Chapter 3- Memories and Roses
"Now that that's taken care of, I think I'll have a look in her file." Giovanni said, resting on the coach in his mansion. It was about seven o' clock, so he knew he had plenty of time to thoroughly examine the document. As he opened it, he saw the usual: résumé, contacts, medical information. He checked her medical info. Nothing unusual. He thought to himself, moving on to the résumé. Examining it, he was intrigued when he saw that her real name was Hadassah and her middle name was Esther. Why on Earth would she go by her middle name instead of her first name? He thought to himself, shaking his head. Boy, the author of this story knows how to puzzle someone, that's for sure.
After checking her résumé, he moved on to her contacts. He was surprised to see that her parents were not on it; just her brother, stepsisters, and guardian, Prof. Oak. I wonder if she's got a diary of some sort. He mused. Maybe that will explain why her parents aren't on the contact list. Now if I can just get her face out of my head. He looked back at her photo again, then remembered what his old friend looked like when they had last seen each other: four years before. I wonder if they're the same person. Same first name, same black hair, He looked at the picture thoughtfully. Same...entrancing...violet eyes.
He sighed, pulling a photo out of his wallet. The photo showed him, at eleven, and his friend, Hadassah, who was nine at the time, together just before he, his mom, & his brothers had moved away from Pallet Town to Viridian. Maybe she was that girl from long ago. He looked back at her photo from the file, then back at the one. They look the same but, then, she might look a lot different from this one.
He then thought of something. Maybe I can get Robin still. I bet I can. It's nowhere close to curfew yet. He went to his phone and dialed Robin's cell phone number. "Hello, this is Robin." The voice at the other end replied. "Robin, this is your Boss. I need to know whether that Bryars kid has a diary or journal or not." Giovanni said. "I think she does. Before I left for the bar, I think I saw a floppy on her nightstand labeled, 'Diary.' Plus, if it's not that, it may be a file in her computer. But I doubt it, because when I saw her on her Laptop last, she had saved it really fast when she saw that I was looking, and took out the floppy. It may have a password, though." Robin said. "See if you can locate that disk and password. She may have the passwords located in some file on her computer. Contact me if you find the disk. If you can't find a password for it, I just might be able to hack into it." Giovanni ordered. "Yes, sir. It may take a few attempts, though." Robin replied. "Just try." Giovanni said. "I need that file!"
Meanwhile...
"I've got to go, Link, Josh. If we get charged for phone calls, I've probably racked up a fortune." Esther said, laughing. "Ok, Es." Link said, then he frowned. "But first, when ARE you coming home?" "I come home on Friday evenings, unless, of course, my Boss needs me for something or I'm on a mission." Esther said, sighing. "Don't worry. I'll see you two soon. I miss you guys too much to work weekends... willingly, anyway!" "You haven't told anybody the secret, have you?" Link asked, his voice ringing with concern. "About being a 'Heroine of Time'? Nah. It's safe, Link. I've vowed to myself that I won't tell anyone or change to another form unless I absolutely have to, like if I'm in terrible danger and only another form of mine can rescue me or someone else." She said, smiling. "I put that cape on and fastened it on my right shoulder, so it covers my left side, so you can't see the Triforce mark. Plus, I have those black gloves on, so that covers it up just fine."
"Good point." Link said back, smiling. "Well, better let you go. You look really tired." "That I am." Esther replied, yawning. "Bye, Link! Bye, Josh! I love you guys!" "Love you too, sis! Bye!" Link said, waving over the Videophone. "Bye, Mommy! I love you!" Little Josh said. "Bye, sweetheart! I'll see you Friday night, honey! I love you too!" Esther said. "You make Mommy proud and be nice and listen to Uncle Link!" "Ok, mommy!"
After taking a quick shower, she sat down, and reached for her Laptop. Turning it on, she went to her Word(tm) document containing her passwords for various things. Going to the next blank line, she typed "Diary", went over a couple of spaces, then typed in "Giovanni John Rocket", the name of her old friend. She sighed as she typed the name into the file. As she did, she reached for her pack that contained her photo of him and her together, five years before. She smiled as she looked at it. She missed him terribly, even though they had met up again a year after the picture was taken. He had saved her life then, although from what she could not remember. Maybe we'll meet soon, Giovanni. I'll be praying that we do. Little did she know, that her prayers were not in vain, and had been answered that morning. She saved the file and closed the laptop. She fell asleep shortly afterwards.
