FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The sky grumbled lazily beneath its blanket of gloom and clouds. Slowly drifting along in a clumpy mess of light and dark, the clouds debated endlessly about whether they were planning to douse the land below with rain and chill. The wind was already blowing at an ominous march, promising that something stronger was sure to be along.

Alice tugged her jacket tighter to her body, inwardly grumbling about the frosty reception the weather was giving her today. The fine sweat she had built up was all over her body, giving the wind ways in it normally wouldn't.

"I should have skipped exercise today." She muttered quietly, knowing that even as she said it, she would have gone anyways. Exercise was a valuable outlet for her; it helped to create a sense of balance between her mind and body. Even with her dislike of the cold, she would have still gone - even if she had to go naked!

Flushing a bit as she considered the indecency of her thought, she tried once more to pull her jacket closer and hurried her steps back to her home.

That home was the Sunny Hill Resort; a lovely expansion upon an older daycare center for Pokemon that now allowed more permanent residency. They did rooms for both Humans and Pokemon, though their specialty was for the latter. It gave Pokemon more excuses to integrate with humankind as their relationship evolved, and allowed humans to enjoy a taste of nature that trainers and those that interacted with Pokemon were used to.

Quickly slipping into the entrance, Alice let out a sigh of relief as the wind was replaced by warmth - The air was dry and warm thanks to the air conditioning. She loosened her jacket to allow her body to breath once more and found herself debating something particular.

Yes. Today was definitely a day where a nice hot bath was called for.

So she promptly made her way through the halls towards the spa area. A quick inquiry with the spa clerk confirmed that the baths hadn't seen much use for the day, which meant there was still plenty of hot water.

The golden, swiveled handle turned effortlessly, letting her slide in and lock the door behind her with a soft click. She reached up and slid the sign until the words 'occupied' were visible.

Now safely on her own, Alice let her thoughts wander as she turned the spigot to the large, ornate tub. A short hiss in the pipes signaled the impending eruption of a waterfall, following by the splash and crawlers of water racing across the tub bottom.

With the sound of the miniature waterfall to fill the background, she turned and began to strip. Off came the heavy black jacket, exposing a neatly fitted sweater of lavender. With it were her workout leg warmers, black like her jacket, and a few bits of jewelry for her ears and a cloth choker.

There was nothing else to remove. After all, most Pokemon wandered around practically naked, even in today's society. She didn't really need pants or undergarments: Apart from the choker, she took it all off when she trained!

Innocent immodesty. It made Alice giggle silently as she found herself thinking about it again, now wearing her best outfit, she dipped a paw into the water to check how hot it was.

Across the room from her spot was a full length mirror, showing her reflection. Settled on a small stool, a long-bodied ermine hummed a well memorized tune, legs crossed in the human fashion as one digitigrade foot idly bounced. Entirely furred, her coat was mostly white in color, save for her legs, the belt line of her waist, some select markings on her face, and of course the tips of her tail and arm sleeves. She had two long whiskers that were tipped in yellow in contrast: A Mienshao; the Martial Arts Pokemon.

As the tub filled she reached for some nearby shampoo, ideal for adding to the water so she could soak he fur more easily for cleaning. This one had a light scent to it, which she was grateful for - she wasn't fond of many fragrances, at least not for washing. Once the tub was full, it smelted only faintly of vanilla. Not wanting to let all the inviting steam go to waste, she eased herself in slowly, hissing with delight.

Oh, so lovely! The heat sank straight through her fur, past her skin, and right down into her bones. She spread herself out along the incline of the tub, keeping her head safely above the water line as the rest of her disappeared into its depths. She glanced down once she was fully settled, and spotted her pointy toe claws sticking out. With a child-like indulgence, she gave them all a little wiggle.

Then, she closed her eyes and let her mind drift on the scent of vanilla and steam, bobbing and moving with the flow of endless currents. She could faintly hear the sound of a growing storm, pattering against the walls...

---

She almost fell asleep, but only almost. She washed herself properly as she enjoyed the rest of her soak, almost regretting having to let the water swirl away down the drain.

Rather than put her sweaty garments back on, she slipped on one of the complimentary bathrobes and tucked her outfit neatly over an arm. As she switched the door sign and let herself out, she couldn't help but feel like one of the pampered honeymooners that came to the resort.

If only she had a partner to make the illusion compl- Oh!

