Juniper's place

Professor Aurea Juniper's blog, affiliated with the Team Rocket RP blog, which can be found here. Credit for avatar can be found here.

[aurea-scientist]

Juniper emerged from her lab, blinking in the absence of gloom. Absently, she checked her phone.

"Heh, I've been 29 for a week now... whoops."

[aurea-scientist]

Out of Power | Juniper & Roger

[rocket-flare]

It was getting dark - fast. The sun was close to setting and with the power going on and off throughout the entire floor, things were sure to get ugly fast. 

Roger just so happened to be in the right place at the right time… or maybe the wrong place at the wrong time. Carrying on with his daily grunt-like duties, he just so happened to be available when the power went out. Of course, it was an easy fix; one quick trip to the generators down in the basement would solve everything, but no one wanted to be ‘that guy.’ Why do manual labor when you can just assign it onto an innocent bystander, right?

And that’s where Roger comes in.

"Ughhhh," he sighed, always finding a reason to complain. "Why me? Can’t a guy get a job done around here without getting stopped for something else? Jeez. You’d think we were low on help or something.” 

Dragging his way down the hallway, he stopped in sight of the open door to the basement. 'Is someone already down there fixing it?' It was tempting to just walk and assume they had the problem solved, but he knew better than that. And so, with a heavy sigh, he made his way down the stairs, not realizing how quickly it had grown dark around him. The open door behind him provided the only source of light for him and it took some squinting to finally make out a human-like figure in front of him.

Without giving it much thought, Roger lightly tapped Juniper on the arm, hoping he could ask her for help. But before he could even get the words out of his mouth, she screamed at the top of her lungs and spooked the living shit out of Roger.

"AHHH!!!" Startled, Roger gave a light shriek as he freaked out in response to Juniper. He had no idea who she was; all he knew was that he wasn’t alone and that there was a mad woman wandering around down here screaming like a banshee. But that wasn’t the scariest part. 

SLAM!

The basement door had been slammed shut. And out went their only light source.

[aurea-scientist]

The loud slamming of the basement door only panicked Juniper further and her speed picked up. At one place in the back of her mind, she knew that Ariados definitely couldn't shriek like that, but everywhere else was in full panic. Enough panic that she was only vaguely aware of the surrounding darkness. Vision wasn't exactly taking priority right now.

Inevitably, a wall came up and Juniper ran right into it. The loud noise and pain were enough to break her panic and she sat on the floor, panting. Sense caught up with her after a few moments and she rummaged in her lab coat. Surely she had night vision goggles in here somewhere... the gentle tinkle of broken glass informed Juniper that she'd found them.The lenses had probably shattered in her brief fight with the wall. Noises echoed somewhere nearby and the scientist froze. What else could be lurking down here? She backed away from the source, occasionally bumping into more walls. A skittering noise behind her and she was moving forward again. Between the two noises, at least the first one was closer to the door.

While the darkness was definitely deep, certain looming objects were still faintly visible. Juniper could see a tall, thin one that seemed a little... orange? Hesitantly she reached out to touch it. Maybe it was part of the generator?

[jxffrey-woods-deactivated201502]

--Fill out with Muse information--

[aurea-scientist]

                                       ABOUT THE MUSE.

General Appearance.  -  Fill out.

Name: Aurea Juniper Age: 28 Date of Birth: July 25th Zodiac: Leo Gender:  Female Eye color: Green Hair color: Brown Height: 5’3" Scars: Some from burns, she keeps them covered. Overweight?: No Underweight?: Slightly

Favourite…

Color: ”Green.” Hair color: "Vibrant colours. Not that I would try any.” Eye color: ”All seem beautiful when you appreciate the complexity of the human eye. Interestingly, despite being such a complex organ, it show almost universal convergent evolution among highly developed organisms... (Rambling continues on for some time.)” Song:  “Tesla, They Might be Giants.” Movie: "Marley and Me. I did not cry at the end."  T.V Show: "I don’t have the time to devote myself to a series."  Food: ”Cheesecake.” Drink: ”Rum and coke, in excess at times.” Video Game: ”Video games don't particularly interest me.” Place: "A small lake near HQ. It's very quiet." Animal: ”If they're fluffy and cuddly, they're my favourite.”  Ice cream flavor: "Vanilla. Yes, I'm boring." 

