FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Pepper...what are we going to do with you?"

* * *

October blinked sleepily, watching the steady movement of the clock at the far end of the bar. 6:58am. The first bus of the day was due to arrive in two minutes. The chairs around the bar were as yet untouched, but neither he nor Chai made any move to clear them. But for the ticking of the clock it was so perfectly, gloriously silent. For now.

October heard the door open and a painfully optimistic greeting called out to him.

"Good~ Morning October!"

"Morning Colin" he mumbled, still staring at the clock. He could sense Colin sitting expectantly to the side but...no. It was too early for conversation. He let the silence drag.

"We'd better get these chairs down before the customers wake up!" Colin eventually said, starting towards the nearest table.

"Hold up!" October stuck a fluffy black-tipped tail in front of the Sylveon's face.

"But we could have customers here any minute!" Colin said. He started shuffling to get around the tail, but a cloud of fluff moved to block his every advance.

"October! We need to-"

October interrupted him, "Three..."

The second hand ticked just a couple degrees from vertical.

"Two..."

October closed his ears expectantly.

"One."

The door behind Colin slammed open with enough force to rattle the bottles behind the bar. It bounced off the wall with a great "Bang!" that sent the unsuspecting Sylveon to the floor by reflex. Through it flew Pepper, manifesting as little more than a green blob as she rocketed into the center of the room, whereupon she once again transformed into a tornado of tumbling chairs and tableware. Colin watched shocked from the floor as she nimbly flipped and spun from table to table, knocking over chairs with her own body before catching them with vines and shoving them into position; flinging condiment stands and napkins into the air to clean the bare tables below. It all happened so quickly he nearly went cross-eyed trying to keep track of it all.

Then she was done: the room was perfectly in order, save the echoes of abused chairs slamming into the floor.

Her task complete, Pepper flopped awkwardly onto the center table and glanced at the bar. "TIME!" She yelled, jabbing a vine at October.

October sat up slightly and reported, "One Minute, six seconds."

"DAMMIT!" She yelled, and with that she disappeared, catapulting herself through the halls towards Captivate, no doubt hoping to make up lost time in the next chore-slash-time trial.

Colin stared after her in shock.

"You know, if we're not careful, she might start making us look bad!" Chai noted from his resting place on the floor.

"Nah!" October said, "She's making so much of a ruckus, I'll bet she has Pouncer praying for more...sedentary hires."

As if to prove the point, Pouncer stumbled through the back doors a moment later, panting. "Where...huff...where is she?!"

Chai pointed towards the bedroom block.

"...Thanks!" The Grovyle turned and sprinted away, calling as he went. "Pepper!? You don't work here anymore! Pepper?! PEPPER CEASE CLEANING MY HALLS THIS INSTANT!"

"Now that's a sentence you don't hear every day!" Chai observed.

October looked at Chai. "So when are Ellen and Eroll getting back? It's been nearly a month!"

"Maybe you should go find them, Mr. Magic Castle?" Chai replied. October turned to retort, but the Umbreon's face was serious. "They might have run afoul of the remaining Strays in Florida. Or worse, some new up-and-comers trying to fill the power vacuum."

October considered it. "I'll take a look later, just in case."

The creaking of the front door distracted the trio from any further conversation. Mary half-stumbled through the door and quickly locked eyes with October. If she looked awful before, now she looked the part of a disaster refugee. The bags on her face were darker and deeper, her hair frazzled and unkempt, and her eyes couldn't seem to hold a focus for more than a moment. For the briefest moment, October was treated to a look of cold, vengeful fury. Then she looked past him at Colin, and she was all smiles.

"Good Morning!" Colin called, "Welcome to Cafe Plaisir! My name is-"

"She can't understand you, Colin!" Chai said, then elaborated, "Something about space magic timey-whimey bullshit, I don't know."

Mary produced a small electronic device and hit a button on the top before making her way towards the counter. "Thank you! I'm actually here for a 7:30 appointment."

October perked up. 'An appointment?' "Wait. How old are you, exactly?"

Mary gave October a poisonous smile. She said, "I turned fourteen a month ago. Why, are teenagers not allowed to book hotel rooms?"

October inhaled through his teeth. 'Does she know?'

"Ugh! I rescind my request regarding your tits!" Chai interjected, grimacing.

"I suppose it doesn't matter. I'm just here to meet with Firenze real quick and discuss my Pokémon's future going forward." Mary sat on one of the stools and frowned at the device in her hand. "What'd he say about my breasts?"

Chai choked up and sank underneath the table in horror. October smirked at him then peered over at Mary's device: A little speech-to-text-machine of the sort sometimes used by the hearing impaired. ' So much for easy privacy in her presence.'

"Oh...well, I guess I'll just...go help Mr. Pouncer with Pepper...then?" Colin trailed off, looking slightly lost without someone else's chores to do, or customers to entertain. He left through the door towards Captivate just before October could offer him his own job for a smoke break.

That was when Firenze arrived.

In a Collar.

With Jack leading him on a leash.

Even long after his admission that he was, in fact, open to submissive play, October still couldn't quite wrap his head around the image of Firenze acting like another creature's pet. It was just so...unlike him! Such a regal, composed Ninetales should never be caught in such compromising conditions. Or at least, so October's instincts told him. The truth was, money was money, and Firenze valued the success of his beloved Café far more than even his own dignity.

The Typhlosion looked around, confused, and called, "I have a 7:30 appointment for uh, Margaret Spinster?"

"That's me!" Mary replied, happily.

Firenze's reaction was like flipping a switch. One moment he was a human's plaything, holding himself low with eyes dull and downcast. The next his eyes were brimming with intellect and curiosity, his posture straightened, and the collar all but disappeared and Jack along with it. Trainer's pet to businessman in an instant.

"Mary?" He asked, "You were the one who requested my services? Why?"

"I needed to speak with you. Regarding my Pokémon."

October frowned "Okay, but...why the deception?"

"Good question!" Mary's tone made the double meaning painfully clear. "I tried to set up a legitimate meeting through your phone service," she held up the Speech-to-text to emphasize, "and the receptionist and HR gave me the run-around for an hour. So then I gave an older trainer fifty bucks to reserve 'A sexy suave beautiful blond Ninetails to be my pet for an hour'. Had you booked in ten minutes flat!"

'Oooooh Fortuna, she definitely knows!' October found himself steadily sinking below the counter, away from the furious trainer.

"Have a seat!" Mary said, almost cheerfully. She patted the barstool next to her. "We have a lot to talk about!"

October tried to warn Firenze of the trap, making frantic motions behind the counter. But if he noticed he ignored him and jumped up next to Mary. Instead he said, "October, would you please bring our guest some water? One for me too, please!"

October obeyed, bringing a glass around for each of the three of them wrapped in his tails. With that expression she'd shot her upon her arrival well in mind, he circled around and sat up on the stool next to opposite Firenze. 'Between me and Chai, we should be able to restrain her if she goes at Firenze.'

"So first..." Mary said, then sighed, "I suppose I should apologize for Pepper's behavior Monday. Cinnamon told me what happened and... I suppose I should have warned you about her temper. But I honestly didn't think it would be an issue at the time! She's usually so well behaved!"

Firenze bore out her apology stoically, though in truth he was seething. It wasn't Pepper's actions that irked him; it was the way Mary was talking about Pepper like an untrained pet! Still, it was to be expected from what was in all respects a pre-liberation trainer. He could handle this. He'd handled worse from irate and racist customers in Plaisir's early days.

Firenze forced a smile and said, "It is not your fault. Pepper has taken responsibility for her actions and done a remarkable job cleaning the mess she made. I also understand there were some...mitigating factors."

"Yea, the Mienshao. Is she okay?" Mary gave them a look of concern.

Firenze returned a comforting smile, "She's doing just fine. Nothing more permanent than hurt feelings."

Mary breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good, at least."

"However," Firenze continued, "I cannot help but note she hasn't actually apologized. For either the damages to the café or assaulting our staff."

"Because she's not sorry." Mary grimaced. "I'll be having a talk with her. And I'll be taking her with me when I leave today, so she won't be bothering you anymore."

Firenze frowned but nodded.

"Alright." Mary muttered, then raised her voice. "Second item on the agenda..."

October realized what was coming a split-second too late. The hand that wrapped around the back of his head was deceptively strong. Before he could so much as blink, his chin had slammed into the table.