Alice blinked in surprise as she took in what she was seeing. A human, drenched to the skin, steadily squishing his way by. Brown hair, green eyes, and definitely looked like he wished he had taken a rain coat with him.

"John!?"

He paused and turned. When he saw her his face lit up in surprise - he smiled. "Alice? Hey! Did you get caught in the rain too? Good idea, warming up."

She smiled back to him with a cant to her head. "I made it before it rained, but I was so sweaty from my work out the wind kept sending chills up my jacket. Arceus, John, you're in a horrible state!"

"Yeah, I'm off to showers in the back for when anyone falls into the sand or mud pits and all." John jerked a thumb off towards the showers in question, sending water flying.

With this, Alice frowned, and arched a brow at him. She didn't say anything, but she saw the slightly guilty look in his eyes. "John... You're soaked to the bone. Come; I just finished, and they haven't been busy. There should still be plenty of hot water that you can draw yourself a bath and actually soak in some heat so you don't catch sick." She gestured to the very door she had come from, nudging it open to reveal the opulent room and its large tub.

John hesitated - the bath was meant for guests. Any such objection was quelled with another look as she waited, patiently, for him to do the sensible thing. Finally he sighed, and made his way over. "Can't argue with a guest, Alice. I'll be happy to oblige your good senses right now." he looked down at her, being about a foot taller by design. He made a go at trying to tickle under her muzzle, and she in turn feigned a nip at his hand - and joke specially between them - and slipped inside. "Here is hoping this doesn't rain out the festival at the hall later this week. Seems like a dozy... Oh! Wait!"

Alice had just about been ready to say goodbye and leave when he spoke up. He slipped into the room and picked up something from the floor. "I think this is yours, right? Little rainbow paint strokes on the front?"

She couldn't help but flush a bit that he recalled her choker so readily. "Thank you! It's my favorite." She took it and bent down into a bow. "Now you hurry up and get yourself warm and dry, please. I would hate to have to nurse you back to health because you got lazy."

That got a laugh out of him. "But then I get to talk to you all day and give you praise for tending to me!" He slipped over to close the door, but before he got it all the way, he paused. "Good night to you, Alice."

She couldn't help but beam another smile. "G'night, John."

The door was closed. She waited briefly, just in case it would open again for some reason. But all she heard was the sound of a zipper, shuffling, wet clothes, and eventually, more hot water filling a bath.

Glancing around and seeing only the bored desk clerk, she let out a quiet sigh and went up to her room.

---

She and her troupe had arrived in Cerulean city about a year ago. The weather, naturally, was cold like now, and she had just gotten herself an oversized sweater to wear in hopes it would help cut down on it when she wasn't performing.

She ran into John for the first time at the resort. He asked if she was alright. When she complained about the chill, he gave a good natured laugh and recommended she get a heavier jacket for walking.

"I mean, I've heard Pokemon complain about the weather before, but I don't normally see them wearing one big sweater like that. It looks nice on you though."

In truth, she had been embarrassed about him pointing out the garment, and she suspected he realized it afterwards, but the honest way he talked to her as another intelligent creature made up for it in her mind. She got the heavier jacket as suggested and bit by bit, got to know John more as she ran into him at the resort, then later at the gym.

It was a pleasant surprise for her. Of course, she wasn't going to wear her clothes while training - that would be silly for a Pokemon. When she spotted John there on one of her visits, she went to say hello. It took him a moment, but he smiled and greeted her by name. She had expressed amusement at him figuring it out, and he pointed out a few details of her appearance that were good identifiers to who she was, yet so easily missed by Humans.

"Plus, you have that slightly shy look about you when you said hello, which reminded me when we first met."

Embarrassed again, Alice had flushed furiously and swatted him (gently) with a fur sleeve. He of course flinched and bemoaned assault, and then they were both having a good laugh over it, but she had found an interesting friendship with him out of it.

Then came one of the big festivals. As a dancer and performer, it was not unusual to have her body painted up to go with her costume, and with it, she could go out on a big stage and show off her carefully mastered routines fusing Pokemon culture with Human art. Naturally, with her 'water sleeves' as humans liked to call them, she became a popular performer in the City of Water. But with that came a few drawbacks

Popularity. Ironic as it was, John had been too right about how shy she could be. Just about all her confidence went into her love of dance and martial arts, and of course, her body for just that. Her stage name was Sweet Grace. Course, many simply shorthanded it to Grace, but between the body painting and that, she was at least able to hide her identity outside of performances to lead a relatively normal, fan-free life.

