[PRP] Past Catching Up

[Blood_Goddess]

A black van with tinted windows and two side doors pulled in through the dusty streets of Sagestone. no more suspicious than any other cargo van out there, except for maybe its more modern build.
It was growing evening by the time it rolled through the back roads of the small mining town, keeping away from the main streets, and back where people rarely if every very openly traveled.

That had been nearly a half hour ago, where the van sat now faced a small supply store, pulled along the side away from the parking lots. Though the doors were closed, a small group stood around the vehicle. Four men, dressed in winter jackets and casual pants and shoes. Two hanging out by the hood of the van, the first a tall man with light brown hair and piercing bright yellow eyes, He stood next to a man of average height and darker hair, who seemed more alert then the taller brunette, who's head remained dipped in uninterested silence, Hands shoved deep into his pockets.

The other group was located more to the side of the vehicle, an Asian man with dark hair and dark eyes, next to a younger female with black hair who's arms were crossed tight around her chest.
Both were engaged in conversation, with a third man, and easily the most eccentric of the group standing with his back against the van door, and a cigarette between his teeth, quietly listening to the two other people.

His hood lay slumped over his shoulders, allowing his dreadlocks to spill over his shoulder freely, the other side of his head buzzed bald.
his head was down, eyes were closed as to give him a very mellow relaxed demeanor.

"I know its our thing to show up on time, but did he really have to show up this early?" the tall brunette in the front complained after looking at his watch.

Jerome opened his inked eyes and glanced to the side, reaching up to pull the cigarette from his lips.
"wasn't expectin' t'make good time."

"Did you forget that I was the one driving?" the man retorted, sharp yellow eyes glancing over his shoulder to the others.

"Keep it up, Kyle and maybe I'll be the next driver on this team." The assigned warned with a slight sigh. causing the brunette to scowl lightly and retort with a foul name.

"Aight enough-" Jerome muttered, "We ain't got much S'it ain't a problem. drop it."  

[Sao Kasai]

Light footsteps neared the group, a petite girl in a baggy powder pink sweater with her face and one arm in her bag, searching for something illusive instead of watching exactly where her feet were taking her.

"Ughhh... Please..." She muttered in a small voice, her light blue hair bobbing in a bun with each step she took. "No no no no..." She groaned as she started walking by the van, too focused on whatever she'd forgotten to keep a wide girth from the group of people.  

[Blood_Goddess]

The two rockets standing by the hood were the first to see the girl's stride take her far too close toward them for it to be comfortable, and while they both tensed, it was the taller of the two who pushed himself up, advancing himself enough to put himself in the girl's way not caring if she ran into him or not
"What are you an idiot? Ever head of personal space? Watch where you're going!" Kyle snarled at her his posture towering over her in a very threatening manner.  

[Sao Kasai]

The girl's head snapped up, silver eyes wide with fear. She let out a small startled squeak as she stopped and clutched her bag to her chest, trying to make herself smaller.

"S-s...s-sorry..." She manged to stammer out, her voice cracking slightly as if it were a rusty, barely used cog.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Kyle, void of any sort of sympathy continued to scowl coldly down at the girl. Taking some kind of malicious delight in seeing the fear in her eyes.
"Quit your quibbling and get the hell out of here you-"

It wasn't unusual for Kyle to get up in arms when people got too close to the van, If the Grunt was already agitate he usually found someone to blow his steam off on, since he seemed to prefer to refrain from doing it with his team mates when he could.
Jerome knew that didn't stop the Grunt from being unpleasant to them at any given moment. Still if he got too heated and carried away it could cause more of a problem by drawing the wrong kind of attention to them.

The other grunts watched on with their own expressions of intimidation, Jerome, who felt little need to get involved just yet, still leaned his torso forward to keep tabs on the situation, but what he saw made his heart fly up into his chest and his eyes widen in a rare expression of complete surprise.

The cigarette fell to the ground as Jerome pushed himself off of the van, and in a second flat Kyle would find the shorter Agent suddenly at his side with a hand pushing firmly into his chest.
"Aight, Chill!"
Jerome's deep booming voice caused Kyle to step back in surprise, his own yellow eyes widen as he stared at his lead, who didn't usually act this openly quick.
"Step off, Kyle."
Pulling away from Jerome's hand the dark man lowered it slightly, glad that the younger Rocket knew when to obey orders. His head buzzing before he even looked back at the familiar girl, finding that he hadn't given any thought as to what to do next.  

[Sao Kasai]

If Izumi were a squirtle, she would have been pulling her head into her shell--As it was, all she could do was recoil at the verbal assault.

"I-I..." She started stumbling over her words, but fell immediately silent when the voice boomed to chill. If it were possible for Izumi's eyes to widen any more, they would have. It was hard to mistake Jerome for anyone else, even before he turned around. Where most girls would have yelled, pulled out the pepper spray, or reacted in literally any other alarmed way, Izumi didn't.

Her cheeks reddened and she lowered her bag slightly, visibly relaxing as saw the familiar face.

"Ahh--J-Jerome!" She squeaked out, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Um--H-hi..."  

