[break]

She kicked a rock through the grass and dove into the knee-high underbrush without thinking, ferried along by the last remnants of adrenaline from their close encounter of the Glock kind and a lingering fire of anger burning in her stomach that may have also been hunger or acid reflux. Gremlin toddled loyally in her wake, though the ryegrass was soon up over his head.

The swatch of green opened into a meadow, of sorts, filled with blooming early-summer wildflowers and the last of the wilting spring tulips. It was hot and humid and sometimes Cygne hated Hoenn’s oppressive weather. Every now and then an elm or maple would surge skyward, rippling the ground with old-growth roots and casting a spot of shade that, while providing a break from the sun, didn’t actually make it any cooler.

After a few minutes of aimless, angry walking, Cyg paused, hands on her hips, and looked back the way she came. Felix hadn’t followed her, which was both a blessing and a curse. But it was hot, and there was a sheen of sweat gathering on her upper arms, and she could water a guess that soon she’d be uncomfortably damp in her bra-- but she wasn’t quite ready to head back to the road and walk home.

She crossed her arms and leaned back against the trunk of a tree, not thinking anything when her back felt a little bit damp. After a few minutes of ruminating she decided she’d calmed down enough to at least go home-- but when she went to push off the trunk and move, she found she couldn’t.

“What the fuck?” she asked, a bitter mix of aggrieved and panicked making her stomach lurch. She tried again and found that she was adhered to the tree from the top of her spine between her shoulderblades down to a few inches above her tailbone. She gave a fierce pull and squawked as her feet went flying out from under her and she hung painfully from the tree for a few seconds before she found her footing again.

There was a long, wet, slurp, and she looked down to see Gremlin tonguing the tree with a dopey, sugar-blissed look on his crocodilian features.

“Oh, no,” Cyg said, voice a breath. She buried her head in her hands, exceedingly thankful Felix wasn’t here. “God damn it.”

---

IN WHICH cap and ceej remember this is a mission LMAO
wearing | hair
mission: honey trap

Felix Gallagher

☉