worktodo | 008 | Saffron City

008 | Saffron City | Video;

[Ladies and gentlemen of Johto and Kanto, something rather odd is afoot on your network today. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be the ceiling of some kind of garage-like room, rendered in video and slo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-owly moving past at a glacial — yet determined — pace. In fact, it's probably what the ceiling would look like if a Gear camera was pointed at it while that aforementioned Gear was being stolen by a pair of Shuckles.

Which, as a matter of fact, is exactly what's happening.

Unfortunately for these criminal masterminds, their getaway is moving at approximately the speed of molasses left out on a park bench in Siberia, so more likely than not they're going to be noticed before anything productive comes of it.]

Well, you look like you check out, pal...

[—and apparently Albert is somewhere in the vicinity, too, given the proximity of his voice as, presumably unbeknownst to him, his Gear goes Shuckling across the floor.]

No obvious growths, no changes in teeth or coat, eyes still look bright, appetite's good...

[The purple head and glittering diamond eyes of a Sableye creep into view on the camera now, disrupting the slow-moving shot of the ceiling, and a minute later things go dark as two little clawed hands close over the lens and Gear.]

Huh. Doesn't look like there's an upper limit to these things after all. Never mind the fact that education of yours just cost as much as grad school, if not — what're you doing, Impy? Don't play with that. Just leave it there, it's fine.

[The darkness recedes, and now the Gear is on its side on a lab table — one currently covered in the pieces of fifteen broken TMs — and Albert is visible next to it. He's wearing his lab coat and gloves as usual, and is holding a Buneary who is rather nonchalantly nibbling at a piece of lettuce.

Albert continues his inspection of the Buneary another few moments, then checks his watch and heads out of sight, still carrying the Pokemon in his arms.]

Sweep and Scrappy can take care of the mess. Let's get you back in the cage, Bruce.

[And on that note, purple hands descend again, and after a few buttons click, the Gear switches off.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She will take that compliment in the spirit it was given--which is to say 'struck for anything else to say.'

It could be worse.

She could be wearing The Blue Dress.

As it is, she just smiles.]

Thank you. You look quite dashing yourself.

[Is that even a thing anymore? Oh well.]

[Save making his head explode for the second or third date, Ziva.

He reaches into the hidden pocket on the inside of his suit coat, producing an envelope, which he offers up for her inspection.]

Show starts at eight. We got one of the balconies; somebody canceled their reservation at the last minute.

[He puts them away, then reaches for her coat, clearly aiming to hold it for her while she slips into it.]

I hope you're okay with a walk into town. The alternative's a three-headed ostrich.

[Yes, lure him into a false sense of security first...

She allows him to take her coat, SUCH A GENTLEMAN YOU ARE, ALBERT.]

Lucky, that.

[She smiles--she's wearing completely serviceable but still fashionable boots under this dress, as she pretty much assumed that was what was going to happen. She could probably ride Jenny, but she's a lion, not a pony.]

Yes, that's fine.

[All things considered, there is actually a horse on the Farm that they could conceivably take, but that would involve asking a favor from the one person in this damn place whom Albert really, really does not want to owe a favor to. So the hell with that.]

I'll get my coat.

[He says, as he holds hers for her.]

[Oops. Oh well, walking is good for you.

Ziva pulls away once her coat's over her shoulders so she can button it up--her scarf and gloves are in the pockets, so she goes ahead and puts those on too. What, she doesn't like being cold. Only reason hat's not going on too is she doesn't want hat hair.]

[WHY DON'T THEY HAVE CARS HERE. Cars would solve everything. DAMMIT.

Meanwhile, he retrieves his tan trench coat and shoulders it on, reflexively sticking his hands into the pockets before pulling one out again and offering his elbow to Ziva instead.

What, he's classy. We're doing this BY THE BOOK, man.]

So do you want to know the restaurant we're going to, or should I leave it a surprise?

[because TOO EASY and think of it this way at least now you'll never ever have to suffer Ziva's driving.

My you are super classy. Ziva smiles brightly and laces her arm through his elbow.]

Hm...leave it a surprise.

Okay.

