Fern drops his head to the side with a grin, “Nah, it’s okay. You’re forgiven. The stealth lessons would be nice, though.”[break][break]

“Well that is what they are,” he retorts, glance sliding upward to where the sky shimmers in the spaces between and above the trees. “Literally one big booty call.” Fern snickers again, clearly still overly entertained by the whole concept. Probably not what jayden cross had in mind when he said that not just anyone should accompany him.[break][break]

But Fern is Fern and there’s no way around it, really. His commentary goes everywhere with him, in any and most situations.[break][break]

He’s not being rebuffed for it, though. So maybe…just maybe he can pull an actual laugh from Jayden? It feels like a lofty goal, but it’s a challenge Fern personally feels invested in.[break][break]

“That makes me happy to hear.” And truly, the simple admittance followed by the snag of his hand in what he’d meant only to be a fleeting touch makes his chest feel all static-y and warm. Fern’s smile widens as well, and the feeling intensifies when he catches sight of the softness in the other’s smile.[break][break]

“If you keep smiling at me like that, we’re not going to get any work done fast.” It’s silly, the whole thing. Here he is, feeling like a smitten teenager rather than the elder of the two of them. But Fern’s self-awareness isn’t about to make him untangle their hands just yet, either.[break][break]

As they walk, Fern is also on the lookout for any overly large ledyba. Sort of sounds like a nightmare to consider, honestly. The concept was fascinating though – would any trace of those distortion pokemon be able to simulate recreation? Who was to say?[break][break]

Nim’s immediate snack hunt draws a sigh from Fern, though he’s not all that chiding about it. Doubly so when jayden cross doesn’t seem irritated by her antics. “She’s looking for apples,” he explains. “she knows I have them when we train.” A cookie is an acceptable alternative too, though, and Nim catches what is tossed to her– happily crunching on the treat.[break][break]

“She sort of changed recently, so I’ve been trying to work with her a bit more. Figure maybe she can be useful if anything does turn up while we’re collecting samples.” If she doesn’t fixate on her snacks, that is.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] jayden cross | m: sparkling spawning[break]

[attr="class","pokesprite pokemon dragapult"]

[attr="class","milkcredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

The strange shadows that lift from the spatial rends blow by him, and even as Fern instructs his dragapult to follow, the auras that they kick off settle with him. Like cold dread, negativity seeps under his skin in a way that makes him shiver. It's foreboding, it's disheartening. But it's still interesting. So he can't bring himself to fall back just yet - not until it's clear that the effort is futile.[break][break]

As everything breaks up, Fern finds himself chasing nothing at all. The shadows that he had such a clear image of just moments before are unreachable. They dart away as quickly as the v-shaped flames, and no matter how fast Ceci or Morty are, there is no catching up to them. A pang of disappointment follows when the shard in his hand doesn't draw him to what he was chasing, but as the shadows dissipate, so to do the ugly emotions that swirled around them.[break][break]

Sighing, he pockets the primal shard and pats Cecilia on the the top of her wide, flat head. Silently, he makes the promise to himself that he will follow up on this. Chasing shadows sounds like a fruitless endeavor, but it's like he's been bitten by a bug and instantly has an itch that won't go away. He'll even do so without the shard, if he has to. Something else he tells himself as he hears Amor Rose's voice in his earpiece. The commms connecting them all had sputtered back to life, but Fern had largely tuned anything said out until Amor said his name, and insisted protection of himself and the shard were essential.[break][break]

So someone had seen his catch. Huh.[break][break]

Fern isn't keen to turn the primal shard over, but he's sure it will come up in reports now that it's been announced. Like a little gremlin, though, he'll hold onto it until he can't seem to avoid it any longer. Still, he appreciates the back-up. "I'm on my way out, the support is much appreciated." he chirps back over the communication line in response to his fellow Rocket. His eyes scan the mount, though, and he lingers. Only for a moment longer until he spots who he's looking for."Just gotta make a quick pit stop first!"[break][break]

Swooping back down, he finds Marza Volchitsa on the ground in bad state. Kuru stands sentinel beside her, and cocks his head at Fern as they descend. "Marza, you don't look too hot." No shit, Sherlock. Sliding off of his dragapult's back, he stoops beside her. "Gonna get you out of here, okay? Hang onto Ceci. I'll explain later." Once she does so, Cecilia opens a PHANTOM FORCE portal to his home, and drops in, letting the opening close up behind him. Fern then turns to her corviknight and scratches the underside of his beak. "Alright Kuru, let's get back to Sootopolis."[break][break]

They take off moments later, shuttling away from the mount, shrouded by the lingering fog and smoke.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] mask[break]
+ is disappointed the shard doesn't draw him to anything[break]
+ feeling some major bad feels tho. y i k e s.[break]
+ makes a personal note to go in pursuit of those shadows later, with shard or not[break]
+ acknowledges Amor Rose's message of prioritizing his safety thanks bestie!![break]
+ he's not ditching Marza Volchitsa tho so doubles back and finds her and her corviknight[break]
+ phantom force teleports marza home, and then flies off with kuru. fern out!![break]
[attr="class","poke-sprite pokemon dragapult"]

“Mm, yeah,” say with a musing tilt of their head, “ooor just a handy tool.”[break][break]

The request feels a bit unexpected coming from Theo, but Fern tips him a two-fingered salute. “I’ll do my best, if those are my marching orders.”[break][break]

He can’t help but insert that levity, but of course he’s going to do what he can to get smushed on the Mount by the meteor hurtling their way. “Seems sentimental, coming from you.”[break][break]

There is a temporary distraction in the form of a dedenne, which Fern peers down at with wide eyes, before glancing over at Theo to gauge his reaction.[break][break]

A sad little swirlix shuffled back into the forestry, cold shouldered because of the dedenne’s cuteness.



