The LUMIOSE Team (PLOT)

Of all the people in the world, of all the places in the world, it was him. Giovanni hadn't recognized the voice, of course, because they had only spoken briefly a few years ago... but the moment the man walked through the door, Giovanni recognized him. His hand tensed as the Detective strode through, his outfit and face the same as in his memories. Surely, this was the end of him. There would be a fire fight. Something. There was no way that he was getting out of this easily. Looker would spout his sins and he would lose his only ally in Miranda. His only option was to either shoot all of them now or flee, but... but as Giovanni watched him, there... there was nothing. Looker didn't flinch, didn't yell, didn't move to draw his weapon, didn't have any look of recognition...

It couldn't... There was no way...

"My name is Looker. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

IT WAS.

Giovanni's grip on his gun slackened and fell away completely as his mind reeled in malicious glee. That was Looker. The very same Detective Looker Giovanni had personally -and quite literally- booted right out of a freighter ship to his death. Well... "death", I suppose. The one who he'd toyed with, tortured a bit, and then stolen his memory with the power of one of the Harbingers he'd been so enthusiastic to receive... The man he'd taken absolutely everything from... was right here, right in front of him, happily offering his name without a single trace of recognition. The amnesia was still there... Years later, it was still there.

The ridiculous luck of it all... No wonder he'd gotten shot. Something needed to balance out the outrageous nonsense of what was transpiring now.

The other man came out of the stairwell, but Giovanni was quickly losing himself. It was simply too much to remain impassive. He tried covering his wild grin with the back of his hand, but he knew all too well that this sort of expression was one that a person wore over their entire face. "Vitaly, at your service." The little Chikorita tottered back to his trainer and his teammate Weavile. "This is Drizzt, and you've met Jozan." He gave them both a sweet smile, one that only urged Giovanni's girlish stifled giggles. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's..." Oh, he was losing it. And frankly, he really couldn't care enough to blame himself. "It's good to meet you two... fine gentlemen..." His snickering turned into outright laughter, despite the pain in his chest and back. He turned to face away from them again, to ease his twisted torso, and allowed the laughter to carry itself out of him. It was simply too much. The irony was too delicious and hilarious to keep his facade. Oh, God, he was crying. Looker, one of the men he'd wounded most, was just... standing there like some dunce, happy to fucking help the man who had single-handedly ruined his fucking life. Still laughing like a mad fool, he wiped away a tear and stared at his hand a bit. "...Forgive me, I... I'm just..." It was too late. Giovanni, master of Team Rocket and orchestrator of the Apocalypse itself, was lost to a giggle fit.

Scout sighed and shook her head. She did not recognize the man in front of them and therefore was not in on the joke. Thankfully for Giovanni's sake, that only allowed her to make a more convincing alibi for her twittering trainer. "Well... now we know Pokemon moves on people cause weird reactions..." she grimly stated. "He must still be loopy from blood loss. Do you have somewhere upstairs we can place him until he becomes a little more tethered to reality?" It was almost embarrassing to see her esteemed trainer acting like some drunken teenager.

As the strangers entered Miranda couldn't help but feel nervous despite trying her best to be friendly. She didn't recognize either of the men who came in so there was a good chance they weren't local but that didn't mean they didn't share the same sentiment that many of her fellow Lumiose citizens seemed to now carry. It was the older gentleman who introduced himself first and Miranda felt like she could have died, blushing in embarrassment the instant he gave his name. "My name is Looker. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

That was Looker?! She had been imaging a pokemon for certain because no human she had ever met had a name so strange. It was like a pet name, not a name-name, and the realization that she had misjudged their company left her very unsure. So then who was..."Vitaly, at your service." The little green thing went back to sit by his trainer and their Weavile friend, leaving Miranda even more confused. "This is Drizzt, and you've met Jozan. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Oh dear, yes she had indeed been very wrong with their names. The only one she had gotten right was Vitaly but that was because the green monster, Jozan, had said that was the name of his trainer. "A pleasure," she greeted formally, her Kalosian accent more than obvious in the room full of non-local trainers. "I'm Miranda LeClair, and these are my dear friends Durandal and Ésme. My injured companion, Mr.-"

Her introduction trailed off as the echo of laughter reached her ears, Giovanni's soft chuckles evolving and melting into his words. "It's...It's good to meet you two... fine gentlemen..." He lost himself for several moments, laughing to the point of tears as his body swayed against Scout's firmer frame. He tried to calm down, but to no avail. "...Forgive me, I... I'm just..." And there he went again. Miranda looked at her protector in horror as she had never seen him like this before.

"Well... now we know Pokemon moves on people cause weird reactions..." Scout grumbled. "He must still be loopy from blood loss. Do you have somewhere upstairs we can place him until he becomes a little more tethered to reality?" Miranda nodded and held up her hand, Durandal's tassel reaching out and offering her assistance as she stood. She adjusted her skirt and glasses and stepped closer to Giovanni to tap him on the shoulder hoping that he would be able to draw himself out of his hysterics if he had something to focus on. "It's time to get up now sir. We can't having you lying on the floor all night can we?"

"Vitaly, at your service." The easy introduction left Looker feeling a little lighter, the man smiling at little Jozan as he runs back to his friends. "This is Drizzt, and you've met Jozan. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure," the young lady said, and Looker tilted his head to the side a bit.  Oh, that accent was new!  He wondered what it meant, besides the fact that she was clearly native to someplace everyone else in the room wasn't. "I'm Miranda LeClair, and these are my dear friends Durandal and Ésme. My injured companion, Mr.-"

By now the giggles of her companion were noticable to everyone, but that they spiked in volume just as she was introducing him made the whole thing feel very much like a punchline of a comedy. It was a little surreal, and perhaps a touch unsettling. What could be so funny?

"It's...It's good to meet you two... fine gentlemen..."

... Well... that was... a peculiar thing to note.  Why place emphasis on 'fine' of all words?

"...Forgive me, I... I'm just..."

He dissolved again into helpless giggles, Miranda staring at him as if some combination between horrified and mortified. He must not act like this often. Oh no; maybe he lost more blood than they all thought...

"Well... now we know Pokemon moves on people cause weird reactions..." The... scorpion thing, the species of which he didn't know the name of, sighed softly. "He must still be loopy from blood loss."

Ah, so his earlier assessment looked like it was unfortunately correct.

"Do you have somewhere upstairs we can place him until he becomes a little more tethered to reality?"

