Sorry it's been so insanely long since I updated last: Stupid me for not
updating more often. ( Also, this story has been jacked up to a PG rating,
though I'm not sure whether it should be a PG or a PG-13. Mostly 'cause of
partially censored profanity, and for a plot twist later on in the story.
Also, there is a little Angst in this chapter, where Giovanni talks about
losing his sister-in-law. Well, I don't know if Angst is the appropriate
word for it, but I think it is. Oh, what the heck, I'll stop talking so you
don't get bored to death, and we wouldn't want that, would we?? (
By the way, DOES ANYONE know how to keep the story formatted once it goes
on FF.Net??
Chapter 7- The aftermath, the promotion, and a little insanity! ^_^
As the police took Brenden and Jonathan away, with Jonathan screaming at the top of his lungs, "Someday, Giovanni, I'm going to have my revenge on you! And your girlfriend, Esther Bryars, is going to be the one I take it out on!! Make no mistake, you shall both pay dearly!" as he was placed in the police car, Giovanni frowned and held Esther, who was in some regular clothes (and back to her normal form) she had found in the secret room, close as he yelled back, "Yeah right, Butler! You'll never touch her! I'll make sure of it!!"
After the police left, Giovanni looked at his watch and frowned. "It's already 5:00. We'd better head back to headquarters." He said, motioning towards her car. "Yes, we should be getting back now so I can at least get SOME training done today. Man," She sighed, leading him to the Porsche. "Robin is going to kill me..." "Not if I can help it. I'll call her and tell her you've been with me most of today, and I'll explain it to her in the morning. You need to get some rest, though. You look bushed." Giovanni replied, hopping into the passenger's seat. "Yeah. So, what do I do? Drop you off at your place, or what?" Esther asked as she turned the key in the ignition. "Yeah. But first, let me call Robin before we get out of here." He answered, dialing the Rank A Rocket. "Hello?" Robin's voice was little more than a growl. "It's me, Robin." Giovanni answered. "Oh, I'm sorry, Boss Giovanni! I'm just kind of in a bad mood right now, since Esther hasn't been back to training in 5 hours!" She said unhappily. "Well, that's what I'm calling you about. Ms. Bryars has been with me for those 5 hours she has been absent at training. I'll explain why tomorrow. As for Esther, when she gets there, you are not to give her grief at all. She and myself have had a...hectic afternoon, shall I call it. I'm basically giving her the rest of the day off to rest and recuperate. Understood?" He answered. "Yes, sir." Robin sighed.
As Giovanni closed the phone, Esther frowned. "It doesn't matter that you told her not to give me grief. She'll do it anyway." She said, shifting the gear to reverse. She backed up out of the parking space and then changed to first gear and sped off.
After they were in Viridian City limits, she stopped at a stop sign. "Which way?" She asked. "That way. Then just continue on straight until I tell you to turn." Giovanni said, pointing eastward. Esther nodded and followed his directions. After about 10 minutes, they approached her sub-division. "Turn into that sub-division there." He pointed towards the sign. Esther obeyed and turned onto the road. "This is my sub-division." She replied, brushing back a strand of her hair. "It is?" He asked, shocked. She nodded. "Yeah. See? That's my house right there. My brother lives there with me, my son, and his girlfriend." She answered, motioning to the sky-blue residence. "Your brother lives with you?! Can I go see him?" He asked pleadingly. "Well...okay!" Esther answered enthusiastically, turning into the driveway.
Esther knocked upon the front door, and heard Zelda yell to Link, "Link, can you get that?" "Yeah, I'm way ahead of 'ya!" Link yelled back, opening the door. "Hi, Link!" Esther said happily. "Sis!" He yelled, hugging her tightly and letting them in. "What are you doing home so early? Did something happen at work?" He asked as he closed the door. "No... Well...yes." She stuttered, then remembered Giovanni was there. Link, though, had already noticed him. "Who's this, Esther?" Link asked, taking an immediate dislike to Giovanni. "Remember Giovanni John Rocket, my old friend from when I was little?" She asked. "Yeah." Link answered, eyeing Giovanni again and frowning. "Well, I found out last Saturday that he's my old friend! He also happens to be my Boss." Esther exclaimed happily. "You're Giovanni?!" Link asked, wide-eyed. "Yes. I am Giovanni John Rocket." Giovanni said, crossing his arms. "Man, you've shot up like a weed! Where's that barely 5 foot kid my sister used to know?!" Link exclaimed, looking up to Giovanni, who smiled. "Yeah, I hit a growth spurt when I turned 12." The Boss Rocket replied, looking to Esther. "Don't worry, Gio. He's not usually this way." Esther said, tugging on his arm. "Come on! I want you to meet Zelda and Josh!" She then pulled him into the living room.
"Mommy!" Josh exclaimed as Esther & Giovanni entered the living room. He ran to her and laughed happily as she scooped him up into her arms. "Hi, honey!" Esther said happily, hugging the 2-year-old. "Giovanni, this is Josh, my son." She replied to Giovanni, who smiled. "Cute kid." Came the response. "Josh, sweetie, this is mommy's friend." She told Josh, pointing to Giovanni. The little boy said nothing and buried his face into his mother's hair. Esther smiled at Giovanni. "I'm afraid he's a little shy." She then turned to Zelda and, using her free hand, motioned to her. "This is Zelda, Link's girlfriend. She helps Link take care of little Josh when I'm away." Zelda smiled and bowed deeply. "Zelda, this is Giovanni. He's my old friend from long ago. He's also my Boss." Esther said. "Hello." Zelda replied quietly. "She's a little shy too." Esther then told Giovanni, who nodded.
After 2 hours of chatting, Esther looked at the clock and frowned. "It's already 7:00! I should have dropped off Giovanni earlier!" "Huh? Wow. Time flies!" Giovanni smiled. Soon after, the two left and Esther drove Giovanni to his house, which was only 2 houses down. It wasn't hard to miss, however, as it was more of a mansion than a house. "My mom left me and Bruno when I was 14. I inherited the estate, the house, and 3/4's of the money." He explained. "Bruno looked out for me until I turned 15, then he, his wife, and their 6-year-old daughter Mi moved to that house over there." He pointed to a yellow painted house much like Esther's as far as style went. "His wife died of cancer two weeks before my interview with you. That was hard on everybody, especially Bruno and Mi. Bruno was so in love with her..." He said, sighing. Esther watched sadly as a tear formed in his eye, and then he shook his head. "Little Mi was really hurting after that. Poor thing loved her mom so much. Now all she's got are Bruno and I." He continued, sighing again as they pulled into his driveway. "When Marina passed away, I was hurt pretty badly too. She was, really, sometimes the only female I could talk to, other than Mi. She was really nice too. Really kind and sweet. I'll admit she wasn't the most beautiful woman in the world, but she was quite pretty." "That's so sad that she died. How old was she?" Esther asked, fighting off the urge to hug & comfort him, for it was so obvious he was still hurting inside. "25." He answered quietly. "25?!" Esther exclaimed. "Yeah. If they had found the cancer earlier, they might have saved her, but...they only found it when she was having a CAT-scan for something else. And that was...4 months before..." He stopped mid-sentence. "I'm probably depressing you, aren't I?" "Kind of." She answered, smiling. "I lost my "Foster" Great-aunt Juanita when I turned 12 to cancer. And before that, I lost both my "foster" parents in a car crash when I was 10. You're not alone." Giovanni looked at her awestruck, wondering how she had lasted this long under such great losses.
"Um...in case you haven't noticed, we're at your house." Esther said. Giovanni looked up and they were indeed at his mansion. "Oh." Was all he said as he said as he removed his seat belt. "Thanks for the ride home." He replied, opening the car door. He then stopped and frowned. "Um...what about my car?" He asked. "Omigosh! I totally forgot about it! I'm sorry!" She apologized frantically. "Don't worry, I'll get Bruno to take me down there and pick it up tomorrow." He answered. "Wait! Let me at least make it up to you! I'll take you if you want me to." Esther offered quickly. Giovanni looked at her and smiled. "Okay. I'll see you at 7 AM tomorrow, then. Don't be late." He then turned to go, then stopped and turned, as if he had forgotten something. "Oh, before I forget..." With that, he kissed her on the cheek. He pulled away slowly after a few seconds. "Night, sugar." He said, slowly turning and heading for his house. Esther smiled. "Watch the food seasonings reference!" She yelled to him, laughing.
**Next day, after Esther picks Giovanni up...**
The next morning, Esther paced outside of Giovanni's office as he explained everything to Robin. Everything, that is, except for the parts where they had kissed (on the cheek, of course). "So, you want me to go easy on her, even though she missed..." Robin stopped to count how many hours of training Esther had missed. "11 hours of training yesterday?! Giovanni, sir, let's be serious!" "I am being serious! The discussion is closed, Robin! If I get word from anyone, Esther or otherwise, that you make her train to the point where she collapses from exhaustion, or can barely move, you're going to regret it. If she blacks out...start packing your bags. And if she dies, or comes very close to it...consider yourself on the wanted list as a traitor. If that happens, you might as well turn yourself in to the police, because I'll have my best assassins on you. Got it?!" He bellowed. "Yes sir." She said, turning. "Just because you have the hots for her doesn't mean you have to threaten to kill people who hurt her..." She mumbled. "I heard that, Robin! And for the record, I only like her in that she has potential!" He called out from the office. "Yeah. Right." Robin growled as she cast a glance at Esther and walked off in a huff. "Boss?" Esther said, knocking on the door. "Come in, Essie!" He beckoned, his harsh voice changing to a friendly one.