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If You Lie With Dogs...

A Café Plaisir Tale

Deceit: Part 1

All Tasha wanted was a drink, but by this point, she was beginning to wonder what she'd have to do to get one. Well, wonder wasn't quite the right word - she already knew what she'd do, but she expected that the Espeon behind the bar wouldn't enjoy it.

But he won't be any the wiser.

The thought wandered through her head with the same tone that a street vendor might employ to sell you one of their lovely hot dogs. It was a fair point.

The Espeon in question glanced around nervously, wearing a perfect example of a reluctant smile that might even have been genuine. Still, with a tenacity that had to be admired, he tried again.

"A driver's license is out of the question I suppose... but, uh, what about a Pokémon Identity Card?"

Tasha waited for the realisation to flicker across his face.

"Oh..." He said, the smile becoming just that little bit wider and that little bit more frustratingly reluctant. "That requires photo ID as well, doesn't it?"

Tasha remained still. The words 'stoic expression' would have applied quite well, as would have 'stony-faced', if either her expression or her face were visible.

"...are you sure you can't take that off?" He tried again, with a voice that wouldn't have broken the weakest of eggshells.

Tasha slowly shook her head. The pumpkin she was wearing moved with her. Peering out through the large wedges that served as the eyes of the carved, permanently sneering face, she just made out the trails of light that thankfully obscured any views of the interior.

He glanced away worriedly, as if searching the smoky bar room for someone else. He muttered under his breath, before looking back at her. His expression held a sad smile which threatened to be genuine. "Listen, I'd love to be able to serve you, but unless we can verify your age I simply can't do anything. It's not just your face, but since you're still a Vulpix, and this is Plaisir... you know? It's my job on the line if I don't check!"

Look at him, putting himself above you. He deserves it for that.

It_would_be easy, she figured. The bottle was right there - all she needed was ten seconds of him looking the other way, and she could easily just grab it and wander off. It wasn't even an alcoholic drink, but no, she just _had_to have walked into a place where suddenly proof of her age was a requirement for _any_kind of service. She was old enough, why didn't he just trust her...?

And this place had been so promising! A brothel, it was called, and it had so many _interesting_people in it. Interesting enough that she almost didn't stand out; some of the tables had only given her sidelong glances, as if the people here were almost used to odd dress and costumes. The Lopunny at the front desk had even complimented the pumpkin. Complimented it! The odd girl, she wouldn't have complimented it if she knew what it covered. Hell, if they knew, all those wary glances and accusatory stares would stop.

Yeah... only to get a whole different kind of staring. No - ignoring them was something she was being forced to get quite good at. Well... for now.

She turned her attention back to the Espeon, and continued to glower at him. A bitter lump of frustration was beginning to grow inside her chest. One. Drink. That's all she wanted! Hell, she even had money this time!

Alright. She could work with this still. Maybe she didn't have to steal it, or worse...

She rolled her shoulders, and slowly, lowered her head. The pumpkin pressed against the smooth bartop, and she let it tilt gently to one side as she stared up at the bartender. She cupped the dimpled orange skin with the back of her forepaws, and with a final slow motion, she let her six short, dark tails drop sadly behind her against the legs of the tall stool, in a calculated appearance of pure pathetic neediness.

She watched the bartender for several long moments. He glanced at her, then away, then back at her. His hindquarters shifted uncomfortably.

He... wasn't charmed, wasn't distracted or tempted at all. Why was that?

...was it because all he could see was the grinning pumpkin? Curse him...

Yes, curse him, wouldn't that be an idea?

"Sorry." He said, making it clear with a single word that he was washing his paws of the entire situation. "I'll tell you what, if my supervisor comes over I'll talk to him. I'm not promising you anything, but it's the most I can do!"

In other words, no.

"Barkeep!"

The call made her roll her pumpkin to the other side, staring sullenly at a Blaziken down the bar, waving a few talons in the air.

"Service?"

He gave her another sad glance. "Sorry! ...If it helps... I kinda like the pumpkin."

It didn't. It did further perplex her, though. Two people in one day?

But what did help, as the Espeon slid away to the other end of the bar, was her subconscious already giddy with anticipation for the solution so neatly presenting itself.

He was gone. Back turned, only person at the bar. That Blaziken was leaning over in the vaguely intoxicated way that only someone with a large request would do...

And that bottle was still there in front of her. Fizzy oran concentrate, just the thing for this hot Oklahoman afternoon. Even this odd barroom was chokingly warm from the day and about to get warmer still as this bar slowly filled up for the evening entertainment. That'd mean more bar staff, too - more eyes. Hell, the next Pokémon to wander through that door nearby could easily be another waiter here to dash her plans.

She almost decided to wait until there was no choice but to leave empty-pawed. She almost listened to her conscience.

Oh, wouldn't that be a strange day...!

She grabbed the bottle, and dragged it over towards her.

Clamp.

A firm grip fastened around her wrist. She started, jerking away, but it held firm! She stared at the strange white-and-blue ribbon that had caught her, and followed it down to...

The face of a Sylveon, staring back at her with unwavering focus. Cyan eyes almost shone from beneath a creased brow, the crowning glory of an expression crossed between a glower and a pout. From any other species, the result would be almost comical. From a Sylveon, it was downright unnerving.

But most of all, past a growing annoyance, it worried her. That expression was one so incredibly stony that it could only worn by someone working security.

"Ees everything all right here?" The Sylveon enunciated painfully in an eastern accent.

Tasha bit her lip behind the pumpkin's facade.

"I theenk you should come vith me...."

She should flee. Use the bottle, smash it in front of him - he'd jump back, then all that was left was a dead run right through the lobby and out the front door...

And then what? It was _miles_to the nearest town, and if there was one thing her dumpy Vulpix physique _wasn't_built for it was running from the scene of a crime. This Sylveon was far taller than her, and she really, really didn't like the look of those muscles visible even beneath the thick fur...

The Sylveon's blue-tipped ribbon tugged at her paw.

Damn it.

She let the bottle go, and turning, jumped the short distance to the floor from the stool cushion. She stood tall - or at least as tall as she was able - as the Sylveon rested a ribbon across her back and guided her across the room.

Damn it! She was so close, so close to just playing it nice and innocent for once! It would have been so damn easy, too. Just accept the loss and walk away. The long walk to the nearby town won't have been enjoyable, but then you could buy the drinks far cheaper there anyway - and it wouldn't involve being frogmarched out of a crowded bar by security.

She looked up - and cold fear shot through her. He wasn't even marching her out the front door. They were heading down a corridor, deeper into the brothel! Was she being taken elsewhere? Fuck, was she being taken to security? Over a bottle of fizzy fucking oran...!?

There was a click to her right, and a sudden, familiar hissing noise. She turned her head, staring through the pumpkin's cut-out eyes.

A bottle of fizzy oran... that the security guard was now sipping from.

Tasha's fire-type blood boiled, a description which was only barely metaphoric. Claws unsheathed as she was walked along the thick green carpet. Fuck, she could just-

"Don't try aneethink" He muttered firmly, quietly. "I can assure you that you'll be in big trouble eef you do."

As if she isn't in trouble right now, huh? Fuck him. Fuck him and his over-the-top eastern accent...

"Thees way."

She begrudgingly followed his instructions, marching down another corridor. Maybe all she had to do was wait... yes, something would present itself. The justification consoled her - if she could buy time, maybe she could get the drop on him.

And hey, you know what? This corridor didn't seem to be all that popular. She narrowed her eyes, tensing her body slightly. Maybe she really could run...

"Eef you theenk I can't see you wanteeng to run, you are sorely miss-taken."

_Fuck_him...!

"Now, eento that room."

This made her stop. She looked up as a spare ribbon pushed open a door to her right. Her eyes slid over shelves of cleaning supplies, spare paper rolls, a broken mop bucket.... It was a damned storage closet!?

If he thought she was going to just wander in there... the insolent bastard didn't even know what she could _do!_She would make him regret even _thinking_about stopping her!

A growl rippled from her throat, and she planted a clawed paw on the carpet, turning on the spot-

Only to be suddenly kicked in the side, sending her flying into the small room. She couldn't stop a yelp, neither could she hold back a lick of flame darting from her mouth as she crashed onto the floor. Her kicked side stabbed with pain, like she'd been hit with a trident or something. The fuck was going on here...!?

"Are you crazy!?" The Sylveon darted in after her, and slammed the door shut. There was sudden darkness; the figure in front of her was just visible, glowing gently in the warm light from Tasha's pumpkin. The creases of his panicked expression were edged with the intense shadows.

"Are you _trying_to get us caught!?"

She stared back at him. For a moment, dumbfoundedness had quelled her rage. What was he doing...? And why the hell had that eastern accent disappeared?

As she watched, the Sylveon before him seemed to grow fuzzy, like a memory fading over time. His outline fizzed like millions of tiny fireworks all blurring together...

Until he was gone - and in his place, a Zoroark stared back at her with that same panicked, incredulous expression as before.

As Tasha watched, she turned around, putting a large vulpine ear up against the crack of the door, and stared off into space. Her long purple mane slid softly across the floor, the pink streaks undulating down the waterfall of hair as it swayed to a stop. A few silent seconds passed.

"Okay..." she muttered, frowning. "No-one seems to have noticed. No thanks to you."

Tasha had recovered though, and now clambered to her feet, planting her paws on the lino flooring.

"Really?" The Zoroark muttered, raising an eyebrow to stare down at her.

Tasha felt herself deflate. She felt like saying "Really!", but fortunately her mind was quicker than her mouth.

"Thought not. Now..." The Zoroark turned, and pointed an accusatory claw at Tasha. "_You_are a thief."

Tasha attempted to stare her down.

"Don't worry though." The Zoroark said, her face breaking out into an unsettling vulpine grin. "I like that."

Sharp teeth gleamed in the lantern light as the Zoroark held up the bottle of fizzy oran, and slowly sipped from the top.

* * *

She was... odd. It wasn't just the pumpkin she was wearing, either - the Vulpix's entire demeanour jarred with the rest of the Pokémon that Arkana had seen here. Like she was intelligent in mind, but feral in body...

But she'd do.

Arkana turned away from the Vulpix with a slight smile, the Zoroark's mane swishing across the floor once more. She cracked the door open, peering out. The corridor still seemed empty. "Anyway. Shall we go?"

She turned back around. The Vulpix was still tensed, hackles raised and tails fanning out behind her. That grinning pumpkin face flared with orange light.

"What're you gonna do, set my mane on fire? Sheesh. No appreciation at all...." Arkana turned back to the door, and pulled it half-open. "Come on."

Still nothing.

