"C'mon, Summer. You know you missed me."

His lilting tone was that of someone seeing an old friend after a long while apart. The smile he whipped out as soon as he saw her? Radiant and sincere, of course. Every pointed look and disgusted word from his ROCKET associate rolled off Barnaby without offense. After all, what was there to gain from being upset and matching her energy?

Nothing. So, he waved her and her EMBOAR inside the mouth of Shoal Cave where his own Fire type waited. An unusually large NINETALES sat elegantly in the snow and watched as the group approached, her attention mainly focused on the boar Pokémon for now.

"Of course not, Ms. Prescott," Barnaby began, his voice regretful and appeasing. "I know how much you despise my company, so I would never purposefully put you through this agony." A lie. He totally signed up to work with her.

Why? Maybe he just liked the degradation.

Summer Atreides
mission: A BRUMAL BOUNTY

☉

He watched Summer with an amused smile as they entered the mouth of the cave. The only deviation in Barnaby's pleasant expression came when his eyebrows lifted in semi-amazement as she literally spit on the ground in front of him. God, the tenacity of this woman. It was infectious.

Her disdain only seemed to egg him on more.

"Yes, yes. I'm insufferable, I get it." He conceded with a laugh. "We'll have you in and out in no time, love."

Ever the glutton for punishment, he knew referring to her with any term of endearment would likely elicit a negative response. Regardless of how she reacted, he'd follow her into the belly of the cavern, Odette the NINETALES at heel by his side.

Snow gave way to solid stone, but that didn't mean they'd left the ice behind entirely. The cave system was huge and labyrinthian. Columns of ice as thick as cement pillars held the ceiling in place, while a thin layer of frost dusted every surface. It was also extremely dark.

Surtur's flames helped illuminate the immediate area; to increase the radius of the light, Barnaby also released his QUILAVA.

"Did the scientists explain to you what they wanted us to find?" He questioned, his teasing tone having turned more serious.

Summer Atreides
mission: A BRUMAL BOUNTY

☉

The playful spark in Barnaby's eyes died with the switch of Summer's blade. His expression fell - not into one of fear, but of cold indifference. Her threats were met with silence, at least on his part. Odette had other thoughts.

As soon as Summer approached, his NINETALES leapt in front of him, assuming a protective stance. All elegance had disappeared. She was feral now: her lips curled over glinting teeth; tails flapped violently; hackles raised; crimson eyes narrowed into slits. A guttural snarl warned Summer to stay away. And she did, thankfully.

Barnaby's steady hand on the crown of Odette's head reigned her back in; she visibly deflated before returning to her owner's side. Barnaby, still, said nothing.

These are not the actions of a completely stable person.

The thought made him... sad for her, mostly. And a little regretful.

"I apologize if I upset you." He called out, softly but sincerely, as if she had only reprimanded him with her voice and not a literal weapon.

And that was it. He wasn't about to keep pushing someone who was obviously going through something. They continued deeper into the cave - sans pet names, jokes, banter, etc.

Summer Atreides
mission: A BRUMAL BOUNTY

☉

"I didn't mean to threaten you like that."

He believed her. The mix of outrage and desperation in her voice, matched with the sudden emotional shift, seemed to manifest out of no where. An action that wasn't premediated, just spontaneously violent.

Or was it defensive? A cry for help, maybe.

"No worries. Not the first time I've had someone draw a knife on me." As was his way, he chose to make light, to pull their conversation from the gallows.

Normally he would have added, "You're definitely the prettiest person who has, though."

But Barnaby knew that would be overstepping again, so, he refrained.

Suddenly, a glint of something golden in the wall of the cave caught his attention. He stopped, eyes squinting for a better view, before calling his QUILAVA over to better illuminate the space.

"You see that? I think there's something encased in this ice."

Summer Atreides
mission: A BRUMAL BOUNTY

☉

"Might as well. See if it's worth anything."

Barnaby stepped back as Summer stepped forward, giving her and her EMBOAR a wide berth to do their work. The Flamethrower cast a wave of bright light onto the scene; its undulating stream of fire caused shadows to dance and play across the walls of the cave. It gave an ethereal feeling to this whole ordeal.

As moments passed, Barnaby observed in silence: the melting ice, his waiting Pokémon, but mostly he watched Summer.

She was wild, but damn, she was beautiful too.

Soon enough the job was done and the artifact was uncovered. With a gloved hand, Barnaby reached in to collect it. To the EMBOAR's credit, its attack had been so precise that the golden totem (shaped in the form of some long-extinct Pokémon) was barely warm.

"This should suffice." Pocketing the item, his thoughts already on the warm bath that awaited him at home, he added absentmindedly, "Let's head back, love."

Fuck. It just slipped out.

Summer Atreides
mission: A BRUMAL BOUNTY

☉

Damn Barnaby and his Kalosian heritage. Pet names just came with the territory when you grew up in the culture that he did. Most people didn't mind; enjoyed the terms of endearment, even.

But not Summer. This was a boundary of hers that he would not soon forget.

The switchblade sprang out with an audible metallic 'click', but this time Barnaby was prepared. He knew he'd fucked up as soon as the word 'love' left his lips again.

The knife at his neck sapped the last of his patience, though. He barely allowed Summer time to vent, to cry out in frustration and despair, before he rushed forward at a surprising speed.

Large hands wrapped around her wrists, pinning her against the wall of the cave. His body was so close to hers, there was barely an inch of space between them; this left little room for her to maneuver out of his grasp.

"Drop the knife." Again, that cold tone returned to his voice. Not really expecting her to outright obey the command, however, Barnaby added a little extra pressure: he tightened his grip around her wrist, squeezing. Hard.

The knife clattered to the ground.

"That's my girl." He said lowly, steadily, like a man calming a wildcat, his breath hot against her ear.

"Now, don't you ever fucking do that again."

Summer Atreides
mission: A BRUMAL BOUNTY

☉

Despite her weak-worded pleas, Barnaby's grip remained steady: no harder, no softer. For now. If she wanted freedom, she'd have to earn it from here on out.

He leaned in closer, their bodies touching now. There was no leverage for her to take advantage of; she was his to scold and toy with.

"Not until you promise to be a good girl." His lips grazed across her neck as he continued. "No more knives, no more threats."

He pulled away, cobalt eyes meeting Summer's intense crimson.

"Yes?"

All she had to do was obey, then they could leave this frozen hell.

Summer Atreides
mission: A BRUMAL BOUNTY

☉