Chapter 10: Smash and Grab
I drew my sword, yanking the saya back to clear the blade as fast as I was capable. Luckily for me, I practice. Also lucky for me, the Swalot was rather slow, as its species often is. The sword came loose fast, swiping up in a high parry that intersected the flight path of the sticky goop at just the right moment to keep it from splashing me full in the face. Luckiest of all for me, my katana was expertly made from steel plates donated by my Steelix. It still carried the Steel-type immunity to poison. I've seen Poison-type attacks do horrible things to regular metals.
Since I was lucky on those three counts, I survived the experience, and even managed to flick the blob up onto the ceiling away from Tiff or the Pokémon. Since I didn't hear the tell-tale chewing and popping sounds of a corrosive at work, I guessed the Swalot had fired off Gunk Shot at me. I swept Tiff to the side, keeping my now slimy sword in a mid-level guard in case of further shots. Gunk Shot is not something you take lightly, being one of if not the most instantly damaging Poison-type technique known. Not something you want to so much as drip on you.
I was raising my hand, having gotten Tiff out of the way of further attacks, hoping to signal an attack that would put the thing down fast, when it warbled and belched a loud warning cry. A shrill feminine voice called out in alarm from the door further across from us. And with the door still open, it was likely we'd hear more company coming momentarily.
"The sneaky approach just never fucking works anymore!" I said to no one in particular as Spitpyre took the initiative, launching his signature Double Kick at the wailing Swalot. The high power kicks would have leveled many a Pokémon, but aside from a mild grunt his current opponent hardly seemed to notice the twin impacts against its rubbery hide. "That ain't gonna work big guy, it resists Fighting techniques! Duck!" I called out as the Swalot rotated on its base, orienting on my Blaziken hungrily. But that wasn't why I wanted him out of the way.
Tiff had tapped her Slowbro on the head and pointed, nothing more. But stupid as its breed is known to be, Bazooka Joe was clearly also well trained. He stomped forward, forehead beginning to sparkle with mental energy, before slamming into the Swalot just above my frantically ducking Blaziken. This time the Poison-type noticed, shrieking in distress as the Zen Headbutt slammed home.
"We've got this thing, go!" Tiff pushed me toward the door to what I presumed would be the bedroom proper, already feeding more instructions to her Pokémon. I stumbled, torn. I didn't want to leave her battling a Swalot of a high enough level to know Gunk Shot and trying to hold the door against any reinforcements alone... but... so close. So close now. Right through that door...
I went to the door and stood to the side of it, and gave Spitpyre a nod. He kicked the door off its hinges with Blaze Kick, setting the much flimsier door aflame even as it splintered. No sense getting caught by anything on the other side again. Reckless as hell, considering I was supposed to be keeping the prey alive? Yes. Awesome way to make an entrance despite that? Hell yes.
Spitpyre at least remembered our mission, he'd shattered the door into several pieces of flaming wreckage but held back substantially. Rather than rocketing across the room as a cloud of burning shrapnel, the remains of the door largely fell to the floor within a few feet, with only enough force to break a few bones rather than impale anyone standing too close. As it turned out, he needn't have bothered. I caught a glimpse of Arabella at the window to the right of her bed, dressed in an all but transparent pink nightgown and a bandolier of some sort. Then a flash of light blinded me as she called something out of a Pokéball. The next thing I knew, I was seeing a pair of purple wings beating madly and dropping quickly out of sight. I hurried forward, watching as she used a Golbat like a parachute to drop to the ground below safely. I suppose I was lucky once again, lucky that she hadn't been able to evolve the creature into a Crobat and thus couldn't just fly away at once. Lacking the extra two wings that would come with evolution, the bloodsucker could only slow her descent.
"Tiff, get in here, we got a prob-" I was cut off when someone tackled me to the floor. I barely managed to get my sword out to the side, preventing it from injuring me or the soft female form on my back. I knew it for Tiff at once, none of Arabella's goons would have stopped the beam of energy that went soaring out the window from stunning me with its passing. "That her Swalot, was it?"
"Yeah, it was backing up headed this way. I saw it dematerializing and figured you'd want to avoid that kind of headache," she responded as we quickly got to our feet.
"How the hell did it live long enough to get recalled?" I asked, looking out the window. Arabella had hauled the bouncer out the front door by the arm and was issuing angry instructions while her Golbat flitted about in agitated circles.
