Stormy had climbed the mountain alone, with a pair of discreet earbuds, to train. The heat of Hoenn's climate was ideal for her and had the perk of turning her into a glowing, sweaty mess - but a hot mess.

For the most part, she just appears to be hiking, though she's also strapped into harness equipment designed for rock climbing. Perhaps doing a little exploring or the like.

Whatever the case, she would push off from whatever ledge she had been on to land back on the path, oblivious to the man tailing her. It wouldn't take much effort at all to startle her if that was his intent.

Abner Armstrong

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She steps back, taking a breath - only for that breath to be stolen from her when she bumps into something firm.

The monotone greeting is read only through lips as she gasps aloud, heart hammering. She tugs the earbuds from her ears and blinks, forcing the blush of surprise to melt away. Maybe this is why you shouldn't wear earbuds while doing dangerous stuff.

"What the-- where'd you come from?"

But in the process she fumbles her earbuds and drops them, immediately ducking down to pick them up. Looks like she might drop kick herself, in this case.

Abner Armstrong

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No, she was just clumsy. Clumsy and startled. Stormy was definitely the type of person to reply instantly, without thinking, without proofreading - only to realise several hours later that she'd misspelled something and made a fool of herself. Or posted the wrong time to meet up and been an hour late.

Not that she could defend herself from Abner's internal thoughts and assumptions.

When she stands up she rolls her eyes at his facetious comment.

"Charming, really."

But she decides to repeat his statement back anyway, if he was going to play coy.

"A woman and a man."

She places one earbud back in her ear, tucking the other one in her pocket and zipping it closed. They were probably expensive, she'd hate to lose one.

Abner Armstrong

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She laughs, an involuntary and surprised noise, followed immediately by a deep-seated blush. Abner was so blunt with his flirtations but in a way that suggested he wasn't actually flirting. Was that a thing? Could people flirt without meaning to, but definitely dropping words like 'sexy'?

"Nope, I'm definitely human."

Smooth, Stormy.

There's a moment of awkward silence, maybe, before Abner speaks up again. He leaves an invitation to help her get back down the hill. She raises an eyebrow before glancing past him and down from where she'd come. There was still a long ways to go, apparently.

"You're barely breaking a sweat as it is. Don't tell me you've been teleporting your way up the mountain."

She clicks her tongue, shaking her head, before smirking.

"But sure, why not. I overdid it as it is, my legs are starting to feel like jello."

Abner Armstrong

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Her gasp is involuntary, as is the sinking feeling in her chest, the one that definitely means she's totally into him. It's a hopeless feeling, watching his eyes hunger over her, his voice lower, his smile capture her attention.

And when he tells her to hold on she's a blushing mess, overwhelmed by how confidently he pushes the boundary and how easily she falls victim to it.

"Abner--"

But they've already teleported down the mountain with such suddenness that she's dizzy - or maybe that's just a side effect of his presence in general. Her legs are still wrapped around his waist, holding her in place. She's holding onto his neck, arms wrapped around his shoulders.

"Are you planning on letting me go?"

Her voice feels like a whisper when she asks that, breathless.

Abner Armstrong

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She's measuring her breathing, acutely aware of how intimate a position this is and the fact that he hasn't put her down. And then he's proposing another idea altogether - Gengar hunting.

The blush fades slightly and she lets her fingers intertwine behind his neck. She might as well get comfortable.

"I mean - I'm sure there was something I had planned. But I seem to have forgotten it. Let's go Gengar-hunting."

She watches the fist-bump occur and chuckles.

Abner Armstrong

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