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" She asked once she was in his office. "It's Giovanni, Essie, when we're alone." He corrected. "Us? Alone?" She said, shuddering. "Chill. It's not like I'm going to hurt you or anything!" He snapped, still miffed at Robin. Esther immediately dropped her head out of fear. Giovanni saw this and sighed. "I'm sorry, Essie. I'm just really ticked off at Robin's behavior lately." He then placed his hand under her chin and, tilting it upward, he saw tears in her eyes. "Please, don't cry, Es." He said as one rolled down the side of her face. "Here, use one of these." He handed her a Kleenex, which she wiped her face with. "Thanks." She replied quietly. "Here, come sit here next to me." He motioned to the couch in the room. He took her hands in his and brought her over. She sat down slowly, trembling & still scared from the recent anger he had shown. "I shouldn't have talked to you so harshly like that." He told her, stroking her hair. "Well...Robin can be a great big pain in the butt sometimes." Esther said, as if dismissing his earlier outburst. "Maybe so, but that doesn't give me an excuse to talk to you like that." He answered pulling her close and hugging her. "I have something I want to tell you, Essie, and I think it'll lift your spirits." "Yeah? Good, cause I need something to lift 'em right now." She sighed. "I want to thank you for saving my life yesterday and for healing that wound. I was very impressed about how you dealt with the situation, that you didn't chicken out and how you blocked those bullets and all..." He said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You probably didn't feel like you were at the time, but you were proving your loyalty to the whole Team Rocket empire and to me as you held them off. I don't know if you did it out of loyalty to Team Rocket, me as your employer, or me as your friend, but, anyway, I thank you." "I was just doing my job, Giovanni." She replied. "Um...but protecting your Boss wasn't in your contract." He answered, smiling. "Doesn't matter, still my job." She repeated, smiling back. "Well, whatever the case, I'm giving you a reward." He told her. Esther felt like someone had dropped a bomb as her jaw dropped in shock. "Reward?!" She exclaimed. "Yes, I think you deserve something for your heroic efforts." He answered, smiling at the shock on her face. "But I don't want a reward!" She protested. Giovanni frowned. "You can't be serious." "I am, though!" She said. "Oh, pull-eeezzz (a very long drawn out version of please)! I'm rewarding you, whether you like it or not." He answered. "But..." She started. "No 'but's." He finished, hitting the intercom on his desk. "Kay?" he called. "Yes sir?" the voice on the other end replied. "Go to the Uniform department and get a altered- female Rank B uniform and bring it to my office, stat!" Giovanni instructed. "Okay...what size?" The boy asked. "What size are you, Es?" Giovanni asked Esther, who reluctantly gave up arguing with him. "Size..." She checked the tag of her jacket. "5." "Good." He said, smiling. "A size 5, Kay." He said over the intercom. "Size 5?! Whoa! Who do you have in there, Boss, an anorexic?!" Kay exclaimed. "Just get it, will you?" Giovanni bellowed. "Okay, Boss." Kay replied.
Esther smiled after Giovanni was off the intercom. Giovanni raised an eyebrow. "I know its probably confidential info, but how much do you weigh, anyway?" "125 pounds." She explained. Giovanni's jaw dropped. "125?! That's it?!" Esther nodded. "Yeah. It's because of my high metabolism. No matter how much I eat, I stay at around 125 pounds!" "Whoa..." He said, smiling. Esther frowned. "What, do you disapprove of my being thin and tall?" "No, No! Not that at all!" He exclaimed. Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Boss?" Kay asked. "Yes, Kay?" Giovanni replied. "Uh...I got the uniform." The youth answered. "Oh. Come on in." Giovanni instructed. The door opened and a tanned, muscular teenage boy about a year older than Giovanni sauntered in, holding the Rank B uniform up. "Here it i..." He started then, and then stopped when he saw Esther. "Whoa." he said, getting that look in his eyes (the look Brock gets in his eyes when he's around pretty girls. *-* Yeah, that look.). Esther frowned, as he got closer to her. "Who's this?" Kay asked dreamily. "This is Ms. Esther Bryars. Esther, this is Paul Kay, we call him Kay for short." Giovanni introduced the two. Esther grimaced as Kay started drooling. "Oh no." She thought, as he got closer to her. "HimynameisKayandIthinkyourebeautifulohandithinkihavefalleninlovewithyou." He said quickly (A/N: fast forward mode ^_^). "Hellokay, mynameisEstherandIdon'tgiveacarethatyouthinkyou'vefalleninlovewithme, sobuzzoffandbugsomeoneelse, loser. (A/N: Fastforwardmodeoff...waitaminuteitsstuck! [*Consultsownersmanual*] waitasecond, letmegetthisthingoff...that's better! *_*[Don't you love fast forwarding the sentences? ^_^] Sorry, a little insanity there. ^_^ Me LOOOVE insanity!)" She replied. Giovanni snickered as Kay began to chase Esther around the room. "Come back here, love!" Kay yelled, trying to tackle her. "Yeah right!" She yelled back, jumping out of the way. "Giovanni! Help! Get this psycho son of a you-know-what away from me!" She screamed, running to him. "But I find this entertaining!" He reasoned. "Well, you won't when you get a fat lip!" She warned, only to be pursued by Kay again. "Oh, alright. Kay, stop chasing her!" Giovanni smiled. "But..." Kay started. "No 'but's. Now, out!" He bellowed, pointing to the door. "Yes sir." Kay said downheartedly, walking out of the room.
