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AZOTH
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Yumi
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Post by Marceline Labele on Nov 8, 2017 13:25:03 GMT -8
With the plans for her new facility having finally gone through and production starting, Marceline had rented out a second office building for her breeding business in Alto as an excuse to be close to the construction. All the real business for the company could go through her associates back at the Caravella headquarters, but all her 'real' business still came to her directly, especially the builders and architects working on this project.
It had been...complicated so far. She had the plans for the levels she planned to be off limits to most of the researcher's she'd hire but keeping those under-wraps after the builders were finished with it was going to be a chore...could she organize that many Beheeyem? Possibly...
Eyes shifting to the door, she let out a soft groan of relief as her main little minion walked in, tilting back in her chair as she gestured idly over the papers on the table.
"Orion how did batman do it? He moves so much equipment down into that cave and not one builder tells the news. That's the second most unbelievable thing about him next to the fact he dosn't decide to just be a billionaire playboy."
She momentarily forgot with how much that had been going on that she'd actually told Orion very little about her little project so far.
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AZOTH
‘Cause these words are knives that often leave scars The fear of falling apart |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jayspurr
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Post by Orion Alim-Verdi on Nov 8, 2017 13:44:11 GMT -8
This had been… an interesting development, really. Of all the things Orion had come to guess Marceline was capable of, building a researcher center was not one of them. At first, he thought it was a joke and took it as such, but when she actually set up a viable shop in Alto, well, it became hard to ignore. How much of it was genuine and how much of it was some underhanded ploy, he had to wonder but wouldn’t know until they actually sat down and talked about it. That was part of the reason he was there, after all.
Stepping in and closing the door behind him, Orion smirked a little as Marcie spoke, an eyebrow clearly raised. “And here I thought you were making a goodness to god good research center for the betterment of society.” Was that a hint of playful sarcasm? Yes, yes it was. “Are you planning to become a superhero then~? Or perhaps a super villain.” he asked dryly walking over and lowering himself into a chair smoothly.
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AZOTH
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Yumi
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Post by Marceline Labele on Nov 8, 2017 14:08:53 GMT -8
Marcie let out a faint chuckle at the returned joke, glancing at the door to make sure it closed behind Orion before commenting. "Oh please, the walls are soundproof you don't have to keep up the act here.~" She narrowed her gaze as her smirk grew, pulling herself under the desk a little more and adjusting some of the papers into neater piles. Most of it was just blueprints for the building and plans for equipment purchases anyway, nothing she really needed Orion to see. "Though, I will say, if I'm anyone I'm most definitely black cat. Have you been keeping up with those? Apparently she's manipulative crime lord now."
How Marcie actually knew that she'd never admit. If asked she'd just say she heard it in passing or even made it up, whichever occurred to her first.
"First thing's first before I start trusting you with all of this..." She leaned back a little in her chair, lightly drumming her fingers against the arm of her chair. "You're...aware Luke came to talk to me about this right? Cute boy by the way, much cuter than a girl. Very eye catching hairstyle..."
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AZOTH
‘Cause these words are knives that often leave scars The fear of falling apart |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jayspurr
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Post by Orion Alim-Verdi on Nov 8, 2017 14:31:36 GMT -8
“Meow~” Orion snickered softly but settled again just as quickly. “Nice to know even the best of us are actually the worst.” Also interesting to note that Marcie apparently kept up with Marvel. Heh. As Marcie spoke, Orion gave a nod. “Heh, did he tell you I suggested it?” he asked very briefly before giving a shoulder shrug. “Apparently, the League wasn’t willing to fund his project. Red taping hellions.” Never mind that the League had a perfectly reasonable reason for denying funding even from such a bright and otherwise upstanding Professor such as Luke.
The playfulness of Orion’s features laxed some right after. “I trust you’ll keep our business agreement even with him this close?” She had so far kept his secrets, after all. He could trust her with one more. So long as he could keep working under guise, he was happy, really.
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AZOTH
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Yumi
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Post by Marceline Labele on Nov 8, 2017 14:43:58 GMT -8
"Oh yes he did, pretty much the first thing he said in fact. I just wanted to make sure we were both on the same page on those matters..." She wasn't being too playful herself either. She still had a faintly upbeat tune to her voice but it wasn't as present as usual. While Marcie could see nothing but positives in Luke joining them, especially with his capabilities, interests, AND public image, she wondered if Orion had seen it through all that much himself.