"She must have shoveled a metric ton of HP Ups and iron down its throat when it was young," she responded impatiently, watching the door behind us with a hand resting comfortingly on Joe's head. "We were about to switch to special attacks instead of physical techniques when it made its escape."
"Well, it isn't getting away for long. 'Pyre, get ready," I growled, stepping up onto the wide window. Spitpyre was right beside me, snarling, so angry the windowsill began to smolder under his feet.
"Wait, what the hell are you doing?" Tiff demanded, turning towards us with an dumbfounded look.
"It's only two stories. I've done worse," I responded dismissively. Which was true. Though to be fair, I'd hurt my leg quite badly doing so. "Big Bird's wings are too wide to go out through here, and carrying us she couldn't lift off before we hit the ground anyway if she went through with them folded," I explained at her continued incredulous look. "Follow us on Pete when you can, we might need some air support." And with that, we jumped sword and blazing talons held high and ready to strike, and gave our best battle cry together. Spitpyre's was better, though not for lack of trying on my part. It was still him that Ms. Ragno and her lackey looked at, skin paling. The bouncer didn't react well, standing there looking at the raging Blaziken in shock.
Arabella, on the other hand, wasn't in charge for nothing, and she had a Flying-type at the ready. With a sharp cry and gesture she sent the Golbat into a murderous charge straight at Spitpyre. There wasn't much I could do about that, what with the free-fall and all, so I only peripherally noticed as it slammed into him in a flurry of leathery wings, using Aerial Ace in order to strike before he hit the ground and threatened its master.
My main focus was on landing halfway decently. Literally. I only managed halfway, my knees crackling painfully from the impact, because I brought my sword down in a diagonal slash as I went rather than properly absorbing the force. Having divided my attention between those two tasks, I botched my slice a bit as well. The bouncer (who I idly noted was not the same man who had been on duty when I brought Arabella home) died just fine, but not due to my expert blade work. I just barely nicked him across the chest, a shallow gash that bled quite well but wouldn't be so much as a minor hindrance in a fight. He jumped back, even taking a credible fighting stance on the balls of his feet... and then dropped to the ground seizing and foaming at the mouth.
Like I said earlier, Gunk Shot is hardcore tough. Not something a human should mess around with. I didn't linger to monitor his vitals, but I doubt he lived more than a few minutes if that.
I ducked, wincing as pain shot up both my calves and a deep ache started throbbing in my knees and ankles. The Golbat swooped just over my head, stirring errant strands of hair that had long since escaped my ponytail. My legs held me up, if somewhat less than willingly. I got a look at the foe as it circled, and saw a small burn on one of its wings. I wasn't the only one with pained limbs, it seemed. That bat wouldn't be flying for long. Spitpyre stepped up beside me, limping slightly from his own midair hijinks. I doubt he had much trouble with the landing, but Flying-types are quite good at injuring Fighting-types. Especially in midair with no room to maneuver.
"Golbat, Air Slash that chicken and put it down now!" Arabella cried out in a rage, pulling another Pokéball from the bandolier she had slung over one shoulder and flinging it. Out of the flash of energy, a Sandslash materialized. Shit. My best bet to put the bat down fast was Lucky, and here she was bringing out a Ground-type. I was scrambling for a ball as the Golbat swooped in close, wings beating forcefully enough to form a blade of air with a touch of its Flying-type power. Already weakened, it would surely take Spitpyre down if not kill him outright.
I heard the blade of air thunk home before I could turn, a scream of denial already on my lips. In my quest to avenge my first Pokémon, had I gotten my second killed as well? The scream died on my lips as a fierce grin formed on my face instead. Standing between the Golbat and Spitpyre was Bazooka Joe. The attack had drawn a little blood, but the Slowbro wouldn't even feel it for a few seconds still, and the bright pink Water/Psychic-types are built like tanks. They take a lot of punishment to put down.
"Damn it!" the ex-Rocket hissed in frustration. And then, without another word, she turned and sprinted away from us. The Golbat followed at once, while the Sandslash surged forward with its claws flared menacingly. Tiff wasn't around to command Joe, I could hear her calling instructions to her Gastrodon back in the room above, apparently dealing with more intruders. And the Slowbro wasn't going to react to the threat fast enough to save me on its own. So, I dealt with it the best way I knew how. I gave it a face-full of angry Sharpedo, calling out a command even as the ball left my fingers.