With the festival came a lot of hard work, which was her first excuse to actually use the special guest baths that didn't make her feel guilty about indulgence. She found John again, covering the desk. She could see the appointment sheet was pretty full; There might not be an opening for her.

She approached the desk to find John, watching a stream of the Festival, paying rapt attention to the Big Stage. Together they watched her dance.

She hadn't gotten to see her routine like this yet, so as she watched, she let out a sigh of relief as she failed to find any fault in her display. John jumped in his seat, making her jump in turn, as he whipped about to face her.

"Alice! Gah, you scared me!" He quickly turned and paused the stream, finally looking like the embarassed one out of the pair of them for once. "So sorry about that. I got the short straw today, and I had wanted to go to see the big show."

Nodding at this, Alice smiled. "It's okay. I didn't mean to startle you. It was quite the performance though. I'm sorry you didn't get to see it in person."

"You were there too?" John asked, sounding surprised. "I just realized I've never asked what you do." He looked thoughtful, for a moment, as he took in her appearance, then began again. "Are you...?"

Alice felt panic jump at her throat. "No! Ah, no, I mean. I'm not Grace! Goodness! I do perform at the smaller shows though." She cleared her throat and tried to regather her dignity. "Although it must take quite a lot of skill and confidence to do something like that on a stage in front of so many."

John just grinned widely at that, and she just knew he was going to tease her. Sure enough, he did exactly that, and he got another swat by a sleeve. She did get her desired bath though, enjoying a nice blush from more than just hot water.

She hadn't realized at first, but Alice suspected John had an attraction to Pokemon of a more carnal nature. It had shocked her when she thought about it, but after thinking it over she noticed that while she didn't have much interest in Humans, she did have an interest in John.

Armed with this newfound knowledge, Alice decided that she had to see how this progressed, despite the fact thoughts of trying to flirt with John made her flushed and uncertain. She was never good at flirting, or being flirted with. There was enough romance around the other performers for her to be quite certain of that.

She was just too innocent - too virginal. She was going to have to try something different.

She tried changing her outfit after a bit of research into fashion. A smaller, fancier sweater that hid less of her body but still kept her warm. Some long leg warmers to emphasize her form. Lastly was some jewelry for her ears and a few neck chokers.

John definitely noticed the change, but so did many others. She found herself blushing and stammering thanks far more than expected with the evolution of her wardrobe.

Frustratingly, however, it didn't come to anything. Interspecies romance between a Human and Pokemon was a very touchy thing, but wearing human clothing was perfectly valid between Pokemon for many of the same reasons humans would use garments to entice. He might have held back thinking she was trying to draw attention from other Pokemon.

Next she tweaked her workout schedule to match up more with John's. It occurred to her that his exercise ethic might have also been an excuse to watch the Pokemon who also worked out. That meant he might have also been checking her out, wearing absolutely nothing as she performed her twirls and high kicks and...

Yes, she had definitely developed a new concept of how modesty worked between Humans and Pokemon. She wasn't self conscious about being naked in general - just self conscious of how John might be looking at her naked body when he could see it.

It was embarrassing; It was thrilling; it was shameful; it was stimulating.

He was definitely looking at the gym, so it wasn't her imagination. He still wasn't coming forward, however. She needed a new plan.

It had taken considerable thinking, several admonishments from her troupe leader to pay attention while practicing, and a remarkable amount of bribery of their stage handler, Richard the Smeargle.

That led to right now. Alice was backstage at the big festival, being prepared for her latest performance. The painters were adding on the final details of her body pattern, having already painted her whole body a brighter, more pristine white. Today's big festival was going to really outdo her last stage show if things went well. It would hopefully aid her plan as well.

This was it: There was no turning back now. She was going to make absolutely sure that John saw every bit of her true colors.

Every bit of her passion.

---

John shifted restlessly in his seat as he waited for the big show to start. He was excited and nervous all in one bundle. At first he had tried to relax and shut his eyes, but the seats of the large auditorium were just uncomfortable enough to make sure he couldn't fall asleep.

So to try and distract himself, he started people-watching. There was quite the crowd at the festival today, from trainers (both battle and contest), to rich snobs who liked to see the new and trending, to some everyday folks who almost seemed just like him...

He wondered guiltily how many of them were secretly admiring the performers like he was.

