we never liked surprises [carth]

[SKELL]

Smoke drifted up to the ceiling of the greenish tinted CEO's office; it swirled and puffed, blending with the rest of the air, leaving an awfully hazy look in the room. Skell leant back, fishing the gun out of her drawer and placing on her desk carefully. It was pre-loaded, to her pleasure. "Always err on the side of caution," Her father had said to her. Good advice. Great advice actually. It was just too bad that he himself didn't follow it. And now his blood was forever stained on the carpet of this very office. Sorry daddy dearest, but you obviously weren't quite good enough at your job to stick around...especially if you couldn't prevent your very own elimination.

"Persephone, come." The Espeon purred from her place under the desk, before leaping up onto her trainer's lap and curling up. Skell stroked the pokemon's back slowly, her hand slipping off of the cat-like creature's tail and starting all over again at the forehead. Skell rose the cigarette to her lips, inhaling the smoke slowly, reclining in her office chair.

She sat there for a good five minutes. Maybe even longer- she had easily lost track of time. It was comfortable. Relaxing. Soothing, even. She needed that. But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and so, although she kept smoking the cigarette, she nudged Persephone off of her lap and rolled her chair closer to the desk. She dialed reception with her free hand. "You get a hold of him yet?" She asked, her tone full of frustration and boredom. "I told you Shawn, I can't wait that long. Get me in a meeting right now." She ordered, pursing her lips to listen to her secretary. "Yeah, yeah, the Indigo Plateau is fine, I really don't care. Just get me in to talk to him soon." Her fingers lingered above the "end call" button, but she waited.

"Yeah, it's my birthday. Thanks. Another year shot to hell, eh?" Skell said, humorlessly. The man on the other end started to laugh. "Twenty two years old-" She fibbed, tapping her fingernails against the desk. "Get me that meeting, Shawn." With that, she slammed the desk phone back into it's place, hanging up.

She stubbed her cigarette.

The mob boss of Saffron, the CEO of Silph Companies Incorporated, and the soon-to-be city administrator of Saffron City (she had some paperwork to file) couldn't even get a meeting? This was desperately important, and sort of time sensitive, so Skell would really prefer if Mr. President could be a little bit more responsible with how he chose to schedule their meeting. If they ever had one. This was bullshit.

[carth]

Skell doesn't even know how bullshit this night was to be. As he traveled through the streets of Saffron, Carth's heart was heavy with anticipation. He sat in a limo with four of Skell's "closest friends", a loud group who thought what they were doing was the best damn thing a human can even do. They pulled every string they could to rescue Carth from his punishment, intending to present him to his sister as the ultimate birthday gift to Skell. A reunion with her long lost brother, yeah that'll put a smile on her face.

Carth spent the trip starting out the window while his sister's friend's congratulated themselves and laughed as they imagined the tearful look on Skell's face as she saw her brother again. They were so pleased with themselves, it made Carth sick. He didn't want to see his sister again, he didn't even like her that much. From what he has heard, Daddy's little girl inherited the company. Does that mean she ran the family business too? She must have grown up to be quite the bitch if she could survive this long. He can only imagine the demeaning job she will give him upon his return.

He wouldn't care though, he had too much to worry about already. Now that he was out, it will be up to him to find the real killer of his father. It'll take a long time, it isn't like he is the smartest guy around, but there wasn't anything in this world that could stop him. It isn't to avenge his wretched father or anything, he just needed to clear his name. And no, the thought that his sister already took care of the killer did not cross his mind. Mostly because if she did, surely he would have been released earlier.

The soon arrived at the tower, and the noisy four pushed Carth in before he could even get a good look at it. They pushed him right through the beautiful lobby and to the main floor's receptionist. You needed permission to get to the top floor, which is what the four kindly asked for. They claimed to have Skell's greatest of birthday presents and waited quietly for certification. Carth paid no attention, he was too busy staring at the ground and wondering what Skell filled it up with. Certainly it wasn't still a painting forgery workshop, that was just a waste of space.