"Thank you." Esther replied, panting. "You're welcome. Now, where were we? Ah, yes. You protesting me giving you a reward. As I was saying, I'm giving you a reward, whether you like it or not. Actually, two rewards. One is the promotion, the other I'll have to get from the store." Giovanni said, smiling. "I just told you, I don't wanna reward! I did what I did out of loyalty to Team Rocket and to you. I don't expect, nor want, a material reward in return. The only thing I want is that you remain safe and that Team Rocket continues to flourish as long as you are our leader, sir!" She answered humbly. Giovanni laughed. "Now THAT is the attitude I'd like to see more of in Team Rocket members! Now, before you start acting like a poet again, I'd like to ask you a question..." "Sure thing, sir! Ask away!" She replied. "I know this is a little fast and all...but...I was wondering if you would...um...willyougooutwithmeSaturdaynight, Essie (A/N: this isn't fast forward mode, he just says this really fast!)?" He blurted out. "Uhh...well...I don't think I have any plans Saturday..." She answered, not believing what he had just asked her. "Well, whether you accept or not, you'll be OFFICIALLY promoted Monday morning, since this is your last week of training, AND I'm giving you a 30% raise." He informed her. "A 30% RAISE?!" She exclaimed. "Yes, I think you deserve it."
"You're kidding me, right?"
"No."
"Oh, thank you, sir! You're very considerate!" She replied, bowing deeply at the waist. "Yeah, whatever." He said. "So, do except my request?" "Well...okay. As long as I don't have anything." She answered. "Thanks. I'll pick you up 7:30 P.M., Es." He smiled, running his fingers through her hair affectionately. Esther frowned. "Chill out, Boss." She then checked her watch. "I better get to training. Bye, Giovanni!" She said, leaving the room. "Bye, Esther!" He called back, and then continued. "Remember, whether you like it or not, I'm rewarding you!"
As she closed the door, thoughts flooded her mind. "He just gave me a promotion, a raise, and he asked me out! Kyaa!! Life here is good!" She thought happily as she skipped merrily to her room, her new uniform in her arms.
Robin growled jealously as Esther walked in, clutching the White Rocket uniform tightly to her chest. "I can not believe this!" Robin exclaimed, "He made you a Rank B??? Sheesh! He must really have the hots for you if he's promoting you already after about 2 weeks! Of course, your looks don't help the situation any." "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Esther asked, putting the uniform on her bed. "You know what I mean, Bryars!" Robin scorned, crossing her arms. "Okay, um.can we get to training already?" Esther replied, trying to change the subject. "Oh, so you want to resume training? Finally! Come with me outside. This'll be your first 'assignment', per say." Robin nodded, leading the way outside.
"Okay, first: we hide somewhere and wait for a trainer with rare and/or powerful pokémon to come waltzing down this path. Now, if we can just find that 'somewhere.'" Robin said, her brow furrowing as she contemplated. "Um.would there be a good spot?" Esther asked innocently, pointing to a tall oak tree. Robin looked to see the big tree behind her, its leaves as numerous as the stars in the sky. "That'll do." Robin replied, slithering up the trunk. "Be one second!" Esther announced, running behind another tree as she hurriedly put some clothes over her uniform. "Okay!" She said, jumping into the branches of the oak, the leaves rustling noisily as she did. "Ssssshhhhh.you want us to get caught?" Robin growled, her voice dripping with malice. "No." The black-haired girl stated nonchalantly. "Then shut up!" Robin sneered hatefully, trying to hide the jealousy in her voice, but to no avail. Esther's mouth curled upward as she snickered. "Oh, I get it." "What?" "You're jealous of me." "WHAT?!" "You're jealous 'cause I'm getting all the Boss's attention." "Why would I be jealous of you? He's my cousin for Pete's sake!" Esther's eyes widened. "You're his cousin??" "Yeah. I'm surprised he didn't tell you." Esther sighed as her ears flattened to pick up more sound waves. Why hadn't Giovanni told her this? Was he embarrassed? Angry? Or did he simply not care to tell her that? Esther heaved a sigh as she pondered these thoughts, when suddenly, her ears pricked up as she heard voices in the distance. "Female trainer, coming from the.west." She said, checking her compass. "Huh? What are you talking about?? I can't hear a thing." Robin asked, looking at the young Rocket suspiciously. "Shush." Esther whispered, flattening her ears even more. "Come on, Rai! Let's go beat the Viridian City Gym leader! With you at level 72, there's no way we can lose!" The feminine voice shouted encouragingly. "Oh, that's real smart. Announce your pokémon's level to the whole Team Rocket world, why don't ya'." Esther said exasperatingly. Robin nodded, for she know heard the voice. "Yeah, real smart. Not!" Robin said, sighing. "Rai, Rai Chu!" The pokémon announced, skipping alongside its trainer, who was a young girl-who couldn't have been over 13-with purple hair and emerald eyes. She was only about 5-foot, 3- inches, which Robin found amusing. "Ah. A stupid & short trainer: the best to 'relieve' of their 'responsibilities'." "Huh? Responsibilities?" Esther asked, not quite getting it. "I mean rob, you stupid little b!!ch (I think you can figure it out.). Esther frowned as a small tear formed in her eye. "Wonder what the Boss would say if you called me that in front of him?" "Probably get super-mad. But like I care." Robin answered, handing Esther a small headset. "Put it on. You're doing this one."