John had not been expecting a chance to come to the Festival this time of year, but to his great surprise, Alice showed up the day before and produced a ticket. "I know you've wanted to go for awhile now, so I managed to pull some strings." She said with a friendly smile. "I already asked your manager if it was possible to let you go since you haven't had a chance, and he was nice enough to tell me he'd clear you for the day if you were up for it."

It had been entirely unexpected. He liked Alice - the shy, adorable Mienshao who could probably snap him like a twig if she ever got angry at him. The gentleness in her demeanor contrasted so much to her being a fighting type. He wasn't sure she realized how intimidating her form could appear, even with the sweater!

He would have to find some way to show her his gratitude. That was for certain. He had tried looking around at the smaller performances to try and see her at her own act, but in all the preparation and chaos, he somehow kept missing her, so he didn't actually know where she'd be. She did say she would try to join him for the big stage shows, however.

Once the auditorium was filled to its limit and the time was right, however, the lighting dimmed and the announcer appeared on stage. The dhow was beginning, and she still wasn't there.

One by one, they all put on their best show, Pokemon and Human alike. Some performed in groups, some on their own. Each of them with some sort of outfitting or embellishment to make them a little more exotic, a little more fantastical.

His guilty pleasure in all this was the admiration of the performers - not just for their skill, but for their outfits, or lack thereof. It had been a constant internal conflict for him all these years; John got along very well with Pokemon, and they always seemed to take well to him too.

Still, it wasn't like the humans weren't getting their fair share of ogling from other parts of the audience. He had that one comfort, knowing that his interest was safely veiled under the show itself, so he could enjoy it all without worry.

The latest performance was finished. In a minute the next one would come out, and it was the one he was waiting for the most.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," came the voice of the announcer, "I introduce to you, Sweet Grace, who shall be performing a new piece called "Red Cerulean."

The stage was awashed in a blue light that seemed to shimmer and shift like curtains. The sound of muffled noise and bubbles from beneath the water. Fog was slowly filling the stage as a lone figure stepped into view.

Sweet Grace had her arms folded in front of her, the long sleeves of fur forming a sort of veil to obscure her front. Her body was painted in a ghostly white, enough that even the blue of the lights couldn't obscure it's purity. Halfway down they quickly shifted into a vibrant shade of red. Her face sported a similar pattern, the spot on her head and nose both red, the edges of her ears just as colored, and a sleek dash at the back end of her eyes almost made them seem larger.

She stopped at the center of the stage, the music of bubbles and surf slowly fading. A new song began its course, and her arms parted slowly to reveal her body.

John had to remind himself to swallow after a moment when he realized he was salivating. Despite being obscured by the blue lighting, the outfit Grace was wearing was, well, suggestive. It borrowed on the design of a harem belly dancer, with transparent, form-fitting silk pants. Another piece of silk served as a questionable skirt, golden tassels hanging along the edges. With it, a thin, sleeveless top with matching tassels covered her chest.

In no way was any of the garment thick enough to conceal her body. The only thing that made her modest by any standard was a very small thong and a mesh-like bra that still let the red tiger stripes painted along her back and sides show through.

Was that outfit even legal, nevermind for a Pokemon!?

Using her furred sleeves like wings, she 'swam' around the stage like a graceful fish. Every movement involving a clever bit of footwork and controlled leaps that made it seem as though she flowed through the air, helped by the camouflage of the fog on the stage floor. There was faint murmurs of the crowd as they watched, deeply impressed.

Then the lighting began to shift into the red, and the music changed.

Violent, fierce, adrenaline pumping. The dance went from flowing and calm to a never ending thrill ride. Every bit of it still flowed, never seeming to stop for even a pause. Still swimming through the air like a fish, her movements swept away the fog around her, putting her in a circle of focus. When she wasn't leaping, she was dancing fiercely, movements that made her long body bend and flex in ways he didn't think were actually possible, yet it made you admire every single muscle of her body. The movements flowed from sleeve to toe and back, all coordinated to itself without fail.

And with a dramatic crash of the music, it all stopped, with her knelt on the stage, sleeves slowly fluttering to the ground.

He didn't remember getting up to clap, but he could recall the sound of echoing applause as everyone else clapped with him.

---

It seemed pretty clear that Sweet Grace and her Red Cerulean had been the biggest hit among all the performances, though they were all excellent. Various debates we going about as people slipped out, leaving John to wait in his seat as he puzzled over a ticket he had been handed by a Smeargle.

Apparently there had been a raffle included with the tickets, and he was about to have the opportunity of a lifetime: he would get to meet Sweet Grace in person!

