[FIN] Winter Wonderland

[Blood_Goddess]

Jerome read him like a book, the read head had taken a beating, no doubt from one of Kyle's tempers, but it was the look in the boy's eyes something that the beating just didn't take out of him.
Jerome had seen the eyes of many men who have just had the s**t beaten out of them, and they were nothing like this kid had.

A light knot worked in one of Jerome's brow as he considered this.

"Fare nuf" the gangster grunted, "Ya did ta number on one a' mah boys there. it ain't easy to pull somethin' like that one em, ya know."  

[Suudonym]

He gave a brief, sarcastic laugh, "And yet he still wanted to be all 'poor weepy little trainer' at me. I don't know what he was expecting. The majority of the trainers I know would probably fight just as hard."  

[Blood_Goddess]

"hn... naw, can't say s'the norm, man." Jerome pointed out, placing his elbows on his knees and folding his fingers together. A light frown playing on his lips for a couple of seconds before the gangster lifted his inked eyes toward the van for a couple of seconds.
"You trainers make a point t'fight this hard?"  

[Suudonym]

"I can't speak for every trainer," he said, scrutinizing the man's movements and expressions for signs that he should be prepared to fight again, "but the ones I know don't take matters about Team Rocket lightly. We've had friends and family trapped in that organization, so we don't go out of our way to assault people just because of their affiliation," the sudden hardening of his tone suggested that he was passively speaking of someone in particular, "but it's not so easy to tell the difference between a stereotypical ill-intentioned criminal and, you know, an actual human being who listens and thinks if you talk to them. We're ready to fight when we have to."  

[Blood_Goddess]

"Stereotypical Criminal" Jerome repeated, licking his lips as he shifted his weight with a mellow expression, though the thoughtful knot still remained in his brow. "How many a those you think we got?" Jerome asked. Though he didn't sound the least bit surprised, or offended.

He grew up with this, and it was especially obvious with the way the boy was dressed, it just reminded Jerome of what they used to call 'Neutrals' or 'Innocents.'
Stereotypical views on gang life, on gangsters, all the same, all just violent and hateful with no real motivation other then an ill educated desire to put everyone in pain.

"N'what y'sayin' an actual human bein' is?"  

[Suudonym]

"I wouldn't know well enough to guess," Luke replied. "At least one, but I don't think most people are so simple." Even the crazy chick that had stolen Mieu ages ago seemed to think that she had some higher purpose in doing so, though despite knowing little of her, he maintained that her motivations were incredibly misguided. He shrugged slightly in response to the second question posed, "I don't think that's so simple either. I guess the core of it is being capable of reason."  

[Blood_Goddess]

The gangster bobbed his head once, slowly, not taking his eyes off the trainer "Think y'er right, most people ain't so simple." At least he understood that.

"Who ya got stuck with us?" He asked, recalling the boys tone about some people family in their organization. Something in his tone just drew the question.  

[Suudonym]

A moment passed in silence; the question wasn't expected, and Luke wasn't immediately sure how to phrase the response. Eventually he gave his careful reply, his gaze unintentionally falling as the words passed, "No one anymore."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Fingers unfolded after the trainer replied, reaching to to scratch at his own forehead as it furrowed.
"Hn..."
His grunt was all he replied, He knew very well what the kid was implying, he had someone in Rocket, and if they wasn't still in Rocket, then they was dead, that's how this life style worked, Jerome knew that all to well.

"Aight look, I ain't got nothin' against ya, er what ya did t'my boy. Ya sound like ya got reason ta' have a beef With'us, an' really I can't blame ya if ya do, mighta really just been wrong place wrong time." Jerome shrugged a shoulder "Dnno, fer now yer ganna have a hang tight like this."
Untill he figured out what he was going to do with this kid,  

[Suudonym]

He wore a slight frown in his expression and exhaled quietly. "Fair enough, I guess, given the circumstances." He could at least appreciate not feeling directly threatened, though he tried to remain alert enough to respond the second that changed. The foremost question in his mind was where things would go from here. He wasn't being attacked anymore and they didn't seem inclined to kill him suddenly, but as long as his pokemon were in their possession, he couldn't see the situation being resolved bloodlessly. He wasn't sending Mieu back there again, nor subjecting any of his other pokemon to the experience.

