untitled [daigo]

[henri1]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,width: 460px; background-color: #cccccc; padding: 8px;] [STYLE=font-family: arial black; font-size: 35px; color: 1d1d1d; letter-spacing: -5px; text-transform: uppercase; text-align: left; line-height: 24px;]______LIGHTS WILL GUIDE YOU[/style] [STYLE=background-color: 1d1d1d; text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 5px; font-family: arial narrow; font-size: 10px; color: cccccc; padding: 1px;]HOME, AND IGNITE YOUR BONES.[/style] [STYLE=background: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/eg93m1.png); height: 100px; width: 100px; border-bottom-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-bottomrightborder: 100px; border-top-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-toprightborder: 100px; border: 5px solid #eddddd; border-bottom-left-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleftborder: 100px; border: 5px solid #eddddd;margin-top: -6px; float: left;] [/style] [STYLE=color: padding: 16px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; text-align: justify; color: 7D9199; background-color: eddddd; border-bottom-right-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius-bottomrightborder: 10px; border-bottom-left-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleftborder: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-toprightborder: 100px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; -moz-border-radius-topleftborder: 0px; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: 130px; width: 300px; border-bottom: 1px dotted #D6D6D6;]tag: daigo notes: here it is! lyrics: fix you, by coldplay [STYLE=font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; background-color: eddddd; text-align: justify; color: 808080; padding: 7px; border-bottom: 1px dotted #D6D6D6;] Roxanne had been carefully thinking about the situation for a while. First there was a bomb, and then a whole building caught on fire – what was going to happen next? Whatever it was, it was bound to be destructive. And that couldn’t be afforded right now. Roxanne was already feeling horrible that there had already been two attacks; two attacks which involved the same person. An ex-league champion, even. It was quite frightening, really. Having someone who was once involved with the league attacking her city. Roxanne wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. The blindingly obvious option was to get the guy arrested, but… Steven was once the league champion. If someone was to go and arrest him, she certainly wasn’t going to volunteer. “Mr. Tsubuwaki will see you now.” Roxanne stood up and followed the office lady who had spoken to her. She was being led to the office of Daigo Tsubuwaki. Heir to the Devon Corporation, and someone who had been threatened by Steven Stone. There had to be some kind of connection between the two people; there had to be a reason why Steven was threatening Daigo. Roxanne just hoped that the reason wasn’t what made him decide to attack Rustboro City. Twice. The office was clean and tidy to the point that it almost made Roxanne woozy. She’d been too busy to tidy anything of hers or put it away, and had gotten rather used to all the dust and crowd. Then again, Devon Corp employed cleaners to do the cleaning for them. They had the extra help. “Good afternoon.” Roxanne greeted Daigo, slightly bowing her head. She still hadn’t decided on the best way to ask Daigo what his relationship with Steven was or why he was having threats thrown at him. “There was something I quickly wanted to talk to you about. Is that okay?” She wanted to slap herself mentally for that last part. Now Tsubuwaki Jr. had an opening to tell her that he was too busy or now was a bad time or… well, whatever other excuses he could come up with. Garbador. She wanted answers. As soon as possible. As in, right now. “It’s regarding the terrorist attacks.” Roxanne quickly added. Surely everyone made time to talk about terrorist attacks. Right? [/style]

[style=-moz-border-radius: 15px 5px 15px 15px; -o-border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px; -webkit-border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px;border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px; background-color: #cccccc; width: 150px; font-family: century gothic; font-size: 10px; color: #1d1d1d;text-align: justify; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 8px; ]Rights To Ryan of OTE[/style]

[daigo]

his desk was neat and orderly as always, his fingers tapping on the edge of the desk to an unknown tune. they wore no rings; he flinched uncontrollably every time he glanced at them. yes, steven stone blackmailed him; yes, they weren't on the best of terms ...

the man sighed as he picked up his cup of tea. he had an appointment with the gym leader of rustboro, roxanne. he knew her only as an acquaintance, perhaps even as a colleague - in the sense that rustboro operated as one single entity, then yes, they were colleagues. he watched as the wall clock plodded on; sure enough, she entered, right on the dot.