"Our little business arrangement is actually why I bring it up. See this is sort of a...two way street I like to think. I make sure to put up an act of the playful, affectionate, legal boss, and you also don't spill the beans. Now while Luke clearly has no real idea about what I do behind the scenes, I just want to make sure it's going to stay that way...if this little project ever comes under investigation, I want to make sure you're fine with him being a part of it...right now I'm stalling him while I have some people look over his proposals, but I need to make sure you're happy with him being so close to this." She let out a long, deep breath, tone and gaze softening a bit, to the point this seemed more for Orion's benefit than her own.
"I just...need to make sure you're okay with him being so close to this...because if we go down there's a chance he might too now, especially if we put any of his research to use for more...'private matters.' If we're all good I'm entirely fine with hiring him, he's a great public face, his research looks promising I just..." She threw her hands up before resting against the desk, looking Orion in the eye. "Before I let EITHER of you close to this little project I need to make sure you understand the risks, because I can't tell Luke the risks, and that's part of the point."
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AZOTH
‘Cause these words are knives that often leave scars The fear of falling apart |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jayspurr
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Post by Orion Alim-Verdi on Nov 8, 2017 15:40:21 GMT -8
Orion’s features fell a bit more serious before becoming neutral again. She’d brought up several thins he had indeed considered even before suggesting going to Marceline to Luke. If Luke were to find out what the corporation really was, what Marceline really was, it would not only blow up in everyone’s face but most likely hit him the hardest.
I want to make sure you’re fine with him being a part of it. That was… somewhat of a give and take yes. Orion sighed softly. He couldn’t say he was happy being so close to this, but he also knew Luke was desperate… and already technically going against the League’s wishes here. If we go down there’s a chance he might too. Yeah, that… also worried him. And yet, he had kept this secret for quite some time now. So long as no one fucked up, it was fine. So long as it all moved smoothly, it was fine. Yellow eyes flickered to the ceiling, and lips pressed together thoughtfully.
“I can’t say I’m too happy with it,” he finally admitted. “But I would rather not see him put himself into debt or ….other problems chasing after this on his own.” He paused, adjusting his glasses some before shaking his head. “He’s put himself in a bind, and beggers can’t be choosers.” He half-laughed. “I’ll just have to ensure if there are any problems, they will be eradicated.” His voice was sharp, efficient, straightforward in a way that was no longer playful. Marceline had probably never even heard his voice hold such a tone, but that was a testament to his seriousness on the matter.
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AZOTH
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Yumi
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Post by Marceline Labele on Nov 8, 2017 16:29:10 GMT -8
Put himself into debt? Marcie was briefly surprised before recalling Luke had admitted there was something personal driving his research this time. Hm. She'd have to think somewhat on ways to get this out of him, he was already heavily under her control at this point so there was no rush, but it could be very good leverage if she could somehow figure it out...no. For now focus on the present. The tone Orion took certainly helped, and while she was almost sure a part of it's sharpness was threatening she tried not to take it that way. If anything she tried to read it as Orion saying he'd be more...'efficient' in protecting this member of his family.
"Well...so long as you're okay with it, then my own nerves can rest easy." She gave him a soft smile and took a deep, self-relaxing breath before pulling herself into the desk a little more, not posing herself as lax now, picking up the small pile of files she was looking over as he came in, about to explain in more detail what she was planning here before briefly finding herself...uncomfortable.
"Sorry, one second." Pushing up from her desk, she wheeled her chair around to Orion's side. Her second longest serving, but by far most efficient and effective ally, she felt weird addressing him across the desk at this point. That was how she dealt with clients and goons. Orion...she wanted to share plans as a pseudo equal. It was her business, she got final say, but treating him as lesser just felt inherently wrong with how much she'd gotten to know him and those around him to maintain his lie.
"There, much better." Falling back into the seat, she pulled the files into her lap, leaning against the desk on her elbow as she asked. "So, at a guess, what exactly do you think I'm planning here. I mean beyond 'general criminal research', that much is a given." She smirked softly, almost stating outright she'd asked just for her own amusement.
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AZOTH
‘Cause these words are knives that often leave scars The fear of falling apart |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jayspurr
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Post by Orion Alim-Verdi on Nov 8, 2017 16:50:58 GMT -8
Was digging his own hole necessarily going to help Luke? Orion didn’t know, couldn’t know, couldn’t bring himself to care even if he did. Even if it cost him something great in the long term, he would help this member of his pack.
Orion was briefly but pleasantly surprised as Marceline wheeled around the table sitting next to him rather than cross from him. He could agree, this was much better. Shifting back a little in his seat, he smirked a little at Marceline’s words. “Aside from criminal research?” he mused adjusting his glasses and looking thoughtful.
