To Extend Our Reach to the Stars Above

[Laina]

"Orders are orders, Aelwyn, and you need to learn to follow them!""The only thing I need to do right now is find Munchie!" Aelwyn snapped.
"She's probably out eating the entire headquarters into the ground!" Aelwyn's mother sighed, putting her head in her hands. "You're going to do this job, Aelwyn. You're too old to be getting away with this."
When she received no answer Aelwyn's mother looked up, "Aelwyn?" But her daughter had walked off.

"There you are, you silly girl.." Aelwyn smiled down at Munchie as the Pokemon happily munched away on a houseplant decorating the hall.
Aelwyn knelt down and straightened Munchie's pink bow, patting her on the head as she ate.
"Apparently you and I are supposed to go sniff out some rebels." She sighed, "I dunno about you but that sounds like too much work. We don't even know where to begin to work!"
Munchie turned to Winnie and shook her little paw in the air, "Munch munch munchlax munch!" She said angrily and went back to eating.
"I know exactly what you mean." Aelwyn nodded.

It was only after Munchie has finished eating the entire houseplant, pot and all, that Aelwyn started leading Munchie towards the kitchen. At max weight and height Munchie was around 2 feet tall and 237 pounds. A far cry from when she hatched out of her egg. Now Aelwyn would break her back trying to lift the Pokemon up.
The pair looked very odd walking down the halls of headquarters. Munchie was short, squat, and tan and teal.
Aelwyn on the other hand was a nice height at 5'8" and fairly slender. Her dark copper hair, braided down her back, glistened gold as the light hit it and her blue-green eyes contrasted sharply with the dark coloring of her hair. Her skin was fair and her nose and cheeks were covered in a light smattering of freckles.
The two were also mismatched in their wardrobe. Munchie with her pink bow and Aelwyn with her dark red baby doll top and khaki capris.
Yep, all in all they were a very unlikely pair, yet very formidable.

[Dari]

Xavier, so far, had decided he needed his own damn kitchen. In the midst of making his sandwich he had been interrupted not once, or twice, but a total of seventeen times. In the last ten minutes. Some days Xavier wished he had not taken over. Then again, he glanced to his arms, eyes flickering over both tattoos.

No. He needed to be Leader.

“Just wish I could get some peace and quiet while doing it.” He muttered, rubbing at his temple with one hand. The other held the plate with his, finally, completed sandwich on it. Xavier moved over to a stool and sat on it, placing his sandwich down on the counter in front of him. He lifted his beloved turkey and opened his mouth…

“Hey there, boss!” Xavier set his sandwich down, again, and looked at the grunt in front of him. The young man looked so…so eager and excited. Xavier sighed softly and forced a smile.

“Hello.” He said, and from there the grunt began to ramble. On and on about how important Team Igneous was to him and what a hero Xavier was and how he was totally sure that within the next year Team Igneous would have control not only of Iwa, but of all of the other regions too. At this, Xavier lifted one finger and the boy quieted.

“Within the next year, we will not have control of all of that. Within the next year, our ranks will grow by approximately thirty percent. We may ship out for Kanto within the year, but it will not be for immediate take-over instead it will be to scope out the situation. If it seems logical we will send invasion troops over three-to-six months after that.” Xavier said. His speech had about the effect he was hoping for. The grunt stared wide-eyed for a moment before moving.

“Oh…oh, yeah, well, I’m going to…go train.” With that, the grunt departed and Xavier exhaled a sigh of relief, lifting his sandwich and taking a bite.

[Laina]

As they neared the kitchen Munchie broke into a sprint that more closely resembled a fast waddle and burst through the doors a good twenty feet ahead of Aelwyn.
Once in the kitchen Munchie immediately took notice of a very tasty looking turkey sandwich. A very tasty looking sandwich in Xavier's hand, that is.
"Munch! Mun munchlax munch!" The Pokemon whined at Xavier, scrambling up onto a stool and then from there to the counter she waddled over to Xavier, reaching for his sandwich with a pleading look.

