[in-boxed]

yt? | bebe & bill

[primetimeunready]

Bill sighed in relief— at least Bebe was safe, even if her situation wasn’t ideal. He managed to relax in his seat, slouching and dragging the laptop onto his, well, lap, as Eevee curled up next to him on the couch.

billthecmptrguy: ur right. “#tbt” as the kids say these days. billthecmptrguy: theyre… the same. team rocket is everywhere, and i heard that red got arrested 2 but no ones confirmed it yet billthecmptrguy: im glad things r btr in sinnoh tho. galactic seems more peaceful than rocket.

Bill paused, chewing his lip. It wasn’t that he wasn’t glad to hear from Bebe, but they’d agreed to use this line of communication largely for emergencies.

billthecmptrguy: did anything happen? u just usually dont use aim anymore lol

[in-boxed]

Bebe had never met Red personally, but it wasn't hard to hear about him and his recent arrest. People were clamoring over the news all over social networks, trying to express their outrage in the most subdued way possible. They were being watched, after all. 

b34trizzl3: the keyword is seems. one of the commanders "invited himself" over to my house. they want access to the pc.... b34trizzl3: what ab u? is the comm network safe? 

[in-boxed]

yt? | bebe & bill

[primetimeunready]

It was rare for Bill to get rid of any of his computers, phones, or other pieces of technology. He had a closet full of old hard drives, charges, wires, and monitors in his spare room, all of it from his college and high school days. He tended to reuse the parts when he started new projects.

He had an old, clunky laptop he kept open usually to monitor parts of the communication network. In the event he was ever caught or anyone snuck into his house, he figured they’d go for the sleeker stuff first. Plus, he liked to keep the old laptop open just in case. He hadn’t been in contact with Bebe for a while, but since he heard that Sinnoh had fallen to Team Galactic, he’d kept the laptop on, remembering their agreement. 

He was working on some security kinks in the network when he heard a distantly familiar dinging noise come from the laptop across the room. He hadn’t heard that alert noise in years, but he knew what it was immediately. Fearing for the worst, he dashed across the living room and picked the laptop up, squinting at the screen.

He typed his reply quickly.

billthecmptrguy: bebe? wats up? billthecmptrguy: r u ok?

[in-boxed]

Bebe stared at the screen--bewildered that the program still worked, but relieved to be in contact with her friend. Goodness, there was so much to tell Bill! She wasn't sure where to start.

And so, Bebe focused on the antiquated messager in silence, trying to put together her thoughts. It was almost as if twelve days had passed since she had sent her first message. Oh boy.

b34trizzl3: im ok! safe rn.. but its kinda scary

The moderator cracked up at their chat box, addled with the shorthanded lingo of the ol' Interwebs. 

b34trizzl3: LOL, we're 25+ years old and typing like we're in high school again. :) b34trizzl3: ...anyways. how is kanto? johto? b34trizzl3: sinnoh looks fine, unless you're "lucky" enough to be on team galactic's VIP list. 

[in-boxed]

yt? | bebe & bill

By now, Bebe was certain that Team Galactic was keeping a keen eye on her, monitoring her activity on and offline. Using Bill's communication network was becoming more of a risk in her eyes, but after a terrifying run-in with one of the crooked commanders, Bebe felt that contacting her mentor was a risk worth taking. 

"C'mon, I know I have it around here somewhere..." she muttered, as if talking to herself would magically make her house less messy. Bebe sat cross legged in front of her open closet, the contents spilled out on the floor. She reached into a weather cardboard box and pulled out a pleather briefcase. Oof. Old thing seemed to weigh a ton. 

Inside of the case was a charging cord, the wire coiled around the bulky battery, and a slab of a laptop. Bebe plugged the charger into the relic (an artifact from 2005) and, much to her delight, the old thing booted up. The desktop was cluttered with an array of icons, ranging from folders titled "Cool Pics" and various homework assignments from high school--good lord, that was nearly ten years ago, she winced. But now wasn't the time for reminiscing on the awkward years of adolescence. 

It was time to log on. 

Bebe clicked on the ever-familiar icon of a bright yellow man mid-stride, recalling her username and password with embarrassment. The two had agreed that, worst case scenario, when there was nothing else...there would be AIM. Surely the villains would ignore the outdated messenger, just like everyone else did after like, 2008.

b34trizzl3: billy b34trizzl3: yt?

[malitias]

Routine business (@Bebe)

[malitias]

The walk there was eerily quiet. Saturn could easily tell she was scared; after all, he was a rather…intimidating person to be around. No matter. That was part of his role. The public eye needed someone intimidating, but also someone who seemed like they cared. Admittedly, the latter was the more difficult aspect.

They arrived promptly at her house, and he waited a good distance away from the door while she opened it. He didn’t want to scare her too badly before he got the information he needed. 

"So." He said plainly. "I’m sure you’re wondering about what I will be asking you."

[in-boxed]

The distance between them did little to help ease Bebe's nerves; her housekey trembled slightly in her hand, and she nearly leapt at his  statement. 

"Uh, nope. Not really. Ha." 

Bebe was more concerned with what the commander would do to her. Smalltalk was not as the forefront of her ponderings. 