"good afternoon," said daigo, getting up from his seat to offer her a handshake. his complexion was pale, face mostly gaunt and his shoulders were slumped slightly out of lethargy. this wasn't a man who could attack someone physically at first glance, much less resist someone who had caused immense damage to rustboro and verdanturf. "it has been some time since we last met; do take a seat," he said, smiling as he waved roxanne to sit down.

"yes, of course. we have time," he chuckled quietly, but his face darkened (out of worry? or caution?) as roxanne brought up the terrorist attacks. he sighed, sinking back into the seat; the chair seemed to swallow his lean frame, making him appear more haggard than normal.

"... ah, the terrorists ... they were particularly vicious, weren't they?" quiet laughter. a weak smile. "losses were great, and i believe we all got the message that they were entirely serious about their propaganda."

[henri1]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,width: 460px; background-color: #cccccc; padding: 8px;] [STYLE=font-family: arial black; font-size: 35px; color: 1d1d1d; letter-spacing: -5px; text-transform: uppercase; text-align: left; line-height: 24px;]______LIGHTS WILL GUIDE YOU[/style] [STYLE=background-color: 1d1d1d; text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 5px; font-family: arial narrow; font-size: 10px; color: cccccc; padding: 1px;]HOME, AND IGNITE YOUR BONES.[/style] [STYLE=background: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/eg93m1.png); height: 100px; width: 100px; border-bottom-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-bottomrightborder: 100px; border-top-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-toprightborder: 100px; border: 5px solid #eddddd; border-bottom-left-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleftborder: 100px; border: 5px solid #eddddd;margin-top: -6px; float: left;] [/style] [STYLE=color: padding: 16px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; text-align: justify; color: 7D9199; background-color: eddddd; border-bottom-right-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius-bottomrightborder: 10px; border-bottom-left-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleftborder: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-toprightborder: 100px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; -moz-border-radius-topleftborder: 0px; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: 130px; width: 300px; border-bottom: 1px dotted #D6D6D6;]tag: daigo notes: here it is! lyrics: fix you, by coldplay [STYLE=font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; background-color: eddddd; text-align: justify; color: 808080; padding: 7px; border-bottom: 1px dotted #D6D6D6;] Right. Of course. Of course he had time. Roxanne had booked an appointment after all. She shouldn’t have been worried about being turned away. But… she just felt a bit rude, that’s all. Asking someone why another person was making threats to them wasn’t exactly everyday small talk. She just had to keep telling herself that, as an admin of the city, she had a right to know – especially if the threats were connected to the terrorist attacks. “Yes, it has,” she replied in a standard way as she shook Daigo’s hand (wow, that certainly felt business-like) and sat down after being offered. Roxanne felt that the seat didn’t fit her – it was probably made for businessmen, not young Gym Leaders. She sat up straight. She had learnt at a young age that it helped her keep attentive. And she didn’t want to miss anything Daigo had to say. Not if it was useful to her. She didn’t pick anything up from his body language or expressions – she thought that he was just simply tired – but she certainly noticed the small laughter that escaped and... did he just try to smile? This wasn’t something to laugh or smile about! The conscience in the back of Roxanne’s mind told her that he didn’t mean it; he was probably only trying to lighten the mood. Thankfully, she chose to listen to it. After all, she wasn’t here to get offended – she was here to get answers. “Yes, they were vicious.” Roxanne agreed, keeping her voice neutral. Truthfully, she viewed the attack as more than vicious, but she had to keep professional. If she didn’t keep professional, people would remember that at heart she was just a seventeen year old girl who was put in charge of a metropolis. “Yes, they do seem serious about that…” An opening. A perfect lead on to the ask. All she had to do was saying something along the lines of “Steven Stone seems the most serious about it, don’t you think?” and voila! The topic would have changed effortlessly! It was certainly the most polite way to go about it. It was Roxanne wanted to say, but when she finally looked Daigo in the eyes, after spending the last minute or so looking nowhere in particular, the words didn’t come out the way she wanted them to. “What do you know about Steven Stone?” Short, blunt, and to the point with no waffling. And surprisingly, she wasn’t embarrassed to be so blunt. Roxanne watched the tired man carefully. She was waiting to see what his reaction would be. [/style]