"Not anything like a bed, unfortunately," he answered her as Miranda tried to get her companion to focus for a few minutes.  "but the entire building is safe and there's an office upstairs that should have plenty of room for all of us to wait a while for him to recover. I also have a blanket he can borrow."

The two humans in the room were at least not hostile. The girl was the first to introduce herself, "A pleasure. I'm Miranda LeClair, and these are my dear friends Durandal and Ésme. My injured companion, Mr.-" Vi nodded and smiled at the girl and her Pokemon as she spoke. Vi immediately noted Miranda's accent, and he had a strong feeling that the girl was from the region. Lots of the people who had called the city home had similar accents, or that's what he gathered from what little he could glean from his encounters with them. Despite that, the girl looked and acted far too delicately to be of the same cloth.

The girl had been cut off when she and everyone else noticed that the large man was having what appeared to be a giggle fit. "It's... It's good to meet you two... fine gentlemen..." Vitaly tensed at the strange emphasis on the word "fine." Does... Does he know me? Dread filled his stomach as the man continued to laugh uncontrollably; Vi didn't know if this Giovanni had hired him or his owner and maybe recognized him. Was the man going to oust him? No... Even if he did, what would he gain? Looker didn't appear to be stupid; Giovanni would have to explain how he knew that tidbit of information. It's not like assassins touted their professions, so usually people who would know an assassin were the people who hired them. Giovanni gave no explanations; he merely tried to calm himself down and failed. "...Forgive me, I... I'm just..."

The Gliscor was not in on whatever made the man laugh so hard, and she offered a more likely scenario, "Well... now we know Pokemon moves on people cause weird reactions... He must still be loopy from blood loss. Do you have somewhere upstairs we can place him until he becomes a little more tethered to reality?" Vi relaxed a little, and kicked himself for immediately thinking of the worst possible thing. Yes, of course the man was still loopy; he nearly died of blood loss. Miranda tapped on Giovanni's shoulder as she attempted to rouse him.

Vitaly didn't know what the top floor actually had available, so he let Looker answer, "Not anything like a bed, unfortunately, but the entire building is safe and there's an office upstairs that should have plenty of room for all of us to wait a while for him to recover. I also have a blanket he can borrow." Yeah, and let them wait out the easily angered locals.

"I've got a sleeping bag if you need something softer," Vitaly offered while pointing a thumb towards his backpack. He sent a look towards the other's Pokemon before taking a few cautionary steps forward and offering a hand to downed human. "Need some help standing?" His smaller size and clothing hid the fact that he was, in fact, very strong physically. Though Giovanni's large size might mean that Looker and/or Miranda would need to help anyways. He didn't want to aggravate any wounds.

((Note, if any of the others give him a look or outright tell him to stay back, then he'll stand where he is, but will still make the offer.))

"It's time to get up now, sir. We can't having you lying on the floor all night can we?" He had no reply to Miranda. Only giggling.

Scout sighed as her trainer continued to make an ass of himself; at least this would end up being a fun anecdote later on. Especially since he would try to remain all dignified while she told it. She turned to Looker, watching him and his other human companion as they spoke. Scout was, due to a force of habit, slow to trust. "Not anything like a bed, unfortunately, but the entire building is safe and there's an office upstairs that should have plenty of room for all of us to wait a while for him to recover. I also have a blanket he can borrow." She flicked an ear as Giovanni's laughter continued, growing louder with the man's offer.

"I've got a sleeping bag if you need something softer," the other one offered before cautiously making his way to her trainer. While Scout didn't particularly enjoy the thought of two capable strangers around her hysterically disoriented trainer, there were few alternatives. She held her ground but did nothing to object to Vitaly's help. "Need some help standing?"

"Yes..." Finally, actually words. He was still suffering from the tail end of a laughing bout, but at least it had lessened to the point where he could form words again. "Thank you, I... I don't know if... if I trust my- my own... ahahaha, legs..." He wrapped a thick arm around the young man's shoulders, his legs shakily supporting him as he stood. Scout placed herself beneath his other arm, which trembled beneath the strain of bearing the load of his weight.

"Maybe you'd stand better if you weren't cackling like some lunatic," the Gliscor grumbled, which only encouraged a resurgence in Giovanni's giggling. Dammit.

"An astute observation, dear Scout!" he proclaimed. "But I- I simply can't help myself."

"Need some help standing?"

Miranda had wanted to offer to help too but she had a hard enough time pulling Giovanni's head off of the floor, and getting him though the window, so the idea of bearing his weight for him as he struggled to walk was one she had to admit defeat on. She stepped back slowly as Scout and the young man hefted the man to his feet and braced him as he made shaking attempt to stand. "Thank you, I... I don't know if... if I trust my- my own... ahahaha, legs..."

"Maybe you'd stand better if you weren't cackling like some lunatic." Scout seemed concerned to the point of irate as she sassed her trainer, which only served to set him off in another fit of mad giggling. "An astute observation, dear Scout!" Giovanni shouted happily, making Miranda wince and shoot a nervous glance to the broken window they had climbed through. "But I- I simply can't help myself."

"You can, though," she mumbled if only to herself. She needed to try and get Mr. Don to snap out of this before she found herself once again without a guardian, and she couldn't bear the idea of losing Giovanni now. "Because if you don't Scout and Mr. Vitaly here will not be able to carry you and if they can't carry you then you get to spend the night on this cold, hard floor because no one here can lift you. So what is it going to be? Warm office and a sleeping bag, or cold tile floor?"

"I've got a sleeping bag if you need something softer." Thank goodness.  Looker did not have one.. "Need some help standing?"

He considers moving to help the man, but when his scorpion moves to assist Vitaly and... hm, the other man had never been introduced. The introduction had been cut off by his laughter, and the girl hadn't tried again.

Oh well. That could come later.

"Thank you, I... I don't know if... if I trust my- my own... ahahaha, legs..."

"Maybe you'd stand better if you weren't cackling like some lunatic." The grouchy sass made him smile. It would be nice to have a pokemon of his own, and have a steady companion like that with whom he could share such moments. Alas, he didn't even have a single pokeball. Maybe one of these gentlemen or the young lady would allow him to have one.

"An astute observation, dear Scout!" Though he remained jovial, the girl's fear heightened. She gave the window a quick look. Yes, that would be a very good point. They should attempt to calm her friend down enough so his laughter wouldn't alert any possible nearby hostiles to where they were all hiding. "But I- I simply can't help myself."

