FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The coffee maker hummed with a faint tone while Jenna waited for the water to warm. Her fingers wrapped delicately around the handle of a white, ceramic coffee mug emblazoned with a cheerful looking Eevee and the phrase ‘Just ‘Vee Yourself!’.

Jenna had never wanted to smash something more in her entire life than this damn mug.

Soft chatter and the sound of fingers typing on keyboards came from all around her. The cubicles did a good job of blurring conversations to a faint murmur, but it could do nothing to hide the discordance of so many people working in close proximity.

Her hand tightened on the mug and she fought not to let the annoyance rise to her face. It wasn’t even noon yet - she confirmed with a slump of her shoulders - after glancing at the clock overhead.

The rich scent of brewing coffee beans brought her back to her task at hand. The dark liquid swirled in the mug, mixing with the three creams and two spoonfuls of sugar. It was a combination that she had grown quite familiar with over the last year.

“Hey, Lenna.” The casual voice was nasally, accompanied with the creak of the cubicle wall next to her receptionist desk. “Get me a refill. I’m halfway through this expose on the Chicago Philharmonic performance and I’m falling asleep. God knows why anyone would care to read about something so boring.”

The smirking face of her coworker met Jenna’s hesitant glance as soon as she turned. He was younger than she was, wearing a tight black and white checkered suit jacket that had the top few buttons undone. Perched atop his head like a lopsided murkrow’s nest was a black-haired manbun that she had seen him spend copious amounts of time fussing with. He was already holding his mug out towards her, that smirk softening into a rockruff-like expression of begging.

Jenna forced herself to smile at him.

“Jenna. And of course, Elroy...that’s right. I thought you were going to tell Simon that I was covering that for you. I came to pick up the ticket and everything.”

“Oh, oh right, right! One of these days I’ll get it right! You can imagine how many people I’m networking with.” His smile faded and as soon as she took the coffee mug from him, he reached up to rub the back of his head. “Yeah, I uh…forgot to tell you not to bother. Sorry, my neighbor Kim, I’ve told you about her, she told me she’s trying to get all deep and in touch with herself. Figured music was the way to go, or some shit. Anyways, I figure hey,” he disappeared from his perch on the edge of the cubicle and walked around to the front of her desk. “Simon did tell me to do it and I didn’t want to risk you getting in trouble…”

It shouldn’t have come as a surprise when she went on Saturday night to pick up the tickets the magazine would have reserved. In truth, she didn’t know if she’d have been able to appreciate the music anymore than him. At least she knew she wouldn’t be distracted chasing tail. After turning down any plans with her friends and having nothing else to do, her Saturday had come down to a pint of cherry garcia and streaming old sitcoms.

That grin was back now just as strong as it was before. Jenna had to resist the urge to simply upend the mug of coffee at his feet.

“Are you reading this, again? Crossroads, right?”

The question drew her attention and she cursed when she accidentally tipped over the sugar shaker. The white powder scattered over the flat surface, spilling to the floor and making her grit her teeth. Still, at least she was cleaning up her own messes instead of someone else's.

The book was weathered, worn, and faded from constant handling. The spine was near falling apart and seemed one firm yank away from coming completely undone. In fact, it started to creak ominously as soon as he began to open it.

He didn’t get far. In three stops Jenna had closed the distance between them and plucked the book from his hand before he could stop her.

The amused expression gave away to annoyance. All five feet of her were trying to stand up straight without making it apparent she was relying on her heels for most of it. Her blond bangs fell in her eyes and she found herself thankful for the relief it brought from his gaze.

She hoped it worked as well to hide her frustrated blush.

“You know I don’t like it when you guys touch my stuff!” With a hint of reverence she set the book back down in its proper place, mindful not to put any unnecessary force on it. “‘In’ and ‘Out’ boxes, I’ve told you so many times. That’s the only thing you can touch on my desk.”

The cover depicted a back alleyway, illuminated only by an overhead light. Sitting under it was the shadowy depiction of a lucario, eyes lit with the backlight of the city. He seemed to be watching the viewer, one hand held in front of him with a ball of aura forming in his palm. Hanging from his wrist was a single handcuff, worn like a bracelet with a small length of the chain still dangling from it.

The titular Crossroads for whom the novel was named.

“Right, sorry. Four creams, one sugar.” He said quickly, his gaze briefly alighting on the spilled shaker. “You ordered more last week, right? The cane sugar that we all agreed on?”

“Yes. The stuff you had to have.” She said, swallowing the bitter taste on her lips while she rifled through the cabinets. “That I had to go to three different stores to find.”

“Believe me, it’s worth it, you know that processed sugar can go straight to yo-”

“Simon’s in his office, right?” She asked abruptly, glancing back over her shoulder at him. Her hand found the bag and she pulled it out. “I need to talk to him.” She dug a few scoops out of the bag and added the cream, the loud clinking of the spoon adding to the chorus of the office.

“Yep, just got back from some-Hey!” He nearly stumbled back when she shoved the coffee mug in his hands, the scolding liquid dancing along the rim. “He said not to bother him, though!” He called out after her, shaking his head in amusement while he brought the mug to his lips.

It was with no small amount of amusement that she snickered when she heard him sputter and cough, calling after her in irritation.

“Did you put salt in this?”

Her hand threatened to crack Simon’s ceramic mug with how tightly she held it. It wasn’t like her to allow Elroy to rile her up. Maybe it was the stack of data input that awaited her, maybe it was the contemptful way he had handled Crossroads. Maybe it was the thought of Elroy mansplaining the difference between salt and sugar.