That was about the time Aelwyn burst into the kitchen, "Cook!" She shouted, completely oblivious to the fact that Xavier was there, she stomped over to the counter leading to the bigger part of the kitchen where cooks prepared the food for Pokemon.
"Y-Yes Ma'am?" A cook stepped forward, obviously frightened of the redhead in front of him.
"Munchie's third breakfast never reached my room. I found her in the hall, eating a houseplant! Can you tell me why that is?"
"Well... You see... Miss-I mean, Ma'am... A few of the cooks were sick today so we've been very busy and it just uh... Kind of... Slipped our mind?"
"IT WHAT?!" Aelwyn shouted, "Slipped your mind?!" She snapped, and the cook flinched. "Maybe I'll just have to give everyone an example as to why they shouldn't let my precious "slip their mind"." She said slowly, examining her fingernails.
The cook's eyes widened, "Oh, please, no!" He begged, starting to cry.
"Munchie, come here." Aelwyn called lovingly.
The cook was sobbing now, "Please, I have a family..."
"Should have thought about that family before you forgot about my baby." Aelwyn replied simply, "Munchie, use strength, you know the drill."
Munchie nodded enthusiastically, "Munch!" She cried and puffed herself up, lifting the cook up over her head she promptly tossed him out the window, shattering the glass as he went.

"Now the rest of you have 20 minutes to get a full 7 course meal packed up and ready to bring to my room." Aelwyn stated calmly, "For every 20 minutes I wait, another one of you join him."

[Dari]

Of course, just as he was starting to enjoy his sandwich yet another distraction would show up! This time it took the form of a very hungry-looking Munchlax. Not that that was unique, every Munchlax looked hungry. Then the creature moved alarmingly close to him and began to whine while reaching for his sandwich.

“No way.” He said, turning slightly away from the…Munchlax who was no longer there. Green eyes flickered, landing instead on yet another distraction from his much-needed nourishment. This time it was a young woman frantically bellowing at the cooks. He stood, leaving his sandwich forgotten on its plate and moved to solve the dispute when the girl’s Munchlax (So that was where it went…) tossed the cook out the window!

“Wait.” Xavier said, “Wait just a second.” He crossed the room quickly, standing in front of Aelwyn. “Did you seriously just throw one of my cooks out the window? And then threaten to throw more out if they didn’t prepare a seven-course meal in twenty minutes?” He appeared stunned, but beneath that he was a little bit irritated and maybe a tiny bit impressed.

[Laina]

"Of course I threw him out the window, I'm sick of all these grunts treating me like some little kid!" Aelwyn snapped and then hesitated as she finally looked at Xavier, like really looked at him, and realized who he was. Oops.

Well now that she had screwed up she needed to find the best course of action. Xavier was probably like most other dictators: arrogant, selfish, egotistical, not very bright, constantly underestimating people.
She already knew he was irritating with his calm, 'Look at me, I'm so cool and better than all of you!' manner.
So there were several ways she could do this. She could:
A. Use the seduction technique. But there was no guaranteeing it could work and that could make things really awkward. So that was a no go.
B. She could be brutally honest with him and tell him he was short and annoying. But then she would likely be killed. Also a no go.
C. Run away. It would work until he found her. Not happening.

She frowned slightly as she studied the young male closely. Being her ultimate superior he would definitely be a hard nut to crack.
Luckily she got a break when she saw Munchie out of the corner of her eye climbing onto the counter and grabbing Xavier's sandwich.
"You'll probably need to make a new sandwich." She pointed out, watching as Munchie swallowed the entire thing with one bite.

[Dari]

One eyebrow raised as the girl snapped at him. Then he watched with amusement as she realized just who he was. He fought to keep a small smile off his face. “Being young makes everything more difficult.” He said, “You just have to work around it.” He stated. Xavier knew maybe better than most exactly how hard it was to be young. Well, how irritating it was to be underestimated constantly. He remembered just after he took over Team Igneous how the council would constantly try to overrule him.

Not that that ever worked out for them.

This time a small smile did appear on his face, though it instantly disappeared with the girl’s words. He turned, staring in dismay at his empty plate. He almost wanted to cry. Well, he supposed he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone distracting him from his sandwich anymore. He closed his eyes, counting to three quickly in his head.

“I suppose I will.” He replied off-handedly, and then faced the girl again, “But you really should not throw any more cooks out the window today. You might need them later, she looks hungry.” He made a small gesture towards Munchie as he spoke.

“I suppose you already know, but I am Xavier. And you are?” He asked, then looked at her really for the first time, “Oh wait, you’re Morris’ adopted daughter, right? Winnie?” He fought back a smile on that one too; Winnie was such a ridiculous name. “Aren’t you supposed to be out trying to find rebels?”