[style=-moz-border-radius: 15px 5px 15px 15px; -o-border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px; -webkit-border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px;border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px; background-color: #cccccc; width: 150px; font-family: century gothic; font-size: 10px; color: #1d1d1d;text-align: justify; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 8px; ]Rights To Ryan of OTE[/style]

[daigo]

it took him all his years of dealing with businessman to remain calm, collected, and professional as he looked at the city admin. she had the right to ask, of course, and he was supposed to answer or be at the mercy of the laws roxanne had set for the city. he crossed his fingers, leaned forward, and set his eyes on the female. his mouth opened once, then shut again - he seemed to be contemplating what to say next.

what did he know about steven stone? more than half the city, and certainly more than roxanne knew, but none that he was willing to let on. his body moved forward slightly, in the air of someone who was ready to speak, but he pulled back, allowing the chair to swallow him once again.

"a lot," he admitted, keeping his gaze straight despite his evident discomfort about the topic. "... may i ask - is this an interrogation?" his voice remained soft and quiet, tiredness nipping at the edges of his syllables as the man exhaled. "i must admit, i ... certainly did not expect the city admin herself to approach me about this matter."

he rose from his seat and walked over to a corner table, plucking from it a tea set on a tray. he set it on the cleared oak table, and glanced at roxanne. "tea?" he inquired - ironically, it was what led to cynthia and his involvement with the tea cult - "milk or sugar?"

[henri1]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,width: 460px; background-color: #cccccc; padding: 8px;] [STYLE=font-family: arial black; font-size: 35px; color: 1d1d1d; letter-spacing: -5px; text-transform: uppercase; text-align: left; line-height: 24px;]______LIGHTS WILL GUIDE YOU[/style] [STYLE=background-color: 1d1d1d; text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 5px; font-family: arial narrow; font-size: 10px; color: cccccc; padding: 1px;]HOME, AND IGNITE YOUR BONES.[/style] [STYLE=background: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/eg93m1.png); height: 100px; width: 100px; border-bottom-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-bottomrightborder: 100px; border-top-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-toprightborder: 100px; border: 5px solid #eddddd; border-bottom-left-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleftborder: 100px; border: 5px solid #eddddd;margin-top: -6px; float: left;] [/style] [STYLE=color: padding: 16px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; text-align: justify; color: 7D9199; background-color: eddddd; border-bottom-right-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius-bottomrightborder: 10px; border-bottom-left-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleftborder: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-toprightborder: 100px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; -moz-border-radius-topleftborder: 0px; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: 130px; width: 300px; border-bottom: 1px dotted #D6D6D6;]tag: daigo notes: here it is! lyrics: fix you, by coldplay [STYLE=font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; background-color: eddddd; text-align: justify; color: 808080; padding: 7px; border-bottom: 1px dotted #D6D6D6;] He was going to say something. What would it be—dammit! He shut his mouth. Why? Did he change his mind on what to say? Roxanne’s mouth twitched into a smile for a second. Jackpot. He knew something. Of course he did. All she had to do now was get it out of him. And how was she going to do that? Well, first of all, she had to hold her tongue back from blurting out anything else again. She hated that she had asked the question so bluntly. Rude too. Daigo finally spoke. He knew a lot? Brilliant. He thought this was an interrogation? Crap. It certainly did seem like one, didn’t it? “I would call it an inquiry,” Roxanne corrected him. There, a much nicer label. She didn’t quite understand what he had said next. Why didn’t Daigo expect her to ask him about Mr. Stone the Terrorist? She was the City Admin, after all. She’d rather hear this kind of information herself, than have to hear it from someone else. Or… maybe he had expected someone higher up to approach him about the matter. Surely not though. If that were the case, then that would imply suspicion and… well, frankly, Daigo was a worn down businessman. He wasn’t as suspicious as the next guy in a suit. Right? “Well who were you expecting to approach you? You clearly have some kind of relationship with Mr. Stone.” Her speech ended a bit abruptly. She had still wanted to say “Of course someone would approach you about having connections with a terrorist and a prominent Nox member” but that would have been blurting. Again. Hell, what she had just said was already a blurt. Ugh. Tea? Really? The only thing Roxanne wanted was answers. He wasn’t going to try and sneakily change the conversation to the topic of tea, was he? She briefly wondered if she should be a smart-aleck and ask Daigo if he knew how Steven liked his tea, but decided not to. “Milk. Please.” She was silent for a moment, but after that moment she couldn’t help herself from asking, “So what can you tell me?” [/style]

