2024-06-11: Stealing From Yourself

• Log: Stealing From Yourself
• Cast: Anne Aomori, Mia Tamaoka
• Where: Celadon City - Centropolis Plaza
• Date: June 11, 2024
• Summary: After her harrowing escape from her family's home, Mia reconnects with Anne at Team Rocket HQ in Celadon. There she catches her mentor up on just what she's gone through... and hands over the flash drive she stole from her parents' office, in hopes it might have something they can use as leverage.

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=====================<* Celadon City - Centropolis Plaza *>=====================

In the distant past, Celadon City was simply "Centropolis," owing to its housing of many central functions of government and state. Eventually, the local council decided the city could use an image change to attract more travellers and events, and thus Celadon City was born under an ambitious and prominent civil plan that saw the rise of many department stores and haute couture boutiques. Today, Celadon City is the crown jewel of shopping and consumer goods, and virtually anything can be found here, if you know where to look. Celadon City also houses the Nede Times, Energy Nede's first and foremost publication.

Centropolis Plaza rests at the centre of Celadon City, and boasts a large fountain designed by a famous artisan. Pidoves and other small Bird Pokemon often rest on its many tiers. Around the plaza is a multitude of delicatessens and open-terrace restaurants, making the spot popular with office workers taking their lunch break, and as a gathering spot.

BGM: Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee & Pikachu! - Celadon City - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRmmK8mm9FE

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

The corporate offices used by Team Rocket are unassuming, just like any other corporate office. There's a receptionist on the bottom floor, behind a desk. The walls are cream; the doors are glass. And it's very, very late at night.

Anne Aomori is there, dressed in her usual sort of attire; a dark top and trousers with a labcoat. She is currently talking to the receptionist, with her eye on the door, because she's waiting for someone.

She is rather specifically waiting for Mia Tamaoka.

<Pose Tracker> Mia Tamaoka has posed.

Mia has not had a good couple of days. She is up far later than she usually tries to be, she's had to endure the stress of dealing with her parents and being locked in her room, and then had to engineer her own escape under cover of night--and all without the assistance of Purri for emotional support.

The bike ride from Lavender Town to Celadon in the dark isn't doing her any favors, either. Her current attire--a black turtleneck that is fashionable but too formal to fit Mia's personality and a pair of black slacks that definitely don't match her expressed preferences anymore--both make for bad biking gear and do nothing at all to make Mia look comfortable.

 By the time she steps into the lobby, wheeling in her bike with her, she's looking a bit ragged, running on mostly youthful vigor and adrenaline. She brightens up as she sees Anne, smiling in relief. She just drops the bike inside the door and runs to Anne, throwing her arms around her mentor. "D-Doctor A-A-Aomori! I'm so g-glad to see you!" She laughs a little, in that way of someone who is finally experiencing some relief after a long ordeal.
 
 Purri jumped neatly off of her shoulder when Mia broke out into her run, but she's still smiling as she watches Mia reunite with Anne... though she's also sneaking glances to the Misdreavus that seems to have followed them in, too.

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

Anne can tell Mia's out of sorts; she can see it in her eyes, in her posture, and in the way she actually tries to hug her. Anne allows this, with a small smile. "Mia," she says. "I'm glad you made it."

She gives her a squeeze, lets her stick around for a few moments--and then looks to the receptionist, "This is the one I was waiting for, Miss Misaki. Would you see to getting her a room for the night?"

Then she looks back to Mia, to Purri, and to... Misdreavus. "And I see you made a friend."

"Take a seat," she advises gently. "Relax. You're safe now. If anyone followed you, I'll take care of them."

<Pose Tracker> Mia Tamaoka has posed.

Mia definitely takes a moment to recenter herself with the hug, but she does eventually pull herself away. She looks up to Anne. "I'm g-glad I made it t-t-too..." She looks to the receptionist as Anne addresses her, and gives her a wave. "H-hi. Thank you."

She looks back to Misdreavus, who is still hovering close to the doorway, looking around curiously. Mia smiles and waves her in. "Y-yeah, I d-did. It's... k-kind of a long story..." Mia goes back to pick up her dropped bicycle and pick it up, and at least sets the kickstand this time. (And there's a helmet hanging from the bars, so Mia had proper safety gear on.)

But she nods as Anne tells her to take a seat, dropping her backpack by a chair in the lounge and then dropping into the chair herself. Purri hops up into her lap, and Mia starts petting her.

Misdreavus wanders over to Mia. "Misdre, dreav dreavus?"

"Th-that's my mentor, D-Doctor Aomori. I-it's okay, you can trust her."

"Mis, misdreavus?"

Mia blinks and glances to Anne for a moment. "... N-no, y-you probably shouldn't. I d-don't think it'd w-work anyway."

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

"Sure," Miss Misaki answers, and smiles at Mia. Then she starts tapping away at her consol. That conveniently keeps her busy for...

