[attr="class","hana"]

[attr="class","hana b"]

[attr="class","hana i"]fingers wrap tight. they tug and her wrist has little resistance in its bones, muscles, nerves. her eyes widen a moment later. another moment and an embarrassed flush settles into pale skin. it's a shade or two lighter than blood.

she looks close to tears, perhaps.

"sorry."

a screech echoes overhead. it seems to bounce off trees. shadows snap to attention at the sound.

she glances up to see claws dropping and her scramble is instant. limbs move in a panicked flutter, gangly like a gazelle desperately fleeing a lion. if she bumps into him, she doesn't notice, doesn't apologize.

no. she merely squeaks.

NIKO MANNER
mission

[attr="class","hana"]

[attr="class","hana b"]

[attr="class","hana i"]it’s not as bad as she thought, per se. it drags a cough out of her lungs on the first inhale and burns on the second, third, fourth until she’s settling into a mild familiarity with the sensation. it leaves her lightheaded, fuzzy, dizzy. nicotine highs from that first cigarette hit differently.

she flashes him a warm smile, pulling the cigarette away from her lips. it settles by her side, cherry slowly burning away at tobacco and paper.

”guess,” she shrugs almost lazily, as if she expects him to know. and maybe he does or maybe he has other ideas she’d like more. the concept of her following him blindly doesn’t escape here. it only grows, festers, poisons until she’s in too deep and there’s no way out.

her body shifts to lean against a wall of the alley, brick smooth against her back. there she’ll watch him, moving to take another drag off her cigarette.

NIKO MANNER

[attr="class","hana"]

[attr="class","hana b"]

[attr="class","hana i"]blood drips from open wounds at the neck. subtle at first, as if the first drawn blood is sacred and unwilling to fall so easily. and then, it’s a steady enough follow to stain the back of her sweater. cream blossoms pink and pink crawls into red.

at his realization, she’s scrambling to check her own. one missing from the belt loosely wrapped around her hips. and the final pokeball noticeably absent from the hairpiece tangled into messy waves. fuck.

”what’s happening?” her voice trembles with cold fear and she hates it.

her hand rises once more, clawing at the back of her neck as if scratching the cuts into fully open wounds will stop those damn eyes.

NIKO MANNER
mission

[attr="class","hana"]

[attr="class","hana b"]

[attr="class","hana i"]she stares down the extended pack, weighing the options. she's never had a cigarette. not really... does she want to try it? the night feels perfect for firsts but if she embarrasses herself, what then? run away, ghost him, never return to hoenn?

god.

alcohol makes her reach for it, an itch slowly growing until it's gnawing at her insides. and when she returns the pack, she's lingering for a lighter, cigarette held loosely between her lips.

"i can see why," she murmurs. "that kinda sucked. i mean, the drinks were good but dancing is not how i would want to be sandwiched." that sounds wrong. oh well. brain no work.

NIKO MANNER

[attr="class","hana"]

[attr="class","hana b"]

[attr="class","hana i"]shadows stretch as they move, as the path beckons them further. and where an exit should be...

there's nothing but trees. the branches wind in odd angles, less like wood and more like limbs. it sends a shiver down her spine.

the wind shifts into something colder, something electrified. eerie.

this place is officially the worst.

"different how?" she turns to stare at him, that deerling in headlights look returning with a vengeance. the back of her neck crawls until the sensation turns into searing pain and she's raising a hand to scratch it away. when her hand leaves, it's stained a soft red.

what the fuck?

NIKO MANNER
mission

[attr="class","hana"]

[attr="class","hana b"]

[attr="class","hana i"]he parts through the sea of people with an ease she doesn't possess.

his hand in hers keeps her tethered, keeps her close. and even with wobbly legs, she's following like a stray puppy hoping for a spare crumb of affection. some club attendees call to them, call to her. she's ignoring the catcalls until they're nothing but white noise, locked behind a closing door within moments.

and when it's just him and her and an alley, he's turning back to her.

"it was," she heaves out a sigh, stretching her body now that she's able to freely move around without worrying about hitting another person. god, crowds suck.

