FLM - OM - A Visit to the Store

[Kelyias]

It had been quiet lately in Wintervale after the battle for Groudon. Micah had caught wind of it, with Diana proudly stating she had been battling on Ethos' side to him. It had been a close call, he was told- and afterward the Cynic members had disappeared into the crowds, avoiding any and all arrests. He tried to keep himself out of any of it. Ethos never particularly seemed... good to him. The man was doubtful of any authority that lived by the 'protect by any means necessary' sort of motto. Diana had shrugged off his concerns, though if it was because of that or because she had her own reasoning, he couldn't tell.

Nevertheless, walking through the city of Wintervale, he had gone out with Viggo and Fern by his side to gather seeds and plants for the greenhouse. He wasn't planning on engaging in any social activities or meetings- just in and out, and hoped that was that. Fern drew attention just by being there, it wasn't often one saw a green Charizard after all. Or brown. Or white, depending on the season. The pokemon had an air around him as well- one that was, before it turned into a Delta, an attitude that demanded respect- being a Champion's pokemon and all that. Nowadays, though, only Micah and those close to him knew the pokemon mellowed out dramatically and meant no harm. He'd only brought the Charizard along because it was the one that took care of the plants and the seeds- and would be able to assess the quality of them prior to purchasing. Saving him, hopefully, some credits. Why Viggo had come along he wasn't too sure of. Either he just... hadn't listened or the man hadn't said. 

--

[Aldarch]

- Viggo had been sparse in Wintervale the past months. At first when he'd started some unknown projects and activities he'd only be gone for a day to two at a time, something not quite noticeable. As time went on it felt like he wasn't around much, if at all. He trusted Micah could take care of himself - naturally, the artist was a bit older than himself, so he had to expect that he could get by on his own somehow. And then he had that woman anyway... Not that he condoned Micah's activity with Diana in the slightest, especially since he didn't see eye to eye with her even a little. Lots of things continued to go unsaid between them, and they weren't relayed to Micah either.

For now, Viggo was back in town. Almost immediately after the Guardian had been "saved", he'd just turned back up. He was around every day again, like all was well. If anything, it was more suspicious that he was around at all, but he'd not really explained anything. He had explained that he'd passed through Ethermoor now that pathways had been established, but not how involved in that he was. Cryptic as always. Watt was with him, as always, tucked safely inside of the extra phone he held, and the Yamask clung over his shoulder as usual.

Viggo held out his wrist, clearly thinking something through as he read through reports and mission briefs from the hologram that projected. There'd been reports of an odd plant sprouting in the city that just didn't seem quite right. There were concerns about the safety of both people and Pokemon alike, and most of the civilians had been warned away from it for their safety. There were missions posted to investigate, but Viggo's cause was always a little more self-invested. He hadn't explained any of this to Micah naturally, but it wouldn't have been hard for the man to lean over and read what Viggo was looking through. The silence as they walked was almost awkward, like they hadn't seen each other in years.-

--

[Kelyias]

Micah cleared his throat a little awkwardly as they continued on their path. Ofcourse, curiosity did get the best of him and he had looked over at the reports, taking note of some keywords but not to the point where he'd been actively peeping.

"What's it say?"

He spoke, probably a little saltier than he'd intended. He was glad the man had appeared back in town and seemed to be alright, despite being quiet and more introverted than usual-- there was no reason for him to have any resentment for leaving him alone without any sort of notice or mention. Not really. They were grown men. Still, he tapped his own wrist to gesture to what the man was reading. He wasn't about to open up his own interface and search for what Viggo had up- one of them had to actually pay attention to where they were walking.

"The article. It's here, right? In Wintervale?"

Micah figured it had been just a piece Viggo had taken an interest in from the quick glance. Maybe it affected some of his businesses-- he never really prodded for any information regarding those and let the man handle it as long as he took care of himself. But, it being in the same city, was at least... something of a conversation starter that perhaps would make this trip to a greenery shop less... silent. Fern still walked behind the two quietly, occassionally huffing out an air of warm breath into the cold Wintervale air.

--

[Aldarch]

"Hm?"

- Viggo was nearly spaced out before Micah broke the silence. He took a second to play catch up with his brain, turning to look at the other man for a moment.-

"It's here."

- He confirmed with an awkward sniff, making sure to adjust his collar and scarf so that they didn't catch on his suppressor.-

"Civilians should stay clear of any such dangerous specimens. If you find any of these dangerous plants please contact the authorities so that the area can be appropriately quarantined. But I would quite like a sample for some contacts to investigate for themselves. The measures in place these days are always miles behind."

- Viggo shook his head after he read the bulletin aloud, clearing the hologram and putting his hands in his pockets with a sigh. He seemed tired above all else.-

"You're not going to spend five hours looking at the quality of the leaves, are you? I don't think I could cope."

