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Post by madandy on Nov 27, 2017 3:36:58 GMT
Tully's smile widens a little - he can tell that Nurse Joy is worried he might try to spin a lie that would get one or both of them into trouble. However, any good conman knows that lies aren't always the best thing to use. Sometime a lie works better, sometimes the truth does and you need to know when.
In this case, if he's right, the truth will be far more convincing than any lie he could think up.
"That's what I thought. Guy who looks like me goes round causin' damage and hurtin' people. You've seen the wounds "I" dished out." He makes sure to emphasize the "I" with air quotes to make clear that it's ironic and not an actual confession. "Some real nasty scratches, anyone'll tell ye.
"'Cept," he pauses for a moment, as if just thinking of something, "when you think about it, that don't make sense. If it were really me, or even just someone dressed like me, then it just don't add up. How could I have scratched anyone, let alone that deep..." He raises his hands, wiggling the fingers for emphasis, "...if I was wearin' gloves? And I know the guy had gloves, as it happens, cause I ran into him 'bout 15 minutes ago. Gave me this beauty." He says, lifting his shirt enough to show the scratch the Zoroark gave him.
"Now, I admit, I ain't no forensic, but I think this thing looks remarkably similar to the scratches the townsfolk got, don't you? I can tell ye for a fact I didn't do it to myself. Came from claws - a Zoroark's claws, to be precise. That's why there wouldn't be any fingerprints from him, that's why those scratches looked too deep for a human and that's why," he lets his shirt drop again, "he looked like me. Any questions?"
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Post by getsuga on Nov 27, 2017 19:03:47 GMT
Officer Jenny finishes untangling the handcuffs at the end of your 'unmasking the true criminal' speech.
"A Zoroark you say? It's true that no one said Pokémon were involved in the attacks and your story makes sense that a Pokémon is most likely to cause those injuries." Officer Jenny places the handcuffs back neatly in her utility belt.
"And if that Zoroark had an Inkay with him, only then can I believe it." She says while turning the pages of her smartphone. She shows Tully and Nurse Joy a picture of a Zoroark and Inkay from Pest Control.
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Post by madandy on Nov 27, 2017 22:24:02 GMT
Tully nods. "As it happens, he did have an Inkay. 'nfact, if I remember right, I told you he had one when I came back, right Nurse?" He looks closely at the picture. "So, you seen these guys before, then? What'd they do?"
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Post by getsuga on Nov 29, 2017 6:07:35 GMT
"Indeed you did!"
"Lets see... Carjacking, counterfeiting, theft, property destruction, and of course identity theft. Don't these felonies seem a bit too ...human?" Officer Jenny says as she looks outside the windows of the house. "They started happening about two months ago in the city, but I never knew they would come out here. Probably less resistance. Without grouping up, the villagers and their pokemon aren't strong enough to combat that Zoroark and that Inkay is the one that calls the shots. I don't what they're getting from doing these things we're gonna put a stop to them. You have any idea to where you went? Or if he's still even you?"
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Post by madandy on Nov 29, 2017 22:53:54 GMT
"Pretty sure he ain't. See, after he switched back from me, he turned into..." he pauses, closing his eyes and breathing for a moment, "someone I used to know. Someone I weren't to happy to see again. A young lady. 'Less I'm mistaken, and I ain't, same lady who was in here gettin' treated." He turns to Nurse Joy and rubs the back of his head a little. "Sorry I didn't say nothin' earlier, just thought that maybe burstin' in lookin' like I lost a fight with a blender and tellin' you yer patient was a shapeshifting demon-fox mighta been a bit... counter-productive. Least till we established there was one runnin' around.
"As for where they went... well, I got a tip they might be at a bar or somewhere to get "meat"... other than the market, since that's where the tip came from. 'Fraid I dunno this town enough to say more'n that."
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Post by getsuga on Nov 30, 2017 18:31:12 GMT
"The village tavern of course! That's the only place where you'll get quality steak!" Nurse Joy screams out as she goes into another room, grabbing a coat, wallet, and Tully's pokeballs.