She mumbled something he didn't quite catch. He could have, maybe, if he'd stepped closer, but that would be rude and weird. Despite the voice in the back of his head repeatedly telling him that he needed to know as much as possible about any given situation, there were societal rules that still need to be abided by.

She spoke up a little louder, addressing her companion directly. "Because if you don't Scout and Mr. Vitaly here will not be able to carry you and if they can't carry you then you get to spend the night on this cold, hard floor because no one here can lift you. So what is it going to be? Warm office and a sleeping bag, or cold tile floor?"

"The young lady has a point; I would listen to her," he chuckled as he opened the door for them. No sense in letting them having to figure out how to get the door open and keep it open while supporting a manically giggling, heavy man.

The large man's giggling subsided enough for him to respond, "Yes... Thank you, I... I don't know if... if I trust my- my own... ahahaha, legs..." The man wrapped a large arm around Vi's shoulders, and Vi threw his own arm around the man's back for a firmer grip. Vitaly tried to take more of Giovanni's weight so that the other's obviously shaking legs wouldn't collapse. The Gliscor got the other side to help support her trainer, but even with two beings assisting him, Vi could feel the arm on his back trembling. Compassion and determination filled the young man as he shouldered his burden.

The Gliscor tried to reprimand her trainer,"Maybe you'd stand better if you weren't cackling like some lunatic." While Vi could understand her sentiment, he had a bad feeling that it would backfire.

He was unfortunately correct, and Giovanni's large frame started to shake again as the giggles resurfaced. Vitaly and Drizzt both flinched when his volume suddenly increased, "An astute observation, dear Scout! But I- I simply can't help myself." Vi was in an awkward position to check, but Drizzt knew what to do. The Weavile quietly ran over to the window and discreetly glanced out. It looked like everyone else shared similar concerns; the young girl and Looker both sent worried looks towards the busted out window.

Miranda muttered something too quietly for him to hear over Giovanni's laughter, but she spoke up in a firmer tone, "Because if you don't Scout and Mr. Vitaly here will not be able to carry you and if they can't carry you then you get to spend the night on this cold, hard floor because no one here can lift you. So what is it going to be? Warm office and a sleeping bag, or cold tile floor?" He couldn't help cracking a smile at the not so subtle threat/promise; though he was now worried that Giovanni would start up again. He did have another idea to get the large man to cooperate, but he knew that even suggesting it would immediately put him in everyone's bad graces. Knocking someone out was generally frowned upon unless circumstances were dire.

Looker backed up Miranda with a laugh, "The young lady has a point; I would listen to her." Thankfully, he used his freedom of movement to open the door for them. Vi sent a grateful look towards him as he started trying to guide the large man towards the door. Jozan went ahead of the others in order to stay out of everyone's way, but he stopped by the first step as he waited for the rest of the group. Drizzt lingered near the window a few seconds longer, but, not hearing anything unusual, he soon followed behind the rest of the group.

He really hoped they didn't need to resort to doing anything else to help Giovanni up the stairs... In a slightly joking tone, he suggested to the others, "Well... if he doesn't cooperate, Pelor could lug him up the stairs. It's not my first option because Psychic is disorienting even if the Pokemon doesn't want to hurt you." While this was said in jest, there was a note of seriousness. If they actually needed the help, he did have it.

Well, Miss LeClair certainly didn't approve his joy, though he drunkenly thought that if she were in on the joke, she'd find it hilarious too. His giggles had reduced in volume while she scolded him, as an irate schoolteacher scolds her pupils. "Because if you don't Scout and Mr. Vitaly here will not be able to carry you and if they can't carry you then you get to spend the night on this cold, hard floor because no one here can lift you. So what is it going to be? Warm office and a sleeping bag, or cold tile floor?" So mean. How could a lady such as herself be so mean? Still, his dazed mind did seem to take the not-so-subtle hint and he lowered his volume and exuberance for the sake of his own mobility.

Dear Looker laughed at the situation, earning another wide grin from Giovanni. Oh, if he knew what was happening at that very moment, Dear Looker would be far from laughing. It shocked Giovanni so very much that his victory over the nosy, prying detective had been so whole and uncompromising that his same victory had lasted uninterrupted for four years. Astounding. "The young lady has a point; I would listen to her." Amicably, the detective went and even opened the door for them. Giovanni wished this feeling to never leave him; he'd be happy forever.

"Well... if he doesn't cooperate, Pelor could lug him up the stairs. It's not my first option because Psychic is disorienting even if the Pokemon doesn't want to hurt you."

"Oh, he'll cooperate," Scout grumbled, giving her trainer a dirty look-- a look that did not go unnoticed, but the threat behind it was completely dismissed. "Though I won't fit up those stairs with you and him beside me. It's either you take him up or I do." The poor Gliscor was simply too large for much else; her size, of course, had been what drew him to her, since he needed a flyer that accommodated his own size, but in situations such as these, it was a definite disadvantage.

"So will it be my faithful pokemon or one of you two handsome men to escort me up the deadly, fearful stair? Both options are wonderful, of course. I think Scout is better suited to handle my weight, however. Truth be told I might crush either of you." Since the ocean apparently didn't do it for me, eheheheheheheh.

"The young lady has a point; I would listen to her." There, see, even the other adult agreed with her. That meant she wasn't crazy or insubordinate to talk back to her friend like that, she was just protecting him. From...himself apparently. But thankfully the two they had met seemed up to the task of assisting her in that matter because otherwise she wasn't sure how effective herself or Scout would be with Giovanni this delirious.

"Well... if he doesn't cooperate, Pelor could lug him up the stairs. It's not my first option because Psychic is disorienting even if the Pokemon doesn't want to hurt you." Miranda had to stifle her giggle at first but at the mention of the effects of Psychic on humans she immediately shook her head, quashing down the nervous energy that sprang forward. This entire endeavor was meant to protect her companion not make him worse. "Oh, he'll cooperate."

The way Scout scolded her trainer was like a mother having to reprimand her son for breaking the rules he knew to follow. It made Miranda feel much better to hear her still so normal. "Though I won't fit up those stairs with you and him beside me. It's either you take him up or I do." She peered around her companions and the young Mr. Vitaly to see Looker holding open the door for them, noting that the stairwell would be rather snug for a Pokemon of Scout's size. Unfortunately once again the amusement in his situation was all too easily found for Giovanni.


