a foot away, his hands partly sinking into his pant pockets as he stood rather straight. He latterly towered over her as he looked down upon her. Though his words claimed a hint of concern for her well being, his blank, almost tired expression spoke other wise. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Admiral Striker General]

[cs=3][atrb=style,height:87px;width:469px;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/kalitable2.png,bTable]
[atrb=style,width:215;border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,height:265;width:221;border:0 black none;color:b7b7b7;][scrolly:h(265),w(221),sy,as(padding:4px;)]Kali's eyes darted down to the cigarette as he dropped and smothered it, but she fought back the look of disgust. No, she kept up her calm air even as he grew closer.... and closer... and-- okay that was just uncomfortably close now. As he stared down from such massive height, she couldn't help but shrink back a step or two, but held her ground afterward more for her own pride than anything. All the same, the thought habitually flashed: Damn Erans.. ... Of course.. Leon was Eran, apparently.. Well whatever, most of them were still damned giants. And oh fucking hell those eyes! Even in the odd light of the moon and stars and flowers they were cold and... Uuugh! It was all she could do to keep her shudder mental. Even still, she just smiled a little easier and replied dryly, "Nah. It would've been nice about an hour ago, but I managed all right. I got ambushed by a herd of Pokemon, and between being outnumbered and getting caught with a type disadvantage.." She shrugged. Actually, Stormy had Fire Punch and Kjaer a good few Flying moves, but she couldn't fight too hard with the latter and there were just so many! Bah. "I would've liked to catch that Meganium with 'em, but ah well. Shit happens. At least I managed to lose them." No, shit didn't happen, and Kali was going to have nightmares for a month about letting all this happen and not staying to fight, dammit. She knew good and well how it looked when she was there, but now that she was gone she wondered if maybe Leo's Ice Beam... Baahhh. She was such a worthless fucking coward. "I shouldn't be bothering you long though. I just need to rest a bit after that whole ordeal before I head out of here." She could only assume if he was trying not to be seen he didn't really want to talk, hence that instead of asking why he was there. ....Arceus almighty.. Unless he was there to ambush her too! Ah shit that would explain that creepy-ass stare and hiding in the dark and oh god she was about to get raped. Kali tried to tell herself she was just being neurotic as usual, and even still retained her light smile- Leon really had taught her well. But she couldn't quite stop the very subtle nervous twitch that arose in her, manifesting itself in slight shaking of one hand and the tiniest little vibration of sorts in her teeth, as if they were chattering, but not hard enough to move them at all..[/scrolly]	[atrb=style,border:0 black none;]
[atrb=style,height:22;border:0 black none;]

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] Lance stood quietly as he listened to her continues chattering about some pokemon she had been too weak to defend herself against. Yet a part of her story had intrigued him. A Meganium would have been a perfect addition to his team. It was no dubitably long gone by now. Searching for it would not only be a waste of time but a waste of breath as well. “It sounds as if you had quite the ordeal.” He commented calmly in return. It would have been preferable if she had just explained that she was fine but that was too much to ask, now wasn’t it? Of course it was. What human being could give straight to the point answer without painfully dragging it on in an attempt to drag the person listening into utter pity for their misfortune? Not a single damn one of them. “If it calms you nerves, I’ve yet to see any… troublesome, pokemon around here.” He claimed as he turned from her and took a few steps. He stopped, his head tilting up slightly to look up at the dark sky. She had claimed she wouldn’t be there long but something inside him squeezed at his guts reminding him that nothing in the world was that easy. Something in this god forsaken land would keep her grounded by his side. Perhaps it was his constant punishment for the cruel deeds he had committed in the past few years. It was best to take the punishment swiftly, squeezing what little enjoyment he could out of it. Surely speaking to a woman couldn’t be all too painful. “I presume you hadn’t come out here do battle with a Meganium.” He claimed, in other words asking why she had come out here in the first place. He had a habit of doing that. Asking a question yet not directly. He was skilled with his words in that sense. He could avoid answering questions with the same tactics. It had been something he learned from his father, regrettably. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Admiral Striker General]