[style=-moz-border-radius: 15px 5px 15px 15px; -o-border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px; -webkit-border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px;border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px; background-color: #cccccc; width: 150px; font-family: century gothic; font-size: 10px; color: #1d1d1d;text-align: justify; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 8px; ]Rights To Ryan of OTE[/style]

[daigo]

he quietly poured roxanne some tea, then added some milk to her drink. he glanced at her, waiting for her to stop him before he settled back into his seat. as soon as the both of them had their choice of drink, he proceeded to speak. the businessman had no idea how to phrase his statement, and because of that, sat in almost complete, awkward silence.

save for the ticking of the clock, all remained quiet. steven kept his eyes on the gym leader, breaking the eye contact only to take a sip of his tea. lightly-sugared; he would have preferred brown sugar if he still had some in his office.

"an interrogation is an inquiry turned brutal. i do hope it would not end as such," he sighed, stirring the tea, "and i wasn't expecting anyone to ... inquire." he flinched at the mention of 'mr stone', and shakily raised his cup to his lips. the sip of tea seemed to calm him down slightly.

"yes, we do. it is a rather delicate relationship."

the teacup clattered as it was set down on the saucer again. daigo exhaled, staring at the almost-empty cup. he let the last question hang in the air, but it was clear that he did not wish to answer.

[henri1]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,width: 460px; background-color: #cccccc; padding: 8px;] [STYLE=font-family: arial black; font-size: 35px; color: 1d1d1d; letter-spacing: -5px; text-transform: uppercase; text-align: left; line-height: 24px;]______LIGHTS WILL GUIDE YOU[/style] [STYLE=background-color: 1d1d1d; text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 5px; font-family: arial narrow; font-size: 10px; color: cccccc; padding: 1px;]HOME, AND IGNITE YOUR BONES.[/style] [STYLE=background: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/eg93m1.png); height: 100px; width: 100px; border-bottom-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-bottomrightborder: 100px; border-top-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-toprightborder: 100px; border: 5px solid #eddddd; border-bottom-left-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleftborder: 100px; border: 5px solid #eddddd;margin-top: -6px; float: left;] [/style] [STYLE=color: padding: 16px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; text-align: justify; color: 7D9199; background-color: eddddd; border-bottom-right-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius-bottomrightborder: 10px; border-bottom-left-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleftborder: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-toprightborder: 100px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; -moz-border-radius-topleftborder: 0px; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: 130px; width: 300px; border-bottom: 1px dotted #D6D6D6;]tag: daigo notes: here it is! lyrics: fix you, by coldplay [STYLE=font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; background-color: eddddd; text-align: justify; color: 808080; padding: 7px; border-bottom: 1px dotted #D6D6D6;] She took her cup of tea, but she did not drink it. She didn’t so much as look at it, but not because she wasn’t interested in it – Roxanne didn’t like looking directly at cups of tea, or any drink. A cup of tea contained a small volume of liquid, but a small volume was certainly enough to make her a bit uncomfortable. Roxanne waited for an answer. Even when Daigo finally spoke, he didn’t answer Roxanne’s last question – the one she wanted answered the most. Roxanne started to tap one her feet lightly on the ground. It was a habit she usually done when she had to solve a problem at school or for homework, one which she was having trouble with. She didn’t bother tryng to hide her surprise when Daigo mentioned that he didn’t think anyone was going to ‘inquire’ him about Steven Stone. Was he serious? “A delicate relationship…” Roxanne repeated Daigo’s words. She leaned back in her chair, letting herself relax as she searched her mind. “The word ‘delicate’ is an adjective with many meanings,” she said, a bit absent-mindedly. “I’m just trying to decide which meaning of delicate you used to describe your relationship with Mr. Stone. Fragile, frail, subtle…” Roxanne trailed off, not able to recall the other meanings of the word. She carefully sat up straight again. When applying the word to relationships, the only meaning of the word that suited was fragile. Roxanne now decided that the person in front of her wasn’t going to be as cryptic with his words like a word puzzle. But hopefully it had prompted Daigo to elaborate on his relationship with Mr. Stone a bit more. “You didn’t answer my question,” Roxanne addressed the person across from her. She stared at him, ready to lock eye contact as soon as he was done looking at his silly little cup of tea. “If you’re uncomfortable answering… well, I wouldn’t understand why you would be, since the man has threatened you after all. But, if you would prefer it, I could ask more closed questions. Like… let’s say, ‘Do you know why Mr. Stone set off a bomb in the middle of the city?’” [/style]