"Bruce, Waterfall!" The big shark obliged, already coated in water from nose to jet as he solidified right in the Sandslash's face, charging through the air with the same technique that lets him swim straight up waterfalls to the top. The sand dwelling shrew took the hit full in the face, flying back from the watery impact with a sound somewhere between a splash and a thud. It struggled weakly to rise, clawing at the ground as if trying to use Dig. "Crunch," I commanded without pity, tracking Arabella as she drew away. Bruce wasted no time finishing his downed opponent. Between the sea food I'd fed him earlier and this latest foe, he was at least well fed.
I called him back and tried to step forward after Arabella, but my legs weren't up to running and she already had a hell of a lead, headed out of town towards the main street and from there to Route 218, the only way out of town on foot. Since I couldn't chase her the old fashioned way, I cheated.
Let me tell you something, there is a reason people don't try to ride Luxray very often. It is not in any way fun, especially since they would never consent to wear a saddle even if you could get one that fit. Double that when you've just done something rather foolish to your pins, which you have clasped around the electrical feline's waist for dear life since you can't safely grab hold of its mane for stability. On the other hand, it is fast. So if you have a good enough reason, its totally worth it.
We shot out of the tunnel connecting Canalave with Route 218 like a bullet, skidding to a screeching halt just shy of accidentally bounding into the brackish water separating the island from the main body of Sinnoh. I gratefully stepped off of the panting big cat and gave him a grateful scratch under his muzzle before turning to contemplate my quarry.
The only way across the body of water was by Surf or by Flight. I knew Arabella lacked a Pokémon capable of flight, and was fairly certain she'd be similarly lacking in aquatic ability. And she'd never risk swimming across at night. Even running in terror from me, she'd be smarter than that. Which meant she had to be hiding on this side, in the woods to one side or the other of the tunnel.
The trees were thick and close together, with any number of hollows, burrows, and rocks strewn amongst them to hide in. Even with Lucky's x-ray vision, it could take a good long while to find anyone in there. And Tiff hadn't caught up yet. I didn't want to leave her fighting alone back at the brothel, but I could hardly afford to give my target a chance to find some means of slipping away unseen. I set Bruce at the entrance to the tunnel, his fang filled maw set to guard it, and slipped into the trees on my right with some effort, Lucky leading the way.
We headed straight through, or as close to as I could manage considering the dense swatch of dark woods. With the trees so thick and the time of night, Eterna Forest was a sunshine filled meadow by comparison. I had to keep an eye on Lucky's lightly flickering tail to find my footing. Coming to the other side, we began creeping along the shore. If I wanted to hide from pursuit, I'd have gone all the way through to prevent even the slightest chance of being spotted from the path.
Considering my poor ability with infiltration of late, it came as little surprise when we found nothing. We made a few circuits of the woods, and kept on finding nothing. So CLOSE, SO CLOSE the thought blazed in my head. We had her, we had her. She could not escape me now.
I was moving on to the other side when Lucky's head tilted, back the way we had come. He seemed to hear something I could not. Something like a Golbat's sonar, I thought. I watched him as he tilted his head this way and that, tracking the sound attentively. He set out back the way we had come, stalking low to the ground and glaring at me with luminous eyes when my boot found a fallen branch in the dark before setting out again.
Suddenly, I could hear the sonar too. That was bad. I could almost see the distortion in the air as the extremely potent sound rang out, barely perceptible to me but no doubt highly painful to my Luxray. He shook his head rapidly, letting out his brassy roar involuntarily as his eyes suddenly glazed over in confusion as the Golbat's Supersonic took effect, scrambling his thoughts and unbalancing him by way of his inner ear. I could hear a soft feminine laugh from nearby, but the echoes in the trees kept me from locating the source.
I was reaching for my Pokéballs to recall Lucky and let him sort out his thoughts in his artificial habitat, when a rough impact sent me to my knees, my sword bouncing out of my hand. I rolled to my left, barely clearing a stiff little oak sapling somehow growing there, and glimpsed the Golbat pulling up from the dive it had hit me out of. It'd have broken my back if had wanted, but it had tried to bite me again, fangs rolling off the sleeve of my coat. I suppose it liked the little taste of my blood it got during our first encounter.
