He parts with a kiss that she returns. The warmth dissipates and the cold settles back in. She shivers, zipping up her wetsuit to fight against it while she readjusts in Mehira’s saddle. Suddenly she feels empty, but he seems to know how to fix it. She shoots Matias a wide grin, “Of course,” and with a tap against Mehira’s neck, the Salamence angles downward, folds her wings in, and lets gravity pull them back into the dark storm clouds.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]the storm's much more violent than earlier, that much becomes evident as soon as he nears it. he can feel the electricity in the air, how it seems to stick and dance across his skin. it's enough to drown out even noivern's BOOMBURST, turning it into nothing more than a whimper.

inevitably, a crack of lighting strikes into noivern's wet wing, numbing it enough to cause it to falter. its wing freezes in place, paralyzed, and it's unable to hold steady before falling into a deadly spiral, plummeting towards the earth.

by sheer strength, matias holds on. but for how long?

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

The storm is violent and overbearing. It’s a completely different world when they break through the clouds. Electricity sparks against her wet skin, exciting her along with the renewed sense of danger. Reckless as she is, she’s not completely insane. This is walking the edge of sanity. Even Mehira shifts uncomfortably beneath her.

A crack of thunder and flash of lightning blinds her momentarily. When her eyes readjust, she sees Matias and the Noivern spinning out of control, “Matias!” she drives Mehira forward. Her wings work with gravity to accelerate their descent. The Noivern spins unpredictably but she creeps as close as she can, directing Mehira slightly below them. Eva desperately reaches out a hand, it’s the only thing she can do, “Matias!” the name is lost in a crack of thunder, but the intention to catch him if he falls is clear.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]as they spiral towards their inevitable demise, he continues to show resistance and fight as his grip holds strong, lost in the thickness of noivern's fur. he needs to reach for his pokeballs but each attempt to move his hand causes the other's grip to falter. through the spiral, he manages to catch a glimpse of something approaching, and the decision comes quickly after that.

he trusts her enough to let go.

tensing, he's met with the violent forces of nature as he parts from his noivern. his hand immediately finds a pokeball, recalling the dragon-type before reaching for another. he struggles, but relaxes his body enough when he hears the parting of air.

she'll catch him as she always has.

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

He lets go of the Noivern and the pokemon disappears. She can get closer, so she urges Mehria to the side with gentle pressure from her heels. Her focus never leaves him, there’s subtle panic but the pressure to save a life is something she’s used to. His, though, meant more.

In a desperate effort, she tries to grab him. A few failed attempts as they all fall with gravity lets fear take root. Eventually her finger dig into neoprene like claws. A tight, unrelenting grip. The other hand anchors her to the saddle. The opposing forces threaten to tear her off as she pulls him closer. It requires a strength a small woman like her doesn’t typically have, but she’s always found the strength to save him.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]fear never once threatens. eventually, his outstretched hand is met with hers, and his fingers curl the moment he feels contact. her hand finds his and he holds on as she pulls him close. his body tenses, then relaxes as he swings a leg up and over the salamence, mounting it as he effectively falls behind the saddle. but it's enough.

his legs lock, arms wrapping around her, and he's left laughing as they eventually level out, pulling up just in time to avoid hitting the surface of the ocean. they're now free from the thick of the storm.

still laughing, his hold around her tightens slightly as he leans towards her ear.

"good catch."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

Relief washes over her but the tension remains as he settles in behind her. One hand grips the saddle while the other still holds him tightly, almost as if she’s afraid to let go. She sucks in a breath as the white caps rise and fall beneath them. Mehira is trained well enough to know what to do. As soon as she feels Matias settle on her back, she rears up, wings working against gravity to slow their descent. They reach a jolting halt just above the water and Mehira wastes no time pulling up to a safe height.

Eva feels his body move with the laughter. She can’t help but join in, shaking her messy head of blonde, wind-blown hair is disbelief, “Fuck,” she sighs, relaxing in his hold. She leans back, tilting her head to shoot him a grin, “Any time,”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]now, his heart thunders in his chest, adrenaline still coursing even as dark clouds shrink in the distance. it settles slightly as she leans back, her presence enough to calm even the wildest of storms. he mirrors her grin, pulling her into him as they continue their flight.

it doesn't take them long to reach pacifidlog. the same bar's still open, unsurprisingly, but it's far less crowded than before. they settle close by, far out enough to give them their own privacy.

he dismounts, swinging off the salamence before placing a hand against its side, grateful. unrestrained, he shifts his glance back up at her.

"stay with me."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

The way he holds her is familiar and welcome. The warmth returns and their flight back is too fast and ends too soon. She doesn’t let go of him until they reach solid ground and he slides off Mehira’s back. She’s tired, Eva can see it in the way her wings drop and how she breaths deeper and quicker than before. Still, Eva remains mounted firmly on the dragon. She doesn’t trust herself. As adrenaline begins to wane, logic creeps back in.

He asks what she wants to hear. It takes a surprising amount of self-restraint to not immediately blurt out yes. It would be an easy decision if it meant nothing, but to her it would mean something. And that’s dangerous. He’s dangerous. It’s enticing.

She smiles as she considers it, the conflict is obvious. Eventually, she settles on a decision, “Not tonight.”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]his expression falters for the briefest of moments, perhaps expecting something different, but he smiles all the same, nodding at her response. he doesn't understand her conflict, at least not the way he's supposed to, but he decides not to pry.

reaching a hand up to her, he repeats the same gesture and brushes strands of wet hair off her cheek.

"okay."

his hand travels to her neck, and in another gentle move, he pulls her close for a parting kiss, passionate. when they eventually break, he lingers, almost breathless, then takes a step back, separating.

"travel safe, eva."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

A part of her wishes to suck the words right back in after they are said, but she can’t. He seems to understand. She smiles when he reaches towards. She sees it coming again, and she accept by leaning into his pull. Eva returns the kiss with an equal amount of passion, letting the fingers of one hand curl around the back of his neck to deepen it. A hint of desire leaks into it and for a moment she reconsiders her decision. It would be easy to just jump off Mehira and into his arms.

When they break she lingers too, licking her lips and biting back the urge to go in for another. He steps away and she straightens in the saddle, giving him one last grin, “I’ll see you soon, Matias.”

With hesitation she urges Mehira into the sky to find a warm jet stream to carry them back home to Ever Grande.

MATIAS SILPH