Have you…

Had sex: ”On occasion.”    Had sex in public: ”Certainly not. It would be freezing.”  Gotten pregnant: "No. Arceus no." Kissed a boy: ”Yes.” Kissed a girl: ”Also yes.” Gotten tattoos: "No, but that may change." Gotten piercings: "Just the ears, I'm still boring." Smoke or drank: "Smoking destroys the lungs. Ethanol is not overly harmful in moderation." Had a broken heart: "Hmm... no. But the thought is terrifying." Been in love: ”It's a wonderful feeling.”  Needed surgery: "There was this one time with a Zoroark..." Stayed up for more than 24 hours: ”I believe my record is six days."”

Are you…

A virgin: "Nope." A cuddler: "Necessary for survival. It's... science." A Kisser: ”When the occasion fits.”  Scared easily: ”It depends on the situation. Generally, no.”  Jealous easily: "Extremely." Trustworthy: ”Unless you give me a reason not to be, yes.” Dominate: ”Erm.” Submissive: "Uh." In love: ”Quite deeply, yes” Single: "No." Taken: "Could it be any more obvious?" Considered mean: ”Depends on who you are talking to.”

Random questions.

Have you harmed yourself: ”Not intentionally.”  Thought of suicide: ”Occasionally, but is there any point?” Attempted suicide: "No."  Killed someone: *Intense staring into the distance* Wanted to kill someone: “Naturally.” Who did you kiss last: ”Kiko. Who would you expect?” Last text: "Phones irritate me."  Drove a car: ”Yes, though Clifford's much faster.”  Have/had a job: ”My degree didn't fund itself, you know.”  Favourite soda/pop: "Ginger ale."  Do drugs: "From time to time, but it's not to my taste.." 

————————————————————

                SELFIE.

[sadisticrocket-moved]

❝Irony❞ | Juniper & Proton

[sadisticrocket-moved]

He grinned a bit at the reaction he got from Assface in response to the falling crates, though that grin quickly faded when the male started paying a bit too much attention to Juniper than he was comfortable with. The Executive had seen people get backed into a corner like this before; they tended to get desperate. It was a bit like an Ursaring with it’s leg caught in a bear trap; they would do anything they possibly could in order to survive, even if it meant lashing out violently at others. A part of him chimed in that he probably should have done something to try and end it quickly before either of them ended up getting hurt, but the majority of Proton simply wanted to settle down and watch the show like he had been doing. He had never really seen Juniper as the type to want to get her hands dirty, and the very prospect of her doing so was a very interesting one. He always had Crobat to rely on if things happened to go awry, after all.

He let out an impressed whistle when Assface gained another new injury, getting to his feet and casually making his way over. “Now now.” The Executive began, absentmindedly toying with a weapon of his own. “That any sort of way to treat a lady? Better learn some manners.” He wasn’t sure whether Juniper would be willing to kill the man, but if she wasn’t, then Proton had no problem in doing so. Overhead, Crobat let out a delighted screech in response to the fresh blood that was being spilled, and fluttered down a little bit closer to their victim. The Poison type could tell it was almost time for it to eat, and the only thing that was stopping it from launching itself at Assface’s throat was the fact that the Executive hadn’t given it the cue to do so. As much as the Pokemon happened to hate it’s trainer, it still listened rather closely to orders; obedience was what got it another meal, after all.

Without any sort of warning, Proton faked a stab with the switchblade, using the resulting distraction to deliver a crushing blow to the male’s stomach. He quickly darted behind him, not giving him a chance to catch his breath, and grabbed his arms in an iron grip. “Mhm. Well. It’s been fun, Assface.” He held the knife to his throat, shooting Juniper a look. “You want me to go for it? Unless there’s something else you need outta this dumbass.”

[aurea-scientist]

Still shaking a little, it was a few seconds before Juniper realised she'd dropped the scalpel. She left it on the floor, both because Proton had already gotten the situation under control, and because she knew she'd probably hurt herself trying to pick it up. Assface's look of terror had become mingled with pain, creating an odd look. He wasn't even trying to break free. A low growl coming from the door told Juniper that the only thing stopping Clifford finishing things off was her order.

The scientist moved a little closer to Assface, but not too close. She found that while his heart rate was understandably elevated, it jumped as her proximity to him increased, and vice versa. Was Assface... scared of her? She swung the device suddenly as though it were a weapon and he visibly flinched. Yes, he was. This knowledge should have at least unsettled Juniper, but instead she felt indifferent. She thought for a moment on whether there was anything else left to do.