[Laina]

"Well that's what I am doing. Working around it." Aelwyn replied. "I've managed to make the entire HQ staff respect." As if to emphasize it she glared at the rest of the cooks, satisfied as the ones that noticed her glare flinched away.

"My poor baby is hungry." Aelwyn agreed with a sigh. "But luckily Munchlaxes, like Snorlaxes, can digest anything." She smiled lovingly at Munchie as the Pokemon set to work on eating the paper plates out of the cabinet. "However those things are not giving her enough nourishment so these failures better get her food going." She snapped and went right back to glaring at the kitchen staff.

Aelwyn ground her teeth at the sound of her nickname and glared up at Xavier, "I know very well who you are." She growled, "And my name is Aelwyn. Aelwyn Catherine Morren. Not Winnie."
"And I'm going to be wherever the Hell I want to be." She snapped, her temper getting the best of her and letting the words slip out before she caught herself.

[Dari]

“Respect and…” He glanced to the kitchen staff, “Fear are not the same thing. At all. You’d do better to just earn it by proving yourself worthy of their respect instead of beating them all into fear.” He looked behind him and raised an eyebrow at Munchie’s food-of-choice. “Yelling and throwing tantrums will only get you so far.”

Oh of all the things he had to deal with, this little girl throwing fits every two seconds should not be one of them. He returned her glare. “Lower your voice then, Aelwyn, if you know who I am.” His voice, rather than going up in flames, cooled and lowered, ice to Aelwyn’s fire. “And you are right. You can be wherever you want, but if you want to be an asset to this organization then I would suggest being where you are ordered. Otherwise you’re helping Team Igneous about as much as that cook is now.” He pointed at the remains of the broken window.

He hoped he was getting through to her. If there was one thing Xavier couldn’t stand, it was insubordination. “If you have a disagreement with one of your orders, go to a superior. More than likely we can give you a new mission. Just don’t let it become a habit; no one can always get what they want.” He sighed then, turning from her he headed to the fridge, pulling out more lunch meat.

“Now, I’m going to make myself another sandwich. Would you like one?”

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[Laina]

At his statement Aelwyn studied the kitchen staff, "Nah, I like fear better." She shrugged. "That whole honest respect whatnot doesn't really suit me. Too much work for people who matter too little in life." She sighed, "When I find someone truly deserving of my respect I'll give it to them."

Aelwyn inhaled and let out a deep breath. His cold arrogance was so irritating. "Organization, organization, organization. That's all I ever hear and I'm tired of it. Where's my vacation time?" Aelwyn grumped.

"Ugh, don't say the word superior. I hate that word." Being a bossy girl Aelwyn had always had trouble dealing with the thought of having higher ups. She was more of a free spirit, a wild child. It was probably the reason she was so angry was because she was pent up in this place. Always a mission, always orders, she couldn't do anything for herself.

She thought over his question. Well she was pretty hungry... "Mkay." She relented. "I prefer turkey, but put it on toast, not bread, and the only cheese I like on it is provolone so if they don't have that I don't want any cheese at all."

[Dari]

“Everyone matters.” Xavier said, “Anyone can do anything and respect is a greater barrier than fear.” Xavier shrugged at her next comment, “I truly hope that someday you will find someone who warrants your respect, that person will have to be truly great.” He didn’t know what to think of her. She was infuriating and her utter lack of respect for anyone was…surprising.

“If you truly care so little, then go spend all your time on the Resort. Do whatever you want there. By being here you are naturally going to receive missions and orders.” Xavier stated, “No one is forcing you to stay with us, if you want out, go out.” Of course, though, he knew she wouldn’t leave. If you left Team Igneous, you left your pokemon and she would never leave Muchie. Even Xavier could see that.

“What word would you prefer I use?” Xavier asked as he reached into the bread box. He pulled out four slices of bread, popping all four into the toaster. “Superiors is what they are. But only temporarily, that is if you manage to prove yourself worthy of promotion.” He paused then waiting for the toast to pop out when they did he grabbed two ceramic plates and set the bread on them before pulling the turkey out of the fridge and piling each sandwich generously. He pulled out provolone for her and pepper jack for himself and then slid her sandwich across the table.