"Oh, for goodness' sake. Even if we _are_seen at this point, it's not like two Pokémon wandering out of a supply closet is probably all that rare here. Worst people'll assume of us is that I buried your muzzle down my cooch."

Silence.

"Not that I'm interested." Arkana sighed, letting the door slide the rest of the way open. "Well, suit yourself."

She wandered from the closet, and began walking down the plush carpeted corridor. It was only a few seconds before she heard soft pattering behind her, and she turned to see the Vulpix standing outside the doorway. Those wedge-shaped eyes refused to meet her gaze for more than an instant.

"Good. There's hope yet for you. Come on, follow me." She set off slowly down the corridor, heading towards two glass doors to the outside. There was little doubt that the Vulpix would follow.

Already, her day was starting to look more promising. She'd been feeling like an outsider ever since stepping into this... place, whatever she should call it. 'Brothel' didn't seem to feel right. She'd search for an appropriate term later; in the meantime, ideas were beginning to circle through her mind that were becoming more enticing the more she thought of them. She almost had the beginnings of a plan....

"You're welcome, by the way." Arkana said. A series of light pawsteps just behind her let her know she still had an audience. "If I hadn't been there to stop you, who knows what would have happened."

She pulled open the doors, and the warm, late afternoon air washed around her. Ahead of them, a covered red-brick walkway stretched across the northern side of the building, and to their right a light breeze was rustling a series of manicured hedges. Beyond them stretched an expansive garden, with autumnal flowers waving beneath long grasses. She kept herself turned away from it.

"I've been watching this place and those who run it for well over an hour now. They seem to think they're far too good for the usual brothel security, so you probably wouldn't have been swung around someone's head by your tails. You would end up sat on your butt on the front doorstep while sickly smiling Gardevoir tells you to never return, though. Honestly, I know which I'd prefer." She clasped her paws behind her back, staring at the outer wall to her left. Aha, there we go.

"This isn't a brothel." She muttered. "It's a hotel with a liberal definition of what counts as a 'room'."

She stared at the outer wall for a few moments more, then shrugged and looked down. The Vulpix was standing there, staring back at her - or, at least, it seemed that way with that static pumpkin face. Her body was poised to run at any moment though - still as tense as before.

"So, do you even talk?"

The Vulpix nodded.

"Oh, joy. So you're just choosing not to, right?"

A firm, almost smug nod.

"So what, I gotta ask twenty questions every time I wanna know something? At least tell me your name."

A stare was her only answer.

Arkana waved a paw. "Whatever. You're welcome, anyway. Now come on."

When they reached the end of the walkway, Arkana turned. Predictably, the Vulpix had stopped a few feet back, and even managed to look uncertain.

"What?" Arkana asked with feigned ignorance.

The Vulpix turned to look at the door. Arkana followed her gaze. A sign hung from the inside:

RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS ONLY

Arkana gave her a smirk. "It's okay, we've got a room, right? High up, top floor. Real fancy. Good view of the miles of nothing."

The Vulpix's head tilted - or, at least, the pumpkin did.

"Oh dear. Am I lying? Careful, I might steal something next." Arkana grinned and pushed the door open, wandering on inside.

She had walked into some sort of fancy lounge, and grimaced immediately at her surroundings. The barroom she'd grabbed the Vulpix from had been cramped and dingy, and yet still the _wrong_cramped, and the _wrong_dingy. It was like some money-gorging movie star wanted to create the_authentic_experience of a backstreet speakeasy and had gone on to meddle comfort into the mix at every turn. At least this current room didn't even try to be a squalid downtown watering hole - but that was about all the good things she could say about it. Open, well-lit, plush seating and cushions strewn around like they were going out of style... and they tried to sell people's bodies here, did they?

The worst part of it was that it seemed to work. Customers took up half the seats, with more clustered around a bar at the far end. A sizable group was heading through a door next to it, a sign showing it to be an awfully-named 'Special Lounge'. Of course. What this place lacked in taste, it also lacked in creativity.

She wandered over to a cushion sitting against a wall, about as isolated as she could get from any of the customers, and sat down in the opposite direction to the unnervingly open gardens. The Vulpix had, predictably, wandered in after her, and was now tentatively walking up to her. As Arkana watched, she sat down slowly, casting those bright pumpkin-like eyes around the room.

"Well first, you gotta stop looking like someone's gonna kick you out, because if you do, they will. That one's free."

The Vulpix stared at her, a question in that static grin.

Arkana kept her voice low. "What, you think I was just gonna get you out of trouble and then leave you? Ruined opportunity." She waved a paw around. "Look, you wanna pull a fast one on idiots, that's great. But without my help, you'll be sitting in their Security Room, and you don't want to think about what they could do to you there."

She watched as a Liepard employee passed them, their royal blue apron waving with each step.

"They could call the police. Or worst... start getting you to sign forms."

Again, a stare.

"I think we could have something. But first, you gotta trust me."

The Vulpix shifted. The pumpkin lowered, the yellow light sipping from the holes seeming just to make it all the creepier. Arkana put her chin in a paw.

"Look, I like to be honest. I'm not gonna start running away and leaving you to face the music. We do something, we do it together. And that requires trust. So trust me."

For a moment, the Vulpix was still. Then...

"Tasha." The voice was raspy, croaking. It was clearly light and feminine, but it still had a quality like someone was dragging sandpaper over a jagged rock.

Arkana smiled, leaning back on her paws. "Good. Nice to meet ya, Tasha. I'm Tabitha."

Well... no point being _too_trusting, after all.

* * *

Tasha didn't trust this Zoroark in the slightest. But maybe the Zoroark trusted her. It was a strange thought.

But then, this entire situation was strange. She'd been caught thieving, but the person who caught her wasn't just okay with it, she wanted to do something else? More theft?

And, most importantly - had she found someone who saw the world like she did?

The thought had wrapped around her chest tightly, squeezing her with its worrisome grasp. It was certainly a possibility. If so, she faced a huge dilemma;

Could she _really_be trusted...?

It was a question she was wrestling with, and while she decided to follow Tabitha around, the answer was only getting cloudier. Their confident strutting had let them pass through several more corridors completely unhindered, until they had reached where they were now.

The sign outside had said 'Captivate', whatever that meant. Clearly, it was a club of some sorts; she knew this because, from the very first step through the doors, she hated it. The warm corridor gave way to spiraling, flashing lights that made seeing anything nigh-on impossible, disguising waiters and customers alike until you were right next to them and could make out their scanty outfits and lusty gazes. Several of these spectrums of light illuminated three long, shining poles that reached up out of the throng of customers like they were trying to escape. Loud, pounding music thrummed through her pumpkin, and they'd only gotten a seat after Tabitha had mentioned of a (undoubtedly fabricated) promotion over at the far side of the Café to a group that had been sitting down. A wiggle of the hips later, and they had their own booth, surrounding a sticky table and almost completely hidden under a balcony that stretched across two sides of the room. It was barely an improvement.

"Act like you're supposed to be here." Tabitha was saying, sipping a drink she'd acquired from a table they'd passed. "Ninety percent of what people know is what you tell them. Tell them you're doing nothing wrong, and they'll believe every word you say. Cheers." Another sip.

Tasha frowned at her beneath the pumpkin.

She's using you, you know. Feeding her ego on your pride.

That much was obvious...

"An illusion here or there helps, but the biggest illusion is not how others see you, but how they perceive you. Trust me, girl. Been doing this far longer than you have - longer than you've even been alive, probably. Which is... how long?"

Tasha just rested the bottom pumpkin on one paw. Trying to keep her mind occupied, she inspected the Zoroark's expectant face; she was clearly enjoying having someone to mentor, but that was different to the matter of trust...

"Never mind. You're old enough to steal, and that's good enough to me."

She went on like that for a while. She seemed to enjoy the sound of her own voice - and in this increasing hubbub, Tabitha was probably the only one who could; it was getting increasingly difficult for Tasha to make out what she was saying.

The club was invasive. She swallowed nervously.

So she sat there, staring at the Zoroark. Around her, the commotion of the crowds, their clamouring and shouting and overeager yelling crawled through her ears and filled her mind. Her claws bit into the table, the fine lines they cut cast flickering between stark brightness and deep shadow by the constant flashing of the lights....

She had to control this. She stared at Tabitha, she stared at the surrounding crowds, at anything, focusing on the details to keep the maelstrom from collapsing on top of her.

She found the nearby bar, and peered more closely at it. Unlike the slow, sedentary nature of the other bar she'd been at before, the bartenders here were in a constant, fluid state of motion. A Typhlosion and a Gabite seemed to be performing something akin to a double act, bottles being tossed through the air before being caught behind backs, drinks poured from halfway across the counter. A Rockruff even ran between a line of glasses like it was a slalom course - for a moment, he looked like a fellow troublemaker, but when Tasha looked closer she could see him splashing shot glasses into several of them. Another worker - and as quick and efficient as he looked, he shared a harried look about his eyes with the rest of his coworkers.

A temporary peace descended on her as her eyes narrowed.

They're overworked. Distracted.

But the drinks were on the other side of the counter. Too far away for her to reach, even if she stretched....

She glanced back at Tabitha, who had stopped talking. The Zoroark followed her previous gaze to the bar and back again, and a grin slid smoothly across her muzzle. "Wait here, then."

The bile of frustration instantly began to rise again.

What? Are you supposed to be taking orders now?

But she quelled the feeling as best she could. After all, there was the sheer interest of what would happen, right? It was justification enough for her to stay put as the Zoroark slipped out of her seat and disappeared into the crowd. For a moment, Tasha lost her in the sea of bodies, before suddenly spotting her again at the bar's counter. Without a moment's hesitation, Tabitha pulled up the counter door, and slipped behind the two bottle-flipping Pokémon.

"C'mon, some of us are tryin' to work here!" She seemed to shout, Tasha gleaning most of the words from lip-reading. Meanwhile, Tabitha leant down, grabbed a couple of bottles, and loaded them onto a tray. Then she turned and sidled her way out, letting the counter door shut after her. Revelling customers parted as she swept right back to the table, and dropped both bottles onto it.

The one in front of Tasha was fizzy oran concentrate. Large.

Tabitha sat down, sliding the tray onto the seat next to her. She took up her own bottle of some strange-looking blue concoction and waved it, ignoring her half-finished previous drink. "And that's how it's done. Cheers."

Tasha stared at her. Then she stared at the bottle.

She'd been... given a gift.

She took the bottle, and clawed the cap off easily, and watched as it began to fizz. The club still pounded in her ears, the revellers far too close, but for a moment she could still hear the hiss of the foam.

Maybe... a _little_trust was warranted.

