[FIN] What Did I Miss?

[TawnyAngel]

lZAYA ORlHARA

"Maybe I do," KO suggested with a smirk, "I mean, I'm sure I wouldn't like to burst any fantasies you might have about me."

When Izaya began to circle KO shifted his weight onto his other hip and folded his arms over his chest, relaxed and expectant with one eyebrow raised. "I'm very particular about my face you know," he drawled lazily with a lazy shrug to match it. "As for other battle scars though, well if you want to know about that I suggest we meet in private and you can... investigate, if you like. I may have been teasing you when I flirted before but I certainly wouldn't say no were you interested, you have a certain... vigour about you that I think could be quite enjoyable." Honestly Izaya wasn't really his type per se, but it was true that he wouldn't say no. Sometimes a little intimate company was nice, and doubly so when he didn't personally care about the person he was with; it had been the other way around once, but that had been... well quite literally in another lifetime, no?  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

The black-haired man blinked and glanced over to check Kirk's face upon hearing his intimate invitation. He stared with outright bewilderment for a moment before remembering to keep up his composure - at least outwardly.

When he finally responded, he spoke with measured, carefully-chosen words and a polite smile. "As flattering as your compliment is, I'm afraid it'll take more than that to seduce me. I'm not as easy as I might pretend to be. Besides, I'd hate to get you in trouble for fraternizing with a known traitor. Maybe you didn't hear, but that's why I'm in maroon now."

KO still hadn't answered his question, though. It bothered him. Was the other man deliberately attempting to scare him off so he didn't ask anymore about injuries sustained? Maybe not scaring him off; maybe just distracting him. He didn't know enough about Kirk to understand his motives or morals and thus he could make no educated guesses about the grunt's intentions.

"Kirk," he said gently, his tone serious as he dropped his smile once more. "I may not have been on the missions you were, but I've encountered my fair share of legendaries and none were so tame to have given up without a fight. Regardless of what teammates you had with you, unless you'd been entrusted with a master ball - doubtful given your rank, no offense meant - I don't know how you can look and act as if those missions had been nothing."

His thin line of a mouth twitched. "Maybe you're just lucky. Maybe you have nerves of steel. But I think it's more likely that your attention to appearances hints at something else. You can bet that those who know how to put on a show are experts at concealing what they don't want others to see behind the curtains. Whether it's changing the focus of attention or razzle-dazzling your audience until they're dumbfounded, I know all the tricks in the book."

He ran a finger across the line of buttons on the front of KO's shirt. "So...please don't insult me by counting me as one of your audience. As they say, it takes one to know one and I think you're aware I'm not much for blending in with the crowd, either."  

[TawnyAngel]

...Hu.

"Oh well, your loss," KO said, though without much drawl and smirk behind it; it was only a reflex really, his mind was elsewhere.

Well then, seen as he asked and more to the point seen as he would probably find out-

KO made a 'humm' noise in the back of his throat as Izaya ran a finger down his chest; he didn't flinch back, but neither did he lean into the touch. "Seen as you ask, though, Xeneras was already somewhat injured when we found it thanks to the Kalos rockets. We chased it out of the cave where elites Rook and Claire engaged it further, when we arrived on the scene we used the quick balls we'd been issued with. It was, though you might doubt it, not much trouble. What came after however was less enjoyable; we were attacked by waves of pokemon who seemed unhappy with us for stealing away their," KO gestured airily, "their god or whatever. The Nidoran weren't much trouble, it was when we got to the Tauros that there were real problems." There'd been birds there too right? Yes, there had, but he really only remembered the Tauros. KO's brows knit into a frown and he shook his head. "They ruined that nice uniform I'd stolen. I survived however," ha!, "as you see, though I spent a month in a coma out in the Kalos base. I'm a fan of excitement in general, but that sort I could happily live without."  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

Izaya raised a brow at the story of the pokemon that came after Xerneas. He wouldn't have expected that. Then again, he wasn't all that knowledgeable about the legendary pokemon or the legends surrounding them, especially not in the more newly-discovered regions like Kalos. "Their god?" he repeated. "God of what?" Articuno, as he understood it, was a bird of ice. A powerful pokemon, but not considered a 'god' to others. Xerneas was, though? Was it like Arceus, then? Arceus was supposed to just be a god of everything, though, wasn't it? So then where did this other one come in?

Just what he needed - more mysteries surrounding pokemon. At least he hadn't had to put up with the Nidoran and Tauros KO mentioned. "Wait, wait, what do you mean they ruined it?" Izaya wanted to know, trying to picture the scene. "Did you fall in a pile of their feces? Did they try to strip you?" Suddenly he wanted to laugh. "Must have been all your red. I hear Tauros don't like that color. Oh, and in case you hadn't heard, doctors dressed in red are considered to be quite...Horrible."

"...A coma?" There he went again. Things weren't adding up. Kirk was leaving gaping holes in his story. The man in the trainee uniform indicated this to his informer with a look of the utmost incredulity. "I'd ask if they stampeded over your head, but again, I'd find that hard to believe unless you'd had plastic surgery since then. So when are you going to tell me what happened to put you in that coma, Dr. Man-of-Science?"  