[style=-moz-border-radius: 15px 5px 15px 15px; -o-border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px; -webkit-border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px;border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px; background-color: #cccccc; width: 150px; font-family: century gothic; font-size: 10px; color: #1d1d1d;text-align: justify; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 8px; ]Rights To Ryan of OTE[/style]

[daigo]

each word roxanne said only made him feel worse. 'fragile', 'frail', and 'subtle' were words he would definitely use to describe the relationship between steven and him - for reasons that he was not at liberty to disclose to anyone, much less the gym leader.

several times through the conversation, he had considered telling her that she would not understand the intricacies of their relationship, citing her age as an excuse. however, it was extremely impolite to look down upon another because of their age, and because of that, the tsuwabuki remained silent as he listened to roxanne rattle on.

a spark of confidence ignited behind his golden eyes as he fixed them on the gym leader. if eye contact was what she wished, then it would be what she got. "a relationship can be complicated. the world is not made up of simple, easy-to-explain phenomena. relationships work in the same way, too. i would expect a stellar student from the rustboro trainer school like you to understand this very fact," he said calmly, trying to will roxanne to somehow find reason and back off from him.

the conversation had took a sudden, more drastic turn. he had been right the first time. this was indeed an interrogation; nothing was at all relaxing about their brief chat. roxanne's last question only served to affirm his impression.

he spoke as a businessman intending to keep the deal in the best interests of his company.

"i simply do not know, nor do i wish this to turn into an interrogation. please, stop this. if you already have a version of the truth in your mind, i have no qualms about allowing you to accept that as the truth and nothing else. but as i have said - do not force me into answering.

"your question has tried to lead me on into providing you an answer you deem satisfactory. this is called 'leading the witness', and i do hope that we may cease discussion of this topic as soon as possible."

he rose from his seat, holding his breath, still keeping his eyes on roxanne. she had forced his hand. he was tired, and had decided to humour the city administrator in the name of lux. he was now regretting his decision. he turned, back facing roxanne and the oak table, as he stared out from the floor-to-ceiling glass window.

[henri1]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,width: 460px; background-color: #cccccc; padding: 8px;] [STYLE=font-family: arial black; font-size: 35px; color: 1d1d1d; letter-spacing: -5px; text-transform: uppercase; text-align: left; line-height: 24px;]______LIGHTS WILL GUIDE YOU[/style] [STYLE=background-color: 1d1d1d; text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 5px; font-family: arial narrow; font-size: 10px; color: cccccc; padding: 1px;]HOME, AND IGNITE YOUR BONES.[/style] [STYLE=background: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/eg93m1.png); height: 100px; width: 100px; border-bottom-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-bottomrightborder: 100px; border-top-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-toprightborder: 100px; border: 5px solid #eddddd; border-bottom-left-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleftborder: 100px; border: 5px solid #eddddd;margin-top: -6px; float: left;] [/style] [STYLE=color: padding: 16px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; text-align: justify; color: 7D9199; background-color: eddddd; border-bottom-right-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius-bottomrightborder: 10px; border-bottom-left-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleftborder: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-toprightborder: 100px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; -moz-border-radius-topleftborder: 0px; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: 130px; width: 300px; border-bottom: 1px dotted #D6D6D6;]tag: daigo notes: dammit roxanne - you should've thrown the teacup at him lyrics: fix you, by coldplay [STYLE=font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; background-color: eddddd; text-align: justify; color: 808080; padding: 7px; border-bottom: 1px dotted #D6D6D6;] What? What did he just say? What did he just imply? Roxanne didn’t miss any facts. “I know relationships are complicated. I understand that.” She was defending herself from the accusation. She was proud of the marks she had worked hard to earn, and her pride hated it even when someone joked about her not knowing something she should have – let alone insinuating. And what was this? A little speech? A little lecture? About what? Daigo reminded her of a teacher she once had; the one who looked down on the class. The one who thought he knew everything, and openly scoffed at the students when they were talking about how a Charizard and Victreebell were generally the same height. ”Don’t be stupid, of course Charizard are taller.” Yeah, whatever. Both averaged five foot seven. Even with more than one written source of proof the teacher still didn’t believe them. Roxanne had rolled her eyes when the mini-lecture had started, but apart from that she had sat still and watched the person across the desk. She hadn’t expected Daigo to be so uncomfortable with this conversation that he’d make such an effort to drop it. Roxanne only moved when Daigo had turned his back on her. She wasn’t trying to be sneaky; it was just easier to put down her cup of tea on the desk and reject it when he wasn’t looking. She wasn’t sure what to do now. The rules of etiquette told her that she should drop the topic now that is had more or less been dismissed. It was the right, polite thing to do but... oh well, there were other ways to get the information she wanted. Surely. “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you Mr. Tsubuwaki, but–” Oh don’t look so surprised, there’s always a 'but'. “–I have to find out as much as I can about Steven Stone. He’s attacked Rustboro. Twice. I thought you would be as worried about that as much as everyone else in the city. Or am I wrong?” [/style]