Again.

Simon’s office was situated across the room and down the hall from reception. Flanked by potted ficus - already beginning to wilt under the fluorescent lighting - a curtain had been drawn over the window. Just below it was a tarnished, bronze plaque with the words ‘Chief Editor’ etched into the metal.

Opening the door revealed her boss mid-bite into a sandwich still in the wrapper of the fast food restaurant across the street. She practically slammed his coffee cup on the table, the liquid within sloshing and dripping out to darken the wood. Her eyes landed on that Eevee, that sickenly cute slogan. As much as she had come to hate it, it was the one thing that pushed her over the edge.

“Simon, I’m done waiting. I want a field assignment.”

Simon was a large man, one that had always seemed to tower over Jenna even with the advantage of heels. It had always made her nervous talking to him, but today? Today she felt something strange coming over her, something that didn’t want to be ignored any longer.

She stood there, hands splayed out on his desk and her green eyes boring into his own. There was silence between the two of them before Simon finally sighed. Setting down his sandwich, he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. The air in the room suddenly grew stuffing, and Jenna had to fight not to falter in her stance.

“Miss. Hess, you know I take my lunch every day at noon.”

“Yes sir, but I-”

“I don’t come to reception to interrupt you while you’re snacking at your desk.” He pressed on, his eyes drifting down to her hands when he noticed how she had begun to lean back. “I find this very unprofessional.”

“Sir, I told you I don’t have time to take my full lunch bre-”

“Then you need to prioritize your time better. How can I expect to trust you with a field assignment if I can’t trust you to make time to eat?”

That smirk of his nearly killed whatever self-esteem she had begun to muster. Her nails dug into the wood of the desk while her chest seemed to tighten.. She took a deep breath and stood up a little straighter, her eyes closing before she opened them again. This time, she saw the way his smirk faded, and she pressed her advantage.

“I have been putting up with this place for a year now. I didn’t complain when you credited my report on bike theft to an ‘anonymous source’. When you blamed me for breaking the copier. I didn’t complain when you treated me like your servant.” She leaned closer, the edge of her lip curling up slightly. Her green eyes had seemed to come alive with defiant energy. “I didn’t even argue when I received a turkey for Christmas instead of a bonus, even though I told you constantly that I’m a vegetarian. I’m sick of being forgotten about. And I KNOW Elroy makes more than me! He brags about it every other day!”

In the back of her mind red flags were shooting up. All the warning signs she had come to know were there, and she already felt her control beginning to lapse.

When was the last time she had to worry about this happening? It had been at least ten years, when she was a teenager...and this time her father wasn’t there to talk her down.

That ferocity behind her eyes vanished, her stance softening soon after. The fire in her chest snuffed itself out with little more than a whisper, gone as soon as it had come and leaving Jenna standing before her silent boss. Drawing her fingers into the palm of her hand, she squeezed them tightly enough to feel the stinging pain.

“If you don’t give me this opportunity then you can consider this my two weeks.”

The ultimatum struck whatever chord she had been going for, because Simon immediately held a hand up.

“Alright, fine. If you want a field assignment...just, just go talk to the road coordinator. Tell her you’re going to take the Kiss 66 tour.” His eyes darted back up at her, expression much more cautious than it had been before, like a pidgey caught in the shadow of a liepard. “Just let me finish my lunch.”

She swallowed and nodded, her heart beginning to pound in her chest. Casting worry aside, she found it difficult to contain her budding excitement. “T-Thank you, sir. You don’t know how much I appreciate this opportunity. I’ll do that right now.”

It wasn’t until Jenna left that Simon finally felt the sense of unease leaving him. It was something he made sure to note, especially since he didn’t realize she even had a strong leg to stand on. Before he returned to his lunch he paused, reaching out with one hand towards the edge of the desk.

He hadn’t noticed it before, but five long, deep lines had been carved into it. Right on the section of wood where Jenna had been resting her hand.

---

The plains of Oklahoma rushed by in a hypnotic blur that had long ago ceased to captivate Jenna. It was so startlingly flat that it had left her feeling small, nothing more than a speck on these sprawling grasslands. It felt as if a great hand could have descended and swept her aside like a piece from a board game.

Jenna would have been so lucky, she thought.

It had been nearly a week spent traveling on this squalid little bus, the interior cramped and congested with ripe humanity. The onboard bathroom facilities were broken, which she discovered the very first day. If that wasn’t bad enough, the family in the seats ahead of her had a child that screamed near constantly like a frightened Whismur.

The steady scrawl of her pencil on paper was the only comfort afforded to her.

Normally she would have made her reports on her laptop, but it sat unused under her seat. The bus seat’s outlets didn’t work after someone crammed coins into them, leaving her with no opportunity to charge anything electronic. Whenever she tried to ask to use someone else’s she was met with sour looks.

So much for Midwest hospitality. From what she had seen, nearly everyone on the bus had given her reason to avoid them.

The bus had departed from Chicago at nine in the morning, something that should have been the first of many warnings. It was a recent fad business, a family-owned tour company that traveled the length of Route 66. The only reason they were considered for an article was due to their recent feature on a reality TV show.

At first, Jenna had been more than excited when Simon gave in to her demands. She knew now that she should have been suspicious of how quickly he caved. At the time she had thought he simply wished to kick her out of his office as soon as he could. Now she knew why.

The only reason she got this position was because no one else had wanted it.

