fuck. 

she runs through a lot of scenarios when her phone goes off. when the goddamned mission report comes in. alarm bells go off in her head and she thinks a few things:

1. is it because i fell through that fucking rift and didn't tell anyone about it? was i supposed to tell someone about it?
2. did skyler dross put two and two together and figure me out and go tattle to the authorities? she strikes that one immediately. 
3. did jayden cross think i was too fuckin' soft on bax and now i need a babysitter?

of all possibilities, it's probably the latter. of the three, it's probably the least terrifying. probably has the least consequences. but still, is it not enough that she keeps her head down and gets her job done? rocket gets its money and she keeps her hands (mostly) clean.

it's misty out, which already adds to the creepiness around mt. pyre. there's a rift here somewhere. another rift. and she's heard stories about the boogeymen instead of it. but wherever the doctor goes, she's duty-bound to follow. 

"well, there's one," she jokes flatly and points to the unown that circles them, also creepily. altering reality does not sound like a good time to her. the only context in which she wants her blind blown is not proboards tos.

"'m always on guard, doc. don't gotta worry 'bout that." amulius follows their steps some ways back, but looks up for added emphasis. 

her very, very last words make parker stop. and then blink. and then frown. and if ya knew her any better, you'd probably tell her to stop thinking before she hurts herself. 

"don't ya have, like, files 'n shit for that? 'm a debt collector. shake down fuckers for what they owe us." she offers a thin smile, still not entirely understanding. "look, i dunno what cross said, but bax isn't all bad. he's just a dumbass. didn't deserve more 'an a few broken fingers."

Naomi Sato

☉

who's bax? 

now it's parker's turn (again) to look confused. even more so when the head scientist completely stops in her tracks and makes parker roll onto her toes so she doesn't knock right into her. she rocks back onto her heels with a mph. 

motherfucker. if it's not about bax, then it's gotta be the rift shit. 'cause ain't no way the authorities are out looking for someone named pinkie. skyler's a hag, not a rat. 

parker doesn't know what to do with the silence, especially because it feels like she should be saying something? or like nomi's looking for her to say something?

"he's, uh, an asshole. but like, a good asshole. don't mean no harm." did she just call someone, bax, a good asshole? 

"but if it's about the rift, honestly i just wanted to forget about it. that place was creepy as fuck. and i still hear that stupid lullaby or whatever the hell it was in my head. not that i'm, like, complainin' 'cause this is...great, bein' back out here with all the crazy."

she looks down, finally noticing the mist. "speak of the fuckin' devil."

Naomi Sato

☉

now she's bumbling and making a fool of herself. maybe, by the end of this, the doc will check her for brain damage. and then never ask her on these crazy rides out to crazy town where all the crazies are. she can't make sense of it. the mist wrapping and warping around them. 

she can't punch that?

her old man rises from the ground and parker almost shits her pants. but after that, asshole puckered, she grits her teeth and has the decency to at least say, "what the fuck" before entering fight mode and slamming a hammer fist down into - 

the ground. ow. 

'i want her again.' she snaps up reflexively. she's already decided she can't trust her senses. at least their previous foray has kind of prepared her for this nonsense. 

there's another nomi, blood dribbling from her lips, canines sharp and staring daggers right at her. 'the same bodyguard as last time.'

she smiles prettily and parker calls hoarsely to amulius, but the blaziken doesn't answer the call. 

'jones. so we can make sure she knows her place.'

she laughs shakily and looks to the more tangible nomi, eyes hard, and says, "what the fuck is this, doc?" answers won't be forthcoming any time soon though, because the reason amulius wouldn't answer the call is made plain all at once. 

the blaziken is blasted between the two of them. the air crackles with static and the mist he'd flown through distorts, slicing wisp!nomi into neat little ribbons. amulius gathers himself and launches itself back towards the monster that had attacked them.

it's not just one thing. it's a lot of things. in one shape. maybe a ditto? but dittos aren't the size of semi-trucks and she's fairly certain they're not able to turn into fucking chimeras. 

Naomi Sato

☉

the rocket scientist is rather preoccupied and by no volition of her own, ignores parker. that's more infuriating in of itself, especially because the mist is wrapped so thickly around her, dividing them further still. she reaches out her hands and tries to brute force her way through, but it's like the closer she gets, the further away she drifts. 

in the end, it's amulius that saves them. flames spurt from all of his talons and he spins like a top, fanning the embers. the mist sizzles and recoils, lapsing between scientist and bodyguard. 

parker's good at ignoring things that don't make sense to her. so whether or not what she saw in the mist is real, she decided to shove it to the back of her mind and close the distance. she's still got a job to do. 

she passes that barrier and comes upon nomi, hand hard on her shoulder. fingers flex, sinking into her skin, confirming she's really there. and then she apologizes for the intrusion with a smile and yanks her up by the arm. 

it looks like a hydreigon, but it's not - one of its heads is a distorted sceptile's, the second a dragapult's, and the third some awfully tiny fairy thing that looks like it's been super glued to the furred body that makes up the rest of it. parker grimaces and says, "that is one ugly bitch."

valerian and amulius exchange blows with the creature, forcing it back. the heat makes the mist shiver and shudder and slowly it dissipates enough that parker can actually make out everything around them. 

Naomi Sato

☉

parker is supercalifragilisticexpialiDONE with this place. she's done with the mist and she's done with the rifts and the monsters that lurk within it. is this what all the upper echelon of rocket deal with? is this what their bodyguards have to deal with? 

fuck this and fuck that and wah, wah, wah. 

all her grievances dry up when nomi looks up at her, turns pink, and asks if she's okay. 

"uh." she blanks. she balks. is she okay? no, the fuck she's not! but she wants to be okay because nomi looks rattled to all hell and parker's supposed to be the one looking out for her. so she awkwardly clears her throat and lets go of her when she realizes she's still gripping her tightly. 

"'course i'm okay, doc. 'm just sad 'mul got all the punches in on whatever the hell that thing was." she decides to sit down. just plops right down there in the middle of the trail and stretches out with a sigh, 'cause damn if she hasn't earned it. 

"are you okay?" she says skeptically.

Naomi Sato

☉

okay, yeah, nomi's definitely had plenty of the purple juice to drink. can't blame her. you don't get to be top dog without cutting away a little bit of your humanity. and that's a no judgment, kind of sorry, if anything, thought coming from parker as she cranes her neck to look up at her. 

it's not a bad view, all things considered. 

the whereabouts of parker's gaze are questionable, but she plays it off as the sun being in her eyes by squinting. 'sides, it's easier to look at nomi's figure than linger on the nightmare fuel from five minutes. and also it's easier than trying to sort out the 'you poor schmuck' look on nomi's face. 

of course she wants to go, go, go. they hadn't even done what they'd set out to do. she sighs, hangs her head, and then bounces back up to her feet.

"naw, doc, you're stuck with me. it's my skin if you get eaten out here." and for some unfathomable reason that makes her kick herself and also think WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK - she boops her on the nose with her finger.

"anyway, lessgo," she says, playing it off with a point, and starts walking down the trail. 

Naomi Sato

☉