"So will it be my faithful pokemon or one of you two handsome men to escort me up the deadly, fearful stair? Both options are wonderful, of course. I think Scout is better suited to handle my weight, however. Truth be told I might crush either of you." Oh for goodness sake. "Perhaps having Scout take him isn't a terrible plan. Durandel can follow straight behind in case you or he need assistance since he can actually catch you. These two fine gentlemen can escort me up the stairs after you." She blushed a moment and began tugging at her sleeves nervously, realizing she had just tried taking control of the situation again. Oops. "If you two wouldn't mind, that is."

"Well... if he doesn't cooperate, Pelor could lug him up the stairs. It's not my first option because Psychic is disorienting even if the Pokemon doesn't want to hurt you."

He winced. Oh, yes, that was something he knew personally. Hospitals weren't terribly wonderful memory makers to begin with, but...

He could say with relative certainty that being carried with a pokemon's psychic to one because of a panic attack over a storm definitely made psychic carries something to be leery of. Perhaps it was memory assosiation, or maybe it was the nausea of that kind of power being used on him while he was already upset.

Either way, he did not envy this man in the event they had to get him up the stairs with that method.

"Oh, he'll cooperate."

She sounded like a mother. The slight absurdity of it helped wash out the unpleasant memories a little, coaxing a smile from him. "Though I won't fit up those stairs with you and him beside me. It's either you take him up or I do."

Hm. That could be hard. This stairwell was not very large. But then again, his scorpion seemed like she would be much stronger than either of them.

"So will it be my faithful pokemon or one of you two handsome men to escort me up the deadly, fearful stair? Both options are wonderful, of course. I think Scout is better suited to handle my weight, however. Truth be told I might crush either of you."  Oh, even he agreed.

"Perhaps having Scout take him isn't a terrible plan. Durandel can follow straight behind in case you or he need assistance since he can actually catch you. These two fine gentlemen can escort me up the stairs after you." He glanced at her, finding the girl blushing again. "If you two wouldn't mind, that is."

"Of course not, Miranda." He gave her a smile to ease her anxiety. "That sounds like a fine plan to me."

Scout grumbled and sent a pointed glare to her trainer, "Oh, he'll cooperate."  Vi couldn't unsee the image of a mother telling off a naughty child, and his smile remained in place as they contemplated the stairs. He paused as he considered how large the Gliscor was. She had the same thought as she stated,
"Though I won't fit up those stairs with you and him beside me. It's either you take him up or I do."

Before he could answer, Giovanni questioned cheerfully, "So will it be my faithful pokemon or one of you two handsome men to escort me up the deadly, fearful stair? Both options are wonderful, of course. I think Scout is better suited to handle my weight, however. Truth be told I might crush either of you." At the compliment directed towards both him and Looker, Vi tensed; while he knew that the man was teasing and not in his right mind, compliments related to Vitaly's appearance set him on edge. Unfortunately, his former.... lifestyle before he gained his freedom had permanently tainted compliments of the like, and he wasn't sure if he could ever remove the association.

With his mind thoroughly sidetracked, Miranda was quick to take charge, "Perhaps having Scout take him isn't a terrible plan. Durandel can follow straight behind in case you or he need assistance since he can actually catch you. These two fine gentlemen can escort me up the stairs after you." After Giovanni's comment, Miranda's word choice couldn't have been any worse. He knew that a young girl wouldn't have any idea what he was associating her words with, but insecurities and old memories refused to let it go. He didn't see her blush, but he could hear the nervousness in her voice as she backpedaled, "If you two wouldn't mind, that is."

Looker was thankfully in a better mindset to deal with the anxious child and quickly assured her, "Of course not, Miranda. That sounds like a fine plan to me."

While Vitaly figured that he was perfectly capable of carrying Giovanni up the stairs, it made more sense to let the Gliscor handle it, and it looked liked everyone had already made up their minds. "Yeah," he quietly agreed. He slid his arm away from the tall man as he fully left Giovanni's weight in Scout's claws. He weaved ahead of the group and waved for Jozan and Drizzt to follow. He appeared distinctly uncomfortable with the idea of being at the back of the procession, but he had an easy excuse.  "I'll go ahead and get the next door."

"Perhaps having Scout take him isn't a terrible plan. Durandel can follow straight behind in case you or he need assistance since he can actually catch you. These two fine gentlemen can escort me up the stairs after you." It was a perfectly reasonable plan, but Scout had no idea why Miranda's rationale was accompanied by a blush. Why was she blushing after that? Between all of these strange, nonsensical subtleties between the humans around her and her trainer's loopy babble, the Gliscor was quickly nearing the end of her patience. "If you two wouldn't mind, that is."

Thankfully, Looker -what an odd name- seemed to have his head screwed on a little tighter than her current companions. "Of course not, Miranda. That sounds like a fine plan to me."

"Yeah," the last of the humans quietly agreed, then slid himself out from under Giovanni's shoulder. She sensed a strange scent of anxiety from the man, but again, she was far too impatient to get her trainer back to normal to entertain anything else that required anything other than action. "I'll go ahead and get the next door."

She thanked the man quietly as she readjusted Giovanni's increasingly limp body onto her back, his giggles not eliminated completely, but at the very least quieting. Well... progress. Scout made her way up the stairs with care and caution, slinking delicately to a corner of the room to spy the spot Looker had mentioned. It was easy enough to find, in which she skulked to it and just about dumped Giovanni down onto the floor. Giddy bastard deserved it. Though he managed some more light-hearted, gentle twitters, his body finally succumbed to the strange spell the Chikorita's Heal Pulse had put him under and he fell into a quiet sleep.

Heaving a long, tired sigh, Scout settled herself near her now tolerable trainer. "I apologize for his behavior again," she spoke. "He's not usually so... awful. You're kind to welcome us."

"Of course not, Miranda. That sounds like a fine plan to me." She breathed a happy sigh of relief and smiled warmly at Looker, glad that she hadn't offended the man by trying to think for him. She had never lost her proper manners despite the epidemic, and being with Mr. Don certainly helped keep her civil, but in his current state her panic and worry seemed to be overriding her normally demure behavior.

"Yeah, I'll go ahead and get the next door." Mr. Vitaly moved quickly ahead on the stairway to hold open the door for Scout and Mr. Don and Miranda was happy that the extra weight on Scout didn't cause her too much trouble. Though she had held both herself and Mr. Don while flying so it wasn't so far fetched to think she couldn't handle her trainer's bulk. Though normally it was able to support itself and not just lay there like dead weight.