Well~ “If I didn’t know any better, I would say you were trying to find ways to obtain some very specific legendary Pokemon to enslave the planet with.” He chuckled, but considering how many regions seemed to have nearly obliterated the planet at one point in time or another, it wasn’t that far off now was it? “Though more realistically… I’d say you were trying to find more ways to launder money…” He shrugged briefly. “I’m going to take a jab and say it’s somewhere in between~?”
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AZOTH
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Yumi
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Post by Marceline Labele on Nov 9, 2017 2:36:40 GMT -8
Laundering money hm? Well that would be a part of it but not a very reliable part. For one, she needed to actually have her 'public' researchers invent something marketable, and even more so she needed to make sure it was marketed well. No, while it could be a good excuse for some laundered income, that solely remained the purpose of her breeding business. At least for the most part. Orion was sort of right in it being somewhere inbetween though.
"Well I at least have to give you points for creativity, but I'd say neither are on the money. For one legendaries are just..." She let out a long sigh through her nose. "They're the territory of crazy psychopaths like that Konto kid that's been in the news." Despite working with the dark child she tried to keep as much implied distance between them as she could, resting her head back a little, she'd continue to explain. "I mean they may be good for people looking to hold the world to ransom, but that's hardly my style. I'm looking for things I can make a little more of a subtle profit on...~"
Laying some files on the table, she displayed the blueprints mainly for the AZOTH facility. "See, I was hoping to spice things up a little. I came to Veria to ensure I don't get bored afterall. Making money currently is fine and easy and effective, but it's dull. I want to introduce something new to the Verian blackmarket. I've been hearing rumors of scientists with unsavory methods, or projects they just can't get league approval for. I was thinking we take all those brilliant minds, and put them to use. Why keep trading in the same old pokemon and bootleg rare candies when we can make our own, more interesting products to pedal hm? Your little friend Luke actually gave me a potential idea for what our headline product could be...~"
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AZOTH
‘Cause these words are knives that often leave scars The fear of falling apart |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jayspurr
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Post by Orion Alim-Verdi on Nov 9, 2017 16:27:04 GMT -8
Lips quirked up, and a small half-laugh escaped from Orion as Marceline explained neither of his suggestions were on the money. He’d been about to ask about how close he was but decided to let her speak for herself first. Legendries are the territory of crazy psychos. Heh, Orion supposed he could agree with that. They were something, though. He’d never seen one himself but had come to accept them as a part of what made Veria so interesting. The mention of a subtler profit, however, had peaked his interest a bit more. Marceline knew as well as Orion did that money was always a pretty good incentive.
Yellow eyes flickered to the blue prints of the AZOTH facility with question before flickering back up to Marceline again. Introduce something new to the Verian black market? Weapons? Pokemon? Pokemon that were weapons? Scientists with unsavory methods or projects they can’t get League approval for. Heh, heh. Make something truly worthwhile to sell for a profit. It sounded good in theory, but he wanted to know— Orion stopped short. A potential idea for what our headline product could be. Luke did that? What had he said to her exactly? Orion’s brow furrowed a little, a clear uncertainty in his features. “What might that be?” he finally asked forcing a smile for now. “What did… he say to you exactly~?”
Had Luke somehow let it slip about his Ultra Beast situation? No, certainly not or ... or she would have said something alright, right? She seemed not to know why he couldn't get League approval for his machine so... Hm.
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AZOTH
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Yumi
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Post by Marceline Labele on Nov 11, 2017 2:29:01 GMT -8
Oh...oh that seemed to grasp his attention. Marcie wondered if there was a difference in the level of their knowledge on Luke's work, but given the relationship between the two, it was probably more likely Orion knew close to as much as she did, at least given the fact she couldn't truly decipher half the papers Luke had handed her without aid.
"Well...I don't know how much you know but..." She took a moment to get comfortable, crossing one leg over the other and resting her hands upon her knees, head tipped faintly to one side as she assured herself she was re-telling this right. "Your little one eyed friend has been looking into ultra beasts or...well...ultra wormholes more specifically. The events in Alola are no big secret, but Ultra wormhole science is still kept to the selective few within the League, or remnants of the Aether foundation."
A small smile crept across her lips. "In short, the ability to obtain, let alone summon ultra beasts is...rare, to say the least...~ I don't know if Luke could ever bring us to the latter point, but he seems interested in making a device that can detect Ultra-wormholes. If we could perhaps push his research a little further..."