"They're running ready now. A quick trip to the pokemon center will bring them to 100% battle ready." She hands to Tully, Otto and Shanna's pokeballs. She also offers to heal his wounds, but Officer Jenny disagrees and gives him a normal potion for the time being. Jenny take a prolonged look at his face and says, "He is still guilty until proven innocent, Nurse Joy. Let's go and settle this."
The three of you arrive at the tavern. Nurse Joy enters first and takes a seat at the bar. Officer Jenny and Tully walk inside together. He instantly notices Other Marietta attempting her best to cut a steak with a fork and knife. You can see the her hands shaking at the lack of body coordination. The Inkay on the table holds out one of it's tentacles and gently pats Other Marietta's arm. They have yet to notice Tully's presence, and Officer Jenny has yet to notice theirs.
Roll stealth
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Post by madandy on Dec 1, 2017 1:37:35 GMT
Tully sighs as he walks into the bar, throwing away the bottle he'd drunk on the way over. He looks around and, the moment he spots Other Marietta, he puts his hand out low to signal for the others to stop and speaks low to avoid anyone overhearing. "Don't look too quick - third table from the back-left corner. Hasn't spotted us yet. So, what's the game plan here? We just unmask 'em straight off or do we talk to 'em first - try to figure out what they're doin', 'stablish they aren't who they say they are, convince 'em to come quietly, that typa thing?"Using the proffered potion and drinking a bottle of Sparkling Lemonade to recover Tully's health
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Post by getsuga on Dec 2, 2017 0:55:21 GMT
Officer Jenny casually looks over at the table. "It knows you already right? If it turns hostile, we can always tackle her. We don't need to know the motives of Pokemon." Officer Jenny takes another look at you and orders a drink.
"Anyway, I'm in uniform so this'll cause unnecessary attention. I'll standby over here and guard the door, call if you need help."
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Post by madandy on Dec 2, 2017 2:03:01 GMT
"Thanks a bunch." Tully mutters to himself. Drawing upon what little courage he has, he strolls over the table the two are sitting at.
"Hey there, now no need to get panicky or fight-y," he starts, leaning on the table across from them, talking fast and not putting any breaks into his speech, "I ain't here to fight 'less I gotta, I just wanna talk. And since you seem to be uniquely suited for talkin', I figure that you'd be amenable to that. Plus, ain't like you got much in the way of choice, right? Sure, you look innocent now and you're probably stronger than me, but all it'll take is one little tap and your disguise goes bye-bye and ye suddenly don't look so innocent no more. Even tryin' to turn everyone against me wouldn't work once they see you ain't who you say you are. So, I figure we sit down, talk things out like reasonable adults and we work somethin' out without either of us gettin' hurt, that sound good?"
Without waiting for an answer, he plops down into the seat opposite the two and continues talking. "So, I hear you been busy lately - stealin' cars, smashin' things, snatchin' faces, you got quite a rap sheet. And you're pretty good at it too, from what I can see or, at least, you're good at the how of it. But just as important as how you do it, maybe more, is why you're doin' it. So, million-dollar question: Why? Where you goin' with all this, what's yer endgame, why are you doin' any of it?"
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Post by getsuga on Dec 2, 2017 3:47:19 GMT
Other Marietta is distracted by Tully's interrogation which makes her start growling under her breath. "B-back o-off. A fool and his head are easily parted."
Inkay moves in between the two and speaks within Tully's mind. For conversational purposes and because he opened up himself to telepathy by concentrating on their answer.
Apparently, this Inkay owes its life to Zoroark. Weeks ago Inkay was about to be delivered as an appetizer to a birthday celebration. Zorua heard its pleas and transformed into one of the chefs, saving Inkay just in time. Inkay would make anything Zorua wanted, and Zorua wanted to be like a human! That way neither of them would never be caught in a life or death situation like that ever again. Being telepathic, it wouldn't be too hard for Inkay to gain the necessary knowledge of human lifestyle. The hard part was teaching Zorua what it all means and to override his instincts as a wild pokemon.
