unexpected [c]

[attr="class","dibody"]valerie has received a new message!

gun to your head. go home or kill a man?

lights flicker, fuses threaten to blow. a gunshot can be heard against the lock of the apartment door. scurrying can be heard between the walls- power outage. the apartment falls dark, only illuminated by moonlight. is that a flash of teeth? it doesn't last long. blinds fall, any light only from her phone now. it won't help. any figure that may have been there has swept in like a ghost- the shrring of a revealed blade can be heard in the pitch black.

valerie has received a new message!

it's accompanied by a voice this time, near her ear, the flat part of the cold metal threatening her throat. "knife to your throat," she grins, voice hoarse, excited. she lets the words linger. "release all your pokemon, or kiss a girl?"

there's a snicker now, followed by a thud from the other room, followed by a grunt of annoyance from the stranger herself. Lights return, a pikachu can be seen face-down ass-up in the kitchen, obviously having fallen from an open vent above. "honestly, grey.." there's annoyance in her voice- she realizes she still holds valerie at knife point, and she quickly drops the thing, slinking from her position next to the girl's ear to sprawling out on the top of the couch.

There's a shit-eating grin on her face as she twirls the little knife between nimble, but dirty fingers.

"Found ya."

[attr="class","dibody"]Laughs start immediately after the recognition. "You too, Houdini," she grins, sliding off of the couch and back on to her feet. With the adrenaline gone, the smell of liquor would be prominent. It's only now that the sharp, precise machine present before could be seen for what she really was:

drunk.

She was respectful this time, though; it was a reunion after all, and a pleasant buzz was enough to keep her content (as opposed to the black-out night she had planned). Another pikachu comes scampering from behind the curtains, both of the electric mice scampering on to their trainer's shoulders, noses twitching furiously as they eye the stranger. "We planned this for weeks, y'know. Wasn't easy, had to follow ya for a long time, talk to some of that.." she pauses, searching for the word. "Garbage you been dealin' with. What the fuck is up with that?" she grins, the flash of teeth accompanied by a quick wink. "Don' worry, most made it out a'ight."

She's leaning against the wall now, head rolling as she takes a look at the whole apartment.

"This it?"

Granted, she wasn't one to talk. At least Val had a place. Hotel jumping was a habit, but not one she liked.

[attr="class","dibody"]"huh?" her attention is drawn back to Valerie, taking a pause to soak in the words, cloudy mind doing its best to process everything. despite how casual she seems nikki is a bouncing child who wants nothing more than to know what her childhood friend has been up to; gotta keep it cool. "O-oh, ha, yeah yeah, she's all right. Sleepin' in the office though, lucky bitch." A nap wouldn't be so bad once this introduction shit was over. she processes all too late that the girl is coming at her- her guard is down. it's concerning-- should she really be this relaxed around this person? sure, they were great as kids, but people change..

a frown (pout?) sits on her face as the informant sits on top of her. "the fuck ya talkin' about?" she huffs, not bothering to struggle. two pikachu jump to attention, cheeks sparking as they stand strong behind their trainer's fallen self; any threat would be eliminated until further command. nikki doesn't wave them off, not yet. they wouldn't make a move until valerie did, after all. she looks away at the question; it's too sobering, she hates it. "ain't any different from normal; gotta hide from papa silph and shit," she grumbles, eventually locking eyes with the other girl again.

"and when did you get to be such a sneaky shit?" there's a hint of a smile, albeit small. "heavy as fuck," she squirms under her.

"all that matters is that i'm here now, doesn'it?"

[attr="class","dibody3"]at first all valerie gets is a stupid grin as nikki scoots up against the end of the couch. yeah yeah, don't we all" she sighs, eyes still looking around the apartment, foggy from alcohol. she notices something new every time, despite the minimalism. eventually she focuses on to val as she moves.

hot mess.

she frowns. "the fuck you talking about?" she scoffs, defiant. to be called out by someone so close.. it makes her stubborn, embarrassed almost. for someone who used to hold so much pride, she feels uncomfortable being scorned by her old friend. "the hair helps keep the family away. they don't know any better, not yet," she grumbles, twirling it in her fingers. "and i smell like booze because i'm drunk, bitch. surprise." sarcasm nearly drips off her tongue, albeit playful. the tone changes to something she had wanted to avoid: serious. of course.

well if one person deserved to know..

then again, does she really trust her?

why the fuck not.

"in summary? team rocket. success. disappointment. death. drugs. escape, here. pissed off dad enough that he doesn't want me here. fernando too. you know how they tie loose ends..." she's turned solemn; valerie would be more than familiar with the silph code, especially the family had been at her doorstep so many times. "you can throw 'get clean' in there somewhere, but i wouldn't say it's complete.". she flashes a smile, though the confidence previously behind it has vanished.