About an hour later, Robin entered her room quietly, hoping that Esther was asleep. She was, which relieved Robin greatly. She set about looking for the password and disk. She found the password document still open, which Esther had been too tired to think about closing. Tsk, tsk. Careless, aren't we, Ms. Bryars? Leaving confidential records just open and running. You're just asking for someone to read them. Namely, me...your 'too-nice-for-a-Redhead' roommate. Robin thought, simmering. Ah-ha! The password for her diary is... 'Giovanni John Rocket'? Whatever. Robin thought, writing the password down on a slip of paper. Now where's the disk? Oh, right next to the laptop? You are very careless, Esther Bryars. You make my mission WAY too easy. Robin closed the laptop back, took the disk, and quietly retreated to where Giovanni and she had agreed to meet.
"Here it is, sir. The password's on the paper, and that's the disk. She made that mission much too easy. She had her password file open, and the diskette was right next to the laptop! I hope she's not that careless when she has more energy, otherwise she may not be the best employee!" Robin said, laughing. "How'd you get them? She doesn't know you have them, does she?" Giovanni asked, narrowing his eyes at Robin. "Oh...I just saw her password file open on her laptop and copied it down. Like I said, the floppy was right next to it. And don't worry about her knowing about it, Boss. She was fast asleep! I don't think she liked my remark that she's going to be even more tired on a mission, though." "Ready to faint, huh?" Giovanni said, shaking his head. "I certainly hope she has more energy tomorrow. Otherwise, you may have your work cut out for you, Robin." Robin frowned.
"Thank you for retrieving this for me. There's something about her...and naturally, since going to the source: Ms. Bryars in this case, would prove a waste of valuable time, we have to go to the closest thing to the source: journals or diaries, or, in this case, confidential records. Remember that. Now, I must be going. Good night, Robin." Giovanni said, turning back to his limo and heading back to his mansion.
As Giovanni sat down, he inserted the floppy disk into his computer and brought up the Word program. He checked the password, and was shocked to see that it was his name. How in the blue blazes does she know my name? He thought to himself, typing in the password vigorously. We'll see how you know this "private information", Esther Bryars. Only very high-ranking Rockets knew his first name, and none, that he knew of anyway, knew his middle and last name. The file flashed up on the screen, and Giovanni started reading the first entry in it. After about two hours of reading, he finally came to her entry from that morning.
After reading it, he closed the document and smiled. The password had been an old friend's name. I knew she looked familiar, he thought. She's my old friend, Hadassah! Dang, she looks like my mother in a way! If only I could figure out how to talk to her privately. Invite her over...no. Too conspicuous. There's the chance someone might hear. He sighed as he thought to himself for a while, and then it hit him. She wrote in her diary that she loves roses. I'll leave her some on her bed, before she wakes up! She'll be so surprised! "Persian, come here!" He called. The classy cat Pokémon stretched, reluctantly waking up to his trainer's call. He sauntered over, yawning.
"Sorry to wake you, Persian." Giovanni said, stroking Persian's silky fur. "Remember Ms. Bryars, from this morning?" Persian thought for a moment, then it replied back with a purr. "Yes, the one with the cute female Persian. That's all you think or care about, females." Giovanni said, smiling. "Of course, I don't blame you. The Persian's pretty, and as for her owner...she's gotten a lot more beautiful since I last saw her, four years ago." Persian looked at him, puzzled. "I..." Giovanni started, then he blushed. "...Got Robin to get Ms. Esther's diary and um...he-he...looked over it. It turns out she's my old friend, Hadassah.
"I used to live in Pallet Town, just south of here, but I moved when I was about eleven to Viridian. Ms. Esther moved here no more than six months ago." Persian purred. It was all starting to make since to him. "Come on, I'm going to get some roses for her." Giovanni said, going to his backyard garden.
After getting the roses, he tied them carefully with a violet silk ribbon. Attached was a note that read:
My dearest Essie,
These roses are meant for you, Hadassah Esther Bryars. For you are the most beautiful girl I have ever met. Please, meet me at that café on the corner of Elm and 33rd street at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. You will know who I am when you see me. If you cannot come, call my voice mail at 639-7351. I long to be with you, my dove.
