[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]When a third Ranger suddenly appeared out of the blue and called the two she was shadowing away to their camp, Aurelie grumbled under her breath in annoyance. She'd still been going back and forth in her head about whether to ambush the two unsuspecting Rangers, though she'd mostly decided against it. Two against one seemed like terrible odds, no matter how she sliced it.

With the appearance of another Ranger and the subsequent departure of the first two, though, what few plans Aurelie had concocted flew out the window. The one girl, with an Impidimp hanging rather endearingly from her back, remained behind to scout the area. She didn't seem like she was about to give up any juicy secrets or information that Aurelie might care about.

Well, I guess I learned a little bit about the League making progress into the caves, Aurelie mused internally, frowning in thought. But I don't think I'm about to get any more here. So, I think the smart thing to do is just...back away slowly...

Rising slightly from her crouch, she began to backtrack quietly and cautiously away from her hiding spot. Every movement was made with careful slowness to avoid disturbing the flowing willow tresses that had concealed her from the Rangers. No need to draw that red-haired Ranger's attention to her, after all.

She was making good progress at staying silent and sneaky, and Aurelie began to hope she'd get away unnoticed. And then she stepped on a twig. The thin wood snapped under her foot with a loud crackle.

Before she could stop herself, Aurelie swore, "Oh, damn it." Then her eye flew open wide and she clapped her hands over her mouth in chagrin and embarrassment. You might have still been okay, if she thought it was just a random animal snapping a branch, she scolded herself angrily. But now? You just gave yourself away! Idiot!

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie froze, her blood running cold, when the red-haired Ranger demanded to know who was there. Clearly, her untimely twig snap and incredibly stupid involuntary swear hadn't gone unnoticed, as she'd been fervently hoping—but hadn't really believed—would happen. For probably the millionth time in her life, she thought to herself furiously, If only I had just kept my mouth shut...

Rapid-fire calculations shot through her mind in the few seconds she estimated she had left before the Ranger got even more suspicious of her. Depressingly, she couldn't see many options available to her. Aurelie was very much alone out here, and while the Ranger seemed to be by herself too, who knew if the two other Rangers might return to back her up?

From what Aurelie could see, she could bluff it out by pretending to be a civilian, run away, or fight the Ranger. In a split second of decision, she thought, Let's go with the route that leaves me with the most options afterward. She quickly rose to her feet behind the tree, clearly making no effort to hide, and raised her hands in the air.

"H-hello," she ventured, her voice quavering with genuine nervousness. "That...that was me you heard just now. I heard voices, and I...I got scared. There's been so much fighting between Rocket and League here, and I...I was afraid I was about to get caught in the middle of something. So, I hid, hoping I could just...tiptoe away."

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]At this moment, Aurelie was very grateful she was wearing her oversized sunglasses, not only to conceal her identity in a slightly less obvious way than wearing a mask, but also to hide how her eyes spasmed wide with surprise when the Ranger approached her and introduced herself quite politely. She even held out her hand for a handshake. Though Aurelie managed to keep the rest of her face under control, that involuntary reaction might have tipped off the Ranger somehow.

Inwardly, her thoughts were a whirl of confusion, hopefulness, and caution. Did she really buy that story? Aurelie wondered, looking from the Ranger's face to her outstretched hand. Am I in the clear? Will I actually be able to pull this off?

For a moment, she even briefly entertained the thought of asking to be taken to the "shelter" of the League's nearest outpost. There, she could conceivably carry on her guise as an unlucky civilian and get to overhear even more of the League's plans! But only briefly.

You're not a good enough liar or actor to keep that up for long, she told herself, ruthlessly assessing her own skills. And you don't have any Pokemon that can make you invisible or put a magical disguise on you or something like that.

So, Aurelie simply decided to reach out and shake the other girl's hand. "Nice to meet you, Ranger Cromwell. I'm glad this seems to be a safe place. My name's..."

But before she could even start making up a name, though, the motion of her arm just happened to jostle the front pocket of her hoodie. Unfortunately, that was where Aurelie had stashed her Rocket communicator, which she'd conscientiously muted while shadowing the two Rangers earlier. Even more unfortunately now, the communicator fell right out of her pocket, landed at her feet, and crackled to life as the impact with the ground pressed the ON button.

"...Rocket Survey Squadron One, perform a flyover on Area 5... ...Attack Squadron Two, advance on their position..."

Aurelie froze. She looked down at the Rocket communicator and then back up at the Ranger holding out her hand. Without even realizing it, one hand slid into her pocket to reach for either a Pokeball or knife.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Of course, it had to happen just that way. Of course, just when it seemed like Aurelie had won the Ranger's trust—or at least forbearance—and was about to get away with her little subterfuge, her own Rocket communicator had to sabotage her. Why couldn't it have been just that easy? Why couldn't things just be simple for once?

These were all thoughts that passed through Aurelie's mind later, looking back on the encounter. At that exact moment, all that filled her mind was a rising tide of panic. That tide crested into a foam-topped wave rolling ominously toward shore as she looked at the Impidimp stalking closer and then at the angry scowl crossing the Ranger's face.

An answering flush of mortification spread across Aurelie's own cheeks. She'd rarely felt more alone in her life. She didn't even have a Pokemon out right now. Nor could she exactly call for Rocket backup, considering, well, her comm unit was on the ground, while the Ranger could easily summon comrades to help her if she needed to.

Aurelie's flush only deepened when the Ranger's eyes immediately spotted her hand creeping toward her pocket and narrowed dangerously. The red-haired smith immediately froze. Something about the hard, pitiless expression on the other woman's face told her that now would not be a good time to resort to her usual go-to move and pull out a knife. Especially with the Impidimp baring its fangs.

Instead, her hand slowly withdrew from her pocket, revealing in her palm...a single berry. With a sharp, swift movement, Aurelie threw it right between the Impidimp's eyes. At the same time, she bent down and scooped up the Rocket comm unit off the ground.

Hoping the Ranger and her Impidimp's attention would be focused on the berry, Aurelie shamelessly spun around on her heel. Tucking the comm unit in her pocket, she sprinted away the way she'd come, pelting headlong through the wilderness. She'd never run so fast in her life, nor so desperately.

But would she be fast enough?

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT