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It was an honor to be chosen to serve as his guard at his beach house in Seafoam. It's not often someone from my rank gets picked for something like that, but with all the missions I've been doing lately, he must have heard good things about me. I dared to think I may be in the running for a promotion or something.
I waited for him on the roof of the headquarters, his unmarked private helicopter starting up and idling for several minutes before he finally arrived. Something was wrong, though, but it took me until boarding to put my finger on what made me think that. He usually watched everyone around him with eyes like a hawk, but today he didn't even make eye contact with anyone, not even his faithful Persian. But of course I kept my mouth shut, closing the door behind us.
We rode in silence, and I watched out the window as the land turned to city, then to forest, then to farmland. As we passed over the town where I knew the Oak Lab was located, Giovanni rose from his seat and joined me at the window. I took a step back, affording him more room at to see out, and I nearly fell over backwards when he grabbed my arm. "Pallet..." he muttered, the crispness in his voice coming through even though it was a private statement.
"Yes sir, I believe that's what it's called." I managed to not sound like an idiot, even though that's how I felt.
He looked down at me and I'd never felt so small. "You're new. What's your name?"
Damn, he hadn't picked me himself after all. But that didn't seem to matter any more. "Mondo, sir." Had my name always sounded so stupid?
"Mondo...Very well, Mondo, I feel you should be warned."
I straightened my back to stand as tall as I could. "Warned, sir?" What could this be about? I knew the dangers that went along with serving as a bodyguard to someone like him. They were kind of obvious...but he was always the sort to keep us guessing.
That hand let go of my arm, but ran through my hair before he drew it back. "Anything you bear witness to this weekend is to remain your secret. Breathe a word of anything to anyone, even your own trusted pokemon, and I'll have you imprisoned as a traitor."
I was positive I was sweating. What could he be talking about? And was he always so tall? Or was I just short? In lieu of any rational reply, I nodded.
He smirked and returned to his seat for the duration of the ride, and I was relieved to not have him so close. I knew he was intimidating, but experiencing that first hand was a lot more than I was expecting.
Seafoam was hot, and of course my uniform had long sleeves. It was similar to my usual Rocket uniform, but without the R. He had to maintain plausable deniability, no matter how many people knew the truth about him. Even so, I was awfully paranoid that the wrong people would put two and two together, but it was out of my hands.
Giovanni himself seemed unable to relax as well. I followed him from the mansion out to the beach, where he laid down in a prepared lounging chair and I swear I heard him sigh.
I stood next to him, watching the water. It was awfully bright, and I wondered briefly how someone could take advantage of that, and then wondered if thinking such a thing made me a traitor. But I didn't have much time to my thoughts because he was talking to me. "Tonight I'll be going out. I expect you to stay here."
"Here, sir?" I was confused. Didn't going out alone defeat the purpose of having a bodyguard?
He narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses. "Yes. I'll have Persian if anything comes up." And at his side, Persian meowed...was it sad? It sounded sad, or something similar. "I'll be gone for a few hours, during which time you will be considered my guest. You'll have the run of the house, within reason of course. And when I return, you are to accompany me to my personal quarters."
I suppose I had to expect that last part. He had a reputation for things like that, but it was still a surprise to hear it. "Yes sir," I said without much of anything in my voice.
"Good." And he was silent again, the only sound him taking a sip of his drink.
He left just after dinner, leaving in a car without a driver. It was unusual for him to drive himself, but his normal chauffeur told me he was an excellent driver. But that didn't answer why he left on his own, or where he went.
I didn't really do much but wander around the mansion and wait for him, going back to the door every half hour or so. His butler noticed me doing that and said "That's not going to get our leader back here any faster" as he passed by, leaving me alone in the hallway again.
"Gee, thanks," I muttered, the first words I'd said in about an hour and it hadn't even dawned on me that I hadn't been speaking. I headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water when I heard the front door slam shut.
I hurried back to the entryway and found Giovanni with his Persian weaving around him. It looked worried, which made *me* worried, so I ran towards him as though expecting the worst. But he snapped his head up and glared at me like I was doing something horribly wrong.
"Sir, I'm sorry, I--" and then he was right next to me, making me feel small again.
"Come with me," he demanded in a tone that made me think my compliance would be the first thing that had gone right for him tonight. So of course I went, letting him lead the way up the stairs and down the hall to his room. I'd been up there about fifteen minutes before, but it didn't seem as long a walk when it was just me by myself.
"Sir," was my voice really shaking? "where did you go?"
But he didn't answer and opened the door to his room. "Now get inside."
I gulped heavily, thinking about the situation as I entered the room. He didn't seem mad, just...not entirely together. But as I'd heard from other agents, he got like that some times. Of course, thinking about him being unpredictable didn't make me any less nervous.