Yours truly,
Your secret admirer
Giovanni smiled as he went to change into a black suit so he could blend in with the darkness better. That was the most lovesick, not to mention the only, note he had written. If she actually comes, I'll be amazed. As he watched as Persian read the note and burst out laughing when it had finished, he frowned. "I take that to be an insult?" Persian immediately stopped laughing and hung its head. "It's ok. It's the first note I've written, err...typed, like that." Giovanni said, smiling. "I think I'll go call my brother, Bruno. He'll certainly think it's entertaining."
He dialed his brother's number, and then waited. "Hello, this is Bruno." Bruno's voice was about as deep as his brother's. "Hey, man. It's me, Giovanni." Giovanni replied into the receiver. "Hey, bro! How are you? You find a girl yet?" Bruno asked hopefully. "Well...let's just put it this way: I've got her on the hook and I'm trying to land her." Giovanni replied, smiling. Bruno saw his brother's smile and immediately asked, "Whom are we trying to 'land,' Bro?"
"Remember Hadassah Esther Bryars, my friend from way back when."
"You mean the girl you were friends with and secretly had a crush on?"
"Yeah, her."
"Yeah, I remember her well! Those amethyst eyes...that raven black hair...she had the voice of an angel...gentle as a dove...with skin as soft as a petal..."
"Ok! Ok! I get what you're saying: you had a crush on her too!"
"I did not, little brother of mine!"
"Yeah, right! Anyway... she just happens to work for me."
"Oh, my gosh! You have got to be kidding!"
"No. You know I rarely kid around!"
"You lucky stiff! Let me be her partner, bro!"
"No way! I saw her first! Besides," Giovanni continued, "you don't work for Team Rocket!"
"Oh, yeah. I forgot..."
"Daddy, who are you arguing with?" A voice in the background asked. "Um...I'm talking to Uncle Giovanni, Mi." Bruno said, knowing what was going to come next. "Can I talk to him, Daddy? Please..." Mi, Bruno's daughter, pleaded. "Oh, ok. Don't talk him to death." Bruno said, eyeing his daughter. "You know I won't." She said, smiling.
An hour later...
"Well, I better get going, Mi. I'd love talk to you longer, but I have something that needs to be done now, or I'll completely forget about it." Giovanni said, looking at his watch. It was already 10:00. "Okay, Uncle Giovanni. Bye! See you later!" Mi said over the phone.
As he put the receiver back down, he picked up the roses he had gotten for Esther and smelled them. Still fresh. Good. He thought to himself. Persian followed as Giovanni lead the way to headquarters.
As Giovanni entered TRHQ, he greeted the Roman-clad guards. Sneaking quietly down the corridors, he smiled. They do their job well. He thought, looking back to where he had just entered. After this mission, I think I'll give them all a raise.
About five minutes later (It's a BIG place. Even he can get lost in It.), he arrived at Esther and Robin's door. Before he slid the Master card (opens all doors in the building) into the slot, however, he pulled a pokéball from his jacket and pressed the button. The usual flash of light occurred, and then a Vileplume appeared. Giovanni had found it walking through a forest one day as an oddish, abandoned. He had taken care of it since then, and had found that it was extremely loyal for a Pokémon that had been abandoned once.
"Vilepuumm" the Pokémon smiled, then happily jumped into Giovanni's arms, and started hugging him tightly. "Okay, Okay. I'm glad to see you too, old buddy." He said, patting the grass Pokémon on the head. "There's a chance that I may need you to use a sleep powder on someone, so get ready." Vileplume nodded. Giovanni turned on his voice changer, and then inserted the card into the door lock. It replied with a reassuring 'ping' and Giovanni entered the room.
"Oh, boss...I had no idea you could kiss like that. Oh, that feels so good..." Esther said. The experience was so surreal. She knew it couldn't go on forever, but she wished anyway that it could. "Who would of thought we could fall for each other like this?" Giovanni said between kisses. "I know...oh..." Esther moaned, enjoying every minute.
Giovanni loomed over Esther as her eyelids fluttered. He quickly pulled on his facemask, so she couldn't recognize him. Esther woke up from her wonderful dream. "Oh...it was just a dream...darn it." She said, then realized Giovanni was there. She tried in vain to scream, but not before he could plant his lips on hers to silence her cries.