"thank you," comes softly, followed quickly by a warm smile.

NIKO MANNER

[attr="class","hana"]

[attr="class","hana b"]

[attr="class","hana i"]reassurance warms her even as he pulls away, even as he stands. and a moment later, she's rising on shaking legs. between exhaustion and the cold, she's a trembling mess as he's helping her pull clothes back on and into place.

eyes have since moved from just the back of the neck to every inch of her body. her skin crawls beneath the sensation.

hana's quick to tuck herself into his side, seeking warmth and comfort against this strange place. shadows crawl behind, beneath, and all around them. her hand scrambles to find his, to anchor her nerves with the warmth of his skin.

"ready," she whispers, almost unsure.

is anyone ever ready for a strange forest that feels like it's closing in on them? perhaps not...

NIKO MANNER
mission

[attr="class","hana"]

[attr="class","hana b"]

[attr="class","hana i"]bodies push in from every side. it's hard to move, hard to breathe. and for a moment, she wants to panic.

warm arms keep her tethered. keep her safe, keep her close.

and with his hand still in dangerous territory, she's opening shut eyes to glance up at him from his shoulder, his lips pressed into the shell of her ear. there's a mixture of things in a gaze, all fuzzy and stained with alcohol.

"lead the way," she murmurs, trying to be heard over the loud thrum of bass. and maybe she shouldn't be so willing to follow him wherever he'd go but he's proven already that he'll keep her safe.

and that, my friends, is good enough for her to fall for.

NIKO MANNER

[attr="class","hana"]

[attr="class","hana b"]

[attr="class","hana i"]she shivers beneath him, warm breath fanning over exposed skin.

and yet, despite the creeping shadows and looming sensation of imminent danger, she feels safe.

nails dig slightly into his skin and blue eyes are a little too wide, too trusting when they refocus on him. she flushes a little deeper at the words.

and naivety prompts her to seek affirmation, to seek more comfort than he's already provided.

"promise..?"

NIKO MANNER
mission

[attr="class","hana"]

[attr="class","hana b"]

[attr="class","hana i"]he reels her in, pulling her close with firm hands and doting kisses. and she's merely putty in his hands. well, she had been even before this but that's neither here nor there.

her head tilts further into his body, as if willing him to keep trailing kisses down the length of her neck.

hands wander, roaming beneath the cover of a crowded nightclub. darkness provides a sanctuary for their actions and music a blanket for noise.

she's a flushed mess, drowned in alcohol and holding onto him like he's a lifeline.

NIKO MANNER

[attr="class","hana"]

[attr="class","hana b"]

[attr="class","hana i"]alarms fade into white noise settling into the background. the sensation of eyes remain.

it lingers even as each kiss grows hungrier. even as hips move and breathing becomes labored.

the feeling of being watched clings to the skin much like the afterglow of what happens. proboards, u ain't getting me today binch.

and when her head falls back into the grass, limbs still tangled up in his, she swears she sees shadows creeping up behind him after she finally opens her eyes.

NIKO MANNER
mission

[attr="class","hana"]

[attr="class","hana b"]

[attr="class","hana i"]in an intoxicated haze, she lets the music take hold of her body. it guides her. keeps her moving, keeps her hips rocking from side to side.

and when his hands take hold of hers, engulfing them with warmth, her head falls back to rest lazily against his shoulder.

fabric slips from her fingers in favor of hard lines of a chiseled body. she lingers in some places, fluttering fingertips over concealed skin. and others, she digs nails in and drags down. it's distracted, as if trying to rely on memory alone.

NIKO MANNER

[attr="class","hana"]

[attr="class","hana b"]

[attr="class","hana i"]hunger swallows up whatever gentleness she had, engulfing and overtaking every nerve ending.

he reels her in, hauls her up by the thighs, and she's coiling her legs around to hook at the ankles without much prompting. lower, lower, lower until plush grass greets her bare back. a shiver coils down her spine. she's wiggling closer, half for warmth and half for anticipation.

and when his hands start to roam, she's stealing another kiss from him.

strange... the feeling of eyes on the back of the neck rises next.

NIKO MANNER
mission