The door slammed shut behind me, and before I could even turn around, he grabbed me by the hair and pulled me towards him. "Ow! Sir, what are you doing?"
His fingers twisted on my scalp before relaxing. "I don't care for brown hair. It makes me mad."
Brown hair? What was he talking about? I decided not to bring up his own brown hair, but what *could* I say? I finally decided on "Mad, sir?"
He let me go entirely then, and I rubbed the spot where his hand had been. And that's when I got a good look at him. His eyes were bloodshot and he kept twisting one of his rings; not the signet ring, but his other one, the gold band. "It reminds me of someone. Today was our--" He trailed off, clearing his throat and standing tall again. "On the sink you'll find a box. I want you to use it."
"Yessir," I said, bowing a little and looking in the adjoining bathroom. There was a little box on the sink just like he said, and when I turned on the light I could see that it was hair dye.
Had he wanted me in particular after all? Who knows how long that box had been there, but he had to have put it there at the soonest before he left. He was planning this out, and for him to have picked me made me feel a little sick.
But I really couldn't decline a direct order like that. He told me to do it, and really, what was the harm? It was just hair...wasn't it?
As I bent over the side of the tub and let the water from the faucet run over my hair, I thought about Miss Jesse and the importance her long red hair had to her. Would I ever get to see her again? But something like that wasn't good to think about at a time like that, since it just made me feel sicker.
I worked the purple goo into my hair, hoping it wouldn't leave it as bright as the stuff was. Between the thoughts and the strangeness of the order, I was left confused. Who was he talking about that brown hair reminded him of?
I'd never dyed my hair before so I didn't know what I was doing, but the box said I had to let it sit before washing it out. What was I supposed to do until then? Stay in the bathroom for half an hour? Tenatively, I opened the door. He was still sitting on the bed with a low gaze, idly petting Persian. "Sir?" I asked carefully.
He blinked, he and Persian looking up in the same moment. "What do--oh." He paused for a second, standing slowly and coming over to examine me closer. "That should be very nice when it's finished."
"Sir, why did you have me do this?" The words were out before I could stop them, and I winced once I realized what I'd said.
I thought he was going to react violently again, but he just sighed. "If only she listened as well as you do," was all he said before turning to leave the room. Persian followed, looking back at me with a mournful expression before darting out the door.
I was alone in the room, but I still waited the full half an hour before washing my hair out.
I waited for him on the roof of the headquarters, his unmarked private helicopter starting up and idling for several minutes before he finally arrived. Something was wrong, though, but it took me until boarding to put my finger on what made me think that. He usually watched everyone around him with eyes like a hawk, but today he didn't even make eye contact with anyone, not even his faithful Persian. But of course I kept my mouth shut, closing the door behind us.
We rode in silence, and I watched out the window as the land turned to city, then to forest, then to farmland. As we passed over the town where I knew the Oak Lab was located, Giovanni rose from his seat and joined me at the window. I took a step back, affording him more room at to see out, and I nearly fell over backwards when he grabbed my arm. "Pallet..." he muttered, the crispness in his voice coming through even though it was a private statement.
"Yes sir, I believe that's what it's called." I managed to not sound like an idiot, even though that's how I felt.
He looked down at me and I'd never felt so small. "You're new. What's your name?"
Damn, he hadn't picked me himself after all. But that didn't seem to matter any more. "Mondo, sir." Had my name always sounded so stupid?
"Mondo...Very well, Mondo, I feel you should be warned."
I straightened my back to stand as tall as I could. "Warned, sir?" What could this be about? I knew the dangers that went along with serving as a bodyguard to someone like him. They were kind of obvious...but he was always the sort to keep us guessing.
That hand let go of my arm, but ran through my hair before he drew it back. "Anything you bear witness to this weekend is to remain your secret. Breathe a word of anything to anyone, even your own trusted pokemon, and I'll have you imprisoned as a traitor."
I was positive I was sweating. What could he be talking about? And was he always so tall? Or was I just short? In lieu of any rational reply, I nodded.
He smirked and returned to his seat for the duration of the ride, and I was relieved to not have him so close. I knew he was intimidating, but experiencing that first hand was a lot more than I was expecting.
Seafoam was hot, and of course my uniform had long sleeves. It was similar to my usual Rocket uniform, but without the R. He had to maintain plausable deniability, no matter how many people knew the truth about him. Even so, I was awfully paranoid that the wrong people would put two and two together, but it was out of my hands.
Giovanni himself seemed unable to relax as well. I followed him from the mansion out to the beach, where he laid down in a prepared lounging chair and I swear I heard him sigh.