[SKELL]

Skell squeezed her pen tight, scrabbling her name on to countless documents. A sigh. How boring. And on her birthday? Gosh, this was awful. Persephone gave a loud purr, flicking her tail and glancing up at her trainer. Skell shook her head. "Sorry dear, I'm working." She said through her teeth, eyes locked onto her paperwork. Quite frustrating. Hadn't she hired someone to do all this stuff? ................Yes, she had. What was that girl's name again? Bobbie? Bonnie? Was that it? Damn, Skell didn't know. If she was getting payed, she had better get her butt up here, because Skell was just about ready to toss this work in the trash. Her long fingernails tapped against the desk as she dialed the receptionist yet again. 

"Hey Shawn, just for clarification," She begins, giving a small sigh, "Didn't I hire someone to do all this paperwork? I was almost sure I did..." She plays dumb, trying to get the girl's name. "Bonnie, miss?" Oh yeah, that was her name. "Yeah, Bonnie. Where is she?" Skell grunts, leaning back in her chair and stretching the phone cord. "She was our business manager. You fired her two weeks ago, ma'am." Skell brings her fingers to her chin in thought. Shit. "Hmm, Shawn, I need her back here as soon as possible." Skell mumbles, rubbing her chin. "Also, as soon as you get her back, have her bring me an iced coffee. I could use a little caffeine. Bye, Shaw-" The man cuts her off. "Ma'am, there's someone here to see you. They say they have a surprise."

Skell is quiet for a moment, thinking about what would be coming her way. She smiled. "You know what? Send them up." She says. She's smirking, you can even tell just by listening to her speak. Shawn begins to reply, but Skell slams the phone down on to it's stand, hanging up.

A birthday surprise, eh? She slips out her gun from the desk drawer in front of her, loads it.

"Always err on the side of caution," right?

[carth]

Clearance was obtained. The four gave a quick collective squeal before herding the distracted Carth onto the elevator. Carth rolled his eyes and leaned himself against the elevator wall. Only to him could good luck become bad. Carth hated many things, but at this moment he hated these four jabbering idiots more than anything. One of the conditions that allowed Carth to be released is that he had to be in his sister's custody for...well a very long time. It didn't seem so bad at first, but those earlier thoughts of him getting a crappy job soon grew into much more troubling aspects. Like her simply sending him back. Why his sister? Oh yeah, because these freaks thought she would care. She won't. She'll just dismiss him. After all, he is the accused murderer of their father, the man who relentlessly loved and pampered his sister throughout her childhood. If he were her, he would send him out on sight. That is if she decided not to shoot him up instead. Ugh he just wouldn't stop thinking.

His pessimism was halted by one of the four, a sickly looking female with wide green eyes and pink...everything else. "Come on Carth baby you don't have to look so bored. You're sister's just a few floors away. Aren't you excited?" Carth stared at her the same way a desperate and starving mightyena stared at a magikarp. "Ecstatic...baby." They chuckled, Carth made a gun with his fingers and half heatedly pretended to shoot her. They turned back to their previous conversations while Carth desperately wished that they would suddenly drop dead so he can escape this annoying journey to Hell.

After what seemed to be the longest elevator ride ever, they arrived on the top floor. The four piled out, dragging the increasingly agitated Carth close behind. He was only a short hallway away from his sister's office, and Carth's nerves gradually increased as he walked. He didn't want to be a goon, or go back to the army, or get shot on sight. He didn't want to see his sister again, he just wanted to leave and get a move on with the rest of his life. There was nothing he could do though, he was stuck here. The rest of his life would be decided by his sister, and he just had to accept it.