She regretted waiting the night before to actually see the episode in question. Reality TV wasn’t her thing, and she had no idea how people enjoyed watching things like this. Poor management, travel itineraries and accommodations had led the rich actors to bail on the trip not even three days in.

Another thing she noticed - there were no Pokemon aboard, nor did anyone have pokeballs of their own.

It made sense in a sad way. There were very few travel companies that catered only to human guests. Even if they showed terrible service there was always going to be a group of people that sought them out.

The thought had left her tense. It was something she kept trying to reassure herself about. She had no pokemon, why should she care?

The snap of pencil lead made her curse under her breath. Wincing, she bit down on her lower lip when she sensed a stir of movement from the seats in front of her. Only when it became apparent the banshee spawn was still fast asleep did she allow the tension to fade.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t had the forethought to bring a pencil sharpener.

A casual toss of her wrist and the pencil rolled off into the darkness under the seats of the bus. It was worth a shot, but as she crossed her arms over her chest in disdain she knew she wasn’t going to find sleep any time soon. Too many thoughts and her mind was muddled with too many different feelings. Should she have been happy? Perhaps, but the thought of another week of sleeping on a bus with these people was enough to make her sick.

Her eyes drifted towards the inky blackness that surrounded the bus on all sides, their vehicle the only one on the interstate that she could see. Their headlights cut a swathe through the night, guiding the groaning mechanical beast ever onward.

Only now, she could see that they weren’t the only refuge against the all-encompassing night.

It stood out against the skyline like a beacon among the Oklahoma plains. Rising above the flat land, it stood solitary and alone. A bastion against the monotony of its surroundings, the lights proudly broadcasted its existence to the world. For a moment, Jenna was brought back to the ornate buildings on the old side of Chicago. It had a quiet majesty to it, one that could only be afforded since there were no neighbors to steal its splendor. The only thing she wondered, however, was what the heck it was doing in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma.

Her eyes drifted towards the turn off, and as the bus began to pass it she closed her eyes and sighed. It was a strange sight, but it seemed like that was all it would be. In the morning, she was certain she wouldn’t even remember it.

Jenna nearly fell from her seat when the ancient brakes nearly locked up in a sudden lurch towards the turnoff.

Her fingers found purchase on the back of the chair in front of her, and when she pulled herself back up she realized that building was fast approaching. There was a sign outside, but it passed by too quickly for her to see what it said.

The parking lot was surprisingly full for this time of night, all manner of different vehicles decorating the lot. Nestled amongst old beaters were the occasional pristine and impressive rides that she could never imagine herself owning. In Chicago, she wouldn’t have afforded it a second thought. For a place out in the middle of nowhere on a weeknight, it was weird enough to pique her curiosity.

If that wasn’t enough to make her suspicious, the driver’s actions certainly did. He pulled around to the very back row where the bus rested in the shadows of the building. There was no light shining on this side and as soon as the engine went out with a soft rattle, they were left sitting motionless.

The air in the bus was tense and silent. For whatever reason the driver remained seated behind the wheel, and she could just hear him mumbling to himself. A few people stirred while she walked down the center aisle, but there were little that seemed to care. It was a habit of the driver to make frequent stops, as annoying as she had found it to be.

When he finally pulled himself out of the seat she ducked down a bit. Something about this place and this whole situation made her uncomfortable, like a clandestine meeting between Crossroads and an informant. That alone brought the slightest of smiles to her face; it wasn’t often she got to feel like her favorite character.

“Don’t do this, don’t do this…” he grumbled so faintly that he was nearly indecipherable, “just keep driving. You’re not into this kind of thing...”

The shape of the man stood there rooted to the spot, long enough that Jenna could feel the aches forming in her knees. Then, with a raspy hiss the front door opened and he disappeared from sight.

Jenna was quick to follow, slipping out just before it closed. Whatever was plaguing his mind, she certainly didn’t care enough to ask him.

If nothing else it was a chance for her to stretch her legs, but she brought her bag with her. She had already caught a kid or two trying to dig through her stuff, not that their parents seemed to care. One had even insisted she just let her little brat play with her laptop so he’d stop whining like a houndour getting its tail pulled. It made her feel safer to have it around, especially knowing that her issue of Crossroads was safe.

The solid ground under foot after hours of driving was soothing. After a week of traveling she had come to realize something about herself.

She despised long car rides.

It was worse than the simple feeling of being stuck on a vehicle with so many people and no privacy. It wasn’t even the broken bathroom, the infrequent stops at antiquated tourist traps that hadn’t been popular for decades, nor was it the anxious feeling the entire atmosphere of the trip had given her.

She had been born and raised in Chicago, and she couldn’t remember the last time she had taken an actual ride like this. Her parents weren’t much for traveling by car, although she did remember numerous times riding in a plane. It was naive, she realized now, to think they’d be similar.

The simple reason she didn’t enjoy them was due to how motion sick she had started to get. Bringing along a number of books had seemed like such a good idea while she was packing. It had become a matter of asking herself what was essential and what wasn’t. Unfortunately for her, she had decided that ‘essential’ meant a half dozen books she had been intending to read.

They had lain all but useless in her bags.

Wind nipped at the collar of her shirt and she drew her jacket closer to herself. It was chilly and the sound of air running along the awnings of the building made her uneasy. There was something about the darkness that had always made her uncomfortable.

She supposed that was ironic.

“What are you doing off the bus? I-I was just catching my breath.”