Durandel moved to the side to allow Miranda and Looker through the doorway once they reached the top and resumed his position of hovering near his young charge. Scout moved Giovanni to the corner and unloaded him onto the floor just as the man's fit went quiet. Miranda rushed over to them in concern but was relieved to find him merely sleeping. Scout settled herself next to the large man and Miranda followed suit, more comfortable with Giovanni and his pokemon than the two new gentlemen despite their otherwise friendly nature. "I apologize for his behavior again," she clarified once everyone was inside. "He's not usually so... awful. You're kind to welcome us."

Miranda nodded and smiled at the two. "Yes. I truly don't know what I would have done without you both. What we would have done. Thank you." She gently tested the man's temperature with the back of her hand, frowning a bit at his chilled skin. He had lost enough blood that his temperature had dropped and that was concerning, and given his current level of exhaustion he would need significant recovery time. She adjusted her glasses as she tried to think of how to help expedite it. "I don't suppose either of you gentleman have anything rich in iron? Or vitamin C or B? He'll need help getting his body to replenish blood. Fruits and seafood would be best...though I doubt we could get seafood here. Anything in the cafes would be long since rotten or stolen... Bird maybe? That could work."

Ésme chuckled, making his keys jingle, as Miranda kept talking. She usually only went on these tangents when alone so hearing her think aloud in front of these two men was highly entertaining to the small Klefki. "What?" she questioned with a pout before realizing he had been thinking out loud. "Oh, was I rambling? My apologies gentlemen, I'm just...really worried. I won't do it again."

"Yeah, I'll go ahead and get the next door." Looker glanced over at him in a small measure of surprise at the sudden shift. Anxiety? Why would he be anxious?

People were so strange. The slightest thing could knock them off kilter, the simplest word could bring back unpleasant memories, forge unwanted word associations.

He only hoped he would be able to help Vitaly with whatever had just bothered him.

The floating sword moved aside to allow passage into the office as Miranda and Looker reached the top of the stairwell, just as Scout moved Giovanni out of the way, to a corner, and set the quiet man down. Miranda wasted no time racing over to check on him; thankfully, he appeared to be sleeping. Miranda and Scout settled next to him, content. "I apologize for his behavior again," Scout added. "He's not usually so... awful. You're kind to welcome us."

"Yes. I truly don't know what I would have done without you both. What we would have done. Thank you." She eased a hand to his head. Checking his temperature? "I don't suppose either of you gentleman have anything rich in iron? Or vitamin C or B? He'll need help getting his body to replenish blood. Fruits and seafood would be best...though I doubt we could get seafood here. Anything in the cafes would be long since rotten or stolen... Bird maybe? That could work."

The tiny keyring giggled, stealing away her attention before Looker could answer. "What?" And now she was pouting. He couldn't deny that was rather cute. "Oh, was I rambling? My apologies gentlemen, I'm just...really worried. I won't do it again."

"Miranda, if I was scolded every time I thought aloud, you would never be able to stop scolding me." He laughed, relief flooding him. Finally, company! Friendly company and one of them even shared a quirk with him! "It's perfectly fine!  Besides, it allows us to brainstorm. Sadly, I'm afraid I have nothing that fits the bill, and you're absolutely right about the cafes. Hm, and in the city I don't suppose we'd find any birds.  Vitaly, do you have any ideas?"

Or perhaps something from Miranda's list; that would help immensely.

Vitaly quickly opened the door; once again, he flinched at the loud squeal from the hinges. Drizzt and Jozan stayed behind him to remain out of the way of the Gliscor and her burden. Scout was able to handle her trainer's weight with ease, but as soon as she entered, she headed to a corner and all but dumped Giovanni to the floor. Vi was mildly concerned to see the man's eyes closed, but when Miranda hurried over to him, she didn't stay worried. He figured Giovanni had finally fallen asleep. Poor guy needed it. Scout was the first to speak up, "I apologize for his behavior again. He's not usually so... awful. You're kind to welcome us."

The young girl added her gratitude, "Yes. I truly don't know what I would have done without you both. What we would have done. Thank you." She sent a smile towards them before checking on her companion.

Once everyone had entered, he tried to ease the door shut, but the effort was in vain. As a force of habit, he stayed close to the door and leaned against the wall beside it. His Pokemon remained near his feet, but Jozan elected to sit instead of stand like Drizzt. Vi nodded at the gratitude and tried to give a reassuring smile. To Scout he said, "No worries. Near death experiences make people do weird things." It didn't occur until after he said it just how casual his tone was. Considering the subject matter, he hoped that they didn't take offense to it. He also hoped that they didn't think too hard about how he knew that, though due to the state of the world, they could come up with their own explanations.

Miranda was entirely focused on the well-being of her companion, and this caused her to start rambling out information. "I don't suppose either of you gentleman have anything rich in iron? Or vitamin C or B? He'll need help getting his body to replenish blood. Fruits and seafood would be best...though I doubt we could get seafood here. Anything in the cafes would be long since rotten or stolen... Bird maybe? That could work." The keyring Pokemon started laughing at their trainer, and that startled the girl. She pouted at her Pokemon, "What?" Then a realization occurred to her, "Oh, was I rambling? My apologies gentlemen, I'm just...really worried. I won't do it again." His earlier anxiety was melting away as he was reminded again that at least this girl was entirely too innocent for his worries. He wasn't entirely sure about her companion, but he doubted that a person he would be concerned about would keep a child like her nearby.

He raised a brow at her apology, however. It wasn't a fearful backpedal that he would usually associate with the words. Maybe it had more to do with a proper upbringing? 'Children should be seen but not heard' was a saying he was all too familiar with. Then again... despite constantly thinking of her as a child, she was almost as tall as he was, and that definitely meant she was in her teen years. Usually once they got to that age range, speaking out of turn happened whether adults wanted it or not.

Looker laughed as he assured her, "Miranda, if I was scolded every time I thought aloud, you would never be able to stop scolding me. It's perfectly fine!  Besides, it allows us to brainstorm. Sadly, I'm afraid I have nothing that fits the bill, and you're absolutely right about the cafes. Hm, and in the city I don't suppose we'd find any birds.  Vitaly, do you have any ideas?" Darn. He had hoped that Looker would have something.

Vi's eyes had a far away look as he considered Miranda's long list. Looks like it was his turn to ramble. He sent her an apologetic look as he started with, "Sorry, but I don't have anything with me that fits the bill." He looked down at Drizzt to see if the Weavile had any input, but the only reaction was a shrug and a head shake. "Sadly, if we want fruits, we'd probably have to send people out of the city. I think Elise said something about there being farms. Unless we get lucky and happen to find some canned ones... " The last sentence was said with little confidence, and it was obvious he held no delusions about it. "As for meat... hunting is kinda dangerous. Anything flying has a good chance of getting shot down by my lovely neighbors, and the only place I can think of that has fish is the river that runs through the middle of the city. Which I usually avoid unless it's the middle of the night." He flinched when he realized just how pessimistic he sounded, but he didn't know how else to put it. Granted, she was probably just mentioning an ideal, and wasn't really expecting them to have exactly what was needed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be so negative. Unless you guys have any ideas, I guess just make sure he has plenty of water. Bleeding like that can cause dehydration." Oh how well he knew that bit of information.

"Yes. I truly don't know what I would have done without you both. What we would have done. Thank you." She placed her hand on Giovanni's forehead; a practice Scout was woefully unfamiliar. She couldn't do such a thing on her own, as her pincers were not the most sensitive of appendages, but also in that said pincers could easily crush the man's head without much of a second thought. The delicate art of nursing and care were forever lost on the creature and she had to acquiesce the duties to the young ward her trainer had adopted. Thankfully, though the girl was somewhat useless at some skills -like navigation, for one- health seemed to be something a little more in her alley.

"No worries. Near death experiences make people do weird things," the younger of the strangers assuaged, though his tone seemed... off? Scout's ear twitched, his words strange in her mind. She couldn't place what was wrong -or even if there was something "wrong" in the first place- much more than that the statement wasn't normal. Ugh. Who fucking knew. Giovanni was the expert on these things, not her.

A miracle occurred in that Miranda spoke and disrupted Scout's circular thoughts. "I don't suppose either of you gentleman have anything rich in iron? Or vitamin C or B? He'll need help getting his body to replenish blood. Fruits and seafood would be best...though I doubt we could get seafood here. Anything in the cafes would be long since rotten or stolen... Bird maybe? That could work." The strange little keys Miranda carried with her began to laugh, though Scout was completely unaware as to why. None of what Miranda had said had made any sense in the least. Was... was that what was funny? "What? Oh, was I rambling? My apologies gentlemen, I'm just...really worried. I won't do it again." Oh. Well, that also made sense.

It was the older man's turn to laugh now, this time much boisterous and jovial than the quiet little chuckles the keys had made. "Miranda, if I was scolded every time I thought aloud, you would never be able to stop scolding me. It's perfectly fine!  Besides, it allows us to brainstorm. Sadly, I'm afraid I have nothing that fits the bill, and you're absolutely right about the cafes. Hm, and in the city I don't suppose we'd find any birds. Vitaly, do you have any ideas?"

Scout turned to the named man. She certainly had no ideas and therefore couldn't contribute. "Sorry, but I don't have anything with me that fits the bill. Sadly, if we want fruits, we'd probably have to send people out of the city. I think Elise said something about there being farms. Unless we get lucky and happen to find some canned ones... " Vitaly's uncertain tone echoed Scout's own displeasure. None of that sounded appetizing. "As for meat... hunting is kinda dangerous. Anything flying has a good chance of getting shot down by my lovely neighbors, and the only place I can think of that has fish is the river that runs through the middle of the city. Which I usually avoid unless it's the middle of the night." He seemed to catch his own nihilistic tone and quickly amended it. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be so negative. Unless you guys have any ideas, I guess just make sure he has plenty of water. Bleeding like that can cause dehydration."

Scout sighed. So much for that. "Well, do we have water? Our own rations are... ok, but not great. He won't be able to survive on the rations he was working on before he was shot. Not for long, anyway."

"Miranda, if I was scolded every time I thought aloud, you would never be able to stop scolding me. It's perfectly fine!  Besides, it allows us to brainstorm. Sadly, I'm afraid I have nothing that fits the bill, and you're absolutely right about the cafes. Hm, and in the city I don't suppose we'd find any birds. Vitaly, do you have any ideas?" Miranda flushed a little bit in embarrassment but it quickly fell away to a bright, happy smile. She was grateful to have such company while Mr. Don was incapacitated and the relief of knowing they were going to help made everything much easier.

"Sorry, but I don't have anything with me that fits the bill. Sadly, if we want fruits, we'd probably have to send people out of the city. I think Elise said something about there being farms. Unless we get lucky and happen to find some canned ones... " Well, that was okay. It was a long shot to ask in the first place so she wasn't surprised at the response. "As for meat... hunting is kinda dangerous. Anything flying has a good chance of getting shot down by my lovely neighbors, and the only place I can think of that has fish is the river that runs through the middle of the city. Which I usually avoid unless it's the middle of the night."

Miranda nodded and tried thinking of the nearby shops and cafes, going through the entire city map in her mind. There were options if they couldn't get fresh food though it would require supplements to make sure Giovanni got the right nutrition he needed to replenish his blood supply.  "Sorry. I didn't mean to be so negative. Unless you guys have any ideas, I guess just make sure he has plenty of water. Bleeding like that can cause dehydration." Miranda shook her head and gave him a gentle smile. "It's alright, I knew it was a low chance when I asked. I was just hoping for a bit of luck today."

"Well, do we have water? Our own rations are... ok, but not great. He won't be able to survive on the rations he was working on before he was shot. Not for long, anyway." Miranda looked meekly to her bag on the ground and knew that the few bottles of water she did carry wouldn't hold. Mr. Don's own large duffel was likely near tapped if Scout was asking about something as simple as water. "Does the water in this building still run? Most of the cafes and hotels were required to have special filtration systems installed to allow for the local use of water without damaging wild pokemon habitats. Treatment plants were considered harmful and ugly to look at. I bet since this was a pokemon lab it had one too."

"Sorry, but I don't have anything with me that fits the bill." And it looked as if his Weavile had no contradiction to that, as the dark type shook his head when Vitaly glanced down at him, as if hoping Drizzt would contradict him. "Sadly, if we want fruits, we'd probably have to send people out of the city. I think Elise said something about there being farms. Unless we get lucky and happen to find some canned ones... "

Unless they found a recently dead corpse with canned goods on them that the locals hadn't discovered first, and frankly, he would rather not have to pick a dead person's pockets again. God, never again. It felt far too much like 'survival of the fittest' philosophy.

