A large bat (GLISCOR) zooms between the trees of evergreen and across the night sky almost soundlessly. RAZERBAIT has always been Belial's choice of scout, especially for assignments done in the dark. Even against the supposedly supernatural, the mercenary captain had faith the Gliscor could handle itself.

Which, of course, left him plenty of time to chat with the beauty that he had apparently been paired with.

"You must be Summer Atreides ," With a single foot propped up against a rock, Belial gazes down at her from above a small ledge in the forest. "I didn't know Rocket hired them this good-looking." He smirks.

"Then again... here I am."

Anvil CEO and mercenary captain. The shiny new gun in Rocket's right-hand. The black wolf of the Stone family.

---

⚠ mission: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

MISSION + Summer Atreides

☉

The voice caught her off guard. For a moment, Summer went on high alert, her eyes narrowed and her pulse racing.

Until she spotted Belial Stone, staring down at her from his ledge above. With that solved, her hackles, if she had them, would settle, the fine brush of hair on her arms settling down from the startle.

Summer placed her hands on her hips, tilting them to one side as she peered up at the man who chattered about her beauty. A small smirk crossed her lips.

"I see you have taste, though your ego appears rather large, Mr. Stone," she spoke, raising on of her eyebrows.

"Now, are you going to come down here to introduce yourself properly, or are you going to make me crane my neck all night?"

Belial Stone

☉

"Go big or go home, right? Going grand runs in my family, apparently." Though he was sure she knew, considering her own familial background. At her next remark, however, the man simply smirks— pausing briefly to admire the view  from up high for a little while longer.

Eventually, he stops being so smug and jumps down from the ledge, his boots landing with dull thuds on the ground below. Straightening in posture, and straightening the cuff of his jacket sleeve, he saunters closer to her. "Would you like to take point tonight? Or shall I? Ladies choice." He adds, a gleam of excited anticipation within the fox-like shape of his eyes.

MISSION + Summer Atreides

☉

Belial's cockiness was not unnoticed, though Summer couldn't hide an entertained smirk crossing over her lips. Her scarlet gaze followed him as he descended, coming by her side.

"How thoughtful. Letting me pick. Though, I feel like I don't particularly want the extra work of taking lead, so please, at your perusal," she said with a flash of pearly white teeth.

Her pale hair was tossed over her shoulder, waiting for him to lead on further in the woods. Dark, eerie sounds called from within, causing her to scowl and look toward her EMBOAR.

"Keep close, Surtur."

Belial Stone

☉

Belial smirks, happy to take the lead. Offering was only the polite thing to do, after all. Much like riding passenger in a car, the idea of being a follower made him feel something akin to being car-sick. He hadn't done so for nearly over a decade. It was uncomfortable pretending.

Thankful, too, for the fiery illumination from Summer's Emboar, Belial turns in the direction they're meant to head and spins a finger in the air with a short whistle. This prompts his Gliscor to snap its gaze in his direction, after which it is directed to scout the area ahead of them with a simple hand gesture.

"So... I heard this cabin we're going to has a pretty bloody past. You wouldn't have happened to hear anything about it, would you?"

MISSION + Summer Atreides

☉

They were alike, two dominant figures who loved the power of taking charge and leading. However, there was something that made Summer want to take a step back and relax a moment. Even if they were on business today.

Maybe she could feel his energy. Maybe she was growing tired, weary. Maybe her poor decisions were finally catching up to her...

She didn't say this out loud, though, following beside Belial as she led the way.

"Can't say that I have. I don't particularly care about these places, much less their history. Do you believe in ghosts, Belial? Not Pokemon, but spirits of those who have died? Do you believe that they will be with us today?" she asked with a smirk.

Belial Stone

☉

Ghosts? Well, if Ghost-type Pokémon were any indication, ghosts were real. But human spirits existing in the real world? The spooky ones from campfire stories and childhood sleepovers?

He scoffs.

"No way," The man answers with a smirk. "If spirits were real, I'd probably have an entire cult haunting me by this point. As things are, I sleep sounder than a baby who just had a glass of whiskey."

Leaves crunch beneath his boots as they walk through the forest. He hops up onto a fallen log and walks across it in perfect balance as they continue. "How about you, Summer? Do you think some killer spirit is watching your every move? My hand is yours to hold if you'd like, you know." Belial winks, hopping off the log shortly thereafter and offering it.

MISSION + Summer Atreides

☉

The scoff was enough indication of his belief before he spoke. Summer couldn't help a small amused smile from hovering on her mouth, though she attempted to hide it from her partner as they continued their trek through the woods.

"I don't think that there's a spirit lurking, waiting to murder us... but I'm not overly fond of ghost-types. Something about them send chills down my spine."

She looked at his outstretched hand, tempted to ignore it out of spite but taking it just in case she fell. Though she did release her hand from his with a sweet smile just to tease him.

"But thank you for the offer, Mr. Stone."

Belial Stone

☉

She takes his hand, but only for a moment. The tease elicits a sly vulpine smile from the SPECTRA co-captain after they separate. "Anytime, beautiful." With the crunch of leaves beneath their feet resumed, they approach the large carcass of a lightning-struck tree nearby.

"In my experience, it's the living you really got to worry about," He continues, glancing up as his GLISCOR darts overheard. "Though I guess that's a bit cliché, isn't it?" The mercenary chuckles, stopping just a few meters ahead of the forest ruin before placing his hands on his hips.

"Well... this fits the bill for fucking spooky."

MISSION + Summer Atreides

☉