"No, I don't believe so. The only thing left is to record the effects of a traumatic death. As for the body, I have no real need of it, so your Crobat's welcome to it." At her words, Assface sagged a bit. Juniper wondered why he had hoped he'd get out of this. After all, he'd already seen far too much. She glanced to Proton, then away. "Also... thanks for stopping him. He caught me by surprise." The scientist stood back for the Executive to finish things.

[aurea-scientist]

Wear a revealing bikini for the rest of the day.

"Okay! But lab procedure requires a coat so I'm wearing that too! You didn't say anything about nothing over the bikini."

[aurea-scientist]

This is high school level math, I know you know it.

“Please. One of the prerequisites for my degree was advanced calculus. All scientists should be able to at least plug numbers into a formula, that is a given. My issue with you is that you’re furthering the scientific stereotype that we should all be fantastic with mathematics. What of the zoologists? The toxicologists? The pathologists? The physiologists? The microbiologists? Herpetologists, ornithologists, botanists, virologists, bacteriologists. We are not all people who deal with concepts you’ve never even heard of.”

[aurea-scientist]

Explain the quadratic formula to the next person you see.

"Biology and mathematics are slightly different fields. Being a scientist doesn't automatically mean I know every buzz word spouted by those who only have a passing acquaintance with the field.

The fact that I'm fully aware of this formula proves nothing."

[aurea-scientist]

Truth or Dare Thursday

[aurea-scientist]

Out of Power | Open

With the strange noise of all electric devices simultaneously switching themselves off, a powercut hit Juniper's lab. She sighed as her eyes slowly adapted to the darkness. This was the third time today, and she was getting a little impatient. She had stopped trying to conduct any experiments after the first cut out of frustration at lost work, which had turned out to be a wise idea. However, she was understandably annoyed at having to start everything up again.This time she wasn't going to stand around and wait. The scientist slipped out of the labs and toward the basement, where the generators lay. Perhaps the answer to the powercuts was there.

Juniper descended the stairs a little nervously. She'd rarely had any reason to go to the basement, and certainly not when it was this dark. Her hand trailed along the wall, marking her progress. The scientist had no desire to get lost in this dark, unknown place. She wished Clifford could have come along to light the way, but the Pokémon didn't like darkness and had scattered at the first cut.

A small noise skittered at the edge of her hearing and she dismissed it as a confused Rattata. Juniper had no time for jumping at small noises. Something tapping her leg got her attention a little more quickly. She looked down. In the gloom, she could just about make out a large, arachnoid shape.

"Okay", Juniper thought to herself, "perhaps a few Ariados or Galvantula live down here. Nothing to be afraid of. They won't attack without provocation." This line of thought was proving effective until something else tapped her arm. With a wild shriek, Juniper was gone, already lost in the basement.

[insane-immortal]

Burashi no ke ni | Kiko & Juniper

[insane-immortal]

Kiko gave a grin when Juniper entered and she decided to shut the door behind her, “Another reason I don’t really want to cut my hair is because where I came from you only cut your hair if you were banished from your home or if you were to let go of the past.” She looked off and rubbed the back of her hair, “Don’t think either of those things can apply to me.” 

She looked back at Juniper and blinked a bit, “Really?” She looked around her room and pouted a bit, “Nothing really special about my room unless you count the meat locker and occasional blood stain.” She plopped down on the bed next to Juniper, “A-And I’m not blushing!”  Thinking for a minute, Kiko contemplated what they could even do with her mess of a mane, “Man I don’t really have any ideas, I’m not exactly a hairdresser ya know…” 

[aurea-scientist]

Juniper listened attentively to Kiko's words. She loved learning more about the woman, particularly her past. There was quite a lot to learn, but she was determined to know everything she could.

One thing she knew and enjoyed was the ease with which she could get Kiko to blush. She always looked for an opportunity, and saw one now. "Well I think the room's special. After all, you're in it." Juniper's smile was mischievous as Kiko sat next to her.

She eyed Kiko's hair curiously and started playing with it. "Sure there's nothing you could do with your hair? It's poofy, thick, strong... really fun to play with..." She trailed off for a few seconds and snapped her attention back. "And just a bit distracting."

[poisonandpetals-deactivated2015]

Hair of the Houndour - Ariana and Juniper

[poisonandpetals-deactivated2015]

Ariana could feel her eyelids palpitating, and was in fact relieved to hear that Juniper’s request was so simple and straightforward. She looked up, took a deep, heaving breath, and tilted her head to look through the filing cabinet at her side.