"As for meat... hunting is kinda dangerous. Anything flying has a good chance of getting shot down by my lovely neighbors, and the only place I can think of that has fish is the river that runs through the middle of the city. Which I usually avoid unless it's the middle of the night." He flinched a little, Looker's brows knitting in concern. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be so negative. Unless you guys have any ideas, I guess just make sure he has plenty of water. Bleeding like that can cause dehydration."

He winced. Yes, it can. A fact he knew well.

"It's alright, I knew it was a low chance when I asked. I was just hoping for a bit of luck today."

"Well, do we have water?" Scout asked. "Our own rations are... ok, but not great. He won't be able to survive on the rations he was working on before he was shot. Not for long, anyway."

"Does the water in this building still run? Most of the cafes and hotels were required to have special filtration systems installed to allow for the local use of water without damaging wild pokemon habitats. Treatment plants were considered harmful and ugly to look at. I bet since this was a pokemon lab it had one too."

"I haven't had time to check the faucets," Looker admitted. "I was looking for something when I arrived and made a beeline straight for that. I do have a canteen of water, though; you may have that, and we can test the faucets to see? There aren't any on this floor, though... we'd have to travel down into the lab's lower levels."

There probably wasn't anything undead down there, but the notion still wasn't an enjoyable one.  Still, if it were necessary, than it was necessary. No way around that.

Thankfully, Vitaly's social blunder hadn't put the young girl off, and she sent a gentle smile in his direction before responding, "It's alright, I knew it was a low chance when I asked. I was just hoping for a bit of luck today." Given their fortune on finding friendly strangers right when they needed it, he couldn't blame her for hoping for a little more luck. He smiled back to let her know that he appreciated the gesture.

The large Gliscor sighed before asking the girl, "Well, do we have water? Our own rations are... ok, but not great. He won't be able to survive on the rations he was working on before he was shot. Not for long, anyway." Oh... they were running low anyway. They might need to do a forage run sooner than he had been expecting... He had enough supplies for himself and his Pokemon for a few days, but since neither he nor any of his Pokemon were large, that didn't mean much.

Miranda, at least seemed to have an answer, "Does the water in this building still run? Most of the cafes and hotels were required to have special filtration systems installed to allow for the local use of water without damaging wild pokemon habitats. Treatment plants were considered harmful and ugly to look at. I bet since this was a pokemon lab it had one too." Wait what? He gave her an incredulous look. He had simply assumed that most of the buildings were out of commission on that front. They had been getting water from the river and any other natural water sources. They could have saved a lot of time had they known that. He couldn't blame Lidda or Elise, though; neither of them would have had the opportunity to learn things like that.

Looker admitted, "I haven't had time to check the faucets. I was looking for something when I arrived and made a beeline straight for that. I do have a canteen of water, though; you may have that, and we can test the faucets to see? There aren't any on this floor, though... we'd have to travel down into the lab's lower levels."

"I have some water to spare too," he offered. "Pretty sure there was at least a bathroom on the first floor. I don't know about any other taps..." He then admitted, "I wasn't really paying attention to that when I looked around earlier. Didn't know that they might work."

"Does the water in this building still run? Most of the cafes and hotels were required to have special filtration systems installed to allow for the local use of water without damaging wild pokemon habitats. Treatment plants were considered harmful and ugly to look at. I bet since this was a pokemon lab it had one too." What?! Scout turned to stare at Miranda as if she'd just grown a second and third head. How was plumbing still able to work when literally nothing else did? Sure, the Gliscor was fairly ignorant in how many human commodities worked, but then again, her shock wasn't wholly unwarranted, judging by the men's reactions.

Looker was the first to reply, gently pulling the bat out of her shock. "I haven't had time to check the faucets. I was looking for something when I arrived and made a beeline straight for that. I do have a canteen of water, though; you may have that, and we can test the faucets to see? There aren't any on this floor, though... we'd have to travel down into the lab's lower levels." Yeah, that didn't sound like a swell option at the moment. Not with her trainer out for the count.

"I have some water to spare too," Vitaly offered, earning a nod of gratitude from Scout. "Pretty sure there was at least a bathroom on the first floor. I don't know about any other taps..." He then added, "I wasn't really paying attention to that when I looked around earlier. Didn't know that they might work."

"Me neither. It was my understanding that nothing works anymore. Giovanni would have mentioned it if he knew, too, so I doubt he was aware either." She turned to Miranda with a newfound respect in her eyes. Though she had never felt any ill will toward the girl, Scout had summed the human girl up to be mostly a gentle burden to her trainer despite him constantly insisting otherwise. And her intimate knowledge of the city was something that Scout had only momentarily acknowledged in getting Giovanni someplace safe; this was why she wasn't in charge. In short, Scout had thought Miranda little more than a personified map and/or lifeline. She was a sweet girl, but Scout wasn't the kind of pokemon to glaze over the truth.

It was her mistake to think as little of her as she did, however, as the human was far more handy than she'd given credit. Maybe Giovanni recognized that potential? It would be so very like her trainer to have been able to see it beneath all the porcelain doll nonsense. Again, this was why she didn't make the decisions.

A thought occurred to her. "Would anything else be working? If your city didn't like water treatment plants, then would they have had a power plant? Are there some buildings here with their own generators?" It was worth a shot, after all. Maybe one of the men before her had an Electric Type to power one.

"I haven't had time to check the faucets. I was looking for something when I arrived and made a beeline straight for that. I do have a canteen of water, though; you may have that, and we can test the faucets to see? There aren't any on this floor, though... we'd have to travel down into the lab's lower levels." Miranda thought it was strange no one had thought to try to most obvious source of water other than the river flowing beneath them. It's not like anyone would have shut the water off outside without the express intention to. Was that not the way other places?

"I have some water to spare too," Mr. Vitaly added. "Pretty sure there was at least a bathroom on the first floor. I don't know about any other taps...I wasn't really paying attention to that when I looked around earlier. Didn't know that they might work."

"Me neither. It was my understanding that nothing works anymore. Giovanni would have mentioned it if he knew, too, so I doubt he was aware either."

So then other places it was different. The local water was sourced straight from the river and the city integrated into the area as much as possible to avoid excess disturbance of the outer wildlife areas. Everything was either built into the city to prevent eyesores and pollution or they drew it from nature itself. Lumiose was a gem in the crown of Kalos and the region was always proud of its environmentally friendly policies.