Esther whimpered fearfully, but as Giovanni put an arm around her and stroked her face gently with his free hand, she stopped. Why do I feel...safe? She thought to herself. Oh, well. At least he's not trying to violate me or something. Submitting to the kiss, she sat there, wondering what to do. Giovanni broke away when he saw she wasn't about to scream.
"Who...who are you?" Esther inquired, her voice shaking from the passion in the kiss. "Just call me John for the time being." He said, using the voice changer to make his voice a little higher, so she couldn't recognize it. "Have we...met before, John?" She asked, looking into his brown eyes. Darn. I forgot to put in my color-change contacts. He thought. "Uh...well...I saw you and I decided I had to meet you..."He replied, trying to sound truthful.
"At 11:00 at night?"
"It was convenient."
"Not for me."
"Sorry. I wanted to surprise you, that's all."
"It's more like you scared the heck out of me."
"Um...Esther," He replied, remembering his original mission, "Sorry, but I have no choice but to do this. Vileplume", he called to the Pokémon. "Sleep powder." "Vilepuumm." The Pokémon said, releasing the powder as 'John' ran out of the room. "What are...you doing...to me...Joh...?" There was no reply as she drifted into unconsciousness.
Giovanni frowned as he paced outside the room, waiting for the sleep powder to subside. I wish I didn't have to do that. Makes me fell guilty. Vileplume came out of the room, then stopped in front of Giovanni and nodded that the powder had subsided. "Good." Giovanni turned to re-enter the room, then said to Persian and Vileplume. "Stay here, and warn me if patrol comes by." The Pokémon nodded.
Giovanni walked to Esther's bed and kneeled next to it. As he kissed her cheek, he observed that what Bruno had said was true. "Gentle as a dove...with skin as soft as a petal..." She had not tried to fight back or anything, just tried to cry out in distress, like a dove, and her skin was just like that of a petal. He placed the roses on her chest and moved her hand onto them. "I'm so sorry, Essie. Forgive me for the sleeping powder thing." He whispered, knowing she couldn't hear him. He traced the outline of her body in the dark, and then smiled. "She's so perfect." He sighed. Just then, Persian quietly bounded into the room. It replied with meows of concern. "Thanks for telling me." Giovanni said, giving Esther another kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye, Esther. I'll see you tomorrow." He whispered, getting up and heading out of the room.
"Now that that's taken care of, I think I'll have a look in her file." Giovanni said, resting on the coach in his mansion. It was about seven o' clock, so he knew he had plenty of time to thoroughly examine the document. As he opened it, he saw the usual: résumé, contacts, medical information. He checked her medical info. Nothing unusual. He thought to himself, moving on to the résumé. Examining it, he was intrigued when he saw that her real name was Hadassah and her middle name was Esther. Why on Earth would she go by her middle name instead of her first name? He thought to himself, shaking his head. Boy, the author of this story knows how to puzzle someone, that's for sure.
After checking her résumé, he moved on to her contacts. He was surprised to see that her parents were not on it; just her brother, stepsisters, and guardian, Prof. Oak. I wonder if she's got a diary of some sort. He mused. Maybe that will explain why her parents aren't on the contact list. Now if I can just get her face out of my head. He looked back at her photo again, then remembered what his old friend looked like when they had last seen each other: four years before. I wonder if they're the same person. Same first name, same black hair, He looked at the picture thoughtfully. Same...entrancing...violet eyes.
He sighed, pulling a photo out of his wallet. The photo showed him, at eleven, and his friend, Hadassah, who was nine at the time, together just before he, his mom, & his brothers had moved away from Pallet Town to Viridian. Maybe she was that girl from long ago. He looked back at her photo from the file, then back at the one. They look the same but, then, she might look a lot different from this one.
He then thought of something. Maybe I can get Robin still. I bet I can. It's nowhere close to curfew yet. He went to his phone and dialed Robin's cell phone number. "Hello, this is Robin." The voice at the other end replied. "Robin, this is your Boss. I need to know whether that Bryars kid has a diary or journal or not." Giovanni said. "I think she does. Before I left for the bar, I think I saw a floppy on her nightstand labeled, 'Diary.' Plus, if it's not that, it may be a file in her computer. But I doubt it, because when I saw her on her Laptop last, she had saved it really fast when she saw that I was looking, and took out the floppy. It may have a password, though." Robin said. "See if you can locate that disk and password. She may have the passwords located in some file on her computer. Contact me if you find the disk. If you can't find a password for it, I just might be able to hack into it." Giovanni ordered. "Yes, sir. It may take a few attempts, though." Robin replied. "Just try." Giovanni said. "I need that file!"