"That's fine," Anne says. "You gave me at least the situation before."

She waits, and then takes a seat nearby, looking to Purri and then Misdreavus with a low laugh. "You're a stellar Misdreavus, aren't you? You have your priorities straight." She smiles. She doesn't speak Ghost, but she knows what a Misdreavus usually wants.

And context.

"So, catch me up. Did anyone follow you, to your knowledge? How did you escape?"

<Pose Tracker> Mia Tamaoka has posed.

Misdreavus beams at the praise, drifting over Anne's way. "Mis! Misdreavus!" Mia smiles as she watches Misdreavus be cheerful, and then go wandering off to look at other parts of the lobby with interest.

"D-don't scare Miss M-Misaki either. Sh-she's helping."

Mia shakes her head as Anne asks about being followed. "I d-d-don't think s-so. Um... u-unless... s-someone ch-cheks my b-bedroom o-o-or my parents' office... I d-don't think they'll kn-know I'm g-gone until morning."

Now in a safe place, Mia suddenly looks a lot more tired.

As for escaping... "W-well... I g-got locked in my bedroom, b-but Misdreavus helped me g-get out. I, u-um..." She looks down at her clothes. "K-kind of improvised a s-sneaking outfit?" She looks to Anne a little, and does perk up as she mentions, "A-and your lessons! I r-remembered all o-of your lessons a-about moving w-with intent, to s-sneak around the house! A-a-and I even m-managed to trick a guard, a-and g-get his keys t-to get into my p-parents' office, a-a-and he doesn't e-even know!"

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

Misaki lifts an eyebrow at the Pokemon, and then shakes her head, going back to work.

But Anne lstens. "Hmm. But they wouldn't know you came here unless they could pick up your trail. That's fine."

Of course she looks tired; it was a hard night.

"I see... Yes, you need the right clothes to do stealth effectively. I can see that you remembered. I'm glad. If I'd just busted you out, that would've been kidnapping. Very inconvenient to deal with."

"...But it's better, that you got yourself out. It shows you want your freedom that much. It shows you're learning to take what you want."

"Good work! Get anything interesting in the office? I have some ideas on how to dissuade your parents from trying again. ...But if you got anythig I ould use for that..."

A pause. "Assuming you're comfortable with that. If you don't want to go back to your parents, we're going to have to convince them not to try again. My inclination is misdirection and social force, rather than anything... messy."

<Pose Tracker> Mia Tamaoka has posed.

But unless they picked up her trail... Mia nods. "Y-yeah, um... I d-don't think I alerted a-anybody... a-all my stuff w-was in the office, s-so once I h-healed my pokemon a l-little, I j-just... c-climbed out the w-window, a-and over the fence..." Mia looks to the bike. "... th-that's actually m-my bike, b-but... I b-bet my parents d-didn't want me to have th-that."

She says that last part with some smug satisfaction, clearly pleased at being able to stick something to her parents like that.

Maybe they could figure out she went to Celadon, but in the city proper the bike doesn't really leave tracks anymore.

Anne busting her out would've been kidnapping... Mia looks down, her momentary good mood suddenly souring. "Th-they already k-kidnapped me... Th-they sent s-someone w-with an Annihilape t-to g-get me. I t-tried to run, b-but I tripped... then I t-tried to fight, b-but..."

But that didn't work. Mia looks up to Anne, then, clearly distressed. "Th-they know. A-about me, a-and Team Rocket." She doens't elaborate. She's sure Anne can figure out why her parents might drag her back.

But she does smile, again, as Anne praises her for getting out on her own. She nods firmly. "R-right. I... th-the last place I w-wanted to be was th-there..." Mia looks to Purri, scritching her ears. "Th-they took Purri f-from me... S-so I had to b-be strong o-on my own, f-for her. A-and for me."

Purri looks up to her, purring softly, and the two share a hug.

Good work. "Th-thanks!" She looks proud, at least, that Anne is impressed with her work. As for anything interesting in the office, Mia perks up. "O-oH!"

Purri looks up at Mia, curiously. She is actually surprised--she wasn't out of her ball yet for this part.

Mia reaches into her pocket and offers a flash drive to Anne. "Th-their accountant b-brings them f-flash drives like this a-all the time... I d-didn't think anything of it a-at first, b-but then I thought... w-wouldn't e-mailing d-documents be easier?"

"Purr?" Purri looks even more surprised at Mia just handing it over. "Purrloin, purr, loin purr?"

"I'm s-sure," Mia says firmly to Purri. To Anne, she nods firmly, her eyes hard. "I d-don't w-want them to d-do it again. I j-just... w-want them out of my life." She looks a little pained to say that, but... the hurt is too fresh for her to feel any other way.

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

"Heh. A good score," Anne comments of the Bike. "Expensive and useful."

She notices that satisfaction, after all.

"I see... You'd have even more trouble against a Pokemon like that. And your team wasn't prepared to defeat it."

