World Tree MUSH

     Upon returning home from Kanto, glad to have the Team Rocket ordeal behind her, the first thing Miwa does is go around letting everyone she knows around the island that she's alright. Nurse Joy had a letter to give her, and when she read it, she suddenly felt a little ill. Her former trainer and manager, wanted to meet with her to talk, and considering what had just happened, the only thing she could think of that he'd want to talk about, was having her come back to the troupe because the world is too dangerous for her to be on her own. She immediately had two copies of the letter made and sent them via inter-world couriers to her two best friends, Ash and Mirage, asking if they would accompany her for this meeting. She gave an address of where to meet her, it was a park just a block down from where Kaleo wanted to meet her. There she waited, sitting on a park bench.

Needless to say, Mirage had been a little quiet since rescuing Miwa--or helping to, anyway. She had tried to restrain herself against the rockets and handle the situation cool-ey--but to tell the truth? She had been a little unnerved by the whole thing, to say the least. The main reason she hadn't gotten more violent was she would know Miwa wouldn't approve. So the buggers got to tempt fate another day.

Mirage would show up to the park, her disguise up for everyone except the tennou and Primarina. Her solid-light human disguise, anyway.

"So where were you back there, lover boy? I'd have thought you wouldn't let her out of your sight," she'd remark when Ash showed up, a combination of cattiness and amusement.

Ash was actually in-world so the courier didn't have far to go all said and done. Sure he could have stayed with Miwa, but she was safe so take care of work obligations. These mostly consisted of parcel delivery and 'escorting' someone from off orld to the big kahuna lady on the islands to talk.None of this was terribly exciting, but it did give him a chance to start building a reputation as a known quatity.

Inevetably this letter would reach him annd he would pull his earpiece comm unit in to call Miwa. "I got your message. Actually I'm on one of the smaller islands now, will have Ordis drop me off as soon as I'm done here."

Maybe this world really was getting too 'homey' but it felt restive to be here, and yet even in paradise trouble had its way of creeping in. 

"Operator," Ordis chimed in as Ash's lander picked him up, "I -THINK THIS SCUMBAG SET MIWA UP- have concerns over the timing and convenience that this message got to her so soon given net to nothing about Miwa being kidnapped made media coverage."

When Ash's lander dropped him off he was wearing long shorts and a t-shirt, looking more or less the part of your average tourist as he wandered the park. At Mirage's comment he gave a small smile, "Work obligations, and I wanted t ogive miwa space after she got home since i"m pretty sure all her other friends would be swarming."

     Miwa smiles seeing Ash and Mirage. "I think Mirage is talking about when I got kidnapped in the first place. If that's the case, don't be too hard on him. I wouldn't expect Ash to be with me every minute of the day, don't think I'd even want that, as much as I do enjoy his company. I think the Rocket grunts were probably watching me, studying my movements, and decided on the best time to make their move. In any case, that's all in the past now. Let's get this meeting over with. I have a feeling he wants me to come back so that he can 'protect' me..." Miwa voices with a sigh as she gets off the park bench looks up the street in the direction of the building where this meeting was to be. "Shall we?"

Ash nodded slowly while silently regretting his decision to blend in as opposed to be the hulking intimidation in the corner. "It is as the lady said Mirage. If I tried to be with her every moment of theday I'd get nothing done, and she'd be thoroughly sick of her new guard kubrow in a hurry." There wasa beat as he fell into step behind Miwa. "After all in her position would you want someone watching everything you do constantly?"

There was a longer pause before he added. "Don't answer that."

"Well to be fair I don't know how we'd stay sane if we had to be around him at every minute--I kid, of course," Mirage winked at Ash, before moving to sit on one of the park benches. "As for what you said--watching someone at all times can be a little boring, who cares what people do when they're sleeping, or eating, or in the shower... err, also don't answer that," she snerked. Realizing she was to follow Miwa, she pulled herself back up again.

"Wait, we're not hanging out here? Where are we going?"

     To Mirage, Miwa answers as the head up the sidewalk, and Ash and Mirage may also notice that Miwa was wearing some protective socks on her flippers and tail to keep them from getting scraped up on the streets and sidewalks. "It's a pretty boring looking office building about a block up the street. Kaleo probably rented out a room from someone he knows if I had to guess. As for having someone watching me constantly, that's really the sort of thing I was trying to get away from when I left the traveling theater gig. There's a reason why I now live in a cave which is only easily accessible from underwater." Before long they would be within sight of the building, it was white, with lots of windows, five floors and solar panels on the roof. "There it is, the white one on the right."

Ash looked the building over and gave an approving nod. "i see a few dozen good entry points if you don't mind setting alarms off." Ash noted absently, "A coupl that they probably wouldn't think to put an alarm on." His head shook, "Sorry, habit." He did approve of the solar, as an independant power system, or at least a solid backup if mains went down was always commendable.