--

[Kelyias]

"Civilians include you, Viggo. Don't go playing the hero with something dangerous."

The man shook his head a little at the mention of acquiring a personal specimen, though knew the man would only shrug off his concerns. Didn't stop him from nagging.

"But, no. That's why Fern is here. He's been helpful with taking out the bad quality plants from the greenhouse, so hopefully this time I won't be buying any bad quality from the get-go."

Micah explained, staying put as they approached the corner to check for incoming traffic and gesturing to the building in front of them on the other side of the street. It had been a relatively new place, and from reviews online it always seemed to be perfect quality and exclusive things. Frankly, he'd never been there before, so he wasn't sure of it himself. Even more reason for Fern, though.

"This place. Apparently the owner gets their hands on exclusive plants and seeds from the other regions. It'd be nice to have some of the plants from Grovehart in our greenery and appartment. It'll improve the air quality, so you might have an easier time, too."

He wasn't too sure on what ailments Viggo still suffered from, since he wasn't keen on sharing it. But he figured that anything that purified the air better would only be in both of their best interests. When the light turned green and the street was clear, he crossed it and moved to the door, holding it open and stepping aside for the others to go through. The inside of the building was... warm. And a bit misty, to increase humidity no doubt. There were several rows of produce facing the entrance and a register at the back, with more exclusive things behind a holoscreen- locked and kept away. It wasn't like thieves would regularly make a habit of stealing plants and seeds, though, so the sight of it confused Micah a little bit.

--

[Aldarch]

"DoN'T gO pLaYiNg ThE hErO wItH sOmEtHiNg DaNgErOus..!"

- He mocked, pulling a face like Micah was a bit of a snob, rolling his eyes shortly after.-

"Sometimes I wonder if you hear yourself. You sound like my mum. That's not a compliment despite how lovely my mum is, by the way."

- Viggo complained as they came to a stop, taking out his phone to look at the time. He idly pat the head of the Yamask holding on. It was a nervous little thing, he couldn't always take it everywhere with him. The sight of the shop made Viggo raise his lip slightly, not quite in disgust but somewhere on the way to it. The moment they walked in he felt the need to hold his nose. Greenhouses and plant warehouses always had this specific smell and he hated it. It made his voice nasally for sure. He tapped his chest once they were inside.-

"It's a good job I got this thing installed. I don't think I could breathe in here, fucking hell."

- The man found his eyes wandering - though he was sure that dangerous plant wouldn't just be sitting in a storefront, he looked anyway.

--

[Kelyias]

"Your mother worries, as do I. The last thing you need is to land yourself in the hospital again. But, sure. I'll mention that you said that next time I speak with her."

Ofcourse, Micah never knew the extent of the shenanigans Viggo put himself into whenever he was out of town, so the hospital was really his only reference point. Once Fern was inside, Micah let the door close on its own. It was a traditional sort of thing, really- but automatic doors would likely trigger even if there weren't any customers, so he didn't think much of it. 

-- "Ahh! Hello there!"

A young man practically emerged from behind the stands, double-checking that the doors were closed before holding his hands together and grinning at the two customers. His short, slicked back hair seemed remarkably held together despite the humidity, but the scar on his face told a story and Micah wasn't entirely not suspicious of the origins of it.

"... Hello. You have a... lot of plants here, I have to say."

-- "Yesss. It all starts with plants after all, doesn't it?"

"Odd way to put it, but I wouldn't necessarily disagree."

The man gestured for the two of them to come in further, eyeing Fern and the little Yamask on Viggo's shoulder briefly.

-- "Are you looking for anything... special?"

"Pothos, ferns, evergreens-- air quality plants. And then some produce seeds, vegetables, fruits."

A quick glance of disappointment and concern flashed over the man's face at Micah's answer, adjusting his behaviour to him.

-- "In that case, please follow me. Because some of our plants can be... a little bit toxic to people and pokemon, I would recommend not leaving my side and touching any of the plants."

--

[Aldarch]

- Viggo snorted, knowing he'd been in far worse places than the hospital. He didn't mention that at all though.-

"I can't believe you just opened with.. You have a lot of plants. It's a store for plants, Micah."

- Viggo curled his lip and cleared his throat, letting go of his nose so that he could cross his arms. He caught the glances towards the Pokemon, registering it quickly and the obvious disappointment on the shopkeeps face. He placed a hand lightly over Yamask for a second to reassure it's safety.-

"I look that disappointed when when Micah looks for plants as well."

- He sniffed in response, though followed behind Micah and the odd young man through the shop.-

"What would special mean? Something imported from another region years ago, or something... Else."

--

[Kelyias]

Micah practically shushed the man like they were two boys in a classroom before turning his attention back to the seller. Naturally, he did wonder as well.

-- "Oh-- nothing related, I'm sure. It's imported and special, but not for general keeping like you're searching for. We aim to eventually spread it so it isn't as rare and hard to keep."