[cs=3][atrb=style,height:87px;width:469px;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/kalitable2.png,bTable]
[atrb=style,width:215;border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,height:265;width:221;border:0 black none;color:b7b7b7;][scrolly:h(265),w(221),sy,as(padding:4px;)]Kali gave half a laugh at both the irony and her own sel-pity. "Actually, that's one of the main things I was looking for... if it had just been alone. More the dozen Sawsbuck and corresponding sets of prodding antlers that caught me off-guard." She'd debated saying two dozen to sound a little better, but she didn't want to push it. In reality, there'd been something between nine and eleven, she thought. They didn't exactly stand still waiting for her to get a good count. "The day my Arcanine makes himself sick and has to stay home, of course." Her tone was dry and almost teasing, though who she may have been teasing was a mystery. Damn Pup had apparently found a Voltorb and spent the entire night chasing it, both getting zapped in the face more than a few times and eventually worn out. Not that she took him everywhere, but he did tend to be one of her top picks, and coming to a forest full of grass and bugs.... yeh. Finally deciding to try fixing her hair- not that that took more than a few times running through with her fingers, the one good aspect of such a lifeless mess- she started running a hand over it as she looked up to him. Smirking slightly, she raised an eyebrow and mimicked his wording. "I presume you weren't just out here waiting for company." She'd very nearly replaced company with 'women to stalk', but decided against it somewhere around the word waiting. He was certainly no creepier than Nathan when she thought about it, that cold gaze aside, and he was easy on the eyes at least. She may as well try to enjoy the company for the short time she'd be there. Who knew? If she was lucky, maybe a little extra effort would reveal a potential friend or ally or something.[/scrolly]	[atrb=style,border:0 black none;]
[atrb=style,height:22;border:0 black none;]

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] There it was again. That annoying infinite chattering. If only there were a fast-forward button to skip past all of the unnecessary blabber to get to the point. Notability she was trying to make her tiresome story just that teeny tiny bit more interesting. It failed miserably but Lance tried not to let it show too much. He carefully kept that same blank expression on his face, keeping his tongue to himself. He had, after all, asked the quested and therefore was subject to the unnecessary, horribly long explanation. At least her voice wasn’t a high pitch squeak like most irritating young women’s voices could be. His brow rose slightly as she spoke about an Arcanine. Powerful, loyal creatures yet easy to tame. Someday he would find himself a powerful fire type. It would provide him backup for his usual love for the grass types. Yet in a sense his dragons could compensate for it all. Well, dragon, but that would soon change. He was confident on that. For now he had the one and it still required a lot of training. It was what he liked about the dragons. They required so much work to properly train which was only half the fun. Once they were whipped into shape they became one of the most powerful types of them all. Well, at least one of the most power types. He knew of another, mush stronger, much more… reliable type but those were things he would no dare mention in front of a commoner. Nor where they worth thinking about at the current time. “No,” Lance answered her question flatly before deciding he might as well elaborate a bit more to keep from sounding rude, “I was merely escaping the busy hum of the city for a bit of fresh air.” Which had proven ineffective both due his smoking and the appearance of this woman. Which he now only realized he had not asked her for a name. He was allowing his usual fake face to slide tonight it seemed. There was no point in coming on too strong now. It would only heighten her suspicions of his mask. “Do you have a name?” He asked, leaving out the sugar coating. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Admiral Striker General]

[cs=3][atrb=style,height:87px;width:469px;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/kalitable2.png,bTable]
[atrb=style,width:215;border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,height:265;width:221;border:0 black none;color:b7b7b7;][scrolly:h(265),w(221),sy,as(padding:4px;)]"Kalista," she replied. For one, the way this guy talked seemed a bit proper, and it just seemed like a good idea to maybe sound a bit more professional. For two, she really didn't want to give the name he'd be more likely to track, but neither was she quite unnerved enough to give her usual complete alias. At any rate, she'd been considering trying to use that more on occasion. She'd already changed the pronunciation of her name to sound a little more mature; the full proper name just seemed a step up from that. She finished straightening her hair now, pulling it back into a mid-low ponytail. "You?" Half of her expected some standard regal name like Edward or Charles, while the other half was still rather twitchy expecting some kind of serial killer title. Damn this forest had gotten her jumpy. Because it was totally just tonight in this forest, and she wasn't usually this paranoid at all.[/scrolly]	[atrb=style,border:0 black none;]
[atrb=style,height:22;border:0 black none;]