[Laina]

"What if I don't want barriers?" Aelwyn asked, quietly, to herself. And then snapped right back to anger, "I just want the cooks to get the God Damned food done. I've only had to kill two this month and I don't want to kill anymore." She looked around and then leaned in a little closer, "Between you and me." She said quietly, "My record is twelve in a month."

"If my dad ever found out about that he'd kill me." She commented, "And that's why I can't go to the resort!" She added, "My parents can't have their own kids, and my dad would kick me up and down Headquarters if I so much as thought about leaving." She chuckled, "Okay, he wouldn't actually. But he'd be really upset. He'd yell and rant a lot."

"I prefer you don't use any words related to that one." She grumped. "It's a stupid word." She grabbed her sandwich before Munchie could and took a bite. "So what exactly are you doing after world domination?" She asked casually, after swallowing.

[Dari]

“Between you and me,” Xavier said quietly back, “There is not an endless supply of cooks.”

“What if I ordered you to the resort?” Xavier suggested, “Then you could do whatever you want and Morris wouldn’t be able to say anything about it. You’d be surprised how easily parents give up their children when they’re ordered too.” With this statement, he gave a mild shrug. Xavier had no faith in parenthood, people were too easily swayed.

“After world domination?” He asked, thinking, “Well, it’ll be a long time. I imagine I’ll be busy ruling the world. Iwa takes a lot of work to rule already, adding more regions will only add to the work, not lessen it.”

“What are your goals? What do you want to do?” Xavier asked, curiously.

[Laina]

"Which is why I will someday raise Machamps and teach them to cook." Aelwyn said, nodding confidentally.

"You could, but my dad would be very unhappy which would in turn make me unhappy." Aelwyn shrugged. "So then I wouldn't really be enjoying my freedom there. I'm better off trapped here where I'm not as unhappy."

"That doesn't sound very fun." She said thoughtfully, "You'll spend the whole rest of your life doing nothing but work all day long every day."

"My goals..." She repeated thoughtfully, "Maybe run a Pokemon ranch. Or a Pokemon restaurant. I also wouldn't mind racing Rapidashes. And I'd like to be a mother someday. Get a house of my own so I'm not constantly around people I don't even know." She shrugged, "Those are just the ideas I'm toying with anyway. The children thing I'll have to do because it's expected of me. Mom and dad are looking forward to another generation of Morrens to put forth effort into building Team Igneous into the greatest power the world has ever known or some such like that."

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[Dari]

Xavier kept his expression blank, but beneath he was surprised, ‘Machamps? Cooking? What a strange idea.’ He instead turned to his sandwich, chomping happily into it. He listened to her continue to talk about her dad and decided that there was definitely one man she respected in the world. Morris was a man deserving of respect anyway, though he didn’t envy him the constant company of this young woman.

“You care a great deal for you father.” Xavier stated, “Enough to give up your freedom. As for not being fun, well, this is what I enjoy. There’s nothing better than controlling the world around you. When that’s the whole world I imagine the experience will only get greater.” He gave a mild shrug. He didn’t know if she would understand, not everyone did, but to him there really was nothing greater than having control.

Confusion flooded him as he listened to her goals. They were all so…simple. “Wait, you’re in an organization whose supreme goal is to take over the world and you just want a farm? A simple farm? And kids?” He said, utterly lost, “I just…you don’t want something…more?”

[Laina]

"Yeah, I'm really grateful to him. I mean, I was an orphan and he took me in. If he hadn't Munchie would have been taken from me, I imagine. She might have even been killed. She only listens to me." Plus Munchie would have probably driven any other trainer insane. Unlike Snorlax, Munchlax was a very hyperactive Pokemon that, in fact, ate much less than their evolutionary counterpart. AT the same time though they spent a great majority of their time eating and rarely got full.

She blinked at his statement about control, "I feel sorry for any future kids you might have." She pointed out. "I also feel sorry for you if you ever try to raise them. The more you try to keep kids in control, the more they seem to go out of it." She chuckled. "I also feel for any lovers you might have."

"More? Why would I want anything more?" Aelwyn asked, "Those things will make me happy." She shrugged, "I doubt I'll meet those goals. My parents were going to approach you with the suggestion of marrying me off to a higher up from a team or company in a different region in order to eliminate any future competition."

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