The man rubbed his hands together and as he escorted them to the stands where Micah would find what he needed, he gave a small 'here you are!' gesture towards the plants. 

-- "I'll stay here to keep an eye so I won't be breathing over your shoulder as you browse, and if you have any questions feel free to approach."

He gave a reassuring smile and Micah let out a '... right' as he then walked off, followed by Fern to assess the quality of the plants. He supposed it wasn't any different from shops making sure you weren't stealing anything- though not that that was at all common unless there weren't any security cameras. That train of thought did make him wonder, and he checked all corners of the room for a moment though. 

--

[Aldarch]

"I have this feeling...."

- Viggo had waited for the seller to move away a little, keeping his voice low. He wrapped an arm around Micah's shoulder, tugging him in close and prodding him in the chest.-

"That you should buy from somewhere else. My intuition says this is fucked, and I know just about every business in this ice-block city.. But not this one."

- He let Micah go then, patting Yamask with a gloved finger.-

"And I don't like that guy. Not the way he looked at Yamask."

--

[Kelyias]

Micah had his eyes on some of the plants but when Viggo pulled him close his attention was forced away from it, listening to the man before straightening his jacket when he did eventually let go.

"So- what. We just go back home with nothing? Or I go home and you go out to find whatever that dangerous plant was for those samples?"

He looked at Viggo with narrowed eyes. It wasn't exactly that he was brushing off the man's concerns, but he hadn't really been present recently. Maybe he just didn't hear about this, for once, since he had been out of town or just busy.

"This place is new. I've looked up reviews before and they seemed alright. If there are toxic plants here, which very much do exist, it makes only sense for him to be cautious with humans and pokemon alike. Wouldn't exactly want a lawsuit on their hands when they're just starting out."

He did look at the Yamask then, his expression softening since the small pokemon had been so anxious and nervous- and with him being someone who cared muchly about pokemon he did sympathize. Fern was paying attention to the plants, touching them carefully- though none of them met the requirements for it. If anything, it seemed to not... like  touching them. 

"You can wait outside with Yamask if you don't trust it. I'll be fine."

The doors of the shop opened suddenly, the sound of it resounding through the shop as a couple of warmly cloaked people walked through straight to the counter. Micah turned to look, but when he did, he noticed the salesman gone from his usual position- probably to answer and deal with the new customers.

"See? More people. We're fine."

Said people, outside of earshot and just barely out of sight, were in deep conversation with the shopkeep and while the young man seemed just a little nervous but collected with Micah and Viggo, he was very much not with these people. He was anxiously shaking his head and nodding to the questions asked, reaching below the counter to give them a satchel. It had a very clear Cynic logo on it, along with several warning labels.

--

[Aldarch]

- Viggo rolled his eyes to Micah's attitude. Then again he wasn't sure if he was being paranoid thanks to his exploits or if he was actually picking up on some bad vibes. He sighed.-

"Fine. I'll let you and.. "

- He looked at Fern and pulled a face.-

"Your green Charizard, do your flower picking. I'll be around."

- Viggo nodded and started making his way to the door then. When he was close enough to listen in on whatever was happening at the counter and catch a peak, he idly perused the other plants. He did want to walk up and ruin the shady gathering, but he didn't want Micah to lecture him in the odd event he was wrong.-

--

[Kelyias]

"Fern."

Micah basicallly spoke up to correct Viggo, but other than that not straying from the plants and looking to Fern for any advice. As for the strangers...

Shopkeep "Are you sure you weren't followed?? My boss just got me this job and I don't want to get arrested-- Or worse..."

Goon1 "Yes, we' sure."

The man spoke in a gruff voice, snatching the satchel and checking the contents.

Goon2 "These plants have been proving to be a real handful."

Goon1 "It'll be worth it' once it spreads enough. There won't be any attention on Cynic then."

Taking out one of the leaves in the satchel, he twirled it in between his fingers and smirked to his companion. The young man at the counter just seemed more nervous than anything. Clearly he was so far down the food chain he just did what he was told, even if it was by other low level Cynic members. 

Shopkeep "Keep your voice down! There're customers!"

Goon1 "Don't get ya' knickers in a twist. You're the one raisin' a fuss."

The young man sighed shakily and nodded to take in the advice. Looking past them, he saw Viggo towards the door and let out a little eep, causing the others to look to him as well- with one of them storing the satchel in his coat. They gave a nod goodbye to the salesman before walking over to the door.

--

[Aldarch]

- Viggo listened closely to the conversation, and when it was just about over he looked up, making eye contact with the anxious little shopkeep. With a flash of his TD, the shop doors locked shut. Viggo just about slid out towards the two Cynic goons. Yamask hid behind him like a meat shield.-

"Show me."