The sudden question made her jump in surprise. It had been a few days since anyone had spoken to her directly, and to have this barbed question thrown her way in the dead of night left her uneasy. Her eyes had already adjusted to the darkness, piercing through the veil of shadows with ease. In it she saw the driver, a portly man with greasy, brown hair hanging in a tangled mullet around his shoulders. He had hesitated against the side of the vehicle, doubt and uncertainty quickly changing to anger when he caught her following him.

A fat mustache rested on his upper lip, and Jenna nearly expected it to move at any second, revealing it to be the caterpillar it so clearly resembled. His jeans were stained with engine oil and filled with holes, a tight, white shirt doing nothing to hide the expansive gut he possessed. She had seen him gluttonously sucking down food at the truck stops he seemed keen on taking them too, and his condiment-stained shirt was a testament to that.

More than anything, however, his posture made him seem like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar.

“I was just going to st-“

“You need to get back on right now.” He blurted out with a dismissive wave of his hand. “This a’int a rest stop, lady. I’m...just going in for a minute.”

Jenna squeezed the strap of her backpack a little tighter. They were blocked from a majority of the wind while sandwiched between the building and the bus, but it was still enough to send her long hair drifting.

“I’m going to stretch my legs.” She repeated, forcing the words out this time before he could stop her. “I can’t sleep and I’m not going to sit around while you’re at…”

The realization that he was following her fell to the wayside while she walked around the side of the building. In bright letters she could read it now, although the name was completely lost on her. It wasn’t a franchise, of that she was certain, at least, one she had never heard of in the Midwest.

“What’s…Café Plaisir?”

If the impressive façade out front wasn’t enough to garner respect, the name certainly had a classy ring to it. Far too classy for a man like that, and she looked towards him with a raised eyebrow, only to grunt when he suddenly grasped at her wrist. His fingers felt like iron digging into her skin, and she grimaced when he pulled her a few steps towards the bus.

“This ISN’T a stop!” He almost bellowed this in her face, making her grimace at the stale scent of his sour breath. The urgency was there, but he was clearly trying to keep his voice down, even taking nervous glances back at the bus. “If you don’t get back on right now, I’ll let that rag you work for know you’re disrupting things!“

Jenna felt that familiar tug in the back of her mind, one that unsettled and unnerved her. Her first response was to try and hold it back, but...

The time away from Elroy and Simon had been spent thinking of all the things she would have liked to say. How she was sick of the constant disrespect, the remarks behind her back, the menial tasks. She even saw herself smashing that smiling eevee coffee mug in front of her boss’ stunned face. There was little else to do to pass the time, meaning that annoyance and self-righteous fury had been left to fester.

The man’s face contorted in pain when she grabbed his wrist roughly with her free hand. Her nails dug into the tender skin until she heard a slight yelp of pain escape him, and although her immediate response was to release him she pressed on. All that anger made her grit her teeth, and despite herself, she growled under her voice.

“Don’t you ever think you can lay your filthy, disgusting hands on me.” She hissed, the wind hiding the quivering uncertainty until it had faded from her voice. He released her quickly, although her grasp on him didn’t let up for a second. While not nearly as strong as him, she could feel just how deeply her nails were digging into him. “I’ve sat on that shithole you call a ride listening to snot-nosed brats screaming their heads off. I’ve put up with your bullshit idea of food, the lack of a bathroom and showers, not to mention your stupid damn country music!”

She released him, throwing his arm back at him and watching with no shortage of amusement when he took a cautious step back from her. By Arceus, did that feel good. Even the sight of the red streaks she left behind had her feeling vindicated. Somewhere deep inside, she felt a dark satisfaction.

“Then you actually put your hand on me? Because I want to go for a walk?” She turned away from him, shaking her head a little. “You know what…just…just fuck off. I’ll find a different ride home.”

With that, she turned and walked away from him, practically storming towards the front door. It had felt good doing that, and that feeling lasted right up until the point she heard the rumble of the engine.

Jenna didn’t look down, because she knew what she would see. The creeping cold had enveloped her even while she felt control beginning to return to her.

The shadows that had enshrouded her were now curled about her arms and legs like a great funeral shroud. A living curtain that decorated her in swirling strands of inky blackness.

A facsimile of a long tail curling around her form, made of the same weaving shadows that had engulfed her. Her green eyes practically glowed with malevolent intent.

Then, as the headlights bathed her in their white light, it all disappeared.

---

As soon as she stepped through the front doors, Jenna was left stunned by the opulence of the place. It was a far cry from the filthy truck stops and flea-infested motels they had frequented, that was for sure. Polished, white floors that looked as perfectly pristine as the day they were laid. Beautiful architecture delighted the eyes and invoked feelings of wonderment at just how much loving care had been put into them.

In rural Oklahoma, it was certainly the last thing she had expected; it looked more akin to a spa than a café. There was a welcome desk out front and she took a step up to it, allowing her hands to glide along the polished wood. It seemed far fancier than even Simon’s desk had been, with gilded legs and a uniqueness to it that made her think it was custom made.

A small sign rested on the desk, modest in comparison to its perch. Picking it up she read the words and rolled her eyes.

‘On break, please inquire at the bar for check-in.’

It certainly seemed like fate was against her. Still, she could only imagine the type of rooms a place like this had. That realization hit her like a truck. Her face curled into the slightest of smiles when she remembered she also had the company’s credit card…for business expenses only, of course.

Her footsteps echoed off the marble floor while she stepped out of reception and through the doorway ahead of her.

It took a few moments for her to grasp just what she was looking at. A bar, she was standing in the middle of a large bar. There were countless tables spread out across the room, most of them with their chairs resting atop them. There were no Pokemon sitting at the bar, but she did see a tall typhlosion standing there, a half-full glass resting in front of him.