* * *

It wasn't much longer until the first of the dancers jumped up onto one of the poles. Tabitha had been engrossed in her own meaningless monologue, but Tasha had never left her alert status - the drink had temporarily quelled the rising tide, but it hadn't solved it. Scanning the surroundings, focusing on each and every little going-on, was all that kept her level. As such, she had seen the Glaceon waiter pestered by a horde of customers until, with a smile and horribly fake blush, she'd thrown off her apron and climbed onto the stage. All of a sudden, customers were throwing themselves towards her like an incoming tide, surrounding the dancer with whoops, whistles and catcalls.

"Of course, by then, he was moving back towards the register."

Tasha glanced back to Tabitha. She was in the middle of a story - at least, it sounded like it. She hadn't seemed to notice the Glaceon.

"So I was beneath the counter, and all I see are his legs. Well, I can't move now, can I? You'd think. Last moment, just as he comes to a stop, I see it - a Rattata, staring at me from the back room..."

She got you into this place, you know...

Tasha firmly stared back at the pole as the Glaceon grasped the pole with her back paws, crouched low with her front, and stretched her hindquarters high into the air.

"'Of course!' I think to myself." Tabitha continued unabated. "Next thing he knows, a lookalike Rattata is sprinting across his feet and out the door. Ah, and you think it's done by then - but unfortunately..."

A wink and a grin acknowledged the Glaceon's assembled crowd, before a fluttering piece of paper caressed her cheek. The spotlight focused on the pole played over the paper as it tumbled to the floor of the small stage.

Someone had thrown money at her. This was the point at which Tabitha became interested. Her story forgotten, she watched with Tasha as more bills tumbled through the air, twisting and whirling before resting in a quickly increasing pile at the base of the pole.

"You know, Tasha?" Tabitha said, an eyebrow raising slowly. "I think we've got an opportunity."

Tasha fiddled with the nearly empty bottle in front of her, sliding her gaze to Tabitha, who was now leaning across the table; her face gleamed with enthusiasm. "Can you dance?"

Tasha jumped backwards in shock at the question, and shook her head.

What's she trying to do!?

"Oh. Well... honestly, it's probably not gonna be a problem. You've got a snatch to show off, and that's what they're gonna be paying to see. Just get up there and wave your rear, and I'll... _we'll_be grabbing dollars by the handful"

Tasha fiddled with the near-empty bottle in front of her. Yeah right, centre of attention in a place like this...?

She shrugged, letting the idea roll off her. Tabitha took another sip of her drink - but her eyes widened.

"Nope... no, Tasha, you aren't gonna reject this one. You gotta do it."

Gotta...?

Tabitha's grin filled her face. "Think about it. What is this place?" She waved her paw in the air. "It's a brothel. A whorehouse. This place is built on sex! They've done everything in their power to cut out every last bit of degeneracy and taboo; they've brought in cushions and cleaners and smart-looking receptionists in a little game of 'let's pretend we're a legitimate business'. But the fact remains - this is a den of Pokémon debauchery. And just because they play nice, just because they smile at the inspectors and say 'well, sir, what customers do in the privacy of their rooms is none of our business', it doesn't change one bit of the truth;"

She slammed her paw down on the table, teeth glimmering in the light like blades. "This place is built on sex. Pure, base, uncivilised sex. It's _literally_their own game."

She leaned back now. Tasha, despite herself, was leaning forwards, awaiting the conclusion of the impassioned tirade.

Tabitha stroked a claw up the neck of her bottle. "What better way to laugh at them...?"

Tasha, in a move which she seldom tried to do, looked inside herself for the answer.

One thing is for certain. You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for this place.

Her face slowly matched the grinning, smirking sneer of the pumpkin. She gave a slow nod.

"Yup." Tabitha said. "I thought you'd like that."

* * *

Outlining a plan didn't take long. It was fairly simple; one to distract with a waving tail, one to snatch up the flowing cash - as well as dip a paw into the bags and pockets of inattentive patrons. Once they've got enough, flash the signal, and escape into the night. Aside from a few contingencies and backups, it was all over bar the alluring.

And, one booth over, an ear twitched.

Slowly, a claw tapped against a set of sharp teeth. Then a slow, thoughtful hum, almost lost to the clamour of the club.

Well, he'd been shirking this shift for long enough. Maybe it was time to do a little good for his employers after all.

* * *

Thrumm. Thrumm. Thrumm. Thrumm...

Tasha gazed through the crowd towards the vacant pole, standing tall on its podium, its mirrored surface almost beckoning at her.

She'd use it. She'd use it to get back at this brothel, she'd use it to help Tabitha, and she'd use it to get the money she needed. Money she deserved.

The sound of her paws was lost to the rapidly building beat as she moved closer. The anticipation was almost palpable now, and wading through this atmosphere was like walking through an ocean.

Thrumm Thrumm Thrumm Thrumm....

She reached the foot of the stage. A forest of legs knocked her this way and that as they caught her pumpkin. She snarled to herself, staring up. Oh, she'd be cheating them too, and what joy it would be...

Thrummthrummthrummthrummthrthrthrthrthrthrthrthrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....

A single claw tapped her side, a signal to start. Tensed with adrenaline topped with the floaty delight of guile, she immediately leapt up into the spotlight -

The roar of the crowd slammed into her, like she'd just leapt into a brick wall. She stopped dead, eyes wide, staring aghast. In an instant, she was made painfully aware of all the lights, all the eyes, all the expectation that had landed on her.

Her resolve, and her world, crumbled to nothing.

She stood, half-crouched, staring unseeingly out into the near-darkness surrounding her. On every side, people leapt, shouted, yelled. Thousands, millions, staring at her! Where there had previously been exits and doors were now nothing more but endless onlookers, their glares clawing at her hide. Her stage was an island in a sea of bitter judgement, and the merciless tide was about to turn.

Shards of visions cut any rational thoughts to ribbons. She saw herself being dragged away by cruel-faced policemen five times her size, their meaty hands tight around her tiny legs. She saw dark silhouettes grinning and gnashing their teeth as they swallowed up the world around her. Tabitha was gone, the brothel was endless - an infinite circle of hell tailored for her.

She recoiled as the inferno it contained lanced flames across her face - it was another vision, slicing through her shaken mind. She hadn't moved, but her island had become a pedestal; the sea was nothing now but a bed of fire, the endless, twisting flames swirling and spiralling higher and higher...

You like it.

No...!

Let yourself go.

She whirled her head, flares of crimson and sapphire whirling around her vision. Her tails fanned defensively, she crouched down, fire curling from her jaws as she began to fall...

A cheer seeped into her world.

Tasha opened her eyes.

She was still in Captivate. There was no fire, no sea, only those fluttering lights passing over the crowd around her, and the low rhythm of the music through her paws.

She was crouched low, her tails raised. The cheer was coming from... behind her.

Slowly, as if each motion threatened to break the tenuous link to reality, she pushed her body up... and then turned. Her tails swam through the air, curling up over her back, and she crouched to show off her rear once more...

Again, a cheer from the crowd. A real, unfiltered cheer. A cheer of_happiness_.

As she straightened up, staring at the crowd with her mouth open in disbelief, the surrounding world became muted, almost muffled. Pounding beats slowed, indistinguishable as they melded together. Curiosity swelling up from within her, she stared out at an almost slow-motion sea of onlookers.

All those upturned eyes, those shouts and gleeful cries. She was... the centre of attention. And that was a _good_thing.

She watched the undulating crowd fanning out around her, barely visible in the staccato lighting of the club. Then she remembered the Glaceon from before, and very gently, began to lean down. Her tails lifted behind her....

Another roar from the crowd, an unrestrained cry of delight.

She giggled. Giggled! A quick, short giggle, but a giggle nonetheless! Of course, this whole business - this was one of those _sex_things, wasn't it?

Her tails fluttered down, and she turned on the spot, sliding a paw across the pole behind her. Then, she lifted herself onto her hinds, grasping the pole and turning to gaze back at her crowd. The beats, that had felt like hammers before, were now jolts of electricity in her paws, energising her with each vibration through the pole.

She could do this. She could do this...!

She swung her tails to and fro. A couple stayed down, before flicking up with the rest. A sway of the hips to the left, would that do something? Another cheer seemed to confirm it did. A sway to the right got a similar reaction. Slide her paws down the pole...

Someone whistled loudly, and a hand caught the light of the club as it punched the air.

Beneath the pumpkin, she grinned, and continued her disjointed, amateur, and yet nonetheless effective dance.

Tasha knew about sex. More specifically, she knew the lustful grins on people's faces, the fake smiles and meaningless words - and she knew about the distracted thoughts and open wallets. She'd never even felt the remotest want for it, but _they_clearly did - with a need strong enough that they'd give her almost anything if it meant they'd have a shot at having her in their bed.

It wasn't that she was a prude. On the contrary, she rather liked sexuality. It was one of the best ways to get what she wanted.

She straightened herself up, dropping from the pole to saunter around the edge of the stage. Her tails flicked up again, and she gazed out at the assembled, gleeful crowd, her heart beating wildly as they admired every last motion she made.

What was it like? She didn't even know that! She'd never been remotely close enough to anyone to even find out what sex was like. More than that though, it was a mystery she didn't even understand. She reasoned that it must be fantastic if people were willing to be so vulnerable, so easy to be deceived to get it.

Not just that - there were those that would lie and cheat, that would throw their ethics aside to get even a half-hour with someone. If it wasn't for her small stature and quick thinking, she'd have a few more marks on her body from _those_times....

Was it good, or bad? She'd swindled the honest and the selfish alike with the implied promise of sex. Which of those people were her current crowd...?

She returned to the pole, keeping her tails low... and then, almost experimentally, she briefly twitched a single one upwards. Even that garnered another shout from behind her, vast grins just visible in the darkness.

Excluding Tabitha (or maybe even including), when was the last time anyone had honestly, genuinely, smiled at her? Those smiles out there - lustful, yes, even somewhat deluded too - but genuine nonetheless...

She leaned forwards again, dragging her paws down the pole as she lifted her rear into the air once more. She lifted a hind paw, pressing her legs together and shifting her hips, almost concealing her crotch in the motion. She arched her back, staring back at the crowd - and still, each motion was punctuated with a whistle or cheer. Yet this particular move was more for her as she stared out into the throng; the purple-outlined silhouette of a Zoroark was snaking fluidly from seat to seat, a mirage in the night...

Slowly, beneath the grinning pumpkin, she smiled herself.

In the end, she didn't know. Anything she saw that could be construed as a vain bribe could also be philanthropy, and any smile of joy could be nothing less base than self-serving lust. One day, one terrible and strange day, she may even find out - but for now, she had to make peace with the mystery.