They came to the door with only two burly men standing in their way. The four talked to them and the two men stepped aside. Three of them poured in, the other told Carth to wait outside for a moment and not to run off before going inside as well. Carth would have ran, except he was pretty sure the two men would bring him back because of the whole "Don't you dare leave" thing. Carth just stood there silently and waited. Five minutes passed, and soon enough one of the peeked out and motioned for Carth to enter. Carth rolled his neck and slowly walked into the office. As he lumbered into the pale light behind the door, Carth immediately locked his eyes on the central desk where a lanky female sat alone. His sister. The four stood by with giant smiles on their faces before blurting out "Happy Birthday!" loudly. Carth examined his sister for a moment and let out a very small smile. That smile soon grew to a grin before transforming into a harsh sadistic laugh, "What the hell is on your face?"

[SKELL]

Persephone creeps forward from her satin pillow, her violet eyes watching her trainer intently. Her ears twitch as they detect the elevator scaling up the building, as well as the deep laughter within. She cannot sense any possible threat on the way, but she paws at her trainer's legs anyway. Skell places her gun on her lap and strokes the Espeon once more, before the feline strolls to the door and sits in it's shadow, waiting for the visitors. Her claws unsheathe.

Skell leans back in her chair, listening to the chatter outside of the room grow louder along with the footsteps. Eventually the door cracked open as four people poured in, big grins plastered on their face. They all stood for a moment, holding their laughter back. No one said a word. Skell gave a slightly frustrated sigh, before breaking the silence. "Damian, would you like to tell me why you're here?" She asked quietly, shooting daggers at one of the burly men standing before her. "We're here to, uh, wish you a happy birthday, miss." He answers. The same dumb grin remains on his face. The pink-covered girl pipes in: "We have a birthday surprise for you!" She's overly enthusiastic. How annoying. Skell thinks, giving another sigh. "If you must, bring it in." Skell orders lifelessly, her eyes glancing towards the door.

One of the visitors invites someone in- and Skell's eyes widen. She stands up abruptly and scans the visitor's entire body, her body frozen; her eyes wide and unblinking. She's still for quite a long time- just glaring at him nervously. Skell was under the impression that this man had died by now. She was under the impression that she would never have to deal with him again. And yet...here he was, the same old face, the same sadistic laugh escaping his jaw. She took a breath. "Can I have a moment alone with dear Carth?" She says quietly through her teeth. It's not even a question, it's an order, and thus her "friends" shuffle out of the room.

The moment the door slams shut is the moment she points her gun at him, glaring into his eyes. Carth has always been a much calmer person than Skell- but she hides it relatively well. After a moment of pure intensity, she gives a chuckle. And then another, and then another. The gun falls to the floor, and she strolls over to her brother and forcefully gives him a big hug and a pat on the back. "Welcome back." Skell whispers, a smirk painted on her face.

carth

[carth]

The moment his sister asked to be alone with him, Carth closed his eyes and snickered. Here we go, it was about to go down right here right now. His sister was going to kill him, and there weren't enough bright pink bitches in the world that could save his sorry ass. The idiots left, and perhaps a second after the door was closed his sister pulled out a gun and pointed it at him. Saw that coming a mile away.

Carth glared back into her eyes, his snicker unwavering. Of course she was going to kill him, why wouldn't she? He "killed their father" after all. At least she's doing it herself, Carth would be a lot less accepting of this if one of her burly henchmen did him in instead. Thus Carth closed his eyes and awaited the cold embrace of death. He heard his sister chuckle, and he shook his head. She was having far too much pleasure in this. Something hit the ground. Was that him? Did his spirit just hear himself fall to the ground? He didn't feel de-ah there was the embrace...death's embrace was much warmer than he imagined.

Carth opened his eyes only to see his sister hugging him and welcoming him back. Carth was confused, and stared at his sister with a legitimately scared looked. "What...what are you doing?" His heart began to beat faster and faster as it realized it wasn't time to stop yet, causing him to sweat and his chest to ache. Carth stammered with a few odd syllables for a second before simply saying, "It's um good to be back. I hope."