Gritting her teeth, the programmer steadied her hand and opened one of her door's locks. She had some new ones installed as of late. 'Cause y'know. A girl can't be too careful these days. Random men might accost ya on the street and force themselves into your home. Imagine that right--

The door swung open to reveal an abode that the term "humble" would be too kind to describe. The wooden floor was carpeted with various cords, cables, and chargers. Handbooks and technological manuals were stacked as if they were tree trunks, color-coded post-it notes sticking out of pages decorated them as leafs and sprouts. The coffee table was a work desk, the dining room table was a work desk, and both of these surfaces had so many take-out boxes--folded Chinese cartons, emptied pizza boxes, unopened cups of ranch dressing, a few styrofoam containers with sombreros embossed on the lids--you might've confused her kitchen for an international cuisine delivery service. 

To say she didn't get out much would be an understatement.

Bebe led Saturn to the makeshift bed couch and shoved the blanket aside, making space for him to sit. Her eyes drifted from his to the floor, then to the side. 

"Ahah...Make yourself at home. I'll get us some refreshments." 

Glameow leapt onto the free space on top of the coffee table (which happened to be Bebe's closed laptop), and peered right at the Galactic houseguest, as he it was keeping an eye on what he considered to be an intruder while his owner disappeared into the kitchen. 

"...So..." Bebe returned with two mismatched glasses of ice water. "What's up...?"

[malitias]

Routine business (@Bebe)

[malitias]

….

"There’s no need to trouble you at home. It’s really up to your convenience." He nodded, taking note of the protective pokemon at her feet. He thought to his own pokemon strapped to his side, ready for anything. Best hope her little friend doesn’t get feisty.

"But, your house would be fine. I won’t keep you long, I promise." Saturn smiled, although it often comes across as sly. It can’t be helped, really; he knows that his questions will further make him to be the bad guy. Not saying that he wasn’t in the first place, however.

"Please, lead the way."

[in-boxed]

"Well--sir--if it's up to my convenience," Bebe's voice wavered with a newfound confidence. Could she keep it up? Would she cave, stand her ground? And she wondered about the peculiar spike in temperature--or was that just her? The space between the two was thick, as if the muggy humidity had swept in from the Great Marsh a few towns over. 

Yeah, maybe that was just her. 

There wasn't a sign of acceptance on that girl; from body language to unsteady tone of voice, Bebe radiated reluctance. Not like that would change anything with Saturn. He made the plans here--it was a terribly convenient coincidence for the commander to run into a potentially subversive citizen-of-note.

Duh, Bebe! Of course he wasn't going to let me off easy. Do not pass go. Do not collect 200.

"...Right. Leading the way." 

[malitias]

Routine business (@Bebe)

[malitias]

"Understandable. It’s dangerous to be alone out late at night, unfortunately." He nodded, keeping a strictly tight composure.

"But, I was wondering something. If you didn’t mind me asking, I have some questions about the storage units. We could talk at your home, or right here."

[in-boxed]

It's dangerous 'cause of encounters with the likes of you, the blonde thought. But of course, sentiments like that remained private. No need for the Galactic creeps to be on her tail, after all. 

There are two possible ways this could go; although Bebe would detest nothing more than playing hostess to Saturn, she didn't want to draw any suspicion by refusing to speak to him. 

"Uh, sure--that'll be fine--I just need to put my groceries away, we can meet at Amity Park, or here...I suppose--"

There was a skip in her sentence. She glanced to the side, her breath trying to stay steady despite the chill creeping over her chest. Sensing his owner's growing discomfort, Glameow took a more protective stance in front of Bebe, sitting upright and leering up at the villain with its gold eyes. 

"--we could talk at my place, if that's what you'd rather do." 

[malitias]

Routine business (@Bebe)

[malitias]

"Ah, it’s no problem." A few glances over the girl, and Saturn’s memory flared. "Oh! Excuse me. You’re the PC mod, correct? Bebe?" He held his hand out, implying a handshake despite her groceries.

"I’m Saturn, although, I’m sure you knew that already." Polite smile. "I’m a big fan of your work. You do an excellent job with the upkeep of the storage system."

[in-boxed]

"Mhm, that's me..!" 

Bebe's smile strained under the gaze of the Galactic commander. She returned the offered handshake with a nod and a nervous chuckle, and at Saturn's compliment, she managed to mumble a "thank you". 

"It was nice to meet you, sir--but, y'know, it's getting kind of late, so..." Bebe let her sentence trail off as she took a couple steps away from Saturn. 

"I really need to be getting home."

[malitias]

Routine business (@Bebe)

Walking through the streets of Hearthome, Saturn wasn’t really planning on anything in particular that day. He did, however, lose track of time.

He flagged down someone on the sidewalk and approached them swiftly.

"Hello, miss. May I ask the time?"

[in-boxed]

A tap on the shoulder from a stranger may startle you, but an unexpected approach from a stranger who was a very public figure in the recent political upheaval--that wasn't a welcomed random encounter. So much for an easy evening stroll. 

"Uh, sorry, but I don't own a wristwatch," Bebe partially looked over to Saturn and replied with a smile, a gesture borne of politeness and caution. The grip on her grocery bags tightened and her Glameow kept close to his trainer's feet. "Haha, I'd say that's kinda obsolete..."

[in-boxed]

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE INANIMATE OBJECT?

Hah, don'tcha think that's kind of a silly question? Not to be mean, I'm just ..say..ing...

I couldn't get anything done without my personal computer.  Or my scrunchie.