The shouts wrapped around her like a spring breeze. What _wasn't_a mystery was its effectiveness.

The crowd loved her. The bags were being lightened. For once, there was nothing to fear, nothing to hate. She felt... free.

And so, letting herself swim in the dual delights of greed and contentment, she waved her tails and danced.

* * *

This. Was. Fantastic.

Arkana had to admit, those drinks prices were good for something. The average customer would have to carry a small fortune to afford an evening at this place, and each new bag and purse gave her delightful confirmation of that.

Her knapsack's side pocket was already becoming full. _Full!_Of_notes!_Why, she could barely count in this lighting, and she hardly wanted to risk getting caught just to find out, but with the money she had already she could probably _buy_one of the rooms here outright...!

Oooh, wouldn't that be an idea. Live it up in luxury, eh? Not a bad little thought. Let these money-grabbing sleazes work for her. An ironic, enticing fate to make befall them...

She slipped her paw out of another, now significantly lighter patron's bag, and wandered through the crowd back towards the podium. She looked up, shielding her eyes from the sparkling lights.

Tasha was in her own world. She'd had doubts whether the little beggar would take to the stage, but she didn't seem to care about the attention. Oh, her moves were almost tragically unprofessional - Tasha seemed to know as much about alluring and sexual finesse as these patrons did of what was befalling them. She was altogether clunky, unprofessional, with tails whirling everywhere and barely two continuous seconds without her showing off her cunt and ass to the world. But then, it wasn't as if the patrons cared much about that, hounding the podium in their money-laden throngs and showering her in their financial appreciation...

Hm. More patrons, that's what she needed...

She turned, passing other enamoured gazes as she walked away from Tasha. She caught a Luxray that had just wandered in, and waved a paw over towards the podium.

"Gosh, have you seen her? Mmph!" Arkana said, and disappeared into another group of people.

"Hey, check it out, a Vulpix...!" And slipped away again, passing along the back of a sofa before disappearing into the shadows beneath the balcony.

A shy-looking human was leaning against a pillar, almost seeming to be hiding. She joined him, giving a practiced smile that he returned with a shocked, almost worried stare. She indicated with a claw. "You seen that one?"

He flitted his gaze between Tasha and her, wide blue eyes with large pupils. The poor thing was terrified.

She smiled broadly. "Come _on._You came here to have fun, right?"

He hesitated, then nodded, murmuring something indistinct under his breath.

"Hey, come on then." She put an arm around him, and patted his front. "Plaisir _wants_you to have fun. Off you go, make the move, _enjoy_yourself...!"

He swallowed, staring again at Tasha. Fear made those eyes tremble, but lust was making them stare.

Arkana watched with satisfaction as his retreating back faded into the throngs of the club. She briefly glanced at her claws, still holding a couple of sizable bills, as well as... a receipt...? She straightened it, taking a few seconds to scan it in the dim light around her.

"Café Plaisir Gift Shop..." she muttered, squinting to read it. "Pinup Album, Neon, times one. Poster, #46 Blossomfall, times one. Calendar... calendar, really...?"

She slipped the receipt into the knapsack, smiling to herself at the very idea. A calendar. These people really had no shame, did they...?

She straightened up, wandering out into the club again. The music swirled around her as she slipped through groups and crowds, only a short cloak of empty space behind her. Back to work...

Judging by the content of their bags, other patrons seemed more prepared for action. More than once, she found herself having to pick through loose condoms, or their wrappers. A couple of times she had to push aside a sex toy - the first one an unrealistically sized human dick, the other a somehow more fitting fantastical representation of what she only hoped was a poison-type cock. She barely hesitated as she did - it wasn't as if she wasn't used to sifting through filth to get what she needed, after all. And anyway, anyone who could afford such luxuries, not to mention an ego that expected to be able to use them, usually had a fair bit of cash on hand too. Again, it was a hypothesis she was enjoying being confirmed correct about.

When Arkana had made her way back to the foot of the stage, Tasha hadn't let up her assault on the art of poledancing, her tails flailing like they were being controlled by an inefficient whip-handler. A few of the patrons had dispersed, but then, that was the danger when you showed all the goods up-front instead of teasing. Arkana gave a pleasured sigh, and slumped back onto a sofa right by the stage, putting on a fairly genuine grin as she watched the Vulpix writhe her way left and right.

Another patron, a Mightyena, was sitting to her left - he elbowed her as she watched. She frowned, leaning in as he said something, but whatever it was, it was lost to the commotion. Arkana hadn't caught a single word, but a sideways look at his grin told her all she needed to know. She nodded in agreement to whatever he said, gesturing towards Tasha in a sign of "I know, right?".

The Mightyena leaned in. "I... dex... who... you?"

This time, she snatched a few words from the air - was he introducing himself? Sounded like it. She quirked a smile back at him, and leaned in close to his ear.

"Hi, Dexter!" She shouted over the din. "I'm Samantha." She shook his paw.

His eyes seemed to flicker with... something, but the constantly fighting hues of light carried the expression away as quick as it had come. Instead, Dexter nodded. Waving a paw at Tasha and apparently realising the insurmountable volume of the club, he leaned in close to Arkana's ear in return. "You know her?"

Arkana nodded. "Yeah! I'm her partner."

"Partner?"

"Yeah! We work here!"

Dexter tilted his head in the adorably undignified way that only canines could. "How long?"

"A few weeks!" She yelled back. "Why. Interested?"

"Maybe!" He shouted, before leaning over and fiddling with something next to the sofa. When he straightened up, a note fluttered between two digits of a front paw. "Her?"

Arkana almost laughed. Someone wanted to fuck Tasha, did they? Not that she'd blame them...

Might as well keep up the ruse though. "I don't know!" She shouted, leaning in. "I'll ask my supervisor. Might need more to cover lost costs, though! She gets a lot of money for us!"

Dexter nodded. "I got more!"

Arkana's eyebrow gradually raised. "How much?"

"Enough. Go see your supervisor, and make me an offer!"

Arkana nodded, standing up, and whirling away to disappear into the crowd. And then, disappearing behind a Stoutland, she turned and whirled around to crouch behind the sofa.

Ask her supervisor... pah. They were here for the money, not for some classless business exchange. Anyway, she'd never force Tasha into it - there had to be some honour, after all. And anyway... he had more, he said?

An unhealthy grin spread across her face as she reached the far side of the sofa, and peered out beside Dexter. There, barely illuminated past his wagging tail, was his bag - and it was even open!

Hah! She hadn't had an easier job that night!

Receipts. Sex toys. Condoms. She'd had an interesting treasure hunt so far, even if the actual treasure remained the same. The curiosity of what she'd find _this_time was already flaring once more, a minor companion to the ever-present gleeful greed.

She reached across, pulled open the side of the bag with a claw, and peered inside.

* * *

Tasha was in a whirlwind of fantasy.

It was a dream, some strange vision she was living in. She was being appreciated! Instead of scorned, she was being... idolised. Her heart thumped faster than the beats as she fumbled her way around the pole, and twisted her head around to stare out at the crowd.

And there was Tabitha! Just visible outlined in a purple glow, reaching into the bag of yet another customer.

A flutter of paper passed by her eyes, and she blinked, pulling her head back to stare at it. She turned her head to follow it, moving a paw-

She slipped, and had to splay her legs and tails to stabilise herself.

The stage was _covered_in notes, spread out before her like a bed, twitching in the air currents.

Her eyes widened - how the hell could they afford this...? Notes, so many different notes. Notes with zeros on them. Notes she hadn't even_seen_before...! She could feed herself for a _month_on a single pawful of what she was dancing on!

"Come on! Show us some more!"

She blinked, her head jerked upwards by the sound. She'd been entranced by the notes, not even thinking about her surroundings, and the customers had rushed forwards again. A myriad of species all stared at her, baying for more, more of what _she_could give them...!

A grin refused to leave her face as she turned to wrap her tails around the pole, stretching across the stage - the shouts rose once more from those behind her. She worked her hips from side to side, pressing them back against the pole, feeling the cold metal press into her rear as she crouched down low. She slid a paw across the bed of notes, enjoying how they bunched up, how they folded and curled. The texture was so strange, so soft, and the scent of them... oh, she could smell it even through her pumpkin. It was almost _intoxicating...!_Almost dreamily, she glanced up...

...To see Tabitha rushing out of the club, paws wrapped tightly around her bag. For a moment, the Zoroark's mane flickered in the warm light from the corridor outside, and then she was gone.

Tasha froze on the spot. Her grin shattered into a thousand pieces of shock, terror, and dread.

What...? Where had the signal been? What about the plan? Grab the money, make a quick exit. Stay together, down the hallway to the fire exit...! That's what she'd said!

That's what she'd 'said'.

The world had slowed around Tasha. Icy realisation had frozen her body, and had already begun its crackling path up her spine - and gradually took root in her mind.

This was her true plan.

No, no, she'd promised! They'd leave together and split the gains. Drinks for both in the next town over! She'd promised Tasha a whole case of fizzy Oran to celebrate...!

Maybe she found something even better in that Mightyena's bag, and now she's running off with it for herself. Why split the profits when she could keep it all to herself...?

Tasha swallowed. Her legs were shaking.

Why share with _ YOU ...?_

"Give us some more!"

The words ebbed into her mind.

"C'mon, show us your stuff!"

They eroded the numbness, the sweet serenity of shock. And then, as if she was at the epicentre of the explosion of a long-dormant volcano, terrifying reality rushed to meet her once more.

She had to get out of here.

She was trying to leap away before she realised what she was doing, paws slipping as she tried. The bed of notes she'd been so overjoyed about just seconds before now proved to undermine her escape. She pulled herself off the stage and hit the ground with a painful thunk, the sound reverberating unhealthily around her pumpkin, and for a long, painful second she was forced to scramble to her feet.

Claws bit the short carpet as she ran through the customers that milled around her. They were probably surprised, maybe even sad to see her go, but she couldn't hear any of them - she couldn't hear_anything_except a rising static and crackling, infinite inferno in her mind.

She broke through another group, running towards the doors that Tabitha had escaped through - only to claw herself to a stop as a vast, apron-draped Samurott appeared in the doorway, a demonic silhouette that towered over her. She turned, scrambling off in another direction - had that been the Brothel's head? A supervisor, maybe? She hadn't time to find out, but her imagination was throwing up enough images to let her know what would happen if it was....

No, no, she had a chance! There were other doors here, more of them! She scampered through more patrons, passing the Glaceon's stage, just avoiding slipping on even more notes as she raced for the other set of doors on the other side of the club-

_Two_figures were glaring in from outside now. Their dark shapes swam before her, horns and teeth stretching and growing, their eyes gleaming red as they fixed a horrifying gaze at her...

