[attr="class","lance"]the little rodent flashes his SUPER FANGS right before the rangers have a chance to leave; pearly-white fangs glisten under the sunlight. rotta ain't cute — he's deadly.

"well, you're in the right region for that."

hoenn needs all the help it can get; that much hasn't changed since he arrived a year ago.

"what would you be doing otherwise?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Victor Wexler // [x]

[attr="class","lance"]"i think you'd probably die in the wilderness without me."

through no fault of her own, of course. people tend to underestimate the dangers of the wilderness; how one simple mistake, one wrong step, could end up being fatal. it's scary to think about but it's nothing he hasn't come across before.

besides, how scary could it be compared to invading aliens?

"i used to."

briefly, he thinks of sinnoh, but the thought is quickly buried.

"you?"

up ahead, spiritomb pulses a shade of green, signaling them towards it. lance calls out to the photographer behind them.

"jack; i think something cool's up ahead."

[attr="class","noodles"]Sol Edelman

[attr="class","lance"]just don't come to regret it.

"you got it."

why would he?

she handles the situation with grace and ease, apparently, and he doesn't have to do much else besides nod a few times. he approaches, standing over them as he watches her interact with the kids.

he soon lowers to the ground, careful as he sits next to the boy. along with the kids, he watches emi deal out the cards, mirroring the smirk on her face.

"ready as i'll ever be."

[attr="class","noodles"]@emi

[attr="class","lance"]quickly sliding a hand into his pocket, he calls out a rattata that looks smaller than the usual; perhaps the runt of the litter.

"i'm sure rotta will let us know once the tirtougas hatch. won't you, buddy?"

the little rodent perks his head up, cnofused for a moment, but nods all the same.

turning, lance brings a hand to vic's shoulder and leads them away from the beach.

before?

"yeah the leg didn't change much about the job."

that's a lie — it made things much harder at times.

"you sure being a ranger's the best thing for you? you seem restless; like you're ready to jump into action and danger."

lance could definitely relate, though he makes no hints towards it besides the smile.

[attr="class","noodles"]Victor Wexler // [x]

[attr="class","lance"]it would be around this time — lance narrows his eyes to peer further down the stretch of sand, looking for anything odd or different.

still, he finds nothing.

"i think there's a vending machine somewhere."

lance isn't made for waiting around either, but it's what the job requires at times. he slowly stands, careful to stretch his leg out properly before extending a hand over to vic.

"come on. i'm sure they'll be hatching by the time we get back."

[attr="class","noodles"]Victor Wexler // [x]

[attr="class","lance"]you owe me.

"big time!"

a year ago, this would've been a piece of cake. he would've just had to run around with them, tire them out, and they'll pass out on their own. but he could barely keep up with a six-year old boy now; his injury more of a hindrance than he originally thought.

the boy tosses the vase up into the air. with both hands reaching out, lance manages to catch it in time before it smashes against the floor.

breathing a sigh of relief, he turns back to emi.

"an hour ago, and yes i fed them."

placing the vase down on a counter that he's sure is too tall for them to reach, he approaches emi.

"any ideas?"

[attr="class","noodles"]@emi

[attr="class","lance"]confusion tugs on his expression when she flicks his forehead. he raises a hand to rub at the sore spot but otherwise says nothing else about it, perhaps too caught off guard to find a reaction.

"i've met a few people in the military who were superstitious. thought you might be, too."

her question is met with a scoff.

"maybe a little."

not of the pokemon but of the spirits that linger. he's not superstitious, not by any means, but he'd be a fool not to entertain the unknown.

gesturing over his shoulder at the photographer who's busy gazing around in awe and amazement, he chuckles, shrugging a shoulder.

"dude seems fine, though."

[attr="class","noodles"]Sol Edelman

[attr="class","lance"]lance has no problem with kids but these aren't kids: they're little devils.

"babysitting."

of all things.

"they won't listen to me because they know me but i'm hoping they'll listen to a stranger."

there's not much logic behind that reasoning but he's run out of options.

giving her a sheepish smile, he takes a step back and leaves the door open for her to enter should she wish to.

and then he's turning to run (more like limp) after one of the children.

"don't! put the vase down!"

[attr="class","noodles"]@emi

[attr="class","lance"]lance doesn't hear the buzzing of his phone over the chaos that swirls within the knight household. shit's a mess, to be honest, and he's exhausted just watching the devil children run around the living room.

he almost misses the knocking of the door. scrambling over, he pulls the door open.

"oh good you're here. i didn't think you'd show."

behind him, children scream and giggle, flooding the hallway with loud noises.

"i need your help."

[attr="class","noodles"]@emi

[attr="class","lance"]though not superstitious by any means, there is something naturally off about mount pyre that he can't quite place. it's eerie, cold, and it fills him with a sense of unease despite it not being his first time here.

a shiver runs down his spine at approaching footsteps. he exhales as he peers over to look at her.

"quite sure, kid."

his spiritomb leads in the near distance, leaving trails of purple and green behind for them to follow.

"why? not scared, are you?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Sol Edelman

[attr="class","lance"]"your legs hurt yet?"

because his do. to be fair to lance, they've been sat here for almost two hours now, but such is the job at times.

he shifts on the ground, readjusting as both hands reach down to help extend his right leg out along the sand. he grunts, then sighs as he settles back down.

"i think they should be hatching soon."

[attr="class","noodles"]Victor Wexler // [x]

Victor Wexler