[style=-moz-border-radius: 15px 5px 15px 15px; -o-border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px; -webkit-border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px;border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px; background-color: #cccccc; width: 150px; font-family: century gothic; font-size: 10px; color: #1d1d1d;text-align: justify; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 8px; ]Rights To Ryan of OTE[/style]

[daigo]

Daigo stared out of the window, a wry smile quirking his mouth. Her innocent outlook on life, though refreshing, tired him. Seventeen years old, and having to look after a city this large was no menial task. He understood, even if she refused to believe his words. He stared at his reflection in the glass panel, staring down at the people walking along the pavement.

His hands locked behind him as he surveyed the outside of the building, shoulders heaving slightly when he took a deeper breath than usual.

Roxanne was more suited to sitting in an officer's uniform, interrogating suspects than hiding behind the veil of a harmless 'inquiry'.

"I am worried, Roxanne."

[henri1]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,width: 460px; background-color: #cccccc; padding: 8px;] [STYLE=font-family: arial black; font-size: 35px; color: 1d1d1d; letter-spacing: -5px; text-transform: uppercase; text-align: left; line-height: 24px;]______LIGHTS WILL GUIDE YOU[/style] [STYLE=background-color: 1d1d1d; text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 5px; font-family: arial narrow; font-size: 10px; color: cccccc; padding: 1px;]HOME, AND IGNITE YOUR BONES.[/style] [STYLE=background: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/eg93m1.png); height: 100px; width: 100px; border-bottom-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-bottomrightborder: 100px; border-top-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-toprightborder: 100px; border: 5px solid #eddddd; border-bottom-left-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleftborder: 100px; border: 5px solid #eddddd;margin-top: -6px; float: left;] [/style] [STYLE=color: padding: 16px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; text-align: justify; color: 7D9199; background-color: eddddd; border-bottom-right-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius-bottomrightborder: 10px; border-bottom-left-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleftborder: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-toprightborder: 100px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; -moz-border-radius-topleftborder: 0px; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: 130px; width: 300px; border-bottom: 1px dotted #D6D6D6;]tag: daigo notes: //lecough lyrics: fix you, by coldplay [STYLE=font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; background-color: eddddd; text-align: justify; color: 808080; padding: 7px; border-bottom: 1px dotted #D6D6D6;]And…? And....? Roxanne waited for Daigo to say something else. She tried to be patient, but it quickly became clear that the businessman needed prompting. “If you’re ‘so worried’, then what are you actually doing about it?” She had meant to sound serious, but somehow Roxanne felt her words came out differently. Bitchy, almost, as if she as about to start telling Daigo that of course he wasn’t going to do anything~ Like the majority of other businessmen. As long as they had their own arses covered, they didn’t really seem to care about anyone else. But she said nothing of the sort. She believed herself to be far too mature for that. Instead, she only prompted him further, saying, “Go on. Tell me. What do the big men who inherit companies actually do when they’re worried about the safety of their home?” She was starting to get quite annoyed with Mr. Tsubuwaki, and his useless answers. And teenage girls were never entirely skilled at hiding their annoyances. [/style]