Turning $1,000 into $50,000 was simple. Until the cashier would check if they were fake. Zoroark could drive cars forward. Anything else was a different story. Frustration always made Zoroark act out violently in every setting.
Now they're trying to do something extremely simple. Eating their favorite food with legit money from selling Xander. Maybe it's not so bad after all.
Other Marietta chuckles and grips her neck in worry. "Not again... Don't."
"You fell right in front of our faces in the fields. I like the current face the most out of anyone, but my partner chose to be... you because of the coat. If I may critique her death, it was not really a fair way to go out."
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Post by madandy on Dec 2, 2017 18:21:05 GMT
Got that right. Tully thinks at the Inkay. One slip from me, one slip from her and a KO turns into a... He shudders. It was an accident, it was kinda inevitable and it was her own doin'. But that don't make it right, does it? In the end, I still... killed her and ain't nothin' gonna change that.
"But I ain't gonna let it set a precedent." He says finally. "Even if I could, I wouldn't wanna kill ya. Or even hurt ya 'less I had ta. And unless you changed yer mind in the last hour, I don't think you wanna kill me 'less you gotta. So, seems to me we should see if we can come to a compromise - help each other out, you know." He indicates the steak in front of Other Marietta. "Don't let me stop you eatin' - I ain't gonna deny you a meal."
"So, you wanna be like a human? Guess I can understand that - 'scomfortable at least. And you've got some talent for it, I'd say. But, from what I've seen, there're a coupla things yer missin'. Don't wanna armchair quarterback or nothin', but I got a bit of experience bein' human, so maybe that counts for somethin'. For one thing, look around you." He indicates subtly to the people in the bar. "Look at 'em all - eatin' together, drinkin' together, bein' together. You wanna be a human, you gotta learn to connect wit' others - human and pokemon. This," He points between the two, indicating their partnership, "is a real good start, but you gotta have more. Could be a town, a team or..." He pauses, thinking back to his own origins, "or a family. Either way, if you wanna be like a human, you can't do it alone. I used to think I could." He gives a morbid chuckle. "Look where that got me."
"The other thing? You gotta start thinkin' long term. The law o' humans ain't the law o' the wild. You focus too much on the next few seconds, you let the next few days screw y'over. I get that it's hard - believe me, I know how hard it is to get past yer instincts. But that's a part of bein' human."
He gives the two a smile, seeing a possibility in these two. After all, as far as Tully's concern, opportunism isn't a bug, it's a feature.
"Now, I reckon I can help you out on both things. I ain't gonna force ya, but I got an idea." He leaves it at that for the moment, waiting for their response to his analysis.
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Post by getsuga on Dec 3, 2017 20:18:47 GMT
Other Marietta scoffs at Tully's statement. She throws her knife down and lifts up the whole steak with the fork, then inserts it into her mouth cleanly breaking off a piece.
Inkay sends out another telepathic message: Are you saying we convicts should stay together? Besides company, what could we possibly offer to you? Perhaps we could use a bit more work from an outside source...
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Post by madandy on Dec 3, 2017 21:53:41 GMT
Tully smiles. "Well, as it happens, me and a few... colleagues have got somethin' of a... actually," he looks to Inkay, "tell ye what, I'll think about what's happened and you can read it from my mind. That way, you not only get a better picture and can convey it, but you can know for certain I ain't lyin'."
Closing his eyes for a second, Tully consciously recalls all the experiences he's had over the past few weeks regarding Paradiso - what the renegades have been doing, what they've been planning and what'll happen if they succeed.
When he finishes, he sighs, a little disheartened at remembering the scale of the challenge. "So, yeah, that's the situation. We got one helluva battle comin' up and we could use a coupla guys like you. Both fer your fightin' and yer... other skills." He gives them a smile and a conspiratorial eyebrow raise.