"WHY, OCTOBER, DIDN'T YOU MENTION THIS PLACE WAS A FUCKING WHOREHOUSE?!"

He kicked, he struggled, he tried to wiggle out from under Mary's arm. But the human's grip was ironclad. His hind end fell off the barstool and suddenly the corner of the bar's counter was pinching his throat shut. She stood up and leaned over to get more leverage. "Well?!"

"I-ugh! I didn't think it was pertinent given..." October began to wheeze, "the nature of your friends' workload!"

Mary's fingers increased their pressure, such that October began to choke in earnest. "'Not Pertinent?' This is my family! It is incredibly pertinent! It's the most important thing in the world to me! And you thought it was okay to hire them without telling any of us what you did here?"

October's forelegs scrambled desperately to try and pull him off the bar, to no avail. Mary may have been just a teen, but she had leverage and she knew how to use it.

"Miss Shepard, take your hands off my employee this instant!" Firenze wasn't sure if Mary could recognize the authority in his voice, so he followed up by reaching forward and attempting to tug the trainer off October without hurting her.

But Mary's grip was unyielding. She glanced at the speech-reader and rounded on the Manager, "Firenze! Do you realize how much danger you put my pokémon in?! None of them were prepared for this! Someone could have been hurt!"

"I understand your anger and I apologize, but attacking my employees? That is uncalled for!" Firenze narrowed his eyes, "Let. Him. Go."

Mary hissed in return, "You deceitful vermin endangered my family! This is entirely called for!"

"Frumblbrg! Fck!" October couldn't speak, which meant he couldn't use his emergency teleport! He tried to summon fire, but his inner flame couldn't find the oxygen. His eyes flickered to Chai, only to realize his oldest friend in the cafe had disappeared, the Panic button on the table lay untouched.

"I'm not sure what you were expecting, October..." Chai's voice came from below and behind the counter. "She was going to find out eventually!"

October ignored him and struggled to pull himself back onto the seat, hind legs scrabbling uselessly against the bottom counter. 'How is she so strong?'

Suddenly, Mary gave a surprised yelp, and both Human and Ninetales experienced a moment of vertigo as they tumbled to the floor. When his vision cleared, October could see Chai snickering and licking blood off his claws. October looked over and saw Mary glaring and clutching at a trio of claw marks in her leg, though the trainer didn't seem to be in much real pain.

"Thank you Chai, but I would appreciate it if you didn't draw blood when resolving conflicts such as these. Especially against minors..." Firenze turned to Mary, "Mary, I understand your anger, but that was crossing the line."

The trainer neither heard nor cared. She simply inspected her wound for bleeding before pulling up a sock to cover the scratches. She pulled herself back up to the table and mumbled, "I should collect my pokémon and leave. And I would. But Honey was adamant that this place is the safest he could find."

Firenze winced. When she heard about yesterday's incident, and of Eclipse...

'She doesn't have to know! ' a seditious little voice in his head whispered.

'She needs to know! ' said another, slightly more virtuous voice.

'If she knows she'll probably leave, and her pokémon will be captive forever! '

'She probably already knows! Perhaps this is a test to see how honest we really are! '

Firenze shook his head again. Why was he even considering this? How could he possibly look himself in the mirror tomorrow, knowing he had lied to a child about the safety of her family? No, he wouldn't lie. He'd never lie! He was an educated, honorable Ninetales; lying was below him! Though admittedly, he'd probably omitted a little too much truth on Monday. Thank Arceus he had already promised Cinnamon not to talk about Rain Flower to Mary. Employee confidentiality beat out honesty, conveniently.

Firenze turned to the still-recovering October, "October, tell her we are sorry for deceiving her, and that I promise on my pride as a Ninetales it won't happen again."

Mary heard it and snorted in response.

"There is...there is more you need to know." Firenze watched as Mary read the translator. She showed no surprise at his admission, confirming his suspicions.

"You're talking about those Mightyena siblings, aren't you?" Mary asked, her energy steadily returning.

'Wait, what?' Firenze blinked in surprise.

"Wait, what? How do you know about Sin and Dex?" October asked. In response, Mary reached behind her and pulled a slightly wrinkled stack of papers from her backpack.

"I did some research last night, found some employee testimonies..." Mary explained, "Plaisir had a significant number of zero-star reviews, and they all had one thing in common." She dropped the stack in front of Firenze, "Three Mightyena. Multiple allegations of kidnapping, assault, rape..."

Chai jumped onto the table and read a couple of the reviews upside down. His face paled in horror and he gave a low whistle. Firenze skimmed the pages and had to resist the urge to faint. October peeked around the trainer and ...well he already knew or suspected most of this already. Though he was surprised nobody had thought to check online for such reviews after Eclipse's expulsion earlier.

"What's going on here, Firenze? And tell me the whole truth, this time! Or we're leaving, debt or no debt!"

Firenze didn't speak. Instead he carefully dismounted the stool and grabbed the papers off the counter. "I... need to make a few calls. October, fill her in. Leave nothing out!"

Mary watched angrily as the manager made for the door. "Where are you going? Firenze? Firenze?! YOU STILL OWE ME FIFTY-TWO MINUTES!"

"He's going to perform damage control." October sighed and leaned forward to grab a bottle from below the bar. "You may want to get comfortable because he wants me to tell you what happened. And it's a long, long, loooong story."

* * *

"No, No! Stop! Shut it! I don't wanna hear about your little 'crusade' right now. I don't care if what you did was right or not. It wasn't, but that's not the real issue here. What you did the other day could very well have forced us to run to another world, through another of Honey's fucked up portal-things. Or if they had decided to arrest you, or sent trainers...there would be nothing we could've done to defend you! At best we'd be stuck here waiting for your release, at worst Honey would have to break you out and we'd be on the run again! I don't think you understand just how lucky we are that these people are so suicidally forgiving.

Actually, I think that's part of the problem..."

* * *

?"Sliding through Dark Pulse, ?

?With the mopheads on my feet! ?

?Cleaning the dance floor-?

CINNAMONWAITSTOPDOOR!"

Cinnamon obediently slammed his butt down onto the slippery tiles and skidded to a halt. A moment later, his best friend and driver of increasingly dubious quality slid frictionless into one of the fire doors separating Dark Pulse's stairwell and lower floor, which had been locked shut while they cleaned. Evidently, 'Operation Mop-Skis' wasn't quite the unparalleled success Sugar had envisioned.

The door swung shut, leaving the groaning Emolga to fall on his back. Cinnamon quickly shuffled to his aid. "You alright?" he asked.

"Ugh. I'm fine, I think." Sugar quickly peaked under the bandages stuck to his wings. "...yea, nothing torn. Just..." He yelped in pain as his membrane caught on one of the buckles of his satchel and was briefly pulled taunt, aggravating the stitches. "...ow."

"What are you doing?"

Cinnamon turned towards the newcomer. She spoke with formal, perfectly enunciated words, and a tone that was less curious than contemptuous. He sniffed the air, but any identifying scents were masked by the smell of his most hated enemy: perfume. 'She's not a waiter, that's for sure.'

"Cleaning!" Sugar replied. Cinnamon offered the Emolga a paw and he quickly pulled himself up.

"Are you?" The stranger gave a conceited sniff, "Looks more like you are making fools of yourselves on the establishment's dime."

"That's because I am a genius and a multitasker!" Cinnamon could practically hear the goofy grin Sugar was shooting the newcomer. "So I can make a fool of myself and clean the floors!"

From the tone of her voice, she was unimpressed, "Café Plaisir has standards to uphold, and by shirking your duties you are failing to uphold them."

"I beg to differ!" Sugar circled around Cinnamon to point at the dance floor proper. "See that nice clean-ish dance floor? Fifteen minutes ago, it was a wasteland of dirt and grime and spilled beer and what I am for the sake of my own sanity assuming was some sort of discarded cupcake icing!"

Cinnamon sat up straight in surprise. "Wait, I stepped in WHAT!?"

Sugar continued, "Now it is clean....er. Still needs another lap or two before it's truly spotless."

"If you did your job properly, you wouldn't need multiple laps." The stranger retorted.

Sugar's tone turned triumphant, "Ahh! But consider I can only exert as much force on the mop as I weigh, so skiing around like that is about as much force as I'll ever apply to the mop. And since Cinnamon is so fast we're also covering more ground!"