[style=-moz-border-radius: 15px 5px 15px 15px; -o-border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px; -webkit-border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px;border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px; background-color: #cccccc; width: 150px; font-family: century gothic; font-size: 10px; color: #1d1d1d;text-align: justify; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 8px; ]Rights To Ryan of OTE[/style]

[daigo]

Nothing.

That was his honest answer. What could he do, anyway? He was fully aware that an outsider's view of the situation was quite possibly clearer than the ones of those who were involved, but without knowing the intricacies of what truly went on, he was confident in saying that Roxanne had nary a clue.

Yet here she was, prompting as if she were a teacher telling off a child who just painted the walls with crayons a hideous shade of burgundy.

"They lock it, Roxanne. Surely you lock your house at night, or do you have guards stationed outside your home, courtesy of Lux? I would enjoy having that privilege."

[henri1]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,width: 460px; background-color: #cccccc; padding: 8px;] [STYLE=font-family: arial black; font-size: 35px; color: 1d1d1d; letter-spacing: -5px; text-transform: uppercase; text-align: left; line-height: 24px;]______LIGHTS WILL GUIDE YOU[/style] [STYLE=background-color: 1d1d1d; text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 5px; font-family: arial narrow; font-size: 10px; color: cccccc; padding: 1px;]HOME, AND IGNITE YOUR BONES.[/style] [STYLE=background: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/eg93m1.png); height: 100px; width: 100px; border-bottom-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-bottomrightborder: 100px; border-top-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-toprightborder: 100px; border: 5px solid #eddddd; border-bottom-left-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleftborder: 100px; border: 5px solid #eddddd;margin-top: -6px; float: left;] [/style] [STYLE=color: padding: 16px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; text-align: justify; color: 7D9199; background-color: eddddd; border-bottom-right-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius-bottomrightborder: 10px; border-bottom-left-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleftborder: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-toprightborder: 100px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; -moz-border-radius-topleftborder: 0px; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: 130px; width: 300px; border-bottom: 1px dotted #D6D6D6;]tag: daigo notes: -insert random but irrelevant notes here- lyrics: fix you, by coldplay [STYLE=font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; background-color: eddddd; text-align: justify; color: 808080; padding: 7px; border-bottom: 1px dotted #D6D6D6;] As much as she wanted to, Roxanne didn’t face-palm; well, technically, it wasn’t a face-palm. It was more of a face-forefinger, and was far lighter than a bash to the forehead anyway. “I was talking about Rustboro, not your actual house,” she corrected the businessman. She didn’t care about his house – it was easy to imagine it full of cameras and all sorts of other high-tech gadgets used as a part of some kind of security system. But what he had said about the guards stung Roxanne, but only because it was true – just not to the extent Daigo probably believed it. She lived in a building with many floors and many flats – she wasn’t the only one who had “that privilege”. “You still haven’t answered my question. Tell me what you are actually doing to help the city.” Aside from covering Steven’s tail. And making an effort to not answer any of my questions. She managed to hold her tongue. She reminded herself that the only way her so called “interrogation” was going to work was if she was professional about it. Yeah. If. [/style]

[style=-moz-border-radius: 15px 5px 15px 15px; -o-border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px; -webkit-border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px;border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px; background-color: #cccccc; width: 150px; font-family: century gothic; font-size: 10px; color: #1d1d1d;text-align: justify; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 8px; ]Rights To Ryan of OTE[/style]

[daigo]

It was taking a substantial amount of effort on his part to not lose his temper, but thankfully, Daigo had plenty of practice when negotiating with grumpy old men who preferred to have nine pieces out of ten in their favour.

"Devon Corp. is developing medicine, dabbling in weapon research as well as contributing to the growth of Rustboro as one of the biggest, most technologically-developed cities in the Hoenn region. What am I doing? I am doing all of the above."