"As for what's in it for you, well... if you'vew been readin' me as much as I'm guessin' you have, you know that there's an officer right around here," he indicates vaguely around, having purposely not looked at where Officer Jenny had gone - can't read it from his mind if it's not there, "and she's real anxious to see you guys go down. And even if you do escape her, what then? More runnin', more short-term grifts and snatchs to stay one step ahead. That ain't no life fer a 'mon and it sure ain't no life a human - take it from me. But I reckon I can get her to give you over to my "authority", and I use the term real loose. Not only that, but I'll give you whatever help I can in becomin' more human."
"Now, I'm gonna level with you - this business is dangerous. Any o' these battles could end up with one, two or all of us dead. But then again, if we lose this battle, we're all probably better of dead. See these renegade guys? If what they said's right, they wanna world without crime, disorder, freedom, choice, personal desire, that kinda thing. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but that don't sound like a world where you or I would do too well, does it?" He draws in a sharp breath to emphasize the point.
"So, that's the deal. You help us out with this big battle - maybe more if you want to, but let's leave that to decide later - and I help you outta jail, give ye a few first-hand lessons in humanity and an opportunity to save the world. I'm open to negotiations, course, but I think a deal's the way to go. That's how it works in the human world - we help each other out, we both end up better off. Whaddaya think?"
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Post by getsuga on Dec 4, 2017 2:58:25 GMT
Tully's words loosen Zoroark's shoulders. "Not bad deal. We can h-help!"
Other Marietta gives a piece of steak to Inkay before gobbling the rest. She looks up to Tully, but not directly at him. More like behind him.
Collaborating with the authorities? Did you forget you yourself are a criminal? Watch out! Inkay attempts to warn Tully but it makes no difference. He hears rattling a sound comparable to a thunder crack coming from behind. The noise subsides as a stun gun makes contact with his back.
Officer Jenny's voice could be heard beyond the agonizing pain of 50,000 volts coursing through his back. "To think I would find three wanted criminals. You shouldn't have talked so much, Reese Vilani." --- Jenny turns the stun gun off after a few seconds of shock and clicks a handcuff on Tully's right hand. She sets a steaming cup down by Tully's head and throws her phone one the table to show him and Other Marietta his wanted poster. "I've been on the force for 28 years, to think I would've eventually let you get away is a spit in the face for all Jenny's out there." She continues to lock the other one onto his left hand, but is interrupted by Other Marietta.
"That's m-my friend you hurt!" She yells while bringing Inkay closer to her chest. Officer Jenny retorts by throwing the contents of the steaming cup in Other Marietta's face. Tully can hear her wails and screams before the actual voice of Zoroark takes her place. Everyone in the tavern now looks at the table filled with conflict. Still whining, Zoroark grabs Inkay and jumps off the table with blinding speed. He bumps into things, but that creates enough panic for him to escape without much struggle.
"They'll get caught sooner or later, best thing is that you're finally in deep shit." She says as his left hand is clasped with the other handcuff.
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Post by madandy on Dec 4, 2017 17:53:36 GMT
Dammit! That's what I get for lettin' myself get complacent.
"Well," Tully says, grimacing through the pain, "guess that's what I get fer tryin' to help out the authorities." He sighs, desperately trying to think of a way out of this until he feels the cuffs on his wrists.
Hmm, cuffs. I can work with cuffs.
"Okay, okay." He says, giving up struggling in seeming defeat. "I give, I give. Guess it's a fair cop." He continues, describing the arrest but not, in his opinion, the officer who made it. He lets himself go along with the arrest, planning to spring into action once they're in the streets, away from the tavern but not near the police station.
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Post by getsuga on Dec 5, 2017 1:34:30 GMT
"I'll guess so too. If that weren't a pokemon I threw hot water at then I'll be in trouble. So thanks for that." She says. She continues with the arrest by reading his rights.