[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] THEO BECKETT | skipping! [break]





[attr="class","pokesprite pokemon flapple"]

“I Think that makes sense.” Or he’ll go with the more proficient person’s explanation, rather.[break][break]

Fern looks over at the blond man, squinting a little. “Oh, no I wouldn’t say not at all. Just never really considered collecting them.”[break][break]

Taking the opportunity, he returns Poplar to his ball and sends out the galarian corsola. As practices, she floats free on the offensive, and immediately targets a mismagius with a shimmering, bright POWER GEM.[break][break]

“I think, by your surmising, she is the only fishie I personally have.”

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] THEO BECKETT | I catching mismagius! [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-trevenant"]

Fern doesn’t remember feeling this sort of cold for ages. Not since his upbringing in Galar. The bitter wind does no favors to his still-splinted nose, or the bruises the swoop under his eyes as a result of the break. The cold makes already sore limbs that much more tenderly stiff. But he’s powering through it![break][break]

If anything, for the sake of strange gut feelings and the shard that remains tucked in the inner pocket of his heavy down jacket. Nimuë lumbers alongside him, the hisuian typhlosion radiating a natural warmth that Fern gravitates toward. Snow crunches underfoot.[break][break]

He doesn’t exactly know what he aims to find. Maybe something that will connect to what he saw on Mt. Pyre. But it’s certainly not another person amid the barren landscape. Let alone one he actually recognizes. “Well lookie there,” he hails, “the elusive elite four member himself.”
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] MATIAS SILPH | notes[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-"]

A short laugh follows their initial fright. “No worries, you’re so quiet.” Fern is definitely capable of sneaking and utilizing stealth and quiet. But he’s not quite that good.[break][break]

He could have been much more affectionate than what he offers. The kiss is met with a slightly flustered reaction, which he expected, but he’s not pushed away for it, either. So Fern will take the win where he finds it. Minimal or not.[break][break]

“You call, I come running,” Fern teases before falling silent in favor of letting Jayden explain the purpose of tonight’s work. “Not just anyone? You flatter me.” He’s pleased all the same. “Funny how much fuss there is over some sexy time sparkles.” Too blunt? He’s not wrong, though. That’s what it is.[break][break]

“Did you now?” he says with a slight trill in his voice as he looks up at jayden cross . His lips twist coyly, and he lets their fingers brush together for a fleeting moment. Unsure as to whether or not that’s a bit outside the range of professional comfort for the other.[break][break]

Not wishing to make a fuss over it, though Fern drifts ahead of him, and glances back over their shoulder. “I missed yours as well.”[break][break]

While they make their way toward the spot his dragapult has found, Fern decides to call out another pokemon to assist in the effort of pulling down any of the ledian or ledyba should they pose a problem.[break][break]

The large, Hisuian typhlosion is still an oddity to him. After all, Nimuë was not as she is now when they initially wandered into that distortion a couple of weeks prior. She regards Jayden with slow-blinking, droopy eyes before promptly trying to root in his coat pockets.


[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] jayden cross | m: sparkling spawning[break]

[attr="class","pokesprite pokemon dragapult"]

[attr="class","milkcredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

There is nowhere else Fern would prefer to be. They nod, head tilting to the side as they’re bestowed with the ghosts of little kisses, soft and downy-light. “Of course.”[break][break]

Pleasured sound hums in the back of their throat, echoing the other. It’s the only answer they’re able to supply, as if they’ve lost the ability to actually form syllables and words. Fern is too distracted by roaming hands and heavy touch to do so. He bends to the hand on his jaw, the one sliding over his torso to draw shivers under deft fingertips.[break][break]

All they can really do is keep up–arching under the contact given until the sudden flip leaves Fern with a sudden thrill. Staring up at jayden cross with wide eyes and a breathless grin, they feel something similar to that rush that day in the other’s laundry room. The prey animal sense of being snared in place, flighty heartbeat. This time, though, they welcome what comes next.[break][break]

It is not until later, when they’re coming down from the high of the momentl– slow, uneven breath and mussed hair, that Fern remembers how to use words.[break][break]

A fumbling hand reaches up to pull down a quilt that was thrown over the back of their couch so that the lingering warmth between them is trapped and contained. Hazy-eyed, their gaze tips up to find jayden cross ’s and they smile all dopey-soft. “I’d say you sure showed me,” they murmur in obvious amusement. Craning their head, Fern presses a lazy sort of kiss against the other’s shoulder cap.[break][break]

A dumb little laugh is quick to follow. “I was teasing you, though, you know.” Not that Fern is displeased by how it played out, or the fact that they remain curled together like sleepy meowth. Idly, their fingers trace lazy shapes over his skin, less to excite and more to soothe in the wake of bliss.


[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] jayden cross | ....what kinda honey u lookin for, jay >:3[break]