As thrilling and riveting as this whole experience has been, Fern decides he's quite ready for it to be over. He hovers outside the door he had just slammed shut and continues to deliberate his choices. The door directly across the hall yields another of the thousands of halls that he's already passed through. But at this point, he'll take it over the ghouls and the chases.[break][break]

There is one noticeable difference, though: the brightly lit EXIT sign at the far end.[break][break]

He's found it! He could weep with relief, he's sure. Once he was through that door, he could laugh at himself again and all of this would be a passing thing. It was just a matter of making it down the hall. The door he passes through clicks shut, and he's no more than a few steps in before it feels like the floor is beginning to rumble underneath him. He pauses, frowning, and makes the same mistake that he's already made several times now -- he looks back over his shoulder.[break][break]

The wide, carpet-y mouth yawns back at him then clicks its teeth together. The shriek he lets out is unflattering, but Fern doesn't think about composing himself as he scrambles. A long, throw rug tongue looks to catch him, and this is not how he wants to go. Eaten by a house mouth?? No thanks.[break][break]

He's not in enough shape for this, he manages to think as he bolts for the exit sign again, hand outstretched toward the doorknob. But if he gets there in time, he'll commit to a more rigorous training routine. He promises.
[break][break]
OBUSE9rX
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] + hahaha.... roll total = 171 [break]
+ resolve tally: 30 + 10 = 30/50

Marza’s irritation was pretty much palpable. Which was all to Fern’s own amusement, of course. Maybe he’d give her a little bit of a break, though. Just for a minute until something inevitably hilarious happened, and he was unable to help himself.[break][break]

Fern knew he was a bit odd. A little eccentric for his tastes in ghost-types. But even though Marza grumbled and complained about him, and threatened him every other sentence, she had yet to truly do anything. Which was a clear sign enough that he’d wiggled his way into her tough old heart. That was his conclusion, anyway.[break][break]

This really wouldn’t take long. Though his partner was obviously itching to get out of there. His hands clapped together as the cabinets and drawers began to rattle. A spike of adrenaline provoked a laugh as she insisted. “Nope! We need to make sure it’s totally emptied out, Marzy. Those are the orders. Nice try~”[break][break]

With that, he waltzed further into the cabin– into what was likely the only adjacent room in the place.[break][break]

As soon as he did so, though, his companion was in for a surprise. Clearly sensing the tension, dozens of sinistea burst out of the cabinets toward Marza with a raucous clinking and smashing of china. Protecting what they had deemed their home, but also obviously out of mischief because they left Fern alone.[break][break]

However, as he turned back at the sound of the crashing, eyes bright, he was intercepted by the leader of the bunch–a polteageist taking up residence in an old, massive iron kettle. Because it seemed its fine china pot hadn’t been adequate anymore. Or perhaps it was lost? He’d figure it out in a moment. Right then, however, he pointed gleefully. “Mrs. Potts!”


[break][break]

+ Marza Volchitsa | m: paranormal activity | bestie~

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

It’s not exactly that they feel awfully self-conscious. Fern has always been confident to ridiculous levels. But he is just as unsure of how to handle letting someone close in the way he has allowed it of jayden cross. Even if how they handle this looks different when compared side by side.[break][break]

He likely seems like the sort of person to give this sort of affection and care freely, but he doesn’t. Not in an attached manner, anyway. But somewhere along the line, the admin has wiggled himself into Fern’s affections. In an alarmingly real way, and with startling ease. Without even realizing it.[break][break]

So Fern, for all of his grandiosity and falsity, cannot help the earnest transparency that occurs around the other. Even if he’d like to keep that arm’s length out of self-preservation, he doesn’t. All they want is to ease whatever it is inside of Jayden that makes him tense. If Fern can be a haven to him, then it will have been worth it.[break][break]

How crazy was that?[break][break]

Hands guide their face back so that they can’t hide away from him. Their own hands lift to settle over his, and their smile returns. “Okay, okay. Yes, good. I just wanted to say so.” Heat burns in their skin under his touch, against his palms, and Fern leans against the press of their foreheads. A breathless laugh falls in the minimal space between them.[break][break]