Chapter 7- The aftermath, the promotion, and a little insanity! ^_^
As the police took Brenden and Jonathan away, with Jonathan screaming at the top of his lungs, "Someday, Giovanni, I'm going to have my revenge on you! And your girlfriend, Esther Bryars, is going to be the one I take it out on!! Make no mistake, you shall both pay dearly!" as he was placed in the police car, Giovanni frowned and held Esther, who was in some regular clothes (and back to her normal form) she had found in the secret room, close as he yelled back, "Yeah right, Butler! You'll never touch her! I'll make sure of it!!"
After the police left, Giovanni looked at his watch and frowned. "It's already 5:00. We'd better head back to headquarters." He said, motioning towards her car. "Yes, we should be getting back now so I can at least get SOME training done today. Man," She sighed, leading him to the Porsche. "Robin is going to kill me..." "Not if I can help it. I'll call her and tell her you've been with me most of today, and I'll explain it to her in the morning. You need to get some rest, though. You look bushed." Giovanni replied, hopping into the passenger's seat. "Yeah. So, what do I do? Drop you off at your place, or what?" Esther asked as she turned the key in the ignition. "Yeah. But first, let me call Robin before we get out of here." He answered, dialing the Rank A Rocket. "Hello?" Robin's voice was little more than a growl. "It's me, Robin." Giovanni answered. "Oh, I'm sorry, Boss Giovanni! I'm just kind of in a bad mood right now, since Esther hasn't been back to training in 5 hours!" She said unhappily. "Well, that's what I'm calling you about. Ms. Bryars has been with me for those 5 hours she has been absent at training. I'll explain why tomorrow. As for Esther, when she gets there, you are not to give her grief at all. She and myself have had a...hectic afternoon, shall I call it. I'm basically giving her the rest of the day off to rest and recuperate. Understood?" He answered. "Yes, sir." Robin sighed.
As Giovanni closed the phone, Esther frowned. "It doesn't matter that you told her not to give me grief. She'll do it anyway." She said, shifting the gear to reverse. She backed up out of the parking space and then changed to first gear and sped off.
After they were in Viridian City limits, she stopped at a stop sign. "Which way?" She asked. "That way. Then just continue on straight until I tell you to turn." Giovanni said, pointing eastward. Esther nodded and followed his directions. After about 10 minutes, they approached her sub-division. "Turn into that sub-division there." He pointed towards the sign. Esther obeyed and turned onto the road. "This is my sub-division." She replied, brushing back a strand of her hair. "It is?" He asked, shocked. She nodded. "Yeah. See? That's my house right there. My brother lives there with me, my son, and his girlfriend." She answered, motioning to the sky-blue residence. "Your brother lives with you?! Can I go see him?" He asked pleadingly. "Well...okay!" Esther answered enthusiastically, turning into the driveway.
Esther knocked upon the front door, and heard Zelda yell to Link, "Link, can you get that?" "Yeah, I'm way ahead of 'ya!" Link yelled back, opening the door. "Hi, Link!" Esther said happily. "Sis!" He yelled, hugging her tightly and letting them in. "What are you doing home so early? Did something happen at work?" He asked as he closed the door. "No... Well...yes." She stuttered, then remembered Giovanni was there. Link, though, had already noticed him. "Who's this, Esther?" Link asked, taking an immediate dislike to Giovanni. "Remember Giovanni John Rocket, my old friend from when I was little?" She asked. "Yeah." Link answered, eyeing Giovanni again and frowning. "Well, I found out last Saturday that he's my old friend! He also happens to be my Boss." Esther exclaimed happily. "You're Giovanni?!" Link asked, wide-eyed. "Yes. I am Giovanni John Rocket." Giovanni said, crossing his arms. "Man, you've shot up like a weed! Where's that barely 5 foot kid my sister used to know?!" Link exclaimed, looking up to Giovanni, who smiled. "Yeah, I hit a growth spurt when I turned 12." The Boss Rocket replied, looking to Esther. "Don't worry, Gio. He's not usually this way." Esther said, tugging on his arm. "Come on! I want you to meet Zelda and Josh!" She then pulled him into the living room.
"Mommy!" Josh exclaimed as Esther & Giovanni entered the living room. He ran to her and laughed happily as she scooped him up into her arms. "Hi, honey!" Esther said happily, hugging the 2-year-old. "Giovanni, this is Josh, my son." She replied to Giovanni, who smiled. "Cute kid." Came the response. "Josh, sweetie, this is mommy's friend." She told Josh, pointing to Giovanni. The little boy said nothing and buried his face into his mother's hair. Esther smiled at Giovanni. "I'm afraid he's a little shy." She then turned to Zelda and, using her free hand, motioned to her. "This is Zelda, Link's girlfriend. She helps Link take care of little Josh when I'm away." Zelda smiled and bowed deeply. "Zelda, this is Giovanni. He's my old friend from long ago. He's also my Boss." Esther said. "Hello." Zelda replied quietly. "She's a little shy too." Esther then told Giovanni, who nodded.