[TawnyAngel]

KO made a vague, vague annoyed noise and shrugged; the whole revelation about a lot of pokemon being more human than he'd given them credit for still irked him. "God of life I suppose, I can't say we lingered to discuss their religious inclinations. Perhaps it was more of a king, I don't know, but they certainly didn't want us to take it away."

He supposed he wasn't going to get away without talking about it was he? No, as Izaya had said those who put on a show knew how to spot one; if he tried to escape by being flippant or with another come on the informant was sure to pick up on it. Resistance would be even worse. No, best just to say it.

KO sighed and gestured at his chest. "I was thrown off my Arcanine and subsequently took a horn to the chest. Nearly bled out in plane on the way to the Kalos base, apparently just about everyone thought I was dead until I turned up back at HQ a month later. You might think the illustrious Team Rocket would be better at sharing information than that but apparently not." KO's manner as he spoke was casual, almost anyone would think that he was quite calm about the incident. To somebody who spent a lot of time watching humans however, who dealt in their emotions, there was something just a little off, perhaps something in the red-haired man's stance or a slight change in the little smirk he usually wore? The hints were few and tiny, but they were there.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

"Is that what they told you? Perhaps I should call you 'Dr.Dolittle' now," Izaya teased somewhat contemptuously. "seeing as you seem to communicate and understand them so well. Pretty soon it seems like humans won't need other humans with how buddy-buddy they'll be with their pokemon. Faleen was already treating her Umbreon like a person before it died. I'd hate to see what it'd be like if she was actually able to converse with it like one, too..."

Maybe he was just jealous about her bond with her pokemon evidently having been stronger than her partnership with him. But he told himself the only reason she must have gotten along better with Umbreon was because it just did what it was told without question. She could confide in it without having to hear it disagree or make her listen to it in turn. It was a one-sided relationship where she didn't have to put any more effort than she herself wanted to. Why else would she care more for it than for another human being she could actually get to know through actual speech and conversation?

Namie reminded her trainer, sensing the bitterness in his voice when he spoke of pokemon and their future relationships with people. She gestured briefly to KO's other pokemon.

Izaya, of course, could not understand this, but he caught his Gardevoir's gesture and guessed at her meaning. "I'm not talking about you or them. I doubt even KO is as sickeningly affectionate with his monsters as some people are." Then he realized he himself was talking to Namie now just like KO had been - like she was a human being - and frowned in disgust at himself. He'd probably been doing that a lot since he'd gotten her without even realizing.

But that was different, right? She was a Psychic-type and they were supposed to be more intelligent than other pokemon even if not matching human intelligence. That, and she looked so humanoid. It wasn't his fault he'd gotten caught in the trap of talking to her like a person. It was more like he was talking at her, really, and was that any different than the talking to himself that he tended to do?

His inner turmoil was inturrupted by Kirk, who seemed to have decided to elaborate more on his story at last. Even listening attentively, though, Izaya couldn't make much sense of it. The grunt got gored in the chest and nearly bled out on the way to the Kalos base. But he...didn't? That wound sounded to the informant like it should have been pretty definite in its fatality.

"You're leaving stuff out again. Remind me never to ask you for storytime, because I feel like we're playing 20 questions instead." He studied Kirk's demeanor and countenance. "From what you've said, it seems like you want me to assume that you went into shock or something and fell into a coma in the time between reaching the Kalos base and turning up at HQ a month later. I'm not sure I'm buying that, though.

"Alright, I'll admit Team Rocket is rather tight-lipped about certain stuff. They like to compartmentalize and keep things on a need-to-know basis with their members. That's how they keep security from being dependent on amateur grunts who get beaten into divulging critical information by 10-year-olds. But shouldn't you, at least, have been told what had happened to you?"

He was reminded involuntarily of his own recent awakening in the post-surgery room when Faleen had informed him he wasn't allowed to know what procedure had been performed. Could it have been similar for Kirk? But no, Kirk was a doctor; he must have known more about what he'd gone through even if they hadn't told him directly. And besides, what reason would they have to keep knowledge like that away from the person it was about? He wasn't a traitor like Izaya. Especially after his capture of two legendary pokemon, it seemed Grunt KO had a right to know.

But maybe he did know. Maybe he just didn't feel comfortable sharing or he'd been told not to. As Izaya did his best to read the usually cocky red head, even Kirk's relative appearance of calm was a red flag. Who would have been that calm about a near-death experience like that? Izaya's eyes darted back and forth across the grunt's face. "What are you not telling me?" Perhaps Izaya wasn't supposed to or wasn't allowed to know, but he was far too deep now to back off.  

[TawnyAngel]

KO raised an eyebrow at Izaya, he felt on firmer ground with something to pick at and relived for that fact. "Easy there now, if you're not careful you yourself won't be needing humans at all soon! Me on the other hand," he smirked and gestured at himself, "I'll always need humans, there are some things pokemon could never replace. Anyway not all are as intelligent as Miss Namie here," KO nodded to her, "I'm sure you find it so among other pokemon Namie? Some seem to think quite a lot like humans but a lot are only focused on survival and the next meal...."

