Spencer frowns, embarrassed that both he and the Mudsdale could pick up on her awkwardness. But she does as she's told, because the last thing she needs is to get bucked off of a stranger's Pokemon.

So she tightens her grip and returns his smile, mistaking it for something charming. Sometimes she had to wonder how she was such a sap for male attention.

"What.. is that thing? Is it an alien?"

She widens her eyes at the Beeheyem Killian releases. It sort of makes her nauseuous, admittedly, as it beeps and boops and wanders off into the cornfield. Spence glances back up at her surprise partner when he introduces himself.

"Spencer."

And then, the girl gasps and points, gesturing to the left of them in the direction his Pokemon had wandered off.

"I see something moving over there!"

Killian Decker

☉

She doesn't believe him, but his stubbornness outmatches her own in the heat of the moment. She doesn't have the energy to argue.

Instead, she just allows herself to lean into him and let him support her.

One step at a time.

She swallows, exhales loudly, lips forming a small 'o' as she focuses her energy on walking forward. Her other foot is not injured, but the act of walking in tandem with Cian is confusing and frustrating.

They had never seen eye to eye before- not for a very, very long time. Would they be in sync now, when it mattered most?

CIAN MAHER

☉

Spencer sucks in a breath as she is lifted up off of the ground. Instinctively, she goes to set both feet on the ground for stability in spite of Cian's body posing as her second leg. As such, she puts weight on her foot and gasps. Her cheek presses into his shoulder, his shirt absorbing her tears.

"Fuck."

She pants, loosens the iron grip she realizes she has on his shirt, and breathes out slow as he bends down to accomodate for her shorter size. Normally, she would have reacted negatively to his help, taken his bending as an offense.

Instead?

"You're going to hurt your back like that. I'm too.. short.. for you to do that without hurting yourself."

CIAN MAHER

☉

Now, normally she is quite particular about who's hand she holds.

Fortunately for him and for her, she doesn't have a choice to be picky, and he's quite good-looking as it is. And -- wow would you look at that? No ring.

Spencer purses her lips, intrigued, as he pulls her up and onto the Mudsdale. This is where their hunt begins in which they probably don't find the teenagers. Was this actually where she would get murdered? God, part of her hoped so.

Imagine her parents faces then. Finally, she could accomplish something her siblings hadn't already done.

And maybe CIAN MAHER would have wished he'd held on tighter.

Fuck him.

"All set."

She wiggles behind him, awkwardly wrapping her arms around his waist to hold on. The entire situation is a bit awkward, but from up here she can see through the cornfield. Guess she would be on watching duty?

mission: signs

Killian Decker

☉

Somehow, someway, Cian always manages to be her crutch. There for her at her lowest even if she didn't realize it or didn't want it.

She bites back the urge to snap at him, biting the inside of her cheek. He hovers close to her, as does his Castform, and she glances between the two briefly before pressing her cheek to her knee to keep from crying. The throbbing is intense and there is absolutely no way she can walk on it.

Memories flash from evenings spent walking home from the movies or late night coffee dates, arms wrapped around Cian's neck and his hands lifting her in a playful piggy-back..

"Tch."

She squeezes her eyes shut, and although her scoff might appear to be in direct response to his sympathetic statement, it isn't.

"Yeah-- yeah, fine."

And then, slowly, she uncurls herself from her tight, angry, pain-ball to reach for him.

CIAN MAHER

☉

Spencer, not in a million years, had ever really thought about anyone but herself. So it surprises her that she accepts and chooses not to turn around and walk away.

These people meant nothing to her, had nothing to do with her, and yet... is that guilt she feels in the pit of her stomach? Perhaps CIAN MAHER had had an effect on her.

"Fine. Just.. I'll need a hand up."

What with her messed up ankle still giving her trouble, and the fact she hasn't ridden a horse in forever.. it was bound to not go well.

mission: signs

Killian Decker

☉

Oh, and he had a sexy accent too. Today just kept getting better and better. Instinctively, as if not to lose him, she holds on just a little bit tighter. Dressing up and acting silly was now the furthest thing from her mind. She had on her arm a total piece of eye-candy.

"I should think to be offended you think I'm such a lightweight!"

She puts. ona show with her words, pretending to be some noble woman dependent on respect. With an upturn of her nose, she steps away from him and toward the cages. With an axe pushed into her hand and instructions laid out for her, she glances back over her shoulder to wink at him.

"Are you ready to lose?"

Confidence oozes out of her, replacing her subtle limp. Losing was not an option, and competitive ego overtakes everything else in her alcohol-addled brain. At least this would be a sharp, swift death rather than one imposed with blunt force trauma. Unless she hit herself with the handle.

mission: ren faire

andres buenaventura

☉

"Who-- me?"

She points at herself, finger pressing against her chest. Her expression is wide-eyed and horrified, if only because she is already exhausted and not at all interested in wasting her time helping others.

"Do I look like a ranger to you?"

But it seems he isn't to take no for an answer, and his Mudsdale looms overtop of her short stature.

"Am I supposed to.. ride. With you?"

The ground-type Pokemon's hulking frame stands next to her and she grimaces, just imagining the layers of dirt caked onto its back that would inevitably get all over her nice jogging outfit.

mission: signs

Killian Decker

☉

Now that the whole cornfield issue from earlier was solved... it was time to kick back, relax, and have a little bit of fun.

Somewhere along the way, Spencer had picked up a handsome, strapping young man by the name of Andres? Andrew? Andy? Anole?

She couldn't remember and frankly didn't care enough to ask him a second time. He was a nice, friendly, warm body and he happened to be good company. The whole event was meant to be carefree and fun, as it was a festive little festival. Okay, maybe she's a little drunk. But it helps take the throbbing out of her ankle and into her head.

Much more bearable.

"So, handsome? Where are we off to now?"

She links his arm through his and puts on an award-winning smile. Above them, despite the sun still being high in the sky, a full moon takes center stage behind wispy clouds.

mission: ren faire

andres buenaventura

☉

It was supposed to have been a good day. Some sort of easy-going, freestyle sort of cross country marathon or jog or whatever the fuck you wanted it to be through a farmers corn field. It had been set up all nice and pretty, with fancy ribbons and balloons to guide the way.

And some pair of teenage idiots swapped shit around and got a couple of girls lost and scared. Naturally, their phones were turned off, they had no Pokemon with them, and no one knew where or when they'd last seen them.

So the League called in reinforcements to help locate the girls. They were asking anyone and everyone involved in the event if they had seen any signs. Spencer hadn't, she had been at the head of the whole jog staving off the pain in her ankle from her run-in with CIAN MAHER.

As it happens, there is something else terrorizing the corn field outside of a pair of reckless idiots.

But it was no matter to her, for now. All she cared about was being given the go-ahead to get the hell out of here. For now, however, she sits by the fire, watching as a ranger's Pokemon blows will-o-wisps into the heart of it to keep the fire going.

mission: signs

Killian Decker

☉

Spencer knows that feeling all too well, that pressure. She has suffered beneath it's weight her whole life. Always the odd one out, the black sheep, the youngest disappointment.

She hadn't been good enough at running, hadn't risen to the top of her food chain. She hadn't done anything noteworthy enough to impress her parents- and then her big sister had taken the spotlight and married the man of her dreams and stolen literally everything from her.

Nice.

"Sure thing, kiddo."

Half-hearted, she presses a kiss to Jessica's temple before pulling away to continue with the pie-making. The timer was still ticking down.

"Maybe we can do our nails with those Unown designs everyone is raving about these days."

She wiggles her fingers, smirking.

Jessica Manner

☉