Okay, this was<span style="font-style: italic">not</span>adding up. Between the death glares the Misdreavus were trading and Maggie's motormouth, the maybe-malevolent ghost should have snapped by now, but it had kept up its strained patience the whole time. This hike should have ended with an ambush, not a well lit tent city with a greeter girl who was, as far as the Silph Scope could tell, not a ghost. Maggie could think of a few explanations (accomplice, blackmail, illusion), but none of them really made much sense either. Unless this prank was pretty elaborate... which was possible. After all, confusion just meant your enemy knew something you didn't.<br/><br/>Maggie pocketed her scope just as the greeter's light fell on her cloak. Maggie dipped her own flashlight in courtesy and returned the call, "Hey!" With her free hand, she kept her cape drawn around herself, though she kept her hand itself visible at the hem. This hid her pack and pockets without looking like she was concealing a weapon or anything, and she just pretended it was just to keep warm. ...Well, actually, it<span style="font-style: italic">did</span>keep her warm. It was a bit chilly for capris! But the tactical considerations totally came first. Somewhere behind her, she knew that Dream was dodging the light and hiding in rocks and shadows, doing her best to make it seem like Maggie didn't have any Pokemon out.<br/><br/>The greeter was a young girl, mid-teens perhaps. Looking past her, there were half a dozen guys in labcoats darting about the camp with important-looking equipment. A temporary research camp. Scholars making fools of themselves studying a spiritual event. Likely with Rolf's permission, unlike some channelers Maggie could mention. They could even be Rolf's superiors. ...Crap. This was supposed to be a ghost trap, not a police trap! Was it too late to run back into the caves? (<span style="font-style: italic">Yes,</span>Maggie thought with a sigh, and her shoulders dropped.) The golden Misdreavus<span style="font-style: italic">had</span>been a watchdog and Maggie had completely misread the situation. Though, that didn't make much sense either. That ghost had had every reason to believe Maggie was hostile, because she<span style="font-style: italic">had been</span>. A lone scout should have either fought or run. ...Or let herself get captured and let her more powerful allies sort it out once there was a target, exactly like Maggie was planning to do. Well crap again. And more crap, if that Misdreavus really had been doing good work, Maggie owed it and its trainer an apology for her own behavior, not to mention Dream's haughty superiority. The poor thing had been really hurt!<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">And this dejection is exactly what a powerful ghost does to you,</span>her training reminded her. That was true, but the ghost she'd felt wasn't nearly strong enough for that. This was just Maggie screwing up. But the mental note was enough to keep her from calling Dream out from the darkness while she guiltily approached the other girl. This was a really bad time for her to remember that, after swimming in batshit for the past<span style="font-style: italic">day</span>, she was probably in severe need of a bath and a laundromat. She smiled sheepishly anyway, though words were failing her. "Um... Nice place you got here?"