No, no, it was just another vision, it wasn't real!

Fight them...

She turned again, assaulted at every step by a mind that was throwing her world into disorder. She scrambled towards the darkness beneath the balcony - perhaps it could help! Maybe she'd find solace there!

You don't have to run from them...

There... there, a curtain. Solid black, almost lost in the shadows. She ran towards it, dodging left to avoid being stepped on by a human, then right as a hand reached out to grab at her. Jaws snapped just shy of her tails, a talon almost _ripped_straight through her pumpkin, shouts, snarls-

She exploded through the curtains, the thick material billowing up around her, and almost collided with a low sofa inside before she scrambled to a stop.

Hear quick, frantic panting filled her ears, the only thing she could hear apart from the heavily muffled club behind her. Slowly, she looked around.

The room was tiny- barely even a booth, only a couple of metres on each side, and bathed in a deep crimson light. It contained only the sofa she almost ran into, which curled around the small space, open-end towards the dark curtain. She collapsed, staying low, and whisked her head around towards the entrance....

The curtains waved gently from her passing. Beyond them, the music of the club continued to beat its steady rhythm, along with the numerous footfalls of dozens of patrons and waiters just audible past the thick fabric. All of it, so far away from her...

She crouched ready, claws digging into the ground. Flames curled around her mouth - they licked across her lips and her cheeks.

And yet, nothing happened. A patron laughed as they passed by, the curtain barely twitching.

How... how much of that... had she imagined? Maybe no-one had just tried to grab at her, or claw at her. Maybe the people at the doors hadn't even been part of the brothel. Dammit, maybe they hadn't even been real....

Slowly, she let out a shaky sigh, the air shimmering around her pumpkin as the fire dissipated. She sat down heavily, staring at her quivering paws.

And then the curtains moved once more. She backpedaled, scrambling away as a Mightyena appeared in the gap, flickering turquoise light outlining shaggy, unkempt fur.

"There you are. Thank fuck you didn't run...."

Tasha pressed herself against the front of the curved sofa as he walked in, the curtains closing behind him. His voice was deep, and the sharpness of his teeth was apparent with each syllable. She began to hyperventilate, feeling licks of flame crackle over her jaws.

"Hey. You really want someone to find out you're here?"

To her surprise, she stopped. And peered closer.

This Mightyena... the curve of black fur that slid over his face, wrapping around his jaw in the shape of crescent. He was the one that had been on the sofa with Tabitha, wasn't he? The one with the bag that...

The Mightyena turned and undid a strap, and there was a soft _whump_as a bag dropped to the floor. _The_bag. It lay open, empty.

The bag that Tabitha stole from...

She looked back up at him. Those eyes, oh, those eyes gleamed as they watched at her. Was that... curiosity?

She swallowed, one paw raised with sharp claws extended, trying not to show the fear.

"So who are you, then?"

Tasha glanced to the curtain, thankful he couldn't see where she was looking. Could she make it...?

"No, I'm genuinely asking. Who are you? Because I know you're not waiters. Your friend was lying about tha-"

"She's NOT my friend!"

Tasha spoke before she could stop herself. The bile of betrayal rose in her throat. She glared at the Mightyena again.

"Oh. Figures." The Mightyena just slightly tilted his head. "Fine then, 'Samantha', or whatever her name was."

Tasha paused. Samantha? Of course, she'd use a fake name. No way she'd use her... real...

Her claws dug deeper into the carpet as she realised. What were the chances that Tabitha was her real name? Practically none! She'd been tricked more than she knew...!

The Mightyena, however, was unaware of her inner turmoil, and waved a paw at her. "Look, can you just take that pumpkin off before we continue? It's silly."

Tasha glared at him. His face lit up as light flared from behind her pumpkin's eyes.

"...Really...? Fine, whatever. So anyway, she ran off without you, did she? Leave you behind?"

Don't answer his questions, blast him...!

She hesitated, teeth clenched in anger... then nodded her head.

"Hrmph. Some people. Y'know, she took something from my bag. Something I want back. I guess she just grabbed it and ran."

You were right, then.

"So where is she?"

Tasha stared blankly at him. She glanced around, as if trying to find an answer in the red-hued booth, but nothing was presenting itself.

The Mightyena stepped closer.

"Where... is... she?"

She growled instinctively, her hackles rising.

"Do you know?"

Tasha shook her head again.

The Mightyena's eyes narrowed, inspecting her more closely. "Now, how do I know _you're_telling the truth...?"

How DARE he...!

Her growl became a snarl, filling the booth.

And then the Mightyena rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on...!" he groaned, before slumping onto his hindquarters.

The reaction made Tasha stop snarling. She stared at him.

"You want the truth?" He said, looking down at her with something akin to sincerity. "I'm a waiter. I work here. My name is Dextus, and I'm even on this shift - or at least, supposed to be."

Tasha lowered her body, tensing her muscles. A waiter...

"But I don't want to turn you in, because honestly, I _like_you."

Tasha stopped. A frown flickered across her face, and her eyes narrowed.

"You think I don't wanna do what you're doing? Scamming the customers, showing them what for? Do you have any idea how entitled some of them are?" He shook his head in amazement. "Last week, one of them wanted me to peel Pinap berries for him with my teeth, and then feed him piece by piece. And the week before that, one just made me sit there, completely still, while he jacked off over my muzzle, for two hours." Claws scratched at the air as he gestured emphatically. "Like, I came here thinking it'd be all naive trainers wondering what it would be like if their prized pets were in charge, and instead I get people who want a warm fleshlight that can pour expensive whiskey down their throats and tell them they're the best sexual partner in the South."

Tasha hesitated... and then straightened up. Dextus leaned closer - and for once, she didn't move back.

"But that's nothing, because I haven't even told you about the people who _work_here. Do you have any idea what they're like? It's like they threw aprons at a mental asylum and employed everyone who could cry their way out the front gate. I've got a fucking Sylveon who's trying to get me into tea parties, a hoity good-for-nothing Absol GILF that gives me the stink-eye because she lives a few floors above me, a manic Vaporeon who's auditioning to become part of the Café's next line of condoms, and a pretentious boss who seems to think it's his Arceus-given mission to knock up anyone who walks through the door. Count yourself lucky that it was _me_that fucking found you."

Tasha had started to back up halfway through the speech; yet, despite that, she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of sympathy.

"So before you start growling at me, and before anything else, I want you to know that I understand._And, if I didn't have a family to think of, I'd be giving you this bag to carry the cash in and we'd be halfway to the east coast before Firenze pulls his dick out of his fawning admirers long enough to realise I'm gone. So yeah... I _understand. Alright?"

Slowly, Tasha nodded. It was a genuine nod, too. He was certainly riled up, but those eyes - they spoke of true frustration. She was all too familiar with that.

Dextus sighed, closing his eyes. His body seemed to untense, relax, shoulders slumping. The atmosphere of the booth had thinned slightly by the time her reopened his eyes and looked back down at Tasha.

"So you won't be surprised, then, when I say that I don't want to turn you in."

Tasha nodded again.

"Good. No, that's good." He paused, and then looked off to the side, letting out another small huff. "You don't know what it's like to live here, do you?"

Tasha shook her head - but a sense of unease was already beginning to roll around in her stomach.

"You get used, here. And some are okay with that, it's all for this glorious Café... but then you try and help in your own way, and before you know it..."

He narrowed his eyes, still staring at the wall.

"The first few months I was here, I was a model waiter. Yes sir, thank you sir, here's your jam roly-poly with cum on top sir. But then, well, these past couple months have been... difficult."

He turned back to her. His eyes were genuine, still... but now, they gleamed with passion, with... desperation, even?

"I ain't gonna start telling you the details. But I'm in deep shit. And for once, I can't even count on family to help me out."

Tasha wanted to back up again, but her rear was already pressing against the front of the sofa. She glanced to the curtain once more.

"So yeah. I _don't_want to turn you in. But if I _did..._then you have no idea how much it would help."

Tasha's eyes widened.

"I can regain faith. I can be a good waiter. I don't want to get out of here. And I don't care what they've done, I don't want to abandon my sister, or my brother! And if I turn you in... maybe I won't _have_to..."

Tasha gritted her teeth. "Then why don't you do it!?"

She sneered at him. She would have been more surprised if she wasn't so angry... or afraid. Flames threatened to flare once again from her muzzle.

Dextus groaned. "Because it's not even that_simple, either!" He said, leaning back, his tail making a dull _thump_as it hit the curtain. "Because what your companion took from my bag, well, it cost a _lot_of money, money I _need. So where is she?"

"I don't KNOW!" she shouted, flames spurted from the pumpkin at her final word, flaring across the floor.

Dextus didn't flinch.

"Well..." his words were slow, almost quiet. His eyes took on a strange, sad hue. "Then you've not only stolen from the customers, but from me."

He stood up. Tasha stood up too, arching her back, tails fanning once more as she readied for an attack... only to stare in confusion as he climbed up onto the sofa, and then lay down, settling into the deep, thick cushions. Tasha turned to watch him, her nose twitching in a creeping scent as she moved to stay facing him at all times. Dextus lowered his gaze, staring at her with those sharp red eyes; what were they telling her now...?

"You managed to understand earlier, so understand now." Dextus didn't even blink. "I could turn you over to Firenze. That would help repair his faith in me for one, and it may even lead to your companion getting caught. Every second I spend telling you this even _lessens_that chance."

An unhealthy pause cut through the scene. Tasha flicked her eyes to the now-unblocked exit.

"Or, I help you get out of here, and... no, wait, tell me what's in it for me then? The money on the stage has probably been collected by now, and unless you've got a small fortune stuck in your tails, you won't be able to cover it. And as much as I like to pull one over on the customers, I don't think most of those drunken idiots will even know. So tell me... what's in it for me?"

Tasha's claws pried at the carpet. She glanced again at the curtain, and then back at him. Her nose twitched again. The warm air felt claustrophobic, closing in around her.

Dextus narrowed his eyes, and slowly lifted his hind leg.

"What's... in it... for me?"

Tasha let her gaze trail down his body. Normally, she wouldn't even focus on such parts, but right now, she couldn't do anything but. Dextus' sheath, plump and covered in coarse, unkempt grey fur, was the focus of the scene before her. His balls rested below, partly hidden by the fluff of his legs, but what wasn't hidden was the shining tip of his shaft, a bead of moisture glinting in the red light.