I stood next to him, watching the water. It was awfully bright, and I wondered briefly how someone could take advantage of that, and then wondered if thinking such a thing made me a traitor. But I didn't have much time to my thoughts because he was talking to me. "Tonight I'll be going out. I expect you to stay here."
"Here, sir?" I was confused. Didn't going out alone defeat the purpose of having a bodyguard?
He narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses. "Yes. I'll have Persian if anything comes up." And at his side, Persian meowed...was it sad? It sounded sad, or something similar. "I'll be gone for a few hours, during which time you will be considered my guest. You'll have the run of the house, within reason of course. And when I return, you are to accompany me to my personal quarters."
I suppose I had to expect that last part. He had a reputation for things like that, but it was still a surprise to hear it. "Yes sir," I said without much of anything in my voice.
"Good." And he was silent again, the only sound him taking a sip of his drink.
He left just after dinner, leaving in a car without a driver. It was unusual for him to drive himself, but his normal chauffeur told me he was an excellent driver. But that didn't answer why he left on his own, or where he went.
I didn't really do much but wander around the mansion and wait for him, going back to the door every half hour or so. His butler noticed me doing that and said "That's not going to get our leader back here any faster" as he passed by, leaving me alone in the hallway again.
"Gee, thanks," I muttered, the first words I'd said in about an hour and it hadn't even dawned on me that I hadn't been speaking. I headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water when I heard the front door slam shut.
I hurried back to the entryway and found Giovanni with his Persian weaving around him. It looked worried, which made *me* worried, so I ran towards him as though expecting the worst. But he snapped his head up and glared at me like I was doing something horribly wrong.
"Sir, I'm sorry, I--" and then he was right next to me, making me feel small again.
"Come with me," he demanded in a tone that made me think my compliance would be the first thing that had gone right for him tonight. So of course I went, letting him lead the way up the stairs and down the hall to his room. I'd been up there about fifteen minutes before, but it didn't seem as long a walk when it was just me by myself.
"Sir," was my voice really shaking? "where did you go?"
But he didn't answer and opened the door to his room. "Now get inside."
I gulped heavily, thinking about the situation as I entered the room. He didn't seem mad, just...not entirely together. But as I'd heard from other agents, he got like that some times. Of course, thinking about him being unpredictable didn't make me any less nervous.
The door slammed shut behind me, and before I could even turn around, he grabbed me by the hair and pulled me towards him. "Ow! Sir, what are you doing?"
His fingers twisted on my scalp before relaxing. "I don't care for brown hair. It makes me mad."
Brown hair? What was he talking about? I decided not to bring up his own brown hair, but what *could* I say? I finally decided on "Mad, sir?"
He let me go entirely then, and I rubbed the spot where his hand had been. And that's when I got a good look at him. His eyes were bloodshot and he kept twisting one of his rings; not the signet ring, but his other one, the gold band. "It reminds me of someone. Today was our--" He trailed off, clearing his throat and standing tall again. "On the sink you'll find a box. I want you to use it."
"Yessir," I said, bowing a little and looking in the adjoining bathroom. There was a little box on the sink just like he said, and when I turned on the light I could see that it was hair dye.
Had he wanted me in particular after all? Who knows how long that box had been there, but he had to have put it there at the soonest before he left. He was planning this out, and for him to have picked me made me feel a little sick.
But I really couldn't decline a direct order like that. He told me to do it, and really, what was the harm? It was just hair...wasn't it?
As I bent over the side of the tub and let the water from the faucet run over my hair, I thought about Miss Jesse and the importance her long red hair had to her. Would I ever get to see her again? But something like that wasn't good to think about at a time like that, since it just made me feel sicker.
I worked the purple goo into my hair, hoping it wouldn't leave it as bright as the stuff was. Between the thoughts and the strangeness of the order, I was left confused. Who was he talking about that brown hair reminded him of?
I'd never dyed my hair before so I didn't know what I was doing, but the box said I had to let it sit before washing it out. What was I supposed to do until then? Stay in the bathroom for half an hour? Tenatively, I opened the door. He was still sitting on the bed with a low gaze, idly petting Persian. "Sir?" I asked carefully.
He blinked, he and Persian looking up in the same moment. "What do--oh." He paused for a second, standing slowly and coming over to examine me closer. "That should be very nice when it's finished."
"Sir, why did you have me do this?" The words were out before I could stop them, and I winced once I realized what I'd said.
I thought he was going to react violently again, but he just sighed. "If only she listened as well as you do," was all he said before turning to leave the room. Persian followed, looking back at me with a mournful expression before darting out the door.
I was alone in the room, but I still waited the full half an hour before washing my hair out.