Cori was not having a good time. In theory, she loved the work they did. They got to travel, be independent, help people in need… in practice though, it was sometimes a much different story. Like two weeks ago when they got a phony call from some punk teenagers who thought they could ambush Cori and Nathan and try to filch their supplies. Or the week before that when they'd arrived on the scene only to see their competitors already there with a triumphant glint in their eyes and fresh money in their pockets. Or today. 

Today sucked.

[color=pink]"Oh yeah,"[/color] she muttered, more to herself than to her partner, [color=pink]"I [i]really[/i] feel like we're making a difference. Especially when it means trekking through some backwater bog."[/color] Though there was acid dripping from her words, Cori was often an excess of bark and very little bite (unless you somehow got in the way of their work – then there was no saving you). Her anger was spurred on from impatience and annoyance more than any actual resentment. When the time came, she'd no doubt dote upon their client like she always did, even if this proved to simply be a false alarm. 

Cori gritted her teeth as she fought to lift her legs from the marsh with every step. She was a small thing, and every time she placed her foot, the water rose well up her calf. She'd had the sense to bring only the most disposable clothes, though even those were perhaps too chic for this route (Cori had [i]standards[/i]). Boots, a pair of shorts, and a well-made pink blouse. They were all covered in mud. She was tired, dirty, hungry for some [i]actual[/i] food, and every time she stepped, the twigs and leaves buried in the silt felt like insect legs against her skin.

She placed her foot again, more forcefully than was wise, and gave a little yelp when the marsh all but ate her leg. Stuck up to her thigh, she grabbed onto Nathan's shirt on reflex, almost bringing the poor boy toppling down with her, but found her balance before it came to that. Cori skewed her face up as she tried to lift her leg. But the weight of the water and silt was clamped down around her, making escape impossible. When she tried using her other, awkwardly bent leg, to push herself up, that one only slipped further into the mud.

She turned her head slowly to glare up at Nathan.

[color=pink]"This kid better need saving."[/color]

With a huff, Cori glanced around, looking for something to latch onto for support. The only thing within reach (besides her poor partner) was an old, rotting tree. She reached out and curled her fingers tentatively around a branch, only to have it break off when she pulled. Cori sighed, and took the branch in both hands, testing it. It was a pale, dirty thing, but aside from the rotten stump, it seemed sturdy enough. Cori stabbed it into the mud, and braced herself as she tried to pull her leg up. She grunted from the effort, as the pressure seemed to make her leg twenty pounds heavier. But after pulling and pulling (and nearly losing her balance a few times) her leg slowly started to rise. The mud kicked up, ruining whatever visibility she had. This was likely why she didn't see the quagsire clamped onto her leg until its head was out of the water.

Cori screamed and nearly fell backwards. The pokemon, content to hang onto her leg, practically swallowing her foot whole, didn't react. Yanking the branch from the water, she swung as hard as she could. It smacked the side of the quagsire's head, the rotten wood shattering on impact. A shock wave vibrated down the quagsire's body and its mouth opened. Without even a change in expression, it sank back to the bottom of the swamp, lazy bubbles floating up to the surface. There was a red mark around her leg where she'd been bitten that would no doubt morph into a bruise in an hour. Cori was frozen for a moment as she just looked from her leg to the water and back again.

[color=pink]"That's it! We're teleporting."[/color] She reached to her belt, where her pokeballs hung. She was done with this stupid route. If wild pokemon freaked out and decided to attack, then sure. Cori was ready to do some damage. Anything to get this job over with.