He wasn't sure yet if this could really be called much worse than being at the embassy.  

[Blood_Goddess]

The circumstances, not an ordinary one, but one that was bound to happen eventually, in one way or the other.
Jerome's job in this transportation gig was to ensure the safety of the cargo, get it from point A to point B. unnoticed and undamaged.
A backyard run like this was an easy one, it wasn't very far, and it was a straight shot. In, out, done.

The setbacks where unexpected, and the longer they waited the more just seemed to built up. Not only were they sitting ducks, with the hopes of going unnoticed from random passerby, and now, They had a hostage to consider.

As Luke spoke his understanding of what Jerome had told him, the older man pushed himself back to his feet, his slow pace returning him toward the vehicle.

"What are we going to do with him?" Jamie asked, the dark haired grunt folding his arms as he joined the agent by the van.

Jerome shook his head, pulling the passenger side door open so that he could lean in and pick up a packet of cigarettes from the dashboard.
"ain't decided yet." the darker man admitted

"We can't just let him go... you know he'll just tell everyone."

He nodded, but didn't say anything, taking the silence to light one of the cigarettes sitting down on the bottom of the open door frame, taking in a long draw as he squinted across the clearing where they had Luke tied up, and letting out a first breath of smoke.

"I mean... I don't see what else we can do other then bring him in, if we're not going to kill him." The hesitance in Jamie's voice was enough of an indication that he didn't like the idea of killing the trainer anymore then Jerome did.

"Killin em ain't happenin'." Jerome agreed, shifting his gaze back over to the Grunt "I'll handle it."

Tremain had since settled in the back of Jerome's hood, humming a little to himself as he played with a ball of snow he had gathered.

As Jamie glanced over to Luke once more, the Grunt moved to join the female by the fire. mostly provided by a large blue Emboar who was sitting with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

It was at least another hours of waiting around, silence being contributed to growing boredom. Kyle, who's wrist had been put into a splint had long since joined them at the fire with his partner. Though Jaimee, the female Grunt had eventually moved to sit farther away, where her and Jerome would occasionally share a few words of conversation.

Ryan, having had possession of Luke's equipment for some time now, had eventually started going through the trainers Gear, looking more or less bored, until the silence was broken by a chuckle every now and then.
"What language is this?" He asked, showing the gear to the others, who stared at it for a couple of seconds with frowns.  

[Suudonym]

As the time dragged by, he had to wonder exactly why they were all just... sitting around. It didn't seem terribly intelligent, if they were so worried about being seen. He wore a mild frown when he noticed his gear in the hands of one of the Rockets, unsure what could be found there that was so entertaining. It wasn't as though he kept any kind of sensitive information on the device. Though the question wasn't posed to him, he decided the silence that followed it was as much an invitation as anything for him to give a response, "Quoi, vous ne reconnaissez pas le français? Pas très doué pour les langues?"

Luke was not immune to boredom himself.  

[Blood_Goddess]

All three of them looked up at Luke when he spoke, a moment of silence until Jamie said with clarification "French..."

"Why are half of these in french?" Ryan asked, frowning as he tapped around on the device.  

[Suudonym]

"Because I speak French?" Luke offered, though it really seemed that that much should have been made obvious.

The gear in the Rocket's hand buzzed suddenly and repeatedly, a notification for an incoming call, the caller listed as 'Beaumont,' appearing on the screen. Luke, knowing that he rarely received calls this time of day, raised a brow in mild confusion. Wrong number?  

[Blood_Goddess]

"Then why aren't any of the other on your contacts speaking french." Ryan pointed out, giving Luke an exasperated look.

All three of their attention snapped back to the gear when it started going off, frowning at the screen and glancing to one another before Ryan pressed the button to answer it, holding it up to his ear, but not saying anything.