"There is paperwork you can fill out," she drawled, leafing halfheartedly through a stack of folders. A few sheets in she realized she was looking through personal files, and that she could barely even read them. Another wave of nausea hit her and she leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes and abandoning her search.

"I’ll be honest, honey," she wheezed, aware that she could no longer keep up pretenses. "I’ve had a bad night, I’m really drunk and I have no idea what I’m even looking for. My guess is that the forms are with Archer, in which case you’d be lucky to get your funds sometime next year.”

Resting her elbows on her desk, she shifted again and looked the Scientist in the eyes. “If you want my… not very proses… perfesh… Ugh.”

"…Look. I’m guessing the equipment you’re missing got stolen, and for the time being your best option might just be to steal some back."

[aurea-scientist]

Juniper watched a little nervously, but she was definitely more at ease. Though she was still a little concerned about Ariana... once or twice the scientist was prepared to catch her if she fell.

Naturally, she wasn't in the least surprised to learn that the Executive was still drunk. Juniper was more impressed that she could work. She was also unsurprised about the funding. If it had been easy to attain, her equipment wouldn't have gone missing in the first place.

The list of broken and missing items looked back at her. Most of the missing items were disposable, including micropipette tips, petri dishes, and microscope slides. There wasn't much she could do about those. But the more permanent items...several microscopes, Buchner flasks, even a small spectrometer... those could be more easily tracked down.

She looked up at Ariana. "Well, the thought had occurred to me that the equipment hadn't suddenly grown legs." Juniper scowled at the list, irritated that this had happened so easily. "Of course, I've increased the lab's security, but so have other scientists. May I be blunt? If any incidents arise with other labs' equipment going missing, could you not pay too much attention to it?"

[aurea-scientist]

Title:  A Test of Whether HQ can Manage Civilised Dining

Date: 6/27/2014

Materials and Apparatus: Olive Garden; large pink automobile; potato; "support" Pokémon (Meowstic, two Espurr, Lucario, Arcanine etc.); falsified documents.

Experimental Aim: Previous excursions to the establishment known as "Olive Garden" have had very negative outcomes, often resulting in the building in question being completely destroyed. While the decision for the company to repeatedly rebuild this branch in the same area is questionable, it provides a good area for observation of members' interactions in public settings.

Results: Several members became heavily intoxicated (resulting in loud singing and collapsing). An odd but deep-seated fascination with breadsticks was revealed among others, along with kleptomania for the silverware. The "support" Pokémon proved effective in their role and were less disruptive than most of the members. Certain inanimate objects were treated as a human infant would be, showing a perplexing maternal instinct. Vandalism of one of the tables was also observed.

Discussion: Publicisation of the experiment's initiation would perhaps have garnered more members. As it was, several had to follow behind in a second vehicle. Some error may also have been introduced by the waiter, whose expectations for civility were far too great, and whose expertise in pasta was lacking. In some cases, it would be wise to keep cutlery away from members.

Conclusion: Overall, this excursion to Olive Garden has been more successful than previous visits, but insofar, civilised dining is not attainable. Future experimentation is advised.

[aurea-scientist]

Spend the rest of the day in your pyjamas

"Fine, but my hair stays down. It explodes into a poofy mess if I leave it up in bed.

...Come to think of it, it explodes into a poofy mess anyway..."

[aurea-scientist]

ToD Thursday

[roarkontherocks-blog]

We're Going For A Ride || Roark & Juniper

[roarkontherocks-blog]

Roark narrows his eyes at the struggling Glaceon. “Why do you hate me?” he asks hollowly, grip growing tighter. “Why did you lunge at me when I didn’t do a thing to you? Have I lost my humanity so much that even animals think I’m a brute?”

There’s actually a hint of sadness to his voice. “Really, all I want is to be alone. I don’t want friends, but I don’t want enemies, either. But it looks like I’m making them anyway, and enemies have to be… dealt with.”

Grinning darkly, he stops in the middle of the path. The night is quiet, too quiet. Ever smirking, he brushes his hand against his pocket, listening for any disturbance. As a miner who worked in darkness, he had long learned to rely on his hearing over sight.

His cue comes in the form of a slight puff of wind.

Roark suddenly wheels around, whipping a pistol out of his pocket and pointing it in the face of Aurea Juniper, still looking amused as ever. 