[Then OUT THE DOOR they go, and thankfully it's not too terrible a walk into the town proper from the Justice Farm, since it's still technically part of the city, just sort of on the outskirts.

(The nice thing about Minccinos, coincidentally, is that their compulsion for order tends to extend to locking doors, so he only has to pull the front door shut behind him, knowing that within a minute or two, one of the fuzzballs will be along to latch it shut for him.)

AND THUS, THEY ARE OFF.

...which means now it's small talk or silence.

Shit.]

You could use a night out, huh?

[Or maybe he could just CUT RIGHT TO THE PROBING OBSERVATIONS, GOOD JOB, ALBERT.]

[Convenient, that. Ziva shrugs at the question.]

We all could once in a while, yes? Why do you ask, are you surprised that I agreed to take that night out with you?

[She sounds curious, not accusatory.]

I am, but that's not why I'm asking.

[Might as well be honest; it's not like he hasn't said as much already, what with Ziva being Ziva and him being a cranky old bastard.]

It's not that hard to pick out cabin fever if you know what you're looking for. You're not one for routine and monotony, right?

Well, we may not quite be following the spirit of Rule 12, but otherwise do not be so surprised. You are a good man.

[She's known plenty of shitty ones she can tell.]

Again, I am obvious to you.

[Little grin.]

I am certainly not used to it.

Figuring things out about people is my job. It's just that usually by the time they get to me, they're already dead.

[...okay, that little grin's kind of cute. MOVING ON.]

What's Rule Twelve?

Fair enough.

Our boss has a set of rules, personal ones that he also enforces with us.

[Said grin is becoming more mischievous now.]

Rule 12 is 'never date a coworker.'

[Okay, well, he's not saying that Gordon is a bad boss, because he's not in the least, but one does have to admit that Gordon does have his certain quirks that generally involve mass consumption of aspirin and frequent tangents about whether or not someone looks like a chihuahua, and so naturally he's curious as hell about this boss of Ziva's, because already the guy sounds like a prince to work for. Good head on his shoulders. By the book.]

Good man. I can guess there's eleven others that come before it, how many come after?

[This is easier than debating whether that means this isn't a date, or he's not a coworker, or if he's both and Rule Twelve is getting bent, or — NOPE, STICKING WITH THE FACTS HERE.]

[She's pretty sure it's either meant to be 'within the team' or the rule's getting bent.]

He is. I do not know where I would be right now without him.

[...well she kinda does. Dead in Somalia, at the very least. Oops.]

There are...51, the last I knew. He tends to add them as they come up. Plus three that came from his boss, that overlap the first ones.

[Dead in Somalia is something that really ought to be avoided, agreed. Thank goodness for Gibbs.

But at the moment, up go Albert's eyebrows.]

Fifty-one? Damn. And let me guess, he made you memorize them all? Not much point in a set of rules if nobody knows them.

[tl;dr HE WANTS TO KNOW THEM.]

[Tony and McGee get credit too, but Gibbs was the one with the sniper rifle and the holy backlight moment.]

Not all of them. I asked for a list once, but he hasn't ever written them all down apparently. But I have learned most of them over the years anyway.

Okay, so let's hear 'em. How about rule...nine? Has he given you that one?

[He's so curious now, man.]

'Never go anywhere without a knife.'

[One of her favorites!]

[...Girl, he saw you in that dress. Hang on while two and two add up to equal four.]

So are you breaking Rule Nine right now, too, or?

I am, though not because of the dress. It is rather difficult to find a decent blade around here.

I had the same problem with finding a scalpel. I ended up with Dummy, instead.

Perhaps they think it will make things safer.

[...it won't.]

All of the strange Pokemon abilities aside.

It makes it a lot worse in a lot of ways, too. One of my things, a crab, almost ended up murdered, zombified, and possessed because I didn't have the tools to get in and pull a parasite out of him. This place has a pretty skewed idea of what's safe and what's not.

[Ziva nods.]

Never mind how they perform surgeries on people. It cannot be possible that this place has no illnesses that would warrant it.

Even the people here...I may not be the best example of an average person's abilities, but I can certainly cause someone harm if I have reason to. With a knife or no.

[action] she werks it

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[action] yep have to use this one again

[action] sure did do that on purpose, yup

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