"But you are not being thorough enough! There's still residue in the crevices between the tiles you have yet to consider." Her voice was gaining an edge, sliding from disapproval to irritation. Sugar was no better, his mask of indifference weathering away by the second. Both sides descending into greater and greater levels of pedanticity out of desire to 'win'. Cinnamon moved between the voices in an effort to diffuse the situation.

"But sitting here talking about it gets nothing done either way, right? Can we agree to disagree? Please?" Cinnamon looked between the two pokémon, anxiously.

Silence from both parties. 'Perhaps I should change the subject?'

"...SO! I guess you're here because Mister Pouncer had a message for us?" Cinnamon guessed.

There was a brief pause. "I actually came to assist you. I have been...incapacitated, slightly, and it is making my job as a masseuse difficult. But Mister Pouncer mentioned being understaffed, so I requested a temporary transfer." She said.

"Incapacit-Ooh!" Sugar put two and two together, "You're Elegance! You're the Mienshao that Pepper fought the other day!"

Cinnamon frowned, "Are you okay? Pepper didn't do anything permanent did she?"

"No, no." Elegance assured them. "It is merely a cracked rib and a headache. I shall endure."

"I'm sorry." Cinnamon bowed his head.

"It was not your fault. Your concern is appreciated, but I am fine."

"If you say so..." Sugar pulled the mopheads off his feet and dunked them in the cleaning cart left against the wall. "Pepper likes to play rough. I have yet to meet anyone who's fought Pepper seriously and come out 'Fine'. Even pokémon who straight-up beat her need to visit the infirmary afterwards."

"She lacks control." The Meinshao concluded. "She's reckless. She shouldn't be fighting."

"Doubtful, Definitely, and No." Sugar wrung out the mops and chucked them on the floor with a 'splat'. "I've seen her fight. She's got nothing but control over those vines of hers."

Elegance started on the first of the tables surrounding the room, methodically plucking leftover drinks and treats and leaning awkwardly to wipe the tables down without aggravating her rib. "I meant emotionally." She explained, "Whatever her physical skill, it amounts to nothing if a warrior isn't calm of mind."

"I think she's pretty skilled regardless of her emotions!" Cinnamon quietly followed the rhythmic slapping of the mops on the floor as Sugar spoke, the Emolga leading him back towards the center of the dance floor.

Elegance frowned, "Are you listening to me at all? You should clean the floors properly. Also, did her effect upon the Café Garden escape your notice?"

"Of course I'm listening! You're just wrong is all, on both accounts!"

"If she does not learn to bring her emotions under control..." Elegance placed something glass onto the cart with a little too much force. "...she will inevitably get someone killed. Probably herself."

Cinnamon desperately wanted to end this conversation before it got hostile...but he felt compelled to defend his friend in her absence, "Her injury isn't that bad, though..."

"Not that bad?!" There was a clattering in Elegance's direction, "She went into a seizure from a single strike!"

"It's a nerve-issue," Cinnamon explained, "The doctors fixed or...replaced the vertebrae or something to that effect a long time ago. You're not going to injure her, just cause a lot of pain."

"She was convulsing on the ground!"

"But she recovered on her own, right?"

Elegance said nothing, but didn't return to her work, either.

"Are you a doctor, Elegance?" Cinnamon asked.

Her continued silence was an answer unto itself.

"A Nurse? A...near-ologist?" Cinnamon barely waited before continuing, "Because if not, you really shouldn't be telling her what she can or can't do. She knows her body better than anyone else."

"But her estimates are colored by her desires." Elegance pointed out.

"And ours are colored by ignorance." He countered. "Pepper's the greatest fighter I've ever met. She's never let her injury stop her in a battle. The least you can do is respect her agency."

"Are you defending her? What she did?"

"Well, no! Not what she did, it's just..." Cinnamon stuttered, "Pepper said you called her 'delusional'. Is that true?" He asked.

"Yes. Because she is." Elegance replied, bluntly.

"I see," Cinnamon said, "Pepper's spent her whole life being told that she was destined to become a battler, then after the accident that she couldn't battle, then when she started recovering she was called a deadweight that shouldn't battle. And she's spent years learning to prove them wrong. What you said to her? Calling her aspirations 'delusions'? That's dredging up a lifetime of bad memories."

"Which doesn't make it any less true."

Cinnamon frowned and turned away. "You're judging her for how she acted after you called her a cripple, dismissed her passions and aspirations as fantasy, and reminded her of a lifetime's worth of neglect before leaving her looking impotent in front of a crowd of other people. And..." Cinnamon sighed, "Just, maybe give her a second chance? She's not so bad so long as you respect her."

"If I am to respect her, she should act respectably."

Cinnamon sighed and sagged in defeat, only to jump when he felt a cold hand on his shoulder. 'She's stealthy!'

"You're trying to defend your friend, and I respect that. But don't try to excuse her bad behavior: she won't learn if she isn't punished."

"Hey!" Sugar yelled from behind, "Are we here to clean or here to gossip?" He tugged on the rope tying him to Cinnamon for emphasis."

"This isn't punishment to her, though. Any more than being arrested is a punishment to a demonstrator." Cinnamon sighed and stood up on all-fours, preparing to run. "Pepper sees fighting as a fundamental aspect of herself. It's her identity. She'll defend it regardless of the consequences."

"Then she should find a new identity before she gets hurt." Elegance concluded. She turned and walked away, towards the tables to continue her work.

Cinnamon mumbled after her, "But there's nothing in the world that could hurt her more than what you've already said."

They worked in silence after that.

* * *

Well if not for yourself at least think about everyone else! Do you really expect Honey or Truffles to be able to defend us if you're stuck in someone else's pokéball? At least without resorting to drastic measures?

No. I'm not making Honey go back to battling. You know how much they hated it!

What about Cinnamon and Sugar? They're making friends here! You'd sooner rip them away from the first social contact they've had outside the team in years than...who am I kidding, you literally just did! And I imagine you'd do it again if given the opportunity, wouldn't you?

UUGH! We're a family , Pepper! We rely on each other! And when one of us puts themselves over the rest, that's when everything always goes wrong. You think I like leaving you guys here where I can't get to you if something goes wrong? Do you think I like sleeping alone under a bench? Does this look like the face of someone who is in a good place?! But I do it anyways, not because I want to but because I have to.

And now you're going to do it, too.

I got a job for you, Pepper.

* * *

'Where did the phrase 'Passing the Buck' come from?' Firenze wondered. It was a strange phrase. Did it refer to dollars or to Sawsbuck? He hoped the former, because the latter implied a connection to some darker and grimmer eras of history no one wanted to remember but dared not forget. Then again, he'd heard somewhere it was actually related to gambling, which was strange. Something to look up later.

Right now, he needed to deal with the employees foolish enough to play buck-hot-potato directly in front of him, about a problem which threatened not just their jobs but the whole café!

"I didn't check because they're former employees. HR is your job, remember?"

"Former Employees! They're regular citizens the moment they walk out the door. That makes them your problem!"

"My problem? None of this would have happened to begin with if you had done your job properly to begin with!"

"I do do my job properly. Whether people like you want to admit it or not!"

"Then what are we doing in this office, Clarice?!"

"Enough!" Firenze put his foot down. "Ms. Nikki, please make sense of all this for me."

Nikki sighed and turned her second screen around to face the greater room. It was filled with elements of the Café's upper management, with representatives from every shift as well as Clarice, Jack and Zeno representing the Café's psychic intercom team. All of them save Jack were reading the screen with growing horror. The latter didn't acknowledge it, busy as he was studying the inside of his paws by resting his face in them.

"From what I can tell, our employee reviews on the larger websites were scattered across the board for most of our history. We had plenty of positives and a few neutrals, but the negative reviews were very negative and seemed to come about every month or two." Nikki pulled up a scatter plot showing dozens of dots in multiple colors, with a line going through the center to emphasize the recent crash. "But then from what I can guess, some of the victims started meeting each other, or found each other online, or noticed each other's reviews, and made it their mission to tank our reputation as much as possible. We've gotten four times as many negative reviews this past month than we've had firings. Assuming Clarice's numbers are accurate!"

Clarice hissed at the implication. "My numbers are always accurate!"

"How many?" Jack asked.

Nikki shook her head, "Hard to tell. Some of the reviews share usernames, and some have different names but similar syntax. Anywhere between three and, at most, a dozen."

Hushed whispers filled the room. Firenze kept his face carefully neutral. He had to stay calm. In control. Jack may have been the CEO, but people looked to him first and foremost for leadership. "What are the common complaints?" He asked.

