Not even the slightest of Grim Neighs is uttered amidst their spine-chilling trip. They appear without so much of a warning, for the ghost's steps carry no sound.
[break][break]
By the looks of it, Katherine wasn’t riding the Spectrier as much as she happened to be seated on its back as it made its way into the forest. It does not ask for permission nor does it wait for directions. Instead, it decides for them.
[break][break]
The devil’s hour often marks the time for mischievous Pokémon to reveal themselves, and tonight was no different. Lurking in the shadows, they moved just as silently as the pair did. But a single person dares to break that unspoken oath, DANNY HALL.
[break][break]
His voice attracts both Katherine’s attention and her horse’s, who changes courses nigh instantly to chase after the source of the shout. The Spectrier remains silent, unlike its rider.
[break][break]
“Boo!”

[attr="class","ooc"] DANNY HALL [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]

leaves scatter, floating away in the wind like will-o-wisps.

boo!

"FUCK—"

startled, danny jumps back, falling off his mudsdale before landing on his back. with the wind knocked out of him, he stays there for a while, groaning as he peers up.

"what the shit is that..."

Katherine Fairburne
mission

☉

“Me.”
[break][break]
Katherine spares a glance at her horse, blinking a couple of times. “Well... Us, actually.” The Specrtier neighed in agreement, locking eyes with the fallen man. A smile takes to her lips before she realizes that the blunt force of his fall might’ve hurt more than expected.
[break][break]
Should she feel bad?
[break][break]
“Are you okay?”

[attr="class","ooc"] DANNY HALL [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]

like a true fanboy, danny recognizes the familiar face of one of hoenn's elite four members. it's just a shame he doesn't know what happened in sootopolis, so without that information in hand, of course he'll gush over her.

"oh, shit! you're katherine fairburne."

he coughs, shifting off the ground before reaching for his mudsdale. he tugs on its saddle, using it to help him back up.

"i'm, uh, danny. big fan of your work."

Katherine Fairburne
mission

☉

“I am?”
[break][break]
Her monotone voice ruins the jest. She sounds almost as though she wants to ruin this perfect, totally-not-scary, night in a forest for them both. ”..You are? That’s, um… Cool.” She almost asks which work. Between running a gym for a while, becoming a member of the elite four, and later joining the aqua initiative, there’s only one thing that she was slightly less proud of.
[break][break]
Her Spectrier still seems to be on the hunt, searching for something… Or someone?
[break][break]
“Well, Danny,” such a terrible way to spell a beautiful name, ”What are you and your Mudslade doing here all by yourselves?”
[break][break]
She always thought she’s strange for enjoying horse riding most at night, but maybe she wasn’t alone in that anymore.

[attr="class","ooc"] DANNY HALL [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]

mudsdale takes a moment to eye the two strangers suspiciously, remaining on edge even as the humans make their introductions.

"oh. we're actually out here for a ride. muddy's afraid of loud noises, and of people, so at night's really the only time we can do this."

danny reaches a hand out for his mudsdale, smoothing against its long neck to help soothe it.

"what about you? your horse looks like it's searching for something."

what is her horse, anyway? he doesn't ask.

Katherine Fairburne
mission

☉

“It usually is.”
[break][break]
What, though? She wouldn’t know. The Legendary pokemon couldn’t speak (as far as she knew), and it wasn’t great with signs either. It tended to take the reins and do whatever it is that it wanted, and she…
[break][break]
Well, as long as it wasn’t too frequent and didn’t mess with her plans, she followed.
[break][break]
“You sounded pretty scared yourself, you know,” she teases with a smile. ”are you sure you’re not afraid of loud noises and people too..?”

[attr="class","ooc"] DANNY HALL [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]

scared? he almost puffs out his chest in response but doesn't because, yeah, he was pretty scared.

so, he admits it with a chuckle, returning her smile with ease.

"in my defense, this forest is pretty creepy."

and it's dark as shit. where's the way out, again?

"maybe we can stick together. you know, strength in numbers and all that."

Katherine Fairburne
mission

☉

“sure.”
[break][break]
“we wouldn’t want something bad to happen to you or your mudslade, huh?”
[break][break]
her smile persists, ever so slightly teasing in nature. she doesn’t mind how dark it is or the looming eyes staring at them from within the shadows. they’re all too familiar. spectrier turns to lead the way and she doesn’t content the horse’s intuition.
[break][break]
it goes wherever it pleases.
[break][break]
“come on, let’s keep going.”

[attr="class","ooc"] DANNY HALL [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]

"no, we wouldn't."

not like anything bad's going to happen, right?

unless...

shrugging off the thought, he swings his leg over and up onto the mudsdale, mounting it once again. he tugs on its reins, following after the ghostie horsie.

"so, uh, what have you been up to recently?"

small talk to pass the time, and to distract himself.

Katherine Fairburne
mission

☉

“Mm.”
[break][break]
What has she been up to?
[break][break]
“You mean… Outside of like, my actual job and everything?” There was always something to be done when you worked for the League. Wild pokemons often went off the rails and needed to be dealt with, people went missing, and other issues the police needed the expertise of one of Hoenn’s ‘finest’.
[break][break]
“Oh, I guess I’ve also been saving cute guys from getting lost in dark forests one night at a time.”
[break][break]
Isn’t she just humble?

[attr="class","ooc"] DANNY HALL [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]

"there are others?"

wait—

"you think i'm cute?"

it's a good thing it's dark. makes it easier to hide how he flushes.

Katherine Fairburne
mission

☉

“don’t tell me i’m the first person to tell you that.”
[break][break]
part of her doesn’t believe him, despite the lack of light and how little she saw of him. his general figure and the features she did come to notice were… passable. she liked her men with a bit more muscle, but still, cute.
[break][break]
“but um, yeah. sure. i do think you’re cute.”

[attr="class","ooc"] DANNY HALL [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]