(no subject)

[uber_marionettist]

It's the night after Christmas, and all through the Base--

Okay, no, this isn't going to be a spoof. But seriously, the Base is being hunted tonight.

Not by Dirk, of course. Dirk isn't even 'home.'

But his Greninja, SIN, is.

Moving along the ceilings and walls, through the vents, and into dorms, kitchens, bathrooms, and labs all throughout the Goldenrod Rocket Base. He's faster than you. He can turn invisible. And Dirk has told him he's free to do anything he can get away with.

He's wearing a very famous mask, one that conveniently opens at the mouth. Which allows his terrible, 6+ foot long, sticky ninja tongue to shoot out without warning--

Well, anyway. Have fun, Rockets!

Oh.

P.S. You're probably also on camera.

Comments

[epitaffio]

Fun? No. This is business time.

He wasn't sure how well he might be able to get away with this, at first. In their many years of shared existence, Diavolo has gotten used to two fundamental truths:

One, he can look, and most people will pay it no mind, dismissing it as a trick of the light, but then there is little he can do to interfere. It's almost as if, at those times, his existence were confined to the physical space directly occupied by Doppio; he can talk to him, and he can, at times, see things that he does not see, but it's not the same as when he has complete control. There are limits.

Two, he can take complete control, but people will notice, especially as the years go on. Their faces have become too different, even though the bone underneath is still the same; the disparity in their sizes cannot be ignored. The voice, he can hold on to for longer, but inevitably the shape of his own body betrays him and there is no part of himself that he can hide.

That is, in normal circumstances. In this strange world, for some reason, only the eyes and the voice give him away. All else remains unchanged even when he is the only one at the wheel, Doppio firmly unconscious in the back of their mind. And for all the inconveniences this land has presented to him - and although this requires him to put aside, for now, the fact that his kidnapper clearly expected differently, that their uniform is in his size, and the nauseating fear that comes with that awareness - this is something he has chosen to regard as a boon.

Doppio is valuable and highly capable, even more than the boy gives himself credit for, but things slip his mind; an unfortunate consequence of the dominance Diavolo has naturally exerted over him as time has gone on. He will never tell him to stop reporting back to him - their calls are a refreshing spot of normalcy, after all - but there are things he is better off doing himself, as himself, at least this early on. He can't rely on King Crimson, and his Pokémon are still far too weak. Thus, he needs to be subtle and act in a way that lends him as much plausible deniability as possible.

He's "met" a few of his colleagues, listened to Doppio's reports on what he's gathered about them, but nearly all of them seem to be field workers. Diavolo knows there are labs, and they must serve some purpose, even in this bizarre, child-friendly place, but he has little to no clue as to what that purpose might be, or who is working there.

It's late at night and, as they say, not a creature is stirring. Diavolo has decided to have a look for himself. He is careful, of course: fully clad in uniform, gloves included, he looks for information that doesn't require any destructive action to find. And if anyone happens to spot him - which is highly unlikely, as everyone else seems to be asleep... Doppio is both capable enough to take it from there and accustomed enough to the oddities in his life that even he will barely bat an eye at his sudden presence here.