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] That was significantly better. A short, straight to the point answer. Perhaps he would learn to enjoy her company over tolerating it. It was always a possibility. He was too far gone from attempting to woo her nor was he in the mood but their was no reason not to respect her, for now. He had a name but he had no information on a job or status. Knowing his luck, he would deliver a rude comment just to find out she a was duke from goodness knows where. “Lance Rossi,” He answered her, feeling absolutely no reason to tell a lie. It hadn’t even crossed his mind. He was who he was and never would he feel the need to cover it up or change it. If life would have him crawling on his knees, threatening his very existence and cursing his name he would still hold his head up high and claim he was Lance Rossi. But, that was just the sort of man he was. He believed himself to be greater than most men or women alive. “And what do you for a living Miss Kalista?” He asked, feeling the need to get the question out of the way so he knew exactly what he was dealing with. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Admiral Striker General]

[cs=3][atrb=style,height:87px;width:469px;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/kalitable2.png,bTable]
[atrb=style,width:215;border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,height:265;width:221;border:0 black none;color:b7b7b7;][scrolly:h(265),w(221),sy,as(padding:4px;)]Having little interest in Era's politics outside of who funded them, who already opposed them, and curiosity at what sort of person would eventually take the crown, Kali didn't even realize the last name was supposed to be significant. At his question, she grew a bit uneasy, however, and cocked an eyebrow. "Do you always jump straight to such personal questions with girls you've just met, Mister Lance?" Of course, she couldn't well not answer, as that would cause suspicion. Rather, she shrugged and responded, "I catch Pokemon for a small research center." In other words, she'd been out here on business, sort of. "And any odd jobs needed there, but mostly just catching and training." She actually smiled rather easily at this. Sometimes she forgot her job really was the dream of so many, except she made exponentially more than most 'professional' trainers. Heh~ Once again, she followed, "And you?"[/scrolly]	[atrb=style,border:0 black none;]
[atrb=style,height:22;border:0 black none;]

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] Lance gave her a sideways glance as she asked a rather peculiar question. Yet it finally brought a small amused smirk to that other wise blank expression he had been wearing prior. “Yes, I do.” He answered admittedly. He figured that was partly due to his nature as a well trained business man. The other half was because he was an extremely noisy man. He enjoyed finding out the stories of everyone he ever met be they despicable criminals, uptight nobles, or the slum on the side of the street. “Ah, a trainer and researcher. A fascinating career.” He claimed softly, showing a hint of interest in her response. At least compared to what she had been talking about before. Truthfully with her job explanation he saw her more as a trainer posing as a lab acceptant. He was interested in science, more so involving pokemon, but she did not interest him. Her connections on the other hand could prove to be a worthy note to consider. But to keep the world going round he was required to answer her petty reused questions as well. As some foolish man once claimed, it was only fair. “I own a manufacturing and trading company.” Lance replied, searching his pockets for that tiny tin case and lighter, “I have factories in the Orange Islands and a few other regions. Currently we are starting construction on new factory here in Era.” Which so far was moving smoothly though he knew too much good luck would surely lead to an even greater downfall. He had to keep everything in order to prevent that. “I may be digging my nose in too deep but I can not help but ask, who is in charge of your quant research center? I am rather interested in science myself and would love to have a chat with them.” And because she, as nothing more but their pawn, was not worth talking to about it. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Admiral Striker General]

[cs=3][atrb=style,height:87px;width:469px;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/kalitable2.png,bTable]
[atrb=style,width:215;border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,height:265;width:221;border:0 black none;color:b7b7b7;][scrolly:h(265),w(221),sy,as(padding:4px;)]Kali found herself feeling rather proud as the compliment stroked her ego. For a few moments when he answered, this was replaced by a look of intrigue, but at the question her pride returned ten-fold. Near-Cheshire grinning as she tried to keep a cool expression, Kali answered in a near-purr, "My fiancé~" She got to brag, answered honestly, and revealed no information on Leon. Damn if that wasn't a great combination<3 She was still interested in his work, however, and addressed two points in one as she went on, more casual or perhaps slightly tantalizing now. "I might be able to talk to him about speaking with you, but he does stay pretty busy." And what time work didn't take up, she usually did. |3 Hehehe~ "But what sorts of things do you deal in? He'd probably be more willing to make time if there's a chance you could be of use to us."[/scrolly]	[atrb=style,border:0 black none;]
[atrb=style,height:22;border:0 black none;]