They know. "Hmm. Bold move. They have as much to lose as you do if your affiliation comes out, you know. Did they threaten you with that? With taking you to the police? It wouldn't work. They were bluffing, if they did."

Purri... "That's good," Anne says. "Purri's a good companion. But if you can't do your part to support her too, you'll never stand on your own."

The office? Anne smiles, at that. "I see," she says slyly. "Yes, that does suggest they have something to hide." A pause. "Miss Misaki," she says.

"Yes, Doctor?"

"Could you give this to Accounting? I wonder if they might find something interesting in it."

"Sure. I'm still getting the bonus for overtime, right?"

"Double time," Anne confirms.

Then, she looks back to Mia. "Well, give yourself a little time to rest. I'll take care of them. Team Rocket takes care of its own, after all."

"And you are one of us."

<Pose Tracker> Mia Tamaoka has posed.

Mia grins a little as Anne praises her 'score'. It's kind of technically not stealing but it still kind of is?

Either way, she's got it now, and that's the important part.

She'd have difficulties. Mia nods, somberly. "Y-yeah... I..." Mia rubs the bridge of her nose for a moment, jut remembering it. "I c-can't... really t-talk to an Annihilape, the w-way I can M-Misdreavus. It's p-part gh-ghost but... it's j-just all rage... b-but it still m-messes up my Spiritsight."

Her team wasn't ready. "Th-they tried, we h-had a good plan, but..." but it wasn't enough. Maybe Mia can talk battle strategy with Anne later.

Mia blinks as Anne calls out their buff for what it was, in a way that clearly suggests that she hadn't realized that at all. "Oh." And then she deflates a little. "... Oh." She looks down, suddenly feeling the fool. "... he s-still had Annihilape..." Even if she'd called out that bluff, well...

Trainer and pokemon regard each other for a moment. Mia scritches Purri's ears. "I'll n-never not need you, b-but... if I c-can pull my own weight... we c-can be better partners."

Purri, for her part, purrs happily and nuzzles into Mia's hand.

Take care of herself. Mia nods, and her energy is really starting to flag. "Y-yeah..." she yawns. "I n-need some sleep. And th-then to go shopping for n-new clothes."

A beat.

"... a-and then I'm g-gonna have Pixi incinerate these ones." She looks to Anne. "I w-want to help deal with th-them. I d-don't..." A bit of a hard edge creeps into her voice. "I won't l-let them do this to me again."

But she is one of them, one of Team Rocket. Mia smiles a little, at that. It's not something she ever thought would make her happy, but... it does. "Right. I am," she says firmly.

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

Worrying about technicalities is for the cops!

"I see," Anne answers. "I suppose that makes sense." Rage, but still ghostly power.

"Sometimes a good plan isn't enough. I learned that lesson when I was younger. Better to learn it early. ...It's why running away can be a perfectly valid option."

A shake of her head. "That's right. They could've still forced you to stay with raw power. So don't feel stupid."

She smiles, at Purri and Mia.

"Fair enough," Anne says. "I'll take you out."

A pause, then. "You do, do you? ...Then that's just fine. Think about it overnight, for sure--but I'll take you with me, if you want to be involved."

"It could be unpleasant," she warns. "And they'll probably try to reach out to you."

Miss Misaki chimes in, "I've gotten you a room at a local hotel, Mia. Come here, I'll give you the address and everything."

Anne smiles. "Rest up. We'll talk in the morning."

<Pose Tracker> Mia Tamaoka has posed.

"R-running w-was working until I t-tiwsted my ankle," says Mia with a sigh. But a good lesson to learn, early. Sometimes planning just isn't enough. Mia nods to that. "I'll r-remember that."

Don't feel stupid. mia nods... though still looks a little despondent about that. Still, there wasn't anything she could've done with a busted ankle.

But Mia smiles as Anne agrees to take her out shopping. "Th-thanks."

She nods. "I d-do." It could be unpleasant... Mia looks down for a moment. "... th-they hurt my pokemon, k-kidnapped me, t-tried to f-force me to j-just... p-perform like s-some kind of Popplio..." She looks to Anne. "I w-want to show them th-that... I'm n-not the same k-kid I u-used to be. S-so they know th-that..."

"... that I have Power too."

But her look softens as Miss Misaki chimes in. Purri is up to Mia's shoulder like always as Mia goes to collect the information for the reservation. "Th-thank you for all yor hard work, M-Miss Misaki!" She's still tired, but she has enough cheer to muster for that thanks.

And enough leftover to smile appreciatively at Anne, too. "Th-thank you, D-Doctor Aomori. F-for... well, e-everything."

She heads to her bike, getting ready to take off. "C-c'mon, Misdreavus. We're g-going out."

Misdreavus drifts over, "Mis, mis vus?"

"... I'll e-explain later," says Mia as she wheels her bike out of the lobby doors and into the night.