<Mirage." Ash tried to make sue Mirage could tell he was intentionally broadcasting, rather than her getting the usual wash of emotions alongside 'prickly' appreension at the situation. <Letter looked like dudeguy is trying to blackmail Miwa into coming 'home.' Think you can act as a blind hookup to bridge me and him so we can have a little talk... y'know. heart to heart?> At that thought there was a sense of hardness, a hint of cruelty swimming beneath the surface as Ash followed Miwa's lead.

 Out loud he simply asked, "So how do you want to play this Miwa?"

"Ah, so you're staying in a safe house of sorts, tonight? Probably a good idea--I have a bad history with choosing those sorts of spots, as you know," Mirage nodded with a grin to Miwa, referring to her debacle in that Cyberpunk-style city where Miwa had to help bail her out after her safehouse got pretty much knocked down by enforcers there.

<By blind do you mean... actually blind? I can wear a pair of Ray Charles sunglasses> Mirage smiled a bit as she broadcasted back to Ash, able to speak to him effortlessly and with hardly zero time elapsed in between.

<Sure, I can do that.>

     Miwa shakes her head at Ash's mentioning of the various ways they could break in. "Like I said, this might not even be an office owned by Kaleo, granted it's been a while since I left him, maybe he's moved. Either way, he said he wants to talk, so we can talk. I do worry that since he's technically still my trainer, he could force me to stay with him, at least legally speaking. As a pokemon, even one who can speak as well as any human, I unfortunately don't really have much in the way of rights... Hopefully it won't come to that though. Lets just... go see what he has to say." She states with a little bit of apprehension now that she has put her concerns about this into words, but still, she heads for the entrance to the building, and once there, would wait for either Ash or Mirage to open the door.

<Well I mean I figure you'd want words with the man too, but you said you don't like doing mind dives and I'd rather impress on this man just how... unfortunate ...a mistake he made if this is what i think it is.> Outwardly Ash studied the building still, oting where and how he could evade guards, where guard patrols should be were this a more securied location, and indulging in ingrianed habit of mentally working out the best way to play 'extreme' live-fire hide and seek with the location while holding the door for Miwa.

"I'm... just going to keep quiet on the matter, but if anyone tries forcing you to anything....well... let's just hope it doens't come to that." All as Mirage might catch a highlight reel of ash's thoughts on the idea of literally stripping Miwa's freedom from her. It was neither fun nor polite, but it would be highly educational.

"Legal doesn't mean a whole lot to me, hon--it's up to you, if you want to remain his pokemon, you can do that--still doesn't mean he can control what you do, technically--or I could... 'convince' him to release you. Or to just let you do whatever you want. I wouldn't hurt him, not unless you wanted me to," Mirage shrugged. Either way, Mirage would open the door--stepping in, she refashioned her 'human girl' disguise to be a bit more presentable--pencil skirt, blazer, slacks--walking in ahead of Ash and Miwa.

     Miwa nods to Mirage. "If it comes to that, that would be preferred rather than having to fight him." Miwa says to Mirage before she enters as Ash holds the door for her. Once inside, she moves toward the reception desk across the room and smiles at the woman behind the desk. "Hello, I'm Miwa, here to see Kaleo." The woman nods. "Ah, yes, he's waiting in office 103 down the hall. Go on in." The woman smiles and Miwa nods to Mirage and Ash before heading down the hall. Once at the room, Miwa notices that the door isn't fully latched, so she just pushes it open with her flipper and walks inside, to find Kaleo sitting behind a desk with a pair of chairs in front of it. 

     The man was probably in his late 40s or early 50s, but still looked to be in pretty good shape, has short hair, and an anchor style beard/mustache. He's dressed in a business suit which looks nice but well worn. He smiles at seeing Miwa, though it looks a bit forced. "I hope you don't mind, but I bought a couple friends with me." Miwa offers, waving to Ash and Mirage with a flipper. "Meet Ash and Mirage, two good new friends of mine who helped rescue me from the clutches of Team Rocket." She explains, pointedly not mentioning that they were from off world. The man nods to Miwa and glances at Ash and Mirage briefly before gesturing to the chairs, and a bean bag. "Have a seat, please." At this, Miwa flops onto and curls atop the bean bag chair. "So what did you want to talk to me about?" 

     Kaleo frowns and begins. "I asked you to come here because... I wanted to apologize. When you left, I thought you just needed a break from the limelight, and that you'd eventually come back. When you didn't, I found myself missing you. One day I went down to the beach near your new home, and I saw how much you were getting along with the wild Pokemon and the people who came to the beach, and knew that you weren't going to come back unless something changed. I thought... that if I made you afraid of the dangers of the world, that you'd come back to me so I.... I contracted Team Rocket to take you for a while, and though the idea was they'd give you back to me in a way that made it look like I was rescuing you, Team Rocket decided they liked the idea of having you as a source of clean income was too good to let go of. I realize now that what I did was awful beyond words, and I totally understand if you never forgive me, but I couldn't live with myself anymore if I didn't tell you what I'd done and tell you how truly sorry I am." The man is in tears by the time he finishes his confession, and Miwa is just staring at him with her mouth hanging open, stunned speechless.