"Well, I didn't have time to assemble much on this short a notice, but the common themes are 'Management doesn't listen'," Nikki shot an accusatory look at HR's Glaceon whose icy aura was threatening to destroy her computer with condensation. "...'dead end job', and 'The Mightyenas'."

Jack groaned and pinched his forehead. "Eclipse, you're going to be the death of us!" Firenze felt inclined to agree. But he daren't say that out loud.

"There are also a few mentioning a 'Pushy coworkers' as well, but since you're not supposed to name names-"

"It's Rain Flower." someone said.

"...Yeah, probably." Nikki sighed and sagged in her chair. Her office went silent for a moment. Everyone exchanged looks, trying to gauge each other's reactions before offering their own.

"So then, what can we do about this?" Jack finally looked up and asked.

"About the review bombing? Pretty much nothing." Nikki admitted. "Some of these review sites have avenues for contacting the employees, but if they're really intent on talking shit about us, there's little we can do to stop them."

"Trying to apologize might just provoke them. Might ring hollow if we only do it now after they raised a fuss." Jack pointed out.

"Or they'll see it as a sign of weakness." Clarice added. She turned and caught Firenze staring at her. Something in his expression made her quickly look away.

Nikki continued, "We could issue a public statement, but then we'd have to admit, publicly, the nature and to some degree extent of Eclipse's crimes, or risk being accused of downplaying or lying about our mistakes. It's also a surefire way to ensure everyone knows about Eclipse." Nervousness crept into her voice the more she spoke.

"What if we do nothing? If we wait and don't provoke a reaction, perhaps we can bury the posts under positive reviews with time?" Clarice offered.

"We can't ignore it." Nikki's voice grew quiet. "Sooner or later this will get noticed or deliberately posted on public forums. From there it will spread, and our word-of-mouth reputation will be destroyed. Not just among potential recruits, but customers as well. Even repeat customers could find this to their distaste."

"The longer we wait, the worse the blowout." Firenze concluded.

"Exactly!" Nikki nodded. "Whatever we do, we need to do it quickly before the situation can get any worse.

The shuffling of paper brought everyone's attention to Jack. "I see a lot of 'is's' and 'are's' referring to our Mightyena." He said, "Do they not realize Eclipse was fired months ago?"

"I was asked to 'keep it quiet.' I removed his listing and any pictures from the website but made no formal announcements. Eclipse's fate and his crimes were on a need-to-know basis." Nikki replied.

Clarice spoke up again, desperate, "Is there any way you can delete those poor reviews? Or discredit them? Or bury them or-"

"I'm not a miracle worker Clarice! What do you want me to do? DDOS all the employee networking websites at once? Announce that two dozen angry ex-employees are liars? Do you realize how that would look? If you had done your job and not treated your complaints inbox as synonymous to 'garbage can', half of -no, all of this could have been avoided!"

"Enough." Firenze's voice came out cold, on the verge of emotionless. Nikki and Clarice immediately stopped to watch him. "The past is in the past. We have more immediate problems."

"More problems?!" Jack groaned.

Firenze braced himself, and broke the news, "Yesterday, Quippie and Prometheus ran across Eclipse on the road. He tried to kill them."

The room filled with gasps, then questions, then half answers gleaned from rumors already flying about in the wake of Prometheus's rampage down the halls the previous evening. Firenze hastened to quell the concerns. "They're alright! Nurse Boora's watching over Quippie. He was hurt, but nothing permanent! But it's only a matter of time before new waiters start asking questions. Then the rumors start spreading..."

"We had a hard-enough time stopping the scuttlebutt last time!" Nikki cried. "In fact, I don't think we can stop it at all now! Once the newbies hear of it, they'll get curious. If our senior waiters don't tell them they'll look online and if they look online..."

"...they'll see the reviews and form their own conclusions." Firenze mused. Mary had inadvertently handed them a boon. 'Had she not brought this to my attention, all this would have exploded in his face seemingly out of nowhere. We still have a chance to save ourselves from the blowback. '

Best they seize it while they still had time.

"Nikki!" Firenze said, curtly. "I want you to start generating responses to those reviews. Try to make them as personal as possible so they don't get the impression we're sending a blanket response."

"We're admitting fault?!" Clarice looked at Firenze in shock.

"Yes." Firenze turned to Jack, "Could you help her with this? Add your signature? You tend the bar, so many of our former employees will know you better than me."

The Typhlosion nodded tiredly.

"Hold on! We can't just publicly announce 'we harbored a rapist' to everybody!" Clarice protested.

"Rock, brief the security staff and start drawing plans to secure the resort. See how many people we might spare for a manhunt."

Rock jerked his head in the affirmative. "We'll need more than just the regular staff if you want to secure the building and conduct a manhunt."

"Noted."

"Excuse me but-"

"Zeno, alert the psychics. We need a general broadcast to everyone in the building: All personnel not currently occupied by a customer or tending a critical job need to meet us in Captivate in an hour. If everyone is going to learn the extent of Eclipse's crimes, I want them to learn it on our terms, not off the internet and definitely not from the rumor mill."

The Abra nodded but made no move for the exit. Odds were good the rest of the communications team were already listening in through his head anyways.

"Sir, this kind of dirt could destroy the Café! You can't just-" Clarice started to choke on her words as Firenze turned to her. Something about the look on his face must have terrified her -and everyone else, he realized- because everyone he looked at directly was making a point to turn away.

"You are going to call Coco and let her know what's happening. How much harder her job just became." He said, "Then I need you to schedule another meeting tomorrow for anyone who can't make it to the first. Make sure wherever you put it, it's away from any customers."

"Okay..." the HR Manager's voice came out as a whisper.

Firenze raised his voice to address the shift managers, "The rest of you were trusted with the truth in the interest of keeping it. Now I'm trusting you to stop any rumors before they can proliferate. Keep your ear to the floor and be honest with your charges. The last thing we need right now is panic."

There were some hesitant nods from the dozen other managers and personnel squeezed into the office.

"We're going to get through this! We've faced economic crises, Bible thumpers, racists, general societal disapproval and more and we've always come out stronger. Café Plaisir will not be threatened by one poor actor's misdeeds! Now let's get moving!"

Firenze watched as, one by one, the shift managers, security heads, and one cowed HR rep filtered out the door. In a moment it was just Nikki, Jack and himself.

"...One waiter." Jack buried his face between his paws, "One bad waiter is threatening to ruin our life's work!"

"He won't!" Firenze said with false confidence. "We'll beat this. We've rode out worse. And this time we saw it coming."

"I wish I could have your confidence." The Typhlosion despaired.

'So do I,' Firenze thought. He quickly stood and marched out the door. He had a speech to prepare, questions to anticipate. A business to lead.

But first.

He slipped into the restroom to refresh himself. A Ninetales should always look their best, especially in times of crises. He looked in the mirror. At that stoic face, the perfectly groomed coat, the excellent posture.

The tears soaking into his cheeks.

At the pain in his eyes.

No wonder the others couldn't look at him straight! Firenze shook himself out of his stupor and got to work.

* * *

We got a murderer running amok in the forest, his probably-rapist siblings are stalking the halls, the management is dishonest and hostile, and now Cinnamon and Sugar are both nursing injuries. We're stuck in debt, we have no legal identification, and we're functionally illegal immigrants. I can't think of a worse situation short of a freaking war breaking out around us. I can't have you flying off the handle on top of that!

That's not all, either. I got an invoice for Sugar's medical supplies. Read this.

...yea, I know. A lot. Too much for us to sustain on their meager salaries. That leaves us with two choices: Either we go home and risk getting found again while we wait for an order, or I get a job here and we live with the possible threat of the Mightyenas. But if we're going to do that, I need you here, protecting them. Aether knows I don't want Firenze's goons keeping watch. For all we know they'd sooner protect their own than risk the reputation of their company.

...

No, we're not 'trying again'. We lucked out already! How likely do you think it is we'll run across another business willing to hire the four of you all at once? It's not. Even if we did, the time it would take to get settled again Sugar would be out of supplies before replacements ever even shipped! We stay or we go home. Those're our options.

...

Yea...yea I know.

Fuck.

* * *

Mary wasn't anywhere close to drinking age, but when you live in the remote valleys of Johto miles from the nearest Sheriff, what you're allowed to do and what's legal are two very different things. She was well-used to the burn of alcohol. Mary leaned back and polished off the bottle in a series of long, greedy gulps.

October's bottle, of course. It wasn't as if she could order the beer.