Soon they leave the tavern, Officer Jenny begins to talk with someone over her pocket radio and she pushes you toward the general direction of the sheriff's place. It sounds like she's requesting a vehicle to transport you to the city police station.
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Post by madandy on Dec 5, 2017 2:58:00 GMT
Tully walks in front of Officer Jenny, his head low, seemingly in despair but actually in thought. He thanks his lucky stars (or, at least, would if luck had anything to do with it) that he had the foresight to sneak a few things out of his coat when he first lost it after his first encounter with the Zoroark - the shards, of course, since he was not going let those out of his sight, and a set of lockpicks - had they remained in his coat, she would have almost certainly confiscated them before she gave it back to him.
Unfotunately, they were in his left trouser pocket, not the easiest place to reach if your hands are cuffed behind your back. And besides that, there was the matter of keeping her from disarming or zapping him long enough to use them.
Okay, officer, let's see how you handle a little Umbridge Town Shuffle.
Once they get a good distance away from the bar, he suddenly whirls around clockwise, both to face Jenny and to hide his left pocket just long enough for his hands to strecth over, reach in and grab the picks.
"Now listen, Officer," Tully says in his best "desperate perp" voice (which is only partially an act), "I know you got rules to follow, you bring me in, you become the big hero, prob'ly get a promotion and all, but we can work this out... in fact, we have to work this out. See, I wasn't lyin' to that Zoroark - I'm a member of..." He starts reaching forward, having seeming forgotten about the cuffs for a moment before he sighs. "Look in my front pocket. 'sa, whaddaya call it... emblem, yeah, shows I'm a member of Paradiso. Turns out a guy with nowhere to go and nothin' to lose makes a pretty good recruit, go figure. Anyway, we got a big battle comin' up - real fate o' the world type stuff, and they're gonna need all the help they can get. Go on, take out the emblem, you'll see I ain't lyin'"
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Post by getsuga on Dec 5, 2017 3:45:00 GMT
"Yeah, and I'm currently in a fierce battle with the governor of Kanto. We're battling over net neutrality." She grabs Tully up by the scarf and shakes you up a few times. "Keep walking!" She screams.
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Post by madandy on Dec 5, 2017 4:34:35 GMT
Tully smiles through the shaking. It's a deceptively easy thing, an Unbridge Town Shuffle - let the mark know they're being conned, but trick them about how they're being conned. So, while they're trying to outwit the con they think you're pulling, you can slip the real con right under their nose. For example, let them think you're trying to trick them into letting you go when you're really just stalling them to give yourself a chance to... With an almost imperceptible click, the handcuffs open. ...change the circumstances a little. A puckish urge overtakes Tully as he leaps away. "But I'm tellin' the truth, lemme show you." Before she gets a chance to think, his hand darts forward into his pocket and pulls out the emblem. "See? Oh, by the way..." Closing his fist around the emblem, his fist shoots forward into her face. At the same time, using the blow is distract her from noticing it, his other hand pulls a pokeball off his belt and releases Cassie behind her. He backs off a couple of steps, locking eyes with her and smirking, keeping her focus solely on him. Cassie, meanwhile, doesn't need more than a second to realize what the police officer and the handcuff dangling around Tully's wrist means. She surges forward, hitting Jenny in the back of the head, knocking her senseless. Tully: Standard: Feint Attack on Officer Jenny Shift: Release Cassie Swift: Disengage 2 metres
Cassie: Standard: Feint Attack on Officer Jenny Activating Black-Out Strike - Jenny gains an injury and falls asleep
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Post by getsuga on Dec 8, 2017 1:41:51 GMT
Officer Jenny stumbles a bit before regaining her balance. She grips her forehead tightly and pierces you with a ferocious stare. "Why is shit like you in..." She spats before falling to the ground.
To his knowledge, no one had seen this fight transpire. Since there were no screams from a distance, or no vigilantes coming out to get him Tully can finally and safely assume the coast is clear.
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