Helena Gray
Goldenrod City
Affected RPers: @XaiakuX, @Death's Spook

"Wow, you clean up nicely, Helena," Lance told her. His voice sounded distantly impressed.

"Tch," she scoffed dismissively. Another woman might have been flattered, but Helena never truly cared about her looks--or anyone else's. Her beauty was only a tool to her, another thing she could use against people. She wasn't much for outright manipulation, but sometimes it was needed.

"Alright, so there's this doctor that used to be connected to my family and Giovanni. There's a good chance that she probably knows something about where he might be."

Her eyes dropped to the journal he pulled out--old, and obviously well-used. But that battered old thing promised information. Her fingers itched to snatch it out of Lance's hands, but obviously she restrained herself from doing so. Lance would take offense, since it was something so personal... and she really couldn't afford to offend the only person who had the resources to the Ancient Burst heart she so desperately needed.

"She was an old friend of my mother's, although they grew distant after Alastair was born. I don't know why, and I don't know all the facts. But this hunch might be our best connection at this point."

He continued thumbing through the pages, gleaning more information out of them--enough for a lead, anyway. She knew he probably didn't divulge anything he didn't want her to know, the information being too personal, but at least he was helping her out somehow. Helena nodded thoughtfully after he snapped the journal shut, claiming that they had to visit the actual hospital to find anything out.

"Sounds like a plan," she conceded after he voiced his idea on how to gather information on the doctor. "I can do it blind, but having a blueprint or at least a layout of the place may make the operation go more smoothly. I suggest we do that before heading inside."

She crossed her arms as Lance went on about how he did want to play Giovanni back--but not with violence. Helena resisted the urge to scoff. In this world, being kind equated to weakness. But Lance, so far, was useful to her, so she shut her mouth and made no response to his words.

"I can't forget about this war, either. The people will look to me for some level of direction. I can't imagine myself being any level of soldier, general, or warlord. While Kanto is blaming us for this, the real enemy is going to be Hoenn. They started all of this. We must make amends with Kanto, then join forces to take down Hoenn, and put a stop to all of this madness."

"Making amends with a country who points fingers so quickly will be so close to impossible that it's pointless," Helena said in her flat tone. "Even with proof that Hoenn is the culprit, Kanto's hatred of Johto is so deep-seated that it will take some sort of sappy miracle for it to work. War means that people die. Deaths of relatives aren't so easily forgotten," she pointed out. "You should know, Harper."

"Listen, I'm sorry for just kind of forcing you to do all this. I sometimes get really caught up in the moment of things," he told her. His voice sounded sincere, but she just raised an eyebrow in answer.

"I couldn't tell," she answered dryly. Her crossed arms moved to plant a hand on her hip.

"Since I didn't ask you, before, I'll ask now. Will you help me to take down Giovanni? Will you, the only other person who knows this secret, help me save my company, my city, and my country from this tyrannical psychopath?"

Helena stayed silent for a few ticks of the clock, her eyes flicking from one of Lance's eyes to the other. Oh, he was sincere all right. One of those 'hero' types, probably. A good guy. But she honestly admired his resolve, at the least. She sighed.

"Yes. I'll help you, Lance Harper--so long as you know I'm in it more to find Giovanni than anything else. One other thing--" she added. "I'm used to working alone. Don't throw people at me without asking, first."

Her eyes flicked over to the door just before it burst open, a cheerful man entering and throwing himself at Lance. Helena had moved quickly to the side to avoid this, and she watched with more than a little satisfaction as Lance was crushed in the embrace.

'Good. Serves him right for pinning me into his little tag-team,' she thought vindictively.

But as Alistair--for she knew his name--turned to look at her after being introduced, she gave her best demure smile. It was well-practiced over the years, and it made her look positively harmless. She reached a hand out, palm-down, to Alistair.

"Pleasure to meet you," she said, her flat voice now more lilting and soft.