October glared at her before continuing, "So yeah, now he's back. And from Prometheus's description he's looking meaner than ever."

"I left my pokémon alone in a building with two admitted accessories to rape..." Mary hunched back over the table. "...FFFFuck me."

"Hey now, I've known Sin and Dex personally for a long time now. I can attest they're good...ish pokémon. It's just...Eclipse...he was family. He drove them to it." Mary looked at October skeptically. The red Ninetales lifted a paw, "I swear on my honor, your friends are safe here!"

Mary frowned. Did he really think his word meant anything to her right now?

"Trust me!" October insisted, "We got tons of guards, bouncers...there's a panic button in all the major rooms."

Mary just rested her head on the table in response. All this news had only made her more exhausted. She surveyed the room, which had gotten steadily busier as the morning progressed. First some early risers, then more and more newcomers had entered to mingle, to chat, and of course to flirt. Eventually, they had been forced to commandeer a table in the corner of the room where they could continue the story in private.

Her eye caught upon the employee entrance adjacent to them slowly creaking open. Honey crept through the door, a number of bottles and cups balanced on a tray atop their disguise. They immediately offered their usual toneless greeting. " hello mary."

"Hello Honey!" Mary grunted and pulled herself off her hard wooden pillow. "How are you doing? Are they treating you well?"

" mostly yes." The Mimikyu reached over as he moved and dropped just enough bottles to restock the bar in front of Chai. " assisting inventory."

Mary eyed the remaining drinks on the platter. "Those for us?"

" yes." Honey reached up and deposited a pair of drinks onto the table. They immediately turned and started shuffling for the door.

"Uh, thanks?" October called after them.

"Don't mind them. Honey's never been one for extended conversations." Mary explained. She gestured towards the drinks, "They try to compensate with gifts."

Before October could reply, the ringing of a bell and a sudden lull in the ambient conversation pulled both of their attentions towards the front door.

Brilliant, downy white fur contrasted with bald navy skin. A curved, bladelike horn framing the right side of a perfectly passive face that held a pair of narrowed eyes that swept across and through the inhabitants of the room. An Absol, the Portents pokemon, a literal harbinger of disaster marched casually into the room and past the bar! Mary could do little but freeze where she sat and stare.

"Good Morning Omen!" October's voice was casual, but even he wasn't looking the newcomer in the eye. "Any rain today?"

"Not today, but there will be a storm Tomorrow and Friday morning." Omen moved to a magnetic calendar in the back of the room and marked the days with little cartoon rainclouds. She looked over at the group, Mary in particular. "You must be Mary! I take it your Pokémon are settling well?"

Mary didn't understand, and didn't dare take her eyes off the canine to pull out her hearing aid-turned-translator. She just sat and watched with a hand resting on the grip of her survival knife. The Absol sighed, looking slightly dejected, and made for the service hall leading deeper into the building.

Honey stood oblivious in her way.

"Watch it!" October's warning came a split second too late. One of Omen's hind legs brushed against Hastur's shell, Hir claws caught in the wool, and in one swift motion shi nearly unmasked the unaware Mimikyu. Hastur screeched in terror and quickly yanked the disguise to the floor in response, and the Absol was sent tumbling forward against the nearby wall.

For a moment there was silence as everyone in the bar stopped and stared at the unfolding drama in the back of the room.

"What?" The stumbling Absol twisted around and scanned the room. Mary noted Omen's gaze seemed to miss Honey's position by a fraction of a degree each time she swept the floor for obstacles, then across the room for potential pranksters. The Mimikyu by contrast sat glued to the floor and all but disappeared inside their shell as two dozen eyes turned to study them.

"Hmph," Omen grunted and continued out the door.

Mary waited until the door had swung shut before turning back to October. "You have an Absol?!"

"That's Omen. Our Weathermon."

"You're using an Absol to check weather?!"

"Is that a problem?"

Mary didn't answer and instead turned to where Hastur sat composing himself on the floor. "Honey! I thought you said this place was safe!"

" kinda is. sorry."

"What's the issue here, exactly?"

"That's an Absol! The disaster pokemon! And it's Living in your house!" Mary waved her arms for emphasis.

"So? What? Do you have something against Absols?" The Ninetales frowned "Is this another 'Johto' thing?

Mary leaned closer on the table, "Absols are extremely rare in my world. The only time you see one is right before a disaster"

"So you think they're bad luck?"

Mary shook her head "My people are very...results oriented. If you see an Absol, there's a disaster. Whether it causes the disaster or is trying to warn you of it or if it's just bad luck doesn't matter."

October looked at her curiously and leaned back in his chair. "So what do you do if you're out on a route and an Absol shows up?" He asked.

"We go home."

"-and if it follows you home?"

"We load the shotgun and test our fire alarms."

"What if an Absol marches into town?"

"Evacuation."

October sniggered at the superstitious human. Mary narrowed her eyes in response.

"I saw the way you looked at 'Omen'." She said, "You're creeped out too!"

October stopped laughing. "Okay, yes, shi's a little creepy but that's not hir fault!"

"Neither are the disasters, allegedly, but they still follow Absols wherever they go." Mary remained steadfast. "I think hiring him...her...them..."

"Hir, with an 'i.'"

"-hir might have been a mistake on Firenze's part."

"Oooh, that's racist!" October smiled.

"Remind me again how many 'Villains' you've fought since you got here?"

"Ra-cist!" His tone was teasing, but tinged with accusation.

"Isn't this place under siege by a serial rapist right now?"

"Super-duper, ali-uber racist!"

Mary groaned, exasperated. "Fine! You're right, I'm wrong, maybe it's all just a terrible coincidence." She leaned back and spun around in her seat to face her pokémon. "You alright, Honey?"

The hidden Pokémon squeaked an affirmative.

"What happened back there? It was like she couldn't even see you." October asked. Honey's disguise bounced up and down to approximate a shrug.

"Actually," October leaned forward over the table to look at the ghost type. "I wanted to ask you about that. How in the world did someone as superstitious as you come to adopt Mimikyu?"

"Mimic you?" Mary looked perplexed.

"That is what Hastur is, right? A Mimikyu?"

"I don't know! I just found them following us through the woods one day."

"And captured them?"

" no. adopted."

"Craziest thing! A whole bunch of convenient snacks and gifts and stuff kept showing up on the road the day before, so I thought they might be trying to make friends out of us." Mary explained, "'Us' being just me and Cinnamon at the time." Mary took a sip from her drink. Some sort of pineapple-flavored concoction that reminded her of a fruit stand she'd found in Goldenrod.

October eyed his drink, this one a strange grey-orange color, that Hastur had left on the table. It looked...familiar. But also, unnatural, especially with how it bubbled and frothed at the slightest vibration. He picked up the drink and sipped it. He gasped, then started chugging the drink in earnest.

"October?"

October polished off the drink and stared at the glass, "I haven't tasted this since...since a friend made it for me waaay back when! It was designed to help stabilize my physical form whenever I was between worlds. It's one of a kind!"

Mary just stared at him, dumbfounded. "Right...what's it taste like?"

He frowned. Clearly his fellow traveler failed to see the significance of a supernatural stabilizing agent. But then again, she probably didn't believe him about the whole 'interdimensional shapeshifter' thing anyways. "Uh, orange juice. It tastes like really sweet orange juice." It didn't, but it would keep her from getting curious. October looked back at the Mimikyu. "Where did you get this? And how?"

" lucky guess." Honey's costume bobbed up and down again. October opened his mouth to inquire further...and froze.

Mary looked at him, confused. "...October?" She looked around. Several of the other waiters in the room suddenly looked equally distracted, though some hid it better than others.

The Ninetales snapped out of his trance a moment later, shaking his head. "I need to go." He said. "Firenze is calling an emergency meeting."

"How do you-"

"Psychics." October explained, grimacing. "Intrusive little sods like to beam orders directly into our brains!"

"Why not just use pagers?" Mary asked.

"Because customers find random beeping text messages unsexy." October's face briefly switched between a dozen different emotions. "...And because it lets those voyeuristic assholes conduct employee evaluations without interrupting our work."

Mary's eyes widened, "They DO that!?"

"Just a rumor. ...but with psychic types you can never be sure." October muttered into his empty glass.

"Sounds awful. Why do you work here?" Mary said, sympathetically.

"There are plenty of reasons! The people are great, the work is rewarding, different experiences every day. It's just...it only takes one bad apple to ruin a barrel, you know?"