Faint dance music played from somewhere down one of the halls, and she saw signs directing the reader towards something called Captivate and Dark Pulse. It seemed they were the places to be, as she could make out the forms of a few different Pokemon milling about. Oddly enough, they were joined by just as many humans.

She twisted her face up a little and shook her head.

If the music were any indication, it seemed this place might have had their own club. This late at night, the last thing she wanted was to be packed into a crowded dance floor, jostled by sweaty bodies. It would remind her far too much of the bus.

She clutched her backpack tighter to her shoulders and shot a wayward smile at the typhlosion when she took a seat in front of him. A clock above the bar read 1 a.m., and for that she was thankful. Being a night owl had always been a problem for her, especially when she was going to college. As it was, after her incident outside she felt wired, as if she had slammed an entire energy drink in one go.

“Can I get ah, uh…” she looked behind the bar and bit down on her lip, before nodding, “top shelf whiskey? You pick.

The fire badger behind the bar tilted his head at her slightly, although a genuine smile decorated his features. “A little late for the Greyhound to be running, isn’t it?” He questioned her, nodding his head towards her backpack. “Saw the bus pulling in, figured I’d be getting some guests.” As he asked this, he turned his back to her, apron swishing about his form while he stepped up to the wall of liquor bottles. “Any more lingering about?”

“No, uh, just me.” She said, almost embarrassed by that fact. That vindicated feeling had already begun to leak out of her, leaving her to deflate like a balloon. “Juuuust me…and that wasn’t the Greyhound. It was some asshole who thought he ran an actual company and not a dumpster fire on wheels.”

By the time he had set the drink down in front of her, she was already realizing just how much of a mistake this had been. If word got back that she had botched her very first road assignment…

She reached up and wrapped her fingers around the smooth glass, watching the ice cubes bob around in the amber-colored liquid. With a sigh, she brought it to her lips and took a sip.

“Interesting taste, if you don’t mind me mentioning.” The typhlosion lifted his own glass and raised it to her, before taking a drink. “Usually I’m pretty good about guessing a guest’s preferences.”

“Well...beer gives me the hiccups, and tequila makes my clothes fall off.” She joked, although she could feel her face warming at the grin she received. “Come on, you’ve never heard that before?”

Normally, Jenna found it difficult to find a liquor that she liked. Her taste and scent was always so much more potent than her family’s had been, and it had left her designated a picky eater while growing up. This, however, had a heady aroma to it that cleared her sinuses and welcomed her taste buds with motes of caramel.

“It’s very good,” she said, smiling at the attendant who had been curiously watching her. “Sorry for uh, venting…it’s been a long week.”

He simply shrugged and shook his head. “Believe me, I’ve seen my fair share a’ customers in my time working here. Name’s Jack, by the way.” He reached out a paw towards her, and Jenna felt that heat building in her face when she reached out to shake it. “Where ya’ from?”

“Midwest,” she began, before another nip of whiskey loosened her tongue, “Chicago area. Oh, uh…Jenna, by the way…” She mumbled almost apologetically into her whiskey glass when she took another sip. The pleasant atmosphere was miles away from the crowded bus, and the drink was doing wonders to help in that regard. “Supposed to do some…big story on this travel company that only caters to humans.”

The almost aghast look she received left her giggling faintly, the sound surprisingly bubbly in the quiet bar. She was regretting the small ‘dinner’ she had had nearly six hours ago, although it had amounted to little more than bags of snacks from the truckstop.

“Really, now? Well, can’t blame ya’ for wanting off. Still…you picked quite the place to do it.” Jenna watched him when he picked up a glass and began humming under his breath while he wiped away the specks that dotted it. “Any idea why he pulled in here? Although I could probably guess.”

She paused when she considered that. It hadn’t exactly struck her, at least, not in the moment, and she shrugged. “Don’t know…dude looked, like, super freaked out. Like he was caught with his hand down his pants at confession.” Jenna felt that smile returning when she heard her captive audience snort under his breath.

“Well, you know what kind of place this is, right?”

This drew Jenna’s attention away from her drink. Curiously, she glanced up at him, raising one eyebrow as she did so. “This is…what, a spa? Resort? Some kind of…fancy, new age corporate retreat?”

“Yes, yes, and no on that last one. Well,” he thought about it for a moment before shaking his head, “nah. Although we DO have function rooms. We have a bit of a reputation around here, ya know?”

The ice cubes swirled in Jenna’s glass when she cleared away the last of it. It made her stomach twist up slightly, and she shook her head when he went to reach for another. Even though she had thought of using the company’s card, she would feel like a child sneaking into her mother’s purse when she saw it in her money clip.

Even though Elroy had a tendency to brag about it to his buddies how often he used it for dates. Not that he seemed to realize she could hear him over the cubicle walls.

After laying a twenty-dollar bill on the counter, she shook her head and allowed a playful smile to drift across her lips. “Eh, I’m sure I’ll figure it out. I got…” she looked up and whistled a playful hum under her breath, “two weeks till I need to find a way back to Chicago. Sure as hell wasn’t staying on that bus.” As soon as he picked up the bill, she shot him a quick nod, “whatever’s left is a tip.”

That cordial smile grew even wider at that. “Well, thank ya’ kindly. And suit yourself, although you’re in for a bit of a surprise, I can assure you.” The way he said that drew Jenna’s attention before it drifted away soon after. “I’m assuming you’ll be checking in, then?” He gestured to her backpack. “I can set you up with a room, if you want.”

