worktodo | 008 | Saffron City

[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

[Seems to be a lot of that going around lately.

He's not going to protest her getting the door if she wants, though. There's courtesy, and then there's just patronizing, and he's not about to heap on so much of the former that he ends up tipping over into the latter.]

Okay then.

[Yeah well it's a thing I guess.

It's best not to patronize Ziva if you want to keep your limbs unbroken, yes. She steps aside so Albert can go in and get their table from the hostess, and proceed to get what is surprisingly some of the best French food Ziva's had in her life--surprising since Ziva's spent quite a bit of time in Paris. A+ so far, Albert.]

[It's kind of surprising that you can even get fine French cuisine in a place like Johto — they probably call it something absurd like Olivinian cuisine, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter so long as it tastes the way it's supposed to and meets the high-class standards that Albert demands.

And it does. As a matter of fact, the whole evening's kind of surprising him with how smoothly it's going. The weather isn't atrocious, the food is prompt and tastes good, Ziva is beautiful and engaging, and they wrap up dinner with just the right amount of time left over for them to get to the concert hall without having to rush. Talk about timing; he's batting a thousand right now, and however unlikely it may seem, he's not about to question it.

It'd be trite to ask her if she's having fun as a means of filling the silence between the time they leave the restaurant and their arrival at the hall, so he decides against it. If she weren't, he'd know about it, he suspects. That straightforwardness is just one of the many things he's coming to appreciate about her.

He reaches into the inner pocket of his coat and double-checks for the feeling of the tickets secured there before withdrawing it and stuffing his hands into his pockets instead.]

So, you think you're going to recognize anything they play tonight? Who knows, it might just be variations on the neverending background music for three hours.

God, I hope not. I suppose Puccini would be a bit much to expect.

[Seriously if it's just orchestrated versions of the background music she would dearly want to shoot something.]

[An impressive feat, if she doesn't have a gun.]

Puccini's...what, La Bohème, right?

That is one of his, yes. I prefer Il trittico, personally.

[Because that's what the aria Tony plays for her later is from and I'm nothing if not silly. Also she'd find a way. There is always a way.]

Well, maybe you'll get lucky.

[Because it's not like he's qualified to comment on the merits of Il trittico, anyway.]

I think you would like it.

[Hey, she's mostly ballet and piano--the only reason she knows opera nearly as well is Tali.]

But we shall see. A change from this would be welcome, no matter what it is.

[At 'this' she waves her hand, indicating...well, everything. The ambient music and all.]

Yeah, tell me about it.

[AND LO. THE CONCERT HALL LOOMS.

You gotta give 'em credit, it's a pretty swag-looking place. Albert extracts a hand long enough to glance at his watch.]

Right on time.

[SHE JUST DID...

It is an impressive building, she will admit that.]

Almost as if you planned it.

[Teasing, because...you kinda did. This was your idea after all.]

It's called wearing a watch.

[Girl, come on now. Also, this time he will hold the door, guiding her into a wide open lobby with a massive crystal chandelier and lush red carpet underfoot, velvet ropes on gold posts and dapper employees in crisp black suits waiting to check tickets and take coats.]

[She just kinda rolls her eyes a teeny bit.]

I was teasing, you know.

[She kinda does that. She also unconsciously straightens as they walk in, not that she ever walks with bad posture--but her usual mannerisms are more relaxed. She can play the high society game, though.

She slips out of her coat to hand it to the employee running the coat check, along with her scarf and gloves.]

[FOR A SINGLE HEROIC MOMENT, HE DEBATES, AND THEN —]

You weren't the only one.

[— lord almighty did that just happen you better believe it just did.

He does the same with his coat, pausing only to extract the tickets, and then in a surprising moment of god only knows, he falls into step beside Ziva, with the hand not holding the tickets coming to rest lightly at the small of her back as they maneuver their way through the room.

The two tickets get them past the velvet ropes with little to no delay, and now it's just a matter of making their way to their designated balcony seats for the show.]

[Bright smile. Good boy, she'll get you to loosen up yet.

She takes the hand and its location as just another part of the dance, so to speak--she's not going to threaten to take Albert's arm off at the shoulder or throw him over her own because this night has actually been pretty nice and that would ruin it fast. And would get them kicked out, most likely. Nope, especially since ~~Ziva is mooching a sleeping place~~ they live in the same house, that's definitely not an option, even if she were inclined to do so.]

[He is, of course, perfectly respectful in all things, and not once does his hand stray from its meticulously-chosen place as he navigates them through the crowds beginning to stream in, pausing only long enough to briefly examine the layout of the hall and figure out which direction they need to go to get to their seats.

It's a fair walk — he got good seats, not the best ones — but they still manage to beat the orchestra, who is just beginning to tune up as they arrive at their seats. As concert hall seating goes, they're pretty comfortable — cushy and velvet, in an area with good acoustics and a richly warm color scheme.]

[Such a gentleman.]

This place really is full of surprises.

[An actually nice concert hall, in the middle of all this ridiculousness? Shocking.]

Don't speak too soon. They might still play variations on the background music.

[He casts around a little, then finds two programs and returns with them, handing one to her before sinking into his own seat and beginning to thumb through it.]

008 | Saffron City | Video;

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