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Of course he didn't. Jethro did his best to hide the flash of disappointment, but he was sure that some of it must have been evident in the way he furrowed his brow, [break][break]

“Whelp, you best figure it out, and you best figure it out quick.” [break][break]

His bright eyes took on a steely quality, his gaze stern and unyielding, as Jethro looked to the ex-Rocket again, [break][break]

“You an' I both know what it's like ta be in the line'a fire.” [break][break]

A beat passed, and with a tired wheeze, the ex-Ranger pushed himself off the ground and to his feet. He stopped a moment to adjust the hat on his head, and didn't turn again to Monty when he continued, [break][break]

“And you know where ta find me, if you need some cover.” [break][break]

Because for all of his misgivings about Monty and whatever new flight of fancy had so entirely consumed him, Jethro wouldn't let him hang out to dry. It's not the sort of thing a good and honest man would do, and even though the ex-Ranger thought he was pretty shitty at being either one of those things, that didn't mean that he couldn't give it the old college try.

[attr="class","bottom"]mission [break]
Montgomery James [break]

[attr="class","icon"]

Jethro frowned a little. His husband was peacefully interred in a little family plot, just outside of a shady little grove where they used to go pick wild blackberries. [break][break]

But then the ex-Ranger thought of him and his berry juice-stained fingers and how they would lace between his own, whether they were sharing a quiet moment when there were no customers to been seen at the old general store, or whether they were dancing beneath the hazy, incandescent glow of the light in their kitchen, where Jesse held him as though he were the most precious and important thing in the world while some old honky-tonk tune came crackling over the radio. The ex-Ranger turned away and wiped at his eyes; yeah, he knew exactly what Monty meant, [break][break]

“I mean,” he continued, until Jethro paused to clear his throat and chase away the little bit of shakiness that had threatened to give away the bit of tenderheartedness, [break][break]

“They better be worth it, if yer riskin' yer hide for 'em. 'Specially if they're the one with their finger on the trigger. You prepared to take that bullet, Monty?” [break][break]

But that was all love was, wasn't it? Giving someone the power to destroy you absolutely, and trusting them not to. It probably would have been wiser to tell Monty not to bother with someone that was so potentially dangerous, but love really did make men stupid, Jethro included.

[attr="class","bottom"]mission [break]
Montgomery James [break]

[attr="class","icon"]

“Hmph.” [break][break]

This wasn't Jethro's first rodeo, so to speak. This was the sort of autumnal activity found in many rural communities once the harvest came in, celebrated regions over from Floccesy to Postwick. Did that mean that Jethro was good at this sort of thing? [break][break]

No. No, it didn't. [break][break]

But at the very least, he could learn from failures of years past. He scrawled down his answer as he considered the little round ghost; it was probably heavier than it looked, otherwise average in height, aaaaand – there. [break][break]

A smug smile crossed Jethro's face as he turned in his slip. He had this in the bag, surely.

[attr="class","bottom"]guessing 550[break]
Jethro Haig [break]

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Hook, line, and sinker; Jethro would have felt a little smug about how readily he had seen through Monty, if the guy didn't look so damn miserable. The ex-Ranger shook his head and clicked his tongue, and groaned as his aching joints protested his decision to plop down next to Monty, [break][break]

“Well,” he wheezed as he adjusted his sitting position, “Suppose that depends on a couple'a things.” [break][break]

If this was going the direction Jethro thought it was, Monty was going to need all the help he could get. Luckily for him, he was talking to a man with plenty of experience on the subject, [break][break]

“First of all, what exactly do you find so... fascinatin' about 'em?” [break][break]

Because if it was enough to make a man want to compromise their morals and values, there was a solid chance that Monty was putting too much stock in what little Monty had to say about whoever this person was. But there were more pressing details to address, [break][break]

“And, second of all, how literal are you bein' about this whole 'tryin' to kill each other' shit? Because that's... hoo boy, that's a whole other can of worms.” [break][break]

Jethro knew firsthand that love made men stupid as all hell, but this was on a whole other level. Sure, the ex-Ranger figured that sometimes the now-deputy had his head so far up his ass that he probably couldn't find it with both hands and a flashlight (because really, someone with that sort of criminal record was generally either extremely desperate or extremely dumb), but this? This was something else altogether. This might have been one of those rare examples of advanced stupidity, and for Monty's sake, Jethro hoped his case wasn't terminal.