Jenna hesitated before getting up from her seat with a nod. This time when she reached for her money clip she did pull out the platinum card.

“Yeah, if you don’t mind. Sign at the desk said to come here, and all…” She trailed off slowly, only to be met with a mirthful chuckle from the bartender.

“Believe me, you wouldn’t know how many people and pokemon roll in here at all hours of the day.” His paw tapped on the credit card as if considering the company name on the front, before shrugging almost imperceptibly and taking it over to the register. “You want to hang out for a bit? I’ll be right back with your room key.”

Jenna leaned back against the bar and sighed. Watching the typhlosion walk across the floor made her realize that he was only dressed in the apron that he had covering his front. It wasn’t something she had noticed before, not that she had been looking for it. It seemed oddly…simplistic. Even in Chicago the Pokemon she saw working in shops and restaurants typically wore more covering.

Her eyes closed and she inhaled deeply through her nose, begrudging the lack of exhaustion that left her feeling wide awake. The swivel chair creaked around her while she idly wiggled back and forth on it, only to freeze seconds later. Her nose twitched and she sat up straight.

Something smelled…really, really good.

The sound of lounge music playing over the speakers was soon joined by a rhythmic clopping noise, one that drew her eyes towards the left side of the room. It wasn’t Jack, of that she was certain by sound alone.

He walked on four legs, beige coat a contrast to the rich auburn colors that surrounded her. It seemed slightly unkempt, something that she noticed right away, even though she told herself not to make it too obvious she was staring. A mythic Pokemon wasn’t exactly something that you saw every day, at least, it was never something that she saw back in Chicago. Still, she knew she was staring at him, and as she took another deep breath she realized just where that decadent aroma was coming from.

It was fresh and natural, like a spring flowing through the mountains. Clean, pure water that was unlike anything she had experienced in the big city. Jack had carried a scent about him, pungent smoke and whatever alcohol he had been sipping on. It brought to mind memories of crowded city streets and the smokers she would cross on her way to work.

Perhaps not as offensive as either of those. Him, though? It was utterly enrapturing.

The streaks of deep blue in his tail seemed to shimmer under the dim lights while it swished around idly. A long, voluminous red and orange mane tumbled down the back of his head, just as vivid as a blooming rose. Poking through it was a long, pointed horn that gave him an undeniably regal appearance. He held his head high and with no shortage of confidence, then when he turned to face her…

She saw that a few of those auburn locks fell across the right side of his face, obscuring it from view. It made her heart pound a little faster in her chest, that air of mystery growing more and more by the second. Their eyes (or in his case, a single blue one) met, and Jenna suddenly felt her throat tighten. He was smiling at her, almost coy in appearance until he dipped his head in a small nod.

The clop of those hooves stuck with her even after he passed the main bar, and she tried to tear her eyes away from him when he did so.

Don’t look don’t look don’t look.

She mentally begged herself not to do what she desperately wanted to. The thing that she ALWAYS did when she saw a Pokemon like him on the street. It was the thing that humiliated her to no end and made her want to hide her face in the dirt. Temptation and desire won out, and with a soft groan under her breath she took a peek out of the corner of her eye.

Just that was enough to sate her curiosity.

His tail had lifted as if he knew what his silent admirer had been gazing at. Muscular, beige-furred haunches were tensed, showcasing the muscle underneath. His form was taut and well developed, although she was used to that from all the equines she had ever examined in this way. What drew her attention the most was the swinging, black orbs that hung between his legs.

That was all Jenna could take, and she spun around in her barstool to get a better look at them. She had seen a heavy set of balls on a horse before, it wasn’t exactly something she wasn’t used to or didn’t expect. The shame of knowing just how his size compared to others aside, they looked very, very big. With how dark the fur covering them was, they were impossible to hide from her prying eyes.

Her nose twitched once more and she felt that warmth in her stomach grow tenfold. Kickstarted by the liquor that had started to take root, it was a different kind of excitement that had begun to drive her. One that she loathed to admit had gotten harder and harder to control in recent years.

It was made even worse when she realized that the squeaking of her stool had alerted him to her. The keldeo had stopped in the doorway and was looking back over his shoulder right at her. That blue eye winked at her, making the grin all the more salaciously suggestive. A gentle wiggle of his hips set his generous sack to swing to and fro, and then he was gone. Vanished into the hallway that exited the main bar leaving Jenna to try and piece together what had just happened.

“See someone you like?”

The question from behind her made her jump and nearly fall from her bar stool. She hadn’t realized that Jack had returned, now brandishing a room key in one paw and her card in the other. The grin that lit up his face brought heat to her own, and she turned her attention back towards the hallway that the equine had disappeared to.

“J-Just, uh,” she stammered, “not used to seeing a Pokemon like that around.”

It wasn’t the first time she had been caught gawking at a Pokemon like this. That didn’t mean it was any less mortifying to be called out on it. There were always those looks on the street that made her uncomfortable, judgmental glares and even outright disgust. Her attempts to better hide those moments of being transfixed on two rounded objects.

Jack’s grin hadn’t faltered for a single moment, and he pressed the card a little closer to her.

“Ya’ don’t have to be so shy, you know. Most people come here for the eye candy anyways.” He chuckled at the look of growing confusion overtaking Jenna’s face, only to roll his eyes a little and lean closer. “Hey now, you’re the one that said she wanted to find out about this place on your own.” The scent of alcohol decorated his breath like a bouquet of blossoming flowers, making Jenna’s heart race a little faster in her chest.