"Hmm..." Mary perked up as a cacophony of shouting, clanging and the occasional 'crack' emanated from the door behind her. "Alright. I got a few things to take care of. Thanks for filling in for Firenze."

"Anytime." October slid to the floor and made for the west exit towards Captivate.

"Hold on! Before you go..." Mary rose from her chair and carefully positioned herself in front of the door. Ignoring the strange looks from the other customers, she carefully braced herself, spread her arms and waited...

...for the overexcitable grass-type who came bursting through the door, directly into Mary's chest. The force of the impact was enough to send the two of them tumbling to the ground, Mary landing flat on her back with the Chikorita gripped in both hands against her chest.

Pepper recovered first. She looked down at her trainer in surprise. "Mary?"

"Pepper," The Trainer replied sternly. "We need to talk."

* * *

Don't give me that look! You're going to do it. It doesn't matter how much it hurts. It doesn't matter how much you loathe to do it. You're going to do it because you have to do it, just like I have to leave you guys here again, no matter how much it kills me inside!

Look, don't think of it as giving up. Think of it as an opportunity! They're organizing a search for him, right? Well, there's a bounty out for him, too...and he's built up something of a reputation as well!

...Now you're getting it! But if you're going-PEPPER! If you're going to do it, make sure Cinnamon and Sugar are somewhere safe with Honey before you leave!

...and, just be careful, okay? It's not worth your life.

...I know.

...Love you.

* * *

The room wasn't quite packed, but it was crowded. Every seat had been taken and many of the taller staff had inconsiderately chosen to stand at the front near the center stage, leaving smaller pokémon in the cheap seats a wonderful view of absolutely nothing. It was also loud, the room's cavernous nature serving to amplify the concerned speculations of the crowd into a dull roar that forced Sugar to guide his friend and steed about by the scruff of the neck.

"Do you see them?" Cinnamon asked.

"I'm sixteen inches tall! All I see are shins!" He answered. "Hold on, gimme a boost?"

The Linoone complied, allowing Sugar to crawl on his head before rocking back on his haunches to provide a whole two extra feet of height. "What do you see?"

Sugar grunted in frustration, "A million furry butts, but no Pepper or Honey."

Cinnamon carefully fell back to all-fours.

"...I didn't say you should stop!" Sugar joked. The Linoone responded by smiling and shaking himself rapidly like a dog. Sugar giggled and clutched at Cinnamon's face for balance, "AAAH! Okay, okay! Let me down!"

Cinnamon laughed and stopped, lowering his head to the floor and letting his companion tumble over, dizzy. "Ah, how about you, wise guy? Smell anything?"

Cinnamon shook his head, "No, too many other Pokémon. All I smell is sweat, and fear."

'-And sex, but that's a given!' Sugar finished in his head. He looked at his companion, confused, "Fear?"

"Yea, listen."

Sugar perked his ears and started to concentrate. His hearing was infinitely more sensitive than Cinnamon's, but his friend had grown far more skilled at picking out the most relevant sounds from the ambiance. Conversations, for example. Sure enough, as Sugar angled his ears at various waiters, their worried mumblings resolved into worrying conversations.

"...I heard he even managed to get Oberon..."

"...dozens, possibly scores..."

"...was he again?"

"Yea, but did they disappear or were they 'disappeared'?"

"...shoulda been there, man, they blew out half the glass in the courtyard!"

"-think they found bits of him all over the street!"

"...n't October beat him though?"

"Think that speaks more to his skill not..."

Sugar looked at Cinnamon. "Who're they talking about?"

"I think they're talking about that Mightyena from yesterday." Cinnamon said. "I guess news travels quickly here." He paused. "And not all of it is accurate..."

Sugar continued listening. There was indeed speculation. Talks of rape, dismemberment, body counts, disappearances, everything under the sun. There was even one panicked looking Eevee swearing up and down that Eclipse was actually a Darkrai.

Something large and orange caught Sugar's attention. "Hey, Prometheus!"

The massive, multi-tailed Arcanine was standing some ways away from the crowd, relying purely on his natural height to get a clear view of the stage. Sugar quickly grabbed Cinnamon and led him back to the great dog. "Hey! Prometheus! Down here!"

Prometheus finally took notice and smiled in recognition. "Ah! Cinnamon and...I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name yesterday."

"Sugar!"

"Fitting!" He rumbled in response.

"How's Quippie doing? Is he okay?" Cinnamon asked.

"No!" A familiar voice called back. Sugar looked around to see the Linoone in question sprawled across Prometheus's back. Each of his feet were wrapped in bandages that stretched up to his forelegs. They were mostly unsullied, though dried blood had crusted around the hole through which his claws poked out. The Linoone himself was looking grumpy and resigned in equal measures.

Sugar waved, "Quippie! How fare the legs?"

"Throbbing." Quippie grunted, annoyed. "Nurse Boora says no more anesthetics until after dinner."

Cinnamon whined in sympathy, remembering his own experience with post-surgical healing. "How long?' he asked.

"Thirteen Days." Quippie groaned. "She didn't even want to let me out of the clinic yet!"

"You're lucky you got a giant orange taxi to shuttle you around. Mind if we join you?" Sugar glanced at Prometheus, who shrugged and crouched to let Sugar clamber up his shoulder. He turned and reached down with one arm, "Cinnamon?"

"I can hear just fine from down here." Cinnamon assured them.

The door burst open and a final wave of waiters, security and support staff flooded into the room; employees who preferred interpretation of "punctual" was "five minutes after meeting's start". The newest arrivals brought the ambient noise in the room to a crescendo that precluded further conversation between the four of them.

From his new vantage point Sugar was able to determine that neither Honey nor Pepper were in the room. 'Where are they?' The psychic summoning had been vague, but insistent, and from the mood of the room this clearly wasn't a common occurrence. If it concerned the Mightyena they'd encountered yesterday as Sugar suspected, this would probably determine their future in this world, assuming they had one.

Movement at stage-left caught Sugar's eye. It was Firenze, muttering to a Typhlosion he'd seen once or twice manning the bar. The two were looking back and forth between each other and something in the crowd. Sugar followed their gaze towards a pair of Mightyenas leaning against each other in one of the darker corners of the already pretty dark room. 'Relatives? Former associates, maybe?' They were certainly getting a lot of suspicious looks, that was for sure,

Firenze donned a headset with a microphone and walked towards the center of the stage, solemn faced. "Good Morning everyone!"

His voice boomed over the speakers and the ambient noise of the room fell a couple decibels.

"...if I may have your attention..."

The noise in the room fell slightly further, though many pokémon insisted on gleaning the truth through chatter with their friends rather than listen to the source on stage.

"...Excuse me!" Firenze's expression grew annoyed.

Somebody in the crowd had the gall to start shouting over Firenze. Sugar's eyes wandered back to the Typhlosion just in time to see him flicking the power switch on a microphone.

He was standing next to a speaker.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

...

"Thank you!" Firenze ignored the crowd's glares at the smirking Typhlosion. "Ladies and Gentlemon of Plaisir! Before we begin this little emergency meeting, I would like to thank all of you for the hard work and dedication you've exhibited over the years! I understand sometimes upper management has acted rather remote, but do understand that your efforts are noticed and appreciated. Plaisir is built on pleasure; mutual pleasure, and that is something no spreadsheet or finance report could ever supersede. Plaisir is what it is today through your efforts more than any others, and I am very, very proud!"

Many of the waiters beamed at the commendation. Sugar, being an almighty floor wiper, did not. But he couldn't help but feel that Firenze's speech wasn't entirely directed at them...

"So some of you are no doubt wondering why I called you here away from your all-important duties. Others probably have their suspicions, but rest assured we'll answer all your questions in due time." Firenze paused and his gaze swept the room before locking onto Prometheus near the back. "But first, an announcement!

It has come to my attention that in the event Plaisir is forced to play host to any underage guests that we have nowhere, ah, appropriate to keep them overnight. I have spoken with Paith, and she has agreed to set aside a couple rooms for potential guests who are either unwilling or unable to be accommodated in the guest block until the next bus. Should such a situation arise, please call security and let them know they need to escort our guests across the way."

The announcement was met with disinterested silence, save a few unhappy mutterings from the security teams at the prospect of walking ungrateful trainers outside through cold rain or worse. Sugar quickly clambered back onto Prometheus to get a better view.

