Pokémon Legends: Court of Kings

[Marsuru]

'Come to see how the other half live?' Zack said with a fake grin. After all the s**t Salieri said about the nobility, she had a court noble hanging out at her treehouse? What the ********. 'Keep hold of your valuables, this one here's got sticky fingers.'  

[Jump Einatz]

"I'm aware. Her police record is extensive for a seventeen year old." Juliet eyed Salieri with a raised eyebrow. "Eighteen? Your age is vague."
Sal pinched her brow and shut her eyes, as if it'd make her problems disappear. "Now there's two of you. And one of you is my stalker."
"I wouldn't say that. I evaluate all my P.O.I's the same way."
"Me?" Sal asked, indignant that she'd be a person of interest in any case. Between the last time she saw Juliet and now, she hadn't done anything worthy of getting police attention. Except for the scuffle with the pirates, but Matheson had covered for them. "What'd I do?"

Juliet didn't answer, only keeping up her sly smile as her attention went back to Zack. "My father wanted me to question you about Ratio's attack on Route 10. I think you'd agree with me that it isn't necessary." Her eyes narrowed. "But I feel you're intent on continuing your vigilantism, aren't you?"  

[Marsuru]

Sticky fingers? Geddit? She stole his notebook and now her hand's stuck to... Zack frowned his way through Juliet and Sal's exchange until the focus came back to him. He paused for a second, then grinned.

'Well gee, thanks for sparing us the interrogation. Defying daddy's orders, now that's how we know you're on our side.' Zack gave Salieri a sidelong eyeroll before returning to Juliet. 'Naturally we're gonna tell you what you actually want to know now, right? Cut the s**t, princess. You're just as much a cop as that kid over there.' Zack nudged his head toward a gotengoer who had his finger up his nose. 'I know nobles like to think they're an exception, but this little game of police you're playing? It makes you the vigilante. Better stop before you break a nail.'  

[Jump Einatz]

Salieri had never liked Zack more than right now. She felt a warm satisfaction at the insults thrown the noblewoman's way.

Meanwhile, Juliet stood quietly and retained her airy smile. She was used to being reprimanded, but to have it come from a common tourist was an amusing variant. "I'll take that as a 'yes'," she said, examining her nails.

"You gonna tell us to stop or something?" Salieri asked defiantly. "Fat chance-"

"No no no. I see it as a civic duty." Juliet gave them both an approving nod. "And who knows? You might make excellent bait." Then she regarded Zaxk again. "I'm choosing not to question you because you know nothing that I don't." She gave him another head tilt. "...unless you know something about Ratio's attack on Hotel Richissime last night?"

Salieri gulped and looked away as if she hadn't been listening. She had failed to mention that assault to Zack.  

[Marsuru]

's**t, she actually checked her nails,' Zack said to Salieri with a grin. Sal's satisfaction fed back into him, egging him on. He didn't change his expression when Juliet mentioned Ratio's latest attack, instead he leaned towards Salieri and whispered through clenched teeth, 'What is she talking about?'  

[Jump Einatz]

Salieri continued to look away, lips pursed together. "Uh, well, Ratio attacked Hotel Richissime last night," she echoed, feeling like a dork for allowing this miscommunication to happen.

"Hm. That's what I thought," Juliet sighed, actually disappointed. "I suppose Elizabeth milked you dry already."
"Juliet," Sal groaned wearily. Today was piling up into a steaming mound of s**t and she was quite over it. "Get out of my treehouse."
"Oh? You're bold to command a noble where to go."
"Oh?" Sal repeated in a durdly, mocking tone. "You're bold to think your jurisdiction reaches my treehouse."

Now the eyes of all the kids who had been listening were on Salieri, perplexed by her audacity. Juliet had the same reaction. "What."

"Technically, Gotengo isn't part of Kalos."

Mia walked out of the building and onto the porch, arms folded with half a spliff tucked behind her ear. "It's a zoning error. Somebody must've messed up years ago but by law, this building is a micronation." Anticipating Juliet's confusion, Mia handed her the deed to the property in its scrolled up glory.

Then she laid eyes on Sal and Zack. She looked at their hands and sighed. "I knew it was just a matter of time."  

[Marsuru]

'Oops,' said Zack. 'Maybe now you can take your attitude and ******** off.'  

[Jump Einatz]

Sal watched Juliet ignore Zack while she looked at the deed. It was strange how she only took a second or two to look at the printing before turning the paper around like it was some artifact to be examined. Sal then switched her attention to Mia, who she gave a big grin. "Miaaaaa~."

"Hey you." Mia nodded at Zack too. "And you. So what's up with the-"
"It was a guy. He Ghosted our hands together. We're sharing pain. And emotions. It's terrible."
"Sure," Mia said, not batting an eye.
"Oh we also have a robot we need you to look at."
"Now you're speaking my language."