The pieces began to slowly click together, but she didn’t have the wherewithal to fit them into the whole picture.

Sensing the hesitation and concern on her face, Jack gave a grunt and turned back to the bar. The back of his apron was just as revealing as the keldeo’s rear end, and this time Jenna was able to tear her eyes away lest she fall back under that spell. She drew the room key towards herself and quickly pocketed it before the typhlosion chimed in once more.

“Aquarius likes to go star-gazing out back,” his voice was a low, vibrating purr, and although she couldn’t see his expression, she knew he was still baring that jovial grin. “I wouldn’t go barking up that tree unless you want a lecture on constellations.”

With one clawed finger, he gestured to the hall she had been so busy staring at. “Down that hall, take your first left. All the way down and to the right are the guest bedrooms. Of course…” he finally turned to look back at her and stepped closer. The looming presence of the fire-type initially made her want to lean away, but a gesturing paw stopped her from slipping away too fast.

Unlike any of the human men that invaded her personal space at the bar, the heat Jack radiated was comforting. There was something about a Pokemon that just seemed less threatening than a human.

“If you take a left at the end of the hall, you’ll find the walkway that lets you outside…if you’re going after Aquarius, you better be ready for him.” He winked at her at that moment and tilted his head curiously to the side. “Of course…if you’re looking for some company tonight, my shift’s ending soon…customers I like can get it for free, long as ya’ don’t tell Firenze.”

The deep rumble of his voice transfixed her, and she found herself standing up a little straighter. That sense of awe came over her once more, and suddenly everything made sense to her.

The bus driver’s apparent embarrassment at being caught here. The way this Aquarius had so casually shown off to her. A location out in the middle of nowhere and that name which had such strong connotations to it. Even Jack’s rather blunt invitation.

“This is a…brothel. Isn’t it.”

Just saying those words aloud took her back. In Chicago, she had heard of illicit whorehouses with a menagerie of humans and pokemon workers. She had seen them in the newspapers, their sullen appearances joined by the biting editorials penned by her fellow journalists. It suddenly made her stomach tighten into knots to realize she was standing in one of those very – albeit immaculate – dens of inequity.

Her expression caught the attention of Jack, and one of his paws reached out to rest atop her own. The sudden feeling of soft fur made her jump, and she gazed up at him with wide eyes. The words caught in her throat, the sudden shame and panic at being caught in a place like this, of renting a room in a place like this on her company’s credit card! All that fear and desperation began to build up in her, threatening to breach her quivering lips any moment.

“Come on, now,” Jack’s rumbling voice reassured her, “we all have our little secrets, don’t we?” In the quiet atmosphere of the bar, with no one else around to hear it, Jenna’s focus shifted entirely on to him. “Ya’ see a hot pokemon guy – or hell, a girl – on the street strutting their stuff and you want a piece of that? Hell, some of the workers here prefer humans to their own species!” That paw gave her hand a gentle caress before slowly pulling away. “There’s nothing to worry about, you know. It’s only natural, uh, ‘animal magnetism’ and all that.”

Jenna could only stare at him for a few moments after hearing this. Animal magnetism. The very thought made her feel sick. That smile faded away from the typhlosion's muzzle as soon as she got up from her seat, nearly knocking the stool over in her haste.

“Woah, easy there. I didn’t mean to freak ya’ out. There’s plenty in the café for you to enjoy. That’s just a bit of a bonus, ya’ know? No one says you need to, especially if you tell them no.”

Jenna had already grabbed her backpack and began to walk away by this point. Face as red as a tamato berry, her mind was awash with so many different conflicting feelings that she couldn’t begin to sort through at that moment. Chief among them was that damnable keldeo and that look of desire he had shot her. A look that made her realize that not only did he want her, he wanted to show her just what he could do for her.

The hallway was deserted when she entered it, something she was rather thankful for. She thought she might explode on the next person that asked her if something was wrong, let alone looked at her in an odd way. If her boss knew, hell, if her parents knew that she had come to a place like this…

That thought alone made her throat constrict just as a small gasp left her trembling lips.

If they found out…

“What if they do?”

The voice was soft as silk, gliding along her ears like the purest of velvet. She tried to ignore it while picking up her pace, but she could see it reflected in the shadows of the dim lights hanging from the walls.

It was an amorphous shape, one just as tall as she was with hands resting on their hips. It had a vaguely humanoid shape, no facial features to speak of except for that shifting mass of darkness. The sight of it always filled her with such dread that she tried to walk even faster to leave it behind her.

Of course, with the line of darkness running from her own shadow to this umbral visage, she knew there was no escaping it.

It walked at her side calmly and rationally, a simply mirthful laugh raising up in her ears no matter how hard she tried to block it out.

“Oh…it’s been a while, hasn’t it? You’ve done a good job of keeping poor little me locked up deep down in that noggin of yours…”

There was no one else in the hall, closed doorways surrounding her on both sides. No distraction from her dark passenger, or the bitterly decadent words that dripped from its maw. The ever creeping sensation of dread had been building in her since she left Jack behind, now overpowering her until she could no longer ignore it.

“Come on now, Jenna, why are you ignoring me?” That voice cooed in an ever mocking tone, joined by simply sinful little giggles when she refused to give so much as a glance its way. “You can’t just forget about me…oh, I know why you’re so upset~.”

That sing-song voice finally froze her in her tracks. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that the harbinger of her desire had stopped as well. It always did this, always at her weakest moments.