"Lucky, fry the damn thing!" I yelled as I came to a shaky stand. The tumble hadn't done my bite-wound any good, nor my aching legs. I realized my mistake too late, as Lucky's eyes tried to focus and he charged ahead, apparently trying to Thunder Fang his adversary despite it being a good twenty feet away already. Instead he rammed himself face-first into the nearest tree. Fucking confusion.
Before I could call out more instructions or recall the groggy Luxray, the Golbat fell out of the sky overhead, wings slamming into the sides of his head again in a Wing Attack that, while Lucky resisted, still sent him slumping back to the ground in a daze. At this rate I was going to lose Lucky. Again. I scooped up my sword and started fishing for Lucky's ball in my coat.
When the enemy circled around for another attack, I managed a credible lunge on my protesting right leg and thrust my blade at the darting shadow. It veered off with an angry chirp, as I'd known it would. I could never catch an alert Flying-type even if I was moving at full speed, but it bought me time to get Lucky to safety, exchanging him for 'Scicle. The arctic chill pouring off the little Glaceon told me he was flat out enraged, and his sing-song cry sounded much more menacing than he normally could manage. That was good, we needed that kind of attitude right now.
"Watch for it little guy. I wanna see an Ice Beam the moment it comes into view," I said, taking my eyes off the sky to scan the woods around us. "Hey, Arabella! Not enjoying this date as much as our last one baby?" I called out mockingly. I heard the faintest sound of rustling leaves off to my left, as if someone had shifted their weight forward in anger. "Come on, can't we do this face to face? We had so much fun planned together. Sure, we had different ideas of fun, what with you being a perverted little tramp, but-" she cut me off, as I'd hoped she would.
"Fuck you!" she all but screamed, and I glimpsed her silhouette back towards the path to Canalave as she threw two more balls overhand simultaneously. I hadn't even managed to take down her freaking Golbat yet, and now it had turned into a triple-battle. I could take comfort in that her bat was wounded and probably close to fading by now, and having dealt with her Sandlash, but that comfort was rather cold since I wasn't sure how many Pokémon she had with her aside from the bat and the Swalot.
I moved quickly, calling 'Scicle to run alongside me until we stood on the open path where I had at least some light from the moon to work with. The vicious Glaceon put himself between me and the trees, watching intently as the Swalot and Golbat emerged, joined now by a Houndour. I evened the odds for myself, sending out Spitpyre once more.
"No, see, that was your plan." I laughed in the general direction I had last seen Arabella in. "The only place our ideas on how to have fun together might intersect involves handcuffs." I crouched as the Houndour started howling. It was psyching itself up to increase its attack power, preparing to throw itself at us.
"You stupid little shit," I heard Ms. Ragno seething from nearby. "I've killed people for less insult than this. And you didn't even think to send out a third Pokémon, you make it so easy! Houndour, kill the Glaceon, Swalot, you take the Blaziken! Golbat, use that Rawst berry I gave you and get rid of that burn already!" I kept laughing. She was in charge for a reason alright, she was quick and decisive and efficient. And a wee bit inattentive. She was a Rocket, after all.
"Bruce, Aqua Jet the mutt!" I called out through my laughter, and from back by the tunnel Bruce fired up his jet once again. The Houndour was caught by the high pressure stream in mid-leap, just as it was igniting its flames for a Fire Fang attempt. The flames went out with a hiss of steam as the little canine went ass over end. It wasn't dead, but clearly it was down. Good, it was still a puppy and might not be too vicious to rehabilitate. Even as that happened, I commanded my other two Pokémon over Arabella's frustrated cursing. "Spitpyre, Earthquake! 'Scicle, I wanna see that Ice Beam already!"
'Scicle was faster, firing off his burst of super-chilled energy. The Golbat, expecting its ally to be covering, was hovering in place as it chomped down on its berry. The Ice Beam struck it dead center. The bloodsucker's wings iced over almost at once, the venom droplets and berry juices staining its fangs crystallized a moment later, and a frozen corpse plummeted out of the air and crunched on the roots below.
Meanwhile, the Swalot had been acting on its orders and spat another gob of purple slime at Spitpyre. The Gunk Shot slammed home in the center of his mass, just as he was raising his right foot into the air. The force of the poisonous blow spun him to the side, and the ripple of earth passed far afield of its target. Its difficult to miss a landlocked opponent with Earthquake, but it does happen. Spitpyre cried out in pan, and I remembered he'd been limping after his encounter with the Golbat earlier. He shook off the attack and flexed his talons, eyes narrowing into a glare. I watched his movement, and thankfully he didn't appear to be poisoned.