Mia came down the stairs. Of course, the first thing the budding scientist did was pinch Sal hard on the cheek and look to Zack for a reaction. "Ow, b***h!" yelped Sal.  

[Marsuru]

'Nope, didn't feel anything,' Zack lied. It'd take more than a pinch on the cheek to get him to squeal. 'Maybe you should try again but harder.'  

[Jump Einatz]

Mia shrugged and decided to try again per suggestion. Sal used Knock Off on her hand, slapping it away. "Trust me, he felt it."
"Interesting." Mia rubbed her chin. "What happens if your punch yourself in the-"
"Tried that too. It also works. No, we're not doing it again."

"What an interesting oversight," Juliet remarked, interrupting the conversation to hand the deed back to Mia. "You're aware that this complex would be torn down if the wrong person found out about it?"

Sal and Mia exchanged nervous glances. The deed was supposed to be a way to defend against outside authorities taking Gotengo down. But if push came to shove, this was one micronation that didn't have the power to defend itself. Salieri couldn't be its champion to fight against Kalos on her own.

Juliet chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't be that person...I kind of like it here, actually."
Sal snorted. "That's too bad, cause you still have to-"
"Stay if you want," Mia cut in. Sal shot her a glare that Mia ignored. "Everyone's welcome at Gotengo. So long as they're chill."
"Thank you, Mia. But I still don't feel welcome here." Her smile took on a sadder tone. Sal didn't care.
"Then beat it already."

Juliet took a business card out of her pocket. A fancy black font on a simple white background with her public contact information. "If you'd like to stay informed, you can call me," she told Zack, tucking the card into a crease in his sling unless he rejected the action. "The enemy of my enemy, after all."  

[Marsuru]

That's the second time a court noblewoman had given Zack her number. Too bad privileged narcissists weren't his type.

'Your daddy ******** up her daddy. Shouldn't have come here in the first place, dickhead,' he said. The vitriol he felt towards the nobility was a fairly new sensation, and he blamed the bond. Still, it felt satisfying to call Juliet some names. After everything he'd heard about them, the nobility needed to be put in their place. 's**t, someone like you, born into power and wealth and what do you do?'

He gave Salieri a grin like he was holding back laughter and left the answer hang unspoken.

'Leave the assassin to the police, princess. If you wanna help anyone, go help the people who need it.'  

[Jump Einatz]

Juliet's smile faded, but she tried to remain composed. "Well, if that's how you feel." She gave Mia a friendly nod and walked around Salieri-

-but not before the bandanna girl checked Juliet's shoulder with her own, making the noblewoman stumble into the porch railing.

Sal watched over her shoulder as Juliet stood up, dusting herself off. Her intimidation was met with an "Oooo" from the Gotengoers who had been silent until now. "Don't come back."

Juliet didn't look back, electing to just stand here with her back to everyone on the porch for a few seconds. Then she went on her way.

"You're both jerks," Mia whispered to Sal and Zack. She hustled after Juliet. Sal watched her nerdy best friend catch up to the noblewoman. The two of them talked out of earshot, laughed, and then Juliet left the building.

"The answer is a guilty conscience," Mia told the kids on the porch. They all groaned, some saying that they were about to get it themselves, others saying that is was a dumb riddle. "So what's this about a robot?"

"Let's talk inside," Sal said, trying not to sound as betrayed as she felt. Mia was her friend. She couldn't be friendly with a Nostrad too.

Mia led them inside and up the spiral staircase to her workshop on one of the upper branches. She latched the door closed and Salieri plopped the Chatbot's corpse onto the table. "...this warrants some explanation."  

[Marsuru]

'Not as much explanation as your new best buddy,' Zack said, feeling the sting of Salieri's jealousy, 'but we'll get to that. Why don't we start with the new Ratio attack you all neglected to mention. Or was it not important?'  

[Jump Einatz]

"It slipped my mind," Salieri said. She was being honest. There were other things on her mind when she had run into Zack earlier.
"It's not important," Mia insisted.

Mia was trying to play it nonchalant as usual. It didn't work as well when the subject was essentially a terrorist attack. And Salieri remembered Mia's stress over the phone very well. The girl had been shaken. Who wouldn't be? But Mia wasn't used to facing down a direct threat to her life. Not like Salieri. Not like Zack.

"Last night Ratio showed up at Hotel Richissime. He put everyone in the lobby to sleep. Eight casualties, no fatalities. He was there for ten minutes tops before he snatched a court noble and bounced." Sal nodded at Mia. "Mia saw the whole thing-"

"And I don't want to talk about it." Mia pushed up her glasses and folded her arms. "There's nothing else to say. He came, he creeped, he conquered. That's all."  

[Marsuru]

'Nice to know he's kept himself busy at least,' Zack would've pinched his brow at this point, but he couldn't. He settled for frowning. 'Alright, which noble? Last time he took someone out it was a Leroux. Might be a pattern.'