"Now, I'm sure a few of you have heard about yesterday's inciden-" was about as far as Firenze managed before he was overwhelmed by questions.

"Is this about Eclipse?!"

"Where is he?!"

"What happened to him!?"

"Where has he been all this time!?"

"Have you called the police?!"

"What happened?!"

"Who is this Eclipse guy anyways?!"

"Is it true he's the reason for all those disappearances?!"

"How many Waiters did he rape?!"

"Did he kill his victims or just threaten to?!"

"How strong is he?!"

"Are we in danger?!"

"What are you doing to protect us?!"

"Did he really eat Quippie?!"

"I'm right here!" A hundred-odd eyes turned to look at the indignant and very-much-uneaten Linoone. Firenze took that moment to reassert control of the conversation.

"Yes, for those of you who weren't here at the time, Eclipse was one of our senior employees who specialized in predator-play and nonconsensual roleplay. Unfortunately, he was less than considerate towards his chosen partners and his behavior became more and more extreme over time..."

Firenze's expression grew grave, "At some point he began raping other waiters outright, and then intimidating them into leaving the Café. We're not entirely sure how many nor how badly hurt his victims were. Eventually his crimes came to light, as they always do, and he was run off the premises. A warrant for his arrest was issued and he hadn't been seen since."

"They don't know how many he raped?" someone whispered.

"Sounds more like an excuse not to tell us if you ask me!" another answered.

Sugar turned to Quippie. "Did you know anything about this?"

"Yea," he replied, his eyes locked on the stage, "It's a long story. He hurt a lot of pokémon."

"How badly?"

Firenze seemed to have anticipated just such a question. "We do know that none of the victims suffered permanent physical harm!" he said, hastily. "But to date, none of them have been willing to return to the Café."

"Why tell us now?!" Someone shouted.

Firenze found the voice in the crowd and fixed a stare in their direction. "Because the privacy of the victims necessitated discretion. But recent developments have justified a full disclosure. Unfortunately, it seems Eclipse has returned. Yesterda-"

Another flurry of questions from the audience. More questions of how much and when and where and how and why. This time none of the four witnesses needed warning: when Jack once again silenced the room with feedback their ears were already closed.

"As I was saying, yesterday Eclipse tried and failed to lay a trap for one of our waiters on the road east of Plaisir. Eyewitnesses say he looked emaciated and said he intended to kill and eat Quippie, but fortu-"

"Bullshit!" Sugar twisted around to see one of the Mightyena -the female- on all-fours. "Eclipse would never murder someone, let alone eat them!"

Firenze returned her challenging stare with a look of concern. "Sinister-"

"Dex, back me up here!" The Mightyena turned towards her more reluctant fellow.

Dextus glanced around at the crowd and spoke nervously, "Yea, he was always dangerous, but I can't recall him ever attacking someone with the intent to kill...except maybe one time with October and the Shadow...ball..." He trailed off at the shocked expression on Sinister's face.

"No! He wouldn't! He'd rather starve!" Sinister circled around again, trying to bolster her sibling's flaccid defense.

"Eclipse was leaving too close to winter. No time to prepare." A surprisingly large, blue-furred Sylveon - not shiny, just blue - spoke up from amid the security teams. "Is not so cold like old country here, but is not picnic either. Have you heard saying, 'mad with hunger?'" He shook his head sadly. "Have seen it before, on rescue missions. Team gets snowed in. Hunger comes. The strong will do anything to survive. Anything." He grimaced, shaking his head. "Is... not pretty."

"He'd die first!" Sinister insisted.

"Or at least tried to steal something from town!" Dextus added.

"A town full of trainers and cops looking to imprison him or worse?" Another stranger asked.

"YES!" She barked back. "Eclipse is many things, but he isn't a murderer!"

"Seemed pretty murderous to me!" Quippie yelled. That put a lot of questioning eyes on the wounded Pokémon clustered on and around Prometheus. Cinnamon circumspectly shuffled closer to the great dog out of reflex.

"Sinister," Firenze padded down the runway towards the argument. "We have five eyewitness-"

"Four!" Sugar yelled, pointing down at Cinnamon.

"Four-and-a-half eyewitness accounts. They confirmed it was Eclipse. I'm sorry, but your brother seems to have...gone feral."

"No." Sinister spoke with an air of finality, as if saying it made it true.

"Hey, yeah!" Sugar nearly lost his balance twisting about to track each new speaker. This one a Purrlion marching across the room. "Eclipse's your brother, isn't he? How much do you know about all this?"

"What?" Sinister's eyes widened.

"I'm just saying, we all know your family is unusually close." She used her claws to make quotation marks in the air. "Who's to say you weren't covering for him?" Sugar caught the look of panic on Dextus's face the same moment the Purrloin did. "In fact," she continued, "Who's to say you're not covering for him now?"

Sinister gave the cat a guttural growl, showing her full suite of razor-sharp teeth, "And who's a wretched little rumormonger like you to question our loyalties?" The Purrloin halted in place, suddenly realizing just how much larger the Mightyena she was probing was.

"Uh, Sin?" Dex tapped his sister's shoulder. Sinister looked up to find their corner of the room was suddenly a lot less crowded, save for some of the bouncers edging their way between them and the rest of the crowd.

"Enough!" The less combat-inclined of Plaisir turned back towards Firenze, who was giving the crowd as a whole a stern look. "We have enough problems on our plate. We can't afford internal strife on top of everything else! Sinister and Dextus have proven their loyalty to the Café on numerous occasions. They have my full confidence!"

The crowd reluctantly turned their attention away from the Mightyena, though not without a fair number of suspicious mutterings. Sugar also noticed a fair number of questioning looks coming his and Quippie's way. He suspected they might become very popular after the meeting for all the wrong reasons.

"You asked what we were going to do, and I will tell you. As of today, the forest is off-limits. It is strongly advised that nobody ventures further than the bus stop, all outside doors are to be locked, and we'll have additional guards keeping watch from the roofs just in case Eclipse tries to sneak into the building." Firenze's voice built in confidence as he spoke. "Anyone looking to move between here and Pro²creations should ask the front desk for an escort. We're not taking any chances."

Despite the manager's confidence, Sugar could hear discontented murmurings among the crowd. Then he realized 'This means we can't go running outside anymore!' Sugar shivered. There was that claustrophobia again.

Assuming Mary didn't immediately haul them to the other side of the next region.

"AND! We're not going to sit around and wait for Eclipse to come to us! The police don't have the manpower to search the woods and the trainer's bounty hasn't yielded results, so this time we intend to deal with him ourselves." Firenze nodded at the Sylveon, "Petier has volunteered to organize search parties. Anyone with combat or tracking experience is welcome to assist. We'll announce a briefing for those interested later today."

The murmurings intensified.

"I'm sure many of you are concerned but please have faith. Plaisir has faced down criminals, uncouth guests, protestors, legal action, disease, property damage, economic downturns, and unfortunate accidents of all sorts and severities. We have always come through these harder times all the stronger for them. All the better able to improve lives with positive experiences and pleasure for all. I am confident that if we work together and remain confident in our fellow waiters, we can get through this crisis just as well as any other!"

'Sure, whatever,' Sugar and no doubt hundreds of other waiters thought in unison. The crowd, sensing a dismissal, started to shift towards the exits.

"One more thing!" Firenze half shouted, "Eclipse's victims were many and varied and all of them were harmed immeasurably by the experience. Please, do not try to figure out who they are, or ask them about what happened. Respect their privacy! Nobody should have to relive such a terrible chapter of their lives to sate your curiosity. If you have questions, your shift managers have been briefed on the matter."

And with that, Firenze turned and made for backstage. Quickly, before anyone had time to interrogate him on the little details that might sap his authority or raise doubt in his leadership. At least, that's how the little Emolga in the back of the room saw it.

* * *

I'm going to go talk to Cinnamon and Sugar after this; make sure they're okay. After I leave, the three of you aren't to leave each other's sight! Or at the very least, they need to be with Honey. But never alone. Oh, and I think we'll use your training potions to try and accelerate their heali- Pepper what did I say? I don't want to hear it! You're lucky I don't make you hand those over to the Meinshao you hurt! Family first, ambitions later. If you had considered the consequences of your actions on Monday, maybe we wouldn't have needed to use your potions now. Consider it a fitting punishment for your carelessness.

Soon as this blows over, or we've got enough money to move on, I promise I'll take you out and we'll fight a whole bunch of gyms or trainers or whatever. But for right now, at least pretend you're remorseful? We really can't afford to take their mercies for granted, because I get the feeling after today such generosity will be in short supply.