As Miranda pondered she at first didn't notice the strange glances Scout kept throwing towards her but after a few minutes of being studied she finally turned towards the purple flyer. "Um...is something wrong, Scout?" The scorpion-like creature seemed unfazed by the query and finally vocalized her own thoughts. "Would anything else be working? If your city didn't like water treatment plants, then would they have had a power plant? Are there some buildings here with their own generators?"

"Oh! ...maybe? The Kalos Power Plant is to the west of the city, it's solar powered so it could be. But if any of the equipment inside were damaged I don't know what would happen to be honest. As for generators the Gym has several but I don't know about any other buildings. Could be."

"I have some water to spare too,"  Thank goodness. It seemed that Mr. Don would not have to worry about water, at least for a short time. "Pretty sure there was at least a bathroom on the first floor. I don't know about any other taps...I wasn't really paying attention to that when I looked around earlier. Didn't know that they might work."

"Me neither. It was my understanding that nothing works anymore. Giovanni would have mentioned it if he knew, too, so I doubt he was aware either."

Did things work differently here, then? The girl seemed awfully sure of herself when she'd spoken earlier. She must be a native of this area; he was frankly more inclined to trust her on this matter than the fellow foriegners.

"Um...is something wrong, Scout?"

"Would anything else be working? If your city didn't like water treatment plants, then would they have had a power plant? Are there some buildings here with their own generators?"

"Oh! ...maybe? The Kalos Power Plant is to the west of the city, it's solar powered so it could be. But if any of the equipment inside were damaged I don't know what would happen to be honest. As for generators the Gym has several but I don't know about any other buildings. Could be."

"I would have to advise against going anywhere near the gym." It pained him to point this out, but... well... it can't be helped. The truth is the truth. "You've experienced the locals here. No doubt they've already taken control of anywhere with such valuable resources, if those are even still in working order. I can't guess about the power plant, though. That's more out of the way, so it's possible they haven't made any move towards it in favor of sticking to areas they know how to manage."

Of course, none of this mattered to his own mission; he planned to make a beeline straight for that Bureau as soon as he could. But until they parted ways, he had no problem helping them plan their next move.

I bet she thinks the food we need may exist somewhere where there's electricity. It would certainly make more sense than scouring the entire city for what they need and hoping they come up with something.

Just when Vi started to wonder how backwards Orre was in comparison to the other regions, the Gliscor commented, "Me neither. It was my understanding that nothing works anymore. Giovanni would have mentioned it if he knew, too, so I doubt he was aware either."

The Gliscor looked at the girl as if seeing her in a new light. That gave Vitaly the idea that at least this Pokemon of Giovanni's wasn't too familiar with her. He had been wondering exactly what the relationship between the pair of humans was, and while his cynicism had him concerned, the way they acted towards each other gave him some relief. They way they addressed each other made it unlikely that they were close relatives, so it was likely that they had met up during the Epidemic. Scout had been glancing at the girl for long enough to cause Miranda to ask, "Um...is something wrong, Scout?"

Whatever was going on in Scout's head was shoved over for more immediate concerns as she asked, "Would anything else be working? If your city didn't like water treatment plants, then would they have had a power plant? Are there some buildings here with their own generators?" While that was a valid question, Vitaly couldn't really see why she would want to deal with a generator in a hostile city.

He was about to voice his concerns, but Miranda was quick to answer, "Oh! ...maybe? The Kalos Power Plant is to the west of the city, it's solar powered so it could be. But if any of the equipment inside were damaged I don't know what would happen to be honest. As for generators the Gym has several but I don't know about any other buildings. Could be." Oh gods, the Gym was a terrible idea. He was already shaking his head, but getting a word in was hard for the socially awkward man. Now that they were not dealing with something, speaking in front of three strangers was harder. He was usually better doing something than he was talking about it.

Thankfully, Looker had no such qualms and was easily able to dismiss the idea, "I would have to advise against going anywhere near the gym. You've experienced the locals here. No doubt they've already taken control of anywhere with such valuable resources, if those are even still in working order. I can't guess about the power plant, though. That's more out of the way, so it's possible they haven't made any move towards it in favor of sticking to areas they know how to manage."

Vitaly crossed his arms and began tapping a finger as he tried to gather his thoughts. He had been living around the locals for a while, but actually explaining what he knew and felt was being difficult. He really didn't like the idea of doing anything involving generators, however. All the ones he was familiar with were loud and could draw anything with ears, but maybe he should at least ask if there were quieter ones. Drizzt must have shared some of his concerns, for the Weavile tapped him and gave him a pointed look that said, Speak your mind. It was easier said than done, but Vitaly took a breath before saying, "I... I have seen some generators tucked in odd spots, but most of them were broken... and I didn't bother with the ones that weren't. Too loud..." He hoped he didn't need to explain why that was a problem. He asked, "Is there anything you need that really needs a generator?"

"Oh! ...maybe? The Kalos Power Plant is to the west of the city, it's solar powered so it could be. But if any of the equipment inside were damaged I don't know what would happen to be honest. As for generators the Gym has several but I don't know about any other buildings. Could be." The Gym? Was that the giant building looming over the rest of the city? Scout doubted that survivors with any sort of intelligence would have steered away from such a valuable vantage point. The Gym was likely out of their reach at the moment.

Looker seemed to be of the same mind. "I would have to advise against going anywhere near the gym. You've experienced the locals here. No doubt they've already taken control of anywhere with such valuable resources, if those are even still in working order. I can't guess about the power plant, though. That's more out of the way, so it's possible they haven't made any move towards it in favor of sticking to areas they know how to manage."

Scout's eyes went to the last of the humans to speak -barring her own, of course- as she waited for his opinion. "I... I have seen some generators tucked in odd spots, but most of them were broken... and I didn't bother with the ones that weren't. Too loud..." Loud... Something to definitely consider. "Is there anything you need that really needs a generator?"

The Gliscor tilted her head as she thought. "Not necessarily. Not anything pressing, at least. If they have a working one, then that could mean they have a way to store perishable goods, like medicines or food. Or, if we find one, we could use it and its noise to lure them into a potential trap." She shrugged, then laid down a little more to shift to weight. "Giovanni would want to know what assets are available-- we're simply used to all modern conveniences being completely out of the question. If this city has running water, I'm just curious to how many other things could have survived until now." She pointedly looked at Miranda. "Anything coming to mind? A power grid, a sewer, possible greenhouses, anything?"