"Don't worry about anyone coming in. I switched the sign outside to 'occupied' before I came in here. We have total privacy, which means you have only two choices. You either run, and my jaws will be around your tails before you leave this room, or you could convince me not to do that."

It was like sitting on the edge of a knife. One wrong move, and she could slice herself open. Tasha could almost feel the blade beneath her paws now.

And yet, there was almost no turmoil in her mind, no indecision. The avenue was clear. One small act and she could be free, free to chase after this 'Tabitha' and let out her anger on the true culprit. Just one thing to do. It'd even be trying a new, mysterious experience at the same time.

Sex had got her into this mess, and now, it might be getting her out of it too. It was almost laughably ironic.

And she would laugh, too, if she didn't want to rend this bastard's limbs from his body. Sex? With him, this jumped-up brute almost twice her size? He thought he could _demand_her to have sex with him...?

Dextus remained still, waiting silently for her to make a move. The blade dug into her paws. Her legs twitched.

She had to, though. She almost did laugh, out of pure bitterness, as she pushed herself to her feet and walked slowly towards him. Against her judgement, against everything she wanted... she_had_to.

Her paws sunk into the cushions as she struggled her way up, pulling herself onto the sofa. Dextus almost surrounded her, legs on either side, his head level with hers as he watched her with a frustrating, self-assured patience. She turned her head, following along his ruffled underside towards his crotch...

The shaft had grown, sliding further out into the room's heavy, stuffy air. It had been almost thin before, tapering, but in the time it had taken her to make her decision and climb up here it had bulged and swollen further. It now thickened to the point where it was even stretching the sheath still around it, the tip brutishly blunt. The scent she'd noticed earlier was coming from it - a thick scent that invaded the nostrils and clung to the senses. She hated it...

"Good choice."

Each word dripped with that hateful self-confidence. His leg even lifted higher, thighs spread to give her better access. She could see each twitch, each throb that passed through that waiting shaft.

There is a third option.

She knew that. She was trying not to think about it.

"Come on then..."

She turned to face him, just as two paws grasped her rear. She caught a yelp in her throat - no need to give him that sort of satisfaction as he manhandled her onto his lap, rolling onto his back to give himself better access. She glowered at him, that grinning pumpkin face reflected in those hatefully smiling eyes.

Her rear was shoved back to meet his shaft. She jumped, the movement swiftly arrested by his paws as they pushed her hips back down again. The flesh was hot, and it pressed firmly against her fur, rubbing over the inside of her legs.

She wanted to resist. What she was doing already wasn't enough. Sure, he had to work to make her move, but it was hardly difficult for him, with larger paws and that sharp-toothed grin. But, with gritted teeth, she had to admit to herself that this wasn't going to be a battle she could fight...

So that shaft was forcibly pressed between her legs, the blunt tip teasing her narrow, unprepared slit. She dug her claws into his chest, grinding her teeth as he teased the outside, the hot flesh threatening to be shoved into her at any moment. She shut her eyes, shoulders tensed, breath held as he slid it over and over again....

A paw moved back, and the tip was pressed against her again, made to shove at her. She screwed her eyes shut now, feeling the blunt shape, the little protruding knob of flesh trying to gain entrance. Dextus was growling, fumbling - a thrust rocked her, making her suddenly gasp for air as the shaft ground over her crotch, sliding up between her thighs.

"Come on..." Dextus muttered to himself, his paw shoving the cock back into position. Tasha was pulled left and right, desperately trying to keep standing as the shaft threatened to slide into her once more. "You waited too long... I'm a little big for doing this easily..." A growl slid through gritted teeth.

The shaft slid up and down her crotch, jolting her with each selfish thrust. She'd be forced to step forwards, only to have Dextus' other paw grab her head and push her back down. Strained grunts and growls littered his actions as he tried to force it inside, the tip of the shaft throbbing and jerking with each hated motion.

Suddenly, a harsh snarl cut through her, and her world span as she was thrown off. Tasha gasped as she staggered onto the sofa next to Dextus, her paws splaying as she only just managed to keep herself upright. Yet, before she could get her bearings, a paw shoved her to the side and rolled her onto her back, and his face filled her vision. She couldn't stop the yelp this time; the face was manic and lustful, teeth gleaming with spittle, with eyes that stabbed into her very being. He grabbed her waist with both paws, and a snarl pierced the air as he yanked her back, pulling her underneath him as he toppled over, trapping her in a cave of musty fur.

She panted, staring down, just able to see out of the edge of the pumpkin's mouth - Dextus' shaft jumped, spurting more of that strange, clear liquid onto her belly, before a paw pressed it down and roughly shoved it against her slit. Her legs quivered as it strained for a moment, but Dextus stepped forwards, pressing a hind-paw down on her leg to keep it in place as once more he manhandled her into position.

Fuck, fuck! Fuck him, fuck him! She writhed, trying to pull away out of pure instinct now as her leg screamed with pain. She couldn't struggle half as much as she wanted, though - nor a quarter as much as she needed. She gritted her teeth, helpless as that shaft was lined up once more and shoved forwards, only to grind against her crotch and slide over her stomach. He did it again, his breath playing noisily over the top of her pumpkin, a thrust pressing the shaft against her only to have it slide away.

Another snarl, aching with frustration, filled her world. Every motion brought him closer and closer to penetrating her, that bulging shaft twitching as he was almost there, another growl and another set of claws on her chest, holding her down, shoving her towards him, a thrust against her body....

And then, quite suddenly, Dextus let go of Tasha and sat back on his haunches with a sharp grunt of anger. She wriggled her way backwards, pushing herself up as she stared at the looming, panting Mightyena.

"You're a small girl..." he said, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Not a bad thing normally, but too small for me."

He leaned down. His chest, almost as big as her torso, still rose and fell with each gulping pant as he glared at her, his whole demeanour brimming with self-absorbed, all-controlling lust.

"We need to lube this up if I'm going to get in there..." he muttered, never taking his eyes off her as a paw rubbed down the top of his shaft.

Lube it up...?

Her hesitation was what defeated her, making her unready for when he lashed out, grasping her with a paw. A dull scrape made her realise that his claws were biting into the pumpkin, dragging her over towards him, closer and closer to that twitching shaft between his haunches.

She was shoved to the side, her world whirling, and then - a paw, a paw reaching into the mouth of her pumpkin. She stared cross-eyed at the sharpened claws, the wild dark fur, scraping to get a purchase.

"Damn, it's burning in there..." Dextus' voice curled down from somewhere around her. "Gotta get this open if it's gonna fit, though."

W-what? No! Another paw stuck itself into the mouth as Tasha tried to pull back. She flailed her legs, trying to push him away, force him off her, but each motion was terrifyingly futile - she was left staring helplessly as the paws prised apart the pumpkin, the grinning face widening as extra cracks appeared at the corners, the pulsing shaft jumping just beyond...

Cccccrack.

With a sickening sound, the bottom part of the pumpkin fell away, spattering both of them in old, sweet-smelling juices. The broken segment hung by a few last strands of orange skin, and the warm, fiery glare that swirled around Tasha's head - the glare she was so thankfully used to, the glare that had become something of a comfort - flickered once and died.

"Much better." Dextus said, simply, as if he hadn't just shattered Tasha's world into millions of pieces.

And then he shoved his cock into the wide-open hole, the bulging, swollen flesh jabbing against her cheek. She recoiled, but his paws were there, wrapped around the rest of the pumpkin to keep her in place.

"I said that we need to lube it up, so start sucking..." Dextus said, his voice poisoned with a sickeningly audible grin.

Tasha focused on her breathing. She gazed at the shaft with a single eye as Dextus moved his hips, trying to gain entry into her mouth. It dragged across her muzzle, leaving a trail of pungent wet moisture as it went. It was the same scent from earlier, only now it was entirely, sickeningly _inside_her pumpkin...

For a few moments, she merely stared at the cock, the first one she'd had near her, the first time she'd seen one so close up. Despite the terrifying darkness in her pumpkin, she could still see the pale length in what red light of the booth made it beneath Dextus. A tangled web of darker veins stretched across the surface, somehow only accenting how the shaft had swollen in the need to fuck. It gleamed too, points of light from just beyond her pumpkin enough to show up as tiny pinpricks of white.

Was she going to do this, really? Was she going to demean herself, so eagerly throw herself at his mercy...?

Of course, she thought bitterly. She had to.

And so, hated better judgement fighting against her very being, she leaned in, opened her mouth, and slid her lips over it.

Dextus shifted, curling around her with a sudden sigh of relief that echoed around the unlit pumpkin. Tasha, meanwhile, only winced. The taste was identical to the scent, but it was stronger, harsher, lingering on her tongue even after she'd pulled it away. She wrinkled her nose as she hesitated, then pushed down, letting the hot flesh slide further into her mouth.

It was so... odd. It was like she was touching a human, or a Ralts, but... slipperier to the touch, more rubbery. And each touch made it jump, like it too was eager for what was to come. She felt Dextus' heartbeat as the blood pulsed through that shaft, quick and powerful enough that she swore each pump was making it physically swell!

Then he drew back - his hips tugging the length from her mouth, and she managed half a hasty breath before he forced his shaft back into her. She almost gagged, the blunt tip probing her tongue, working right through her mouth...

"Fuck, careful with those teeth...!" Dextus grunted from above. Oh, she wished she didn't have to be. Begrudgingly, she pushed her lips over her teeth as best she could, trying to angle the cock so that-

She gagged, trying to pull back as Dextus roughly plunged the shaft deep into her mouth, slamming the bulging tip against the back of her throat. Tasha tried to shake her head, to pull it away, but with the hanging-open mouth, there was enough of a hole to let Dextus shove her right into his crotch, pinning her against the back of the pumpkin.

Her nose grazed his bulging sheath, her mind filled instantly with his overpowering musk. She shuddered, blinked, her mind wavering... what the fuck was going on...? Was that something that turned people on...? She tried to snarl, to push away, her paws thrashing against his crotch. She ignored his growls, his pants... his moans...! Oh, fuck, this was turning him on...!

She planted her paws either side of his sheath and shoved, pulling her head to one side. The cock slipped out of the side of her mouth, catching on the skin and spraying saliva over her pumpkin. She gasped for breath, and clawed at his fur as he began to draw back. That hated, bulbous tip waved in front of her nose; oh, fuck, he wasn't going to try agai-

Tasha spluttered as the cock was forced back into her mouth, and her world span as she fell over backwards. She caught a sliver of breath before it was cut off by that shaft, Dextus crawling on top of her to get as deep as he could, probing the deep recesses of her mouth. Dammit! He must be practically wrapped around her pumpkin now! A picture of his face flashed angrily through her mind, showing his lolling tongue, mouth stretched open in pleasure, eyes narrow slits as he had the time of his fucking life. At _her_expense.

