105 – Stolen Moment

105 – Stolen Moment

"There's a safety bar around the ladder. This is safe." Morgan said from the rungs below Calcine.

Climbing back up the bridge out of Morgan's den had been challenging for Brandy. Sparky was already at the top, waiting to catch anyone, and Brandy was stuck at the bottom. Not that she minded seeing Morgan's butt wiggle as she climbed. It was a nice butt. Brandy was building up some good stamina but still didn't quite have her breath, so the delay was welcome. Poor Calcine, no less afraid of heights going up than she was going down.

"I know it's safe, but I can't help but think of falling," Calcine said, holding the ladder rungs in a death grip.

Morgan glared up at her. "I'm not saying it to point out the obvious. I've taken lots of women flying, some afraid of heights. Knowing isn't the same as reminding yourself. Close your eyes."

Brandy let Morgan talk. Calcine and Morgan had a rivalry going on, and if Morgan could help Calcine out, it might soothe their animosity. Or at least help keep it mostly friendly.

Calcine hugged the ladder rungs as she closed her eyes, limpeting onto the side of the bridge. "Rocks aren't meant to be high up."

"Then you can be a trendsetter. Focus. Remind yourself no one is going to fall here. The bar would catch you; if it didn't, Sparky or I would."

"Thought you'd give me shit for this," Calcine said as the wind gently drifted over them. It was at least a nice day to get stuck on a ladder.

"You're not as in touch with your instincts as I am. You're letting them rule you. Feel the stone in front of you. The metal between your hands. Solid, firm. As resolute as you are, they won't break."

It was impressive really. Morgan had a good grasp of Type personalities and how they thought. It made sense a Dark could learn things like that. Morgan may let her impulses take her in strange directions, but she never seemed out of control. Brandy had to wonder how she'd comfort Sparky, tell her she had the energy to hold on all day? The agility to turn any fall into a swing?

Things still weren't moving even after she'd had a good think about that, so Brandy helped them along a little. "Calcine?"

"Yes?" came a tense reply.

"I trust you to press me up against a wall, so you can get your butt up a ladder without falling. Use those muscles and get moving."

Morgan batted Brandy with her tail as Calcine slowly started climbing again, Brandy fighting it off with a giggle and spitting out a feather. "Don't be jealous! She's my Partner! She's allowed to listen to me."

"I was trying to be nice."

"I noticed that, thank you." Brandy swatted Morgan's thighs. "You can fly. You've got no excuse to be holding us up."

Morgan glared down at Brandy and then dropped off the ladder onto her, snatching her off the ladder. Brandy grabbed her in panic as Morgan bounced off the platform and threw them into the open air.

"I've got you!" Morgan shouted as she stretched her wings and caught the air, turning them the right way up as they arched out from the bridge.

"Okay!" Sparky cackled, "You want to sit on her and make her apologize, Calcine? Or should I just cover her in bugs?"

"Sparky!" Brandy called out, "I'm fine, really."

"Fine or not, it was a dick move," Sparky beat her chest. "We're here to look out for you; she put you in danger."

"You're both being crazy. I was fine. Morgan had me the whole way. Her Gust Move could have floated me down gently, even if I couldn't hang on."

Calcine and Sparky looked at each other and then awkwardly looked off to the side, hands rubbing their necks.

"We totally knew that. Totally." Sparky said, awkwardly looking at the wriggling Morgan by her feet. "Well, I don't want to untie her. She's going to be mad."

"I am willing to overlook this," Morgan said, voice filled with a terrible icy calm. "Just get me out."

"You did kind of deserve it," Brandy said as she nudged Calcine to go help. "I can put up with a lot, but scaring Calcine like that is out of bounds. You knew she was scared already."

"Well, at least I'm sure now you aren't helping me just to try to recruit me," Morgan said as Calcine put her hands to the webbing and began to melt it.

"Maybe we just thought you'd enjoy being tied up. Aren't you an escape artist?" Calcine said, her fingers digging into the webbing to melt it from the inside so she could slough it off.

"It's an interesting kind of magic performed right, but it's not quite my thing. Too technical, I like the unexplained, and there are only so many ways to get out of ropes. You can usually work it out."

"You've been to shows?" Brandy said as she patted Calcine's back. Maybe some hard feelings remained, but she was firm to the touch. At least the shivers were gone.

"A few. I also started learning to pick locks, but it wasn't for me." Morgan brushed her feathers to clear the web gunk out of it. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you all. I had the urge and acted. It's been a while since I could indulge in that sort of thing."

"We don't mind teasing Brandy or even giving her a shock. But making us think she's in danger is out of bounds." Calcine said, offering Morgan a hand up. "But you were trying to help in a way, so fine. I can forgive. No covering you in bugs."

"But I could!" Sparky grinned. "It's always an option."

Calcine nodded. "It's always an option."

They would never recruit a third Pokémon if this was how good their pitches were. But Morgan seemed to accept it, or at least brush it off like she usually did, getting up and adjusting her hat. "So, where are we going to meet Cassidy?"

A shadow rolled over the bridge as a group of Pokémon flew overhead in formation, wingtip to wingtip above. Then they rose up and turned before starting a dive down towards them. Flashes of bright white and red amongst all the feathers, whipping swirls of wind, and one woman held onto her cowboy hat as she clung to the back of her Swanna.

"You know," Sparky said as she shielded her eyes from the sun to see the diving group. "I don't think that one will be much of a problem."