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] Lance felt like banging his head against something as she answered with ‘fiancé’. In his mind it made her even more useless than before. It was what a typical woman did though, was it not? Begged for their man to let them have a job they clearly could not handle. Usually the man gives in and in the end they were given the petty jobs, like catching the pokemon or doing the simple paper work around the office. Yet even with those simple jobs women still had a habit if screwing it up. It was why Lance hired very few women into his company. Only those who could prove themselves could work for him. Unless it was the brain dead jobs like the assembly line. “We buy out different companies that extract and hunt down materials from oil, mineral resources and more. My company then Manufacturers the electronic components for almost every type of electronic or mechanical device, from the chips required to make your pokeballs function to the resistors and capacitors required for mother boards and circuit boards. We then sell and trade every component to other companies that use our products to create things like the Pokeball, computers, telephones and what ever else their hearts desire. I guess you could say we are the middle men that few ever hear about but can’t afford to lose. ” He hadn’t been able to go out on a spill like that for a long time. He was a bit rusty but hopefully she wasn’t think enough to not catch on to what he was explaining. "We also do special requests as no company uses the same same component." [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Admiral Striker General]

[cs=3][atrb=style,height:87px;width:469px;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/kalitable2.png,bTable]
[atrb=style,width:215;border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,height:265;width:221;border:0 black none;color:b7b7b7;][scrolly:h(265),w(221),sy,as(padding:4px;)]Kali listed with obvious interest at the every word. Actually, it was mildly amusing how much the guy had suddenly had to say when the subject shifted to his job after such conciseness. Also amusing, at least to her, was the reality of his second to last comment. "Well, technically all middle-men can be cut out." Her tone was pretty non-chalant, but some slight edge to it and a subtle smirk suggested.. Yes, she was definitely teasing. Quick to continue before he got his trousers in a knot, though, she again became pleasant and interested with, "But of course, too many people are too lazy for that~ Really though, that sounds incredible. Deal with Silph much then, maybe?" What was this? Kali knew something that went on in the world? Well of course. Silph Co had to do with Pokemon- in fact, it made the majority of the world's PokeBalls- and Kali always tried to know everything concerning that. It then hit her that the job he described was sort of...... Ah man<3 "We actually have a guy for that type of thing, sort of, but..." She turned up her nose a bit. "I really don't care for him. He tends to be more trouble to work with than his wares are worth." Meanwhile, Jack himself wasn't worth the breath it would have taken to say such. Of course, the 'trouble' came more in the form of obnoxious roundabout methods of delivery or, more importantly, wreaking havoc in her dear home/lab and letting certain flying menaces roam freely. [/scrolly]	[atrb=style,border:0 black none;]
[atrb=style,height:22;border:0 black none;]

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] Lance looked slightly taken back when she claimed that all middle-men could be cut out. He supposed that was true, but he doubted it would happen for his company unless someone else grew powerful enough to compete with him. The companies he sold and traded his goods for could try and create their own but that took a lot of money and effort and would prove to be hard as his own company had many contracts with the material companies to help prevent things like that from happening. The founder of his company had been a truly wise business man. “Yes we do.” Lance replied with a small smile, clearly loving to gloat about his company. It was, after all, one of the largest aspects of his life. One of the two things that were truly his. “We supply them with most of the internal supplies they need to for creating the poke ball such as the chips, however they put it together and insert the coding.” His own company could probably make pokeballs as well but in order to match the quality of Silph’s pokeballs it required employees who knew what they were doing and a few other things. Those employees mainly looked to be haired with the companies known for their single product and thus it was more profitable selling the required material they needed and letting them build it. “I suppose it would make sense that your lab would already have a supplier.” Though how it could only be sort of was rather confusing. There was no company out there that Lance knew of that only sort of supplied components. They either did or they didn’t. That or the ‘guy’ they had for that was buying and transporting the components in which then most likely many of those components originated from his own company. “But I no nothing about what your research lab studies and I am not the sort of man to throw out offers before understanding what it is I’m offering for.” He was interested in a certain research most nobles knew about and other things along the lines of it. Anything else he found uninteresting. But to get the research and information on what he was interested in, oh, he would no doubtable offer anything his company could supply, free of charge so long as he received full share of the information they discovered. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Admiral Striker General]