Meanwhile...
"I've got to go, Link, Josh. If we get charged for phone calls, I've probably racked up a fortune." Esther said, laughing. "Ok, Es." Link said, then he frowned. "But first, when ARE you coming home?" "I come home on Friday evenings, unless, of course, my Boss needs me for something or I'm on a mission." Esther said, sighing. "Don't worry. I'll see you two soon. I miss you guys too much to work weekends... willingly, anyway!" "You haven't told anybody the secret, have you?" Link asked, his voice ringing with concern. "About being a 'Heroine of Time'? Nah. It's safe, Link. I've vowed to myself that I won't tell anyone or change to another form unless I absolutely have to, like if I'm in terrible danger and only another form of mine can rescue me or someone else." She said, smiling. "I put that cape on and fastened it on my right shoulder, so it covers my left side, so you can't see the Triforce mark. Plus, I have those black gloves on, so that covers it up just fine."
"Good point." Link said back, smiling. "Well, better let you go. You look really tired." "That I am." Esther replied, yawning. "Bye, Link! Bye, Josh! I love you guys!" "Love you too, sis! Bye!" Link said, waving over the Videophone. "Bye, Mommy! I love you!" Little Josh said. "Bye, sweetheart! I'll see you Friday night, honey! I love you too!" Esther said. "You make Mommy proud and be nice and listen to Uncle Link!" "Ok, mommy!"
After taking a quick shower, she sat down, and reached for her Laptop. Turning it on, she went to her Word(tm) document containing her passwords for various things. Going to the next blank line, she typed "Diary", went over a couple of spaces, then typed in "Giovanni John Rocket", the name of her old friend. She sighed as she typed the name into the file. As she did, she reached for her pack that contained her photo of him and her together, five years before. She smiled as she looked at it. She missed him terribly, even though they had met up again a year after the picture was taken. He had saved her life then, although from what she could not remember. Maybe we'll meet soon, Giovanni. I'll be praying that we do. Little did she know, that her prayers were not in vain, and had been answered that morning. She saved the file and closed the laptop. She fell asleep shortly afterwards.
About an hour later, Robin entered her room quietly, hoping that Esther was asleep. She was, which relieved Robin greatly. She set about looking for the password and disk. She found the password document still open, which Esther had been too tired to think about closing. Tsk, tsk. Careless, aren't we, Ms. Bryars? Leaving confidential records just open and running. You're just asking for someone to read them. Namely, me...your 'too-nice-for-a-Redhead' roommate. Robin thought, simmering. Ah-ha! The password for her diary is... 'Giovanni John Rocket'? Whatever. Robin thought, writing the password down on a slip of paper. Now where's the disk? Oh, right next to the laptop? You are very careless, Esther Bryars. You make my mission WAY too easy. Robin closed the laptop back, took the disk, and quietly retreated to where Giovanni and she had agreed to meet.
"Here it is, sir. The password's on the paper, and that's the disk. She made that mission much too easy. She had her password file open, and the diskette was right next to the laptop! I hope she's not that careless when she has more energy, otherwise she may not be the best employee!" Robin said, laughing. "How'd you get them? She doesn't know you have them, does she?" Giovanni asked, narrowing his eyes at Robin. "Oh...I just saw her password file open on her laptop and copied it down. Like I said, the floppy was right next to it. And don't worry about her knowing about it, Boss. She was fast asleep! I don't think she liked my remark that she's going to be even more tired on a mission, though." "Ready to faint, huh?" Giovanni said, shaking his head. "I certainly hope she has more energy tomorrow. Otherwise, you may have your work cut out for you, Robin." Robin frowned.
"Thank you for retrieving this for me. There's something about her...and naturally, since going to the source: Ms. Bryars in this case, would prove a waste of valuable time, we have to go to the closest thing to the source: journals or diaries, or, in this case, confidential records. Remember that. Now, I must be going. Good night, Robin." Giovanni said, turning back to his limo and heading back to his mansion.
As Giovanni sat down, he inserted the floppy disk into his computer and brought up the Word program. He checked the password, and was shocked to see that it was his name. How in the blue blazes does she know my name? He thought to himself, typing in the password vigorously. We'll see how you know this "private information", Esther Bryars. Only very high-ranking Rockets knew his first name, and none, that he knew of anyway, knew his middle and last name. The file flashed up on the screen, and Giovanni started reading the first entry in it. After about two hours of reading, he finally came to her entry from that morning.