[attr="class","bottom"]mission [break]
Montgomery James [break]

[attr="class","icon"]

The dog seemed to be in better spirits now that the dozing ape was far behind them. Nash trotted a few feet ahead, sniffing at every tree and bit of brush in their path. Jethro watched with some amusement as the morning light grew strong, the sun beginning to peak out from behind the craggy mountains to the east. He wanted to feel that radiant warmth sink into his tired, aching bones, but they still had some time to go before the day would begin in earnest. [break][break]

Before that, though, they would have to make their way through the Rusturf Tunnel. He was no stranger to caves, but that didn't make him dread the prospect of traveling through that cold and dank place any less. So when the pitter-patter of running feet suddenly echoed through the morning air, Jethro considered himself thankful for the distraction. [break][break]

Nash suddenly looked up and to the direction of the noise with anxious hesitation. The ex-Ranger did not share his dog's fears; from the sound of the footfalls, whatever was heading their way was far lighter than the last of the locals had been. His suspicions were confirmed when a little cream-colored blur suddenly burst into view, [break][break]

“Well, ain't you a cute little feller,” Jethro chuckled with amusement as the Lillipup dashed past the Houndoom and right up to the man and his horse. That chuckle turned into a bout of hoarse laughter as Nash did a literal double-take, looking from the break in the trees and back to the excited puppy with confusion, [break][break]

“You gotta be quicker'n that, boy!” [break][break]

He stooped low from his saddle to give their new friend a scratch behind the ears. Nash was over in an instant, dark eyes wide and nose twitching. The Lillipup didn't seem to notice that the other dog even existed, even as the Houndoom drew close, [break][break]

“C'mon,” he said to the both of them, and the gregarious Lillipup looked up with an expression akin to a canine grin, “If yer goin' our way, then you better keep up. I'm hopin' ta make it back to Fallarbor by nightfall.” [break][break]

The little pup barked with delight. Nash continued to watch on, dumbfounded. The more the merrier, Jethro supposed. At least when it came to Pokemon.

[attr="class","bottom"]catching lillipup! [break]

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The mountain of leaves fell away to reveal the yawning maw of a dozing Slaking. Nash whimpered and took a step back, lowering his head. There was no shame in showing deference to a stronger beast. [break][break]

Jethro clicked his tongue and steered his horse to the right. He whistled for his dog as Wildfire took a few uneasy steps away, [break][break]

“Nash – c'mon boy.” [break][break]

The Houndoom's line of sight was fearfully locked onto the ape. The ape, in turn, didn't really seem to acknowledge that the dog existed. Jethro huffed as a bubble of snot ballooned from the Slaking's nose, [break][break]

“He ain't gonna hurtcha,” the man reassured his dog, “We just gotta get a mosey on a'fore he wakes up.” [break][break]

As his horse took another few steps away, careful to keep a wide berth of the wild creature, Nash uneasily glanced between his master and the Pokemon that could snap him in half like brittle kindling. With a sudden bolt, the Houndoom dashed away and returned to the comfort of Jethro's side.

[attr="class","bottom"]skipping slaking [break]
using incense for normal-type spawns [break]

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It was an unseasonably cold morning, and Jethro could feel every bit of that biting chill. [break][break]

Wildfire's breaths came in plumes of steam before dissipating into the morning air. That fiery mane did little to stave off fall's icy grip on the man's aching joints and bones and muscles, but Jethro simply bit back the discomfort, as he always had since something as trivial but immutable as the weather had started to have such an effect on him. Jethro guided the Rapidash on from his seat upon its back and grit his teeth against the discomfort that his aging body was succumbing to. [break][break]

A dog cautiously kept pace alongside, wet nose tilted toward the east, catching the scent of something burning on the wind. The farmer realized that the scrawny old Nash was likely never to fill out proper, but at least he didn't look quite as hauntingly gaunt as he had when they first met. The Houndoom had to earn his keep, though, and was eager to do so as his dark eyes suddenly fixated on something rustling in a bit of leaf litter, [break][break]

“Easy, boy,” the farmer cautioned the dog. He pulled the reins, easing the horse to a stop, “Might just be one'a the locals on their mornin' stroll.” [break][break]

Maybe a Zigzagoon or a Skitty scrounging around for breakfast, if they were lucky, or a cantankerous Loudred or other such creature if they weren't. Their new friend's disposition would determine how the next few minutes were going to shake out.

[attr="class","bottom"]using incense for normal-type spawns [break]

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Monty's own incredulity was enough to immediately put Jethro at ease. He listened and shook his head and placed his hat neatly back upon it, [break][break]

“Didn't have nothin' better ta do, huh?” [break][break]

But that simply demonstrated the desire that the ex-Rocket had professed the last couple of times their paths had crossed – to turn over a new leaf and leave his criminal past behind him. No better way to prove that point and serve some sort of penance than to stick his neck out for the good folks of Hoenn, Jethro supposed. Still, there was something the younger man wasn't telling him, and it was eating at the farmer like a bloodthirsty tick clinging to a Sawsbuck's hide, [break][break]

“I'm gettin' along just fine,” the ex-Ranger replied easily, “Fallarbor's quiet, for the time bein'.” [break][break]

Though maybe it was just a matter of time before that changed. Woe be upon the miserable Rocket dogs that tried to step foot onto his homestead, though. Jethro dismissed the grim thought before continuing, and he fixed Monty with a steely, searching look, [break][break]

“You sure yer doin' alright? That ain't the sorta thing folks just walk away from.”

[attr="class","bottom"]mission [break]
Montgomery James [break]