He was, indeed, speaking the truth. Devon Corp. was a company interested in bringing the best to the city that saw it from its humble beginnings to the megalo-corporation it was now. If Roxanne ever doubted Devon's contribution - indirectly his contribution - she had chosen a bad time to do so.

"Perhaps you could have worded your question better. May I suggest 'How would you prevent a further terrorist attack on Rustboro'? Or 'Why are you protecting Mr. Stone', as your tone seems to indicate, yet you do not voice it aloud?"

By now, he had turned to face Roxanne, the seriousness in his eyes overlaid by tiredness cutting through his face. He had enough of dancing around questions. It was tiring enough to have to answer to the city's pleas for more developed weapons and more guards to prevent such a catastrophe. The gym leader, if anything, had chosen to corner him instead of assuaging the community's fears and concerns.

"Do not once doubt the contributions the company and I have made to Rustboro. Mr. Stone is but a tiny factor in the daily procedures of the company, and I assure you that he means no harm to the development of green technology and the development of the continent. He has Devon's best interests at heart.

"If you will be so kind."

He nodded towards the door. The conversation was over.

[henri1]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,width: 460px; background-color: #cccccc; padding: 8px;] [STYLE=font-family: arial black; font-size: 35px; color: 1d1d1d; letter-spacing: -5px; text-transform: uppercase; text-align: left; line-height: 24px;]______LIGHTS WILL GUIDE YOU[/style] [STYLE=background-color: 1d1d1d; text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 5px; font-family: arial narrow; font-size: 10px; color: cccccc; padding: 1px;]HOME, AND IGNITE YOUR BONES.[/style] [STYLE=background: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/eg93m1.png); height: 100px; width: 100px; border-bottom-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-bottomrightborder: 100px; border-top-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-toprightborder: 100px; border: 5px solid #eddddd; border-bottom-left-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleftborder: 100px; border: 5px solid #eddddd;margin-top: -6px; float: left;] [/style] [STYLE=color: padding: 16px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; text-align: justify; color: 7D9199; background-color: eddddd; border-bottom-right-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius-bottomrightborder: 10px; border-bottom-left-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleftborder: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 100px; -moz-border-radius-toprightborder: 100px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; -moz-border-radius-topleftborder: 0px; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: 130px; width: 300px; border-bottom: 1px dotted #D6D6D6;]tag: daigo notes: excuse me whle i grab 10 wep for this post lyrics: fix you, by coldplay [STYLE=font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; background-color: eddddd; text-align: justify; color: 808080; padding: 7px; border-bottom: 1px dotted #D6D6D6;]Oh… Oh right… Garbador! How could she have come off saying tha—no, wait, she actually did say exactly that, didn’t she? Oh latios… she walked right into that one, didn’t she? Roxanne braced herself – as someone who had spent a lot of time in school, she could sense a scold coming at her a mile away. And the person scolding her wasn’t some daft, middle-aged teacher. He was right, of course. Daigo. He saw right through Roxanne and knew what she had really been meaning to ask. But just how far could he see? Successful businessmen had to be good at reading people, right? Roxanne tried not to be intimidated when Daigo looked at her, but her eyes flickered to the side for a few seconds anyway. She – a perfect student – wasn’t used to being told off. She let him say his bit, and listened carefully. Roxanne wouldn’t dare to interrupt, in case it angered Daigo further. He clearly was not happy with what she had said; and she wouldn’t be happy with herself either when she replayed the memory in her head later on. Finally she was told to leave. Roxanne stood up obediently, although she really wanted to stubbornly persist and refuse to leave until Daigo told her something useful. Of course, Roxanne could easily imagine various ways that could end badly, and forced herself to say a quietened, “I’m sorry to have wasted your time,” before heading to the door. But… Roxanne couldn’t help herself. She stopped and turned around. “Please let Mr. Stone know that if he ever sets foot in this city, he will be arrested immediately,” she said. And then left. [/style]

[style=-moz-border-radius: 15px 5px 15px 15px; -o-border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px; -webkit-border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px;border-radius: 15px 15px 15px 15px; background-color: #cccccc; width: 150px; font-family: century gothic; font-size: 10px; color: #1d1d1d;text-align: justify; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 8px; ]Rights To Ryan of OTE[/style]