[Blood_Goddess]

As she spoke his name Jerome moved, turning his inked eyes over to the smaller girl. slightly wide, though there was a growing concern starting to take over his initial surprise.

"... You know this girl Jerome?" The Asian man asked from the side of the van, sharing a look of surprise with the rest of the people, including Kyle who frowned lightly, glancing from Jerome to the girl.

Jerome looked back over at them "Stay here." Then looked to his shadow "Bro' y'watch out f'me"
Just as he said that, a half glowing figure dipped up from the man's shadow, one glowing green eye squinting with arms crossed over his chest.

Jerome reached a hand out to place on her shoulder as he seemed to try and quickly move them away from the van and down the street.
"Ink, Y'back in Kodo?" He asked still sounding surprised. It had been years since he last saw her. Since before... Before he was taken by Galactic.  

[Sao Kasai]

Izumi smiled at Bro as he appeared, giving him a little wave as Jerome led her away.

"U-um... Y-yeah." She tugged at the sleeve and glove covering her metal arm as they walked. "I-I got back just about a month ago..." Izumi frowned and looked up at Jerome. "S-sorry I didn't write o-or anything... I-I couldn't figure out any way to... um... find you..."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Yeah, that would have probably been becasue he wasn't exactly easy to reach. on top of that they had relocated their HQ.
Reaching a hand up to the back of his head the older man chewed nervously on the back of his center lip piercing.
He hadn't expected to see her again, ever, and he knew it had been for the best. He knew what Kodo was like, he knew what he was like, what Team Rocket was like.
He was a little disappointed that she had left her home where he knew and could at least be happy that she was safe... despite that a part of him was happy to see his old friend.
"After th' s**t th'went down with y'shop I though ya mighta left f'good."  

[Sao Kasai]

"Y-yeah..." Izumi frowned at the mention of her old shop. "I almost did... W-we found out that it was too much money to fix it... A-and then all of that stuff with T-team Rocket... Mom and Dad didn't want me to come back." She shrugged and gave Jerome an awkward smile. "B-but you know what they say... Y-you gotta get back up on the ponyta..." Not that Izumi would ever be caught dead on a ponyta, but that was the colloquialism.  

[Blood_Goddess]

"********... Uh." Jerome paused on the sidewalk, glancing back to where the van was being kept for a couple of seconds before looking back at her.
"Look, S'good t'see ya, it is. But right now 'skinda bad time." He paused to try and think of something, one hand moving over the shaved side of his head
"Ya free later tonight? Where ya stayin?"  

[Sao Kasai]

"Oh--Um--" Silver eyes flicked from Jerome to the van and people with it and back. "S-sorry... I-I didn't mean to interrupt..." There was a hint of a frown before Jerome asked about later, when he was given a big smile. "Sagestone Peak Apartments... U-um, apartment Onix."  

[Blood_Goddess]

"Naw... naw S'cool." Jerome said with a shake of his head, glancing back over to her.
He nodded lightly, lifting out his phone to take down the address. "Aight, I'll uh, I'll come see ya later."

this was unexpected, and it was hard to keep up with how he felt about all of it. Though right now he had a job, and he had to see it through to the end.
nodding lightly to Izumi he made a gesture for her to continue on before he headed back himself.

It wasn't untill pretty late that evening that Jerome would find himself free, with Bro now trailing him, he walked through the darkness of the streets toward where his GPS was telling him the apartments were.
It had not been difficult to dodge the questions from the Grunts, they gave up pretty quickly when it was clear that Jerome didn't wish to discuss it.

Bro asked with a nudge to the man's shoulder. The gangster just shrugged it, glancing over at the ghost type.

Stepping up to the door, Jerome paused, before reaching up to know on it lightly.  

[Sao Kasai]

It took a few moments, and some clanging around from the other side of the door, before it opened. Izumi peeked her face through the small opening the security chain on the door allowed, noticed who her visitor was, and closed the door quickly. There was some more scrambling and the sound of a chain being slid and then the door was open wide, with a blue haired girl beaming at Jerome.

"H-hi!" She said with nervous excitement before shifting her body to let Jerome into the tiny apartment. It was a shitty apartment. Again the building was in a bad area of the tiny town, the neighbors were questionable, and the heating and cooling was at a level of volume slightly louder than white noise.

Inside of the apartment wasn't much better. It was smaller than her old place by a lot. There was a small window at the end of the room that looked out on a scenic brick wall. Izumi's tool boxes and carts that hadn't been damaged or stolen after the incident were shoved up against the walls, and there was just enough room left to fit a love seat and laptop-turned-tv.

Wheatley was propped up on the couch, watching some show or another. There was no sign of Izumi's other pokemon at the moment.

"C-come in..."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Bro was the first to squeeze in past Jerome and Izumi into the room, grinning wide and clicking his teeth as he drifted around Izumi in greeting.

Jerome, letting the ghost enter in first, strode in afterwards lifting a hand out of his jacket pocket to wave to her lightly.
"Yo." He muttered lightly in greeting, a soft smile playing on his lips.
"nice lil place." He said, glancing around the small room, it reminded him of the kinds of places he used to live in in Camphoreon.