She wanted to growl, but now even that small pleasure was denied as the shaft was held in her muzzle, throbbing against her tongue, twitching against the roof of her mouth.

"Suck..." Dextus muttered, the sound strained; it seemed he was having difficulty even getting the words out.

Tasha scrunched up her muzzle, and pressed against the shaft with her tongue, letting it rub against the flesh. Maybe that would do, and it didn't matter that she couldn't create the seal with which to suck...

Dextus squirmed on top of her, the shaft twitching even more, tugging against her lips. Hmph - maybe in her first piece of good luck all day, it seemed to be effective. He pulled back, and she caught a few quick, frantic breaths before he slid that shaft across her tongue again, letting the tip dangle ominously, almost _teasingly_in her mouth.

She lapped again, rubbing the length with her lips, tasting it. All the while, she kept her eyes screwed shut in the mental effort it was taking to not let that obnoxious scent pervade her mind. There was not even a plan to get out, to resist - she focused just on that cock, how it spasmed, trying to read into each motion.

_That_realisation made her growl. She was trying to _please_him...! Oh, it was for a reasonable cause - after all, it would get this to end sooner - but admitting it still made her bay for his blood...

But her mind was thrown back into instantaneous disarray when he thrusted into her muzzle once more. She choked as it slammed into the back of her mouth again, making her cough and splutter around the length, waving her head back and forth. By the time he withdrew, saliva was dripping off the length in great, long strands, glinting drops quivering across the flesh.

And then he did it again. And again. Those hips were slamming frantically into her pumpkin, jolting and jerking in a desperate effort to fuck her mouth faster and faster. The cock bounced and jolted, slamming into her maw time and time again, slapping into her tongue, grinding against her lips. Her jaw hurt, her legs ached, and her mind burned with indignation and desperation and rage as over and over again that shaft was plunged deep into her mouth...

Dextus began to gasp. She swallowed, catching another breath around that shaft, shaking her head left and right - and then something _hot_hit her tongue. She jumped in surprise as the shaft suddenly bulged, swelling one last time in her mouth as more and more hot, thick liquid spurted into her throat. She spluttered as it cut off her airway, and with a final effort she shook her head to the side, dislodging the cock from her mouth. Coughing, she stared up at the shaft, then screwed an eye shut as it danced and jump, spraying more of the liquid over her face.

It was hot, so hot, and with a weird, bitter taste that refused to leave her tongue. It clung to her face, collecting on her cheeks and bridge in large, heavy drops. She swallowed - and then coughed again. Oh, fuck, the aftertaste was even worse...

She blinked, squinting with the one eye that didn't have the liquid dripping over it. The shaft really was bigger, but there was also something else - it looked different from before. The base of the shaft had inflated, even more than the rest of it had. It was a bulging, lumpy orb at the base, wider than the rest of the shaft, and it scraped along the top row of the pumpkin's teeth.

For a moment, Dextus was still. Tasha took the moment to catch her breath, staring wildly at the cock still twitching above her. The liquid had stopped shooting from it, but a single big, pale drop was collecting at the tip. Slowly, it began to fall, collecting into a strand before landing on her nose.

She snarled as the musty, overpowering scent filled her mind, and waved her head from side to side to dislodge it.

"Fu... fuck." Dextus grunted, seemingly uncaring of Tasha's actions. "I didn't mean to do that, but that mouth... take this as a compliment, girl, because you really do have an excellent mouth..."

Tasha wrinkled her nose up, glaring at the shaft. What _was_that? Was that an orgasm...?

Before she could contemplate it further, Dextus suddenly rolled off her. The shaft slid out of the pumpkin, leaving another few drips of liquid to spatter over her fur, before it disappeared from sight.

Tasha swallowed again, trying her best to suppress hacking up what had just slid down her throat. She waved her paws, clawing her way to her feet. Dazed, half-blinded, she barely managed to get onto her paws before she lost her balance and toppled from the sofa, hitting the floor with a thump.

"Hah, careful there..." Dextus muttered. She scowled, lifting a paw through the broken jaw of the pumpkin, staggering to stay upright as she wiped away the liquid that still clung to her eye and nose.

Her pumpkin.... He'd broken it... the bastard...!

She eventually came to a halt, shaking her head and blinking both eyes repeatedly. Some of the liquid still clung to her cheek, and who knows how much was in her fur or stuck to the sides of her pumpkin. But she could see.

And what she could see was Dextus' bag, lying open on the floor, completely empty. Well - empty apart from a small piece of paper, almost hidden to one side.

There was a low sigh from Dextus. "Ahh... you don't know much about cocks, do you?"

Tasha frowned at the paper, then glanced back at him. He was grinning an unsavoury, sideways grin at her, half-flopped over the side of the sofa.

"For us Mightyena at least, the knot lets us stay hard. It's some evolutionary thing, helps the breeding process or something... but what it means for you is that we can go again. And believe me, I will. Between your saliva and my cum, I think that's more than enough lube for what we need..."

It... wasn't over? Tasha turned to face him just as he rolled off the sofa, stepping onto the floor. It was fruitless though - one large paw on her tails and her rear was pulled around to face him. She yelped as two firm paws wrapped once more around her waist, and that hot, wet member pressed against her rear once more as he mounted her.

"Much bigger, but so much wetter. Ready, girl...?"

Tasha struggled to stay upright, her forelegs burning as Dextus pressed down. One of his paws moved back, the shaft pressed firmly into her crotch, jabbing at her slit once more. It was wet indeed, she could tell by how it slipped around....

Dextus shoved her down again, and pulled her hips further up into the air. Her face was forced against the front of the pumpkin. The paper's edge was still visible in bag, trapped beneath her.

The shaft was ground firmly against her crotch, sliding up and down, leaving a trail of the liquid. There was no teasing here anymore; just plain, simple insistence as the tip pressed against her small slit - trying, pushing....

Dextus was growling, the sound low and rising in intensity, setting Tasha's teeth on edge. She gritted them, trying to move a paw up to grab the paper. A claw caught the edge, and she began to drag it out from under the fold of the bag-

Pain! Harsh, sharp pain! She couldn't hold in the sudden yowl. Dextus had shoved the tip into her, prising apart those tight virgin walls and giving way to the thick, bulging shaft. Before she could even silence herself, even more had been shoved in, inch after inch squeezed inside! Claws raked the floor, her hips burning as it felt like her very bones were being forced apart. Still, that shaft forced its way further, lumbering deeper into her, brutally stretching her walls as it did so. There was no carefulness, no consideration - just selfish lust-filled thrusts that made her eyes water and legs stab with the effort of trying to keep herself upright. Her body was screaming at her - get it out, get it out...!

She quivered, she screwed her eyes shut - but she didn't cry out again, resisting the pleas of her body. His growls and huffs, his satisfied moans were more than enough to fuel the fires of her hatred, without sinking to letting him know her displeasure. She bit her lip, sinking her sharp teeth into her fur to keep herself from crying out. That pain wasn't half as intense, despite the sharp, tangy taste of iron as blood dripped into her mouth, but she focused on it. She'd focus on anything if it meant not have to think about the harsh intrusion, to not have to feel how it throbbed, bulging out her insides, those hip bones forced still wider apart as he began to slowly thrust in and out of her...

She opened her eyes, feeling them watering from the exertion. She stared blearily at the paper - she'd gotten a hold of it. She didn't know what it was that was that was drawing her to it, but it was a distraction. She could use any of those.

So Tasha stared at it, dragging it further out. A couple of notes, crinkled and scrunched up, were pulled out from underneath it. She glanced at them, then at the poor, wobbly handwriting on the scrap. Despite where her claws had scarred it up, it was still quite legible.

Her gaze hardened as it read what was written. Then she read it again.

Well... it had distracted her alright.

DEAR ZOROARK: YOU ARE A THIEF.

YOU'LL FIND NOTHING HERE BUT THIS NOTE. UNFORTUNATELY FOR YOU, I'M WATCHING YOU. SURPRISE.

YOU HAVE ONLY ONE CHOICE NOW.

GET OUT OF MY CAFE.

Tasha read it a third time as Dextus slid his shaft deeper into her. Her body was crying out in pain, but her mind was seconds away from a blaze.

He'd known. He'd known all along. There was no item, there was no money he'd lost. He didn't even care about 'Tabitha' at all, did he?

He'd... he'd _planned_this....

How much of what he said had been a lie? Had he been truthful at all? Was he really in so much trouble? Did he even have a family to support?

But no. No. _NO._It was all immaterial now. A strange silence had descended, and into it, her rage was beginning to flow.

Deception. Deception was everywhere. Everywhere! 'Tabitha' had deceived her from the moment she'd met her. Tasha herself had cheated the customers. The customers themselves, oh, they were a hotbed of fake smiles and lies, each and every one.

And then this Mightyena, this Dextus... the one person here who, out of everyone, despite his vileness seemed to have been telling the truth...

The white-hot claw of fury was tightening around her chest.

"Oh, fuck..." Dextus muttered, his voice muffled as static clawed at her ears. "You really are tight... this is fantastic...."

Tasha's claws sliced through the paper. She swallowed, breathed slowly in, and out.

She was ready.

Finally.

* * *

Dextus slid a paw down the sweet little body. His teeth ground as he let out a long, pleasured breath, enjoying how his claws traced her twitching contours, slid through her supple fur.

It had gone _so_much better than he'd planned. One thief scared off, the other trapped with him... _delightfully_trapped...

"Come on then..." he muttered. A warm glow suffused his body, like guilt dipped in lust, as his shaft was once more squeezed by her cunt. He rested his paw on her side. "Let's see your face." He let a growl slide free as, his shaft still buried deep inside, he rolled her over....

And stared into an inferno. He tried to leap back as screaming fire surrounded his head, flames gushing through the holes in the pumpkin. They twisted and twirled, leaping into the air in a lethal dance of devastation, searing his face in an instant.

"Fuck!" Dextus scrabbled backwards in shock, but their hips were still joined together, that small Vulpix tightly wrapped around him. He hit the floor, the wind knocked out of him - leaving him staring wide-eyed up at that pumpkin's gleeful, broken-jawed grin. That, the Vulpix's head, hell - even part of her torso were now completely encased in rolling, dancing fire.

Dextus' smile had disappeared from his face. The warm glow had been of decisive triumph, but a single look at that eldritch inferno had made it evaporate like ash in the wind.

And when she laughed, the sound thrashed higher and higher through the octaves into harsh, painful notes that no normal laugh could reach. It jabbed into his ears, grasped his mind, constricting the soul until it threatened to control him. It was a laugh that crackled like fire, and slid icy claws of fear around Dextus' chest.