After reading it, he closed the document and smiled. The password had been an old friend's name. I knew she looked familiar, he thought. She's my old friend, Hadassah! Dang, she looks like my mother in a way! If only I could figure out how to talk to her privately. Invite her over...no. Too conspicuous. There's the chance someone might hear. He sighed as he thought to himself for a while, and then it hit him. She wrote in her diary that she loves roses. I'll leave her some on her bed, before she wakes up! She'll be so surprised! "Persian, come here!" He called. The classy cat Pokémon stretched, reluctantly waking up to his trainer's call. He sauntered over, yawning.
"Sorry to wake you, Persian." Giovanni said, stroking Persian's silky fur. "Remember Ms. Bryars, from this morning?" Persian thought for a moment, then it replied back with a purr. "Yes, the one with the cute female Persian. That's all you think or care about, females." Giovanni said, smiling. "Of course, I don't blame you. The Persian's pretty, and as for her owner...she's gotten a lot more beautiful since I last saw her, four years ago." Persian looked at him, puzzled. "I..." Giovanni started, then he blushed. "...Got Robin to get Ms. Esther's diary and um...he-he...looked over it. It turns out she's my old friend, Hadassah.
"I used to live in Pallet Town, just south of here, but I moved when I was about eleven to Viridian. Ms. Esther moved here no more than six months ago." Persian purred. It was all starting to make since to him. "Come on, I'm going to get some roses for her." Giovanni said, going to his backyard garden.
After getting the roses, he tied them carefully with a violet silk ribbon. Attached was a note that read:
My dearest Essie,
These roses are meant for you, Hadassah Esther Bryars. For you are the most beautiful girl I have ever met. Please, meet me at that café on the corner of Elm and 33rd street at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. You will know who I am when you see me. If you cannot come, call my voice mail at 639-7351. I long to be with you, my dove.
Yours truly,
Your secret admirer
Giovanni smiled as he went to change into a black suit so he could blend in with the darkness better. That was the most lovesick, not to mention the only, note he had written. If she actually comes, I'll be amazed. As he watched as Persian read the note and burst out laughing when it had finished, he frowned. "I take that to be an insult?" Persian immediately stopped laughing and hung its head. "It's ok. It's the first note I've written, err...typed, like that." Giovanni said, smiling. "I think I'll go call my brother, Bruno. He'll certainly think it's entertaining."
He dialed his brother's number, and then waited. "Hello, this is Bruno." Bruno's voice was about as deep as his brother's. "Hey, man. It's me, Giovanni." Giovanni replied into the receiver. "Hey, bro! How are you? You find a girl yet?" Bruno asked hopefully. "Well...let's just put it this way: I've got her on the hook and I'm trying to land her." Giovanni replied, smiling. Bruno saw his brother's smile and immediately asked, "Whom are we trying to 'land,' Bro?"
"Remember Hadassah Esther Bryars, my friend from way back when."
"You mean the girl you were friends with and secretly had a crush on?"
"Yeah, her."
"Yeah, I remember her well! Those amethyst eyes...that raven black hair...she had the voice of an angel...gentle as a dove...with skin as soft as a petal..."
"Ok! Ok! I get what you're saying: you had a crush on her too!"
"I did not, little brother of mine!"
"Yeah, right! Anyway... she just happens to work for me."
"Oh, my gosh! You have got to be kidding!"
"No. You know I rarely kid around!"
"You lucky stiff! Let me be her partner, bro!"
"No way! I saw her first! Besides," Giovanni continued, "you don't work for Team Rocket!"
"Oh, yeah. I forgot..."
"Daddy, who are you arguing with?" A voice in the background asked. "Um...I'm talking to Uncle Giovanni, Mi." Bruno said, knowing what was going to come next. "Can I talk to him, Daddy? Please..." Mi, Bruno's daughter, pleaded. "Oh, ok. Don't talk him to death." Bruno said, eyeing his daughter. "You know I won't." She said, smiling.
An hour later...
"Well, I better get going, Mi. I'd love talk to you longer, but I have something that needs to be done now, or I'll completely forget about it." Giovanni said, looking at his watch. It was already 10:00. "Okay, Uncle Giovanni. Bye! See you later!" Mi said over the phone.