"Damn it all Swalot we're losing!" I could see Arabella more clearly now, having backed out of the woods and ended up on one of the fishing piers that attracted so many anglers during the day. She was retrieving one more ball, a Luxury model, the last on her bandolier. She was down to two mons, and while Lucky was probably still loopy I hadn't yet lost one.
"It's six against two here. Think it over in that pretty little head of yours lady. Give up now, and it'll be far easier on everyone," I said. I wasn't sure I wanted her to give up, not really. But I'd have accepted her surrender, if she had.
"Swalot, Stockpile!" she called out, still holding the Luxury Ball against her breasts like a security blanket. If I knew anything about this woman, it probably had a Gloom in it, something easily beaten by fully half my team. "Again!" she cried out as the Poison Bag sucked in more and more foliage, soil and stone from the ground and trees around it. "Now Swallow, then attack with your own Earthquake!"
The Swalot gulped down the enormous mouthful of random scenery it had been chewing and bounced upward, thundering against the ground as it fell back to earth before I could order 'Pyre or 'Scicle to act. The ground shook forcefully, though not quite so strongly as Spitpyre's attempt had caused. I was out of the line of fire, thankfully, but both 'Scicle and Spitpyre took the attack full force without a chance to evade, preempt, or counterattack. Spitpyre was coated in a fine layer of soil as roots ripped their way free of the ground and the shaking staggered him about. He collapsed, coughing out a beak full of dirt. It hadn't quite been lethal, by the barest margin. Had the foe been a Ground-type, he'd not have been so lucky. 'Scicle didn't fare much better despite his type being less weak to Ground techniques. He just wasn't as old or strong as Spitpyre. Despite retaining consciousness by a thread, the little fox staggered to the side and collapsed, helpless.
"Bruce!" I called back to my shark, resisting the urge to call for Surf and sweep the bitch and her little pet off the beach and into the ocean. I still needed them alive. And Spitpyre was in his line of fire for such a large scale attack. "Get over here and Crunch this stupid thing!"
The huge Sharpedo was hopping towards the conflict, leaping forward with burst of water from his jet, when Arabella's last ball suddenly soared into the air. And it turned out I was wrong. It wasn't a Gloom after all.
It was a Vileplume. And it immediately focused in on Bruce, red eyes glinting, noxious stench blowing in the mild breeze coming in off the sea. Ok, so I'd expected a slightly weaker Grass-type, but this wasn't all that much worse. Except my Fire and Ice-types were currently laying on the ground, so weak even this normally minimal threat could probably finish them easily. And the Swalot was still up and fighting. I still had a shot at this, but it had to be now. If it was decently trained, and I suspected it would have to be for Arabella to have bothered evolving it, the Vileplume could easily take down Bruce and Iron Maiden. It could handle Lucky too with a bit more difficulty, even if he wasn't so injured from confused mishaps and Golbat beatings as to be half done or more. That left Big Bird. I threw her ball, not even taking the time to call my injured team members back. I had to take the carnivorous plant down now. No waiting.
"Vileplume, Petal Dance!" Arabella yelled triumphantly even as I was calling out "Big Bird use Pluck, Bruce use Ice Fang!" The Pokémon all surged forward on the attack, Bruce's jaws frosting over, but the Vileplume was faster, if only just. A spray of foul smelling petals surged outward from the Grass-type's blossom, many flying directly into Bruce's mouth and out his gills. The shark pitched backward in pain and dropped like a stone, blood leaking steadily from his open maw.
He was dying. I could save him, maybe, with one of the more potent medicines in my bag. A Full Restore at the least. And he'd need it fast. I didn't think Arabella would allow me to get close enough. For a moment my mind went blank. Even the constant repetitions of so close choked off to nothing.
Big Bird had already heard her orders. And even if she hadn't, the shriek of absolute blood-lust she released as she surged at the Vileplume told me she'd have attacked even if I ordered her not to. She hammered her beak against the toxic flower, snapping and pecking, even stealing the berry it held in its leafy limbs as she was trained to do when Plucking the foe. The Vileplume staggered back, crying out in pain but alive. The attack hadn't felled it.