Slowly, Fern guides his hands down toward the hem of their sweater–a silent invitation to either slip his hands up under, or to just pull it up over their head entirely. “It’s okay,” they murmur, shaking their head slightly. “It’s alright, I’ll still try to understand.”[break][break]

To be told that they are set apart, that they matter to him makes their stomach erupt in a chaotic flutter. The hunger they’d temporarily subdued roars to life again and their grin turns just a little bit wily as they press closer with the slightest roll of their hips. "Are you going to prove it, then?" An amused snicker follows.[break][break]

Fern snags his lips in another kiss, and then another. And another. "I'm terribly fond of you too, if that wasn't obvious."


[break][break]

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

He would think that a task as seemingly small as this one would fall by the wayside in the wake of everything going on in Hoenn around them. In the days leading up to suspected impact, Fern doesn't think that disrupting the mating rituals of ledyba and ledian is hardly a necessary task.[break][break]

But then again, he is more than happy to attend to it, if there is opportunity to be found. And there most certainly is.[break][break]

It's not that he thinks that jayden cross has been avoiding him, or anything. It's just that...well, Fern is a little bit of a clingy creature when his affections are spurred. But he doesn't want to be smothering, either. So Fern has largely let him be, and busied himself with his own tasks.[break][break]

Fern's shoulders climb to their ears as their nerves spike. A quiet yelp of surprise crawls up their throat, only to be cut off prematurely as they clamp their mouth shut in a wide, thin smile. They twist under the hands on their shoulders so that they can face Jayden. For a moment, their expression drops into a pronounced sulk, and they swat lightly at his own shoulder. "Ooh, you startled me! But no, only a few minutes."[break][break]

Vagahn sweeps into the air behind Jayden, and Ceci is quick to let out a delighted cooing as he joins her in her game of twisting through the trees. Though after a moment, she greets him with a head bonk as well.[break][break]

After their little fright passes, Fern leans up to press a swift peck against his cheek. Well behaved and modest, though they'd very much prefer to act otherwise because to them it's been ages since they've seen him (just a touch dramatic, there.)[break][break]

"I've been having Ceci scout for a weak spot in the fencing," they chirp as they lean away again.

[break][break]

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

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

[attr="class","pokesprite pokemon typhlosion-hisuian"]

Petalburg Woods.[break][break]

Has Fern even been this far west yet? Fern doesn’t think so, but he doesn’t mind the hassle of travel too much. Not when they’ve been offered the opportunity to work alongside jayden cross again.[break][break]

Well, maybe it doesn’t count as again since the last time they inadvertently worked together, it was the result of having to rescue Fern (yes, they are still embarrassed! no, they won’t ever live eeby deeby down.)[break][break]

No matter! They will prove themselves this time. Probably. Even though the mission debriefing left them…giggling, maybe just a little bit. Ledyba sparkles. Plus, they sort of just have a personal agenda now where Jayden is concerned, and though this is a job, it’s still an opportunity to wrangle some time with him.[break][break]

All that matters now is that they are on time—arriving at the meet up point at the edge of the forest, under the cloak of the dark. Cecilia phases in and around the trees as they wait, looking for the fencing they will have to cross that marks ranger-protected space.[break][break]

Fern is not nervous, no way. But the first traces of powdered, twinkling dust are evident, hanging in the air. It makes them laugh again, hidden in the night.

[break][break]

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

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

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

Sort of a broad answer, but Fern takes this in stride, nodding as he hands Theo’s phone back.[break][break]

“Guess I didn’t realize how much variety there was!” he quips back, brows furrowing in thought. Does Fern even own a fish? Does his ghostly corsola count?[break][break]

So he asks— “Would you call a corsola a fishie?”[break][break]

Poplar marvels at another trevenant that stands off to the side, posing as an actual tree, though it doesn’t fit among the headstones. They stare at each other, and then one points. The other points back.[break][break]

And then they move on.

[break][break]

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


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