[cs=3][atrb=style,height:87px;width:469px;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/kalitable2.png,bTable]
[atrb=style,width:215;border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,height:265;width:221;border:0 black none;color:b7b7b7;][scrolly:h(265),w(221),sy,as(padding:4px;)]Kali all-but-barked a small laugh. "We research a lot of things." All of them had to do with Shadowing in some way, but there were still a lot of things that came up. "But none of it would be worth much if our findings were just thrown out to random strangers, mm?" That shouldn't be suspicious either. Knowledge was power, after all, and where research was concerned it was also money. ..Hell, with another common saying thrown in, it could be time, too. Knowledge was pretty much everything to researchers, then. She finally took a seat now, having decided he was safe enough she wouldn't have need to run any time soon, and leaned back against the tree. As she did, a small flower bloomed suddenly into existence beside her, causing Kali to jump; but quickly enough, she just leered and rolled her eyes before settling back again. Pasting on a confident smile as she gazed up to the sky rather than Lance, she went on, "Anyway, like I told you, I just needed to know to see if my dear master might be interested enough to give you the time of day. You and he can figure out if you'd actually be of any use to each other." She shrugged, rather pleased with the general situation for some reason. Hm. Perhaps just the thought of replacing Hatter... Hell, maybe they could kick Ven out while they were at it. If literally nothing else, Kali trusted she wouldn't go spreading word of them, and it wasn't like she really did much around the lab.[/scrolly]	[atrb=style,border:0 black none;]
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[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] ‘None of them would be worth much if your fiancé is as intelligent as you.’ Lance thought to himself as he listened to her talk. How could she even question the use of a noblemen, and one of the direct line to the Rossi’s? In his mind she was either completely brain dead or under schooled. Either or, neither settled well with him or the capabilities of this research group. He sincerely hoped she was simply the weakest link in the group. Meeting her so called fiancé would allow him to judge that. “I am brother to the Duke of the East.” Lance finally stated a little irritated but keeping it hidden from his voice, “Surely that would be enough to ease your mind from thinking I am but a random stranger, no?” each word was spoken kindly despite his strong urge to verbally tare her to pieces. Interested enough to give him the time of day?! HE was the one who OTHERS waited to see. HE was the one who found out if OTHERS were even worth seeing HIM. This woman was no doubt a fool for speaking so highly of her master and so poorly of him. He hoped for her sake she was simply blinded by love as so many foolish women convinced themselves was real. It was one of the many reasons women were so useless. “You have yet to explain to me why your master would be worth my time miss Kalista.” He stated, finding it extremely hard to cover his anger now, “I have a billionaire company to run and have very little time to go chasing after some tiny research laboratory if all you are researching is child’s play.” He wanted to lecture her. To warn her that if they she was wasting his time he would find and burn her precious lab to the ground. But he didn’t. He reminded himself that at least one or two of the scientist in her lab had to have some sort of intelligence. At the very lest he could offer them better jobs working under him. There was also the off chance that they were actually researching things he may be interested it. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Admiral Striker General]