"What, you thought that’d work?" he asks flatly, eyes coming to rest on the needle she’s gripping. "Aurea, I never go anywhere without a gun. Heed that. And I’m also fairly certain my bullet would travel farther and quicker than your arm. I wouldn’t want to exterminate you in front of your pet, but if push comes to shove I’ll do it."

He licks his lips.

"Now, you can hear my side of the story, or I can blow your brains out. What’ll it be?"

[aurea-scientist]

Juniper stood very still, the needle halted in its arc. Many things she'd experienced, but having a gun pointed at her had not been among them. She was aware that if Roark fired, the result would be loud, messy, and very painful.The scientist's arm trembled slightly. She was actually scared.

Her arm steadied itself after a moment. Emotions like these wouldn't help Glaceon in the slightest. Dying would be pointless if her Pokémon was still at Roark's mercy. She had very little doubt that he would shoot if pressed - he seemed very unstable as it was.

Ugh... she had no choice. How could she help Glaceon if she died? The Pokémon's eyes were wide with fear. Juniper had to acknowledge that there wasn't a lot she could do to control this situation. She ignored the sweating and trembling that were trying to emerge. "Fine. I'll hear you out. Explain your actions."

One question wouldn't stop nagging at and unnerving her - why did Roark look so amused?

[aurea-scientist]

Back in the lab | Juniper & Blair

[darkenedfuture-deactivated20151]

To be honest, Blair didn’t know the first thing about Lapras, save for the fact that Touko had some sort of special attachment to them- though even that particular fact was clouded by the passage of time and the small part of his mind that seemed intent on demonizing the girl. Perhaps it was because deep down, the brunette still felt some small measure of guilt over his past actions and murderous intentions. Despite the mess that was their Pokemon journey, he still shared a history with her- there had been a time were he was a city boy, stuck in a place that was completely unfamiliar to him, and he had somehow managed to find friendship in the form of three other kids his age. Certainly he didn’t hold that sort of grudge towards the likes of Cheren or Bianca- if anything, Blair would have easily given his life to protect the two of them, even if he was under the opinion that his life wasn’t worth much of anything.

It was only Touko that had managed to garner so much hatred, and in his mind- the majority, anyways- it was rightfully earned.

"If you’re lookin’ for a nicer place to go, I think I might have a good idea of somewhere that might be worth your while. Just follow me, and stay close, okay? The woods ‘round here can get real confusin’ to pick your way through if you don’t know where you’re goin, or don’t have a flyin’ Pokemon around to help you out." He gestured for her to follow, before taking off in the direction of the woods. The area in particular that the brunette was heading for was one of his- and Watson’s, for that matter- favorites. Presumably on account of the rather nice lake in the center of it. While it wasn’t large enough to house many Pokemon, or to even really go swimming in, it made for a pleasant enough sight- not to mention a quiet one. The majority of the people around headquarters seemed completely in the dark about it’s very existence, but with the amount of exploring Blair did, he had found it relatively quickly.

He came to a stop once they reached their destination, and gestured to the lake with a smile on his face. “This work for you?”

[aurea-scientist]

Memories of Blair and Touko kept resurfacing. They reminded Juniper of her past - something she wasn't particularly fond of remembering. Even so, it was a relief that not everything of her former life had been decimated.

Her thoughts continued to chase this direction as she followed Blair. The woods were a very unfamiliar place to her, so she stuck close, especially after his warning about how confusing they were. How the Trainer navigated so easily, Juniper didn't know. The landscape looked exactly the same in every direction. Glaceon and Growlithe followed some distance behind, getting distracted every now and then.

And there they were.

Juniper was stunned. The area was so tranquil. Because of the surrounding woods, any noise from HQ was silenced. Civilisation was far away. Indeed, the most noise came from the little group of people and Pokémon that had just crashed in. Sunlight lightly touched the water, leaving tiny sparkles behind. Water Pokémon drifted languidly, highly visible in the unpolluted lake. The gentle aroma of untampered plant life tickled her nose.

"Yes", Juniper said quietly, "it does. Is it really okay if I come here?"

[aurea-scientist]

✩

✫ :Pet peeve

“People treating Pokémon like they don’t have feelings…

Really, what’s wrong with them? We rely on Pokémon for so much - protection, companionship, warmth, industry, and to my chagrin, experimentation. After all that they do for us, how can we treat them as inferiors? It is beyond me how some Pokémon can remain loyal to humans that mistreat them.”