Naturally, he was terrified. He was a great fan, of course, but he didn't think expressing his physical interest in her would get the sort of reaction he'd want. It seemed more likely she'd remove his head!

It would also mean he'd have no time to try and find Alice if she was performing. While he had time, he decided to call her to find out, and also see if she had any ideas of what you'd say to a celebrity.

She picked up, and seemed quite excited for him. "Of course you should! If you want to see what I do so badly, I can just drag you to a rehearsal. Don't spoil your big festival moment worrying about me."

"Alice, that's. Just... I owe you a damn cake or something. You are being really, too nice to me right now."

"Just focus on what you're about to do. Be yourself, give compliments, and smile. You have a great smile."

He couldn't help but laugh at that. The words did help however. He thanked her for her support and hung up.

Time passed on, as the Smeargle from before came around to check on him and lock the auditorium doors so no one would wander back in.

The lights suddenly dimmed on him, the blue lights from last time came on, and the fog started rolling in. Seeing a figure coming forward, John sat back down and watched for the moment. Was this a special introduction as part of the raffle?

There was no sounds of waves or bubbles this time, though Grace still had her arms folded like before. She came closer to the edge this time, giving him a smile as she bowed.

He wasn't sure what he was suppose to do here, but he was saved the trouble as the music started up, the lights shifting red.

The music was different from last, and the lighting less intense as Grace's sleeves parted. It seemed like the same outfit at first, and as the dance began almost like before, he immediately noticed the top was missing. This was not a real issue for Grace, given she didn't really have any breasts to speak of...

But it made him glance further down on suspicious, and the lack of the thong was also very noticeable.

Even with the silk, there was nothing left to the imagination.

The glow of red shifted into deeper hues as her dance continued, subtly different like the outfit. Just as before, her movements were constant and flowing, endless and powerful, but rather than swim, this dance seemed to focus on showing off her body. It was sensual, alluring, inviting...

Not quite erotic, but it spoke very clearly of interest, of yearning.

Then she was sitting on the end of the stage, sleeves fluttering down as she posed with her legs crossed. She was looking straight at him, eyes half shut. She looked as if...

Was she flirting with him?

John felt his fingers dig into the arm rests of his chair, not believing what was going on at first. Surely he was misunderstanding this and-

Her legs slowly uncrossed, leaving her fully exposed.

He swallowed hard as he watched her face turn to the side a little, looking as if she was blushing as she brazenly presented herself to him, then brought the other leg over to cross them again.

Okay: she was definitely flirting with him!

He had no idea what to do. The opportunity of a lifetime, who had danced for him, courted him, offered herself to him, and he couldn't get his body to move...

The music was fading, the fog drifting away. As he sat there, the look on Grace's face seemed to shift. Images of his head being lopped off flawlessly came to mind. She slid off the stage, arms flinging her sleeves out in a grand gesture, as she suddenly surged forward into a leap!

He threw his arms up to try and protect himself from the incoming attack.

The impact rocked his seat, but no attack actually came. Something fell over his head - her sleeve - concealing him from her view. Confused, his arms slowly came down. He could just make out her feet neatly balanced on both arms of his chair, with one paw settled on the back of it over his shoulder.

The curtain of red lifted just enough for an ermine nose to peek under, twitching a bit as if sniffing him out. Then it dipped in a little further as he made eye contact with her again.

Before he could say anything, she darted forward and pressed her lips to his, hidden from the world thanks to her sleeve. It spoke of affection, of desire. It was so sweet, just like he imagined Sweet...

Carefully he set his hands on her shoulders and pushed back, just a little. She didn't resist as their kiss parted, a look of concern on her face.

"Alice?"

Recognition, a blush, then a smile. "I guess you got to see my show after all, John."

He was pretty sure his mouth was moving while nothing came out. Finally, he found one thing that made sense to say amongst everything going on.

"There is no way that outfit is going to keep you warm in the cold weather."

Almost predicted, she swatted him on the arm for that. It was with her actual paw this time, and it hurt more, but it was still gentle, by her standard.

He found himself surprised a bit more at the unexpected twinkle in her lidded eyes. She leaned in again to give him another kiss. This time, it was full of a great deal more than affection.

Once she let him take a breath again, she spoke once more. "Would you like to come see my place back at the Resort, John?"

There was no hesitation in his response this time. "Of course, Sweet Alice."

"Good. it's still cold out, and you feel quite warm."

<end>