"Are you... scared?"

The Vulpix's voice hissed like a blowtorch. Blue flames flickered beneath the pumpkin with each word.

"I think that's the first genuine look you've given me."

Dextus tried to push himself up, rallying his tattered bravado, only to be forced back down with a yelp as another gout of flame that flashed across his chest.

"What's wrong?" She leaned closer. "You thought I'd break? Is that what you do - you break others?"

Dextus' words caught in his throat as a waterfall of excuses fought to get out at once. "N-no! I haven't! It's not me who does, I wasn't-"

"LIES!"_The Vulpix screamed, her shrill voice slicing through him. "_Lies, lies and trickery and guile and lies, everywhere!" She fell forwards, claws cutting through Dextus' fur to dig into his underside. Dextus jumped at the pain, wincing as the fire licked ever closer. "This is a house of deception. Nothing here is true! I'm not a monster in this demon-infested hellhole, not compared to people like you! Oh, I am going to say the first true thing that's ever been said in this den of deceit... you are MINE."

"N-" Dextus managed to get out, but the moment his mouth opened, the Vulpix slammed her paws down again, flames once more gushing from beneath her pumpkin.

Instead, he lay still, shocked into inaction. The Vulpix leaned backwards, head twitching, tilting as it surveyed him. The pumpkin masked all - he couldn't decide whether it was a look of childlike curiosity, or predatory hunger. Judging by what had happened so far... he feared it could be both.

Then, the Vulpix began to lift her hips up. Breath caught in Dextus' throat - before it turned to a strangled yelp as she slammed her hips back down! His paws waved futily, clawed at the air - the tight cunt he'd been so slowly adjusting to his size now grasped his shaft like a vice. She glanced back up at him, then down again at his crotch... and then forced herself down once more, making his body jerk as more of his shaft was grasped by that body. He flinched, screwing one eye shut - what was she doing!?

And then the laugh came again, a mad, rattling cackle that set his teeth on edge. She was enjoying this! How!?

The answer cut through him like a knife.

She was in control now.

He tried to lift himself up again, but she slammed herself down, squeezing his shaft uncomfortably once again and forcing him to writhe beneath her. And that wasn't all - her insides were heating up! His previous orgasm had made him too sensitive, he could feel as she spiralled hotter and hotter, and that knot - oh, that cursed knot! So normally a delight to tug at the walls with, a pleasure to grind against the folds, and yet right now it was merely keeping him hard, forcing him to acquiesce to her demands as she bounced up and down on his twitching, swollen shaft.

There was resistance for a moment inside her, the bulbous tip shaft hitting something - but Dextus' pang of hope was ripped away as she merely shoved herself down again, bringing a new level of discomfort as his tip was squeezed once more...!

The bottom half of the pumpkin finally cracked and fell away, singed and blackened as it rolled to the side. He could just see it all through pained, squinting eyes; the rest of it was utterly irreparable now, the skin curling at the edges and the flesh turning to ash, floating in the air around her.

And she didn't stop. There wasn't even a hint of hesitation. She just kept bouncing on his shaft, each motion finding some new spot to grasp, squeeze, constrict. The temperature continued to climb, and he kicked with his back legs, only making her let out a few more painful cackles as she rocked back and forth with the motions.

That laugh! It cut through his mind and stabbed into his memories until he suddenly realised. It sounded familiar. Oh, he hadn't heard it from her before, but it was a laugh he was familiar with.

Glee, unparalleled glee, swimming through the warm waters of unfettered sadism.

Fuck...!

The tides of fear in his body suddenly clashed with waves of guilt, all the while being fed by the lashing storms of pain. He half-rolled to the side, clawing at the floor - but a jet of flame made him draw back, cowering once more.

"What, not enjoying it?"_She hissed. "_Good...! Hah, see? I'm being honest again. No more lies in this booth...! You didn't want me for sex, you just craved the power, didn't you? Hah! I have power now!

"Get off me, you insane fuck!" He injected every bit of anger he could into his voice, but it quelled beneath the thick coat of terror.

"Insane!?"_She demanded, continuing to bounce on his shaft. He bit his lip to keep from crying out again, his knot hammered by her overstretched entrance. "_You don't know how insane I am! You don't know what I can do!" She ground against it each time, rolling her hips forwards and backwards, left and right. "Count yourself lucky. This is me being kind!"

He forced himself to breath slower, trying not to hyperventilate, trying to ignore his body's screaming. He glanced at the curtain for the briefest of moments.

The Vulpix cackled once more, dragging his attention back to her. Her tails flailed in delight behind her. "No-one's going to come save you, are they?" Behind the rasping, her voice was even sing-songing with each word. "You made sure of that, didn't you...?"

Dextus gasped in shock, eyes going wide as he refocused on her. Her belly was bulging! She lifted up, and then slammed herself back down again, the bulge returning as her cunt slapped into that knot. A protruding, blunt swell in her belly from the tip of his shaft. Fuck, no wonder she felt so tight...!

She looked down, probably to stare at it, and then back up at him. Then, she did it again - dragged herself up, only to slam her hips back down again.

Fuuu-uu-uuck...!

By the time Dextus opened his eyes again, the Vulpix was tilting her head, looking back down at him like a Liepard sitting atop its kill. He panted, the air searing his throat.

"You wanted power,"_she hissed, stroking a paw over her bulged belly for a brief, agonising moment. Probing, curious paws roamed across her fur, pressing into his shaft through her flesh. He yelped, quivering again as orbs of fire suddenly erupted around them, dancing and spiraling, a terrifying will-o-wisp glaring in incandescent intensity as they surrounded her. "_Look at you now. You don't have any."

She leaned back, and let out what might have been a long, happy sigh - it sprayed flames over his front, and he jerked his head back, letting another yelp slip past him.

The pain was mounting, and a crescendo was coming. He didn't know what it contained - but whatever it was, he had to avoid it. The only problem was that his body had all but given in, his paws weak, his cock burning in the spiraling temperatures, his breath ragged and his legs aching. The will-o-wisp span ever closer, twisting flames licking at his fur. He coughed, his lungs burning as the flames gorged themselves on the oxygen.

"I think that means... I win."

She was right. She was, utterly, hatefully, right.

And then... the balls of fire dissipated. The flames in her pumpkin even began to die down, and, slowly, she pushed herself backwards. Dextus couldn't move - he just stared through one eye as his wet shaft began to slide out of her.

"So this is sex, is it?" Her voice was quieter now, almost thoughtful. The fires had quelled from before, but there was still enough of an inferno to almost mask her words. "Really? Well, you know... I know now why people steal and cheat for this..."

His shaft continued to slide out into the burning air. The very sight of her slit stretched over it was painful....

"I know why they lie and punish. I know why they hurt others for it...."

And then... the shaft jumped free. Dextus jumped again, gasping in sudden relief as scalding pre splashed over his fur.

When he managed the energy to look back at her, there was something else to that pumpkin's face. It was almost a pleasured, sickening grin, much more than had been carved into it.

"Look at that... I understand you..."

He dared not move as she rolled slowly to her feet, standing up. Her tails were held high - wet drops glistened on her thighs and crotch. Her juices, pre, saliva, cum... they were all mixed together now, crawling down her legs.

"I do understand you,"_she snarled. Dextus swallowed. "_And I don't like you."

She turned, and walked up to him. He pushed himself back, scrabbling at the floor as he wedged himself against the couch, the flames dancing close to his muzzle.

"You see... I sink to lows to get what I need, but you do it to get what you want. I'm not an angel, but... I'm not half the deceitful, despicable demon that you are."

Dextus' mind was a battleground of emotions, but it was a foregone victory to fear and terror. Just past those flames, through the wedges of the pumpkin, he swore he saw eyes - they stared back at him with sadistic, unholy glee.

"And that... is the truth."

And then, she turned, the moment shattered and blown away like cinders. Leaving the broken Mightyena with another echoing, cackling laugh, the Vulpix strode out of the booth.

* * *

Well that was fun.

When Tasha woke up, she was walking out of the club. No-one was stopping her, and from the briefest of glances around, nothing seemed to be on fire. For once, there had been very little collateral damage...

No-one was even bothering her in the corridor. She drew glances, but no-one approaching. Truthfully, it didn't really surprise her; it seemed a scorched Vulpix with stuff dripping from their rear was something that most people wanted to give a wide berth to...

The fires had begun to die down, both outside her mind and inside it. The numbness was fading away, leaving her with a feeling like she'd just enjoyed a long night of sleep. What had happened? For the most part, that was a mystery - dim recollections of wide eyes and panicked shouting floated through her thoughts, eyes and shouts that weren't hers. Oh... so nothing bad, then...

Her insides hurt like fuck, though, like they'd been clobbered with a hammer. What had she been doing? Clearly it was something strenuous. Oh well, not that it really mattered - all in all, she felt_fantastic._

Even the ruined, scorched pumpkin didn't dampen her spirits, now just holding in the barest minimum of flames that still covered her head. If anyone could see her head though, they'd see a wide, triumphant grin as she walked down the corridor towards the fire exit.

What now? Well, that was a question. Track down 'Tabitha'? She'd not run off through pure greed, but she'd still abandoned her, and taken all the profits at the same time. She might be halfway to the next town over at this point, but it wouldn't be hard to track her down. Follow the extravagant spending and empty purses, that's all it would take....

Could she, alternatively, stay here and make more money, maybe even find out what had happened? No - that out of the question, it wasn't worth staying here any longer than she had to at this point. She'd lost all the money she'd gained, but she had got two drinks - and more importantly, a unique life experience. In all probability, probably a lot more.

Plaisir was a den of thievery and deception on every level, but she had to admit, it had actually done its job. It had been the most interesting sexual experience she'd ever had.

Maybe the day would come that she'd have to utilise that little play once more. Give herself over to deal with a problem. It was certainly effective, so, one day, maybe she'd delve once more into the darkness. One no-doubt _very_interesting day...

Hm. Perhaps another visit here, at some point, would be in order...

She waved her tails as she walked, and as she did, a strange rustling sound accompanied it. She frowned, turning, looking back at them.

A handful of notes were sticking out of the fur, bunched and scrunched up in places, but still perfectly serviceable. She stood there, staring at the numbers, admiring them with surprise and glee...

Oh, yes, she thought, turning around. After a moment to judge the distance, she leapt up and shoved the bar of the fire exit. The siren of an opened door wailed above her, and she gave a hidden, sharp-toothed grin as she bolted through the opening and out towards the nearby woods.

Today_had_been fun.

And that, indeed, was the truth.

Fin