What was this? Why was she being so forgiving? Did she not just point a gun at him a few seconds ago? Carth was perplexed, grateful to be spared but perplexed. Surely there was a catch, perhaps his sister was luring him into a false sense of security so she could get more pleasure out of killing him. Or or or maybe she wanted to keep him occupied while she secretly signaled the police to retrieve him. Or...or...or maybe she really missed him. Carth began to soften himself by the second, and quickly turned toward the door so his sister didn't see his eyes become sympathetic. When he regained his harsher composure he turned back and said, "I'm guessing your life has been better than mine. You seem to be doing rather fine for yourself."

[SKELL]

She flattens her dress, fixes her hairpins. "What do you mean, 'what are you doing?'" She asks, her haunting chuckle bouncing off the room's walls. "I'm giving my dear brother a hug." And she wraps her arms around him again, rocking their bodies back and forth. Her dear, dear, dear long-lost brother. That thought greeted her lips with a giggle. She held the urge back and swallowed her laughter. "I missed you, more than you could imagine..." Heh. Maybe on opposite day. She was the one who sent him away. Fortunately for Skell, her watery eyes and her heartbroken demeanor said otherwise. "No one else is here for me like you were, back in the day. Sure, I have the gang, but they don't come close to you. She trailed off and stared at him for a moment- her eyes wavering. Taking everything in.

"Life's been slow since you left, honestly." She points out, sighing. "But Saffron is mine- ours. And business with Silph Co. couldn't be better. She smiled.

Carth had matured into a fine young man. Strong. "That military school must've scared you straight, hm? Skell questioned, stroking Persephone's back. The Espeon let out a purr and rubbed herself against Carth's leg, playing along with Skell's little game. Hopefully her brother had resigned from such dirty work and started turning his life around...that was the entire idea of sending him away. But no matter- even if he was still involved, Saffron was hers. There was no need to share her empire with anyone anymore, especially with Carth's past. Everyone involved directly with Skell would understand that her brother could not be trusted after pulling such a stunt with their father.

She took a large breath before speaking again. "Talk about an elephant in the room..." Skell mumbles, just loud enough for her brother to hear. She looks at him and tries to draw guilt from his soul and continues: "I just want you to know Carth," She steps away from him and her eyes darken. "I forgive you." She breathes and resumes: "I know you and dad always had problems. And I understand that what you did... She looks at him, squeezing out a tear, "you didn't mean it. It was an explosion of frustration." She chokes up. "It's just awful that daddy had to be the victim."

Yeah, she'll play him like a fiddle.

carth

[carth]

Slow? Yeah right. Is she wanted slow she should try spending the best years of her life in a correctional military school for a crime she didn't commit. Whatever, he humored his woeful sister. And that crap about Saffron being "theirs", he knew better than to believe that. His sister certainly wasn't going to give him shit, why would a queen give up any of her kingdom? He just smiled and nodded to her, pretending to be glad that she didn't want to kill him instead of being confused about it...and maybe a bit disappointed.

He chuckled at the scared straight comment, because if anything military school screwed him up more than when he was some mobster's punk son. He continued to just smile and nod, resisting the urge to punt her Espeon across the room. The hell was it doing on his leg? Made him more uncomfortable than he already was. He just smiled and nodded though, as long as he remained calm, he might just be able to slide out of here unscathed. Ah, but she just had to keep talking.

The last words Carth wanted to hear were "I forgive you." Those terrible syllables made his eyes widen and his fists clench. He wasn't smiling any more. His mouth was straight, barely covering his teeth that gritted together as his sister spoke. Her sad little voice made him sick. He did not wish to be reminded that his father's death was blamed on him, especially by his sister. He doubted Skell even gave a shit, she probably danced on his damn grave an hour after they put him in it. The fact that everyone seems to be still convinced that he killed his own father is atrocious. Did not a single person think he was innocent? A fountain of angry thoughts poured into Carth's mind, he almost forgot where he was. He pushed those thoughts out and looked to his sister. He mentally calmed himself down as much as he was able before responding, "Thank...you...that means a lot to me..." He thought he sounded calm enough, though it was obvious that he was just masking his frustration.