“You’re just mad because you knew you wouldn’t have gotten this far without me…” That voice surrounded her, reverberating in her mind like beats on a drum. “You would have just rolled over and played dead in Simon’s office. You would have just stepped back on that bus like a whelp with its tail between its legs…you NEED me.” The jovial nature had left that tone, leaving it as bitingly cold as a winter wind.

“You’re not real.” She finally stated, her voice sounding so small and fragile in that expansive hallway. Her nose had already begun to twitch from the delicious cocktail of aromas that made her head spin faster than a stiff drink ever could. “We both know that.”

There was another laugh, but this one sounded far less amused. It was mocking, just as condescending as any of the men back at the office. The visage that had become so much clearer now loomed towards her, and as if a pair of eyes had suddenly been opened, two emerald orbs stared down at her. It was joined by a split in the shadows just below, a set of toothy fangs parting in a cruel smile that immediately took her breath away.

“And you are?”

Jenna had felt its grasp countless times in the past, of course. When she was sad or angry, when she felt those cloying emotions of desire that made her weak in the knees. At a particular scent that made her mouth water. They were all triggers for her that she had learned to avoid, but after learning just what this place was?

“Just once.” It growled out, a tail crooking upwards against the wall. Its form was more detailed than she had ever seen it, more and more of its visage forming with every passing second she looked at it. “Just give us what we want, once.”

Jenna stopped at the end of the hall and squeezed her hands into tight fists. That voice wouldn’t leave her alone and it had never been this strong in the past. She glanced briefly to the right, realizing that her room lay only a few dozen steps away. It represented solitude, an empty space where she could take a deep breath and calm these racing thoughts.

Towards the left – where the figure now stood against the wall – was a doorway leading outside.

“Go wallow in self-pity, if you must. Like you always do, desperate to change but unwilling to expend the effort.” Its shadowy form had become clear now, so much so that she feared it might step off the wall and showcase the shadowy claws hanging at its fingertips. “Or…live your life.”

That offer was oh so tantalizing to an overwhelmed, exhausted mind. Jenna’s hand braced against the wall for support, the soft creaking of wood telling her just how tightly she was holding it. It was all she could do to keep herself standing. A storm raged within her and she felt as if she were on a tiny life boat trying to ride through an ocean of need that had been denied for so long.

Those green eyes watched her, blazing like poisonous emeralds against the dark expanse. It had opened its mouth again, as if to taunt her one last time when a nearby doorway opened suddenly. A wave of light cast across the hallway, shattering the illusion that had held her transfixed for so long. With it came the sharp, malodorous scent of raw sex, of man and women joined together in unholy union that took her aback.

“You lost or something?”

The voice came from her right, and when she turned to regard it, she found herself looking down on a dark red-furred form. It stood to her hips, nine regal, crimson tails spread out in a semi-circle of ruby fur. Its head was cocked to the side a little while green eyes so similar to her shadowy hitchhiker’s regarded her with genuine interest.

“No, I was…looking for someone.” Jenna felt the words fall from her as if she were a bystander watching it happen.

There was nothing she could do to hold them back. The ninetales in front of her was so different from what she was used to, that fur coat and the unkempt black hair that decorated his head absolutely commanding her attention. The most prominent thing she noticed about him when he began to walk past her was the black, ebony shaft dangling from between his hind legs.

His head was tilted back in a manner of utmost superiority, one that left no question if he realized the effect he was having on the human. She could see his shaft twitch with each step, a few drops of liquid falling to the carpeted floor and leaving the heady aroma of his musk prominent in the hallway.

“Yeah, well, we’re all looking for someone around here. If you need someone to keep you warm tonight, well…I’m available.”

The tongue that ran slowly along his ivory white incisors left her leaning against the wall for support. It seemed every man in this club knew how to hit her weak points, the very things that emboldened her ‘other half’ to the point where it was actually speaking to her again.

“No…no! I mean, I…” her words faltered at the annoyed glance he threw her way. It was commanding in a way that she hadn’t expected, and it stilled whatever argument she had been so desperately trying to make. “Trying to find…keldeo…”

His ears folded back as if in thought before he let out a sudden, barking laugh of amusement. Those tails curled around him, almost long enough to block her view of the hallway, but doing an excellent job of showcasing the rounded rubies dangling from between his hind legs.

“It’s your funeral.” With a toss of his head towards the door behind him, he began to trot off back the way she had come. “Out back, there’s a pond near the hedges that he likes to hang out in. If you change your mind, I might be willing to take you back…” That sultry growl was all that he left her with, that and the mental image of his manhood hanging low, swaying back and forth constantly.

Left in the darkness, she felt the icy presence now right behind her.

“What do you think it tastes like?” The voice whispered into her ear, accompanied by a playful giggle. “I bet if you asked…he’d drop those balls riiiight on your face…let you suck on them if you’d be a good girl for him. You’re such a slut, just waiting to be born…”

Jenna tried not to concentrate on what she was doing. If she did she knew that she’d chicken out, turn tail and run back to her room to hide until she could get the first bus out of here. Back to Chicago, leaving this whole thing a bleary memory from a failed road trip. She knew Simon would never trust her with any serious assignment ever again.

If nothing else, she would retain her dignity born from humanity’s superiority to the natural world.

That wasn’t what she wanted.

The night air was cold on her face when she stepped through the backdoor. The solemn click of it closing behind her mixed with the phantom giggles that rose above the mist-covered grass, surrounding her in doubt while she began to walk the path away from the café.