As he put the receiver back down, he picked up the roses he had gotten for Esther and smelled them. Still fresh. Good. He thought to himself. Persian followed as Giovanni lead the way to headquarters.
As Giovanni entered TRHQ, he greeted the Roman-clad guards. Sneaking quietly down the corridors, he smiled. They do their job well. He thought, looking back to where he had just entered. After this mission, I think I'll give them all a raise.
About five minutes later (It's a BIG place. Even he can get lost in It.), he arrived at Esther and Robin's door. Before he slid the Master card (opens all doors in the building) into the slot, however, he pulled a pokéball from his jacket and pressed the button. The usual flash of light occurred, and then a Vileplume appeared. Giovanni had found it walking through a forest one day as an oddish, abandoned. He had taken care of it since then, and had found that it was extremely loyal for a Pokémon that had been abandoned once.
"Vilepuumm" the Pokémon smiled, then happily jumped into Giovanni's arms, and started hugging him tightly. "Okay, Okay. I'm glad to see you too, old buddy." He said, patting the grass Pokémon on the head. "There's a chance that I may need you to use a sleep powder on someone, so get ready." Vileplume nodded. Giovanni turned on his voice changer, and then inserted the card into the door lock. It replied with a reassuring 'ping' and Giovanni entered the room.
"Oh, boss...I had no idea you could kiss like that. Oh, that feels so good..." Esther said. The experience was so surreal. She knew it couldn't go on forever, but she wished anyway that it could. "Who would of thought we could fall for each other like this?" Giovanni said between kisses. "I know...oh..." Esther moaned, enjoying every minute.
Giovanni loomed over Esther as her eyelids fluttered. He quickly pulled on his facemask, so she couldn't recognize him. Esther woke up from her wonderful dream. "Oh...it was just a dream...darn it." She said, then realized Giovanni was there. She tried in vain to scream, but not before he could plant his lips on hers to silence her cries.
Esther whimpered fearfully, but as Giovanni put an arm around her and stroked her face gently with his free hand, she stopped. Why do I feel...safe? She thought to herself. Oh, well. At least he's not trying to violate me or something. Submitting to the kiss, she sat there, wondering what to do. Giovanni broke away when he saw she wasn't about to scream.
"Who...who are you?" Esther inquired, her voice shaking from the passion in the kiss. "Just call me John for the time being." He said, using the voice changer to make his voice a little higher, so she couldn't recognize it. "Have we...met before, John?" She asked, looking into his brown eyes. Darn. I forgot to put in my color-change contacts. He thought. "Uh...well...I saw you and I decided I had to meet you..."He replied, trying to sound truthful.
"At 11:00 at night?"
"It was convenient."
"Not for me."
"Sorry. I wanted to surprise you, that's all."
"It's more like you scared the heck out of me."
"Um...Esther," He replied, remembering his original mission, "Sorry, but I have no choice but to do this. Vileplume", he called to the Pokémon. "Sleep powder." "Vilepuumm." The Pokémon said, releasing the powder as 'John' ran out of the room. "What are...you doing...to me...Joh...?" There was no reply as she drifted into unconsciousness.
Giovanni frowned as he paced outside the room, waiting for the sleep powder to subside. I wish I didn't have to do that. Makes me fell guilty. Vileplume came out of the room, then stopped in front of Giovanni and nodded that the powder had subsided. "Good." Giovanni turned to re-enter the room, then said to Persian and Vileplume. "Stay here, and warn me if patrol comes by." The Pokémon nodded.
Giovanni walked to Esther's bed and kneeled next to it. As he kissed her cheek, he observed that what Bruno had said was true. "Gentle as a dove...with skin as soft as a petal..." She had not tried to fight back or anything, just tried to cry out in distress, like a dove, and her skin was just like that of a petal. He placed the roses on her chest and moved her hand onto them. "I'm so sorry, Essie. Forgive me for the sleeping powder thing." He whispered, knowing she couldn't hear him. He traced the outline of her body in the dark, and then smiled. "She's so perfect." He sighed. Just then, Persian quietly bounded into the room. It replied with meows of concern. "Thanks for telling me." Giovanni said, giving Esther another kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye, Esther. I'll see you tomorrow." He whispered, getting up and heading out of the room.