"i do. if only to practice what i preach." he has a guess as to what knox wants to ask, but doesn't push him. "i believe that everybody who's of age should have a living will and testament. just in case. life is too unpredictable and the only thing one can account on is that death is inevitable."

a cacturne is noticed, but ignored. if only because it's minding it's own business and not particularly what sam was after or up his alley.

bit too pointy.

"why do you ask?"

finally, he gives the other an opening. his tone is gentle and easy. if knox denies him, he'll just shrug it off, and the way he presented the question says as much.

knox prescott

it makes him feel better instantly. he should inspect the circumstance for his worry, unbox the emotions there, but he's never been one to look under the rug. head in the sky, up in the clouds, close to the sun - that's where he belongs. 

with a smile, he says, "like i said, never thought about it much, but these guys kind of depend on me." the guys in question are busy curiously watching a sandile build itself a mound in the dirt. it lashes its tail in warning when blue or captain get too close, but all three pokemon seem to have a mutual understanding with each other. 

"if anything happened to me, well, i gotta make sure they're taken care of." he breathes out. it's almost like...letting go. do they all feel like this?

"i swear this isn't just a trick to see you again," knox says humorously. "but we may as well call it serendipity."

// skipping

samuel carter

☉

there it was. the question that seemed to linger in the air the longer they spoke on the subject. he had a hunch and it was proven correct. without any judgement or means to push knox into action, sam just smiles.

smiles and accepts the words, smiles in a way that says he understands.

"even if it is an excuse, i can't say i'm upset by it."

seeing knox again? yeah, that'd break his tattoo'd heart, really.

"i'll have the paperwork ready for whenever you come. if you'd like," there's a small change in his tone. is it nerves? "i can get your number and text you my appointment openings... or i suppose we could just do it here."

sam wasn't entirely sure that knox would be up to getting the will up while making their way through a route. as if to prove the chaos, a black flash came swooping down. absol was able to easily persuade it away with a NIGHT SLASH, but it went for the three other pokémon with a SCREECH.

"draw it's attention!"

sam's call has absol's body twisting, using a PSYCHO CUT to hit the bird again. it manages to come crashing down toward absol, one last ditch effort with a ROCK SMASH before plummeting.

sam makes his way over, inspecting the two. the toucannon seemed a bit of trouble, so he moves it's body with an attempt at capturing it rather than trying to lay hands on it. as it's wrapped up in red and pushed into the capsule, he bends down to inspect absol.

she gives him a lick, reassuring him she's fine, before standing up and shaking her fur of dirt.

// capture attempt BIRB

knox prescott

he's been up since before dawn, when the sky was still gray and the world was still asleep. the pokemon crossing paths with them now are just the tell-tale signs of the world waking up. he can't say he hates to see it happen, but there was something lovely about feeling like he and sam were the only people in the world.

he shakes his head. "nah, let's not rush it. besides, this walk is for pleasure, not business." he laughs. 

and as though to prove him wrong, a wild toucannon comes down on them like a shadow. he ducks, reflexively, expecting captain to make some sort of move, but she's well aware that sam's companion has it under control. she watches, only slightly on edge in case anything should go wrong, but otherwise pays the scuffle no mind. 

he pulls out his phone and hands it to sam. "here," he says. the phone starts buzzing and Summer Atreides shows up on the caller id. he snorts and swipes to decline. 

// skipping

samuel carter

☉

with a sigh, sam had turned his attention back to knox and gotten a phone put in his hand. he gave it a glance before looking back to knox.

asking for his number? why was he blushing.

to hide it, sam immediately begins putting in his information. his fingers move smoothly despite how his palms start to sweat, it happens when he's nervous and he hates that about himself.

what is he, twelve?

"pleasure and not business, is it?"

he's reminded of a walk on the beach with CIAN MAHER, where they held hands and watched a sunset. he still wasn't even sure where that stood... and glances at knox for a moment, arching a brow. they're friends, he and cian, he and knox. but is there more there and should he pursue one, not the other? or both?

there's no way he can figure it out right then, so he just puts in his contact information and hands it to knox.

"suppose i don't absolutely despise your company, at any rate."

a smirk shows his tease.

knox prescott

it must be a testament to knox's good looks. at least, that's what he tells himself when sam doesn't mention anything about the call. she's not a notorious name, by any means, except perhaps those who've come across her files in the league. the prescott name is big, but it's not unique enough to be recognized in an instant. 

fucking idiot. gotta be more careful. he shrugs his worries away (and why be worried? if it all goes to hell, there's no reason he wouldn't be able to just up and walk away from this). 

"well, at least we're getting somewhere," he says. he pockets his phone again and relaxes a bit. 

and then, as silence lapses and threatens him with his thoughts, he says, "i wonder why the pokemon here have been so active. and aggressive."

samuel carter

☉

"science tells us they're upset because the environment has been shifting."

all those crazy events running across hoenn in years past, finally coming to fruition in the wild pokémon.

"though, honestly, it's likely just territorial. we're walking through their route. this is their front garden, in a sense."

or so sam chose to believe.

"much like the ghost pokémon on mt. pyre. they were there before i was, and i have to struggle to show i'm not a threat, just looking to settle along with them."

as he spoke with knox his absol handled a castform that tried to make the rain around them worse. a simple slash and psycho cut combo against it's weather ball won absol the victory.

// catching castform

knox prescott

knox gives him the side-eye. "you sound like a skeptic." he wouldn't have believed all the stories either, regardless of the leveling of cities, the whole world turned upside-down with panic and unrest. but he'd been in slate port that new year's eve. 

he still lies awake at night thinking of it - 

//

his attack means nothing to the beast. and there are people screaming around him. bodies, crushed by the initial bomb impact, splintered apart with broken beams and colorful painted bricks, have him stumbling sideways.


it's too much.

he stops suddenly, breathing hard, waving a hand as if to say i'm okay or maybe what the fuck what the fuck? his mask slips and his bloodshot eyes are just a bit scarier, a bit more worrisome. 

captain migrates slowly from his shoulder to sit at a pressure point on his neck. he relaxes, gasps a, "y-yeah, not a threat. territorial. right." he stands straighter and then he takes a half-step forward, still dazed, still stuck in the in-between (he thought he was through this, thought the detaching was over) and his awkward handshake, the goodbye on his lips, both fall away as he shakily closes the distance and pulls sam into a hug. 

gotta get to summer. she'll fix me it.

he withdraws, almost impishly, and finally finding his words, says, "see you...when i see you." and then he turns, neck burning, thoughts racing/drowning, thinking soon soon soon.

samuel carter

☉