[cs=3][atrb=style,height:87px;width:469px;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/kalitable2.png,bTable]
[atrb=style,width:215;border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,height:265;width:221;border:0 black none;color:b7b7b7;][scrolly:h(265),w(221),sy,as(padding:4px;)]Kali jumped just a little at the revelation of his nobility, but waited, and hardly reacted to his outburst, save to raise an eyebrow at him. Inside she was fuming a little, but also somewhat amused by how very short his attention span seemed to be. That and how very easily he seemed to be riled. Taking on an inflection somewhat close to his and lowering her voice just slightly, she almost-quoted, "I am rather interested in science and would love to have a chat with them!" Voice returning to normal, she went on, "I was under the impression you'd already decided he was worth it." Returning her gaze to the sky again, she sighed. "And no, actually, Mr. Rossi, your status gives me all the more reason not to say anything. The intentions of nobility are more difficult to guess than most, and Leon just might hang me if I tried to judge yours and was wrong." She did have to wonder as always, though... As defensive as he seemed to be it could almost fit...? Well, they'd see.. Hm. She shrugged. "It's not really difficult. If you're interested, you talk to him, and if he thinks you're safe you might learn something. If you're not interested, we drop the subject, and in another fifteen minutes or so I hop on my Flygon and we part ways, if you don't head off before then." It would be interesting to see how he reacted to that. Half of her was already mentally chuckling at something about him not accepting ultimatums or something equally ridiculous and extreme. Hehehe. Just to poke the bear now, she smirked a bit and added, "I really do despise our supply guy and would be rather fond of replacing him, but he does a good job, so it's not like we need you after all."[/scrolly]	[atrb=style,border:0 black none;]
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[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] “Yes, but that was before you revealed that your master is woeful and before you decided to dodge every inquiry I’ve made, including the name of your said master. I do not like being toyed with Miss Kalista.” Every word was spoken in a ‘as a matter of factly’ kind of tone. Yet his eyes narrowed and his anger boiled up again as she continued to speak. His status gave her all the more reason not to say anything? “That, my dear, is a tad contradicting, is it not?” he asked as an eyebrow rose once again, “You stood here, asking questions about myself yet you are now claiming it is not your place to judge me. In my opinion you are making it much more difficult than it needs to be.” It was far from some worthless woman’s place to judge or question any man, but he would not speak that aloud. He was in fact ready to leave this woman’s side, but curse his curiosity, he could not turn a blind eye to science despite his words and distaste of the people involved. Yet what she said next almost made him laugh aloud, and Lance Rossi rarely laughed. “A good job? A true employee should always receive an excellent, excelling above the required expectations. It is not difficult to do a ‘good job’ shipping supplies.” He commented clearly feeling that he could easily out do this other man, “You package the goods and send them to their destination. No ‘supply guy’ should be less then ‘good’ unless he is steeling your supplies and can‘t figure out how to use a map. In which then he is only causing a risk for your laboratory and should be eliminated.” Not that he believed any woman would be a good judge on who was good or bad at their job. As far as he was concerned they were too soft to judge such things. He, on the other hand refused to accept anything that was less than good. He frowned upon those who only did ‘good’. But it was clear that Lance was a hard worker and refused to allow others to fall behind. He believed anything he could do, others should be able to do just as well. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Admiral Striker General]

[cs=3][atrb=style,height:87px;width:469px;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/kalitable2.png,bTable]
[atrb=style,width:215;border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,height:265;width:221;border:0 black none;color:b7b7b7;][scrolly:h(265),w(221),sy,as(padding:4px;)]"Did I just say Leon?" she sighed, a little exasperated. She was getting about ready to sock the guy, but refused to lose her cool. In the off chance he actually could be of use to them, he did still piss her off slightly less than Hatter. "Yue Leon Alias." No one knew that name without working with them anyway. "Just because I pick the answer I like most doesn't mean I'm dodging. You asked 'who', not 'what's his name'." Technicalities were such glorious little tools. She shrugged then. "And I can certainly judge what I think of you, whether or not my love would care to meet you, and what sort of word I'd put in for you if I did set something up for you. It simply isn't my place to ramble about his research. Say you went and repeated it to some competitor? That would be rather bad for business, don't you think?" She really was getting too long-winded, but so was he. She had to keep pace somehow. "And anyway, as long as things are kept running smoothly, I have no doubt you could do better. But that doesn't mean we need you." The girl sighed a bit and smiled sweetly now. "In other words, your Grace.." Actually, that was the title of an actual duke, if she remembered right, but she didn't know what to call one's brother. Well, either way it was sarcastic. What a field day she would have had if she'd known he was a rebel throwing around the very status he was trying to abolish. As it was, she just went on in an innocent tone, "You really don't have any leverage here. I'm not giving up anything else, so either your curiosity alone will win you over or it won't. So on the note of dodging questions, do you want a chance to speak with him or not?"[/scrolly]	[atrb=style,border:0 black none;]
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