After 2 hours of chatting, Esther looked at the clock and frowned. "It's already 7:00! I should have dropped off Giovanni earlier!" "Huh? Wow. Time flies!" Giovanni smiled. Soon after, the two left and Esther drove Giovanni to his house, which was only 2 houses down. It wasn't hard to miss, however, as it was more of a mansion than a house. "My mom left me and Bruno when I was 14. I inherited the estate, the house, and 3/4's of the money." He explained. "Bruno looked out for me until I turned 15, then he, his wife, and their 6-year-old daughter Mi moved to that house over there." He pointed to a yellow painted house much like Esther's as far as style went. "His wife died of cancer two weeks before my interview with you. That was hard on everybody, especially Bruno and Mi. Bruno was so in love with her..." He said, sighing. Esther watched sadly as a tear formed in his eye, and then he shook his head. "Little Mi was really hurting after that. Poor thing loved her mom so much. Now all she's got are Bruno and I." He continued, sighing again as they pulled into his driveway. "When Marina passed away, I was hurt pretty badly too. She was, really, sometimes the only female I could talk to, other than Mi. She was really nice too. Really kind and sweet. I'll admit she wasn't the most beautiful woman in the world, but she was quite pretty." "That's so sad that she died. How old was she?" Esther asked, fighting off the urge to hug & comfort him, for it was so obvious he was still hurting inside. "25." He answered quietly. "25?!" Esther exclaimed. "Yeah. If they had found the cancer earlier, they might have saved her, but...they only found it when she was having a CAT-scan for something else. And that was...4 months before..." He stopped mid-sentence. "I'm probably depressing you, aren't I?" "Kind of." She answered, smiling. "I lost my "Foster" Great-aunt Juanita when I turned 12 to cancer. And before that, I lost both my "foster" parents in a car crash when I was 10. You're not alone." Giovanni looked at her awestruck, wondering how she had lasted this long under such great losses.
"Um...in case you haven't noticed, we're at your house." Esther said. Giovanni looked up and they were indeed at his mansion. "Oh." Was all he said as he said as he removed his seat belt. "Thanks for the ride home." He replied, opening the car door. He then stopped and frowned. "Um...what about my car?" He asked. "Omigosh! I totally forgot about it! I'm sorry!" She apologized frantically. "Don't worry, I'll get Bruno to take me down there and pick it up tomorrow." He answered. "Wait! Let me at least make it up to you! I'll take you if you want me to." Esther offered quickly. Giovanni looked at her and smiled. "Okay. I'll see you at 7 AM tomorrow, then. Don't be late." He then turned to go, then stopped and turned, as if he had forgotten something. "Oh, before I forget..." With that, he kissed her on the cheek. He pulled away slowly after a few seconds. "Night, sugar." He said, slowly turning and heading for his house. Esther smiled. "Watch the food seasonings reference!" She yelled to him, laughing.
**Next day, after Esther picks Giovanni up...**
The next morning, Esther paced outside of Giovanni's office as he explained everything to Robin. Everything, that is, except for the parts where they had kissed (on the cheek, of course). "So, you want me to go easy on her, even though she missed..." Robin stopped to count how many hours of training Esther had missed. "11 hours of training yesterday?! Giovanni, sir, let's be serious!" "I am being serious! The discussion is closed, Robin! If I get word from anyone, Esther or otherwise, that you make her train to the point where she collapses from exhaustion, or can barely move, you're going to regret it. If she blacks out...start packing your bags. And if she dies, or comes very close to it...consider yourself on the wanted list as a traitor. If that happens, you might as well turn yourself in to the police, because I'll have my best assassins on you. Got it?!" He bellowed. "Yes sir." She said, turning. "Just because you have the hots for her doesn't mean you have to threaten to kill people who hurt her..." She mumbled. "I heard that, Robin! And for the record, I only like her in that she has potential!" He called out from the office. "Yeah. Right." Robin growled as she cast a glance at Esther and walked off in a huff. "Boss?" Esther said, knocking on the door. "Come in, Essie!" He beckoned, his harsh voice changing to a friendly one.