Ash kept his hands clasped in front of him as he played the part of a gawking star struck tourist. He assumed Mirage would be playing the part of the 'obvious' heavy of Miwa's friends which would allow him to stay in the background and try putting his Darvo hat on to see if any of his snooping on Corpus backstabbing paid off.

The man they approached looked 'old enough' to seem wize, perhaps even kindly disposed. Ash smiled and waved as he decided to look about the office, giving the appearance of not paying attention and only made a vauge waving motion as he was introduced. 

Then Kaleo started talkin, and while Ash pretended to dstudy what was going on through the window the majority of his focus was on the man's voice. No false front. No kind grandfather welcoming a child home. An... admission that he was directly responsible.

He turned then, eyes narrowing as he focused on the man. Mirage might see the finges of his right hand curl and flex. "Just so you're awakre." He stated in a completely calm voice, "I have just recorded you admitting to contracting a criminal organization to kidnap and then torture my friend here with the intent of foring her back into your employment."

Ash glowered. His plan of using mirage to mentally confront the man was scrapped. In its place was a raw boiling rage in the pit of his stomach.

"Hello there," Mirage replies pleasantly, now looking like a quite well-dressed and human version of her regular self--Mirage was prudent about her disguises. She didn't embellish things too much. She sits herself down and places her palms against her knees, leaning forward.

"So... you set that all up yourself?" Mirage grins, her human disguise bearing the same bucked teeth as her more mousey true-form, trying to grin rather than show any overt signs of anger or frustration with this person, and doing a passable job of it!

However, a subtle observer would notice the pens or other object on Kaleo's desk starting to vibrate as if the area is going through a small earthquake at the moment--just for a second. Like a large truck rolled by. Mirage is working hard to restrain her telekinetic rage, here.

<You will let Miwa do as she wishes> Mirage is already trying to insert the command into Kaleo's head, focusing her raw psionic might instead down on his mind.

     Miwa eventually finds her voice, and certainly looks angry as she glares back at Kaleo. "So, rather than asking nicely, as you figured that I would say no, you decided to try and force me to go back to you by having me kidnapped? I can't believe the man who raised me from when I was a baby Popplio, would throw away all the good memories we had together by pulling something like this. You're right to think I may never forgive you. Right now, I feel like I never want to see your face again as it's obvious there was a side of you I never saw before, and I'd prefer I never saw it again..." Miwa rants as tears well up in her eyes and run down the sides of her face and then her neck. 

     Kaleo just frowns and nods, and whether it's from his own will, or Mirage's psionic influence, he pulls out Miwa's Pokeball. It appears to be custom made, white on top, blue on the bottom with a ocean wave pattern, and the button in the center is decorated with a sapphire. He holds it out toward Miwa. "I understand, I deserve this and so much more. I think I may go turn myself into the police and give them the full story about what happened. But for now, I renounce myself as your trainer, and fully release you. You are now free to do whatever you want, and I will never bother you again." Miwa takes the Pokeball and holds it between her flippers, frowning as tears still stream down from her eyes. She isn't sure what else to say, so she lets Ash and Mirage have their piece, if they have anything to add before they leave.

Ash just stands there, his right hand twitching as he firmly tamps down the urge to blow the man's head of. "I do not know what laws this world has, but I have forwarded this convrosation and a picture of your face to the local authorities." Htook a deep breath, drawing himself up as light flashed in his eyes, attempting to bore holes into the man with his eyes. "I would say be grateful Miwa wouldn't want me to kill you, but I am a believer that a long life left knowing you destroyed the one thing you love is its own hel. May you live forever Kaleo. And hate every moment of it."

With that he turned on his heels and followed Miwa.

"Good decision... so, Miwa, are you in the mood for McStarmies, by any chance? I'm famished!" Mirage is quick to switch gears from tense and angry, after having chiseled into that dude's brain, more or less. Maybe she is trying to distract herself from causing any damage or hurting someone? It's hard to tell--either way, she seems like she wants to get out of there before she does anything... unwise. She gets up and follows Miwa out, briskly.

     Once her friends have said their piece, Miwa tosses her Pokeball to Ash for safe keeping as she had no easy way to hold onto it at the moment. "Have a nice life Kaleo..." Miwa offers with a bit of venom in her tone despite exercising restraint. She follows Mirage and Ash out of the office and nods. "Sure, food sounds good right now, anything to focus on besides the fact that I just found out that the man I looked up to my whole life is a scumbag." She says as she takes a moment to wipe away her tears before following Ash and Mirage out of the office building as the sound of sirens can be heard appraching from the distance.