-DONE- day 10 [steven/raina]

[RAINA]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][bg=0e0e0e][atrb=style,padding: 40px 0px 10px 0px; height: 240px;][atrb=vAlign,bottom] 295 WORDS -MEEP- TAGGED ERIKA • STEVEN • OPEN SHORT POST IS SHORT. >> << DAY 10

[bg=d3d3d3][atrb=style,padding: 20px;] RAINA / DROP MARS "Yeah," Drop said to the Celedon Gym leader (or, technically, ex-leader). "Me being here would be quite a shock.", she finished as she stepped back for her Excadrill to do the honors. With a few harsh slams, the iron bars of the doors were broken down in rubble, leaving Erika still intact. She was quite the looker, in Drop's own twisted vision, and she couldn't but give a demonic smirk at her. Showtime. "Let's get something straight, first." Drop leaning in closer to Erika's open cell, twirling a lock of her snow white hair. "I was here with orders to kill you. Keep the secrets of Team Ultimatum from leaking on anyone's end. Yet, I thought you'd be much more fun alive, I mean, you seem like a fine, upstanding citizen." she paused for the moment, staring into the girl's eyes. "Well, as fine as a self-imposed traitor to her own region would be, anyway." Drop walked back out of the cell and scratched the back of her hood. Hopefully, Erika wouldn't be too much of a bother to keep alive. She took out her phone and started to upload multiple, grainy videos onto the security system. aaaaand done. "Welp, let's get one other thing straight. I have to keep my own identity on a need-to-know basis, and you're the only close Ultimatum member at the moment, so long story short, I'm framing you for every single murder that has happened here today, as we speak." Drop said, and rather bluntly at that, as she offered a soft, blood-caked hand to Erika. "All in exchange for your freedom, of course. Try and make your decision quick hun, because my hand gets tired fast and I can hear more guard teams with tasers and Pokemon coming this way."

[bg=0e0e0e][atrb=style,padding: 10px; font-family: courier new; color: #d3d3d3; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 5px;]TEMPLATE CODED BY RAIN FROM OTE

[ERIKA]

[atrb=style, width: 500px; background-image: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png); border:1px dashed;][atrb=border,0,true] so you don't know where you're going and you wanna talk? mystery holding cell - 339 words - tag: steven & raina

[atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png); border:1px dashed;][atrb=border,0,true] Erika held her breath. So she had been fated to die. That explained the feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was only one cute little murderess's fancy that kept her alive. She vaguely wondered if it was possible to have a worse day. Still, if she got out of this hellhole and out into the open world... the ex-leader couldn't deny that it was her biggest concern right now, second only to her and her Pokemon's safety. Raina's gaze and words were boring into her. Traitor was probably what most people thought of her now, but it seemed strange herself. "Well t-thank you then." she said, trying to keep her composure in the face of danger. It wasn't working too well. Her usually calm disposition was totally wrecked in the face of this much chaos. Clutching Daisy's Pokeball, Erika followed the small woman over to the doorway, where the carnage turned her stomach. It was worse than she had expected. Her lip was still dribbling blood - the taste was sickening in face of this much death. The last words hit Erika like an anvil. She was being framed for all of this? But -- how? Did they really have the resources to fake it? Would they even be believeable? She wasn't much of a physical fighter herself, and she couldn't have Solar Beamed all these people to death, judging by the wounds. Still, the idea that it was all her fault ran through her head again. True, she hadn't killed them personally, but she was the reason they were dead. The cut on her lip grew deeper as she tried her best not to cry in the face of this realization. I can't show weakness, she'll kill me-- I at least need to get outside, I wouldn't mind dying outside-- A hand was extended forward. It was covered in blood in an almost symbolic fashion. So this was a deal with the devil? Erika took the hand, trembling slightly. Her face was emotionless. "Let's go."

[RAINA]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][bg=0e0e0e][atrb=style,padding: 40px 0px 10px 0px; height: 240px;][atrb=vAlign,bottom] 302 WORDS -MEEP- TAGGED ERIKA • STEVEN • OPEN ALMOST THERE~ DAY 10