He would have said more but Izaya was off again and the direction of conversation was turning back down a road he didn't like. KO started to tense again, though he was unaware of it, and his smug expression became guarded. "Nothing!" he snapped when Izaya fell silent. "I told you what they told me, if you want to make up something else inside your head- well that's your prerogative!" They'd told him and he knew it was impossible, he knew... And he realised how transparent he was right now.

He swallowed, glanced around. Nobody but them, and Izaya... well he found things out didn't he? It was as much what he was as what he did so far as KO could figure him out. He ran his tongue over his lips. "I'm telling you everything I was told," he repeated softly, tension in his body giving way to quick furtive glances around. "I'm also telling you, speaking as a doctor that it shouldn't be true." KO swallowed again, took a breath, and found his smirking mask again; his posture straightened up then relaxed and he waved a hand languidly. "I suppose I can only call my survival a miracle, they must have some very advanced technology over in Kalos."

Was this wise? Perhaps not but he couldn't see that trying to hide from Izaya would have worked. Perhaps this way the informant would dig around, and if he did he could probably be persuaded to share what he learned.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

The informant raised a brow at the grunt, a semi-smirk on his face. "Nice try. But whoever said I needed anyone? I can assure you, however, that when it comes to my love for humans, nothing will ever extinguish or even come close to rivaling that."

Though he wouldn't say it, Izaya felt a little better that KO seemed to have quelled some of his concerns about pokemon taking over humans in human hearts whether or not the red-head had meant to. It also comforted him to know that he wasn't the only one who believed Namie was more clever than many other pokemon or that he was just making excuses to himself to justify his own actions of treating her like a human.

For her part, Namie actually responded to Kirk with a tiny, smug smirk of her own. She appeared flattered he chose to recognize her intelligence and nodded at the question he asked of her. Her gaze flickered to Izaya.

The human-lover's mind was occupied by other thoughts, though. He was much more interested in KO's expression change rather than Namie's and raised both of his brows in response to being snapped at. Was the suave doctor and fashionable tailor actually spooked? His listened attentively as the older man continued with a much less composed nature. The grunt's apparent anxiety was immediately contagious. Izaya hadn't ever even imagined anything could have put Kirk in such a state.

As quickly as he noticed it, though, the other man's tension was disguised once again behind a charade of invincible confidence and charisma. The ex-Rocket found himself casting the fellow a look of incredulity. Had that been a show he'd put on just now, or had that been real? Either way, Izaya found the speed of the transformation to be impressive.

"Ah...I see," he answered, though his tone betrayed his skepticism. "Well...miracles that cheat death have long been a source of interest for me even before I joined the Rockets," he said, now himself resisting the urge to glance about for signs of eavesdroppers. "And Kalos has largely remained a mystery to me, being the Kodo native that I am. I'll certainly have to look into that technology of theirs."

He beamed at Kirk merrily and reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. The touch caused Namie to flinch as if worried Izaya might have been ready to do something like punch the other man again. But all her trainer intended to do was squeeze the grunt's shoulder meaningfully before letting go. "Thanks again for all the info, doc. I know you said something along the lines of me not owing you anything, but I really hate being indebted to others whether they believe I owe them or not. If there's anything I can do for you in the future, you need only ask."  

[TawnyAngel]

Well that had gone... poorly. It was had not to wince at the incredulous look Izaya gave him, and KO's lingering discomfort might have been betrayed by a slight tensing around the corners of his mouth and eyes. He'd lost his cool and in front of an information broker of all people, but on the other hand if Izaya found anything out and did share the information.... He was just going to think himself in circles, best try to forget it. Easier said than done.

"Haha," KO said, touching Izaya's shoulder in return; a gesture that looked a lot more relaxed than his stilted half-laugh had sounded. "Well I appreciate that, so nice when everyone helps one another out humm? I'll be interested to hear anything you have to say, and you'll have to let me know when you accept that people really are starting to understand pokemon! I wonder what type you'll get?" Izaya would have to accept the truth sooner or later, that or go mad though he supposed going a bit mad was always an option.

"But I should probably be going for now." KO stepped back and gave Izaya a lazy mock salute. "Until next time, comrade Izaya, Miss Namie."

With that KO turned to leave, silently hoping that Izaya didn't call for him to stop with any 'gotcha' comments.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

He ignored the comment about accepting that people could understand pokemon. "Until next time indeed," the informant agreed. "Maybe we have more in common than I realized. I might have to try to get to know you better if you're feeling inclined to let me. Spend some time off together, perhaps, if you're not too busy, popular as you are."

He smirked and blew a kiss in response to KO's salute before returning to the business at hand. His smirk disappeared at the sight of Namie's own. "What?" he snapped, suddenly unnerved. "I owe him now and I might as well try to repay him by finding out whatever I can about his...whatever happened to him. It's only natural we'll encounter one another again."

Namie shook her head and waved away her trainer before heading toward the opposite end of the training room to prepare for an opponent. Izaya sighed in frustration and brought out the rest of his party, deciding to put everything else out of his mind and concentrate on what he'd come there to do.