- He held out his hand, no concern in the world.-

"It'd be better if you did as asked."

--

[Kelyias]

The goons, naturally, pretty much froze in place- and one of them went to argue and threaten Viggo until the other one hit him square in the chest.

Goon2 "It's him."

Goon1 "Dun' mean you gotta' deck me in the chest!"

He coughed out before narrowing his eyes a little and reaching into the jacket to show the seeds. 

Goon1 "Eyes only, Mister. We want the credit for spreadin' em. You can get yer' own from Calum over there."

Goon2 "Or we can get new ones."

Goon1 "Hey!"

Calum, the shopkeeper in the background, practically sank below the counter- hoping to be out of sight.

--

[Aldarch]

"Is this what I think it is?"

- Viggo gestured with his fingers, the little bag whisking into his hand with a vague pink halo. He opened it up, and only then did the Rotom in his phone zip out.-

Watt~" Don't touch them!!!!"

"I have gloves on, don't be such a baby."

- Watt almost sighed in relief.-

"Fog touched?"

--

[Kelyias]

Goon1 "Hey! Thief!"

The man practically yelled at Viggo, and of course it roused the attention of the One unaware and morally correct person in the shop. Micah came around the corner to see Viggo and the couple of men, with his friend holding a suspicious package. Fern walked up- though upon registering the fog-touched leaves in the pouch by scent alone let out a cry of concern. 

Goon2 "Hey, man. Keep it. Come on, dude."

The more sensible of the duo grabbed the other, practically pulling him along into the shop and behind the counter- out towards the backdoor of the building. Micah watched them leave with a confused expression before looking back to Viggo and at the counter, where Calum held his hands up in the air.

Calum- "Please don't arrest me! I swear, I'm only dealin' them because I got told to! I swear!"

What seriousness and sketchiness the man held previously was gone, now an anxious and sobbing mess. The Cynic life really didn't suit him as much as he toughed himself up to. 

Calum- "I'll answer whatever you got just please-- don't arrest me!"

"We're not the police."

Calum- "....Oh.... you're not?"

--

[Aldarch]

"Do I look like police?"

- Viggo gestured to himself fully, pouch still in his hand. He chucked it up and caught it, making sure it was tightly sealed.-

"I wouldn't worry, I'm here for this - and not for them either. Micah... Really does just want some plants."

- He tucked the pouch away in his coat.-

"I'm sure he could share some appreciation if you actually helped him find what he was looking for."

--

[Kelyias]

Calum- "Cops and Ethos members dress like anything nowadays, I can never tell."

The man spoke to defend himself, though sighed to himself and actually stood straight.

Calum- "I only got transferred here like, two weeks ago."

He was more mumbling to himself now, and Micah stood a bit awkwardly- unsure of what was even going on. He looked to Viggo and the pouch, narrowing his eyes a little before he held out a thumb towards him.

"I'll take what he's got."

Calum- "Err.."

"I mean, either I could take it- or the cops can."

It was a bluff, since he had no clue what the fuck it was- but considering the behaviour and the scrambling of Calum at the mention of it he shook his head and held his hands together in a plea.

Calum- "No! Just-- take it! Just take anything you want- "

--

[Aldarch]

"Oh, Micah, I didn't know you had a side to you like this."

- Viggo snorted a laugh.-

"Well, I won't call the police, but he might. That's not my problem honestly."

- He looked across to Micah and Fern, patting Yamask softly as it floated back up to hang over Viggo's shoulder.-

"He's just a kid though. Let him figure it out."

--

[Kelyias]

"How old are you?"

Calum- "Uhm!! Just.. just about twenty, sir."

Micah debated for a moment- walking up to the counter.

"Show me what he's got."

Calum nodded and reached for another satchel- luckily he had two- and handed it over. The other man noted the Cynic symbol, though he wasn't recalling any association with it and opened it to peer inside. He didn't need more than that to glare up at the young Calum.

Calum- "It was just a job, sir-- I swear-- I'm just trying to earn enough to move out on my own."

"The two that ran, thugs?"

Calum- "Yessir."

"Fine. These will be going to the police, but I'll leave you out of it and mention the other two. You can describe them, Viggo, since you saw them up close."

--

[Aldarch]

"That's hilarious. I don't have time to march over to the police."

- Viggo rolled his eyes, shaking his head shortly after.-

"You take that to the police and I'll take this sample and deliver it to the lab. Where they can research it."

--

[Kelyias]

"You have time."

Micah merely chided- he'd accompanied him to a plant store, after all.

Calum- "Can I... ?"

"Yes, you can leave. I'm taking that, though."

The man pointed to one of the big plants, looking over to Fern who shook his head and moved to grab a different plant instead.

"That one."

Calum- "Yessir."

As the Cynic man practically booked it out the back door as well, Micah could only sigh and shake his own head. He hated it when Viggo was right.