I'm trusting you, Pepper! Please do not let me down!

* * *

Firenze made a point to keep his perfect posture long after the announcement. He put on his most confident smile, reassured the managers watching from behind the curtain, and made a few quick, generalized orders whose effects amounted to "stay calm and keep doing your jobs." Then he excused himself at the earliest opportunity and hurried for his room on the second floor.

He could feel the façade peeling away with each passing second. He felt sick, in a way he hadn't felt since the incident in Florida. There was an existential crisis brewing in the back of his mind as everything he thought he knew and thought he was was called into question.

Firenze had always thought himself the caring and attentive manager.

"1/10: The Management is neglectful at the best of times,

especially if you're a support staff, or working outside the

busier shifts. Good luck being heard if there's an actual

problem!"

He thought himself fair, and honest. He thought he was giving Pokemon a chance to be their best selves!

"0/10: Every time I complained I was either told off or

accused of trying to 'ruin' another waiter's reputation. Next

thing I know, I'm stuffed in a suitcase and on the wrong side

of the border with no money and no way home!"

He thought he had made Plaisir a free and open home of pleasure welcome to all.

"0/10: Spent nearly my entire stint at the joint running

from Mightyena or being harassed by a fish!"

'Damn you, Eclipse!' Firenze shook his head. He couldn't mope about all that now! He still had so much to do. Clarice needed dealing with, as did Rain Flower, and he knew from the looks on their faces that his answers hadn't been enough for the waiters. The rumors would still be flying thick and fast. He had police to contact, paperwork to file, wrongs to right, apologies to offer...But at least now after the meeting nobody could accuse him of being unforthcoming.

"Wow, you really like your secrets, don't you?"

Firenze froze. He quickly checked his flanks, then looked up at the ceiling. At Pepper, hanging from one of the light fixtures overhead, giving him a sly smile. He quickly composed himself.

"Pepper," Firenze said coolly, "Please remove yourself from my ceiling this instant."

The Chikorita obeyed, smoothly flipping backwards off the light before catching herself in a pile of vines on the floor. "Sorry about that! But I needed to speak with you soon-ish, and I didn't feel like explaining myself to every Tom, Dick, and Harry between the bar and your room.

"So you decided to hide on my ceiling." Firenze was not in the mood for this. He needed time to recover. To plan. To rest. Not hear out this troublemaker twenty-four hours overdue for banishment.

"Well, most of you are canines and medium quadrupeds are terrible about never looking up. Same with humans, too, and most bipeds. Case in point..." Pepper looked at a point just over Firenze's head. He followed her gaze.

The joltick hanging from the ceiling squeaked in dismay, "You ratted me, out you little bitch!" He scuttled back and around the corner upside, down, yelling the whole way. "That Ninetales was mine! I'll be back, you hear me! I got friends and my friends got friends and when we return, we're all gunna kick your ass...

Firenze turned his attention back to the persistent paraplegic. "Very well. What do you need to speak about? Please make it quick, I have a lot on my plate at the moment."

Pepper's posture fell, as did her expression. "I'd like to say I'm..." She took a deep breath, "...I am sorry for breaking your windows...and endangering your workers and patrons and breaking the TV and disturbing the peace and running in the halls and-" her voice dropped and the last words came through bared teeth, "assaulting your staff."

Firenze looked at her, surprised. "Well, I'm glad to hear that." He said, "And I'm happy to part ways on better terms-"

"Yeeeeaaa about that..." Pepper grimaced, "Iwouldliketocontinueworkinghere." She almost seemed to vomit the words more than speak them.

Firenze's pleasant smile grew strained. "I see. And why do you want that? I was under the impression you hated working here."

Pepper recovered from her momentary nausea. "A couple reasons." She admitted "Mostly protecting my friends. I caught the second half of your meeting, and I'm not comfortable leaving them in their company alone!" She didn't need to specify. Firenze had the feeling the Mightyena twins would be getting a lot of flak these next few weeks. "Sugar and Cinnamon can't defend themselves from the likes of them, or Rain Flower for that matter, and this way I can at least keep an eye on them, even if Mary can't."

"Ah, I understand now!" Firenze nodded, "You aren't sorry at all. But you're willing to apologize and act the part if it means protecting your friends." He raised an eyebrow, "Certainly an admirable sentiment, if nothing else."

Pepper held his gaze, "I would also like to volunteer to help you catch Eclipse."

"What?" His expression fell back into shock.

"I'm fast, I'm trained, I'm far better fed and practiced than some half-starved canine, I even come with my own ropes! Let me catch him for you!" She was excited now, back on her vines. Her eyes were shining with enthusiasm and bloodlust in equal measure.

Firenze looked at her, doubtful "I don't think that-" Firenze nearly said, 'is very safe', only to realize who he was talking to, and how many lightweight and highly frangible objects populated the halls. "-that I can approve of that without your trainer's permission." A complete fabrication. He didn't give a Rattata's tail what Mary wanted out of her Pokémon, but he was at his wit's end and far too stressed to improvise a better excuse.

Pepper sensed the pause and scowled.

"Furthermore!" He hurriedly added, "Why should I hire you after what you did to my garden and my valuable staff?"

A smile crept onto Pepper's face, "The way I see it, you don't have much of a choice! You just admitted to your own employees that one of your own has gone kill-happy and is on the loose, and has siblings of questionable allegiance among their ranks. How much you wanna bet tomorrow's inbox is gunna be filled with leave requests? Or even resignations."

Firenze adopted a neutral expression.

"...And from what Mary told me, your recruitment prospects aren't so great either. Something about really bad employee reviews? At this point, you need every paw you can get, and I'm worth about four of any other custodian!" Pepper flexed her eight vines for emphasis.

Firenze remained stoic.

"...And, you seemed quite eager to keep my friends in your employ. I may not know why, but I know Mary wouldn't let you keep them another minute if she thinks they're in danger. If Mary found out what happened to Cinnamon the other day..."

Firenze interrupted her, "That's confidential! Cinnamon specifically requested we keep that quiet."

"Confidential for YOU, maybe. But I'm not Cinnamon's coworker right now; I'm his friend. And as his friend I'll tell whomever I like, so long as it keeps him safe. Mary, for instance!"

"You would really betray him?" Firenze's glare did nothing to deter the petulant plant.

"To save him, yes. And the rest of my team if that's what it takes. The way I see it..." Pepper lifted a pair of vines to count off the options:

"Either you hire me back on, I stay in close proximity to my friends and ensure they're safe personally." She plucked the first vine with a foreleg. "...Or you ignore my proposition, and I tell Mary what happened, and she inevitably takes all of us away to somewhere safer than this." She plucked the second vine.

"I will not be dictated to." Firenze muttered angrily.

"Too late, you just were!" Pepper rose incrementally higher, just a couple inches, forcing Firenze to look up to meet her gaze, "Either way I get what I need: my friends, safe and by my side. The question is if you'd like some help with your hired resources issues or no."

Firenze fumed. This little fiend had the gall to demand to be hired back, after what she did? For a brief moment Firenze entertained the idea of letting security throw her to the curb. It wasn't as if they needed her or her team, and if they did, he was sure Clarice had contracts that would force Cinnamon and Hastur and Sugar to pay off their advance.

But then reality sunk in. He did have a hired resources problem, and even if he forced Mary's team to stay to pay off their advance, such a ham-fisted act would most assuredly turn them off of the idea of living outside Mary's influence for good. And...Pepper had a point. He couldn't prove to anyone that Eclipse's siblings or Rain Flower were safe; it was his word versus their reputation, and the Mightyena twins had gone out of their way to build up a dangerous reputation.

Pepper waited patiently for her answer.

"...You won't earn a single nickel from us until you pay off those windows." Firenze muttered.

"Fair enough!" She replied. "...The fuck's a nickel?"

"And if you step even a single toe out of line, I'm banning you from Plaisir for good!"

"Fine."

"Petier will be holding a meeting at 3:00pm tomorrow to organize the first patrols. If you want to help, talk to him."

"Gotcha."

"Now get out."

"Sure thing, 'Boss'!" And with that Pepper rocked forward before swinging backwards out the door.

And thus, finally and truly alone, Firenze allowed himself a single exasperated groan. Forget Rain Flower. Forget Clarice. Forget Eclipse! These extradimensionals would have him six feet under before he turned forty!