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" She asked once she was in his office. "It's Giovanni, Essie, when we're alone." He corrected. "Us? Alone?" She said, shuddering. "Chill. It's not like I'm going to hurt you or anything!" He snapped, still miffed at Robin. Esther immediately dropped her head out of fear. Giovanni saw this and sighed. "I'm sorry, Essie. I'm just really ticked off at Robin's behavior lately." He then placed his hand under her chin and, tilting it upward, he saw tears in her eyes. "Please, don't cry, Es." He said as one rolled down the side of her face. "Here, use one of these." He handed her a Kleenex, which she wiped her face with. "Thanks." She replied quietly. "Here, come sit here next to me." He motioned to the couch in the room. He took her hands in his and brought her over. She sat down slowly, trembling & still scared from the recent anger he had shown. "I shouldn't have talked to you so harshly like that." He told her, stroking her hair. "Well...Robin can be a great big pain in the butt sometimes." Esther said, as if dismissing his earlier outburst. "Maybe so, but that doesn't give me an excuse to talk to you like that." He answered pulling her close and hugging her. "I have something I want to tell you, Essie, and I think it'll lift your spirits." "Yeah? Good, cause I need something to lift 'em right now." She sighed. "I want to thank you for saving my life yesterday and for healing that wound. I was very impressed about how you dealt with the situation, that you didn't chicken out and how you blocked those bullets and all..." He said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You probably didn't feel like you were at the time, but you were proving your loyalty to the whole Team Rocket empire and to me as you held them off. I don't know if you did it out of loyalty to Team Rocket, me as your employer, or me as your friend, but, anyway, I thank you." "I was just doing my job, Giovanni." She replied. "Um...but protecting your Boss wasn't in your contract." He answered, smiling. "Doesn't matter, still my job." She repeated, smiling back. "Well, whatever the case, I'm giving you a reward." He told her. Esther felt like someone had dropped a bomb as her jaw dropped in shock. "Reward?!" She exclaimed. "Yes, I think you deserve something for your heroic efforts." He answered, smiling at the shock on her face. "But I don't want a reward!" She protested. Giovanni frowned. "You can't be serious." "I am, though!" She said. "Oh, pull-eeezzz (a very long drawn out version of please)! I'm rewarding you, whether you like it or not." He answered. "But..." She started. "No 'but's." He finished, hitting the intercom on his desk. "Kay?" he called. "Yes sir?" the voice on the other end replied. "Go to the Uniform department and get a altered- female Rank B uniform and bring it to my office, stat!" Giovanni instructed. "Okay...what size?" The boy asked. "What size are you, Es?" Giovanni asked Esther, who reluctantly gave up arguing with him. "Size..." She checked the tag of her jacket. "5." "Good." He said, smiling. "A size 5, Kay." He said over the intercom. "Size 5?! Whoa! Who do you have in there, Boss, an anorexic?!" Kay exclaimed. "Just get it, will you?" Giovanni bellowed. "Okay, Boss." Kay replied.
Esther smiled after Giovanni was off the intercom. Giovanni raised an eyebrow. "I know its probably confidential info, but how much do you weigh, anyway?" "125 pounds." She explained. Giovanni's jaw dropped. "125?! That's it?!" Esther nodded. "Yeah. It's because of my high metabolism. No matter how much I eat, I stay at around 125 pounds!" "Whoa..." He said, smiling. Esther frowned. "What, do you disapprove of my being thin and tall?" "No, No! Not that at all!" He exclaimed. Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Boss?" Kay asked. "Yes, Kay?" Giovanni replied. "Uh...I got the uniform." The youth answered. "Oh. Come on in." Giovanni instructed. The door opened and a tanned, muscular teenage boy about a year older than Giovanni sauntered in, holding the Rank B uniform up. "Here it i..." He started then, and then stopped when he saw Esther. "Whoa." he said, getting that look in his eyes (the look Brock gets in his eyes when he's around pretty girls. *-* Yeah, that look.). Esther frowned, as he got closer to her. "Who's this?" Kay asked dreamily. "This is Ms. Esther Bryars. Esther, this is Paul Kay, we call him Kay for short." Giovanni introduced the two. Esther grimaced as Kay started drooling. "Oh no." She thought, as he got closer to her. "HimynameisKayandIthinkyourebeautifulohandithinkihavefalleninlovewithyou." He said quickly (A/N: fast forward mode ^_^). "Hellokay, mynameisEstherandIdon'tgiveacarethatyouthinkyou'vefalleninlovewithme, sobuzzoffandbugsomeoneelse, loser. (A/N: Fastforwardmodeoff...waitaminuteitsstuck! [*Consultsownersmanual*] waitasecond, letmegetthisthingoff...that's better! *_*[Don't you love fast forwarding the sentences? ^_^] Sorry, a little insanity there. ^_^ Me LOOOVE insanity!)" She replied. Giovanni snickered as Kay began to chase Esther around the room. "Come back here, love!" Kay yelled, trying to tackle her. "Yeah right!" She yelled back, jumping out of the way. "Giovanni! Help! Get this psycho son of a you-know-what away from me!" She screamed, running to him. "But I find this entertaining!" He reasoned. "Well, you won't when you get a fat lip!" She warned, only to be pursued by Kay again. "Oh, alright. Kay, stop chasing her!" Giovanni smiled. "But..." Kay started. "No 'but's. Now, out!" He bellowed, pointing to the door. "Yes sir." Kay said downheartedly, walking out of the room.