Chuckling just faintly, she tipped her head to the side with a wry smile. "Well...how much would you pay for a pokemon literally out of this world? A pokemon no league ranger or interpol agent could possibly have seen before? A pokemon of unique abilities and capabilities, weaknesses and strengths difficult to predict? I can't say I'm entirely sure this will be a manageable business, but one can always dream and hope.~"
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AZOTH
‘Cause these words are knives that often leave scars The fear of falling apart |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jayspurr
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Post by Orion Alim-Verdi on Nov 11, 2017 6:27:45 GMT -8
Ultra Beatss or well Ultra Wormholes specifically. Orion managed to keep his features about as neutral as possible, but there was a flicker of dissonance in his gaze. The events in Alola are not secret. Righ,t right, he knew that but. As Marceline spoke, however, Orion realized the divide between what Luke wanted or rather needed and what Marceline was planning. If we push his research a little further… Orion’s lips quirked ever so slightly before relaxing again.
Her words were interesting. A Pokemon out of this world was… exactly what it was, wasn’t it? A Pokemon with such powers as what Luke was fused with. What could the other species even do? It seemed... dangerous. Of course, so long as they were careful, that wouldn’t matter too much in the end. And fascinating. Fascinating for Luke, fascinating for himself. Fascinating in every sense of the word, and he’d be lying if he wasn’t interested in having that kind of fire power to back himself up.
“Heh, well we can hope can’t we? Or maybe elbow some former Aether scientists into the cull,” he chuckled a bit.
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AZOTH
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Yumi
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Post by Marceline Labele on Nov 11, 2017 8:19:00 GMT -8
"Oh don't worry, that idea has certainly occurred.~" She smiled softly before easing back into her chair, eyes glancing to the blueprints she'd laid out earlier. "Whatever the case, we should have plenty to work with even if Ultra beasts aren't the way to go. I don't know much yet, but from what I've been hearing I should be able to gather enough bright, yet dark minds to help create some pushable products. We could easily house them all in the basement levels of the facility and restrict access with unique key cards or seperate entrances. Whatever the case, it should be fairly effective."
Crossing her arms she shifted her gaze Back to Orion, briefly flashing her tongue out before continuing. "Of course, with so many taboo scientists under one roof, I might need you working double time to keep them all well supplied. Especially your own Lukey-boy~ Would you say you're okay with that?"
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AZOTH
‘Cause these words are knives that often leave scars The fear of falling apart |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jayspurr
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Post by Orion Alim-Verdi on Nov 11, 2017 8:27:26 GMT -8
Bright yet dark minds, heh. Too bad things weren’t always that black and white. It’d require some special monitoring for certain. Unique key cards or separate entrances— “Might consider some finger print or retina scanners,” he mused after a moment. “Key cards are a little too easily lost or stolen.” He smirked a little before shrugging. There was no way to ensure complete security, but it was harder to pull a finger off someone than swipe their badge.
As Marceline went on, Orion blinked briefly before smirking. “Always willing to run errands to keep the business working smoothly,” he mused briefly before winking. “I’ll even balance your check books.” That was.. a joke, and his tone conveyed that, but if she really wanted to take him up on it, he could do that too.
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AZOTH
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Yumi
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Post by Marceline Labele on Nov 11, 2017 10:09:03 GMT -8
Marcie was clearly a little surprised by the suggestion, but in a positive way at least. All of this high security was a new concept to her, and her current systems had worked through simply keeping mouths shut and staying under the radar, the former somewhat maintained thanks to Orion, so it was fitting he suggest her new security methods. "Ooooh. Oh that dosn't sound bad actually. I heard finger print scanners can be unreliable so I may have to shell out for retina. If I could make a secret entrance not far away from the main facility...maybe add some living quarters to the plans should anyone be a bit dedicated to their latest project..."
She thought on it for a moment but ultimate put it on the backburner. It was something she needed to change, and soon, but for now she had done what she intended to do in inviting Orion here, mainly keeping him up to date on plans and ensuring he, especially, knew what was happening with Luke...she could have kept what she planned for his research a secret but something didn't feel right about that. Maybe she thought it would be harder to manipulate him if she started keeping secrets...maybe she genuinely trusted him herself at this point...it was hard for her to tell.
Without even thinking much on it, two words left her lips.
"Thank you."
There was a brief pause as she took a slow breath and just focused her mind a little, eyes softening a little as she rested comfortably in her place. "I...know that was a joke, but thank you Orion. I know in some senses you may 'owe me'. Between my somewhat charitable bonuses and aid in your own lies I hope thats not smug of me to say but...you are by far my most loyal, and most effective em-" She paused herself, taking another slow breath, and speaking a more fitting title without worry. "Partner. I am...very appreciative of the work you do to help me maintain, and further, this little empire of mine. Thank you."
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