[bg=d3d3d3][atrb=style,padding: 20px;] RAINA / DROP MARS Erika's soft hand rested within Drop's own, and with it, she lowered her head to kiss it lovingly. Lovely. "Now, let's get out of here, shall we?", Drope softly said with a sinister tone. With this, the two were off, trying to outrun the coming guards and enemy Pokemon as they raced to freedom. Now, the rendezvous point shouldn't be too far from here, Drop thought to herself, trying to remember the labyrinth-like layout. They were past the female wing of the building now, and are just reaching the mess halls. She new a shortcut through the garbage truck openings from there, which was where she instructed her Pokemon to meet her in. Through the double doors and with the ease of past experience, Drop, Erika and the Pokemon all reunited. "Alright." Drop said silently as she pressed the button of the garage door-like hatch, letting it slowly open as she turned to Erika. She first eyed her lone Pokeball and raised an eyebrow. "Odd to see that they let you keep a Pokemon. Then again, it was likely a last ditch effort to kiss the ground your butt sits on before you spilled the beans like an idiot.", she said with a yawn. Peeking outside, it seemed that they were in the clear. "We'll have to wait a bit longer. There's a black truck expecting us, soon." Turning back, she began to carry and gather any and all furniture from the cafeteria. Chairs, tables, trays, just about everything. Eyeing the door that leads into the hall, she started to barricade it, piece by piece. "No doubt we'll be sitting ducks here if we don't prepare." Drop thought out loud as she tossed more and more furniture at the double doors. "So, Ms. Gym-Leader-Traitor-Person...mind telling me about yourself~?" she finished in a sing-song voice.

[bg=0e0e0e][atrb=style,padding: 10px; font-family: courier new; color: #d3d3d3; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 5px;]TEMPLATE CODED BY RAIN FROM OTE

[ERIKA]

[atrb=style, width: 500px; background-image: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png); border:1px dashed;][atrb=border,0,true] so you don't know where you're going and you wanna talk? mystery holding cell - 422 words - tag: steven & raina

[atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png); border:1px dashed;][atrb=border,0,true] Erika wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or not, but her cheeks flushed slightly at the kiss regardless. Not only was she completely unused to such contact, especially in the present situation, but the voice that came after was so… sinister. It was mildly worrisome. Why exactly did she save me, again? That said, there wasn’t much time to think – soon they were running through the mazelike structure, trying to lose the guards and police on their tail. It was funny how she had been living here for 10 days now but still knew nothing about the way it was laid out – the whole structure was alien to her. By the time they reached the cafeteria, the slight woman was running out of breath. But then the door opened, looking out into the night. Erika could swear everything moved in slow motion. Even in the near-black of the night, just the sounds of the world seemed to clear her brain. She had once considered the noises of outdoors to be background, neutral things. Not anymore. Erika swore to herself, taking in the glory of fresh air, that she would never overlook such beauty again. Unfortunately, it seemed locking her up only increased her interest in saving the environment. If Team Ultimatum was for this, then she was for them. No matter what that meant. After all, she had apparently just killed a prison full of people. Erika forced herself to pay attention when Raina spoke. “Y-yeah,” she mumbled. “I guess.” It was hard to look away from the vague shadows of nature, even hard as it was to see. “She’s all that’s kept me sane.” The words came with the realization that she had been losing it pretty badly in there. If this was the League, how good were they? She hadn’t done anything but transmit some information. Someone else would have done it if she didn’t. Was it so wrong? She wanted to bolt out the door and lay in the grass and touch the trees, but her survival instinct instead left her by the door watching Raina barricade the doors. A smart move, on all accounts - one she would help with, if she didn't have the arm strength of a Caterpie. “I’m Erika.” She replied, trying to think of anything relevant to say about herself. Nothing came to her head – everything had changed in the past 10 days. No longer was she a gym leader, a good guy, or even a peaceful person. Erika swallowed. “I- I like plants.”

[RAINA]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][bg=0e0e0e][atrb=style,padding: 40px 0px 10px 0px; height: 240px;][atrb=vAlign,bottom] 284 WORDS -MEEP- TAGGED ERIKA • STEVEN • OPEN ALSO MEEP~ DAY 10

[bg=d3d3d3][atrb=style,padding: 20px;] RAINA / DROP MARS "Ah, Erika. Plant girl." With the last bits of plastic and metal, Drop did all she could to barricade the way in. She yawned again as she looked into the timer in her phone. Just a few minutes. She sat at a misplaced table at the side of the nearly cleared out room, tapping on the surface for a while. The mission was going quite as well as she thought, and with that, she took a soft breath for a job well done. She then stared at Erika for a good few minutes as she reached into a pocket for a pair of granola bars. "I think I'll call you Hippy." Tossing a spare bar to the ex-gym leader, she quickly bit into her own, munching and nibbling like a near-starved Munchlax. "As you can probably guess, you'll be a wanted criminal, the moment you step out of that door." she said, not caring of the food in her mouth. "The League, the police, and damn near anyone else that would want a price on your head will be after you. Obviously, we can't have you being "Erika" anymore." Another bar, another rabid feeding. "I propose you stay at my place in Johto, lay low for the time. By my guess, you'll be needing new clothes, hair, a temporary name, other stuff..." Of course, it wasn't exactly her place, more of her partner Elijah, but that was beside the point. She was sure that he wouldn't mind another mouth to feed. He checked her phone again and smiled a bit as she could hear a faint horn from the outside. "So, what do you say you come to my magical mystery tour, Hippy?" she said with a smile.