"Thank you." Esther replied, panting. "You're welcome. Now, where were we? Ah, yes. You protesting me giving you a reward. As I was saying, I'm giving you a reward, whether you like it or not. Actually, two rewards. One is the promotion, the other I'll have to get from the store." Giovanni said, smiling. "I just told you, I don't wanna reward! I did what I did out of loyalty to Team Rocket and to you. I don't expect, nor want, a material reward in return. The only thing I want is that you remain safe and that Team Rocket continues to flourish as long as you are our leader, sir!" She answered humbly. Giovanni laughed. "Now THAT is the attitude I'd like to see more of in Team Rocket members! Now, before you start acting like a poet again, I'd like to ask you a question..." "Sure thing, sir! Ask away!" She replied. "I know this is a little fast and all...but...I was wondering if you would...um...willyougooutwithmeSaturdaynight, Essie (A/N: this isn't fast forward mode, he just says this really fast!)?" He blurted out. "Uhh...well...I don't think I have any plans Saturday..." She answered, not believing what he had just asked her. "Well, whether you accept or not, you'll be OFFICIALLY promoted Monday morning, since this is your last week of training, AND I'm giving you a 30% raise." He informed her. "A 30% RAISE?!" She exclaimed. "Yes, I think you deserve it."
"You're kidding me, right?"
"No."
"Oh, thank you, sir! You're very considerate!" She replied, bowing deeply at the waist. "Yeah, whatever." He said. "So, do except my request?" "Well...okay. As long as I don't have anything." She answered. "Thanks. I'll pick you up 7:30 P.M., Es." He smiled, running his fingers through her hair affectionately. Esther frowned. "Chill out, Boss." She then checked her watch. "I better get to training. Bye, Giovanni!" She said, leaving the room. "Bye, Esther!" He called back, and then continued. "Remember, whether you like it or not, I'm rewarding you!"
As she closed the door, thoughts flooded her mind. "He just gave me a promotion, a raise, and he asked me out! Kyaa!! Life here is good!" She thought happily as she skipped merrily to her room, her new uniform in her arms.
Robin growled jealously as Esther walked in, clutching the White Rocket uniform tightly to her chest. "I can not believe this!" Robin exclaimed, "He made you a Rank B??? Sheesh! He must really have the hots for you if he's promoting you already after about 2 weeks! Of course, your looks don't help the situation any." "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Esther asked, putting the uniform on her bed. "You know what I mean, Bryars!" Robin scorned, crossing her arms. "Okay, um.can we get to training already?" Esther replied, trying to change the subject. "Oh, so you want to resume training? Finally! Come with me outside. This'll be your first 'assignment', per say." Robin nodded, leading the way outside.
"Okay, first: we hide somewhere and wait for a trainer with rare and/or powerful pokémon to come waltzing down this path. Now, if we can just find that 'somewhere.'" Robin said, her brow furrowing as she contemplated. "Um.would there be a good spot?" Esther asked innocently, pointing to a tall oak tree. Robin looked to see the big tree behind her, its leaves as numerous as the stars in the sky. "That'll do." Robin replied, slithering up the trunk. "Be one second!" Esther announced, running behind another tree as she hurriedly put some clothes over her uniform. "Okay!" She said, jumping into the branches of the oak, the leaves rustling noisily as she did. "Ssssshhhhh.you want us to get caught?" Robin growled, her voice dripping with malice. "No." The black-haired girl stated nonchalantly. "Then shut up!" Robin sneered hatefully, trying to hide the jealousy in her voice, but to no avail. Esther's mouth curled upward as she snickered. "Oh, I get it." "What?" "You're jealous of me." "WHAT?!" "You're jealous 'cause I'm getting all the Boss's attention." "Why would I be jealous of you? He's my cousin for Pete's sake!" Esther's eyes widened. "You're his cousin??" "Yeah. I'm surprised he didn't tell you." Esther sighed as her ears flattened to pick up more sound waves. Why hadn't Giovanni told her this? Was he embarrassed? Angry? Or did he simply not care to tell her that? Esther heaved a sigh as she pondered these thoughts, when suddenly, her ears pricked up as she heard voices in the distance. "Female trainer, coming from the.west." She said, checking her compass. "Huh? What are you talking about?? I can't hear a thing." Robin asked, looking at the young Rocket suspiciously. "Shush." Esther whispered, flattening her ears even more. "Come on, Rai! Let's go beat the Viridian City Gym leader! With you at level 72, there's no way we can lose!" The feminine voice shouted encouragingly. "Oh, that's real smart. Announce your pokémon's level to the whole Team Rocket world, why don't ya'." Esther said exasperatingly. Robin nodded, for she know heard the voice. "Yeah, real smart. Not!" Robin said, sighing. "Rai, Rai Chu!" The pokémon announced, skipping alongside its trainer, who was a young girl-who couldn't have been over 13-with purple hair and emerald eyes. She was only about 5-foot, 3- inches, which Robin found amusing. "Ah. A stupid & short trainer: the best to 'relieve' of their 'responsibilities'." "Huh? Responsibilities?" Esther asked, not quite getting it. "I mean rob, you stupid little b!!ch (I think you can figure it out.). Esther frowned as a small tear formed in her eye. "Wonder what the Boss would say if you called me that in front of him?" "Probably get super-mad. But like I care." Robin answered, handing Esther a small headset. "Put it on. You're doing this one."