"Big Bird, finish it!" I said, drawing Maiden's ball and throwing it like a fast-ball to streak over the battlefield. Big Bird shrieked again... and somehow managed to smash herself in the face with her own wing. "Oh you have got to be kidding me!" I yelled in frustration as the Vileplume reared up and shook its head vigorously, spreading glittering red pollen all about. Big Bird had just tried unsuccessfully to orient herself on the foe, missing wildly and smashing her beak into a stone, when she inhaled the powder and went stiff as a board. Stun Spore. My bird was confused, paralyzed, and considering how strong she was on the attack compared to her strength at taking a hit probably mostly done. Fuck. Even the sight of Maiden emerging didn't even that out, not with the damned plant still up and fighting. I threw Lucky's ball, desperately hoping he'd be clear headed again.
"What was it you said?" Arabella gloated at her come back. "Give up, it'll be easier on everyone? Sound advice. For you. Give up and I might kill you outright," she sneered. "Vileplume, if he calls any command other than surrender, kill the Luxray at once." Maiden wasn't even listening or waiting for instructions, she'd focused on the Swalot and taken the offensive right off the bat with Rock Tomb, trying to pin it down. That might or might not set off the Vileplume, I didn't know. At least the Swalot was too busy to gang up on Lucky.
"Lucky," I said slowly, somberly. I was gambling on Bird having done enough damage for an ineffective attack to take the Vileplume down. And on Lucky's speed. "Hit it as hard as you can boy." The big cat's eyes lit up and he pounced, slamming into the opponent with Wild Charge.
Huge arcs of electricity crackled and struck out at the Vileplume, followed shortly by Lucky himself as he drove his body and every volt he had into the Grass-type's belly. He floored it, shocking and clawing in a frenzy. The recoil from the potent technique knocked him cold. But he took the Vileplume with him. Betting on a Luxray's speed is a pretty safe bet.
"Maiden! Don't hold back, smash that fat fucker flat," I spat in the direction of the battle still waging between my last Pokémon and Arabella's last line of defense. "Lemme see an Iron Tail big girl!"
"Forget the Steelix, kill the trainer!" Arabella screamed. I'm not sure if it was some final defiance, or an attempt at strategy, or both. What I am sure of is that the Swalot turned to me and blasted a jet of Poison Gas that easily stretched all the way to me. I had just yelled loudly to my Pokémon. I was taking a breath as the gas hit me. The last thing I remember before hitting my head on a tree root was a sound not unlike a big man stomping a melon.
I wasn't out long. Tiff caught up, and I had just enough Antidotes left in my pack to bring me around before I died and hold me over until I got some real medical attention. She saved my life twice over from that damned Swalot, once with those antidotes, once by drawing a lot of fire during her initial battle with the bloated sack of puss. If it had had enough power left to hit me with Gunk Shot, I'd have never woken up.
She tended to Bruce first. I'm not surprised, she is an ex-Aqua grunt. And she knew I'd want him healed first. It was touch and go for the big fish even after he got his restoratives, but he made it thanks to her.
Tiff didn't go near Arabella though. Maiden wouldn't let her. No more than she would let Arabella escape from her Bind technique. Thinking me dying, she'd wrapped the fool Rocket in her coils and begun to ever so slowly crush her. It took me three tries to get her attention and call her off, by which time Ms. Ragno was turning as red as her Rocket insignia. Being well versed in apprehension of criminal types, Maiden kept a tight hold on her legs until I got a set of handcuffs on her.
I don't remember much beyond that. Tiff had Pete, and only Pete, still up to snuff after the fight she'd had to wage to get out of Canalave. She initially headed North, herded away from me by a wave of angry grunts. She took advantage of it to draw Arabella's help off me, but it had left her Pokémon battered and kept her from helping me during my own battle. With some clever hit and run tactics and fortuitous use of a smoke ball, she escaped to find me and Bruce just in time. She got Big Bird unlocked from her paralysis using another of my Full Restores once we had Arabella secured. Then we recalled my Pokémon and Arabella's Houndour, and set off away from the pissed off criminals searching Canalave for us and their boss. And to find a phone to call Looker.
In mid-flight, everything got rather blurry. All I remember from there are soft brown and gray feathers, and a reassuring call, as if to say we were flying straight. We were going home.