[bg=0e0e0e][atrb=style,padding: 10px; font-family: courier new; color: #d3d3d3; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 5px;]TEMPLATE CODED BY RAIN FROM OTE

[ERIKA]

[atrb=style, width: 500px; background-image: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png); border:1px dashed;][atrb=border,0,true] so you don't know where you're going and you wanna talk? mystery holding cell - 299 words - tag: steven & raina

[atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png); border:1px dashed;][atrb=border,0,true] The extended silence would have been fine with her, if it wasn't for the fact Raina was staring her dead in the eyes the whole time. There was this feeling of scrutiny in it that made Erika want to blush and look away - and true, she did keep sneaking glances behind her into the night. She assumed their ride would come from that way, but she wasn't sure. A bar was thrown her way, and she realized she hadn't eaten dinner - no doubt, it was sitting in her room still, cold and full of debris. She began to eat it in a polite manner, picking off pieces to avoid showing she was eating. Normally, the manners presented by Raina would have disgusted her, but she was forgiving - not to mention, her words were more important. "I think I'll call you Hippy." Well, there were weirder things to say, but that did throw her off. But the explanation came before she would ask. Her identity was a liability, of course. She'd need to change everything, from her head to her feet. For some reason, this came as a relief. She didn't feel much like herself anymore. "Erika" didn't betray people, though she did do what was right. "Erika" kill people, or go insane. It felt nice to put herself aside - Hippy (or whatever more official name they came up with) would do just fine for now. The truck was rumbling outside, presumably to pick them up. So, now she was headed to this stranger's house, whose name she didn't know. Though Raina phrased it like a question, Erika knew that was the only choice available to her. No matter what that meant now. "Of course." she replied, smiling weakly back. "Do you get a nickname too?"

[RAINA]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][bg=0e0e0e][atrb=style,padding: 40px 0px 10px 0px; height: 240px;][atrb=vAlign,bottom] 229 WORDS -MEEP- TAGGED ERIKA • STEVEN • OPEN YAY~ DAY 10

[bg=d3d3d3][atrb=style,padding: 20px;] RAINA / DROP MARS Raina raised an eyebrow as she started to walk back over to Erika. The girl sure knew how to take things in stride. "Drop. Just Drop." she said as she went back to look at the outside. The truck was close now, and without much sound from the outside, it seem she can safely call this a day. The hooded agent kneeled to the ground for a moment and dug at the bit, doing who knows what. She finally rose up and turned to Erika with a kind and tiny smile. "I have my friends, my own life aside from Team Ultimatum. You'll come to know them, soon enough." she finished off as she walked over to Erika and gave her a small gift as she opened her palm onto hers. A simple flower, the least she could do for the poor girl. The horn blared from the outside. The phone at her side rang and she quickly answered. "Mhm. Just have to do something real quick." Raina slowly looked away from Erika as she went into the side of the kitchen, where a device of hers was planted. With a few presses, she smiled and set the device to arm itself. Just an hour, and the kitchen will light like the fourth of July. She quickly positioned herself behind Erica, a skillet on one hand. "Now, hold still." Mission accomplished. *BONK*.

[bg=0e0e0e][atrb=style,padding: 10px; font-family: courier new; color: #d3d3d3; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 5px;]TEMPLATE CODED BY RAIN FROM OTE

[ERIKA]

[atrb=style, width: 500px; background-image: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png); border:1px dashed;][atrb=border,0,true] so you don't know where you're going and you wanna talk? mystery holding cell - 313 words - tag: steven & raina

[atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png); border:1px dashed;][atrb=border,0,true] Of course, Team Ultimatum members had to have lives and friends outside of it... they were, after all, people too, no matter how people tried to subtly say they weren't. Jobs were jobs, after all - politicans had lives outside of politics and such... Somehow in Erika's fuzzy brain, things were starting to be much nicer. What had to be done for the regions had to be done, yes? Her justifications for her actions built up further, her subconscious working its hardest to find excuses and exceptions to keep her sanity (somewhat) intact. Erika stared at the flower for a moment before taking it, a bright smile growing on her face. She stared at it in mild awe, fingering the small petals. It felt like heaven. Suddenly, she was much calmer - it was like everything was right again. Nature was magic. She was sure of it. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, feeling like the life had sprung back into her. With joy rushing through her like a drug, everything felt hopeful again. Well, in bad news, going back home back to her few friends wasn't an option. But maybe she didn't want to. Maybe this would be quite nice after all. Drop seemed like a nice person -- well, beside the killing thing -- and the other members of Team Ultimatum were likely of a similar vein. They were normal people, and she was one of them now, so she'd be safe (for the most part. She guessed.) It couldn't be that bad. She'd get used to it and everything would be nice, especially if she had some plants. Furthermore, she could make new friends, and - A skillet made contact with the back of her head and Erika dropped, losing consciousness before she had a chance to even register what had happened. Maybe it wasn't going to be so perfect after all.

---- THREAD OVER ---